Meeting Madeline...

My newest niece, Madeline Evelyn, arrived on April 10th. She was a healthy 7lbs. 14oz. and measured 20 inches long.

The week she was born was the week that Leland was super duper sick, so I wasn't able to meet her. Then I got a cold and had to wait even longer. Thankfully, Melinda posted some pictures on facebook to satisfy me until I could see her in person.

This weekend, Leland and I were finally well enough to visit the newest little angel. She is such a cutie.

Those are Leland's little feet in the corner...he wasn't entirely thrilled that I set him down in order to hold someone else, but he got through it.

She looks so much like her big sister, Ella.



My adorable nieces, Ella and Madeline

Who needs a professional photographer? Melinda rocks. :)

Sunday Snapshot...

I've never done a Sunday Snapshot before, and I can't promise I'll ever do another one, but I had to share these photos of my little thumb-sucker.

He has always been a pacifier baby, but lately when his paci falls out, he goes right for the thumb. :)

Four Months...

Dear Leland,

Today, you are four months old! A lot has happened in the last month!

Not incredibly excited about our photo shoot, but adorable nonetheless.

You’re starting to get your first tooth! I think it will still be a while before it pops through, but I definitely see one coming. And the way you’ve been drooling and chewing on your fist lately, maybe you have more coming that I just can’t see yet. You blow spit bubbles a lot, which is ridiculously cute.

You had your first cold that kept getting worse and worse. You’re usually such a happy baby with me, so when you were fussy for hours, I knew you didn’t feel well. You were coughing, congested, and just plain miserable. When you spiked a temperature, I decided to take you to the Emergency Room, and they told me you had RSV.  It took about a week to get you feeling better and to see you start to smile and "look alive" again. It was the saddest thing in the world seeing you sick.

Your cousin Madeline Evelyn was born this month; your reign as the youngest cousin was short-lived. We haven’t met Madeline yet because you were sick and then I was sick, but we are going to meet her today!

Before you got sick, you were sleeping 5-6 hour stretches at night, but now you’re back to sleeping 3-4 hours at a time. This is okay with me though. I may be tired, but I enjoy every second with you, even in the middle of the night.

You’ve settled into a pretty great routine at daycare and have adjusted very well. Unfortunately, Niki has decided to close her daycare, so you will be starting at a new daycare next week. We heard about Julie, your new daycare provider, through some of Mommy’s co-workers. We met with her last week and she is so nice. Even though we’ll miss Niki, we know you’ll be well taken care of and have lots of fun with Julie. And in only 6 weeks, school will be out for summer and I will get to spend all kinds of time with you. I can’t wait for that!

You were eating 4 oz. every three hours, but just recently, you started eating 5 oz. You are growing SO FAST! Every time I turn around, you look a little bigger. At your doctor’s appointment, you weighed 13 lbs. 11 oz. and measured 23.5 inches. You are now wearing mostly 6 month clothes and size 2 diapers.

You started cooing this month, and I have gotten a few giggles out of you too. You have the sweetest smile and giggle.

You don’t care much for toys right now. You just like to look around the room and stare at lights. Goofball, you’re going to make yourself blind.

You still love to be held and cuddled. I love this. You are such a happy baby. You have your moments when you cry because you want to be held, but most of the time I never hear you cry. Even in the middle of the night when you wake up to eat, you don’t cry; you just start squirming around and grunting. You are amused by some pretty interesting things. You love bath time. And every time I change your diaper, you kick your legs and smile and are just so excited. It’s pretty funny. Also, when you were sick and I had to use the booger sucker all the time, you didn’t mind. Actually, you loved the booger sucker and the saline drops in your nose. See what I mean? Happy baby.

A lot of people say you look like Daddy, and while I see the resemblance in pictures, I think you look more like me. Your eyes, nose, and lips are most definitely mine. I need to find some of my baby pictures, because I'm pretty sure they look similar to the way you look now. But then there are times when you most definitely look like Daddy. Either way, you are seriously the most beautiful baby I have ever seen. I know I’m your mom and I’m supposed to think that, but I know it’s not just me that thinks you’re beautiful. Everyone comments on how cute you are and how perfectly shaped your head is. For a while, I thought that was a funny compliment, but now that I look at other babies with flat heads, I get it. I guess it’s a good thing that you like to be held, because it keeps your head nice and round.

He even has my pinky toe that curls under the other toes. But he takes after Dave in that his second toe is longer than his big toe.

Daddy still calls you Lanford. All the stinkin’ time. I apologize if you have confusion about your name as you get older. I call you Sweet Pumpkin, Sweet Baby, Munchkin, and Monkey.

