I had band last night, and it worked out well this week because Skip didn't have to go to work until 11. So he stayed home and put Preston down while I was out. I got home, watched a little TV, then went to bed. Well, I should have known what the night was going to entail when I walked past Preston's crib just to check on him, and I couldn't feel him. That's because I couldn't see that he was sitting up in the corner, looking right at me. Kind of startling, but funny. So I quietly laid him back down, then I went to bed. At about 11:30 I woke up to him crying, which unfortunately has been happening a lot more lately in the middle of the night. I don't know if it's his teeth or if he's having bad dreams or what, but usually if I just go in there and rub his back he'll go right back to sleep, usually for the rest of the night. Not last night.
I went in there, and tried to get him back down, which he wasn't having. So I ended up just bringing him into bed with me. 6 or 8 months ago he would've fallen right asleep in my arms, and I'd put him back in his crib after an hour or so. Now, since he's really not in bed with us much anymore, he was wide awake. Calm and quiet, but wide awake. I was kind of dozing off, but I was too worried to completely fall asleep because I didn't want him either climbing or falling out of the bed. I had visions of him escaping down the stairs and out the back door... Plus, every couple of minutes I'd feel this little finger poking my cheek or picking my nose, and I'd open my eyes and see these little beady black spots two inches from my face... So neither of us was sleeping. However, every time I'd put him back in his crib he'd be fine for a few minutes, then soon be crying hysterically for me.
We went back and forth like this for probably 3 hours between my bed and putting him back in his crib. I finally gave him some motrin and rocked him in his room for a little while, I think this all has to do with teething, and then I finally left him in there to cry it out. I felt horrible, but I knew he would fall asleep eventually. It really was only like 10 minutes, but it felt like forever.
So this morning, I go to wake him up, and he was like a zombie. A smiling one, but a zombie nonetheless. Our babysitter Cassandra's son has been in the hospital for the past week-and-a-half following a burst appendix, so we've been having a different babysitting setup each day. Sarison's helped, and yesterday my dad came up. Today, it is the backup plan that the college offers, which means Preston is in the daycare facility right across the street from the college. It's a wonderful plan that allows us to "drop in" when needed, up to 8 days per year, and the college subsidizes the whole day, except a small copay from us (it seriously is a great benefit). We've used it twice this year, and Preston does okay. It's different, but he's pretty flexible. Except today. I dropped him off and he was like a little monkey, completely clinging to my shirt, then to my pants when I put him down. I ended up leaving him with arms outstretched to me, bawling. I felt so bad. I know he'll have fun, but he doesn't nap well there, so I know today is going to be tough. I hope I don't have to pick him up mid-day, but if I do, I'll gladly get him and cuddle him the rest of the day!
So I'm tired today. Being tired makes my days even longer than they already are, and brings up all those pooey feelings I have about resenting my job and how it interferes with my life. I wish I could have stayed home with Preston today and not have had to drop him off in a relatively unfamiliar place with unfamiliar people when he's not himself. It killed me to see my normally smiley little blondie just needing me so much, but I just left him. Then there's the little voice inside my head that tells me to suck it up because I need the job and the insurance. Urgh.
Okay, venting done. I can't wait til I can go get my guy and hang out at home with him tonight, and let him cuddle all he wants.
Thursday, May 19, 2011
Wednesday, May 11, 2011
My little pin cushion :(
Preston had his 18-month appointment today, and boy did he get poked and prodded! In terms of his development, he is right on track with his speech and and everything else, so that's awesome! However, as always, he is way low on the growth charts. He was 21 lbs, unfortunately down from his 15-month appointment (although that appointment was only a month-and-a-half ago, so it's not that big of an issue); his height was 2 ft 6 in, which was up, so that's good. The doctor isn't too concerned, though, since his height and weight are proportional, albeit on the low end, and she said since he's so active his weight is bound to take a little dip. She wants us (as always) pumping him with all the calories we can, and starting to mix his milk with PediaSure so a.)he'll drink it (he's had a milk aversion ever since he was sick back in December), and b.)to get more calories.
He also got a couple of shots, and had to have his lead level checked, which meant a blood draw. He was NOT a happy camper by the end of that appointment! He was so cuddly last night with me from all of the stress, poor guy.
He really is doing so well, though, at least from my point-of-view. Over the past month or so, he has started saying so many words, and his sign language skills are crazy! He watches the Baby Signing Time videos and will all of a sudden bust out signs I didn't even think he knew! He also walks up to the TV and starts singing and signing "Baby" when he wants to watch. It's too cute. He still eats like a horse, and his ability to use a fork and spoon make me so proud as a mom. Some other sweet and goofy things:
1.) He reaches up to hold my hand when we are in the driveway, on the sidewalk, or in a parking lot.
2.) He thinks it's funny to fart... thank Skip for that one!
3.) He makes a "cheese" face where he scrunches everything up and then goes "boo!"
4.) He gives hugs and kisses now, without any prompting.
