First Day of School!

Baby J had his first day of school!  Really, it was day care but he had a blast!  Look at that face above.  His teacher was holding him and I just had to snap a photo before I left.  Look at the fleece vest.  Baby clothes are so cute!  There were overalls under this vest.  But when I picked him up, he was in a different outfit.  There was a minor explosion.  Way to inaugurate the day care staff to your baby tending needs, Baby J!

I did good and only called once!  I called at lunchtime and of course, he was doing just great!  He did tummy time, sang songs in circle group, and they talked about favorite colors.  This cracks me up.  As long as he had fun!  He slept for about an hour and a half total there and did full feedings.  The little guy was wiped out. He went down at 8:30 and slept straight through until 6:30.  This is typical.  What is not typical is the no waking up making noises.  Usually he does this once or twice.  I didn't hear a squeak out of him all night.  This was very good.

He is the first one there in the mornings so they did his first feeding so I could just change him and get out the door in the morning.  He gets some great one on one time which I'm happy about.  It makes me sad though he is the last one to be picked up at the end of the day. :(

So day one was a success!  I know it will just get better.

He's also representin' Mama's work.  Boo yeah.

Date Night!

M and I had our first date night since the little guy was born.  It was also our seven year wedding anniversary and it was glorious.  It was so nice to get out, have a glass of wine, and have a nice relaxing dinner that someone else cooked and cleaned up.  I wore a dress and heels even!  M's mom (Nana) came over and looked after Jackson for us.  She fed him and put him to bed even so all we had to do when we got home was get ourselves into bed.   It was wonderful.

We went to one of our favorite places - Cafe Escadrille.  We had reservations for The Gourmet Room and it is always an excellent dining experience.  We have gone to the regular restaurant portion but prefer the atmosphere in this dining room.  There is exceptional, attentive service and the food has never disappointed.  They have some old school dining ideas like preparing salads, some entrees and desserts tableside.  You can watch your food being prepared.  The waitstaff prepares these items and there is even sorbet between appetizers and entree to cleanse your palette. 

Disclaimer: Photos taken with my phone.

Here is what we got:

Rhode Island Style Calamari.  Delicious.

M got a bowl of clam chowder.  One of the best clam chowders.  Ever.

The aforementioned sorbet.  It was lemon.

My entree was a pound of Baked Alaskan King Crab Legs with drawn butter.  A.M.A.Z.I.N.G.  There was not a bite left.

M got the Veal Oscar.  This entree was prepared tableside.  Our server seered the medallions, made the sauce, and put together the entire dish with lobster tail and asparagus.  She cooked the veal to perfection.

Tableside preparation

After this meal, we were stuffed but still wanted dessert.  We got it to go.  M got the Pumpkin Cheesecake and I got the special of a trio of Mini Whoopie Pies.  There was traditional, red velvet, and pumpkin.  The pumpkin was the best.  The others were a little dry to be honest.  The cheesecake was delicious, however.  Sorry, no photo.  We ate these on the couch, in our jammies, when we got home.

And now, I go back to work tomorrow.  It was such a wonderful, amazing summer with my newborn son.

Almost Over

This is the beginning of the last week of my maternity leave.  I am sad but am also looking forward to it.  These weeks have been wonderful and also difficult.  I wrote of the hard times I experienced but they were also weeks of wonderful bonding with my son.  I am going to take this last week and grab hold of everything I can and to take him all in.  And next Tuesday, I am going to look forward to going back to work.

The first five weeks or so seemed like they were never going to be over.  I wanted to rush through them.  They were difficult for many reasons.  All of a sudden, all twelve weeks are almost over.  I look back and remember just how little he was.  He has grown and developed so much and it was amazing to spend this time with him.  There were so many fun times but honestly, some days were boring.

I do not think I could be a stay at home mom.  Once, I thought I could.  Now, I think I need the outlet.  I need my job.  It is something I am confident in and know how to do.  Those first few weeks with my son, I was not confident and had no idea what I was doing.  Some days, I still don't.  At work, I know what needs to be done.

I need a chance to miss my son.  We both need the time away.  I love spending my time with him but when you do tummy time for the umpteenth time in the day you realize that you need something else.  And you need to start enjoying these play times.  When you do them constantly, they do not seem as special.  When I come home from work, I will sit on the floor with him while on tummy time and play and coo right along with him.  It will be good for both me and him.  So I need some time away.

Many people have asked if I will be going back to work or staying home.  I tell them I will be returning to work.  Some have given me a sad look and say "Really?  That's too bad." I find it inappropriate for people to make a mother feel guilty about going back to work and providing support to her family.  We feel sad enough.  But we know that the separation is good and the socialization my son will get at daycare will only benefit him.

This is not to say that dropping him off at day care will be easy.  It won't.  But I know it's good for him.  And I know it's good for me.  They can give him this play time that I have honestly gotten a little bored with these past few weeks.  I need them to be fun for me again.  But for this week, I am going to enjoy them to the fullest.  We will go to story time, we will play on the floor, we will go for walks, and we will snuggle.  Next week, I will begin the next phase of a working mom.