Jim 3 Months, Wk 4

Wow, the time seems to be flying these days! Jim is coming up with new things every day it seems.

Jim has been going to daycare for 3 weeks. He seems to be doing OK with it, and his daily reports say he's content and happy most of the time. I know, this is subject to change. :)

He's doing so many new things this month...

Visiting with Grandparents out of town - for a whole week!!! He started crying when we drove away - does that tell you anything about how it went?

Blowing bubbles - talk about needing a bib! This boy needs and all-day bib! Yikes.

Reaching started last month, but now? NOW he actually moves his whole body towards what he's interested in! Sometimes it is as simple as him leaning over to bring his mouth closer to a tasty bit. Other times he will actually scoot himself (on his back) towards an object of desire. He doesn't go very far very fast, but he's certainly motivated and somewhat mobile. Double-yikes!

Lets see... What else.... Oh Yeah!!!!

On Father's Day weekend....

HE STARTED ASKING FOR A BOTTLE!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

No joke.

When Jim is hungry now he'll say "MMmmmm... MMMMMmmmm... Ma ma mu mah.... mmmmmmmmm.... MMMmmmmmm...." until he gets what he wants. It is so amazingly wonderful for him to be clear about what's making him cranky! I love hearing the part where he sounds like he's saying Mama, but I'm greedy that way. LOL.

Oh, and better yet, when he's already eaten and he starts the "MMMmmmm" I know that he has gas or his tummy hurts. Babies often think they are hungry when their tummies hurt. Of course, feeding them simply results in spitup. Blech.

Three days ago he started laughing out loud. A real laugh. A belly laugh! It is so wonderful to hear him laugh. He is a total joy to behold!

Jim is ALMOST rolling over. Last night I was watching him on the monitor and saw him almost flip over in the bed. He hates to be on his tummy. So, I'm not sure what happens if he launches himself onto his face in the middle of the night. I'm expecting some crying.

Yesterday I was holding him in my lap after dinner, he was laying streched out. Well, he decided he wanted to sit up, so he did! He brought himself 75% of the way from laying down to sitting up before I figured out what the heck was going on. It was pretty amazing! Of course, I helped him the rest of the way and cheered him on.

He's found his feet! He only plays with his feet in his crib (guess he's got to be really bored or something). It is really cute to watch him tickle his own toes. :)

He's found his VOICE. His "baby voice" seems to be gone alltogether, which makes me sad. I wish I had captured more of his baby sounds on film. However, he uses his new "big boy voice" all the time! He sits and chews on his hands while squeaking and humming to himself. he seems to be making noise simply to be making noise. IT WAS cute, now it is getting tiresome. Luckily it seems to be a mostly nightime thing.

Well, as you can see, lots has happened this month. There is LOTS of cheering going on daily. He's grown so much. Go Jim! Go Jim! Rah rah rah!

He's such a sweet baby boy. I doubt you could fault me for being one happy Momma right now. :)

A Family Vacation...

I've waited to post this until all of my little birdies returned to the nest - I figure no need to jinx myself!

We've had a VERY exciting, if nerve-wracking week, since we were each in 4 different states!!!

Mom - Seattle
Dad - San Francisco
Baby - Nashville
Humphries (kitty) - Atlanta at home

Remember I said Bo left on Sunday (Father's Day weekend) to go out of town? Well, that's where he's been for the last week. He had a Usability training conference in San Francisco.

The kicker is that work asked me, very last minute, to go to Seattle, Washington! I told them I would have to ask my parents.

I just happened to be in route to Gatlinburg, TN for our little Father's Day weekend retreat! That means I just happened to have had all the stuff to take care of baby for an extended stay! AND I just happened to be meeting up with the only people that COULD keep him for a week!! What luck!

My parents said yes to keeping Jim, and seemed kinda happy about the deal. So, I left early Monday morning for Atlanta, but without my precious boy. :(

Yes, I cried.

I came home to a sad kitty (he'd been home alone all weekend) and we loved and hugged and rubbed for hours. Humphries has been a bit short-changed since Jim arrived. He was in love with the idea that Momma was "all his" for a couple of days.

