I'm Still Here, With a Toddler!

I'm still here! And I am so angry at myself for not keeping up with the blog as I'd hoped to. There have been so many exciting milestones and adventures since my last post (6 months ago). Starting today, I hope to get back into the groove of writing on here. So let's do some catching up.

Merbaby is no longer a baby. He is a full-on walking, climbing, boundary-testing toddler! He will be 14 months old next week. At his 12-month appointment he weighed 21 lbs. and was 29 inches long. We have gotten rid of the infant car seat and moved to the convertible carseats. Those aren't quite as easy to switch in and out when the grandparents are keeping him but we manage it. He's down to only one nap a day. He isn't drinking from bottles at all anymore. We're still breastfeeding in the morning and at bedtime. Otherwise, he gets water and/or pea milk from a sippy cup. He eats 3 meals and 3 snacks a day. And sometimes that isn't even enough. (A growing boy loves to eat). He absolutely loves looking at books and pointing out pictures. He likes stacking things up and knocking them down. He also really enjoys pulling everything out of a certain container and moving it to another container. Balloons, bubbles, and balls send him into a fit of excited squeals. He is just soaking up every bit of knowledge he can and it is so fun to watch.

checking out his first birthday present from the grandparents

Walking Adventures
He took his first steps in June while at Little Gym. We were attending a make-up class on a Saturday morning, which meant that Mr. Merman got to join us. It happened out of no where! We were on the gym mat getting ready for bubble time and he just took 3 steps toward me. Mr. Merman and I both froze in shock, jaws dropped, eyes filling with tears. Then we exploded in celebration and started telling everyone around us what just happened. We probably looked deliriously insane but it was beyond exciting! It didn't take long for him to catch on and become more comfortable with walking. There were definitely lots of falls, bruises, and frustrations but he just got stronger and stronger each day. At this point, he's practically running everywhere he goes and looks like a little man.

Check Out That Grill
The past week has been pretty chaotic. It began with a low grade fever last Sunday that quickly shot up to 102.3. A visit to the pediatrician resulted in an ear infection diagnosis, one prescription for amoxicillin, and permission to return to school the following day. Tuesday afternoon, I received a call from daycare informing me that Merbaby had a rash that was spreading from his torso to his face and the fever was back. Upon picking him up, I learned that this rash had spread from the infant room and every almost every kid in his class was now suffering from it. The doctors were claiming that it was viral and there was nothing to do but treat the fever and wait. So I stayed home with him on Wednesday and Merman stayed home with him on Thursday.

Wednesday was such a sweet day. The poor baby took 2 naps and wanted to snuggle with me all day. During a diaper change, I noticed a tooth cutting through his bottom gum. The next day, Mr. Merman texted because two more teeth were cutting through! And by Friday morning, his gums were bleeding from all of these new developments. My poor baby!! Ear infection, fever, viral rash, two canines, and a new molar all in one week?!?! No wonder he was so pitiful and hadn't been sleeping well. The poor little guy was in so much pain.

two new canines and a molar

His low grade temp. and rash stuck around until Sunday afternoon. Yesterday was the first day he seemed to be 100% back to normal. But we're keeping an eye on those gums because it seems as though another molar is making it's way in.

Summer With My Guy
Can I just say that Summer 2018 will forever be the BEST SUMMER OF MY LIFE? Not working and spending every day with Merbaby was a dream come true. Being his mom is the absolute best thing in the world! I have never felt as happy as I did during those months. My only rules were as follows: Stay busy with enriching activities, stick to a schedule, and get out of the house at least once a day.

We signed up for swim lessons, Music Class, Little Gym, and got a membership to the zoo. Swim lessons were awesome for him! We weren't fans of how the facility was run and will not be taking him back there. But it was a very beneficial experience for him. He loves being in the water and splashing. Often, he tries to swim right out of our arms because he just wants to do it on his own. Dunking him under the water turned out to be no big deal. He does it with ease and never swallows any water. Sitting on the side of the pool and "jumping" or sliding off into our arms (while we sing "Humpty Dumpty") was his favorite activity. The smiles and giggles just melt my heart.

