Back to Work

Disclaimer: This is a long one. Guess I needed to reflect on the week. Pictures do follow which is probably what most of you are interested in anyway...so don't give up or scroll to the bottom of this posting to see my beautiful baby boy!

It looks like I will become a weekend blogger. It will be nearly impossible to blog during the week now that I am back to work. I thought that I used every single minute of every single day before Elijah was in my life but now I really do use every single minute of every single day (and night).

This week has definitely been a transition for all of us! I would say that overall it went well ... we had one really tough night followed by a rough day but other than that I would call it a successful return to the world of work. It was a hectic week at school trying to get myself and the students caught up before Friday 3 pm when grades for the 1st grading period of the 2nd semester were due.

The timing of the week couldn't have been more perfect to ease back in though. Monday was a snow day. Tuesday was a late start -- Elijah stayed with daddy that day. I think Matt realized that it is hard to get much else done when all alone and in charge of Elijah for a full day. Wednesday was his first day at Ms. Betty's -- he had a wonderful day and did extremely well. Wednesday night was the tough one followed by a rough day on Thursday for both mom and baby. Friday was an optional workday with no students so it was very relaxed and I got caught up on a ton of stuff.

Living for weekends has taken on a whole new meaning. It was so nice and such a relief to spend the entire day with Elijah yesterday. We had quite the day. From snow on Monday to 80 degrees and shorts on Saturday! We started the day by going to a pancake breakfast -- we also made a Walmart run. We spent a little time at home and then went to watch the NCWC baseball team play. We returned home for a little bit and the master chef of the household these days (Matt) whipped up "Holly's Potatoes" to take the Taylor's house for dinner. We had a wonderful evening with them. They grilled london broil and we all enjoyed the nice weather on their patio. Elijah was very alert and awake for a good portion of the day. Lots of new things to see and hear other than the same old things around our house.

This did lead to a little bit of an overly tired baby by 7:30 or so last night. Olivia had the touch though and was able to settle him down fairly quickly. Thanks Liv! We headed home shortly thereafter and I was exhausted. I think the many sleepless night had finally caught up with me and Elijah. I nursed him and we both slept for nearly 5 hours in the living room chair. He ate again and then slept in his crib for 2.5 straight hours which means again that I got to sleep. He ate one more time and daddy took him until 8 am which means again I was able to sleep for a couple more hours. You may wonder why I am going into so much detail about last night -- well this is because that is by far the most sleep I've gotten in a VERY long time. I'm feeling quite excited about it today!

The two most frequently asked questions this week..."Is he sleeping through the night?" and "Has it been tough going back to work?" Okay -- the work question doesn't bother me but of course it was tough. I cried my eyes out last Sunday morning because I was feeling the urgency of it being our final full day together. Going back wasn't as terrible as I thought it would be but I did miss him so much and felt like our time together in the early evening and early morning wasn't enough.

BUT SERIOUSLY, if one more person asks me if he is sleeping through the night, there is no telling what I may do! The answer is NO! It isn't that he never sleeps -- he just doesn't like sleeping without me or Matt. He also is still eating quite often. He's gassy and has a little bit of reflux which isn't helping with staying asleep. So there you have it. Believe me, I will let the world know when he is sleeping all night but everyone must be patient as I have a feeling that it will be awhile before that happens.

Well, I'd better take advantage of my rejuvinated self and get some things done today. It is another gorgeous day in NC ... we will definitely take advantage and spend some time outside today! Until next weekend...

Enjoy the pictures!

My boys, taking a nap last weekend...they are doing the same thing right now as I type -- exact same chair, exact same position!

Cute overalls, huh? I like my toys but the ceiling fan is much cooler to look at! Definitely my favorite thing to watch!

Me and my cow, chillin' in the bouncy...

I love the grin! Elijah is definitely changing, don't you think? He's awake, smiling, and talking lots more these days. Amazing and fun to see him changing. I'm trying to savor every moment as I'm seeing how quickly things change.

Telling mommy "good-bye" on her first day back to work. Not sure why we are so happy? It made me sad to leave his smiling little face but happy to know that he is a happy, little boy who will be just fine.

Again, I'm not sure why I was smiling but Matt insisted I take a picture on my first day back. I hadn't been to school since December 19th!

Matt emailed me this picture on Tuesday. His email read "Me and Jack babysitting." Notice the i-pod. Apparently Elijah is a Jack Johnson fan. :-)

And this was yesterday...asleep in between our many outings. Elijah loves his bouncy seat! Aren't the overalls and football bib cute?