He's Not Enrique Iglesias!

Ellie has found her "shrieking" voice. I knew she found it a while back ago but it went away. However, it started resurfacing a few days ago. Friday night, Ellie and I were dancing to Justin Bieber's Baby song and Eric walked in. She got so excited in my arms and she started shrieking like the girls shriek in the concert when the band comes on stage. I said to Ellie, "he's not Enrique Iglesias" and Eric took Ellie and started singing, "I can be your hero, baby. I can kiss away your tears...."

I love these moments.

Six Months Old Already!?!

Where has the time gone? I honestly don't know. Ellie has grown up so much. However, since being in daycare for the past 13 weeks I would say about 2/3 of the time there she has been sick.

I never like to bring her there sick, but, when you spend all of your maternity leave on caring for a tiny baby that doesn't leave much time for me to be away from work taking care of a sick baby. Luckily Eric is able to "work" from home and take care of her a few times.

Last week was pretty rough. On Friday night/Saturday morning she woke up at 2, 4 and 6 a.m. I told Eric that we were definetely going to take her to see the pediatrician in the morning. I called that morning and were luckily able to get a visit in at 11:45. As I suspected, the pediatrician told me there was nothing wrong with her and just to run the humidifier and give saline drops. I had a feeling she had an ear infection and because the long weekend was ahead due to Memorial Day I wanted to be sure that she was checked out.

Then this past Wednesday she had her six month wellness visit with a different pediatrician. Our regular pediatrician is on maternity leave so we welcomed a very socially awkward female pediatrician. She was nice but when she checked Ellie she said that she did in fact have an ear infection. I was so upset because on Saturday night I decided to let Ellie cry it out. I fear that she was indeed in pain and may have wanted to be comforted. Although the pediatrician assured me that there's no telling when it could have started I just felt terrible. I also wondered if we did not have a wellness exam that day, how many more days would she be suffering? So 10 days of antibiotics and another check up in two weeks.

Ellie is 26 3/4 inches long, 16 pounds and 11 ounces at her six month check up. She is in the 97% percentile in length and 75% in weight.

Eric and I debated for a while in regards to solids. We did a lot of research and there were a lot of conflicting reports in regards to this topic. Actually, there's a lot of conflicting report about everything (i.e. Baby 411 says put the child to bed earlier, they wake up later while What to Expect the First Year states put the child to bed later, they'll wake up later). We noticed at 4 months she was definitely not ready for solids because she would use her tongue to block things (i.e. a toy) which we learned was a sign she was not ready.

In regards to breastfeeding I read a lot of material that stated that once I started feeding solids my supply would decrease. Naturally with working I did not want that to happen so we decided to hold off. However, this past Saturday we gave her a serving of rice cereal which she found interesting. It was fun but now the real challenge begins tomorrow when Eric and I will make baby food for the first time.

I have been fortunate to have a boss that allows me to pump 3 times a day. I also have a wonderful coworker that helps dodge the question of "Where's Nancy?" when students can't read my sign that says "I'm currently unavailable, please return in 20 minutes." Trust me, engineering male students just don't have the maturity to know what's really going on in those 20 minutes. I've done so well so far that I have a huge freezer stash and only a few bags left to store frozen milk. Just yesterday I had to freeze 12 ounces of milk because Ellie wasn't going to get to them within seven days.

Along with food, I kind of made an executive decision to begin putting Ellie to bed earlier. We used to put her to bed at 8, but then it became 7 and now it's become 6:30. Unfortunately, this means Eric has less time to play with Ellie at night because he usually gets home around 6. Then we read a few books and I nurse then she either cries or goes to sleep since she's awake when I put her down to bed. I really hate her crying to sleep but I hear from many people that it's the best way. So I'm trying it.

At this point, we still haven't evicted Ellie out of our room. We plan to do it this weekend but I admit I'm a little nervous. We've done a lot of straightening and just need to buy black out curtains, install the doors, and curtain rods before we can move her. It'll be a challenge for all of us but we also want to let her cry it out in the middle of the night instead of having to get up and sticking a pacifier in her mouth.

I can't believe Ellie is six months old and can already do so much. I oftentimes want time to stop so I can treasure this moment a little longer.

New Milestones

Ellie turns five months in one week. I've noticed that we've blogged less and have taken less photos. We should probably fix that.

I hope once I get my ten page paper finished I'll have more time to focus on getting other things done. I'd like to start cleaning but shopping is always more interesting. I can't wait until the weather is nice but not hot. Walks around the Central West End sounds great.

I also want to start seeing more of my friends. I've been sheltered lately, trying to focus on spending as much time with Ellie as I can. She's getting so big and as of last night she slept with both arms out of her swaddle. She does a 360 in the crib and is still getting up once or twice in the middle of the night. I hope that will end soon.

The memories of the early days together as a family are becoming faint. I sit and try to think how did we survive that first month? Where did all the time go? Time is flying by so fast yet so much has happened.