We attended Music Class on Fridays and Little Gym on Mondays. Whenever we got the chance, we attended story time at the library. Music Class proved to be very beneficial because I could turn the music on when he was upset and the tears instantly stopped. We have had several living room and kitchen dance parties to the Panda Collection. It took him a while to open up, interact, and play with the instruments but by the end of the summer, he was running around with the other kids and trying to play all the instruments at once.
Little Gym was was so great for his physical development. In just two short months, he started walking and climbing. He was able to hang onto the uneven bars and rings all by himself for about 5 seconds. He began crawling through things and underneath things without hesitation. And he became really comfortable with walking on the balance beam (with support). I really wish I didn't have to work full time so that we could continue attending Little Gym every week.

Playing Drums in Music Class

We often visited the zoo on Thursday mornings before the crowds came. He loved watching the elephants and going in the reptile house. I often let him out of the stroller to roam around while looking at the snakes to help him practice walking. His absolute favorite animal was the lemur. He called them "dogs" and would just squeal and bounce and point to them. These zoo trips were one of my favorite things we did over the summer. We'd leave as early as possible and jam out to our Music Class playlist whilst navigating through the morning commute. I always grabbed Starbucks on the way and we'd arrive to the zoo just as they were opening. After a couple hours of visiting and checking out the petting zoo, we'd have a picnic by the lemurs and gorillas. Then we'd load up the car and drive home which usually resulted in a car ride nap time. Next summer, he'll be able to play on the playground and get in the splash pad. Oh boy! It's going to be wild out there with a 2-year-old. 😉

Watching the Elephants at the Zoo

Amidst all of the busy summer activities, I was able to find time for myself. Merbaby's in-home daycare affirmed Wednesday as "Mom's Day Out." I dropped him off for 6 hours, often running errands and completing chores during the free time. However, I also made sure to allow myself an hour or so of "me time" to go running or binge on Netflix. I also made Tuesday mornings my running day. We'd get to the park really early when it was still somewhat cool outside. He would ride in the strolledr with his music playing while I ran roughly 3 miles. Sometimes we took the dog, which he loved because he would just giggle at that little tiny furball running alongside the stroller.

Many days, I took naps when he did and he even started sleeping in (if you call 6:45 AM sleeping in). I felt so well-rested and completely content with life during that time. I really wish it could just continue on forever that way.

Morning Jog with My Babies!

Returning to work after the summer was much harder than it was going back after maternity leave. I cried a lot more and felt extremely depressed for quite a few days. I would give anything to be able to stay home with him everyday.

Merbaby's FIRST Birthday
It's unfathomable how quickly year one passed by. It seems like just yesterday I was bringing my tiny little newborn home.

We had a beach ball themed birthday party at the house. The in-laws flew in to stay with us and help with food and set-up. My niece, sister, and her boyfriend's family came into town. We had a great turnout and SUCH a fun time. I kid you not, Merbaby was reveling in the chaos around him. He loved having all the attention on him and his little personality just burst out of him full force that day. He seemed to be on some kind of social high for a week following that. Having all of his friends, family, and caregivers in one space was the just the bee's knees.

Everyone looks forward to the smash cake and Merbaby delivered! He wasn't sure what to think after about all that icing but after a few tastes, he dug right in. His first taste of cake and real, white sugar was a success! He received so many thoughtful gifts, toys, and beach supplies. It would be remiss of me not to say that it was one of the greatest days of his life. He practiced walking with his friends, played in the new ball pit from his grandparents, kicked and threw around all the beach balls, and chased after Grandpa all afternoon. A smile was plastered across his face and it wasn't going anywhere. It was truly an amazing day. Everything worked out perfectly and went according to plan. It was even better than what I had imagined in my head.