5.) I asked him the other day if he was ready to go to bed, and he shook his head yes, walked over to the gate, turned around, and pointed for "up." Seriously? What kid voluntarily goes down for naps and bed time? Skip's kid, that's who! Those boys LOVE to sleep!
6.) We walk through stores and even the hardest-looking people smile at him. I am so blessed to have a kid who genuinely makes people want to smile.
He also got a couple of shots, and had to have his lead level checked, which meant a blood draw. He was NOT a happy camper by the end of that appointment! He was so cuddly last night with me from all of the stress, poor guy.
He really is doing so well, though, at least from my point-of-view. Over the past month or so, he has started saying so many words, and his sign language skills are crazy! He watches the Baby Signing Time videos and will all of a sudden bust out signs I didn't even think he knew! He also walks up to the TV and starts singing and signing "Baby" when he wants to watch. It's too cute. He still eats like a horse, and his ability to use a fork and spoon make me so proud as a mom. Some other sweet and goofy things:
1.) He reaches up to hold my hand when we are in the driveway, on the sidewalk, or in a parking lot.
2.) He thinks it's funny to fart... thank Skip for that one!
3.) He makes a "cheese" face where he scrunches everything up and then goes "boo!"
4.) He gives hugs and kisses now, without any prompting.
5.) I asked him the other day if he was ready to go to bed, and he shook his head yes, walked over to the gate, turned around, and pointed for "up." Seriously? What kid voluntarily goes down for naps and bed time? Skip's kid, that's who! Those boys LOVE to sleep!
6.) We walk through stores and even the hardest-looking people smile at him. I am so blessed to have a kid who genuinely makes people want to smile.
Tuesday, May 10, 2011
Wow, a whole month!
I can't believe I haven't updated in a whole month! I suppose I just haven't felt like writing much, but I guess I should give some updates...
So let's start with my birthday weekend. I had a bunch of people up to go watch the Cubs/Brewers game on that Friday, then worked on organizing the basement on Saturday. My mom and dad were so helpful in working on getting things in order down there. We've needed to get down there since we moved, because it was basically a "dumping ground" for the movers (the garage was, too... that's our next job). I got some shelving units and we cleaned up down there, and it looks so much better. There's also now room to move some of the crap out of the garage and down to the basement. Saturday night we went out to an awesome dinner at a place in Bay View called Riviera Maya. The food was SO good, and so were the drinks. What a great birthday dinner, and great birthday weekend in general! We had brunch down in Racine on Sunday, too.
For Easter weekend, Dwyers came up on Friday evening for a little visit. It was funny seeing Delanee, who is only 10 months older than Preston, yet she is about a foot taller. They played so well together, and I had such a great visit with Melissa and Chris. We stayed around town since Skip worked Wednesday, Thursday and Friday nights, so Sunday we went down to Racine for Brunch with the Easter Bunny at the Yacht Club. Preston was a little weirded out by the bunny, but we at least got a couple of pictures. That was pretty much all we did for the weekend.
I've started playing softball on Monday nights, which has been fun. However, I'm WAY rusty and it's been an adjustment getting my body used to playing again! My hands have been pretty sore lately, but it's been worth it to get out and play. I've missed it!
The last weekend of April was Phase II of the yard. You'll remember back in October we did Phase I, so now we needed to fill the holes left by the pond, smooth everything out, and get grass planted. Which we did. However, I had gone out to dinner at Joey Buona's the night before, so was pretty damn hungover from the $5 unlimited wine. I was not the most productive yard-worker, so I was glad everyone else was! Dad and Mom and Harrisons were a huge help, and we were able to get everything done by the early afternoon. We went to dinner over towards Mom and Dad's hotel that evening, then I completely crashed by 9 that night. We went to a memorial service on Sunday for my friend Roger's father who had passed...
Last week was a short one, as I took off Thursday afternoon and all day Friday originally to go up to Wisconsin Dells for a nursing conference Skip planned to attend. However, we decided last minute that we would save some money and stick around home instead for sort of a "staycation." I'm so glad we did. Thursday we did a brewery tour at Lakefront after I was done with work, then celebrated Cinco de Mayo at Las Palmas. Sadly, we got the news on Friday morning that Skip's Grandma Cerow passed away early that morning. She had been in and out of the hospital for a few weeks, so we knew it was coming, but it was still very sad. Skip debated about going out there for the funeral, but ultimately we decided he would stay home. We were happy, though, that we had gotten the chance to get out there in March to spend time with her while she was still alive.
We went to lunch on Friday with Sarah Weseloh and the kiddos, then to the zoo, then came home so Preston could take a much-needed nap (after I picked up my bike from getting tuned-up. Now I can ride it to work!). We had a gift card to a sushi place in Waukesha, so we used that for dinner. It was so delicious! I'm mildly obsessed with sushi, so it was a treat. Saturday we hung around the house until we got on the road to Illinois. We swung through Lake Geneva to stretch our legs and get some ice cream, then took a roundabout way to Woodstock. Pat was in town for a visit, so Nancy and Jim had everybody over for dinner and to celebrate Mother's Day. We had such a great time visiting everyone down there, and Preston had an especially good time hanging with all the girls (he's the only boy of 7 great-grandkids on the Preston side... poor guy!).
