August 16 - Week 18 - Back to work

We survived this week and therefore, I would call it a success. This Monday was mom's first day back at work and it turned both our worlds upside down. I think it was a very good thing that we did a few 'introduction days' with Monica and Talia last week because it helped make the transition a little easier this week. We started the nanny share at my house which was also nice. Monica got to our house around 7:45am on Monday and mom had just finished feeding me. I was still pretty tired so I ended up going back to sleep which made it easier for mom to get out the door in the morning. Her first day back at work wasn't so bad. The first few hours flew by as she caught up with old friends but by lunchtime she was ready to get back home to me. She managed to make it until 4:30 at work before taking off and boy did I give her a big smile when she walked through the door on Monday night. It was strange because I was so happy to see her but all my smiles did was make mom cry. Mom was so happy to hear that the only time I cried on Monday was when Talia woke me up from my nap. She had left the hairdryer out for Monica in case I got fussy but she didn't need to use it at all.

Tuesday was probably the worst day all week because I was awake and wanting to play when mom was suppose to leave for work. Dad finally had to drag her out the door at 8:30am...but at least I was in a good mood and not crying. It is so hard going from having the entire day together to only having 3 hours between when mom gets home from work and when I go to bed. Monica said Talia and I were good enough that we got to go out for our first walk together on Tuesday. By Wednesday, Monica said both Talia and I had our routines down and it was such a nice day that she took us on a long walk all the way to the Lincoln Park zoo.

I've been doing much better reaching for things this week. I have no problems grabbing my toys when I'm sitting up in my bird chair and have even been able to pull the rattles to make the music play a few times.

I am also getting better about reaching for things while I'm laying down but I'm not quite as good at that yet. Ever since I've been able to grasp items with my hands, I've been putting things in my mouth but now, there isn't anything I wont eat! I was taking a nap while we were out on a walk and when mom checked on me under the sun-shade, I even had put my bib in my mouth before falling asleep. Mom and dad are hoping I'm not getting any early teeth.

This is our only free weekend for the next 2 months so we took advantage to catch up with some friends/family. We went over to Mindy, Scott and Riley's for dinner on Friday, had brunch with Beth and her friend Kendall on Saturday and had lunch with our friends Beez and Christine on Sunday afternoon. The rest of the weekend we just spent time playing together as a family. My legs have gotten so strong that at certain times, I'm able hold all of my own body weight. My balance isn't quite there yet but every once in awhile, if I'm positioned just right, I'm able to stand a second or two without any help from mom or dad.

We've also started working on my sitting up skills. Once again, balance is my biggest issue but there are moments when I sure do look like a big girl!