Ramblings

Since both of my bosses are at a conference today, I finally have a few minutes to share what's been happening in the Martin Household lately.

As everyone is well aware, I came back to work last week. I think I adjusted well enough. The only problem is when I came home from work, all I wanted to do was hold Bianca and make up for lost time together. This resulted in me totally ignoring everything else. The extent of my neglect actually made me feel like quite a loser by the weekend. Harry did everything. He dropped Bianca off in the morning, he went to work, he picked her up at night, he cooked dinner, he did the dishes, he made the bottles, he fed and changed her, he took out the trash and the recycling, he went grocery shopping, he did the laundry.....all without complaining. (Have I mentioned lately how wonderful my husband is?!?) On the other hand, the positive of all this is I realized that if anything were to happen to me, Harry would do an amazing job at taking care of her by himself. That gives me an additional peace of mind. For the record, though, I have stepped back up with my duties this week and I don't feel like quite the loser anymore.

Saturday was such a great day. Harry had to go to school, so Bianca and I were home alone for the morning. We went downstairs, watched Nick Jr, and just talked and cuddled. It felt great going back to our familiar routine, and I was grateful for the quality time with her. I loved the weekends before; now they are going to be extra special.

Bianca has been doing really great with sleeping. For the most part, she sleeps through the night every night. Monday night was the only night she got up wanting to be fed. Then again, she really wasn't feeling well that day. Aunt Dot said that she threw up all over herself, she slept a lot more than usual, she ate a lot less, and she screamed for a good hour during the day. Normally she is quite content, so we could tell that she didn't feel great.

She is also doing great with eating. She has now graduated to drinking four ounces of formula at a time. She also tries to hold her bottle. She's not quite successful with it yet, but it is adorable watching her wrap her little fingers around the bottle.

More and more, she is "talking" and smiling. Both of which melt my heart. Of course, she seems to do more of both when Harry is around. There is no deying that - at least at this point - she is a true Daddy's Girl.

She has also discovered her hands. She likes to look at them and suck on them. I've been working with her, trying to show her that she can grab things with them, but she hasn't quite gotten it yet. We've been practicing with her rattle. She seems to like the noise it makes. I was so excited when she took it from me the first time.....until she whacked herself in the head with it and cried. Perhaps we need to start with something softer!

The one thing she's been doing that has been upsetting me is sticking up her middle finger. She does it all the time. When she's holding her bottle, when she's touching her face, when she is holding my hand. I know she doesn't mean it, and she has no idea what it means, but I am quite disturbed by it. Does that make me neurotic?

I am also a bit worried about her skin. It seems to be so sensitive. Her face is really dry, so it peels in places. Trying to help that issue, we put Johnson's lotion on it, but she breaks out in little bumps. We stopped putting the lotion on her face, but the bumps haven't cleared up. I finally realized that she may be allergic to the lotion. Usually I put lotion on her after her bath, but last night, I didn't put any on. If her face clears up, I think we found the culprit. I take her back to the pediatrician next week, so I will ask him what I can do about her dry skin. And if the bumps don't clear up, I will ask him about giving her an allergy test.

Speaking of the pediatrician, I have to admit that I'm a little nervous about this visit. She gets her first vaccination shots. It was awful watching her have the PKU test done. I don't know how I am going to react to her getting a needle stuck in her. My friend Karen told me that an hour before the appointment, I should give her some Tylenol. This will help with the pain and with the fever that may develop afterwards. Good advice! I just hope I remember to do it.

My friend Andrea came back to work this week. Even though she had Natalie before I had Bianca, she decided to take a longer leave. She looked terrible when I saw her yesterday. She said that having Natalie in daycare was a traumatic experience. She told me that I was so lucky to have family watching Bianca. And I finally realized that she is absolutely right. Yes, I hate being away from my daughter during the day, but I honestly have no worries about whether or not she is being taken care of properly. I know she is. And I should start giving God more praise for the fortunate situation He has placed our family in.

All in all, Bianca is a pleasant and happy baby. When she gets excited, she likes to kick her feet and wave her arms. The movement is usually accompanied by her little laugh and big smile. Of course, when she gets in that mood, Harry and I can't help but laugh with her. She has brought us so much joy in her little time here. I know it is going to be amazing watching her grow. But I have to admit - part of me wishes she would stay this small forever. I am so incredibly in love with her!! If I haven't mentioned it before, I absolutely ADORE being a mom!!