A big change

So I got a call yesterday that I have been dying to receive but somehow when it actually occured yesterday it made me instantly sick to my stomach. This may be long so please feel free to skip it - I think this is more for me.

We started looking for daycare last May or June which was apparently way too late - you should basically sign up right after your pregnancy test says positive around here. We went with Bright Horizons which is a chain in the area that is very good but it is also very expensive. I would love to use something less expensive but I didn't want to send Mur just anywhere and I don't know anyone else that uses daycare that lives close so I went with this because I felt like he would be safe there and I wouldn't be thinking what could be going wrong when I was at work. We went to look at one place, the one we wanted both because I knew people that had been there, it is very convenient to home and it was the cheapest, and they basically told us that there most likely wouldn't be an opening in the October/November timeframe. So we signed up there and were put on a waiting list at two other centers which were very close to Andy's work but of course more expensive. About 5 weeks into my maternity leave I started to interview nannies because it looked like daycare just wasn't going to happen. I found one nanny that I loved but she wasn't ready to commit right then and I didn't like the other people as much. Luckily within a day or so of this Bright Horizons called saying that had an opening - at the most expensive one - of course that was my luck. So we took it right away because it was nice, the people were nice, they were reliable, and I needed to take Mur somewhere because going back to work was quickly approaching.

So fast forward a few months - we have gotten used to the cost and we absolutely love it there. Love the center, love the director, and really love Mur's teacher. We get a call from another Bright Horizons - there is an opening. It was just a little bit cheaper so we decided to stay put. And I thought to myself why couldn't it have been the other place! Well yesterday it was the other place. They called and they have an opening starting in March. So for months I have been waiting for this phone call and now that it has come I don't know what to do. In the end we decided to make the change because it is a lot cheaper and because I know other people who go there and they love it. I am not really sure why this is so stressful for me - I just love the teacher at Kendall and I know Mur loves her and I am just worried he won't be as happy or receive the same level of care. But at the same time is he really going to know exactly what is happening - people keep telling me that he will be fine, he is only 6 months, and I know that is probably true but it is still causing a knot in my stomach. I am sure after a week or so there I will look back and think why did I stress so much about that?!!!

Thank you for listening. Sometimes if I can just write something down the problem works it way out because I see how stupid I am being. I still have a knot but I know I am making the right decision. I will let you know how it goes.

I think we are over the hump

I think we are finally fever free! Mur had his last dose of Motrin on Saturday while we were getting our taxes done and he hasn't felt warm since. I think the fever is finally gone so he is going back to day care today. He has another cold though which is making him cranky and I think I woke up with the same cold this morning. With Andy leaving very early tomorrow morning and not getting home until Friday it could be a long week with single mom duty and another cold.

Hopefully this one isn't too bad and doesn't last too long. I think I will get out the Neety Pot to clean my nose out. I am struggling with cold medication since becoming pregnany and having Mur. Previous to Murdoch I would have taken any and everything to make myself feel better - that would include over the counter medication only just in case you are thinking something else. I could barely take anything while I was pregnany which was miserable and now that I am breast feeding if I take anything it dries my right up and that affects Murdoch food supply. So I am trying a more natural approach. In fact I am making an effort to get more natural foods and be more environmentally aware in general. I don't think that I am ready to become a vegetarian anytime soon but I am trying to get organic fruits and vegetables, make Mur's food (at least for now when the menu is so small), and I am going to try out some diapers that are supposed to be better for the environment. I feel like as a parent I am doing this for Murdoch so it seems worth it. So every once in awhile I may post a little note about a new product that I have tried that is a little better for the environment. So far I love the Method cleaning products - I love the smell and they are supposed to be good for the environment and they are priced well and available at Target. I will give the diaper review as soon as they are delivered this week. Just don't tell Andy about this - he would probably say that the diapers suck and that they are expensive - in fact they are only a few cents more a diaper which isn't too bad.

Okay I will sign off before I write too much about this subject. Posts with fun videos going soon!

Yesterday it was a tooth, today it is a fever :(

Daycare called yesterday because Murdoch had a 101 fever which was taken under his arm so we figured it would be around 102 with the 'proper' way of taking a temp that I won't go into right now. Andy was able to pick him up. He was fine - flushed and a little out of it but not upset or cranky. Andy took his temp and it was 102, called the pediatrician and they said as long as he isn't showing any other symptoms he should be fine with a little Tylenol. So Mur got some Tylenol and a little love and then off to bed. He didn't finish his whole bottle this morning when I fed him so hopefully that isn't a symptom of something more than a fever. Andy is going to stay home today and keep an eye on him. Hopefully the fever goes away today. He is a troooper though - no major complaints from him, unless you can't get that bottle warmed up fast enough!