I could spend hours just holding you and staring at you {okay, I do spend hours doing this}. You are simply a dream come true and the very best thing in my life. You make us so happy, sweet baby. I love watching you grow and seeing all of the amazing things you bring to our lives.

Uh oh...getting sleepy. Photo shoot over.

Happy Four Month Birthday!

Love,

Mom

Judy...

My 2nd graders were working on writing rhyming poems today. They were having a hard time at first and a couple of them tried to copy out of a book. I had to explain what plagiarism is and that it is actually illegal. One student said, "If we do that, will we get sent to Judy?"

I was thinking he meant Juvie, and then another student said something about Judge Judy. So now I'm not sure which one he meant, but either way, it was hilarious.

I love my job.

Ford Family...

It's no secret that Dave is a Ford man. Always has been, always will be.

And it's no secret that I'm a Ford girl. Some people may think that's just because Dave is a Ford man, but actually, my love for Ford goes way, way back to my childhood.

My dad has an old, old Ford pick-up truck. I don't what year it is, but it's from the 60s or 70s. It's not in great condition. In fact, it's a bit of a rust bucket. And the parts that aren't rusty are splattered with red and green paint. It's not a pretty truck by any means. I adored that truck as a child though. We lovingly called it the Christmas truck {because of the red and green}, and my dad would drive us around on all the back roads. We had a lot of fun in that old truck.

As a teenager, preparing to get my license and my first car, I desperately wanted a Ford Taurus. Yes, I was a big dreamer back then. ;)

I didn't get my Ford Taurus until my second car, but it was very used and in rough shape mechanically. I still loved it though. It was my first Ford.

1996 Ford Taurus - when we were selling it

My third car is the car I have now. A 2007 Ford Fusion. I love this car. Love, love, love. In the next year or two, we plan to get me a Ford Edge.

2007 Ford Fusion

So you see, I am not a Ford girl because of Dave. I have always been a Ford girl.

Even though Leland isn't old enough to have his own car, he's still representing the brand. He's the cutest spokesbaby I've ever seen.

Loves his Fords too...see that smile?

How we roll

Some People...

Today, my 2nd grade students were creating sentences using their spelling words. For the word "themselves," one student wrote, "Some people play with themselves."

 I'm pretty sure he meant BY themselves. Ha ha ha.

It took a whole lot to not burst out laughing. Cause I'm mature.

Relief...

This last week has been very stressful for me. Looking for daycares with infant openings that I would even consider sending my child has been difficult. Thankfully, the search is over. I called several daycares, but many did not have infant openings, and the ones that did, I wasn't entirely sure about.

Today, Dave and I went to visit Julie, who has a home daycare and her only clients are my co-workers' kids. Almost everyone at my school takes their kids to her: both principals, teachers, etc. and they all highly recommend her. Everyone just loves her, so I was excited that she had an infant opening.

Julie was so nice and I feel really good about sending my sweet babe to her. One really cool thing about her daycare is that some of the kids there are part-time, so she isn't really full. One day a week, she will only have Leland and one other child; three days a week, there will be 2-3 other children. On Fridays, she will have six kids, but some of them are older {GTA students} that will only be there in the afternoon. I feel like Leland will get a lot of attention and get snuggled just about as much as he wants.


Leland has two more weeks with Niki, and then he'll go to Julie for the last five weeks of school. He may go some this summer, depending on if/where I get a part-time job. But for now, I'm just glad we have the end of the school year covered.

Aw, crap...

When I found out my friend Niki was for sure going to be Leland's daycare provider, I was so excited. It was hard to imagine sending my baby off to someone I didn't know personally. When he first started daycare, it took some adjusting, but he did even better than I expected him to do. And every week, he just keeps doing better and better.

Today, after being sick and away from daycare last week, I was worried he would have a rough day. But he did awesome. Slept great, ate great, and was in a happy mood. My heart was so happy.

Was.

Niki gave me the unfortunate news today that she is closing her daycare as of May 4th. She was offered a job with some great benefits that she just couldn't turn down. I totally understand and am incredibly happy for her. But I am so sad that he won't be there anymore. Things were going so well, and I trust Niki.

We have a daycare in our neighborhood, and the woman is actually Dave's friend's mom. I called her tonight to see if she could take Leland, but she doesn't have any infant openings. Ugh.

I went online to the 4C (Child Care Connections) website and got a list of daycares in our area. The first person on the list is a woman who a lot of my co-workers take their kids to. So I called her, thinking there's probably no way she has any infant openings, but she does! I'm going to meet her on Friday afternoon and hopefully it will work out. Everyone I know loves her, so I'm sure it will be fine. And thankfully, we really only need her for about 5.5 weeks and then I'm on summer vacation.

