Made it through day one...of many

Uh, I am not so sure about daycare.

Ok, fine. I will go!

Despite the busy morning, the day turned out fine. Her "Cuddy Gram" said that she drank all 3 bottles left for her. Her teacher even said that she could stand to drink a little more. We came home and played for a bit. Took some pictures with the fabulous pumpkins that we got over the weekend. Took a bath. And fell asleep chatting with Mom, Dad, Kari, Chloe and Courtney. Yes, we were all video chatting at the same time! She has been passed out since 8pm and it's now almost 10pm. Daycare must have wore her out!

Thanks for all your emails, messages and calls of support. It was a happier day knowing that you all were thinking about me, Mat and Millie!

Stop with the waterworks

Okay, I have been crying for 2 days now. I went to work today so the tears have to stop now.

This morning was hard of course. We got there pretty quickly and had time to drop her off but couldn't find any of the teachers. When we finally tracked them down, we only had time for a quick handover. Millie started screaming as soon as we put her into the ladies arms. My heart melted.

The daycare director emailed me at 11am saying "Hey, Millie is doing great. She is asleep now. She is still getting used to sleeping through noise. Tracy"

That was nice of her to email me. Hopefully Mat can pop by today but he is a busy guy.

Daycare Blues

Rough day today. How am I going to do this? I know the first day of daycare is going to be hard but good lord I can't stop crying and it was just a trial run! BTW, I totally didn't think I would be this way.

We went on a trial run today. I got up and dressed and ready. I pumped while Millie was still sleeping. She has been waking at 7am to feed and then back to sleep. So I woke her when we were ready to go. We pack up and headed for the daycare. I knew then my timing was off. I should have feed her again before we left. She was going to be hungry as soon as I got there (also the time I was supposed to be at work). I need to plan that better but I am not sure how I am gonna do it.
I guess wake her up and feed her at 8:30
leave house by 8:50
drop her off by 9:15
be at work by 9:30

I stuck around for awhile to kinda get a feel for the room and the teacher. While I was there the director came in and showed me where to put everything. She labeled all my stuff. She cleaned out the fridge while I was there and I thought that was gross but whatever. At least she cleaned it out. After she left I fed Millie and kinda just hung out to watch things.

The teacher, who is apparently a sub, is leaving in a couple weeks. She took a job with the "state". Not sure what they are going to do about a new teacher but I might call the director later to find out. They say that everyone has a bachelors but I am pretty sure that the lady in there today does not have a degree. Anyway, she was down on the floor playing with the two babies that were in there. One was really sick and coughing all over everything. Here eyes were all red and she was coughing up a lung. I watch the little girl stick all these toys in her mouth and cough all over everything. I seriously almost lost it right there and started crying! But I held it in.

She then informs me that the other little girl likes to bite, pull hair and pinch. In my head, I was like WHAT?! Please don't let that girl get close to Millie!

They wanted me to write her schedule down. I haven't a clue. She eats every 2.5 hours based on the time she gets up. She sleeps one hour after she feeds. I felt really stupid cause they wanted times and I didn't know. Kari has been telling me to write it down for weeks.

Anyway, we left after awhile and cried all the way home.

It's a combination of things. I have been trying to give her a bottle a day and she doesn't want it. Will she take a bottle from this lady? How long is this lady going to stay? Do they seriously actually clean all the toys? Is she going to be read to? Are they going to take as good of care of her as I do?

I think this gets better over time? At least that's what they tell me.
I don't want to think or talk about it anymore.

Pumpkin Patch and Hike

We had a great Sunday. Mat didn't have to work and we took advantahge of that. Despite the gas shortage, we took a road trip. I head waitied in line for gas on Saturday so the Pilot was pretty full. We packed up Millie and Siler went up to Burt's Farm.

"Come experience the fall season at Burt’s farm in the secluded North Georgia Mountains where the only thing more beautiful than the fall foliage is the sea of orange created by thousands of Burt’s pumpkins. At Burt’s farm we have pumpkins that range from an eye popping 150 lbs. to a modest 1 lb. We grow thousands of pumpkins, so the selection is vast and the quantity is never ending. One of the most fascinating features of Burt’s farm is the impressive selection of every type of pumpkin, winter squash, gourds and fall decoration. Indian corn, cornstalks and hay bales are also in never ending supply at the farm. We also offer hayrides and fieldtrips pulled by our John Deere tractors that take you through a winding trail filled with nature and beauty. Don't forget to check the "barn" store for Burts fresh baked pumpkin pie and pumpkin roll, candied popcorn and a whole assortmen of other goodies, also shop for Burt's farm wear and other fall decorations."

After picking out the best pumpkins, we geared up for the hayride. Millie slept through her first hayride.

Finally we loaded up all of our pumpkin purchases and headed to Amicalola Falls State Park. We hike up to the middle of the falls and decided not to go the 425 ore steps to the top. We went around the West Ridge path and back down. We went up to the top of the Falls (in our car) to go to the Lodge for dinner. It was a great day.

