Vacation Time Earned

TEETH!!

I enjoy "reading" the paper!

with my Auntie Jess at Saturday's dinner - I sat at the table in my travel seat!

out on the boat with Scott & Jess on Sunday

so innocent...

A rainy Monday is a nice day to stay home with Jill. Vacation days are wonderful - use them! We were supposed to meet Mom and Aunt Marj at the outlets but Marjie got going on Mom's closet and I said, "Don't stop!" My Mom's closet needs serious help! So Jill and I went grocery shopping then hung inside all day. She's getting over a cold, which she has since transferred to me, and I wasn't feeling too hot. She fell asleep on my chest for 1.5 hours late morning. I was torn between enjoying myself and relaxing, and wishing she had napped in her crib so I could have thrown in laundry, swept, emptied the dishwasher, etc. I decided to relax, watch my angel sleep and catch three episodes of Weeds Season 2. I'm onto Season 3 now.

This weekend was great! We got to spend time with family, go out on my aunt and uncle's boat with my brother and sister-in-law, and have dinner with Gram Furze, Stephen, Jayne and Danny. Stephen, Jayne and Danny hadn't met Jill yet so they seemed thrilled. Jill was very interested in Danny. They hit it off!

Jill's been doing a great job working her way into our dinnertime routine. Rather than starve and start dinner after Jill is asleep, Tony and I have been trying to throw something together as soon as we get home. Jill sits in her high chair next to the dining room table, enjoys her Cheerios and tries to figure out her sippy cup. Tuesday Tony got out of work early so he picked Jill up from day care. It was a treat for me to have him home at 5:30 rather than 6-6:30. We all hung out and I made pasta (wheat separately for me) and salad. We also had time to make Wednesday's lunches - a huge accomplishment! Speaking of food, I'm banning teething biscuits. Anyone who uses these cookies must freeze them (which I haven't tried) because they seem unsafe otherwise, at least at Jill's age. She was eating one at dinner Tuesday and choked. I've never seen Tony move so quickly and calmly. I was honestly impressed with both of our reactions. She was fine but it was a scary 5 or 10 seconds! I do not like those biscuits - no mas!

Milestone Monday

(some additional pics from Chatham, also a Halloween sneak peak!)

Mondays have been reserved for positive comments, things I'm grateful for. The day started off as a sleepy one. The last thing I wanted to do was get out of bed and go to work! The day was a hectic one. Heavy workload, not enough hours in the day. Blogging crossed my mind at one point this morning and I wondered what positive thoughts I could take away from today. For starters, my period has made its return. The first one back and it is kicking my butt. Serious pain ... Added to the desire to stay in bed this morning tenfold.

Tony and I both worked late today. We fought the traffic to get home, walked our friends' dog and made our way to my Mom and Jill. While we were all standing in the kitchen and Jill was holding onto Tony's hands and facing me, she let go of Tony's fingers and she took a step by herself toward me. Yes, Jill's first step! It was amazing! It was only one step but the first of many - millions as my mother-in-law pointed out - to come. We were so proud of her!

Jill has turned into a very active reader in the last two days. She is turning pages like she is saying, "faster, faster!" It's really quite the sight!

Capturing Chatham

A few pics from our mini-vacation down the Cape. Jill LOVED the beach!!

Vacation

A retired real estate mogul type cruising in an old Rolls. Chatham-branded sweatshirts on sale for 45 (ummm isn't it offseason?). Much more expensive clothing in the specialty shops too tiny - probably on purpose - for strollers.

Black raspberry chocolate chip frozen yogurt and fried scallops. A view too beautiful to describe. Now that's what I'm talking about.

My Mom, Jill and I drove down to Chatham today. It's the first day of vacation - yeah!! Jill was a champ on the ride, sleeping most of the way. Come to think of it, she was a champ the entire day until bedtime. That's when the teething discomfort caught up with her and it took 1.5 hours to get her to bed. She finally went down at 8:30, way past her bedtime!

We arrived in Chatham much earlier than our 3 p.m. check-in time. My Mom and I split a chicken salad sandwich from the deli. She commented that she should have chosen a healthier bread than sourdough, which I thought was hysterical since there was bacon sandwiched between the bread slices. Jill has a newfound dislike for public restrooms. During a trip to the mall with my Mom on Monday, she had a minor freak out when someone used the hand dryer. The same thing happened today. Only Jill had also refused to have her diaper changed. She stood up - bare bum - on the changing table and peed. She nailed her blanket, my Mom, her clean diaper. It was quite the sight! How many adults does it take to change one baby?! Anyway, we had a great day walking around town and along the beach. We enjoyed a nice dinner of fried scallops and clams at The Squire. Jill was very well behaved; and we tested out our new Chicco Caddy Hook On Chair. It was wonderful! I'm so happy Adrienne, my friend from work, told me about it. She also brought in a ton of baby food for Jill. Her son, Ian, did NOT do baby food, but they had already made the BJ's run. Needless to say, I don't think we'll need to buy baby food again. I'm serious; it's that much!

Looking forward to another beautiful day on the beach tomorrow. Can't wait to download the pics too!

