Updatey stuff
I haven't posted in awhile, and I don't know if anyone actually READS my blog anymore, but what the heck. I haven't had a whole lot of extra time lately, what with a new baby, Nathan's behavior issues, looking for a job, various family visiting and the obvious lack of sleep. But here's a synopsis:
Paul: Still working at Ethan Allen, and, for the most part, still liking it. He's gaming with a few friends every other weekend, and although D&D is not exactly his game of choice, I think he really likes being able to do SOME gaming. He's trying to convince them to try Mouseguard at some point, with limited success.
Me: Exhausted. Overjoyed. Stressed. And still unemployed (grrr). I've been trying to look for a new job, but it's so hard to find the time to look on line and get all the various paperwork done to apply. I'm looking for almost anything, because there's nothing in my field in this area. And we can't afford to move. At this point, we can't even afford ink cartridges and resume paper/stamps. I'm enjoying being a SAHM, but I also know that the longer I stay out of work, the worse off we'll be. I'm still not sure about receiving unemployment, because I received a letter from the Dept of Labor last week saying that my employer indicated that I may have quit my job, so I wouldn't be eligible. I filled out the required paperwork and faxed it back, and I'll call today to see what's going on. I'm also finding myself having to nag my former employer about adding Xander to my "old" health insurance, which was never done when he was born, so that we'll have coverage for him for August for the follow up visits and circ.
Nathan: He'll be 5 in December, and missed the cutoff for Kdg by 7 days. 1 lousy week. Academically, he is absolutely ready for Kdg, but we'll have to settle for the pre-K program he's in now. In some ways, I think he's bored in the program he's in now, but he still seems to enjoy some of it. I am constantly amazed at his reading abilities - his fave "fun place" to go is the local Barnes & Noble and play with the Thomas trains and read books. He'll pick up books off the shelves and just start reading them. His behavior of late has been lousy, however. I don't think it's solely because of the baby, because he was having "listening problems" before I was pregnant. I've talked to many parents and know that it's a phase, but that doesn't really make it any easier to deal with.
Xander: He's 8 weeks old today and he's an absolute joy. He sleeps through the night on and off, and when he doesn't, usually only wakes up to eat once during the night. I'm not sure how much he weighs now - his 2 month check up is next week. He certainly is looking much more like an infant rather than the scrunched up "newborn" look. He had to have a sweat test to rule out Cystic Fibrosis because he "failed" his newborn screen, but I'm happy to say that the test was perfectly normal. He's eating well, and if I can toot my own horn a little, is fed exclusively at the breast or with a bottle of pumped milk. After the very disappointing experience with Nathan (he nursed for just about a week and was fed formula and pumped milk for 4 weeks before my supply decreased enough that it wasn't worth pumping anymore.) It is so rewarding to have worked through the difficult first few days and to have enough milk to satisfy him - it's the way I had hoped things would be before I had the surgery, and the way I didn't dare to dream they could be after the surgery. I also had a couple of great lactation consultants in the hospital who were so supportive and didn't dismiss me as soon as they found out I'd had a reduction. That support (as well as Paul's) has made a huge difference. I love that I'm able to feed him anywhere he gets hungry and he's actually full and satisfied afterward.
Well, that's about the it. I'll try to update again after Xander's 2 month appointment on Monday.
Paul: Still working at Ethan Allen, and, for the most part, still liking it. He's gaming with a few friends every other weekend, and although D&D is not exactly his game of choice, I think he really likes being able to do SOME gaming. He's trying to convince them to try Mouseguard at some point, with limited success.
Me: Exhausted. Overjoyed. Stressed. And still unemployed (grrr). I've been trying to look for a new job, but it's so hard to find the time to look on line and get all the various paperwork done to apply. I'm looking for almost anything, because there's nothing in my field in this area. And we can't afford to move. At this point, we can't even afford ink cartridges and resume paper/stamps. I'm enjoying being a SAHM, but I also know that the longer I stay out of work, the worse off we'll be. I'm still not sure about receiving unemployment, because I received a letter from the Dept of Labor last week saying that my employer indicated that I may have quit my job, so I wouldn't be eligible. I filled out the required paperwork and faxed it back, and I'll call today to see what's going on. I'm also finding myself having to nag my former employer about adding Xander to my "old" health insurance, which was never done when he was born, so that we'll have coverage for him for August for the follow up visits and circ.
Nathan: He'll be 5 in December, and missed the cutoff for Kdg by 7 days. 1 lousy week. Academically, he is absolutely ready for Kdg, but we'll have to settle for the pre-K program he's in now. In some ways, I think he's bored in the program he's in now, but he still seems to enjoy some of it. I am constantly amazed at his reading abilities - his fave "fun place" to go is the local Barnes & Noble and play with the Thomas trains and read books. He'll pick up books off the shelves and just start reading them. His behavior of late has been lousy, however. I don't think it's solely because of the baby, because he was having "listening problems" before I was pregnant. I've talked to many parents and know that it's a phase, but that doesn't really make it any easier to deal with.
Xander: He's 8 weeks old today and he's an absolute joy. He sleeps through the night on and off, and when he doesn't, usually only wakes up to eat once during the night. I'm not sure how much he weighs now - his 2 month check up is next week. He certainly is looking much more like an infant rather than the scrunched up "newborn" look. He had to have a sweat test to rule out Cystic Fibrosis because he "failed" his newborn screen, but I'm happy to say that the test was perfectly normal. He's eating well, and if I can toot my own horn a little, is fed exclusively at the breast or with a bottle of pumped milk. After the very disappointing experience with Nathan (he nursed for just about a week and was fed formula and pumped milk for 4 weeks before my supply decreased enough that it wasn't worth pumping anymore.) It is so rewarding to have worked through the difficult first few days and to have enough milk to satisfy him - it's the way I had hoped things would be before I had the surgery, and the way I didn't dare to dream they could be after the surgery. I also had a couple of great lactation consultants in the hospital who were so supportive and didn't dismiss me as soon as they found out I'd had a reduction. That support (as well as Paul's) has made a huge difference. I love that I'm able to feed him anywhere he gets hungry and he's actually full and satisfied afterward.
Well, that's about the it. I'll try to update again after Xander's 2 month appointment on Monday.