Not surprisingly, the boys slept until 10:15 on Sunday, so I rode my bike solo to church, while they slept (I seriously wish I had it in me to sleep that late, but I just can't do it anymore). When I got home, we hung around then went down to the Milwaukee Public Market to peruse. While most of the stuff there, albeit fresh, is pretty expensive, the St. Paul Fish Company stall has a lobster dinner for $12.95, so we got one of those to snack on. With some lobster, a few freshly-shucked oysters and $3 beers, we had a great afternoon!
Preston has his 18-month dr. visit today, so I will update more on him later!
In the meantime, some pictures:
So let's start with my birthday weekend. I had a bunch of people up to go watch the Cubs/Brewers game on that Friday, then worked on organizing the basement on Saturday. My mom and dad were so helpful in working on getting things in order down there. We've needed to get down there since we moved, because it was basically a "dumping ground" for the movers (the garage was, too... that's our next job). I got some shelving units and we cleaned up down there, and it looks so much better. There's also now room to move some of the crap out of the garage and down to the basement. Saturday night we went out to an awesome dinner at a place in Bay View called Riviera Maya. The food was SO good, and so were the drinks. What a great birthday dinner, and great birthday weekend in general! We had brunch down in Racine on Sunday, too.
For Easter weekend, Dwyers came up on Friday evening for a little visit. It was funny seeing Delanee, who is only 10 months older than Preston, yet she is about a foot taller. They played so well together, and I had such a great visit with Melissa and Chris. We stayed around town since Skip worked Wednesday, Thursday and Friday nights, so Sunday we went down to Racine for Brunch with the Easter Bunny at the Yacht Club. Preston was a little weirded out by the bunny, but we at least got a couple of pictures. That was pretty much all we did for the weekend.
I've started playing softball on Monday nights, which has been fun. However, I'm WAY rusty and it's been an adjustment getting my body used to playing again! My hands have been pretty sore lately, but it's been worth it to get out and play. I've missed it!
The last weekend of April was Phase II of the yard. You'll remember back in October we did Phase I, so now we needed to fill the holes left by the pond, smooth everything out, and get grass planted. Which we did. However, I had gone out to dinner at Joey Buona's the night before, so was pretty damn hungover from the $5 unlimited wine. I was not the most productive yard-worker, so I was glad everyone else was! Dad and Mom and Harrisons were a huge help, and we were able to get everything done by the early afternoon. We went to dinner over towards Mom and Dad's hotel that evening, then I completely crashed by 9 that night. We went to a memorial service on Sunday for my friend Roger's father who had passed...
Last week was a short one, as I took off Thursday afternoon and all day Friday originally to go up to Wisconsin Dells for a nursing conference Skip planned to attend. However, we decided last minute that we would save some money and stick around home instead for sort of a "staycation." I'm so glad we did. Thursday we did a brewery tour at Lakefront after I was done with work, then celebrated Cinco de Mayo at Las Palmas. Sadly, we got the news on Friday morning that Skip's Grandma Cerow passed away early that morning. She had been in and out of the hospital for a few weeks, so we knew it was coming, but it was still very sad. Skip debated about going out there for the funeral, but ultimately we decided he would stay home. We were happy, though, that we had gotten the chance to get out there in March to spend time with her while she was still alive.
We went to lunch on Friday with Sarah Weseloh and the kiddos, then to the zoo, then came home so Preston could take a much-needed nap (after I picked up my bike from getting tuned-up. Now I can ride it to work!). We had a gift card to a sushi place in Waukesha, so we used that for dinner. It was so delicious! I'm mildly obsessed with sushi, so it was a treat. Saturday we hung around the house until we got on the road to Illinois. We swung through Lake Geneva to stretch our legs and get some ice cream, then took a roundabout way to Woodstock. Pat was in town for a visit, so Nancy and Jim had everybody over for dinner and to celebrate Mother's Day. We had such a great time visiting everyone down there, and Preston had an especially good time hanging with all the girls (he's the only boy of 7 great-grandkids on the Preston side... poor guy!).
Not surprisingly, the boys slept until 10:15 on Sunday, so I rode my bike solo to church, while they slept (I seriously wish I had it in me to sleep that late, but I just can't do it anymore). When I got home, we hung around then went down to the Milwaukee Public Market to peruse. While most of the stuff there, albeit fresh, is pretty expensive, the St. Paul Fish Company stall has a lobster dinner for $12.95, so we got one of those to snack on. With some lobster, a few freshly-shucked oysters and $3 beers, we had a great afternoon!
Preston has his 18-month dr. visit today, so I will update more on him later!
In the meantime, some pictures:
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| Going somewhere?? |
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| Just hanging out in the car seat. |
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| I love broccoli! |
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| New cheese face :) |
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| Meeting the Easter Bunny |
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| Not so sure... (although I wasn't either, as this is the scariest bunny costume EVER) |
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| Looking for eggs! |
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| Got some!! |
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| Mmm... eggs! |
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| So happy to eat! |
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