Nothing else new here except getting ready for our tax appointment on Saturday - oh so exciting! So we started to get everything organized last night and now we need to find everything that is missing. I think tonight will be a night of adding up our rental expenses in spreadsheets so it will probably also involve a glass of wine.

Enjoy the day. Hopefully the next post is just a cute picture or video for no reason and no talk of fevers.

Houston we have a tooth...

...and some tears, screaming, crying, and no napping unless you hold me and whisper in my ear that I am going to survive this horrible time when weird white things are breaking through my perfect pink gums! Oh and by the way I need to you be up walking or rocking me this whole time or it just isn't going to work.

That is right - after months of waiting for that tooth to poke through I noticed it yesterday. And to our surprise it wasn't on the top it was on the bottom. The top is still much harder than the bottom and there are little uneven grooves on the top that are the size of teeth but still no teeth there.

Mur had his first dose of children's Tylenol yesterday and I think that helped. Most of the time he is still very happy - just a little cranky when he needs to go down - not sure if it is the tooth or we just aren't seeing the tired signals early enough so he is then too tired to sleep.

So far we are weathering the first tooth pretty well - at least in my opinion. We spent a little bit of time rocking around midnight but besides that it was a pretty good night. Hopefully this continues with the addition of each new tooth. I have gotten used to him sleeping through the night for the most part - I really don't want to go back to waking up every 2-3 hours. I know I will have to do it from time to time but I don't want to do that full-time for weeks - it is brutal!

My favorite new toy

So as you can tell from the last couple of posts I have gotten all of the videos downloads to my laptop and then on dropshots so I can post from work. Aimee and Kevin let us borrow Brady's exersaucer and Murdoch loves it. It allows him to stand without help and he can spin around and play with the different toys. We still need to get batteries so he can have all of the bells and whistles but it has already been a month and still not batteries for the poor kid. He seems pretty happy without the extras though.

On a sidenote Andy and I went out for the first time by ourselves last night! Wayne and Courtney gave us tickets to the Celtics game and offered to babysit Mur! It was great. We went to a bar for dinner and a couple drinks. I had the most alcohol in one sitting - two whole beers! And I was probably kind of drunk - not too much drinking for me in the past 1.5 years or so. When we went into the bar I realized that I couldn't even remember the last time I had entered a bar. It was cold and rainy/snowy. I forgot that warm and humid feeling when you enter a bar in the winter - I really miss that. I told Andy that I would like to go to a bar around 2 PM on a Saturday every once in awhile just to experience that again - I don't want it to only happen every 6 months or so. So we had dinner, we were able to sit there and talk and enjoy the beer without thinking about will he wake up, what time is it, how much longer until we need to feed him, etc. It was bizzare to have no restraints time wise. The game was fun - I was fading in the 4th quarter so we left a little early - it is very hard for me to stay awake past 9:30/10 especially when I have to work the next day. But it was still fun. It wasn't like old times because I don't know that it will ever be like that but it was still nice. Enjoy the video and Happy Valentine's Day!

5 Months Take II

This is another 5 month video about 5 minutes after the first one. I think this one is a little longer but he rolls all the way over so I wanted to post it. There is a lot of movement in this one - Deucey really wanted to be involved especially when both of us were on the floor.

Murdoch is loving his tummy time. He pushes up on his hands/arms and gives you this big smile - especially in the morning. It makes it a little easier on the weekend to go in and get him when you don't want to get out of bed when he gives you a big smile and is so excited to see you. We have a 3-day weekend coming up and I am really looking forward to that. One for the extra time off so hopefully we can get a little more rest and also because I will get to see him for three days. I feel like I barely see him now that he is going to bed so early. I see him in the early AM to feed and change him and then I only see him for about 1.5 hours before he goes to bed. He is such a joy to be with so I want to have as much time as I can, I know it won't last forever, pretty soon he will be asking me to drop him off around the corner because I am embarrassing him.

5 Months!

I am catching up on some posts! Here is Murdoch's 5 month video. It took me about 6 takes to get this one. It is a little long but he is rolling over so please be patient. I have another video I will post shortly of basically the same thing. This guy is getting big! This month we started sweet potatoes and he loves them! If only his love for veggies would last forever. I am thinking that it won't so I will just enjoy this time when he gets upset if I can get the next spoonful in fast enough! Two little cubes of sweet potatoes a day and hopefully that will keep the doctor away! Enjoy the video. More to come!