Oh, the irony...

On Monday I was feeling a little blue about daycare.  I was even teary-eyed when I dropped Trey off and couldn't figure out why.  I decided it was because the first two weeks of daycare felt like a fun game where Trey got to play with new friends and Mom got to go to work to talk to grown-ups.  I didn't get to see Trey as much as I wanted the weekend before, so Monday hit me hard.  It felt like "Crap, this is what we have to do five days a week for the next nine months.  I don't like this one bit."  Well, all I can say is to be careful what you wish for...

Trey was home sick Tuesday through Thursday.  He had a fever, was fussy as shit, wouldn't eat, was sleeping very poorly, and was very hard to please.  In fact, a lot of those things are still going on... Randy stayed home with him each day and I came home early to give Randy some respite.  It has been a very long week.

Highlights of this week:
- Trey waking up 2-3 times a night which he hasn't done since he was a few months old.  Luckily with Randy's insomnia, he has already been awake for the wake up in the 4 o'clock hour.
- Driving to the doctor's office three times in the past two days.  The first time was for the sick visit and the third time was for his 15 month well visit, but the second time was so the medical assistant could remove the adhesive pee bag from around his privates because I did not want to do it.  She was much more efficient than I would have been.

During Trey's "sick" visit yesterday

Of course, it was the happiest he might have been all week long.

- Lying on the floor of a junior high bathroom drenched in sweat and cramping this afternoon when it was time for me to leave to go get Trey.
- Driving Trey around for an hour so he could sleep since we had to reschedule our appointment for the afternoon due to being delayed (see above) and him waking up and crying for the last half of the drive.
- Coming home to find four piles of dog puke although I will say Tango was cooped up for a long time today.  Apparently, he has reverted to his chewing-Trey's-toys behavior because I think I cleaned up the remnants of Trey's teething ring.

Today was Trey's 15 month well visit.  I heart my pediatrician.  I think we spent over 45 minutes in the room and I'm not sure we talked about Trey the whole time.  We talked about Trey's lack of meeting his developmental milestones and she gave me some tips.  She and I both agree that Trey's language may be lagging because of the energy he is putting into his motor skills.  She said I had a great attitude about parenting and that I could laugh about a lot of things.  (I really wished my husband could have been there for that comment!)  I wish my pediatrician and I could become friends, but until then...I guess I'll have to wait until his 18 month appointment to see her again.

This is how we kept Trey from whining or crying so that we could chat.  

One day this week we took Trey to the zoo since he couldn't go to daycare and we were going stir crazy at home.  It was fabulous because there was hardly anyone there.  I still think it's hard for Trey to focus on the animals in the exhibits because other things catch his interest (i.e. the bolt still fascinates him in the hippo exhibit and he was more drawn to the water than the chimpanzee in the primate exhibit).  Needless to say, Trey was actually in a good mood for most of the zoo trip, so I think the fresh air and the animals (or maybe the bolts and water) did him some good. 

Trey was super fussy until I got him out of his stroller and stood him right here.  His mood improved exponentially.  We could have stood there all afternoon and he would have been fine.

 Happy boy loves his fish and water

 I think there might be a giraffe back there.

The crocodile actually turned around and came back to give Trey some love.  Ahhh....

Trey and Randy on Bronco Sunday meeting Adam and Jenny at Hopworks
since we got rained out of Oktoberfest.

Don't you love his sweatsuit?  

Best Wife Ever surprised Randy with that a few weeks ago.

This weekend (September 25th) marks 6 years since my mom died.  On one hand I feel like it has been absolutely forever since I've talked to her, seen her, or touched her and I have to struggle to remember her face or voice.  But on the other, I can't believe it's already been 6 years.  I was reading an article about Cate and Elizabeth Edwards and Cate said this, "Big choices that I make...little choices that I make, sort of everything I do, I hear her voice. The same way I did when she was alive."  I really love that.  I definitely feel that I try to emulate a lot of things my mom did as a wife and a mother.  I think of her a lot (and I mean A LOT) as I parent Trey and watch him grow.  It was sad not to have my mom at my wedding or at Trey's birth, but I think what is harder are the little moments.  If she could be here now to watch me be a mother, I think she'd probably have a lot to say, both positive and negative, about the choices I make in raising Trey and I also think she'd be proud.

Scooter steps...people, we are making progress!

I'm sitting here at 8 o'clock on a Saturday night, Randy is asleep on the couch, a football game that no one is watching is on tv (but I'm too lazy to get up and grab the remote), and I'm about to go to bed and read my book...this, my friends, is our life.  And I must say... I don't think I'd change it for anything.

Go Ducks!

Trey and I had a great Saturday together.  We played together all morning, he took an awesome 2.5 hour nap, we had a fun trip to the best Target ever (the one by IKEA), and we met Mindy and Camille at McMenamins for snacks.  Randy got home from fishing before Trey's bedtime and this is what we got to see this evening...