Jim went to Nashville, with my parents, on Monday. He seemed to have a fabulous time. Grandaddy took him "fishing" and Grandma took him to all of her social functions (library meetings, bridge, etc). He made lots of friends with the ladies - he's a charmer. Flirt, flirt, flirt...Flirt. He got a full-on cold mid-week, and of course this made his Mommy quite ashamed that she'd left him. Grandma said "no worries!". sniff, sniff

I left for Seattle on Wednesday morning. I had a great time meeting with our clients, eating in great seafood restaurants, and getting to know my new co-workers much better, walking around downtown. It was quite nice indeed.

My little birdies were spread out all over North America though, which has made me quite nervous. Mom and Dad on the West coast, babies on the East Coast does not make for easy sleep.

1 & 2 Home - I came home to the nest on Friday. Humphries was so terribly happy to see me!

1, 2, & 3 Home - I picked up Jim in Chattanooga on Saturday afternoon. My parents are saints and offered to bring him halfway so I wouldn't have to drive 10 hrs round-trip and stay the night in Nashville. Instead I drove 5 hrs and was home the same afternoon. Saints I tell you.

1, 2, 3, & 4 Home - Bo came in on Sunday night, late, after his boy had already gone to bed. He sure hated missing his boy's night, night hugs, but he'll get extra special hugs from him in the morning, I'm sure! :)

G'night All!

Where the Wild Things Are...

Rotten Correspondent asked "If you were signing up to spend three months in very close quarters with one or two other people, three months of hard work and lots of uncertainty, three months of totally depending on those other people (or person) to help get you all through..."

I seemed to have a lot to say on the subject, so I thought I'd post on it. I hated to kidnap her comments. :)

btw - if you've never read Rotten's blog you owe it to yourself to check it out. She always asks the greatest thought-provoking questions, and she writes some of the funniest stories about her world...


So, she was talking about a Discovery Channel show, where a bunch of groups were dropped into the Alaskan wild for 3 months. I would probably be a candidate for that show...

I would absolutely take my immediate family - my Mom, Dad and both of my brothers would be invaluable in those circumstances.

My parents both grew up on farms. My Dad is amazing at making things, like McGuyver; he knows how to grow food, and he is a very hard worker. My Mom is amazing at cooking something out of nothing, so knows how to grow food, and she is a very hard worker.

My brother W is hilarious, is the love of my life, is totally amazing at keeping the peace, and he is a very hard worker. I'd spend the 3 months in the wilderness just to get that much uninterrupted time with my brother. He's just that wonderful to be around. I miss him terribly, because I live out of state.

My other brother W is kinda a hard-headed ass, but I love him dearly. He is also mechanically amazing, like my Dad, and (you guessed it) he's a hard worker. Oh, and he's freakin' smart as all get-out. He's also easy to work with, even though he's hard-headed. Wierd, huh?

Can you sense a theme? In my family hard work is expected. You get NO respect if you are lazy. Being lazy is worse than being a total pain-in-the ass.

Also, both of my brothers hunt. Dad gave it up a while back, but I'm sure he would go out if he thought we needed him to. I'm also pretty sure could hunt too, but I wouldn't want to. I know it would hurt my feelings, but I would kill to eat. I know I would, I just really hope I never have to...

The biggest thing of all?!?! Living with my hubby has taught me that not just anyone can work well with others.

My family has ALWAYS done chores on the farm together. We still do when we get together on the farm for holidays, or to harvest vegetables and fruits for canning, etc. My hubby never had to do chores with a group, so he doesn't really understand group dynamics.

You see, he can't really just go with the flow and do what needs doing. People working together seem to unnerve him. He's cool with being around people, just not while they are working. It really sucks.

Then there is the fact that he can't do tandem chores easily. You know how when you need to move a folding table, you kinda pick up one end, someone else picks up the other, and you use head or body movements to signal your movement intent? He doesn't get that. He can't move a table without first knowing EXACTLY wher you are moving it to...who's going first...what the trajectory should be... and who is in "command" of the move. I mean, shit, it's just a freakin' table!

Anyway, he tries. He does work hard - if individually. So, you give him a task like chopping wood, he's amazing. He'll work til he drops. He'd be sad to know it, but I still wouldn't choose him for the 3 months. It boils down to needing better cooperation with my companions.