Ellie loves to laugh for strangers. She loves daycare and I know this because she refuses to look at me when I drop her off. She also loves us and I know this because she smiles and laughs when we pick her up from daycare. I know she's having a good time.

Eric and I are in love with Ellie. We can't get enough of her and we can't stop snuggling and kissing her.

Getting Burnt Out? Or Getting Burned.

Last week my students were on spring break and I was in heaven. I know when spring break arrives it is the calm before the storm. I saw very few students since most of them were away having fun. However, spring break is also the week in which I receive midterm grades.

This time of year the students are under a lot of stress. The waves of tests awaits them or they find out that they aren't doing as well as they wanted to. They also are trying to figure out their summer plans: vacation, summer school, internship. Along with all of this they have to meet with their faculty mentor and me (their academic advisor) before they can register for classes in the fall.

There are four types of students during the registration period process. The overachiever: the guy that comes in super early with everything lined up. The average guy: the person that gives himself just enough time to meet with me. The high-maintenance student: the person that waited until the last minute to start the process then finds out that I'm completely booked the week before he is suppose to register and then comes to my door demanding that I squeeze him in. Finally , there's the laid back Joe: the guy that waits until registration is over before he even begins to start the process.

On rare occasions I have the student that is superstitious and waits until the day before classes to register.

This semester, to add into that mix I have two complicated students. One that came in this week wanting to register for classes...for THIS semester. Another student in which I have never met, but only communicated through phone and e-mail that have made some very uncomfortable remarks.

I thought having a child would make me more patient with the students, but I have found that I am the same. I'm easily frustrated when they fail to understand process and procedures to this entire process when they do this twice a year. I also get frustrated when they make comments in regards to why appointments take 30 minutes when we may only meet for five or that I'm not important enough for them to remember to meet with me.

In the past I would care that they would make these comments, but since I've been back at work, I don't feel as emotionally invested as I use to be. Is this a bad thing? It's not that I no longer give the great service that I give to students but I feel like I don't vent as much as I use to when student make hurtful comments. Maybe I'm just focused on the more important things.

I have also begun looking into summer classes. I have my eye on a research class that is solely online! This would be perfect since I am still nursing Ellie, a night class would mean too many hours away from her which could affect my milk supply. So, this would be a perfect balance of getting a class out of the way and meeting her needs.

Pumping at work has been interesting. Every time I pump, I never know how much I am going to get. I think my mood affects it too because when the students stress me out with their demands I do produce less milk. However, I've been lucky to have a great boss and co-worker that have been so understanding and don't hold a grudge that I've blocked off an hour a day to pump. Only one student has demanded to know where I was 3-3:30 every day. I think she felt bad asking when I told her the truth. I absolutely hate it when students knock on my door when I'm pumping. I need to make a sign that just states when I'll be back.

Birthday week is coming up soon. I'll be turning the big 3-0 this year. There's nothing wrong with it, but I do feel old. I feel that I have more gray hair than ever before. I am also losing a lot of hair and it freaks me out when one of them is gray. I'm disappointed that my mom waited until last night to make plans with me for Sunday night when my friends asked me weeks ago to take me out Sunday night. I'm also surprised that my mom doesn't want to see Ellie more. She had the insurance agent mail me my new insurance cards for my car instead of bringing them over. I feel very confused and sad that we aren't a more close-knit family. I really thought having a child would do that, but here I am: wrong.

As I sit and reflect the complicated relationship I have with my parents, I hope that Ellie and I will have just the opposite. I hope we're like Lorelei and Rory in Gilmore Girls, that she can come to me always and that she knows that I will love her unconditionally. I also know that she will have a great relationship with Eric and hope that she realizes that she can always count on him to be there for her: emotionally and physically. I know people have told us this before, but Ellie is really lucky to have us as parents. Our own life experiences of hurt, disappointment, and sadness have taught us what we can do better for our daughter and hopefully she'll have more confidence and trust than I will ever have.

Our Lovely Turkey on St. Patrick's Day. Possibly my favorite picture.

A Full Five Day Work Week

Last week was the first full five days that I worked. It was challenging as I found myself deciding between shower or sleep. 50% of the times sleep won and I just put my hair in a pony tail at work the next day. I'm not sure where the time goes in the evenings. It's not like we're wasting our time watching TV. I think oftentimes I am scrambling to get dinner ready (which is not easy when I have a 20-30 minute nursing session right when I get home), washing the bottles from daycare and getting our bags packed for the next day. Let alone to spend some quality time with Turkey before she naps or falls asleep. It's a challenge and I hope as she gets older, it gets easier.

Ellie is still coughing. She got a little better when she went back to daycare on Monday but then the sneezing started and our bottle of Little Noses is almost empty since we've try to saline her nose so she can breathe, eat or sleep. Ellie also stopped coughing so hard that she would spit up all of her food but it started again this weekend. Sunday morning was the worse because it was so violent that it went on the floor while she was laying in her crib. I feel so bad for her, but it doesn't phase her. Even after that massive spit up she went right to sleep.

