Hello....Is There Anybody Out There?

OMG has it been for-ev-a since I've posted. So much has happened--however mundane--that it probably isn't even possible to catch up. In lieu of delving back 5+ months, I think it's best to just go from here.

BIG NEWS
As the baby ticker may have been a dead giveaway to many of you, we are expecting again. Guess what...it's going to be a boy! I thought for sure it was a girl, but my motherly instincts were incorrect. I already had the nursery bedding and decor chosen and we also had a name chosen. Now I feel like we are starting over, as we cannot agree on a name for a boy. Hopefully we will be inspired soon.

TODDLER UPDATE
Little M is almost 22 months old! He is chatting quite a bit. His latest expression is "oh, no!" Other words in his vocabulary include: cars (his favorite movie right now), more, wa-wa, milk, mama, dada (his favorite word), up, sit (order he gives to the dogs), tv (although it sounds more like "t-g"), eat, night-night (for bed time), uh-oh, cat, dog, out (outside), shoe, sock, on, hot, bye-bye, hi, etc. ...and these are just the words I can understand! :-D

D gave M his first (and second haircut). Here's a peek at haircut #1:

M's first haircut: faux hawk

D and I have discussed submitting a video to Apple. M would be a great advertisement for the iPhone and iPad. He works both with ease and is very comfortable perusing the apps. It is hilarious! I think I have some photos of him giving his older cousins a tutorial on the iPod--I will upload later...

Hope all had a great weekend and the week is starting off with a bang. Happy Monday!

Vocab and Other 20 Month Old Stuff

M is starting to talk a lot these days. He says hot, dada, mama, dog,
cat, Keata, box, hi, ba bye (goodbye), ice, out, tree, ball, keys,
book, and more to name a few.

He is also curious about the potty. He closes the lid and flushes. He
wants to sit on his Diego potty seat, but usually right after he has
pooped in his diaper. He also likes privacy when he poops; so he will
play alone and then return with a surprise. We aren't pushing him;
just being encouraging and working on timing.

M is very lovable and social. He gives tackle hugs at school. He has
also been known to kiss little girls and blow kisses upon request. He
is very friendly. We love our happy little guy!

A Continuation of Rambles

I cannot believe how much time has passed between blog posts. Kinda sad, right? Things are a little hectic with a toddler, so I don’t take much time for personal matters. My blog posts have gotten rather sparse.

Let me see if I can recap the past 6-12 months' occurrences a bit...

I actually considered the whole stay-at-home mom thing, but realized that it wasn’t for me. When my son was three months old, I returned to work in academia in the field of program coordination. Dr. S gave me the opportunity to work from home and go to campus occasionally for meetings and events. It was exhausting, but wonderful. Whenever my son become mobile, it was no longer a realistic option. At that point (which was about six months ago), I came to a crossroads with work and personal life. While I enjoyed being at home with M, I also enjoyed the adult interactions at work. I made the decision to go to the office three days a week and arranged for in-home care for M.

The set-up worked well for a while until M’s in-home care provider changed. He was no longer getting the interaction, socialization, etc. that he needed. It became difficult for me to not worry about him while at work, so I chose to put M in daycare. It is week three of daycare and, aside from the bugs he’s had, he has adjusted rather well. My son is a social toddler, so he enjoys the interactions and structured activities of daycare.

For those of you who follow me on Facebook, you've probably caught a glimpse at our daily occurrences. Sorry I temporarily lost touch in the blogosphere.

Sick Day

Well, we finally took the plunge and enrolled M in daycare. He started last week and has already caught a fee daycare bugs: diarrhea, pink eye, congestion, and the neverending runny nose. Perhaps since he is only going three days per week, he can spend the other four days at home recooperating! ;D I am hoping the daycare illnesses are mild and of short duration.

Nonetheless, aside from not feeling well, M is in good spirits. He loves daycare and has already made a few friends. He comes home happy and tired. D feels like he is contributing more; he picked up M on his first day of daycare and dropped him off the next two. I can go to the office and know that my son is socializing, learning, well cared for, and content. His needs are being met and he is happy. Such a well-adjusted kid!

M sleeping on Mommy

Mad Skills

Here is a moderately brief look at 4.5 minutes of M's mad skills.
He is ~10.5 months old here (45 weeks old yesterday) and almost walking.

YouTube

It is a little hard to believe that the ole one year birthday is just around the corner. Any suggestions on the size and peeps to include? I'd like to keep the party relatively simple and the guest list moderate (close friends and family). I considered doing a Halloween theme where all the kids wear a costume, but may delay this idea until next year. Please let me know your thoughts.

Wiccey and the Peacock Feather

I love the sound of M's laugh!

YouTube

Hope this brightens your day! Have a great weekend.

Divine Intervention Anyone?

Thanks so much for providing me with advice I requested on my personal/professional life choice. I especially found the advice from Meredith (AKA MoJo), Missy, and Janice extra encouraging. Although everyone had a different take on my strengths, it was all from personal experiences--the best kind of advice. The advice allowed me to do a little soul searching to discover what was best for my family.

As much as I love being home with M, I really enjoy the sense of accomplishment I receive from working. In addition, I enjoy contributing to the household income. As I am still breastfeeding, I could not imagine doing it while working full time. My current career has allowed me to continue to work and nurse my son, which is a rare attribute to find these days with careers.

In addition to asking friends for advice, I did a lot of praying on the matter. I often pray and go to my wise friends and fam for words of encouragement, both of which have led me down the right path in the past. I am usually relatively private about my spirituality, but this time I want to share my recent encounter. I truly believe some divine intervention was responsible in this decision. I had a chance encounter in my neighborhood early one Friday evening (July 31) with a woman who offered her childcare services to me after seeing M. We spoke briefly about life and I mentioned that I was looking for in-home part-time care for my then ~9.5 month son. I obtained her contact info and discussed checking her references. I had been down and out after spending the week at home working and caring for a sick baby who was still adjusting to EDT from our recent trip to Australia, all without any childcare assistance. On top of my frustrations, I got a heads up from work that my boss was at getting frustrated with my lack of dedication and in-office time and was not looking forward to the confrontation the following week at work. Little did I know at the time, Marquita had just lost her job on the day we met and was devastated by the recent turn of events. Our meeting could not have come at a better time for us.

We spoke over the phone a few days later. After speaking to two of her references, I felt that I had learned what I needed about her character and was ready for an interview. It all seemed too good to be true and I was a little wary. I spoke of this to one reference and she politely asked me if I was religious. I mentioned that I was Catholic and she stated that Marquita was also. Not only was she a very spiritual person, she also taught religion classes at the local church. I was already thinking divine intervention might have come into play and was then convinced.

Marquita came over one morning to discuss the job. She arrived and interacted with M for a while. While M was napping, we spoke openly and I felt very comfortable with her. She ended up staying for about four hours that morning--definitely enough time to get a feel for her character, interpersonal skills, and competencies as a childcare provider. In addition to caring for her 13 siblings, her own three children, and other infants and toddlers, she also had formal training in early childhood development. She loves children and is somewhat one herself (like me, right?). She is very encouraging and understands developmental stages. Most importantly, M really likes her.

She has been caring for M for over a week now. I can already tell such a difference in him. He has learned to clap, wave hello, find his nose (mostly), strengthen his cruising skills, eat more solids, and so much more. She is definitely a positive, encouraging person for M. She also does house work and cooks--bonus! I am ecstatic with Marquita and hope she is able to stick around for quite a while.