Kaleb's First day at DayCare...

This morning I took Kaleb to his first day at Daycare. He naturally screamed the entire drive there (and back) as I predicted. We got there, and he was calm, I unloaded everything into his cubby, handed him to a staff worker, and was saying goodbye to him, and he gave me 2 HUGE grins, right there for everyone to see, and not something he normally does in the company of others... WOW! Then, I turned to go, and he started crying.

I had to keep on going, as I was running late to my first day back at work. I got in the car, and tears started streaming down my face, just about the entire drive to work. I hadn't really thought about going back to work, my focus was all about Kaleb in daycare and me being away from him. But, it was fun to have hugs and welcome backs from my colleagues. I only had to wade through 500+ emails and work flow changes and updates. I purposely held off calling to find out how he was until Lunch.

Lunch call they told me that he had taken 2 (short) power naps, was doing just fine, and had been adorable. He was currently swaddled in a swing watching everyone (instead of sleeping of course). He was noted to have required lots of bouncing, but that he hadn't screamed or been difficult at all! Whose baby were they watching?!!?! Not mine!!! When I went to pick him up (YIPPEE!) they reported that he had been fabulous. He was content, smiling at me, and reports were that he had been good like that all day! What happened to my baby?! Miss Cindy reported that when I had originally asked her about being called to pick him up if he were fussy, that she prepared herself last night for a day full of screaming today. Fluke perhaps, but he didn't do it today. I'm sure after the novelty of it wears off, they will see his true colors though. Thankfully, their first taste of him is of an adorable, cute, smiley, and lovable darling baby boy! :P

And I was lucky enough to enjoy his screaming on the way home, and then cute time, lots of smiley, a cat nap while I walked him in the stroller, and a pleasant evening with him... I'm amazed. I have to say I'm pretty blessed to have had such a great first day. Tomorrow could be the exact opposite, or those days will come, but for today, I am happy that it went well...

And I guess I'm officially a working mom now...

Sweet sleep...

There is just something sweet about a sleeping baby, and it gets even sweeter when you add in the sleeping daddy with the sleeping baby... Hopefully I won't get shot for sneaking a picture without their knowledge. :P Kaleb is just like his daddy in so many ways... :P

An invention is needed desparately!

There are different kinds of fussing, crying, and screaming. Kaleb does a lot of it all, and it seems the hardest to bear is the screaming that always occurs when I drive, or when I take a shower. I've become a recluse, a shut in, dreading driving anywhere due to the horrific screaming, and on some days, when I just can't take it, a stinky recluse due to not showering. :)

This could all be solved by an invention. (Not the fussing/crying/screaming in general, but the fussing/screaming during the driving and showering). What I'd like invented is something to make that darn pacifier stay in his mouth! Whether it is magnetized to his tongue, taped to his mouth, a robotic hand that cradles it and holds it in when he moves around.... SOMETHING that holds that dreadful pacifier in.

Kaleb LOVES that pacifier, and it usually calms him down, he sucks on it when he sleeps and half the time he is awake. The only problem is, he won't hold it in his mouth. You have to pretty much hold it in there for him, and if you don't, it falls out, and he is upset it isn't in his mouth, not realizing he is the one that let it go! So, when you drive, it is impossible to hold that pacifier in. So, it automatically falls out instantly, and he screams. If you pull over to the side of the road to put it back in, it falls out instantly again, so it's only good for a few seconds of peace, which is still worth it many times. And, for some reason, whether he is awake and happy, or asleep, once I hop into that shower, wailing screams begin, as he wants that pacifier. You put it back in, he shuts up, you walk away to dry off, or brush teeth, or get dressed, or do ANYTHING, and it falls out, and screaming begins again. So, he needs a full time pacifier plugger inner. that never needs to use the bathroom, or sleep, or shower, or eat, or drive anywhere. :)

So, can someone out there please invent this for me? Pretty please?

Happy St. Patties Day!

