All's Well That Ends Well

My first day of work actually started yesterday afternoon. I have 2 different nannies that are watching Ainsley while I work. MaryBeth is a young mom of an 18 month old and Ann is a grandmother. Monday is a MaryBeth day. I was getting ready for small group last night when the phone rang. It was MaryBeth. She told Ryan that another child in the nursery at church that morning had come down with Hand Foot and Mouth disease. Her son Robbie was exposed. She didn't know if he had it yet but wanted to let us know. We quickly googled it before small group to realize that it is highly contagious and really nasty. Ainsley wasn't going to go over there. Time for Plan B.

I knew that we would need a Plan B at some point so I had arranged a few different options. 1. Ryan's mom who lives 2 miles away. 2. Ann 3. My friend Leah. So I started at the top. Ryan's mom was in Boone visiting my sister-in-law. Ann had to bring someone to get an MRI this morning. Leah's mom was in from out of town. That was it. My list was exhausted. Just as I was getting ready to call Ryan's mom to come home, I realized that Ryan's Dad's girlfriend, Deb, might be an option. I went out on a limb and called. Graciously, Deb agreed to help me out.

So at 7:20 this morning, Deb arrived at my house. Ainsley was awake and happy. She gave me quite a few smiles and I walked away. I cried the whole way to work. I teared up quite a few times this morning as people would ask me how I was. I called to check on her at 10 and she was screaming. She had woken up mid-nap. Deb quickly got her calmed down while I was on the phone. I called again at 12 and she was up and happy.

By the end of the day, I was helping a co-worker solve a problem with a website user. It felt good to be back.

I got home at 2:20 and Ainsley had just been put down for a nap. I went in to check on her and she wasn't quite asleep yet. She looked up at me with those beautiful eyes and gave me a big smile.

The day got off to a rough start but it sure ended well.

Back to Work

I am going to work tomorrow. I can't believe that 12 weeks flew by so fast. In honor of the day, I have decided to create 2 top five lists. One for reasons I am glad to be going back to work and one for reasons I am sad.

Reasons I am Glad to Go to Work Tomorrow
1. I love my job. I love the people I work with and I love what I do.
2. I have 2 wonderful people to watch Ainsley so I don't have to worry about her.
3. I love math and puzzles and my job is full of both of those things.
4. I was starting to get bored at home and if I was home much longer I would really have needed to start to deep clean (which I hate).
5. It gives me a reason to work on losing weight so I can fit into my clothes again

Reasons I am Sad to Go to Work Tomorrow
1. Ainsley
2. Ainsley
3. Ainsley
4. Ainsley
5. Ainsley

Off I go tomorrow morning. I will let you know in the afternoon how it goes.

It's Scary

Ryan's mom gave me a couple pictures of him as a baby. Take a look. Its kind of scary. Ryan calls her his Mini Me. Can you see it?

Last Day

Today is my last official day of maternity leave. It's been an amazing time for me. I have enjoyed every minute of it, from the first smiles to the screaming fits. I have enjoyed holding my baby and watching her play on the floor.

I also love my job. I am ready to go back. I spent yesterday installing a light in my kitchen, painting the kitchen ceiling around the new light, updating the look of my blog, posting to my blog, going out to lunch with a great friend, and of course hanging out with Ainsley. My point is, I was bored.

I am not bored with Ainsley. I am bored with her two 3 hour naps a day. Yep, my girl knows how to sleep. I am ready to stimulate my mind again.

In honor of our last full day together (besides weekends), we are not leaving the house. We are staying in our pjs all day (actually, I showered and put yoga pants on - no need to be icky). Its pouring rain outside and we are inside just enjoying each other.

New Pictures

Just a quick post with some oh so cute pictures. She was hot that day...thus the lack of clothes.

Laughing at Tucker...There is hope for the puppies


Having fun with Daddy



Enjoying the new bouncy seat

New Look

I've changed my look on the blog. I wanted something purple since its my new favorite color. Do you like it?

