Back to the grind

Monday was my first day back at work and Brendan's first day at daycare. We are bringing him to a woman who watches 5 kids at her home. One, because I'm more comfortable having him in a smaller setting and two, because it's a crapload more affordable than sending him to a big daycare center. Anyway, I dropped him off Monday morning and cried. Then I got in my car and balled on the way to work. Then I got to work and every time someone came over to welcome me back and ask how it was dropping him off I'd get teary eyed again. Brendan, on the other hand, had a grand old time being with the woman who watches him and the other kids. I'm sure they're a lot more entertaining than dear old Mom. Needless to say, it ended up being way more traumatic for me than it was for him. Now, at my third day back at work, it has already gotten much easier. I think it has a lot to do with the fact that I know he's well taken care of and he's having a good time.

Here's a pic of Brendan on his first day of "school":



Work has been going well so far. The 12 weeks off did wonders for my patience because the few people who used to irritate the shit out of me with their "I can't do what you're asking, everything is impossible" attitudes don't bother me one bit. At least not yet. I'm all smiles and sunshine for now.

Brendan seems to be getting bigger and older by the second. He'll be 3 months old next Tuesday which, frankly, is just insane. Because it means he'll be 16 before I know it and because it also means I'm 3 months closer to turning another year older. The little ball of mush who used to fit in the crook of my arm is now too heavy to hold for very long (granted, I'm a little out of shape at this point but that's besides the point) and can't sit still long enough to cuddle with me unless he's fallen asleep on me. But hey, I'll take what I can get.

So Halloween is just around the corner. And being the thoughtful and compassionate mother that I am, I searched high and low for the perfect costume for my little man. Let me tell you, costumes for infants under 6 months are hard to come by. Every time I thought I found the perfect costume I'd get all excited only to find out that it didn't come in his size. Unless I wanted him to be a hot pepper or a pea in the pod, my options were very limited. Well, on a shopping trip where I was supposed to be getting myself some new pants for work, Grandma Annie happened to stumble upon a very snazzy costume. And they had one in his size! We scooped it up (along with several pairs of pants and sweatshirts -- for Brendan) and proceeded to run back to Grandma's house to try it on. I think I've sent most of you the pics but here are the shots, for anyone who hasn't seen them. The costume came with pants but we thought it best not to press our luck just yet:








Brendan is 2 months, 3 weeks, 4 days old today!

Two Month Check-up

Today was Brendan's two month check-up at the pediatrician's office which meant it was time for his first shots. Daddy took the day off of work to come because Mommy was too chicken to go by herself and see her baby get upset.

Our little nugget is growing fast! He's up to 12lb 4oz and is 24" long which puts him at the 50th percentile for weight and the 75th percentile for height. No doubt that he will be up in the 90th percentile for height very soon given how tall both parents are! He has a bit of a flat spot on the right side of his head because he favors this side when he's laying down. We've been trying to turn his head as much as possible but it hasn't gotten any better. We also noticed that he has a more limited range of motion when he turns his head to the left so the dr suggested that we take him to a physical therapist to learn some exercises we can do at home with him. It may also be possible to get a sonogram to help loosen the muscles a bit. She doesn't seem to think it will be a problem down the road if we work on getting it fixed now.

Brendan was being his usual chatty self with Daddy while we were waiting for the dr to come in. This is his latest thing and it's absolutely adorable. He stares intently at your mouth while you talk then coos and gurgles a response back. His neck muscles are getting stronger so he's constantly lifting his head to look around. Don't even try to cradle him in your arms, he'll have none of that! He likes to be sitting upright so he can see what's going on around him. He seems fascinated by lights these days. The other night he couldn't get enough of the clock on the cable box. He also has a habit of head butting us when we're trying to burp him. I guess his little head gets a bit too heavy when he gets a good start at lifting it.

Anyway, back to the appt. All was well while the dr was examining him, he was a model patient just kind of watching her and letting her do her thing. Then the nurse came in and gave him the first shot in his thigh and he let out a wail that broke my heart. He was supposed to get three shots today but there is a shortage of one of them so he mercifully only got two. He just about forgot about the first shot when she stuck the second needle in his other thigh. That did it. He started crying, I started crying. Oy. Poor Daddy had to console both of us. I knew I would cry though, I hate seeing someone I care about hurting. And now multiply that when this is your child and you can't explain to him why this is happening.

When the nurse was done I scooped him up and smothered him with hugs and kisses until he stopped crying. Then we put him in the carseat and he passed out for a an hour and a half. He seemed fine when he woke up but around 6pm he started to get really cranky and miserable so I gave him some Tylenol and that seems to be helping. Thankfully we have another 2 months before we have to do this again.

I have only 1.5 weeks left of my maternity leave. I can't believe how quickly it went. Brendan is not even close to sleeping through the night so we'll have to figure out a way to coordinate his night-time feedings so we can both get some sleep and function at work the next day. Hopefully he'll start sleeping for longer stretches than 2 hours at a time very soon. I'm not sure how I've managed to get by this long on such little sleep. Coffee is my best friend.

Here are some adorable pictures of Brendan. There are cute ones of him awake but these ones of him sleeping just make me melt.








Brendan is 2 months, 1 week, 3 days old.