Yuck!

It's been 10 days of throwing up - as Sarah says, Max has the Daycare blues!!

Hopefully the virus will subside very soon, or they will figure out what it is when we head back to emergency tomorrow morning. The poor little dude is loosing weight...his belly is gone and he's so lethargic...barely playing!

Daycare is hard on babies...so many germs. How can I make this easier on him?

Thank goodness for grandparents though! If it weren't for my parents and my sister I don't know what I would have done. I always think about all the single mom's out there who don't have a support family...I can't imagine how hard things can get for them.

The Munchkiness of Max Almon

Max can be quite a Munchkin. I personally think it's his budding personality, hard headness and social butterfliness that causes all of this monkeying around. It cracks me up...I love it!

Here are a couple examples of his Munchkinesses:

1. He sat with one leg up on the grocery cart flirting with all the ladies this morning.
2. He screamed when I took him out of the swing to bring him home when it was getting dark.
3. He throw his food all over the floor...really purposfully...then looked at me and smiled.
4. He played "I throw my cup, mommy picks it up" through half of dinner.
5. As soon as I took his diaper off for his bath he peed all over the outside of the bath tub
6. We spent his bath time playing "mom I want to stand, please stop making me sit"

I know all mother's say this, but he is seriously the sweetest boy I've ever met...I'm so lucky.

One of the positives of working full time is that the time I get with Max I truly truly cherish and try to enjoy every second...every instance of munchinkiness!

Trying Fit it All In

Holy Crap going back to work is HARD! Everything about it is hard...I've spent a year hanging out with Max everyday...the longest I was away from him was during IMC, I could fit my training in while he napped, I could clean up the house (kind of) at night, and even sit down and relax once and while. And now, Reality has hit. So I have a whole new appreciation for anyone with a job and a child that fits in a workout...kudos to you because I had no idea!

So logistically, this is how my day looks:
*5 to get ready for work and unload the dishwasher (or some other day to day chore that should be done...and one day this week have a conference call with my boss...that's right 5:30am)
*6 - get Max up and spend some time with him while we get ready to leave
*6:50ish - leave the house to drop Max off at daycare and continue onto work. This probably the hardest part of the day because he cries and like all mom's I can't stand to hear him...I just want to make it all better but I can't
*7:30 - start work and try to minimize breaks and lunch so I can leave at 4pm (an hour earlier than we're suppose to and there are lots of days that I have manditory meetings that I have to stay for)
*5 - arrive home with the Big Guy - make dinner, play, bath and give him all the hugs and kisses I can
7:45 - get on the treadmill or bike with the utmost disdain and wonder how I'm going to make it through the workout.

And I have it easy, in some ways, because my husband works over seas so I'm not worried about fitting time in with him...what's going to happen when he gets back...how's it all going to fit in...

On the positive side, work is good...it's exciting to be back in the swing of things and there's always optimisim in January! Max has ha d a couple of days with my parents to help break up daycare in the first week, and I have one workout cut short because of a whole in my tire, so I get a little extra rest with minimal guilt this week!

Another Holiday Season Come and Gone!

Another holiday season has come and gone. As with all holidays there are some ups and downs. Thankfully mostly ups. Lots of food (I am too scared to step on the scale), lots of family, lots of friends, and lots of celebrating our Little Man!

I think my favorite night was Christmas Eve. We had ribs...wierd, and not a tradition, but really good! And cards games...so fun!! Christmas is so much for fun with Max...he makes it really special again and I want nothing more than to see him smile, so we try really hard to get funny gifts and enjoy the paper and boxes that they come in!

Today I took him out in his new sleigh (birthday present from Poppa Pete and Grandma B), and he was smiling the whole time...a big toothy smile that was saying "good faster Mommy"!! When it was over (it was kind of a quick trip because it was cold) he was not impressed that I took him out of the sleigh and he tried to bite me - a few times!! So hopefully we can head out again tomorrow.

But now it's over, and reality is about to hit - I'm back to work! Yikes!! This year has been so amazing. I feel so fortunate that I got to spend a whole year with him - watching him grow, learn new things, and smile...he has the best smile ever!! But like many other women I am back to work monday. It will be so hard to leave him at daycare, and miss a whole day of him playing and discovering and smiling. I don't know how I am going to concentrate - my boss said he would order me an extra box of kleenex and I really think I'm going to need it. To help me get a little excited about work I bought a new dress - a big thanks to Sarah for giving me the little encouragement I needed to go back in the store after brunch!!