Ode to My Pregnancy Hair

Oh Pregnancy Hair
You were so thick
You were so beautiful
You curled so well

And Now...
You are in my drain
You are on my shower wall
You are in my brush
You are on my bathroom floor
You are on my kitchen floor
You are on my bedroom floor
You are in Ainsley's bed
You are in Ainsley's diaper
You are on the burp cloths
You are in my underwear
You are in my bra
You are stuck to my legs
You are in my breakfast
You are in my lunch
You are in my dinner
You are in my butter
You are in my wine
You are in my car
You are on my pillow
You are on Ryan's pillow
You are in my mouth
You are in Ryan's mouth
You are in Ainsley's mouth
You are on my phone
You are on my keyboard
You are on my couch
You are on my chair
You are everywhere
But on my head

Until next time
I will miss you

Cleaning of My Bonus Room

In our house, we have a 600 square foot bonus room. Up until now, its been a collecting bin for all the stuff we don't know what to do with. Renewed Health (our home business of 10 years, www.renewedhealth.com) has taken over much of it. There are always boxes and shipping supplies everywhere. The computer desk is always full of papers of recent orders and bills. Frankly, it was a room of clutter. The room also has a bar in it which I always thought would be a great place to scrapbook. Right now my scrapbook stuff is all across my dining room table.

I always thought it would be a great play room for some future child. Now that child has a name and a face. She needs somewhere to play.

My goal for maternity leave (the last 2 weeks of it at least) has been to clean this room and make it safe for children and fun for me to scrapbook in. I have accomplished this goal with the exception of one cabinet in the bar (today's challenge). The crap is gone and it is now safe for Ainsley. For my birthday, I hope Ryan gets me some bar stools (hint hint) so that I can transfer my scrapbook stuff there to work on while Ainsley plays.

Here is the end result

And here is the bar where I will store all my scrapbook stuff

What do you think?

No More Gifts

When you get ready to have a baby or a wedding, people give you tons of gifts. You get married or have the baby...more gifts. While this seems like a great thing, I am done with it. I had 2 baby showers and since I have had Ainsley I have received way to many gifts. My mother in law told me of another gift that someone had for me. I cringed.

Don't get me wrong, I love presents. I love that people have been so kind to think of us. My problem is the thank you notes. I am up to my eyeballs in them. I have tried to avoid them but there they are staring at me. I hate them.

So here I am, blogging instead of writing them.

Oh How I Love TV

I have to admit, I am a complete TV junkie. I love all kinds of TV from comedies, to dramas, to reality shows, to daytime talk shows. I have tried very hard during my maternity leave to not spend every moment in front of the TV. It has indeed been a challenge. I have found reruns of some of my old favorites and have even found old sitcoms that I never watched before.

Being that I am the TV junkie, fall is one of my favorite times of year. I love the new TV season. After a summer of Big Brother (a guilty pleasure), I am always ready for new scripted television. Unfortunately, I don't see many new shows that I have to catch.

My TIVO and VCR (yes I have to use both because of scheduling conflicts) will be busy this season. I refuse to watch anything live so I can watch more tv in less time. So here is what I am watching this year.

Monday - Terminator - Sarah Connor Chronicles, How I Met Your Mother, Heroes, America's Toughest Jobs (a new reality show that has me hooked. Don't judge me)

Tuesday - Biggest Loser - Families

Wednesday - Private Practice

Thursday - Survivor: Gabon, Grey's Anatomy, The Office

Saturday - Knight Rider (I'm going to give it a try for Ryan)

What am I missing? What are your favorites?

Update

We went to the doctor today and Ainsley had her test. She was a trooper (as good as a 10 week old can be). They ended up having to catheterize her 3 times. She peed out the first one. The second one wasn't quite right. The third one was just right. She cried through most of the procedure. She was extremely tired to begin with since she didn't nap well this morning. We finished up there and headed to the doctor's office.

At the doctor, we met our uroligist. He informed us that she does have the reflux on the left side. On a scale of 1 to 5 (5 being the worst) she has a 2. She has an 80% chance of growing out of it by the time she turns 5. The treatment as of right now is low grade antibiotics everyday to prevent any infections. A single infection can cause 20% kidney damage so we want to avoid that.

So after feeling much guilt and pity, I am moving on. This is part of our lives now (as I always assumed it would be). We will test it yearly and continue to trust in the Great Physician for healing.

Tomorrow is a Big Day

My family has a history of urinary reflux. My 2 sisters and I all had it as kids. Out of 5 of my nieces and nephews that have been tested so far, 4 of them have it. As of right now, most of them have grown out of it. My sisters both had surgery for it when they were little. I finally outgrew mine when I was in 3rd grade.

Tomorrow, Ryan and I are taking Ainsley to be tested. I am quite nervous for this. First and foremost, I don't want her to have this genetic disorder. Secondly, I don't want to put my child through this horrible test. I have such feelings of guilt that I could have passed this disorder on to her. I know that there is nothing you can do to determine what genes are passed and what aren't but its still rough on the mommy in me. Its also going to be tough for me as it will bring back many memories I have of being tested yearly until the 3rd grade.

