Back to Work

I officially went back to work on Wed, Sep 5. It's been a whirlwind since then. I'm doing my best to ease back in, but in my work environment that's nearly impossible, so I'm diving in head first to the best of my abilities. It's a bit overwhelming and daunting right now, but hopefully I'll get my head in the game soon. In some ways I'm happy to have my mind stimulated again and to have my own schedule during the day, but I do find myself missing Keira and wondering what she's up to. It's also been a big change trying to figure out how to balance work, Keira, and life in general. I know other moms do it all the time so I'm sure I'll find my way too.

Mark is staying home with Keira for the month of Sep. I think he's doing a great job and is learning to "read" her better every day. He is basically "Mr. Mom" until she goes to daycare on Oct 1. Mark had sufficient vacation time to take from work and we figured it was a better solution than to scramble and try to find care coverage for just a month.

I now have a new found appreciation for both stay-at-home moms and moms that go to work outside of the home. Either choice comes with very big challenges. I hate to say it fellas, but the things women are able to do and juggle are just amazing!

The Great Minnesota Get Together

We have had some great weather the past couple of days. Check out the photo I took of the clear, blue skies today. Keira and I enjoyed the afternoon on the deck. So wonderful! It's amazing how uplifting sunshine can be.I enjoyed the MN State Fair this past Tuesday w/my friends, Kelly and Heather. I look forward to going with them every year. It's my pass to eat as much bad food as I can. This year I stuck to my favorites - ice cream, pronto pup, roasted corn, cheese curds, french fries, cinnamon roasted almonds, and tom thumb mini donuts. Mmmmm. I went without the fudge puppy and turkey leg b/c of time constraints, but who knows, maybe I'll venture out there again...It's so funny how people are drawn together by food (at least in the midwest) - my kind of people! All the food I had was great, but Kel got Falafel on a stick and wasn't too impressed. Enough about the food though or I'll start salivating...It was a great day and our timing couldn't have been better. The rain started as we were walking to the car to head home.

Keira is always changing with each passing day. She's become a drool monster so I've gotten a lot of use out of the bibs we received. I never thought we'd have use for so many bibs, but I was wrong! We go through them like nothing else. They're the only defense in keeping her clothes dry. She's also become quite the TV junkie, much like her father - ha ha! She'll look around and thrust out of my arms sometimes to look at the tube. I've definitely learned to turn off the TV when she's around (for the most part). Admittedly, it's a nice distraction sometimes for the quick trip to the bathroom or when I need to wash the dishes. She has also discovered her hands and loves sucking on her fingers. I read we shouldn't let her develop this habit, but at this point, it makes her happy, so I guess we'll deal with the consequences later. Check out this photo. We finally sat down to dinner as a family. She was so well behaved in her Bumbo with her friend, Mr. Giraffe.

Friends and Babies

Here's a photo of my friends from high school and our babies. I can't believe we're parents! It seems like yesterday we were talking about dances, homework, driver's licenses, etc. Now we're talking about sleep deprivation, our baby's sleep habits, work...Times have really changed and distance and our busy lives have physically separated us, but it's nice to know we can always pick up from where we left off.

From left to right: Me, Keira, Jill, Cameron, Meredith, and Sam.

I'm off to the Fair tomorrow to pig out. It's supposed to rain, but unless it's thundering and lightning, nothing is going to stop me from getting my grub on!