Sunday, April 15, 2007
E.T. pictures
So remember the scene in ET where ET is hiding in the stuffed animals.....see if you can find Dylan in the pictures below...:)
Monday, April 09, 2007
Meeting more friends
A couple weeks ago Dylan and I visited with our friends Linda and Lea and Erik. Unfortunately, the only time we could meet was during the day so Tor and Martin missed out. I met Tor and Linda in grad school and have known Lea and Erik since they were born. Lea was the flower girl in our wedding and I used to baby sit her. It was so fun to see her with Dylan. She was taking care of him while we were there.
Wednesday, April 04, 2007
Monday, April 02, 2007
My thoughts on working part time
I haven't posted about work yet because I haven't had the time but I've been collecting my thoughts on this for some time. Let me start off my saying that going back to work has worked out really well. Dylan is doing great at daycare and we've got the routine down now. There was a little adjustment at first - Dylan eating enough at daycare from the bottle, me figuring out my system with pumping and storing milk and cleaning all the stuff that goes along with that, and all of us learning how to get out the door on time. But we have it figured out now and it's going well.
I'm really enjoying working part time. I like my job a lot better and I'm more productive per hour than I was before which makes me feel better about my salary. And there hasn't been a time yet where I feel like I had to say no to work. I was particularly concerned about this on the days that I telework (MWF). But it hasn't been a problem. Last week I was asked to help out with an immediate need and I was able to and I just clocked two extra hours. Martin got home about the time when I had to do this so he was able to watch Dylan while I worked. I missed my class at the gym but that's all. And there have been lots of times where my boss has emailed me and I have happened to be online at that time and was able to give him an immediate answer. I'm sure there will come a time (esp now that the weather is nice and I'll be out more) that I won't be home when I get that call from work but at least now I'm established a foundation of being available.
I feel good about taking Dylan to day care. Of course the first day I balled but since then it's been fine. I'm comforted by the fact that since it's only two days a week I don't feel like someone else is raising my child and I really think it's good for Dylan to be exposed to other people and to know that other people care for him besides mommy and daddy. We'll see if it pays off when the "attachment issues" arise around 7 mos as I hear they do.
The woman who watches Dylan is from Pakistan. Dylan comes home smelling like curry on Tuesdays and Thursdays (hence those are two of his bath nights). We don't mind, we think it's fun.
I've been thinking a lot about my new "normal" and my new identity. The "mom" title didn't really hit me until I was away from Dylan but was identified as a mom. Like when I went to the gym - most of the women there are not moms (at least as I perceive them) and so it kinda hit me that I was different then. It also hit me at work - thinking of myself or referring to myself as a "working mom." I definitely feel more like working mom than a stay at home mom. Mostly because I'm still working every day. And some days when I'm teleworking it takes the whole day for me to get my 2 hours in so I'm thinking about work most of the week. But have I gotten to do some stay at home mom things like stroller walks around the mall on a weekday with my friends who are also moms, walks around the neighborhood (you meet so many people that way!), and having time to read to and play with Dylan. And usually I'm able to log off from work around 2 or 3 and so I have the rest of the afternoon free of work.
I had someone a few weeks ago say to me "oh, so you're only working part-time, you must get a lot done at home." Most of you know the obsurdity of this statement and in fact I do not get much more done in a week's time than I did when working full time without a child. But I do get to be outside more and I do get a little project here and there done that I didn't when I was working full time. Although I get less done on the computer, which is probably a good thing, since if I had something to do on the computer, I did it at work but I don't have time to do that at work anymore.
Oh, and for those of you who know about my OCB re: my clothes list. It's gone! I am no longer keeping a record of what I wear each week! I figured that if I'm only working 2 days per week it shouldn't be that hard not to wear the same thing more than once in a three week period so I don't need to keep track anymore. I also decided that I'm going to dress up more for work. No more khakis or too-casual skirts for me.
