Growing Pains

G's been walking for about a month now, and with the walking has come a sense of fearlessness that has instilled fear in my very being. He was climbing on the couch today and took a tumble, smacking his face on the coffee table. Of course, this was the one moment that I was putting on my shoes and I happened to not be within close enough distance to catch him.

He's fine, probably going to have a nice black and blue mark on his face, but it shook me up something awful. I haven't been able to get back into the swing of things all day. I know falls are part of growing up, but it doesn't make it any easier.

Also a part of growing up? Disobedience. See the aforementioned climbing on the couch. This kid loves to climb, and nothing I nor my hubby does can stop him. I've done the whole "get down to his level, and say no in a firm voice" thing, but he just laughs. I've also removed him from the couch and distracted him with other things, but this only lasts for a short while. I'm really struggling with how to discipline my child at this phase. I'm thinking today's fall may curb the climbing on the couch though.

And, I'm trying for a second kid? Really? Glutton for punishment. Going the mother nature route at least until the fall. I'm sure I'll be going back to the clinic by then, but figured we'd give it the ol' college try, just in case there's a good egg in there somewhere.

As for me, the employment situation is improving. I'm doing some work for a friend right now, but the money's not nearly as good. I was holding out for a full time position with a friend's company and passed up a lot of opportunities for it. Of course, it fell through. Note to self: don't count on friends for jobs in the future. It sucks how complicated finding a job becomes once you have a kid. "Having it all" has become a myth, but I'm ok with it.

Unemployed

Well, I'm out of a job. Faaaabulous. Gotta figure this out.

We wish you the Merriest...

Ok, so I lied.






Happy Holidays to you and yours - may 2010 bring you all the best of everything!

(card from Shutterfly)

In dreams...

So, I had a dream two nights ago that we were doing IVF again. I woke up the next morning and realized...

I'm ready.

Financially, we'll be waiting until the New Year (hopefully a decent tax return will help). But, I think we need to get the ball rolling soon, as my clock is legitimately ticking...loudly. And, I'm pretty sure that I'm finally OK with it.

Wow...just wow

You know, this was always in the back of my head when going through IVF, but I've never heard of it really happening!

Mother Given Wrong Embryo in IVF Mix-Up

Good on them for giving the baby to the genetic parents, but God...how do you even deal with it? To get that news, and then find out that it's not your actual baby? Gah.

Those lazy, hazy, crazy days of summer

It's hot.

Really hot.

Stifling.

I don't think that I have ever sweat as much as I have in this past week. TMI? I don't care. I think the fact that we have been relatively spoiled here in NY this summer with moderate temperatures, led us to get kicked in the ass this week when the heat wave hit. Poor little G doesn't know what to do with himself. He's also in the middle of teething (again), which isn't helping. This has led to a number of sleepless nights for us, but I think we're almost over that hump.

So, the trip? Went extremely well. I handled it a lot better than I thought. It was a little tough to say goodbye, but by the time I was on the plane, I was fine. I called home each night to check in only to hear how much of a good boy he was being.

We had a great time - I definitely recommend getting away for a few days if you haven't yet and have a baby at home. Recharges the relationship and makes you feel like yourself, instead of "mommy" again. Needless to say, we're already looking forward to our next venture.

Last weekend, we took our annual family trip to an Irish Festival in upstate NY, and brought G. It was a 4 day, 3 night excursion, and you would think we were leaving for a year with the amount of stuff I brought for G. The Barron and I had one bag and a cooler. The rest was for baby. If we ever have another kid, we'll have to get yet a bigger car. Heh.

Work is becoming progressively more difficult to get done on days when I don't have help. Grandparents are here watching G on Tuesdays and Thursdays, which is when I have my conference calls. I work the rest of the week when I can (naps, playtime, morning, night), but G is becoming more needy for my attention and I'm not getting done what I need to. Essentially, I'm supposed to be working full-time from home, but I haven't been for a while, and I'm waiting for it to catch up to me.

Because of this, we have made the decision to put G in daycare 2 days a week (Mon & Wed). Two of our closest friends have their children in the same daycare. It is one woman who runs it out of her home, and they speak very highly of her. She lives about 2 minutes from my house, and only has 4 children max on a daily basis. She works "teacher hours", so I would have G back home by 3PM. This has been a hard decision for me, as I thought I'd be able to handle the working from home and being a mom, but it's just not working the way I would like it to. I think he'll do great there, and he'll get to socialize with other kids, which isn't happening much currently. We still need to meet with her, but I'm thinking he'll be set by mid-end of Sept and I'll be able to get more done. I plan on taking Fridays off completely and just spending it with G full-time.

So, that's about it from me. I know I haven't been posting much, but I am still reading up on all of your adventures...hope you are all enjoying your summers!

Leavin' on a jet plane...

So, the Barron and I are going on a short vacation this weekend. We're heading down to New Orleans on Friday - Monday and leaving G home with his Grandparents. I'm so excited I could burst, but I also know that I will probably spend the entire flight down in tears. I'm gonna miss my boy.

I think we are definitely doing this at the right time. If we don't go now, we'll never go. I have friends who are going on their first solo trip since their son was born (he's 3 and a half). Barron and I used to take trips all the time and it's been rough on us not being able to just get away and focus on us. It should be a nice break.

Gavin loves his GP's and sees each set of them once a week, so I don't think it'll be an issue for him. I'm not nervous about their care either, as they are very familiar with how to take care of him. It's not making it any easier to leave though. I'm giving him tons of extra kisses and hugs this week to make up for it!

As for my not so little guy, who is 7 MONTHS old today, he's doing great. As of our last doctor visit, he is 19 lbs, 13 oz, and 29 inches long. He's rolling all over the place and is very vocal! I'm also pretty sure he's close to crawling, which is scaring the crap out of me. Gotta start babyproofing.

I'm doing well, although I'm starting to realize that working from home and raising a child is harder than I thought it would be. I do have help two days a week from grandparents, but on the other three days, I work when I can. This has become a bit of a problem, because I am not the worker I once was, but I also feel the need to be with my son. Things may have to change down the line, but I'm not sure how. I may need to put G in daycare for a few days in order to get my work done. Just a thought. I'd hate to do it, but it may be what we all need.

Then there's the issue of baby #2. As I noted once before, my OB/GYN suggested not waiting more than a year to try again, as I responded poorly to my first cycle (even though it worked). The Barron recently started a new job which allows us three IVF cycles, but I'm not sure I'm ready to go down that road yet. I always wanted a nice gap between children, but I know it's not a possibility for me. Plus, I'm in no rush to go through all that again. We're going to discuss at the end of the summer to see what our next steps are. We'll see.