To see more pictures from the day, click here!

We finished up the day by waiting in line again for another 30 mins for when we got back into town. Millie didn't seem to mind. All and all it was a great Sunday. Welcome Fall!!

update

Millie is on a pretty good schedule over these last weeks.
Wake
Feed
Play
About 1 hour after she first starting feeding, she cries and wants to take a nap. It's like clockwork which makes it "easy" for me to find out why she is crying.

This week we moved her cradle from the living room to her bedroom. She seems to like it in there. Sometimes I will peek in there and she is just laying in her cradle, swaddled, just looking around.

Millie is also doing really great at going to bed. I am trying not to rock her to sleep because that will be hard to do in a crib. Sometime it works. Sometimes it doesn't. If all else fails: SWING!

We are having some problems with her taking a bottle. I hope this gets cleared up next week when daycare begins. Otherwise, we might have problems. When she was first born, we were giving her a bottle every night. But then we kind of slacked. It was much easier to just nurse her. Plus Mat was doing the overnight bottle. Then he had to go back to work. So it was just easier to nurse. Well, we might have screwed up there. Hopefully the change of scenery will convince her that a bottle isn't so bad!

We didn't go to Sidebar today for the Gator game. And that was probably best. Or we might have been the Gators good luck charm. Mat is very depressed now after the Gator loss.

2 month check up

Millie did excellent at her doctors appointment. She got a clean bill of health and several sticks of vaccinations. She screamed like crazy but that's okay. I am sure it hurt!

Mat came with me and was a trooper. She pretty much slept all day long. So much so that I called about 3 of my mommy friends to make sure I shouldn't wake her. But I guess with the tyenol and the shots, she was puckered out. I hopefuly back on schedule by Friday. I have been trying to give her a bottle of pumped milk every day so she gets used to that. Daycare will be giving her about 3 bottles per day. Dr. D said that she will get the hang of it soon. Babies are smart and realize if they are hungry, this is how they are getting food. Other than that, all is well. We go back to the doctor in December.


New stats:
weight: 10.21lb
length: 22.9in
head: 15.4in

To see more pictures of the doctors visit, click here

Tuesday

Today was our last Mommy & Me meeting. They are on Tuesdays at 10:30am so I will be working. I got a little misty eyed as I left today. These ladies have been so helpful to me and Millie. I have learned so much and I will miss meeting and bonding with these fabulous women. Millie and I have lots of new friends now and it's just been so great. Hopefully we will meet once a month to bond and see how the little ones have grown!

I must return to work one week from today. I am trying not to be sad about it so Millie and I are taking advantage of every minute together!

After the meeting we searched around to find a gas station that actually had gas. We finally found a place and waiting in line like everyone else. It took awhile but Millie slept through the whole thing.

We came home and packed up to go on a walk with our new neighbor friend Meg and her daughter Annabelle, Check out Millie's new ride! This stroller was a gift from Jose/Pavan at our baby shower. Meg and Annabelle were great walking partners and we hope to do that again soon!

To see more pictures from the Mommy & Me meeting, click here

Lots of fun pictures!

Click here for more fun pictures!

Monday

Monday, Millie and I had a great day. We hung around in the morning and then met some of our new friends for lunch. We met for lunch in Decatur and then went for a great walk in the Decatur cemetery. It was a great day for the two of us!

Look how much she has grown!

To see more pictures of her in Ellyn's dress, click here

I'm 2 months old today!

To see more pictures click here

I thought her bubble mouth was funny! This was from Sunday morning playtime with Mommy and Daddy!

Gator vs. Tennessee

Enjoy the pics from today!

Mommies Walking

We had a great time today! Many of my friends who I have met through the breastfeeding meetings all met today for a walk at Chastain Park. Then we had a picnic lunch! It was a great time and I hope we can do it again. Click here to see the pictures

Babies Who Lunch!

Meet of of Millie (and Mommies) new friends!


Trisha and Kara




















Kat and Hollister






















Jen and Jack

















Rebecca and Anna
















Nolani and Eveylen
















Kristen and Julia





























And Miz Millie





To see more pictures of our lunch today, click here

Does anyone but me see Millie's dimples? I could be dreaming them!

I find it interesting those who take an interest in mommies and their babies. It's usually older women who want to know how old she is. I have found that typically the very next question is "Are you breastfeeding?". I was asked this twice in one day just a couple days ago and I have been thinking about it ever since. It struck me as odd as why someone would ask another mom that. What does it really matter?

Another thing that is really bothering me is those who ask what I (we) are going to do with Millie with I got back to work. If I had a camera to capture peoples reactions when I tell them we are putting her in daycare. The look of shame or the comments that they make never cease to amaze me.

Jonathan and Millie

Sitting in a tree
K-I-S-S-I-N-G

Okay, not yet. But they did have fun on their walk today. Margie and I took a walk around Kirkwood today. The kids had fun. And then had matching blow out diapers! Fun times for Mommies!