In terms of sleep, my 8-9 hours is out the window. She wakes up about 5 or 6 hours after we put her down so she's getting up twice a night with the second wake up 45 minutes before I'm suppose to get up for work. It's rough and she's still the only kid that stays the longest at daycare. I just hope that Ellie can get rid of this cough/congestion fast so that we can all get some better sleep.

Busy Busy Busy

I realized that Ellie started a cough on Saturday. I should have known something was up when she took a three hour nap and we decided to wake her up so that she would be able to sleep that night. She was not happy. After an afternoon of errands and going to visit her great grandma (who has a broken arm) she was tired. It was a rough night because she woke up every four hours coughing and she wasn't nursing well.

Sunday had been planned for weeks. My mom turns 50 on 2/28/11 and she was up in the air on what she wanted to do for her birthday. So finally she decided Dim Sum Sunday morning and then a Karaoke party Sunday night. So we dragged Ellie to Dim Sum on Sunday and then we also took her to the Karaoke party, since my mom didn't say anything about bringing a baby to the party we took her.

Once we arrived the other Asians found it unacceptable that the baby was there. They said that the loud music was going to affect her heart and that she shouldn't be there. My mom heard it but didn't say anything so I went to the car to try to nurse her and then sent Eric to take her home while I stayed behind. At around 9 it was time for me to go back home to nurse her and put her to bed. Little did I know that my departure meant that everyone else was leaving and the party ended. I felt bad for my mom but a four hour party isn't too bad, right! There was some good booze, food, and singing. I hope that my mom had a good time and enjoyed the angel food cake that her friend's daughter made for her. I again was asked why I didn't buy my mom a more presentable cake but I told her friends the cake she got was what she wanted. I was more than happy to buy my mom a delicious cake from Dierberg's European Bakery, since she does not like sweet cakes.

Ellie's coughs only got worse and on Wednesday she began sneezing. Thursday when I went and got her she was crying and I could tell from her face that she was tired and exhausted. They said that she didn't sleep well and that they finally gave up and let her sleep in the swing since she kept waking up each time she coughed. Thursday night was no easy feat as she began to have massive spit ups each time she coughed. We weren't sure if Friday she could go to daycare.

Friday morning we got up and again she had a major spit up and I decided she was staying home. She didn't have a fever but with this being her first illness I just wanted to be home with her. We decided to call the doctor and the nurse said for her to come in since her cough wasn't any better.

The doctor stated that she most likely had RSV and that luckily she wasn't too bad (i.e. no fever, no fluids in the lungs, etc) and mostly what she heard was congestion. We need to continue to watch for any fevers because that could be a sign of something else. Ellie sleeps a lot and eats less which worries me but I really hope that she gets over this FAST!

I Survived the Four Day Work Week

Out of four days, I cried twice right after dropping Ellie off at daycare, teared up several times throughout the day at work on the third day and well, the fourth day was a little easier.

When I drop Ellie off in the mornings, the group is in a playroom where all the kids 2 and under play together. Today when I went in, one of the teachers that work with the 1 year old room, was excited to see Ellie and requested to hold her. I felt relieved for some reason and it was a nice feeling. I guess our baby's cute chubby cheeks and winning smile are melting the hearts of other people besides us, right? ;0)

Ellie doesn't have much of a day schedule but her nights are pretty right on. She is ready for bed between 7:30-8:30 and typically she gets up at around 4-5 to eat. That is almost 8 hours and I'm loving it. Most of the time she will go back right to sleep and will wake up on her own at around 8 or 9 a.m. She just started this when I went back to work and it's working wonderfully for us. It gives Eric and I some time to get ready for the next day, shower, and do the dishes. We are certainly behind on our TV shows and a 30 minute show could take us two days. We try to hit the sack at 10:30 so that we both have enough sleep for the next day. I could be more tired at work but I'm thankful that she's "sleeping through the night." She's definitely a sleeper like her parents!

However, since she goes to bed at 8 this only leaves a few hours of awake time that I get to spend with her and even less for Eric. I dread the day when Eric begins to work late hours because I don't think he'll see much of her. That part saddens me the most. Sometimes when I pick her up from daycare I feel like "did you grow while I was gone?" Thank goodness daycare is only a 5 minute drive from work and home. I love how it's on the way to work. Sometimes I think I'm running late because I leave at 7:40, I still make it to work at 8:05 the latest!

Eric and I brought up the topic of evicting Ellie out of our room. We're not sure if we're ready yet. However, if she continues sleeping 8-5 I think it's something that we can consider.

On a different note, my 10 page paper that's been nagging at me since November is due May 1. I guess I should begin working on that this weekend, huh? Except I say that every weekend and all of the sudden it's Sunday night! Next weekend for sure is what I say. It's going to have to happen soon!

A picture of Ellie with her cute flower headband that I got off etsy (Can I say that I absolutely LOVE etsy!?!). Nobody better ask me "is that a boy or girl?"