5.5 months old

I've totally turned into one of THOSE people...you know, the kind who have a baby and virtually stop blogging? Lord, Im sorry. I'll try to be better. It's been so hectic with work, commuting 2 hours a day, and client events. Work hasn't been AS hard as I predicted, but it's so hard to only see Sam for 1-2 hours a day, at night.

Sleeping is going ok. She is a night owl, so often won't go down until 9pm. Lately we've managed 8pm. She sleeps through till about 4:30am. She'll eat 7oz, then MAYBE sleep another hour. I sure wish she'd sleep 10 hours a stretch. We tried letting her cry it out, but we had to stop because we live in a condo, and our upstairs neighbors were pissed. Sound carries SO WELL through these thin walls.

Eating is good. She eats rice cereal and oatmeal twice a day now. Next week we start veggies! I'm still so confused at how solids really work. Do I feed her 2,3,4 meals a day, am i supposed to feed her several types of food at each feeding?

Pumping is REALLY getting exhausting, especially at work. I've gone down to pumping 4x a day, and sometimes 5x a day. Next month I start 4x a day exclusively. After that I will keep slowly weaning down each month. I have at least a 1 month supply in the deep freezer, if not two months. I'm ok if we have to give her some formula during the day, at some point. I will be so glad when I someday don't have to get up at 4:30am or 5am to pump!!! It's killing me.

Speaking of the devil, time to pump again! :)

Survived first day back at work

It was rough. My job goes at Mach 3 speed all day long. It was a STRUGGLE to leave at 5pm to go home. On my first day back. And I only got 50% of my work done.

It's rough only seeing Sam for 2 hours a day now. I get home at 6pm, she goes to bed at 8pm. This is going to be hard.

Back at work on Tuesday

I can't even bear the thought. I'm so lucky to have been home with Sam for 4.5 months, but it doesn't make this easier.

It doesn't help that I'm going back to a job I hate, that pushes you daily to your limits of exhaustion, has no regard for personal lives, expects long hours, and then I have a 1 hour commute each way. A senior person there even said "The biggest mistake a woman makes here is to have a baby." They seriously dont.give.a.shit. if you have kids. I'll be the only one in my group with a kid, so no one will understand either.

Ugh. Well at least when I come home I'll get to see Sam for 30 minutes before she goes to bed. How wonderful. Grrrrrr. How do you working moms do it? i wish my company would allow flex commute hours or some WFH days.

4 month checkup

Today was Sam's 4 month checkup. Baby looks healthy!

Weight: 13lbs (50th percentile)
Length: 24.5" (75th percentile)
Head: 17cm (97th percentile - kid has a big heeeed!)

Doc didn't seem super concerned about her flat spot, although it has gotten worse since before (despite our best efforts). She wants to wait until 6 months to check it again....but eh, isn't that almost too late for a helmet.

Questions for y'all:
1. When did you introduce solids? I feel like waiting until 6 months, to keep feedings more simple till then.
2. When did your babies get their first tooth? How can you tell they are teething? (Sam has been gumming things and drooling forever, so that won't be a good indicator for us)

I go back to work in 2 weeks! The horror! Still trying to find a daycare. Most of the ones we've seen make me want to cry so far.

Now for pics! Here's one of Sam in a cute full body jacket. Another one of Becky and baby sleeping in, together, on the sofa one morning. :)

Prop 8 overturned!

Pictures!

I've been a bad blogger. August has rolled in, and there's a sense of sadness and anxiety. I go back to work this month! :( I start back on Aug 31. It feels like the days are skidding by and work is around the corner. I honestly don't know how I can leave my sweet little girl. It will destroy me. We looked into any possible way for me to quit and be a SAHM, but it just doesn't make financial sense. We need two incomes right now.

What sucks is I'm expected to work long hours, and my commute is 1 hour each way. If I'm lucky I'll get home at 6-6:30pm, and Sam goes to bed between 8:30-9. That gives me like 2 hours to see her. God forbid I go to the gym after work - then I'll not see her at all. Damn. Obviously moms all around the country do this...how do you handle being a working mom?

Ok time for pics :)

is it just me or does Justin Bie.ber look like a baby dyke?

I mean seriously! Kid looks like a cute little lesbonaut. My sister always tells me "Lesbians who are attracted to butch women are really just attracted to men, then" (Hey this is her logic, not mine!) I'm dying to ask my sister if she thinks the tens of millions of tween girls who love Bi3ber are really just lesbians, since he looks like a woman. :)