I bought a cute T-shirt for Kaleb that says "Mommy's Pot O' Gold" on it with the picture in honor of today. This first pic is him post and pre screaming episodes. Unfortunately, he's been too fussy and screaming to even try to get any good pics of him today, so here is one from yesterday as well, so at least there is something cute to look at amongst all my jabberings on...

I was supposed to be at work today, my first day back. Of course I was excited and sad, torn as I want to get back into routine, get back into using my brain professionally, socialize, and start to feel normal again, yet at the same time, not wanting my darling Kaleb to be with just anyone and away from me all day, and worried that his fussiness would be too difficult for anyone else to deal with and he wouldn't get any love. Normal worries of going back to work and putting kids in daycare I suppose.

But, I wasn't able to go to work today. Why? Well, we had a nanny set up to take care of Kaleb, and last night around 6pm was informed that she wasn't going to be able to nanny for us after all. So, I had to get a hold of work and let them know that I was NOT going to be returning to work today, meanwhile, scrambling for daycare for the next 2 weeks, as we are enrolling him in an institutionalized day care March 31st (possibly the 23rd due to how things are falling into place).

And, I laugh, as here I am trying to get back to work, and I am still not healed up from birth, still not able to exercise, still not into a routine due to colicky baby who doesn't sleep well so no set schedule, and I'm going back to work already. I guess something needs to feel normal again? :)

I've tried and tried!

The other day, Kaleb had a happy spell (boy do I miss it already!, he's been screaming pretty much non-stop since 8am today). And, as a dutiful mother, I tried to capture his beautiful and endearing smiles! But, here is what I got, despite all the smiles INBETWEEN...
Yes, he smiles with the pacifier in. :P

And he had just smiled, believe me!

The tail end or beginning of one, can't remember...

Yup, another pic that looks the same!

" Ha ha, you didn't catch me again," he says!

THe tail end of course...

Ok, fine, I'll give ya something, but I'll cover up my face, HA HA HA!

ANd another try...

And another...

And yet another...

Can you believe how many smiles I was getting? :) just not on camera...

Another HA HA You can't see my smile!

Yeah, I'm going to make you work!

Keep tryin' mom!

HE HE HE

Yeah, I TRIED. Better luck next time I suppose?

2 month checkup

Today was Kaleb's 2 month apt. Unfortunately, he has picked up some of what I had/have and what Larry caught this weekend. I've found mucus on his pacifier, and all over his face, and the poor little dear has been sweating through his lightweight sleepers, (despite our ac/heat unit being broken and freezing in the house), and is coughing and sneezing up a storm. It breaks my heart to see a little one be sick, and know that I am the one of all people that infected him! I HATE the thought of him being as miserable as I have been! It is heart breaking!

But, other than Kaleb being sick, he is a surprising little bugger. He LOOKs like he weighs a ton, and I could have sworn he would be over 16 lbs at his checkup. The nurse who weighed him thought so too, so when he sat on the scale at a mere 13 1/2 lbs, we couldn't believe it. we wondered if the scale was busted. the doc walked by and also said he didn't LOOK to weigh as little as he was weighing. Though, he is still very good in his weight, no worries there, but he looks more than he weighs apparently. :) He is also a bit on the short side still, but according to the doc, he may end up being a line backer for the NFL (yeah, Larry will love that!)

He's also eating way more than the average/typical, which I already knew, and the doc was indicating I should not feed him as much as I am, but I told him how aggressive Kaleb is when it comes to food, and the doc said to keep up the good work, as it is.... But his sleep issues, according to the doctor, are probably due to the reflux, and not necessarily the colic and poor sleeping habits. So, we are trying a new medication, as what he has been on has done absolutely nothing. We're going to be hopeful this stuff helps, and he can sleep better too!

