Mimi and Poppi

My parents are finally coming up to visit! They haven't seen Savannah since after she was born. She can't wait to show off all her new skills and I can't wait to have extra hands to keep her out of stuff.

The visit will be a little bitter sweet since on the way here, my Dad is stopping to visit with my grandmother who is very ill. She has decided to be at home and have hospice come in if needed. We will be going down to see her in a couple of weeks or sooner if we need to. I'm hoping that getting to see Savannah, now that she is a much happier baby, will help to keep his spirits up. They will also get to see my Mr. Basketball Chris at a tournament in Lexington.

When my parents were here before we were right in the middle of her full blown colic and milk allergy, on their last days here we were getting her on the hypoallergenic formula. They didn't really get to hold or play with her since its a little hard to do that with a screaming baby.

I hope to have lots of pics to post and updates to give after the visit!

March Madness

It is March, let the insanity begin.

Chris has officially started track and AAU basketball seasons. This means track on Mon, Wed, Thurs. Ball on Tues, Thur, and most weekends and some traveling around the state. Luckily, all of this is helping him stay ahead in his schoolwork hopefully not leaving things to the last minute. He has been so exhausted that he is napping on the bus and when he gets home from school.

Savannah had her 6 months check up. She doubled her birth weight to 16lbs 5 oz and she is 27 1/4 in long. She still isn't a big fan of cereal or baby food, but it is getting a little better. She has cut both bottom teeth and the tops will be here soon. She has a little jerky crawl thing going on and pulls up on anything she can reach. And, drumroll we officially have our first cold, I think. She spent most of the day yesterday sneezing her head off and was up most of the night with the stuffies. Sent Dad and Chris out for saline drops, vapor rub, and a vaporizer.(though she doesn't see very sick from the pic above taken a few minutes ago!)

I start my part time schedule the end of this month. It looks like we have worked out an arrangement where we currently live to be able to stay for now. Lamont and I are trying to figure out a night away sometime soon, since when one is on deck the other is asleep lately. One of us manages one kid while the other runs the other around.

Whatever we are doing, its working. I have happy, healthy kids and that is what it is about!

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!