Savannah update

She is getting way too big, way too fast!

We had our 6 month check up this week. She weighs 16lbs. 5 oz. (we made double our birth weight, but just by a smidge). She is also 27 1/2 in. long which is 95% for height. No wonder all her sleeves are up to her elbows and her pants are high waters!

She still isn't eating any solids, so we are gonna try a few tricks. Diff. time of day, diff. things to try to trick her into eating. Her pediatrician says she isn't far from walking, since she can puts her hands out to catch herself. Oh yeah! Just when I was getting used to her rolling all over the place.

I can't wait to conquer the world (cheaply that is) with her and Chris this summer. We will be mall, zoo, park, and swimming pool bound. When I am whining later about how broke I am, I hope to be able to look at all the pics from this summer and realize that experiencing every minute of my baby girl getting big and truly getting to know my son and the man he is becoming are priceless.

Craziness continues

Still working full time right now until we can get some bills taken care of. I will finally be able to drop down my hours in April. We are still trying to determine if we are going to have to move, we have been looking at some townhouses, but the thought of moving is so daunting with a little one.

Chris made a travel AAU basketball team, so that chaos will begin soon along with track season starting (which equals three days a week!). Luckily, I will be off during the week and be able to manage all the crazy practices, I just hate that I will miss most of games since I will be working every weekend. He finally pulled his grades up and got all of his work caught up, which even his math teacher is amazed about. Very proud of him for all the above!

Savannah is still as rotten as ever. Our first tooth broke through on the bottom. She can sit up for a few seconds at a time, which is how long she stays still. She still hates all baby food and cereal, which we will discuss with her doc today. She is sleeping pretty good at night still and I just can't wait for her to have some routine to her schedule with me home and not exhausted all the time.

Decision made....I think :)

I have made the decision to go part-time! One would think I should be excited about this decision, but it has been a painful decision to make. I love my career (being a nurse that is). I knew I would never be a stay at home mom, my career defines a huge part of who I am. I like to think I am damn good at my job too, so it is hard to put it on the back burner. Not to mention, we are not exactly in the perfect financial spot to significantly reduce our income.

But, our current situation is not working. I don't sleep for 36 hrs a couple of times a week, which makes for a very exhausted,impatient, and frazzled mom and wife. I refuse to work more just for the purpose of paying for daycare. Which leaves us with this option, I am going to start working two twelve hour shifts on Fri and Sat nights, this will allow me to manage both kids during the week and maintain some semblance of a schedule. I will then work while Lamont is off so that I can actually sleep.

I know that this decision will be so worth it in the end, and I know that I will have plenty of time to advance my career when she is a little older. I guess a big part of me is scared, like starting a new job with very little experience. Yes, I have been a mom for 11 yrs but it was my part-time job and Ill be honest not always what I have been the best at. Please don't take this the wrong way, I love my kids but they don't define me and I think that is okay.

So, like everything else I am determined to excel at this new adventure. I am competitive and a perfectionist, but the test of my success will come many years from now when my children are, (hopefully) successful, happy, well adjusted people.

Back to reality

The Super Bowl Party was a great excuse to do some major cleaning and a little organizing around my house. We had a great turn out at the party, I have the best friends and family ever. Glad the Packers were able to pull it out, a little sad my Brett Favre wasn't there with them.

Now its back to reality, Chris is off to school gotta get to the grocery and get some errands done today. Also have some major decisions still to make this week, I have made tomorrow my D-day (decision day). So hopefully, I can do some soul searching in between living life today, something tells me that little smiling face above may be the one actually making the decision for me!

Risk versus Benefit

I am currently in the midst of a huge mental crisis in trying to decide what to do with my life/career.

I have been given a job opportunity that would be great for my family life/sleep/sanity, it would be less hours for decent pay but still a pay cut from what I make now overall. I would work every weekend, but would be off all week to manage the kids and my house (which is not happening now) It would also mean that I would change organizations that I work for which is a huge change. The biggest dilemma is leaving my current co-workers,whom I love and are some of my best friends.

In general, I love everything about my current job except my lack of sleep and my direct manager. I almost wish I were more unhappy so the decision would be easier. I am a creature of habit and comfort and have become quite comfortable where I work, but change usually equals growth, right??....

So the next days will consist of determining where every penny can be squeezed or saved out of current budget, looking for a different place to live (which was already in the works), and deciding if the risk is worth the benefit. Which is ironically what I ask my patients and their families to do everyday!

one step forward, two steps backward....

Just can't seem to get ahead with these kids!

Chris is still sick, missed two days last week and now is still having headaches and abdominal pain. We were already struggling to make up school work to pull up his math grade from last six weeks and now more missing work.

Savannah is back on a hunger strike. Eating 4/5 oz at a time, and it seems like her belly is bothering her too. She is still sleeping pretty good at night though.

I think I may have overestimated my ability to manage all of this while working at night and not sleeping. I am currently looking at another job opportunity that would allow me to work on the weekends only(but at a large pay cut), which would allow me to be able to manage all of this during the week and maybe restore some type of sanity to our lives.

I knew that having another baby would mean many sacrifices, I am just trying to remind myself that it will all be worth it and that my family will be reminded of what is important, each other!

One day this will all be a distant memory and I will be wishing for the time back!

Catch up

Sorry for my absence this weekend, but it will probably repeat itself every other weekend when I work Fri, Sat, and Sun night. My life is consumed by work, sleep and attempting to see my family a couple hours a day. This is also the hard week, since I worked the weekend then tonight and Thursday. It is then followed by a four day weekend off then work one day and off three. So it seems to work itself out, just don't come to visit on the bad week unless you want to clean!

My family is hopefully over the bug, which Savannah and I have seemed to escape so far!

This weekend is the Super Bowl! One of my absolute favorite days of the year! It is a little bitter sweet this year since I think my dream husband Brett Favre has actually retired for good. I love this game even if I don't like the teams, love the commercials, the half-time show. Even more I'm going to have a few friends over which makes it even better.

So this week I will live for the weekend and kick-off!

(The above pic is Lamont and I seeing Brett on his birthday when Minnesota played St. Louis!)