First Beach Vacation
A week after his big birthday celebration, we left for the beach. It was a 6 hour drive that we made in 8 hours due to the stops. He did really great in the car without much fussing at all. But 30 minutes before we arrived, he had a major blowout! It happened just as we were crossing the border so we pulled over at a rest stop to change him. The fanny fudge ended up getting on the carseat, all over me, and all over his legs and arms. It took everything in me not to cry. ha! We had to pull out the luggage and change clothes before cleaning up the car seat and sanitizing ourselves. I think it took me half a box of wipes just to clean it off his body.

We stayed in a 1-bedroom condo with the most gorgeous oceanfront view. Sharing a room with Merbaby wasn't too bad. We were afraid it would interfere with his sleep and/or ours but he only woke up once during the first night. Unfortunately, the sunrise was facing right into our room and the curtain were very lightly colored so we started each day pretty early. But it worked out because Mr. Merman and I took turns going for a run on the beach while it was still cool outside. The beach was practically empty that early in the morning so it was peaceful and calm.

The waves freaked him out a little. He got really nervous about being in the water with the waves crashing toward him so we mostly stayed in the sand. I think that boy could have sat in the sand with his toys for HOURS. He was definitely in his element on that beach with nothing but toys and sand for miles and miles. Of course, we visited the pool each day before going into to eat lunch and take naps. Other guests complimented his smile and enthusiasm for the water. They just thought he was the cutest and happiest baby they'd seen. And I totally agree.

One morning, we drove to a small island to visit an untouched beach. It's part of a national park where they do not disturb the beaches at all. We had to walk on the longest trail (without a stroller) to get to the shore but it was worth it. The calm of an untouched beach first thing in the morning was breathtaking. We weren't lucky enough to see much wildlife but the driftwood, downed trees, and crabs were a sight to see. I'd definitely like to go back in a few years and spend an entire day there.

Switching Daycares
Going into this next school year, I knew I wanted to switch daycares. I didn't talk about it a lot on here but there were several things that made me feel uneasy about the in-home daycare he was in. It seemed like a constant inner battle between my gut feeling that something wasn't right and my head trying to convince me that everything was okay. I knew Mr. Merman would flip out over the cost of a real daycare facility but I had to follow my gut instinct and figure out something better.

I toured a couple daycares and interviewed another at-home lady. After making a decision and figuring out finances, I sat Mr. Merman down and explained everything: all the red flags, all the anxiety I experienced over the in-home daycare, the benefits of a real daycare, etc. He was very accepting of my decision and we spent several evenings reworking our budget so that Merbaby could attend a new school. This was truly one of the best decisions we could have made.

My level of anxiety is basically down to nothing! Nada! Zilch! And it feels so good! I am 150% happier with this new childcare. I look forward to dropping him off each morning and don't feel like I'm racing against time to pick him up every afternoon. Coworkers have commented on how at ease I seem this year. Even Mr. Merman says I'm a totally different person and it seems as if I actually enjoy my job again. I didn't realize how much it was affecting me mentally & emotionally until I finally committed to switching daycares. Relief immediately washed over me and it felt as if a huge weight had been lifted off my shoulders.

However, getting to that point wasn't easy. Having the conversation with his sitter was a lot harder than I expected. We talked on the phone for an hour which involved tears from her and second-guesses from me. I don't think she is a bad person nor do I think she had bad intentions. I will always have a fond place in my heart for the woman who cared for my newborn while I figured out the working mom life. But I just don't think she was a good fit for us and I definitely don't think she listened to and/or acknowledged my parenting preferences.