Now for those of you who know that Trey has been slow to meet his motor milestones, this is very exciting for us!  M (daycare provider) says that Trey pushes things all around their house and "walks" all day long.  I haven't seen it before so I was super thrilled to watch him do this tonight.  I took a video before this one that was better but I can't figure out how to rotate it.  I will try to catch him again because now that he can do this, I'm sure he will do it again and again.  FUN!!!

Trey has also made some other developments this week.  Yesterday I closed the door between the kitchen and the laundry room but the door from the laundry room to the deck was open because Randy was out back (so I thought).  I came to the front of the house and the next thing I knew Randy was coming through the front door and commenting (or exclaiming!) that the door to the back was open.  Trey had opened the door and made his way out to the deck!  Holy crap!!  He also managed to get into the cupboard that has the vases in it (gasp - especially when I heard his new discovery by one landing on the floor) and he has learned how much fun it is to get into this...(garbage is on the right side)

Guess what's on Randy's to do list for tomorrow?

Trey had another good week at daycare.  He's been enjoying himself, doesn't cry when I leave, and doesn't necessarily want to leave when I come pick him up.  He's still exhausted...

This was Monday.  He fell asleep on the 2.5 mile drive home and slept in the car for 30 minutes only waking because he started coughing.  He proceeded to cry from 5-6pm and would not eat dinner.  He was in bed by 6pm and slept through the night like normal.  Needless to say, we are all still getting adjusted.  

Tuesday morning I happened to check my email on my phone at 5am on my way down to the elliptical.  I had an email from M that said "Heads up - LICE".  WHAT???????????????  They let us keep our kids home for the day at no charge if we so chose (which I did) so Trey and I had a great day together.  He had an awesome nap which he desperately needed and we had tons of fun.  It was the type of day I was hoping we would have on the weekend.  We needed that.  In the afternoon we went to the Kenton library and got a bunch of new books, went to Posie's and shared a peanut butter cookie, and then walked to the park and played.  

Trey at Posie's - with the smile I was looking for all weekend long 

Loving this new type of swing

Tuesday afternoon our new bed FINALLY arrived (a month delayed - grrrrrrr) and Randy and I went to see Storm Large, Pink Martini, and the Oregon Symphony.  Thursday we went to Bridgeport with Adam and Jenny to taste their new Hop Harvest beer.  I was a little skeptical of how Trey would do post-daycare since he usually melts down as soon as we walk in the door, but he did really well until 6pm.

That's all I really have to say for tonight.  Off to read my book club book (Nurture Shock by Po Bronson - super interesting and I usually talk about it to whoever I see. Tonight's chapter is about language development - right up my alley!).  I tried to turn off the tv since Randy was asleep, but of course he woke up immediately.  And now he's watching Jackass.  Boys!

One week down, forty more to go

Well, we have wrapped up our first full week of work/daycare.  And it's not even a full week because Monday was a holiday!
I realized that I haven't taken any photos all week (shocker) so here are a few of Trey from his afternoon snack on Sunday. 

He's turning in to such a ham...I hold up my phone and say "One...two..." and by "three" he has this cute smile on his face.  Love him!

Here are some things I've noticed and accomplished over the past week:

• Trey seems to have settled in pretty nicely to daycare.  He eats well there and tries new foods that I haven't given him or he won't eat for me. He plays, laughs and "talks" while he is there.  His daycare provider says that it has been a smooth transition (smoother than others she has experienced in the past) and that he is "an adaptable baby".  All of these things make me a happy mama! 
• One thing that Trey is NOT doing at daycare is napping.  He only napped for 20 minutes on Thursday and could have easily gone to bed at 5:00pm.  He ended up falling asleep in my arms at 6:00pm while he was drinking his bottle.  Only having an hour and a half with him at night does not make a me a happy mama, but I know this will improve with time. 
• My successes of the week were to wake up at 5:00am on Tuesday through Friday and go use the elliptical machine in the basement that Randy got me for my birthday AND to cook real dinners every night this week.  I would call that a successful week of exercise and meal planning.  Yay me!
• I am having some mother's guilt over this fact:  I can't wait to pick Trey up from daycare, hug him, snuggle him, kiss him, tell him how much I love him and play with him.  Yet, once we get home and I get down on the floor to play with him or hold him in my lap and read stories to him, I find myself  checking the clock asking myself "Is it bedtime yet?" 

My daycare provider, who I will call "M" just sent me these pictures of Trey from last week.  I thought that was really nice of her...it is fun to see the different things he does all day long.  I think one of the hardest parts of him being in daycare is that I really have no idea what he's doing during the day and he's not able to tell me. 

This past weekend it was really great to spend two full days at home with Trey, although he didn't catch up on his sleep like I was hoping and appears to be teething (if the drool pouring out of his mouth is any indication) so he wasn't in the greatest mood.  Combining that with the 95 degree weather on both days meant we both sort of had cabin fever.  Really looking forward to the milder weather and anticipating a really fun fall.  Can't wait for Baby McGuire to make his appearance!

End of summer...sigh...