Click here for pictures.

Daycare: Check!

Today was an eventful Monday. Millie and I ran around doing errands today. We actually got alot done which was nice. We put in a deposit for daycare! We decided to go with the Canterbury School. She will start on September 30. That's the day I have to return to work. I am working 3 day work weeks for the month of October. Easing myself back into the "real world". We are really excited that we found a place for Millie to be on a daily basis. Too bad it can't be with me or Mat but that's the way it works.

I had my 6 week follow up appointment with Dr. Sun. It ended up being an 8 week appointment but oh well. She thought I was doing great so all is well with me. I don't go back for another year!

Millie goes back on Sept 25 for her appointment with Dr. D. She gets her first round of immunization shots. Not looking forward to that!

Millie's new thing is blowing bubbles as seen in this picture from today!

5k and proud of it!

Oh! I forgot to add that I did a 5K this past Saturday for my friend Margie's school, Oakhurst Cooperative Preschool. It was a great race and it got my butt moving that Saturday morning! Millie stayed home cause she was still sleeping. Good thing I left her cause she slept in till 11am! Man that girl can SLEEP!

All the walking/running is hopefully getting me in shape for my upcoming Columbus Half Marathon in October. It's something that my mom and sister and I are doing together. My friends are doing it too so it should be a good time! As good as 13 miles can be!!

I can't tell what hurt more...the 5k or the 5 mile walk around Stone Montain I did with Jess on Sunday!

This is how I clean my house!

Parents night out

Tonight we had a night out on the town! Jose came over and whisked Millie away for her first night with a "babysitter". Mat, Mo and I took off and headed north for Amanda's birthday party. We met at Twisted Taco and then headed to Whirlyball.

According to Wiki: Whirlyball is a team sport invented by Stan Mangum that combines elements of basketball and jai alai, or rather a combination of lacrosse and bumper cars, with the players riding "Whirlybugs", small electric vehicles similar to bumper cars. Because play requires a special court, it is played in only a handful of locations in the United States and Canada.

A Whirlyball team consists of five players. Each player rides a Whirlybug and carries a scoop, with which he or she can pass the ball, usually a wiffleball, to teammates and shoot at the goal, a circular target above the two opposite ends of the court. A score in WhirlyBall is called a "Whirlic".

Players are not allowed to leave their cars or touch the ball with their hands. Other than that, almost anything is allowed, within certain bounds of safety, such as you are not allowed to ram a player from behind (4 point penalty). Games played by veterans at a National level can get particularly vicious, although it is extremely rare for a fatal injury to occur.[citation needed]
The scoop is actually a Trac Ball racquet.

It was hilarious and really alot of fun. Mat goes there every year with all of the Sidebar employees. To see pictures, click here

Sliding down the fire pole

Today Mat and Jose made a big investment today. We couldn't be happier to announce they will be opening a new bar. They name is yet to be decided. It was the old bar "The Spotted Dog" which went bankupt a couple months ago. To check out the pictures of the new place, click here

It's a huge investment for the boys and for our family. Please keep them in your thoughts as they embark on this new adventure!

Daycare dilemmas

Today we interviewed a nanny and family for a possible nanny share. It's just one of our many options as seen below.

Time is dwindling down and we still don't have a daycare. We have seen alot and are 100% completely satisfied with one. But she is $340 a week. That is going to be a serious dent in our income. I believe that is lady is going to do everything we would as parents. She is totally interactive, the ratio is great, no tv, she loves children and we loved everything about her.

I am struggling with the money factor. We know we shouldn't skimp out on daycare but are we going to be able to afford it? Also, are we paying this much and Millie is just going to sleep? This is our child after all and doesn't she deserve the best? At this age, is the "best" daycare facility really going to effect her in the long run?

We need to make a decision this weekend. Hope that we make the best decision!

Posh Tot's
Nanny Estella
Kidzz First
Sheltering Arms
Canterbury School
Turner's Daycare
Presbyterian Church Daycare

Millie in the bumbo

To see more pics of Millie in the bumbo, click here

Updates

Millie started really sucking her hand these past couple of days. She is putting it in her mouth and going to town making all these cute sucking noises.

We have started trying to put her to bed earlier but not sure if it will stick with her. However last night she gave us the longest night sleep ever! Despite her long naps in the car ride home Sunday, she slept 8.5 hours last night! It was fabulous! We will see if our magic did the trick again tonight!

Millie smiling (video)

Gator Game Day

It was a great game although Millie and Mommy didn't attend. We had fun tailgating and enjoying the Florida campus (and FL heat!) Enjoy the pictures!
To see photos click here

Gatorrrrrrific! (slideshow)

As Tom Petty might say "I'm learning to smile"

Animal Kingdom and Disney Hollywood Studios (slideshow)

Tuesday (slideshow)

We did alot of hanging around today. Enjoy the pictures!

Epcot (slideshow)

Will write more later! Enjoy the pictures!