Anyways, he is now at an academy with structure, curriculum, and even a KINDNESS program! They have an app where they send live updates throughout the day. I know about every diaper change, snack/meal, nap time, and activity he participates in. They even send pictures and it makes this mommy so happy. He has blossomed ten-fold since starting there. He is extremely social and seems much happier coming home in the afternoons than he did last year. They work with numbers, counting, and have story time each day. They have a music program every Thursday and do some sort of age-appropriate craft and gross motor skill activity throughout the week. If he so much as trips, I get a phone call letting me know what happened. When he was out sick last week, the director contacted me each day to check on him. And, I must say, not having to prepare meals and snacks to send with him is another burden lifted off of me. I no longer spend my entire Sunday cooking and packing up meals for the week.

Do I wish I'd sent him to the academy sooner? I'm not sure about that. If we were ever lucky enough to have a free sex baby, I do think I'd send him/her to the academy right away. But there's still some comfort in knowing that a brand new baby is in a home environment where germs are sparse and calmness prevails... or so we hope...

What Next?
We've got a few things coming up. Merbaby goes back to the pediatrician tomorrow to follow-up on the ear infection. Hopefully the amoxicillin did its' job. Currently, Mr. Merman is sick with what we think may be food poisoning. After a week with a sick toddler, this is just terrible timing. It almost feels like I'm a single mom this week with Merman being put out, especially in the mornings when I'm trying to care for the dog, the baby, and myself while still getting out of the house, to daycare, then to work on time. And then doing it all alone for dinner and bedtime too just puts me in an exhausted funk. I finally convinced Mr. Merman to get to Urgent Care. We're nearing 72 hours and he hasn't had any relief. If anything, they can at least treat for dehydration while he continues to fight this bug. He's there now and I'm waiting to hear form him...

(I think I've earned at least a couple hours to myself this weekend... and maybe a glass of wine).

Monday is Labor Day, which means it's a 3-day weekend! We're going to try out a new park with some friends. It's next to an airport and I hear there is a pretend aviation tower they can play in. I also think we should get our butts to the pool because we haven't been since school started up.

Work is going so well this year. I am able to get so much done without being attached to a pump twice a day! It's a relief and greatly improves my level of productivity.

Fall is just around the corner and I can't wait for it to be cool enough to go on afternoon walks/runs. I'm also really looking forward to the holiday season this year. Merbaby is old enough to interact and somewhat realize what's happening with each holiday. We've decided to dress him up and Trick-or-Treat for Halloween. As for Thanksgiving, we hope to stay with the in-laws, which means getting on an airplane. It will be Merbaby's first flight! We have so many exciting things to look forward to and I can't wait!

Solids, Flu Season, and Swings... OH MY!

I'm a total blogging slacker. I can't believe that I haven't blogged in two months! So much has changed in that amount of time and I wish I'd written about it to capture each memory. First off, things are getting better and easier. Reading my prior post made me realize just how far we've come. (It stressed me out a little too).

As of today, Merbaby is about 7 1/2 months old. He now has 6 teeth and I'm 80% sure another is pushing its way through as I type. At his latest appointment he was right around 17 pounds and over 26 inches long. He is my whole world. I can't even begin to describe the happiness that comes from being his mommy. This week is winter break so I'm off the entire week, which means more time with my baby boy! (He's napping as I type so we'll see how much I can get done before he wakes). 

Introducing Solids... Baby Led Weaning Style! 

This has been the most exciting thing we've started since my last post. I did a lot more research on Baby Led Weaning and joined an online support group. I read the introduction to the cookbook, which eased my mind and provided the motivation I needed to try it. Mr. Merman and I discussed it and he was 100% sure we should try it out. We drove 45 minutes to Ikea to purchase the infamous $25 highchair and started letting him sit at the table with us so he could familiarize himself with the process of mealtime.

At our 6-month appointment, the pediatrician and I discussed BLW vs. Purees. He was very supportive and mentioned that he has plenty of patients that do BLW and love it. He advised that we still introduce new foods and give it 3 days to watch for allergic reactions. He also mentioned that he has families who do the traditional pureed baby foods and that, no matter what, the babies are healthy and happy. Ultimately, he was leaving it up to me. But before I left, he commented on a 15-month-old that is still eating purees because he just won't transition to real food. And that was all I needed to hear to push me into making the final decision. (I can't imagine having a 15-month-old eatingonly purees)! We jumped right in when Merbaby was a little more than 6 months old and started with avocado. 

