But I don't wanna go to daycare ...

I start work next Tuesday and I feel completely conflicted about it already. It's a conundrum I'm sure many working moms have dealt with: I wanna go back to work, re-join the adult world, and have more mental stimulation than I've had the last eight weeks; but on the flip side I really don't want to leave my baby girl with some other person for hours at a time.

 Ugh.

Originally I was supposed to start work on Monday, but after thinking about the emotional turmoil I'm going to be in, I decided to start work on a day when I know Eleanor will be home with Gavin so I can focus on work instead of Eleanor being in daycare -the real emotional overload will come Thursday when she goes to daycare and I'm at work.

I know it isn't the worse thing that could happen, and she'll only be in daycare three days a week because Gavin is off two weekdays and I'm off weekends. Gavin and I have talked about me being a stay-at-home mom, but it just works for best for our family right now if I go back to work -mainly for insurance purposes. And I'm a woman who needs to be mentally challenged in some way -school or work- in order to stay sane. Staying home is a possibility in the future, so we'll see where we are in the coming months.

Wish me luck next week. And wish Gavin luck, as he's the one who will have to drop her off at daycare.

How are we supposed to leave this beautiful face everyday?

Daddy's Girl For Sure

It's seems a bit stereotypical, but Miss Eleanor is definitely a Daddy's girl (except for the hours of 11-3 when she likes to fuss for him. Haha!) Gavin and Eleanor are so cute together and it took about .04 seconds after she was born before she had him wrapped around her little finger. He dances with her, sings to her, and would hold her forever if possible. Their father-daughter bond makes for some super adorable photo ops and I hope you find it as cute as I do (though I'm a bit bias).

On a quick side note, Eleanor had a doctor appointment not too long ago. She  now weighs 9lbs 14.5 oz., which is exactly 3 lbs more than the day she was born. As for Eleanor's reflux, the doctor decided that since she is gaining weight and very healthy, she is not going to put her on medication for the problem. Otherwise, our baby girl is perfect. :)

Just a few hours after Eleanor was born.

Asleep in the hospital.

Sleep on the couch (for the millionth time).

Hanging with Dad at dinner.

Asleep just a few nights ago.

First Daddy feeding time.

Great Trip, Great Grandparents, Great Week

The past 2 weeks have been quite eventful for our family! We flew cross country with Eleanor so she could meet Gavin's family in Nashville, TN. Then Eleanor got to finally meet her great-grandparents, Papa Russ and Nana Tunie (now known as Gigi), for the first time. Our girl handled her crazy week like a champ too.

Our trip to Nashville was a fun surprise for Gavin's family -especially his mom, who had no idea we were coming. It was a hard secret to keep too! Lol. Eleanor was the perfect baby flying to Tennessee -we flew 3.5 hours to Dallas and then hopped over to Nashville form there. Not a single peep out of our girl the entire flight. When we got to the airport in Nashville, Gavin had his mom come meet us at the baggage carousel, but since she didn't know Eleanor and I were coming it took a few seconds for her to notice me standing there with the stroller. When she finally did notice, her reaction was AWESOME! There were joyous shouts and tears and I'm pretty sure we jumped up and down a little. Candy picked up her granddaughter and didn't out her down all weekend. Lol. She said it was the best Mother's Day present she's ever gotten.
 
We spent about four days in Nashville, going to Marlana's High School graduation, meeting a bunch of Gavin's family, and spending some time exploring the city. Eleanor did pretty well meeting everyone, but she sure didn't take to the heat and humidity very well. We all had a rough first day acclimating ourselves to it. Haha! I did come away form the trip with some great memories and an awesome souvenir -my first pair of real cowboy boots! Candy thought they'd be a good memory and she was absolutely right. I tried on about 8 different pairs and settled on a beautiful pair of brown boots with a bright blue embellishment. Unfortunately we had to head back home Tuesday afternoon. Again, Eleanor was a champ on the plane, and didn't make a sound until we landed in Seattle -her ears were popping like crazy when we landed and she made sure the back end of the plane knew she wasn't feeling very good. Our poor girl.