I know it will all turn out okay, but I just need a day or two to be sad.

Can you guess what today is?

Yep, you guessed it. Sick day #4. Ugh...my poor babe.

He actually seems to be feeling a little better today, but is definitely not himself quite yet. Even though Dave isn't working today, I decided I might as well just take today off. Leland does better with me {sorry, Dave, but it's true} and what's the point of going in for one day before the weekend? Sure, I'll miss the pay, but it's not like my next paycheck will be stellar anyway.

I also have to miss out on the Mustang Madness Staff vs. Varsity basketball game tonight. I have played in the game the last two years and was excited to play this year {even though I haven't run in forever, and I would probably hurt the team more than help}, but my baby needs me.

Thankfully, my school was able to get the same substitute that did my maternity leave for Wednesday, Thursday, and today. So I know my students are in good hands and things will go smoothly. And I'll just have to start fresh on Monday. If he's not better by then {the doctors say it can be about 5-10 days, but the cough could stick around for 3 weeks}, then Dave can stay home because he is now officially laid off. Oh joy! It may only be a week, so it's not too bad. Except that if he's laid off for less than two weeks, he can't collect unemployment. Bummer.

Dave also went to the doctor yesterday and found out that he has an ear infection, so now both of my boys are sick.

Dave took this picture of us napping yesterday. {Note that my hair is wet from a shower...it's not greasy ;)}

Hoping after four days and the weekend, my baby will be back to normal. A sick baby is the saddest thing in the world.

Sick Day #3...

My poor boy seemed like he was feeling better this afternoon, but at around 8:00 tonight, he started to get really fussy and wouldn't eat at all. When he wouldn't nurse, I knew something was wrong. That boy will nurse all day long, whether he's hungry or not. I took his temperature and it was on the high side, so I called the on-call nurse and she said to take him to the Emergency Room.

Oh joy.

They did X-Rays and nose swabs and all kinds of stuff and finally concluded that my poor boy has RSV and was on the verge of dehydration. There is no treatment for RSV; you just have to let it run its course and keep him hydrated in the meantime. Hopefully it will be gone in the next few days.

They gave me some Pedialyte to give Leland inbetween feedings, but right now he's too tired to take it.

So I will be spending at least another day at home with him. Dave might be able to stay home on Friday. As much as I love spending time with my baby, I really wish it were under better circumstances. And I really wish I were getting paid for these days off and that my ER co-pay could be waived. Oh, the joys of finances and illnesses.

Sick Day #2...

When Leland woke up at 3:00am to nurse, it was the most awake I had seen him in the last 24 hours. He hadn't coughed in a while and he nursed so well. I thought Hurray! He's on the mend!

A little too soon for celebrations, I'm afraid. After he finished nursing, I sat back in the recliner so we could go back to sleep {we've been sleeping there so that he can be upright} and he started coughing. And coughing. And coughing. Until he threw up. Not just spit up, but major throw up.

My poor baby.

So even though my wonderful friend offered to help, I think my baby needs another day with mom. After I cleaned us both up and he went back to sleep, I started my lesson plans. Hopefully this day is all he will need to feel better.

Sick Day...

Today, Leland and I took our first sick day. He has a pretty nasty cold. At first, I thought he was just dealing with drainage from his tooth coming in, but after a few days of him getting worse, I knew it was cold.

He has a runny/stuffy nose and has been coughing (HARD) a lot. His cough breaks my heart. He also hasn't been able to eat as much at one time as usual. Yesterday, I took him to the doctor because I was worried about his cough and wanted them to listen to his lungs. They said it's all nasal congestion, and all we can do is use a humidifier and try to have him upright as much as possible. As for the eating, they said to just feed him more often to keep him from getting dehydrated.

He's trying to be happy. He smiles a little, but I can just tell he doesn't feel well. He slept most of the day today and seems to be feeling a little better. He's coughing less, and his nose isn't quite so stuffy and he's eating better, but I don't think he's quite ready for daycare tomorrow. I don't have any more days in my leave bank, so I really can't take too much time off {we just can't afford it}, but my wonderful friend, Casey, offered to take him for the day. I think one more day of rest is exactly what he needs.

Praying my sweet boy starts feeling better. I hate seeing him sick.

Leland's First Easter...

We started the day with a little photo shoot of Leland with his Easter basket. The Easter Bunny brought him some pretty great stuff.

He got a "My First Easter" teething bib {perfect, since he's teething now!}

A few new books...