Okay, okay. "Jumping right in" may not be the right term. First, I attended a family/infant CPR and first aid class to be trained on how to revive or save a choking infant. Then, I decided we would start with something mushy and only give him that for 3 nights so that I could ease myself into the idea of it. Finally, I mustered up the courage and we gave him one slice of avocado while I sat on the edge of my chair ready to pop into action if he started choking. 

He did so well! I think he only gagged once and it wasn't nearly as scary as we thought it would be. After 3 nights of this, I decided to go a little further and we started giving him a few different things: green beans, zucchini, eggs, pancake, pasta noodles, steamed bell peppers and shredded carrot sticks, and more. Now, here we are! A month later and he's eating full meals with us. We've moved meal time to the dining room so that we can have a family dinner every night. Unfortunately, Mr. Merman doesn't always get home in time to eat by 5:30 or 6 so Merbaby and I have a lot of one-on-one dinners but I love it! It's like having a date with my favorite guy every single night. Clean-up by myself with a tired baby isn't so much fun on my own though...

Watching him eat meat gives me heart palpitations but he's getting better and better each time. He has learned how to manipulate chicken and swallow it rather well but it produces more gags than other foods. His absolute favorite food right now is blackberries and raspberries. He also loves salmon. Earlier this week, I made little mini pasta casseroles for him. Our big casserole had ground sausage in it and I'm not ready for him to experience that. So, I made a meat-free, salt-free version of it and he couldn't get enough! He tried asparagus spears and swallowed them right up. 

Another exciting eating adventure has been the SPOON!  We've been practicing with plain yogurt during breakfast and he took to it like he'd been spoon feeding himself for ages. Other than grabbing the wrong end of the spoon and making a huge mess, it has been pretty successful. The best entertainment is when he throws the spoon overboard and yogurt goes splattering all over the floor, the dog, the wall, our legs, the chairs... you get the idea.

trying seaweed for the first time

Overall, BLW has been very successful! I'm so glad we chose to do this. I sit down every other weekend and plan our meals for 2 weeks in advance. This was recommended by the authors of the BLW cookbook to deter families from eating the same meals/foods over and over. It's so important for Merbaby to experience a variety of flavors and textures during this time when his tastebuds are developing and he's learning preferences. We want him to be able to enjoy and love several different flavors, especially vegetables. By planning meals well in advance, I'm able to ensure that he's getting an assortment of foods. It has also forced me to eat better as we're including fruits and more vegetables with every meal. I'm not using salt since Merbaby can't have any. And, we're not resorting to pizza, fast food, and chips on nights that we're tired or busy. I'm hopeful that by doing this, we're creating am open-minded child who is willing and wanting to eat healthy foods for a lifetime and that we're not teaching him that he has to finish his plate. He needs to feel that it's okay to stop eating when he's full.

Check out some pictures from our adventures into food:

bell peppers, onions, sweet potatoes, cheese toast, and beef

Pad Thai noodles, carrots, celery,
green &yellow bell peppers, chicken, & baby corn

Flu Epidemic 
Mark 2018 as "The Year of the Flu!" The vaccine has proven to be 30% effective in our nation this year but reports are showing that it is even lower in certain areas, ours included! In fact, our state seems to be getting the worst of it as far as the number of deaths. The pediatrician gave a disclaimer that the flu shot is only 10% effective right now before we could agree to give it to Merbaby. With that said, Mr. Merman and I both got our flu shots through work in the early days of fall. I opted in for Merbaby to get his in early January. We were all protected as much as we possibly could be.