Eleanor's adventurous week didn't stop there. Friday she got to meet her great grandparents, Papa Russ and Grandma Tunie (now known as Gigi -for great grandma). Papa and Nana were completely smitten with Eleanor, their third great granddaughter this year. We spent a few hours at the lake house with them and I got some great pictures and a nap. Successful visit if you ask me. :)

Oh, how parenthood changes you.

Pre-Eleanor I was not a baby person -I'm still not really a baby person, so I'm pretty sure this only applies to my kid- but now I find the littlest things super adorable and get really excited about the weirdest things. Gavin on the other hand has always been a baby person, so it came as no surprise that he is all baby talk and tickles with Eleanor.

Then last night I heard the funniest thing. I had asked Gavin to use the snot sucker to get a boogey out of Eleanor's nose. Then the following happened:

Gavin: "Oh! That was a big one! We got a big booger! We got a really big booger! We ... I hate myself ...".
Me: "What do you hate?" (I had just walked into the room)
Gavin: "I just got excited about a booger ... I'm that guy *large sigh*"

Hahaha! The look on his face was hilarious, caught somewhere between defeat and amusement. Poor guy. Then I reminded him that I had the same problem. I get excited about sneezes and dirty diapers and smiles that aren't really directed at me, though I pretend they are.

Morning snuggles with Daddy.

Kids say the dardest things.

If you're a steady reader of this blog (*cough* Erica and Christina *cough*) then you've read the amusing stories involving Michelle and Jason. Well here are a few more gems from the little monsters:

Eleanor's skin is really dry and flaky right now.
Jason: "Her skin is coming off ... is she molting?"
Me: "Well, yeah, that's kinda exactly what she's doing."

Trying to explain to Michelle that I was pumping breast milk for Eleanor.
Michelle: "You're pumping milk?"
Me: "Yeah. What did you think? I just drank the milk and then it came out for her?"
Michelle: "Yeah ..."

After Eleanor was startled by a bump we hit a bump in the road and her hands flew up -a normal infant response.
Jason: "Whoa! She just did jazz hands!"
(This is the best description of her startled! It's what we call it now. Haha!)

Officially One Month! Woot!

Tomorrow Eleanor is officially a month old.

It's crazy how much she's grown. I mean, people said time would fly by, that one minute she's a sleepy baby and the next she's driving a car ... I guess it's something one just can't understand until they've actually experienced it. Gavin talks about how she always seems to grow in the short time he's away at work. I don't notice it as much because I get to spend each day with her, but I definitely notice it as I look at her now.

Eleanor April 5th

Eleanor May 3rd

 The same time Eleanor has been growing bigger, she's also grown more fussy. Ugh. I was so hoping my kid would be the kid that didn't fuss, but she was just tricking us the first few weeks. Now she gets super fussy in the evenings on and off for a few hours. Generally she can be soothed, but damn it can be frustrating.

I also can't forget to tell you about Eleanor pooping on me. Oh yeah, you read that right. The little bug has tummy problems sometimes that give her icky poos and while I was changing her (for the millionth time that hour) she exploded. ALL OVER ME. It was a not-so-pretty chaotic 5 minutes while I tried to clean me, the carpet, and her, all while she's screaming and Lucky is trying to "help".

Thankfully my tiny human is adorable, so I tend to not mind the fussiness or the butt explosions. Haha. I leave you this week with a cute video of our little bug making the cutest sleepy noises ever (apparently not compatible with mobile devices ... you'll need a real computer). It's kinda a quiet video, so you might need to turn up your computer volume. Enjoy!

Jason logic (Pre-Eleanor)

Me: I can't find my phone. Crap.
(I search all around for my phone.)
Jason: Wait, wait, wait ... whats in your hand?
(Look in my hand and find my phone.)
Me: Don't judge me! I'm pregnant.
Jason: Do you suffer from short term memory loss?
Me: Yes, its a pregnancy symptom. All my brain power is going to the baby.
Jason: I read about this one guy who pushed another guy out of the way of a car, but then he got hit my the car himself, and now he has short term memory loss ... is it like that??
Me: Ummm ... kinda, but not because I've been hit by a car.
Jason: Oh, because I heard having a baby is like getting hit by a car.