Tomorrow marks the official end of summer.  I had to work one day last week but that felt like a cruel tease because I then had four days off.  Trey went to daycare on Thursday and they said he did well.  He napped in the stroller and was filthy when I picked him up so I know he had fun.  He starts on Tuesday full time at a new daycare and I have mixed feelings about it (daycare in general, not where we picked).

Advantages to going back to work full-time/sending Trey to full-time daycare:

• Trey gets to socialize all day long with a bunch of kids, play with new toys, and have new experiences.
• A full time paycheck - phew, we needed that!
• I enjoy my job and what I do - looking forward to having things to think about besides Trey's naps; how much milk he does or does not drink from the bottle, sippy cup, through the straw, etc.; chores; and what might be on tv that night.  Boring!

Disadvantages to having Trey in full-time daycare/working full-time:

• Well, the obvious...not getting to spend as much time with Trey and missing out on his moments of learning, curiosity, and delight.
• Having someone else be with Trey 8.5-9 hours a day, 5 days a week
• Not having as much time to do playdates, meet for lunch, go fun places...
• Not having my relaxing mornings...and I have a feeling the evenings won't be as relaxing either.
• A few others that I'm sure I will think of of as I blog.

We have enjoyed our last few weeks of summer.  If you saw the last blog post, you saw Trey sitting in a little tupperware container with his feet in the water.  We improved his accommodations slightly and had him cool off in this tub on the deck.  He loved it!  It is supposed to be hot again this weekend, so I might have to pull it out again.  

Here are some pictures from the last few weeks.  We've finally had some hot weather here in Portland so on one hand we are trying to get out and enjoy it, but on the other we are trying to keep Trey cool.

Randy has been itching to get Trey out fishing with him and finally took him out to Kelly Point Park with Trey in the backpack.  He said Trey was his good luck charm because he doesn't usually catch anything in this specific spot.

I have found an awesome pool at the Mt Scott Community Center where they have a family swim period.  The water is 88 degrees, there is a section that is only one foot deep so Trey can stand, and they also have this cool "river" with a current where I take Trey on a floating pad.  One day a few weeks ago Trey and I went and had lunch in the park and then went swimming.  (This would be another thing on my list of disadvantages.)

Have I mentioned how much Trey loves Tango's water dish?  This happened in just a short time of Trey being out of my eyesight.  If you know our house, this is not the kitchen and NOT where Tango's water dish is usually housed.

Last weekend, Trey and I went to my dad's in Leaburg with Julie.  Randy and Tim had other commitments and Sandy was headed to Bend for a get together.  It was sort of fun just to be with my dad and Julie all weekend.

 Dinner at the rest stop

Trey doesn't like to nap at my dad's and he usually doesn't sleep in the stroller anymore, but he did this weekend.  It was a short nap (45 minutes) and led to a long day, but at least it was something!

Lunch on the patio 

What a lucky boy to eat lunch in front of the river. 

Part of the reason we went this weekend is so Julie could get her hair cut.  She cut off 12 inches that she will send to Locks of Love.

34 weeks pregnant and so cute with her new haircut!

Randy took some afternoons off last week so we could spend some time together.  One day we went to OMSI with Adam and his girls.  

They have a video game exhibit which is probably really fun if you aren't there with a one year old...

 Last time we were there, all Trey could do was play in the infant area.  This time he was able to climb and explore other areas in the Science Playground which was a lot of fun.

 Trey and his first toy snake thanks to Dad

We went to Hopworks afterwards and Trey got to enjoy the kiddie area for the first time.  Finally, our time has come to enjoy the kid friendly part of Hopworks...before it was just a giant headache.

I also drove to Salem last week to visit my dad for lunch.  We won't be able to do that anymore (another thing on my list of disadvantages) so it was good to go one last time.

 Grandpa teaching Trey how to use the adding machine
Trey loved the noises that the machine made.
Maybe he will like numbers just like his mama and grandpa.

I was excited to take Randy to the swimming pool with Trey so we also did that this week.

It might look like they are having fun, but Trey is actually crying in this picture. 

 He was crying because he wanted to get out of the pool and crawl around the side.  Weird kid.

Saturday Randy went with us to the Portland Farmers Market.  We were first in line for Pine State Biscuits and then stocked up on some produce for the next few weeks.  I am up for the Bad Mother award because I'm not very good at feeding Trey vegetables.  I've been trying it recently but he is not a fan.  I think Randy is coaching him behind my back.  

Here is Trey at the market.  I love his expressions when he is checking things out.  And they are hard to see, but Trey is wearing the cutest Converse tennis shoes.  

Randy got his bike all set up to take Trey in the trailer.  Trey is handling the bike helmet much better than we thought he would.  Having his bottle and blanket with him seems to keep him happy.  So far Randy has only taken him on quick rides around the neighborhood.  We can't wait to do something longer! 

I expect my blog posts will slow down when I'm working full time, but I will do my best to keep them up with photos and stories.  I'm not sure how being a full time working mama will go, but I am ready to get this next chapter started.  My mom did it, lots of my friends do it, and women everywhere do it all the time.  Here's to the next adventure!