I've never had the flu before. Mr. Merman has had it several times and I've never caught it from him so I was honestly shocked when... BOM! BOM! BOM! I got the flu, type A. :(

Exactly 2 weeks after Merbaby had his flu shot, after being off for a week due to snow, I woke up feeling pretty crappy. My throat was sore and my skin felt prickly. But the thermometer showed a normal temperature and I hated to call in to work after having a whole week off. So, I sucked it up and went about the day as usual. As the day went on, I knew something was up. I couldn't drink my coffee, I could barely eat lunch, and my chest felt like it was on fire every time I coughed. I had never experienced this before. My students kept telling me that I looked really different. Leave it up to kids to let you know the truth. One girl asked if I'd forgotten my make-up cause I looked terrible and should probably go home.

I made it through the work day! Once I got home, my temp was 101.2! I took the next day off. Mr. Merman did daycare duty and I alternated the Tylenol and Ibuprofen to treat the fever. In complete denial that I had the flu, I took naps, soaked in the tub with epsom salt, and kept brushing off everyone's encouragements to get to the doctor. At the last minute, I decided to just go get tested so I'd have an answer. But, every. single. clinic. was booked up with no appointments open. The walk-in wait time was almost 2 hours. After an hour of searching, I finally found a clinic that could get me in later that evening but it meant that I would have to take Merbaby with me, which made me so nervous. But I did it anyways (with motivation from Mr. Merman). The NP swabbed my nose while I was breastfeeding Merbaby in hopes that feeding him in that environment would fight off the germs. It threw me into a sneezing fit. Yep, I surely was sneezing all over my poor baby. Within seconds of starting the test, it came out positive and she declared that I had the flu. For the first time in my life! She wrote a note to my employer and told me I couldn't return to work for a full week! All I could think about was how I had just sneezed my contagious-airborne flu germs all over my baby and a pregnant nurse practitioner. The next patient to enter was going to breathe in that air. I'd been coughing and sneezing at work with all my students around the day before. GUILTY IS ME!

I acquired a mask, a Tamiflu prescription, and Probiotics then got the HELL out of that place so as not to infect anyone else. I was so afraid that Merbaby's babysitter was going to ask that I keep him home all week to prevent spreading possible flu germs to all the other children. Fortunately, she did not. She was very supportive of my staying home and resting. I did everything in my power to ensure that I wasn't sending flu germs to daycare with him. The next 3 days were spent napping, taking bubble baths, and binge watching TV (a luxury I've missed since having a baby). My fever broke 3 nights in so I spent the next day cleaning every inch of the house and washing everything I touched. By some kind of miracle, neither Merbaby nor Mr. Merman caught the flu from me.

Fast forward two more weeks... Mr. Merman texts me halfway through the day that he has a fever. By the time I got home that evening, he wasn't looking well at all. I gave him a mask, told him to steer clear of us, take some Tylenol and make an appointment. Sure enough- FLU! Here we go again! His symptoms lasted much longer and seemed worse than mine. He slept in the guest room for over a week so as not to wake me up or fill the room with his germs. I definitely didn't want Merbaby to catch it so I took care of Merbaby on my own until Merman's fever was gone. It was pretty exhausting and I was more than glad when he was finally feeling well and able to help with the baby again. But, the good news is that Merbaby never caught the flu from either of us! And I'm claiming that my breastmilk did the job.

The pediatrician and the NP at the clinic told me that breastfeeding was the best thing I could do. My milk was creating antibodies to fight the flu before I even knew I had it. No lie, I even chugged a few ounces while I was sick hoping it might help fight it faster. They say this season will last til the end of May! Let's just hope Merbaby can avoid the germs and continue to be healthy.

Swinging Away
I know I haven't been able to write about all the snow we've had this year. It's very unusual to have so much snow where we live but I've enjoyed the extra time off work with my little dude. Ironically, it's still the middle of winter and our temperatures are now hitting mid-70's. The peeping frogs are out, Cheery Blossoms are blooming, and bugs are starting to appear. All of this means that it's the perfect time to get outside and PLAY!