I'm really enjoying working part time. I like my job a lot better and I'm more productive per hour than I was before which makes me feel better about my salary. And there hasn't been a time yet where I feel like I had to say no to work. I was particularly concerned about this on the days that I telework (MWF). But it hasn't been a problem. Last week I was asked to help out with an immediate need and I was able to and I just clocked two extra hours. Martin got home about the time when I had to do this so he was able to watch Dylan while I worked. I missed my class at the gym but that's all. And there have been lots of times where my boss has emailed me and I have happened to be online at that time and was able to give him an immediate answer. I'm sure there will come a time (esp now that the weather is nice and I'll be out more) that I won't be home when I get that call from work but at least now I'm established a foundation of being available.
I feel good about taking Dylan to day care. Of course the first day I balled but since then it's been fine. I'm comforted by the fact that since it's only two days a week I don't feel like someone else is raising my child and I really think it's good for Dylan to be exposed to other people and to know that other people care for him besides mommy and daddy. We'll see if it pays off when the "attachment issues" arise around 7 mos as I hear they do.
The woman who watches Dylan is from Pakistan. Dylan comes home smelling like curry on Tuesdays and Thursdays (hence those are two of his bath nights). We don't mind, we think it's fun.
I've been thinking a lot about my new "normal" and my new identity. The "mom" title didn't really hit me until I was away from Dylan but was identified as a mom. Like when I went to the gym - most of the women there are not moms (at least as I perceive them) and so it kinda hit me that I was different then. It also hit me at work - thinking of myself or referring to myself as a "working mom." I definitely feel more like working mom than a stay at home mom. Mostly because I'm still working every day. And some days when I'm teleworking it takes the whole day for me to get my 2 hours in so I'm thinking about work most of the week. But have I gotten to do some stay at home mom things like stroller walks around the mall on a weekday with my friends who are also moms, walks around the neighborhood (you meet so many people that way!), and having time to read to and play with Dylan. And usually I'm able to log off from work around 2 or 3 and so I have the rest of the afternoon free of work.
I had someone a few weeks ago say to me "oh, so you're only working part-time, you must get a lot done at home." Most of you know the obsurdity of this statement and in fact I do not get much more done in a week's time than I did when working full time without a child. But I do get to be outside more and I do get a little project here and there done that I didn't when I was working full time. Although I get less done on the computer, which is probably a good thing, since if I had something to do on the computer, I did it at work but I don't have time to do that at work anymore.
Oh, and for those of you who know about my OCB re: my clothes list. It's gone! I am no longer keeping a record of what I wear each week! I figured that if I'm only working 2 days per week it shouldn't be that hard not to wear the same thing more than once in a three week period so I don't need to keep track anymore. I also decided that I'm going to dress up more for work. No more khakis or too-casual skirts for me.
Heard at the sip and see....
"He looks like Martin, but with your chin."
"He looks like you when you were a baby."
"Is his hair a little red?"
I heard these multiple times this weekend. I love how people say he looks like both of us. And yes, in certain light Dylan's hair does look a little red. I had red hair as a baby for a while and my grandfather had red hair so maybe that's where he gets it from.
"He looks like you when you were a baby."
"Is his hair a little red?"
I heard these multiple times this weekend. I love how people say he looks like both of us. And yes, in certain light Dylan's hair does look a little red. I had red hair as a baby for a while and my grandfather had red hair so maybe that's where he gets it from.
Sunday, April 01, 2007
Dylan meets mommy's friends
Got to see Jen L and Melissa S and their daughters (Brenna L and Caelen and Maia S) last weekend when I was home. (Yes, I know people with girls. Actually most of my commenters have girls. It's just everyone else that's having boys.) Dylan was pretty sleepy when they were visiting so he's not in many of the pics. It was great seeing you ladies! (And Rich and Skip too!)
Dylan meets his great grandfather
My grandfather was in the hospital last time that we were home so last weekend was the first time that he got to meet Dylan. Since Grandpap had a stroke a few years ago, his talking isn't much different than Dylan's so they got along great. Grandpap really perked up when he was watching Dylan. It was great to see.
Sip and See
Here are some pictures from my sip and see last weekend. That's Dylan with his great-grandmothers and with my cousins Carol and Lorraine and with me.
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