Stay at Home Mom

If you had told me 7 years ago that I would be a stay at home mom, I never would have believed you. But then again 7 years ago I was living in Indy in a 500 sq. ft. apartment, sleeping on the same twin bed I had had since I was a kid, taking care of only me (and my cat -Zoe - but she was easy). Fast forward to today, I am living in Charlotte with a husband, a dog (Zoe died the week I found out I was pregnant) and most importantly a newborn baby boy. The commercials says that "Life comes at you fast" and well, it's true.
Friday I resigned from my position as Fitness Director at the Steele Creek YMCA. It was as tough a move as it was an easy one. Tough because we will be with one income and because I am afraid I will go crazy not working. Easy because I get to stay home and raise my son. Even though we go down to one income, working at the Y didn't make financial sense. Around $800 a month in daycare and $200 in gas to get to the Y. So I bring home about half my paycheck (yes, I made that little), work 50-60 hours a week and one weekend a month, and at the end of the day I get to spend a little time with my husband and son. NO THANKS! I can sum it all up in one sentence - I am not willing to give him only what I have left at the end of the day. Sometimes, that's not much. I will miss the friends I have made there and hope to keep in touch with as many people as possible. All said and done, I am very excited and feel a sigh of relief coming on.
So here starts a new chapter in my life.

Ah Sleep

I didn't think this day (or night actually) was going to come. After so many sleepless nights or nights with little tidbits of sleep thrown in. But Saturday night it happened. Nic slept 8 hours. I kid you not. He fell asleep at 9pm and awoke the next morning at 5am. I woke up at 4am and felt that horrible panic when I looked at the clock. The thought of "why hasn't he woken up" and "is he OK". I tipoed into his room to find him still sacked out. Sunday night again he slept for 8 hours straight. I am not sure I feel like a normal person again as 8 weeks of sleep deprivation doesn't get remedied overnight, but it feels pretty darn good. I guess I expected a slow transition where he sleeps an hour longer for a couple nights or weeks, but he went from 2 hour naps to an 8 hour sleep. Horray for this milestone!

For those who were keeping up with the nursery project, I have a picture of the monkey for you!
Janice is also painting a toucan for Ted and he has INSISTED on a toucan. It is as close as we could get to a toucan while till looking cute enough to be on the nursery walls. We call it a Tedcan.

The Drive Thru

I've never been a big fan of the drive-thru. There is a drive-thru for everything: coffee, pharmacy, food (of course), dry cleaning, banking, etc. Pretty soon we will have drive-thru dentistry so we don't have to get out of the car to get that cavity filled. Nope, never liked the drive-thru. I'd rather stop my car and go inside. Especially at Starbucks, that way I can experience the coffee shop feel that I like so much. I can talk to the nice ladies that work at the store by my house. I can look at the cute travel cups that I so don't need.

Then....I had a baby. Like the commercial says, "having a baby changes everything".
Now the drive thru is very much my friend. Starbucks (yes, this a common theme in my blog), the pharmacy, banking, etc. Not because I don't WANT to get out of the car. It's that Nic is sleeping in the carseat and if he wakes up he may realize he is wet or hungry and start a screaming fit. It's the fact that the carseat and baby combined weight at least 20 pounds and my bicep strength, well, isn't quite up to that and I have that banging the seat into my knees, about to fall over walk. Those things should have wheels and a long handle like luggage. I guess that's what the stroller is. Anyway...

So the trip into the store will have to wait until those occasional Sundays when Ted watches Nic and I run around on my own. My wild and crazy life!

7 Weeks

Today Nic is 7 weeks! I think we are reaching a milestone as he is going 4 hours between feedings at night and he is eating 6 ounces at a time. Maybe this isn't exciting for everyone, but it is for me because it means I can get 3 whole hours of sleep at a time. Nic is eating all formula now as the boobies weren't working for him. The good news is, I can drink all the caffiene I want - hoo hoo Starbucks triple espresso here I come. I used to think it was silly for women to feel bad about not being able to nurse, but now I know. Luckily formula has come a long way and he is eating well.
I have also discovered one of my all time favorite baby products - the Bouncy Seat! This is a must have for all babies. Check out Nic to the right in his seat, sacked out without a care in the world. This seat goes into the exercise room so he can watch me workout; into the bathroom for shower time; on to the living room table for just about everything else. It's like a barcalounger for babies.

Go Colts! This onesie was actually meant for Nicolas, not the monkey as shown in another picture. Nick seems to really like football. I know you aren't supposed to put your baby in front of the TV for entertainment, but.... he really seems to like watching football. If we put him in his bouncy seat or on Ted during the game he watches with great enthusiasm. Maybe his father's hopes of him being a football star will come true. Ted, however wants him to play for the Steeler's ,whereas I would hope for the Colts.
Football star or otherwise, during our times together I tell him of how he is to grow up to be smart and rich and take care of his parents. Hopefully he won't do that in a bad way like a "girls gone wild" bad internet guy or seedy lawyer kind of way (:)), but in a good "Bill Gates" sort of way. I think about and ask him what he is going to be when he grows up. We hope for the best!

Bear Feet

A baby's feet are so incredibly cute. Those itty bitty toes, so soft and clean. It just makes you want to kiss them. To the right here is some really cute feet too. This is a little jumper given to him by a family friend. You can't help but smile when you see these little bear heads bouncing around as he kicks. Even at 2am when you have just changed the nastiest diaper you have ever seen and smelled, seeing these little bears kicking does your heart good.
Nick is up to 8 lbs 2.5 ounces and able to wear more of his newborn clothes. When he was born he was so tiny he swam in his little onsies. Dressing him has become more about convenience than cuteness however. How easy is it to put on and how long will it take to change him? I have not given up on dressing him in silly little outfits, even if for no other reason than to take pictures of him to tease him with later.

Male Bonding

The bond between mother and child is undeniable. Afterall, we carry these little people inside us for 9 months; we feel their first moves; we have our lives controlled by them to a great extent. So when its time for father and son to bond, how better than over football and napping on the couch. Here is what Ted and Nicolas did over the long holiday weekend. Nicolas sleeps so well when laid out on daddy's chest. It appears neither of them caught much of the game.