On Sunday, we decided to walk up to the neighborhood playground and let Merbaby try out the baby swing. He didn't know what to think. He was smiling and giggling. It was absolutely precious. I took him down the slide in my lap and we let the dog run around. It was such a nice family outing, something I've always dreamed of having and thought I may never get once I was diagnosed with DOR.

Since Sunday, we've been back twice. Yesterday was GORGEOUS so I took Merbaby to the local park to swing then jogged a little over 2 miles while he rode in the stroller, which he also loved. After running errands today, I stopped at the top of the neighborhood and let him swing again for about 5 minutes. Today was probably the most fun he had with it. He was laughing and squealing the whole time. I'm so ready to spend spring and summer break with this cutie!


Other Fun Tidbits
We're working on crawling. He has started to get up on all 4's and rock. Sometimes, he's able to move himself forward but mostly he gets tired and gives up. He also loves to be upright and is trying really hard to pull himself up on toys and people. It won't be long til we've got a mobile baby on our hands.

He's cooing and being cute but hasn't really started making consonant sounds. There have been a few <G> sounds here and there but nothing more than that. However, he does like to blow spit bubbles which is almost the same as producing the <B> sound, right?

Sleep is mostly pretty awesome. For about 2 months, we've had nights with only 1 wake-up and several nights where he slept 10+ hours without waking up at all. A friend of mine did lots of research on dropping the night feeds and getting baby to sleep off the boob. She was reading the Ferber Method book and sharing what she read. I took her information and ran with it. Within just a few days, he had dropped his first feeding (hence the longer sleep patterns) and was able to fall asleep on his own without nursing. Both of these things have changed our lives drastically. Bedtime no longer lasts 45 minutes! We start at 7 with PJ's, massage, teeth brushing, and nursing. He's almost always asleep within 15-20 minutes of that. It's unreal and feels so good to have a little extra time at night to read, watch a show, spend time with Mr. Merman, and/or go to bed super early. Since the last blog post, we transitioned from the swaddle (arms out) to a sleep sack. He wasn't even phased by it and transitioned like it was no big deal.

He has begun to interact with the dog more by reaching out and grabbing her, taking her toys, making sounds at her when she whines or barks. He adores his dog and it is so fun to watch them together. Piper loves him too! She is so excited when he wakes in the morning. Running to his door, she can't wait to greet him. As soon as the door opens, she runs to the crib and starts trying to lick or touch him through the railings. He just smiles down at her while my heart is just melting away the whole time.

The in-laws are coming to visit this weekend. They haven't seen him since he was barely 3 months old so we're very glad they can come. They've both been having medical issues which has made it difficult to visit. I know they are heartbroken and I feel so terrible that we can't just hop on a plane to go see them. After speaking with the doctor, they decided to come visit now. My FIL will be having back surgery soon and the recovery could take a good bit of time.

I have a dentist appointment in the morning and will be leaving Merbaby with my dad. This man has 2 daughters and watched my niece all the time when she was a baby but I'm still nervous about it for some reason. I'll likely only be gone an hour (if that) and know everything will be fine but I'm still going over every little detail in my brain so that I don't forget to tell him.

Speaking of grandparents and surgeries, my mom had surgery on her foot right before Christmas so she's been recovering from that. We haven't asked her to babysit because we wanted her to be able to heal completely and not feel obligated to watch our kid. But she's doing better now and we've already got a couple of dates lined up for March. I'm looking forward to going out with my husband at night for a change. As much as I love this little guy, it's so nice to get out and have some adult time. I didn't realize how much I needed that time until the only sitter I trust had surgery... leaving us without any time together for over 2 months.

Hey, look! I finished another blog entry. It only took 2 days, 2 naps, and an hourish after bedtime to finally wrap it up. I love this new life of mine. Being a mom is even more amazing than I thought it would be. In all honesty, I think I have infertility to thank for that.