 I had actually gotten him a different book, but it was too big to fit in his basket, so I put these in there instead.

A "froggy" bank...

A new polo shirt...

In a 6 month size, because he's already outgrowing his 3 months clothes.

And some socks...

And look! The Easter Bunny even left a little something for mom! Not Dad though. He doesn't like chocolate. More for me!

We went to my parents' house for Easter and had lots of yummy food {my favorite part about any holiday is the food} and enjoyed the day with family.

Whatchya Doin'?

Before I went back to work, one thing that I was a little nervous about was pumping at school. I was worried I wouldn't be able to do it enough during the day {I'm at school from about 7:45-4:30, so I was hoping to pump three times a day}. I was also a little nervous about my students asking me a bunch of questions like what the bag {my pump} was for and what was I doing in the bathroom for so long. I really didn't want to talk about anything having to do with my boobs with my students.

The first worry has not been an issue. My class has Spanish at 8:40, so I can pump then. And my school has a parapro come watch my class at lunch {12:00} so I can pump. And then I pump after the students leave for the day at around 4:00.

The second one hasn't been a big deal either, surprisingly. I decided that when students ask me questions, I will give them simple, straightforward answers, just enough to answer their questions. And if the questions get a little too in-depth, I will tell their parents and they can have that discussion at home.

When I come back to my classroom after Spanish, I put the milk in my mini-fridge. A few students have asked what it is for and I just simply say, "It's milk for Leland." They have wondered why I have it at school, and I explain that he needs it for daycare. Simple enough answer.

One student asked me what is in my bag and I told her it's stuff for Leland's milk. She asked what kind of stuff, so I showed her bottles and the little cooler. That was enough of an answer for her.

One student asked me where I go during lunch everyday. I said, "I have to get Leland's milk." And she said, "Do you have to leave the school to get it?" I said no, and that was all she needed.

So far, it hasn't been too difficult to answer their questions. Most just see me leave and all they really care about is that I'm coming back in 15 minutes. Hopefully it stays this easy.

Spring Break Recap...

I had a wonderful spring break with my sweet babe this year. And now, almost a week later, I am posting about it.

On Monday, I ran some errands. I wanted to get them done and over with so I could enjoy the rest of my break. Besides the errands, I just snuggled with Leland and worked on his scrapbook.

On Tuesday, I went to my friend Corinn's house and we just hung out. She made me lunch, and I brought some brownies. We don't get to see each other too often, as she's busy with her two boys and little bun in the oven, and I'm busy with my little one. But we try to get together during school breaks {she's a teacher too}. I like that we're both pretty laid back, and don't feel like we have to go anywhere.

On Wednesday, I met two of my sisters, my mom, and my grandma for lunch at Applebee's. After lunch, we went to the mall to shop a little and meet the Easter Bunny. I was searching for an Easter outfit for Leland, but didn't find anything that day.

My sister, Jan, with Leland and niece Ella.

On Thursday, Leland and I headed to Charlevoix {about 1.5 hour drive north} to visit my other grandma. My mom and niece rode up with me, and my sister and her son met us up there. Leland did good with the drive; it's the longest he's ever ridden in the car. And my grandma just loved meeting him.

Grandma Linda with some of her great grandkids. Natalie, Rafe, and Leland.

On Friday, I searched for some Easter basket stuff and an Easter outfit for Leland. It's ridiculous that no one has polo shirts in 3 month size, but I did find a couple at Kohl's. I also got his basket and everything I needed to fill it up. After that, I went to Outback to get some lunch to go for my Grandma Josie and I.

Leland loves Grandma Josie. But...who doesn't?

On Saturday, we went to my nephew Rafe's third birthday party. More visiting with family.

It was a family-filled spring break. Even though we were out doing something every day, it felt very relaxed and nice to spend time with those I care about. My only complaint is that I wish we would have had our warm weather back that we had a couple of weeks ago so that we could take some walks around the neighborhood.

One down, three to go...

I know I've mentioned before that four women in my family were expecting babies in 2012.

I went first, actually having mine in 2011. Melinda will be next any day now! Then Colleen in June and Candace in August.

Yesterday was my nephew Rafe's birthday party, so we decided to get a picture of the four of us. So here we are, all lined up in order.

Not fair that you can barely see Colleen's bump in this picture {it's there and it's big, but it's all in front} and Candace barely looks pregnant, so they both look thinner than me.

Looks like we'll have to take another one at Easter, after Baby Girl Johnson makes her debut.

Here's another one with the kids.

Rafe didn't join in the picture, so Leland is representing the boys. Melinda and Candace are both having girls and we don't know what Colleen is having.