bad day at the YMCA

Yesterday sucked. Griffin and I are both still dealing with our colds so the mornings have been even more difficult lately. I finally got us ready and out the door 10 minutes after we should have been on the road so we started out on a bad note. Once we got to daycare, I found out that Friday is our favorite teacher's last day! Just this weekend I was raving about her- this particular teacher has made my transition SO much easier. She is so good with him, he adores her, and I can tell that she really cares about him too. There is nothing wrong with the other teachers- they are also good, but this one in particular was incredible. I wish good things for her but I really hope the person taking her place can fill her shoes!

Then work has been crazy. I wont get into all the awesome details, but suffice it to say that yesterday was yet another stressful day. Every ounce of energy I have is drained by 4:30. That just added to my overall sour mood.

But the worst part of all happened after work. I was DYING to get out and see my baby. I dashed out the door and flew to the daycare. When I walked in, Griffin got so excited- grinning from ear to ear and flailing his little arms and legs all around. It was the first time he has really shown much emotion when I picked him up for the day. I got him into his car seat and started walking out to my car. I had the seat in both hands and I was looking down at him & talking while I walked. I'm still not 100% sure what happened, but somehow I tripped over a part of the sidewalk and I went down, taking Griffin with me. Luckily he landed in the car seat face up. He cried for a split second, I think more out of shock than anything else. I was scraped and bruised but I couldn't think about anything but my boy... how much exactly does it take to have shaken baby syndrome? Would I know if he had a concussion? What kind of mother am I?!? He seemed totally fine but just in case, I called his doctor. Of course the office was closed, but I spoke with the nurse on call. She asked me a series of questions and then decided that I should take him to the urgent care to rule everything out. Waiting in the urgent care was awful. Even though Griffin seemed happy as a clam, I couldn't stop feeling guilty about why we were there. Finally the doctor came in, gave him a very thorough inspection, and deemed him totally fine. She was actually more worried about his cold than the fall and she gave us some tips on how to get his sinuses to drain. HUGE relief. So I cuddled him a bit more than usual and apologized profusely through the night. I probably knocked the future Nobel Peace Prize out of him. Damn it.

a special weekend

This weekend was busy and went by way too fast, but was wonderful anyway. Saturday was Griffin's baptism! We started out the evening by meeting my parents at Salt, one of our favorite restaurants in Boulder. The food was incredible and Griffin sweetly slept through the whole thing. Then we walked over to the church where we took part in the Great Easter Vigil services. It was absolutely beautiful. Griffin's baptism was part of that service and he even got his name in the program! He was so good the entire time, and even spent the baptism grinning at the congregation. 

my parents stood with us as Griffin's sponsors and my dad captured this one while he was there!

He is now officially on his spiritual journey! Griffin's baptism present from my parents was a tiny silver cup engraved with his name. This was meant to mimic my grandfather's silver baby cup that was recently passed down to me. It was such a wonderful and meaningful gift! I now have the two side by side in his nursery and they will be something he can pass down to his own kids.

with grandma & grandpa after the service

proud mama!

Easter Sunday Griffin woke up to a present from the Easter Bunny! He got a soft little friend who he immediately clung to. 

We laid in bed and read Pat the Bunny and then we went to church. Everyone recognized Griffin from the night before and made sure to say how cute he was & how wonderful he'd done! After church we went to my parents house for dinner and had a great time hanging out.

grandpa got Griffin to give up some killer smiles! 

Happy Easter!

 By the time we got home we were all very happy and very exhausted!

such a boy

Griffin and I are both getting over some pretty evil colds. He picked his up almost immediately after starting day care (thanks, random snotty kid) and then transferred it to me several days later. Luckily Drew is still healthy so he has been doing nice things for me like cooking and bringing Griffin to me in the middle of the night when he needs a feeding. I hope he gets over his soon though. He has started getting up five times a night and I'm almost positive it's because he wakes up not able to breathe. We're all REALLY tired.

Every day Griffin's teachers keep a log of when he ate, when he slept etc. as well as interesting things that happened. They are usually things like "played with Madeline" or "loved tummy time". On Wednesday, however, the note said "was pretty gassy which he found endlessly amusing. such a boy" Great. So much like his dad already.