As for me, I go back to work next week. Crazy! And, even though it's been 9 weeks tomorrow, I'm still bleeding, still have yeast infections, a flu/cold thing trying to mend, now a broken toe, and hopefully will find out tomorrow after another sonogram if anything else is still going on... I'm in GREAT shape. LOL. Still not allowed to exercise, and for the last 3 weeks, haven't even had the energy for light mall walking, that's how bad I am. But, I do have a BEAUTIFUL baby boy to show for it, one who talks to me, smiles at me, (even though he does scream and do some other things...). And, it's time to go change his diaper AGAIN... :P

I miss him already!

And it's only been 1 minute (or less even).

Larry just drove off with my little man... plans to be gone until about 10pm tonight. That's 9 hrs without my baby!!! You'd think I'd be ecstatic, and would spend the day cleaning house, running errands, getting professional stuff together (I have tons of CEUs to take in the next few months to renew 3 licenses), and doing everything I possibly can that I can't do while holding a crying baby.

Instead, I'll probably do some emails, and crawl into bed. (we'll see, knowing me). Larry made me promise not to go grocery shopping or run errands, as it may make me worse. I caught a cold on Sunday, which has progressively gotten worse with the flu added in. And the whole while, taking care of little fussy Kaleb, fearing that he is going to catch what I have. That is my biggest fear actually, that my poor little helpless darling will feel as miserable as I do... and I won't be able to make it any better for him!

Larry took today off work so he could go visit family who is still in town before they fly out, and decided it would be wise to take our little guy with him to go play with his family, so I could try and rest and recover from this illness. I initially thought it would be great to have a few hours of uninterrupted sleep, not having to listen for crying or screaming. But now that he's been gone about 3 minutes now... I am already worried! I guess being a first time mom, with the first time being away from my little guy for an extended period of time is always tough. I guess it will break me in for when I go back to work next week. I decided to go back early just to get a break from colic and screaming, but now I'm already wondering how hard it will be to leave him for 9 hrs a day! Sheesh...

Unfortunately, I'm not in the best of shape. Not only with the really bad cold/flu deal, anemia, yeast infections, but after 8 weeks, I'm still bleeding pretty heavy and have to go in for a sonogram to see what is going on. No wonder I have no energy and haven't been able to go walking for the past few weeks! Typically, after 6 weeks you get the flag to start exercising and doing what you did pre-pregnancy. Not me. Of course...

But, now I have to face the fact my little darling angel is gone, I won't know if he's screaming or sleeping or smiling (though I can guess he'll be doing a lot of crying) for the next 9 hrs or so. I'm praying it will be a good experience for both him, and his dad. Man o man am I praying for that!

FIRST sleep in crib!

Sleep has been such a battle with Kaleb. First, I just thought he was like me and never slept. Then I started realizing that he just didn't know how to go to sleep, so we have tried various things to get him to sleep. We've found that he would only sleep in a swing, and even that hasn't been working lately. He's still being fussy, though we have moments of happy time. But his fussiness is definitely in relation to how much sleep he has or hasn't had. Today, for the first time in his entire life span of 7 weeks (and several days) he slept in his crib... Albeit for only a few minutes! And with the help of a swaddle, and snuggle nest, and bumpers. He woke up after about 1/2 hr crying, but went back to sleep for a few minutes, cried, and now we're waiting with anxious breath on how long it will last... cross your fingers! and toes! and anything else you can...!!!!!

the men in my life...

Our handsome baby...

We blessed our baby (something we do in our church) on Sunday, March 1st. Larry's family flew in from Minnesota, and drove from West Virginia, Frederick, and my family from Annapolis, so we had a house full of lots of cousins and aunts/uncles/grandparents. It was amazing to see how Kaleb loved the children, his cousins instantly, and they him... Precious pictures... I'm waiting for 2 people to email me the pictures they took, but these were taken by grandma hall...

The Halls...

The little wahlquist family...

According to Ginny, he is his mother's child with the tongue sticking out...

Everyone says baby's love the car. Kaleb HATES the car and typically screams bloody murder while driving, unless the pacifier is in his mouth (which doesn't stay unless you are there holding it in...)

But, thankfully, he slept on the way to church to be blessed.... Our little sleeping angel...

And isn't he just the cutest little guy????