So pray for us tomorrow. Pray that she doesn't have it. Pray for Ainsley to do well in the physical part of the test. Pray for my emotions. Pray for us to make wise decisions if she does have it.

Thanks and I will keep you posted.

I Have Lost Myself

I was thinking through what I could post today. I wanted to write about something besides Ainsley. I started thinking through what is going on in my life. I thought and I thought. All of it revolves around Ainsley. I have lost myself. What do I like to do? What do I do? What happened to me?

This is the part of me that is excited to go back to work. I have less than 2 weeks to go and I am actually starting to look forward to it. I am looking forward to engaging my brain in things besides baby schedules, 3:00am feedings, cleaning, cooking, etc. I am really excited about using that strong math oriented part of my brain.

So for now, I am going to go back to my world as I know it for the next 1.5 weeks where I don't exist as anything but Ainsley's mom. It will change too soon.

How Cute Is This?

My Poor Puppies

Our dogs used to be the focus of so much attention. We would hold them and play with them all the time. We would take them on walks in the woods. They were so happy. Life was good.

July 6, 2008 their life changed. Ainsley was born and they have moved down a notch. Ryan tries very hard to pay attention to them. I find myself forgetting that they are even here during the day. I actually have a bet with a friend from work that we would get rid of them after 6 months. I still don't think that is going to happen but I definitely think they have been ignored more.

I still love you Tucker and Libby!

But

My day ended with this...

Why I Don't Like Church Right Now

Ainsley is now 10 weeks old and I have decided that I don't like church with her at this age. I can't wait until she can go into the nursery. Ryan and I have decided to keep her out of the nursery until her immune system gets alittle stronger. Every time we go in there, there is a kid with a snotty nose running around touching everything.

The past few times we have been to church I have used our Moby wrap to strap her to me. She usually falls asleep and I get to hear at least a bit of the sermon. The problem is, its so hot to have her strapped to you for over an hour. Last time I used it for church, she totally pooped on me too.

So today we headed off to church. I dressed Ainsley in a cute white and yellow outfit with Mary Jane shoes. On the way there, we were sent on a traffic detour that brought us to no where. We had to back track and go another way. We were late which always makes me mad. By the time we got to church, the shoes wouldn't stay on so I left them in the car. So much for that. We went right to the cry room so that I could feed her and hopefully rock her to sleep. Worship was already over because we were late. I sat down to feed her and I noticed the sound wasn't on in the cry room. I got Ryan to come in there so I could send him up to the sound booth to fix it. Apparently they couldn't figure it out. So much for sound. So now I can see people standing at the front of the church talking but can't hear what they are saying. I finished feeding her and rocked her for a bit. She was quiet but awake so I tried to go out and sit next to Ryan. It lasted about 2 minutes. Back to the cry room. More rocking. Back to quiet. Back next to Ryan. She started fussing. Back to the cry room. More rocking. Back to quiet. Back next to Ryan. She started fussing. We did this a couple times and I finally gave up. I went to the nursery changed her diaper. Rocked her a bit. As I got up to leave and try again, the closing hymn started.

I left church in tears.

Buried in Baby Clothes

I spent the day the other day organizing baby clothes. My sisters, Jill and Wendy, have sent me all of their hand me downs. My sister Jill has a daughter, Riley - aged 2 1/2, and my sister Wendy has 2 girls, Paige - aged 3 1/2 and Ali - aged 1. They have boys too but are just sending me girl clothes! So every couple months I get a box from Wendy of clothes for Ainsley. In the boxes are the cutest clothes I have ever seen. Both my sisters have great taste.

So this is what my family room looked like the other day. And this only goes up to 6-9 months. I have 2 more boxes of 6-9 months as well.

I got to use my label maker too :)

And here is just one of the outfits from the box. Isn't she cute? Check out her shoes!

I Almost Forgot

I was all ready to start a new blog entry when my eye went to my friend Nan's blog entry for the day. It was a tribute to those who were involved in and lost their lives on 9/11/01. I can't believe I almost forgot. I have to admit that since I have been home, I have lost track of what day it is. This is no excuse though.

With that, let us all remember today for what it is. A day to celebrate life and to remember those who have lost theirs. I pray that I will never forget.