Speaking of dirty deeds at daycare, I took Griffin in on Thursday in an ADORABLE outfit. When I came to pick him up, however, I noticed he had on one of the spare outfits I brought in. Apparently he had a MAJOR blowout which got all over everything. Between his onesie and mint green pants that didn't match and the random giant socks that WEREN'T HIS he looked like a total homeless kid. Drew has been calling the socks "pauper socks". I cant stop laughing about it- he looked hilarious. Good times.

Seemingly overnight Griffin has developed an interest in playing with things! He started playing with the lion that his cousin William got him yesterday. He loves it. It even has a little hook so we can attach it to his car seat & always have a buddy! Then today he played with his stuffed elephant. So cute! We've had a lot of fun with him being a bit more interactive.

Betsy's cousin Laurel sent Griffin an awesome package that arrived today. I loved the card- actually directed to Griffin himself. It was incredibly sweet. He got an awesome onesie with a dog (that reminds me of Scarlett) on it and we also got a matching tote bag that says Ithaca, NY. I know Laurel lives near the Finger Lakes, but it has even more meaning for us since that is where we spent our honeymoon! Drew and I were touched and thrilled!

And here is just a random cute picture of our Free Range Baby. Love him!

Male Pattern Baldness

I think my first day back to work was a fluke. It SEEMED really easy and I shocked myself with how easily I handled the change... and then the novelty began to wear off. Over the last week I started to realize that the stressful parts of my job are still just as stressful, I barely get to spend any time with my baby, and I am having a difficult time getting everything done on a regular basis. It gets to the point where by the end of the day I am racing out the door in a near panic to see Griffin again, but when I get home I am making dinner, doing housework, preparing for the next day, and before I know it, he's in bed. I know it is all part of the transition and that it will get easier. I know we will find our groove and figure out how to make the most of it, but the right now is pretty hard.

In the meantime, Griffin has been losing his hair! I guess it's all the stress of missing me daily. Actually, we've been expecting this- I was born with hair almost exactly like his and I lost mine around three months too. But it makes me sad! His hair was so adorable and such an attention getter! I hope it grows back soon! Until then, you might be seeing some pictures pop up of a semi-bald baby!

Yesterday was a big day for us! It was our first holiday with our church (Palm Sunday). There are 4 or 5 different protestant churches clustered together on the same street as ours and they have an awesome tradition. All of the congregations meet outside prior to their own service starting for a small parade where they walk two donkeys down the street and everyone lays their palms down before them.

I was really moved and impressed by the unity and openness this symbolized. The sermon was one of the best we've seen Martie deliver too and Drew & I both took away a lot of personal meaning from it!

Then last night was Griffin's first night sleeping in his room by himself! He handled it like a champ & slept like he always has, but I missed him like crazy. Our room seemed so empty without him and I kept waking up to listen to the baby monitor. He's growing up WAY too fast! Yet another thing I'm sure I'll get used to.

I'll leave you with this picture:

I find it hilarious because this is exactly how I picture Scarlett. a) Griffin's best friend and b) a blur.

better than expected

Well, Griffin's first day at daycare went better than I could have imagined. We were the first to arrive to his classroom so I had plenty of time to talk to his teacher, get him settled, and figure everything out. He was really relaxed so I didn't feel as awful as I thought I would leaving him.

first day of school!

Work was exhausting and stressful- I'm jumping right back in to our busiest season, but at least my co-workers seemed really excited to have me back (my boss even brought me flowers!) and I'm already coming back to thank you cards & gifts from my students! All of that kept me pretty busy.  I got to see him at lunch and I feel SO lucky to be able to do that. While I was visiting & nursing him, I got to see how the teachers interact with the kids during the day, how all the kids in his class play together, and what a typical afternoon is like. It put me SO at ease. The teachers are AMAZING with these kids. Each little personality is catered to, everyone is kept busy, each is shown genuine care. I still would not choose to have Griffin in daycare every day, but since I have to, I'm SO GLAD it is this place. I couldn't have found anything better.

Yesterday we spent the day in Longmont again. We fell in love with it a long time ago due to it's midwestern architecture and small town charm. It is possible that we could eventually end up moving there one day so we met our realtor, Anne (who happens to be my good friend's older sister) in old town to get a feel for what certain price points would be able to get us. Both houses had lots of character, but the second house BROKE MY HEART. It was perfect in every way, reminded me so much of home, had everything I've ever wanted. Built in the 1920s, all of the wood trim was original & unpainted, there were tons of beautiful windows letting in light, hardwood floors, an adorable cottagey kitchen with tons of cabinet space, all kinds of built ins, a screened in side porch, an awesome second floor with bedrooms, a bathroom & a loft that would be perfect for kids, a finished basement, landscaped yard, separate studio in the back... I could go on and on. But not only are we not ready to move right now, it is currently under contract. *sigh*. That is now the home I will compare all others to.