Embryoversary...

One year ago tonight, about 15 mins from now, I was getting ready for bed - I had an early wakeup time coming! I was nervous, and quite sure that I was not going to like the outcome of the next day's events... Instead of being broken hearted once again, a year later, I am blessed with a beautiful 3 month old baby boy and a whole different life.

I am coming to understand how quickly life changes. Just when you think you know how it is going to go you find out you were completely wrong. Life is so full of twists and turns. Simply. Amazing.

I am so glad I blogged about those days leading up to retrieval. I can barely remember now how scared I was, and I had forgotten about my Retail Therapy appointment with my best friend the day before. It is amazing to me to read the stories and remember that the IV was my biggest fear about the retrieval process! So silly. I should have been worried that the procedure would work and I would have my life turned upside down in a matter of months! :) Just kidding (sort of)!

Then there is the post after my retrieval - one year ago tomorrow, June 18, 2007. My excitement is palpable as I report that we retrieved "12 eggs". And just think, my little Jim is one of those eggs. He was conceived one year ago tomorrow. Wow. I mean really. Isn't that mind blowing?

I just want to make sure all of you know that I appreciate every comment of support and acceptance I've received on this blog. Not just because you kept me sane, but also because you kept me posting. I have an irreplaceable treasure trove of memories of my struggle to bring my son to my waiting arms.

Thank you for caring enough to stick with me.

I was talking with a good friend tonight, who is very bummed that she hasn't found "Mr. Right", so she isn't on the track to have babies. I was able to relate to her our Embryoversary was tomorrow. I asked her not to count herself out just yet. A year can change so much. I pray it gave her a shimmer of hope.

I also pray that my story has helped add a shimmer of hope to those of you still waiting. I know it is hard to hold on to hope, but look what can happen in just one year.

First Father's Day Weekend

Sorry I haven't blogged in forever... I think I am finding less and less time for blogging. I think it is partly because I don't want to share family details on this blog. I find I can't tell my story straight - I have to censor and edit. This way of writing feels stunted. Not sure how I'm going to cure that issue... I might setup a private blog for the munchkin. Not sure. What do you guys think?

We have had a pretty good yet very disjointed Father's Day weekend. It all started with my hubby's crazy plan to leave town for a solid week. His planned departure was Sunday, which was during our planned Father's Day weekend in the Smokey Mountains with my family.

This would have been all well and good, but this was to be a long weekend getaway that included Monday. So, he left early in the day on Father's Day and kind-of disrupted the whole gift-giving scene.

See, my niece is autistic, and she doesn't like change. She was expecting gifts to be given out on Sunday. When she expects something you just try your darndest to keep it going on schedule. It isn't pretty when she gets unhappy.

So, we opened presents Saturday night. Sister-in-law and my niece got into a fight during the gift giving and my niece was a pain the rest of the evening. Oh well...

Bo was very, very happy to get the gift Jim "made" him... The daycare dressed Jim in a man's suit coat and a very loose tie and took his picture. Then they put the picture in a frame made of Ho.me De.pot rulers. It was really very, very cute.

He also loved the gift I gave him. A week or so ago I took Jim down to Babies R Us and had his pics made in a little baseball jersey that says "Dad's team". They propped him up with a baseball, a bat and glove. He is soooooo cute. You just want to pinch his little cheeks!

I also had his pic made in a red outfit with fire trucks on it. My brother W is a fireman. I gave him and my Dad copies of this picture. My brother was so surprised to get a gift. :) I think he was really touched. I'm going to send my other brother a copy too - it is sad that he couldn't come this weekend. :( But it is just to far to travel for a weekend gig.

I have to give hubby praise where it is due - he loves his son so deeply and truly that it makes me jealous. He loves him until it hurts. I'm not jealous of his love for the baby vs. me. I'm jealous because I wish I knew for sure that I loved our son that much. I KNOW I love him, but I can't help but notice that hubby seems to love him more. I guess since it is hard to quantify love I can't be really sure, but I'd give him 1st prize.

