A Hard Week...
Well, I officially feel like a slacker, so I decided I had best update the blog here. I am sorry it hasn't been sooner. I didn't think it had gone this long!
Tori spends a good deal of time awake during the day so we play, watch TV, do laundry, etc. It's one of the reasons I haven't updated this. By the time I get to the evening and dad takes over, I'm tired and I feel it's too late to do it. I also make the evening meal around here so I definitely don't want to delay on that - it's important to eat to stay healthy.
Speaking of healthy... both Josh and I got the dreaded sinus infection. I lost my voice for almost a week because of it. Even though the antibiotics have taken effect, I still have some rough mornings where I sound awful. And I still cough. It delayed my going back to work by a week too because I had no voice and was in bad shape. Healing now seems to take twice as long as it ever did. We figure that some sort of nasty cold caused the sinus infections. Tori came down with just the cold. I took her to Dr. Kumar the other day and he said that her ears were fine and her lungs were ok too. Her sinuses on the other hand were simply just overly congested and needed to be washed. So before I feed Tori, a few times a day, I drop saline up her nose and suck it back out a little later. If ever I've made her angry at me, that would be it. I've put stuff in her eyes and made her cry less. Seriously ... I get real tears when I do this wash and suck thing I'm forced to do. I don't want her sinuses to get infected, and this will prevent it. It should also prevent ear infections because of the congestion, so I am really hoping it works, no matter how mad it makes her.
Tori is still growing. She gets bigger and bigger all the time. The doctor's office didn't feel the need to weigh her when she was in, and besides, she goes in on the 10th for her two month visit and vaccinations. I can tell when she grows because I pick her up and overnight she weighs more. She's outgrowing her clothes pretty quickly too. It's scary! There are some things that are 0-3 month clothing that simply don't fit. Others are close to not fitting. Still, a few others were cut large enough where they will fit for a little while longer. Thank heavens!
She's really long it seems. And she's got the biggest ribcage and the smallest butt. It's the strangest proportions. But she's cute! She looks fantastic in everything she wears and people comment on how pretty she is all the time. And it's not just family. It's strangers in the store. So I'm pretty partial to her. I can really see her dad in her sometimes with the way she looks or a face she makes. It's very cool.
Speaking of which, she adores her father. Daddy is the best, or so it seems. She stares at him in awe and wonder, which is very cool. By the time he walks in, she calms down and gets settled in for daddy time and cuddles. And Josh adores her, so the cycle is complete. I can't complain. It's what I wanted. She's in love with mommy too. Mommy is the security blanket of the world. Josh has had to peel her off of me lately. She's sick and tends to have been clingy the sicker she gets. She won't sleep by herself in either her bassinnette or her crib. And when she does it's not for long periods of time.
She's on the downhill side of the cold, luckily. I've been able to catch some sleep that isn't on the couch with her draped over me. It's nice to be loved and needed. And trust me, I'm loved and needed. I'm just glad she's less fussy. It's awful when there's nothing you can do to make her comfortable or happy. So hopefully she'll be over the cold soon.
Ma-maw and the aunties came out to visit over the President's Day holiday weekend. It was nice to have them all out. They whisked Tori away so Josh and I could finally experience two amazing things: sleep and time together. I guess all of the aunties have given Tori her first lesson in going shopping at the mall. Say it with me everyone ... Saaaaaale ... cleeeeeeearance.
Bea and Ma-maw got to have fun too. As sisters they don't get together often but the baby seems to bring them together more now than ever. The aunties all had a blast. Nettie had to leave early (again) which was sad, but we were glad she made it. We told her she should come out over spring break, so we'll see.
So thank you to all of the aunties and to Ma-maw for everything, and for coming to see us and Tori! We love you, we miss you, and we can't wait until we can see you all again!!! Big hugs!
I've gotten to talk to Chris and Josh, my younger brothers. Seems that life does take its twists and turns. Chris is doing well, Josh not so much. But I know that life will change for Josh when he's ready for it. Chris is still working in Summit County, and he's been at his job a while from what I remember, so that's awesome. I know that Josh will find work soon.
Speaking of which ... I'm supposed to go to work this week. Shon hasn't called yet. I left a note when I went in on Monday and thought I'd hear from him on Tuesday. But I didn't. It's now Wednesday so I called. He was in for some catering earlier but didn't call. He is supposed to be back for something this afternoon around 4 my time so I hope to catch him then. I need to begin working again. I'm looking around for a job with more steady pay. There is a temp agency in town that seems to have some good jobs posted that are in the late afternoon/evening that I could do, so I need to find my resume and polish it.
I'm worried about working too. I like being a mom but our budget doesn't like it. So I'm hoping that work goes good and that I get a great schedule. Not too many hours but not too few. So wish me good tips, because we need them! Josh's mom told me that I can call her and cry after my first day back to work. I might have to take her up on that one.
Josh went to his physical not long ago. The outcome was more blood tests and a sleep study. He has horrible apnea. He literally wakes up something like 80 times an hour. His doctor asked him how he functions. I guess that explains the Mountain Dew "addiction." He gets his CPAP machine on Friday so maybe now he'll finally begin to feel better. I guess when they put it on him during the study it reduced his waking to .7 times an hour. Less than once an hour! Yay!
However, his blood sugar was mildly high so for the next month we are altering his diet, getting him excersized, and he has to get a glucometer to check it a couple times a day. He's given up Mountain Dew, but we've gotten him Crystal Light lemonade instead, so he feels pretty good still. I made cookies with the Splenda baking mix. The texture of them are a bit odd, but I think it's because I didn't have large eggs so I used three medium eggs instead of two large. They are almost like blondies ... so I need to figure out how to make butterscotch blondies with the splenda next time. We're eating lighter too and we've got the fruit and vegetables to prove it! I think he'll get this under control very shortly and things will be fine. If there's one thing I've learned it's that diet is not the word Die with a T at the end. So we have compromises. No white bread, but we'll still have fruit and cookies with splenda. No mountain dew, but we can have sugar-free koolaid or crystal light. So it's not all bad.
I guess it feels like a hard week because of Tori being sick and me going back to work. I feel like I might miss out on things ... her smiling or walking. But I know somehow I'll still get the best moments of her in the end. I caught her first smiles, so I know I won't be left out. And work for me won't be full time or too much or any of that. So I guess I can't complain.
Other than being sick, Tori is doing great. She is beginning to babble more on a daily basis. She talks most often when you change her or she's in her swing. She likes to coo and drool. She's got a great smile - the best on earth! Nice and big and pink and full of gums! When she smiles her eyes draw up like mine do. It's fun to see me in my child too. And so she tells me all about the world through smiles and babbling while we make sure her shorts are clean and she is fresh as spring rain. She also has amazingly long lashes. I am sure they are for batting at her daddy. Her sleep is getting better. It was off because of her being sick but I think she'll adjust back into a good pattern once this cold is over and done with. We've gotten out a few times this week for long shopping excursions and I think we will walk later today around the neighborhood once daddy gets home. It's too nice a day to not walk.
So that's the latest from here, I think. We'll see you all soon and we love you all. I'll post more soon too, including pictures. I hope the ones I sent have gotten to everyone. Take care!