While we were waiting to meet Anne, we discovered an awesome little coffee shop (Caffe Luna) in an old Victorian house! We stopped in and were so charmed.

I'll bet the gardens are beautiful once spring is more underway.

The food looked AMAZING! Too bad we already ate!

Part of the shop also serves as a used book store! So cozy!

We actually met lots of people at the coffee shop. Everyone was so nice! Makes the town even more appealing. We'll see what happens in the future!!

On the way home from Longmont, we stopped at Rocky Plains Meats. They are the people we usually buy all of our meat from, but they were closed for a few months over the winter and I REALLY missed them! But they were open again (and SUCH a short drive from Longmont- even more appealing!) and I was thrilled to be able to stock up. The store is part of a buffalo ranch (all the red meat we actually buy is buffalo) and we were excited to show Griffin the herd, but he slept through it. Oh, well- I know he'll love it when he's older!

When we got home, Griffin had another special surprise in the mail!! My friend Shannon crocheted him an AWESOME hat! He looks so adorable in it, I can't even stand it. Denver weather is so crazy, I'm sure he'll have several more days to wear it this year and my hope is that it still fits him next winter!

So things are going well. I have a feeling next week will be MUCH harder as I begin my first full week of work (and the separation is ongoing), but we're staying positive!

transitions

I can hardly believe it, but tomorrow will be my first day back to work and Griffin's first full day of daycare. I am both excited and terrified. Griffin and I spent our last full day of maternity leave together snuggling, going for a walk, and preparing for tomorrow. I made sure to drink him in and appreciate each moment. This time together, as difficult as it was, was so special and went by so quickly.

Griffin may have sensed that change is coming. Last night he wouldnt sleep. AT ALL. He's always been a bad napper, but by the time 8 pm rolled around he usually slipped easily into slumber. Not this time. We couldn't get him to lay peacefully in his bed until nearly 10 and then after that he was up each hour culminating in an intense freak out at 2 am. No soothing tactics worked except for holding him close to me. So finally at 4 am, we both fell into a fitful sleep with him in my arms. I would be angry, or at least very frustrated, except for the fact that yesterday Griffin laughed with me for the first time! We were playing and I lifted him up to sit on my knees that I had raised in the air and he must have found it hilarious. It was the cutest, most perfect sound I had ever heard. It warmed my heart and everything that happened after that was ok.

Then, as if to celebrate our last day home, we got an Easter care package in the mail from my grandma. She sent Griffin an adorable children's plate and sippy cup set, covered in farm animals with their names written in French. I adore it. She also sent me a picture of my great- grandma and I feeding swans when I was about 2 or 3. It is the exact picture, frame and all, that my grandma always had sitting in her home in Ohio. I looked at it every time I was there and now it's mine. It made me cry. I hope Griffin has his great-grandma longer than I had mine.

Griffin has been sleeping in a bassinet in our bedroom since he was born. He's technically supposed to stop at three months (this weekend). I don't want to pile on all of this separation at once though (for me as much as for him) so I am putting it off a week. But very soon, Griffin will be sleeping in his crib a floor away. I am missing him so much already!

Wish us luck tomorrow!

some calm before the storm

The Big Day is fast approaching! The whole family went down to the YMCA today to drop off some supplies and Griffin's first month of tuition. Other than the fact that we found out the rates already went up by anther $30 a month, the visit was GREAT. We met a couple of Griffin's teachers & figured out the lay of the land. It made us feel much more relaxed about things. We established that I am able to come nurse him or just visit whenever I want, which is awesome. I love that he will be so close to me all day! He also already made some friends! A little girl crawled up to his car seat where he was hanging out and she kept patting his hand & touching his cheek. It was SO CUTE! (Drew, of course, was terrified of the germs. I made sure to let him know that none of us will likely be healthy ever again...)

Since Griffin is already growing out of his newborn clothes, I'm transitioning him into his 3-6 month stuff. It has been oddly fun pulling out clothes I forgot about. It's like Christmas! Tonight he is sporting his OSU jammies for the first time. OHIO, REPRESENT!

this is his wide receiver pose

Go Bucks!