I feel so very lucky to have a hubby like mine. I can't imagine having a hubby that felt like the kid was my responsibility, mine to raise, mine to manage. I can't really ask for more.

2 Days of Work...

Thank you all so much for the well wishes! It meant a lot to me to get all that support on my first day at work!!

I've completed 2 days of work for my new company. I'm liking it. I'll say, I was very worried on day one. I was thinking "What have I done?". I think I might have misjudged the atmosphere, and was very worried, possibly needlessly. Today was much better though, and I became familiar with several of my co-workers. I like them, overall - of course I expect everyone is on their best behavior right now... :)

Jim has done well at daycare. He seems to be handling "drop off" well in the mornings, and he isn't crying when Bo picks him up. They keep talking about how "quiet and easy" he is. I can't imagine who's child they are talking about, but OK.

They have a few rules that seem odd. However, I'm sure there are good, albeit odd, reasons for them. Sometimes the oddness of the rule makes you KNOW there has to be a story somewhere. So far I'm going along with whatever.

Oh, his first day, they all called him Jack. I don't know where Jack came into play, but it started to stick. Man, wouldn't it suck to have your kid's name changed because someone misunderstood! We have a friend who's son is Jack. I'm guessing they'll get a kick out of it.

I have to ask - is anyone else worried about the prices of things? I went to the grocery and I must have bought about $80 worth, but I spent $124!!!! OMG! I don't know how we'll afford one kid. Much less, how people are going to do it that have many kids. Beans and rice, rice and beans... I guess.

Today I bought baby food for Jim!!!! He's started noticing food, but is not acting like he has to have it. So, I've got it on hand for the day when that happens. I figure it won't be too long.

Let's Get Ready To Ruuuuuumble!!!!

Well folks, I start my new job tomorrow!!! OH MY, did she say job? Yep, a job. For me.

Jim starts DAYCARE tomorrow!!! OH MY, did she say daycare? Yep, daycare. For Jim.

Wow!

I have his bags all packed. You'd think he was going on African safari or something so demanding. Geesh! Do you know they don't give you a "needed supplies" list for your first day of daycare? Well, so I just made it up...

• Bottles - pre-mixed and refrigerated.
• Pre-made extra bottles - you need the non-refrig kind, so you can leave it there all the time, because they won't make up formula for him.
• Diapers - no idea how many, so I chose a nice round 10 for his 1st day.
• Change of clothes - I'm starting with 1, but will ask for suggestions on this.
• Wipes - I don't think they provide them, but some places do.
• Blankets - I'm starting with 1 - I think they provide these.

What am I missing? Hmmm... I'll find out tomorrow, I'm sure.

Bo and I are both going to drop him off tomorrow. No, we aren't paranoid helicopter parents - it is just that Bo hasn't been there before. So, it seemed kinda cruel to send him by himself. Also, we both need to get specifics on what to do when, etc. I hope to be in there and out in 30 mins, but who knows. I'm leaving extra time for crying and such. :)

In other news - my baby is starting to sound less and less like a baby! His voice is starting to periodically drop away from cute coooos to big-boy grunts and gafaws.

I'm so not ready for this - he's growing up already! I swear, just 8 wks ago you could not have convinced me he'd ever grow up. Now, he's not so little, he's not so blob-ish, and he's learning new big-boy tricks every day. Simply amazing.

I can't imagine how fast the time is going to fly now that I'm going to be gone from him for 10 hrs a day. I'm guessing the time will just fly, and he'll be 10 before I know what hit me. :(

OOOOOH, I visited the RE on Friday! No, not to start treatments! Whew! I took Jim to visit and to get his footprint put on their "wall of fame". They decided recently that their "office artwork" (the kind you buy reeeeally cheap) had to go. So, they got some huge canvases and started recording their little ones hands and feet for posterity. It is really sweet.

They did knock me for a loop though, when they said I could come back in as little as 2 months to try for kid #2. Wha? Really? C-section and all? Yep, them's the rules! OMG! No way!

So, Bo and I have decided to look at the calendar and see when we might want to try the one remaining embie we have in the freezer. We realize that it might not even thaw, but it is to be our last shot at being pregnant. We decided we did not want to do IVF again. We reserve the right to change our minds, of course.