We were doing so well

Ainsley has been a very good sleeper. About 3 weeks ago, she started sleeping through the night at 6 weeks old. She did it for about a week. Then we went on vacation. She was completely thrown off due to the travel. She didn't sleep during the plane trips. We got there and she was back to getting up once a night. Now we are home and I was hoping she would slip right back into her schedule. Apparently I was wrong. For the first few nights since we have been back, she has continued with the up once a night thing. Not last night though. She was up twice last night. She hasn't done that since she was 2 weeks old. What's happening? I have less than 3 weeks until I go back to work and I was really hoping she would be sleeping through the night by then. I guess alot can still change in 3 weeks.

A Broken Tailbone

Ainsley is now 2 months old and my labor seems so long ago yet I have on lingering issue...a broken tailbone. My labor was quite the adventure...32 hours of back labor. At first I didn't even notice this pain in the butt. I was so tired and swollen that all pain just seemed to blend together. As the weeks have past and my body has recovered, I have noticed this pain in my butt that just won't go away. When I sit down it hurts, when I stand up it hurts, when I go from sitting to standing it hurts. It pretty much hurts all the time. On top of that, I am incredibly clumsy. I was hiking with Ryan on vacation and I fell directly on my tailbone and made the injury worse. There is nothing you can do for a broken tailbone but just let it heal with time (and try not to re-injure myself). I have been told that it can take up to 6 months to heal. So here I try to sit and wait it out. Wish me luck.

Blessings and Curses of Hurricane Hanna

We were supposed to fly back from NY to NC on Saturday but got delayed by a day due to Hurricane Hanna. Our flight was cancelled out of Albany. Our new flight was scheduled for Sunday. I have to say there are positives and negatives to everything. This was no different.

As for the curses, our new flight was set for 8:40am. That doesn't sound so bad until you realize that my parents house is almost 2 hours from the airport. We had to get up at 4:45 to have enough time to shower, eat, and feed Ainsley. After an uneventful car ride, we were at the airport. I am not sure if this is what happens to everyone, but Ainsley did not sleep at all on the flights. She didn't scream thankfully, but was so over tired when we got back. By 4:00 in the afternoon, I finally got her to settle down and take a nap. Unfortunately, we had a meeting we had to go to at church at 6. We woke her up from her much needed nap and headed to church. She made it about 5 minutes in before she went into complete meltdown. We were in the cry room but she could still be heard from the other side of the sanctuary. Poor sad baby. We finally got her home and into bed around 8. Thank goodness for a nice comfy crib for her to be in.

As for blessings, we got to have an extra day at the lake. Even though it was raining, it was totally worth it. The best part was that we got to spend it with my Aunt Nancy. Aunt Nancy is one of those people in life that just brings big smiles to your face. She shows up at random times and is always there when you need her. She has always been known to me at Aunt Nancy despite no blood relation. She has been more of an aunt to me than any of my real aunts. She has been puked on by me more times in life than I would like to remember and yet she loves me anyway. She surprised us with a visit from NJ on Friday night. She was only going to stay until mid morning on Saturday since we were leaving too. It was supposed to be a quick visit so that she could meet Ainsley. Well, with the change of plans, she stayed through Sunday and drove us to the airport. So we got to enjoy a day filled with rainy craft shows, drives through the mountains, a rousing game of Hand and Foot, and great company.


So even though we had some trouble with the reschedule, I am so thankful for it. And now all I can say is "Home Again Home Again Giggadee Gig"

A Wonderful Week of Vacation

Even though I am on maternity leave, vacation is still vacation. Like most years, we have decided to spend our vacation in the Adirondacks at my parents house. They live on a lake so there is plenty to do.

This year we have had quite a different vacation experience, we now have a baby. Ainsley has made a big difference in our vacationing style. In past years, we would take day trips and long hikes. We would never have a plan. Now, we are tied more to the house due to nap times. She is only 2 months old so is sleeping quite a bit still. She usually takes 2 three hour naps a day so we have had to spend more time hanging out on the beach while she sleeps.

Here are a few highlights:

Overnight with the Morgans in Ballston Spa





Trips on the Party Boat






Hiking at Fawn Lake and Panther Mountain





Meeting new friends like Hannah




Talks with Nana


Perfecting a smile

A New Beginning

I have been following my sister's blog for some time. I enjoy reading it so much that I have decided to start my own. I am hoping to share some of the happenings in my life. Being that I am a tech geek, I can't believe that I haven't started a blog before. Up until this point, I have felt like I don't have much to talk about. Now that Ainsley has arrived, my discussion points have increased dramatically, not that I want to talk about Ainsley alone. I am also only going back to work on a part time schedule so I am hoping to have a bit of time in the afternoons as Ainsley naps.

So we are off and running.

Enjoy the Blog!