Bad Parenting Admission

"I like this!"

OK, I admit it, I broke down tonight and specifically put TV on for Kyle for the first time in his short life. I didn't want to do it, but I was feeling desperate for some respite. I think Kyle may be coming down with the same virus both Kiersta and I have had this past week. So much crying on Kyle's part, near tears on mine, lots of sleep on his part, too. His skin also felt warm off and on throughout the day though maybe that was due to the weather or all of the crying.

"If you're happy and you like it..."

Anyway, 9:00 and I still haven't eaten dinner, I'm hungry, finally!, and feeling frustrated because every time I put Kyle down he starts screaming. What's a poor mom to do? So, yes, I broke down and popped in the Baby Mozart DVD and...IT WORKED!!!! A little too well. So much talking and kicking of legs and grins and squeals of happiness. It made me so happy, in a sad kind of way (because he likes the TV so much and he's not even 4 months old yet), to see him so happy. I don't have any kind of belief that watching Baby Mozart will make Kyle smarter but for tonight I'll take the 30 minutes of relief it provides me.

"This is so exciting!"

I think we both will cry a little when it is over.

Changes in Latitude, Changes in Attitude

Last week I got my wish of going back to work full time. My change in work schedule meant changes in the rest of the family's schedule too. Brian started working from home 3 days a week. Kyle started going to daycare on the two days Brian had to go into work. Kiersta would be picked up from school by a neighbor twice a week. So much to juggle!

Last week started off smoothly enough. I went to work on Monday morning full of good spirits, so happy to be back. With the half-time schedule, I had had little to no prep time, so I stayed at work until the early evening planning and prepping for the next two weeks.

Tuesday also went well, though I did have to leave quickly after work for a doctor's appointment. Wednesday, Kiersta woke up early and complained about her stomach hurting. Next thing I know, she has thrown up in my bed and on my arm (which didn't even phase me after being spit up on so much by Kyle). No school for Kiersta. Brian opted to stay home with her even though it was one of his actual work days. I went to work but rushed home afterward to take over. Kiersta was still sick on Thursday, but since it was Back to School Night I had to go to work. Friday was my day to stay home with Kiersta. Kyle still went to daycare on Friday, but I had forgotten the breast pump at work so my boobs were incredibly full and sore by the time I picked him up in the late afternoon. Luckily by this point, Kiersta was feeling better so we went to her school for a kindergarten information event, a school picnic, and an author presentation.

Saturday was a great day!!!! Everyone was healthy, we went out to breakfast (my favorite meal to eat out), looked at paint samples for Kyle's room, relaxed, played, walked to Baskin-Robbins after dinner for ice cream, rented movies on the way home, and I actually hung out with Brian after we got the kids down for bed.

Then, KABLAMO!!!! Things took a turn for the worse. I got sick. Whatever the virus was that Kiersta had, I got. However, her fever never got past 100 degrees, mine was at 102.3. I couldn't keep any food down, not that I wanted to eat.

I'm on day 3 of being sick and feeling a ton better now. My fever hasn't gone above 99.3 today. I still don't have much of an appetite, but I'm beginning to feel a little bit hungry. The worst part is that I've had 3 different subs for the 3 days I've been out. I tried to go into work this morning before school started to prep for the sub, but the custodian never showed up and the school was locked. After waiting around for 30 minutes, I gave up and went home and crawled back into bed. I'm hoping that I really am getting healthier and that it is not just the Advil talking.

I hope I can go to work tomorrow, but I'm worried about what I'll be faced with when I walk in my classroom door (especially knowing I can't stay late since Kiersta has gymnastics tomorrow). I'm hoping that these new schedules will work out for our family, but this apparently was not the right week to test everything out.

Not wanting to end on a down note, here's a recent picture of Kyle just after a bath. I LOVE how his hair gets all sticky-uppy on top. :)

It's a Spitty World

My clothes, his clothes, everything is constantly soaked due to the overwhelming amount of drool this boy produces. This video doesn't do complete justice but Kyle is pretty darn cute.

Shocked the heck out of me!!!

I've been thinking about writing this post for a little over a week now, had a title picked out and everything. Today I am finally finding the time to sit down and write a little and I can not remember for the life of me what that title was going to be. I know it started with a "D" and is a verb or an adjective. Dependable? Diabolical? Dismayed? Nope, none of those, but I know it has something to do with the topic. Ahhh! It's right on the tip of my tongue. Pregnancy brain is making my life difficult, or perhaps I'm just distracted by the lights and sounds of MarioKart being played by Kiersta?

Anyway, I've been teaching full-time since 1997. In all that time I've always thought that teaching is not what I want to do for the rest of my life, but since I can't think of anything else that I'd rather do, I continue to work in the classroom. I don't mind teaching and I think I do a good job, but I don't necessarily feel like it is my "life calling."

Towards the end of the last school year, before Kyle was born, I had to make a decision about what I was going to do about taking a leave at the beginning of the school year. I am a bit of a control freak and decided that I didn't want to take full-time leave for a month, instead I decided to work half-time, mornings only, with a sub in the afternoon. I do all of the planning and the majority of the prep (in other words, I still have some control), I'm not a stranger to my students, I'll still have sick days when I return full-time to the classroom, and I still get to spend lots of time with the baby. Really, it seemed like the perfect solution. So, imagine my surprise when I found myself struggling to leave, day after day, at the right time to go home because I wanted to be in the classroom with my students. As the title says, it shocked the heck out of me! I truly did not expect this reaction. I thought I would be ecstatic to be able to spend so much extra time at home, but I'm not. Now I'm hoping that my sub will be offered a teaching position of her own and that I can then come back full-time!

Enjoying a drink on my birthday last month

As I wrote this, I finally remembered the word I was searching for, "dedicated." I didn't know I had it in me. Then again, maybe the better word would be "certifiable." :)