Monday, Monday

Our taxes went down $60/mth. YEAH! Now that's something to be thankful for!

Sleepover!

Jill's first sleepover was a great time! We drove out to Webster, MA yesterday and Jill had the afternoon to play with Cadence. Cadence is walking, so basically ran circles around Jill but Jill did her best to keep up while crawling and pulling herself up. They were a riot together!

My first pilates class was a success. What a great workout! I scheduled the time already for next Saturday morning.

Above you'll also find a pic of the new "grocery getter" as Tony calls it and ripe raspberries from our garden. Makes unflavored organic oatmeal a delicious treat!

While the rest of New England was glued to this afternoon's first Pat's game, Jill and I ventured out on our own to Hannaford's. Jill hadn't napped and was refusing to do so. I found out why on the ride home when she finally relieved herself. It was the worst ever! We literally had to cut off her onsie like a patient in the ER. It was an emergency - a hazmat one - and Tony ran for the scissors then stood by on call in case I vomited. He's good back-up.

Error

I've been trying to post for a week now and kept getting an error. Well I figured out the trick this morning. You have to select Publish twice. I have no idea why ... I do know I have lots to write to catch up! We had a great visit to VT over Labor Day weekend. We got a new car last week. Jill had her 9 month check-up and was a champ during her trip to the lab. She also got a nasty bug bite below her right eye. (Too bad it wasn't Halloween or we'd have a very authentic boxer costume.) I called the doctor after day care pick-up because it was so swollen. Honestly, I was annoyed the teachers hadn't called me at work. It looks much better today though.

Many more updates to come! Need to take advantage of Jill napping with Tony on the couch and put away laundry. I'm signed up for my pilates class today at 10:30. Then we're heading to Webster, MA to visit Tim, Hesper and Cadence. Jill's first slumber party!

Not Another Manic Monday

It's Labor Day (yesterday)! An extra day out of work. A day to drive back from the in-laws in northern Vermont, buy a car and handle grocery shopping - all with a 9 month old - before 3 p.m. What a day! Today I was thankful for my patient, wonderful baby. Jill had been beastly Friday night and a good portion of the weekend, miserable with her two front teeth breaking through at the same time. But Monday morning she seemed to come back around. Her change of attitude had great timing and we made only one stop during the trip home. More info and pics on our wonderful weekend to come.

Tuesday night and I'm equally impressed by Jill. She had her first day back at school in more than a week followed by nearly two hours at the car dealership. She was a champ! All smiles. She even banged the table with both hands and demanded a better deal. I will officially be in possession of a brand new Honda CRV tomorrow. Can't wait!

Labor Day Weekend in Vermont

Well Bust My Boiler!

Oh Thomas the Train, what a funny show. Jill loves it! She's yelling at me from her Pack n Play right now but I know she's on the brink of conking out. We're home for the second day in a row. Jill has a 101.2 temp and is miserable with her teeth trying to cut through. My Mom was ready to give me instructions over the phone on how to take Jill's temp in her bum. I know it's more accurate so that's how I managed it yesterday afternoon and twice today already. We're heading to the doctor's office for an 11 a.m. appointment. Poor kid! We gave her Tylenol for the first time last night. She puked it and her 8 oz. bottle of formula up all over herself. We gave her both again. She whimpered for an hour or so. I went to bed (I made it all day without coffee!) and Tony stayed up watching TV and the lines on the baby monitor. Anytime we think Jill may wake up, Tony prefers to be awake and ready. He's not a fan of waking up and then helping, which I don't mind. I like my sleep.

We ventured out for another jog this morning, beating the heat and humidity the afternoon is sure to bring. Jill miraculously was asleep when we got home so I made a Mom-centric decision. Bright red and sweaty, I double checked Jill's stroller straps and buckle and sprinted up the stairs to take the quickest shower ever (my mother-in-law actually takes the fastest showers in the world but I was close). I felt guilty leaving Jill on a different floor but I knew she was safe; and I knew I would smell later if I didn't rinse off! Showering is a luxury with a newborn, sick or teething baby. Shaving my legs? Forget it!

This morning while we were getting ready for the doctor's, I realized Tony hadn't vacuumed the rug in our bedroom (subsequently full of Rachael fur) so I put Jill in the only spot that seemed logistic at the moment: a clothing drawer in my bureau. They're deep, so she wasn't going to fall out. She seemed to even enjoy it!

Has anyone seen the Wiggles episodes? These guys are creeps! Their songs and dances are catchy though, aren't they?

We're back from the doc's and I'm very glad we went. As new parents, we assumed Jill's teeth were bothering her, but come to find out she has a viral infection in her throat. She likely picked it up from day care on Friday since infections take about 48 hours for symptoms to show up. Her temp registered at 101.7 (up .5 from the morning) and she weighed in at 17 lbs., 1 oz. We were told to keep monitoring her temp and giving her Tylenol to help with the discomfort and to encourage fluid intake. No school again tomorrow! Tony is staying home this time. The phone calls to work should be entertaining! Poor Jilly.... she's napping right now, so peaceful! You know she's hurting when she wakes up crying instead of her usual happy self. Can't wait until she's feeling better and full of smiles again!