March 30, 2012
The Big ½ Year Monthaversary
Oh my, Sofia is 6 months already! The time has flown by and this was the day, after 2 weeks back at work that made me weepy and teary at work. I started out the morning with a very snuggly baby who was nursing for her first feed of the day. I woke her up a few minutes earlier than she normally wakes up so she was still a bit sleepy.
She fell back to sleep while nursing and when I went to get out of bed to continue getting ready for work she fussed a little and grabbed my shirt like she was asking me to stay just a little longer. So of course, I did. I watched her sleep and thought that this was probably the easiest that nursing has ever been, she was content and it was pain free. I just wanted to stay curled up, right there with her. She looked so comfy and I could have watched her for hours but the countdown to my departure time was ticking away in the back of my head. I slid away from her slowly and filled in the space where I had been with a pillow so she still felt like she had something to hold on to.
Insert waterworks here. I looked down at her holding the blanket in place of my shirt and it hit me that there were probably tons of these little moments I’d miss now that I was back at work. I finished getting ready and just when I needed it most she started stirring and woke up from her morning cat nap, just in time for me to leave. But she gave me a few minutes of giggles and smiles and “asked” for her paci (meaning she gave me some quiet fussing) and just like that she fell back to sleep. I took it as her saying she is still happy even if Mommy goes to work. At least that’s what I keep telling myself.
As for the lingering “eye” appointments…we are done! No more retinopathy, now they will just check her for possible glasses as preemies have a bigger chance at needing glasses at a young age. She’s doing fantastic.
We didn’t have a well baby visit on the 6 month mark but the guesstimate is 9.5lbs!

March 30, 2012
The Big ½ Year Monthaversary
Oh my, Sofia is 6 months already! The time has flown by and this was the day, after 2 weeks back at work that made me weepy and teary at work. I started out the morning with a very snuggly baby who was nursing for her first feed of the day. I woke her up a few minutes earlier than she normally wakes up so she was still a bit sleepy.
She fell back to sleep while nursing and when I went to get out of bed to continue getting ready for work she fussed a little and grabbed my shirt like she was asking me to stay just a little longer. So of course, I did. I watched her sleep and thought that this was probably the easiest that nursing has ever been, she was content and it was pain free. I just wanted to stay curled up, right there with her. She looked so comfy and I could have watched her for hours but the countdown to my departure time was ticking away in the back of my head. I slid away from her slowly and filled in the space where I had been with a pillow so she still felt like she had something to hold on to.
Insert waterworks here. I looked down at her holding the blanket in place of my shirt and it hit me that there were probably tons of these little moments I’d miss now that I was back at work. I finished getting ready and just when I needed it most she started stirring and woke up from her morning cat nap, just in time for me to leave. But she gave me a few minutes of giggles and smiles and “asked” for her paci (meaning she gave me some quiet fussing) and just like that she fell back to sleep. I took it as her saying she is still happy even if Mommy goes to work. At least that’s what I keep telling myself.
As for the lingering “eye” appointments…we are done! No more retinopathy, now they will just check her for possible glasses as preemies have a bigger chance at needing glasses at a young age. She’s doing fantastic.
We didn’t have a well baby visit on the 6 month mark but the guesstimate is 9.5lbs!

March 30, 2012
The Big ½ Year Monthaversary
Oh my, Sofia is 6 months already! The time has flown by and this was the day, after 2 weeks back at work that made me weepy and teary at work. I started out the morning with a very snuggly baby who was nursing for her first feed of the day. I woke her up a few minutes earlier than she normally wakes up so she was still a bit sleepy.
She fell back to sleep while nursing and when I went to get out of bed to continue getting ready for work she fussed a little and grabbed my shirt like she was asking me to stay just a little longer. So of course, I did. I watched her sleep and thought that this was probably the easiest that nursing has ever been, she was content and it was pain free. I just wanted to stay curled up, right there with her. She looked so comfy and I could have watched her for hours but the countdown to my departure time was ticking away in the back of my head. I slid away from her slowly and filled in the space where I had been with a pillow so she still felt like she had something to hold on to.
Insert waterworks here. I looked down at her holding the blanket in place of my shirt and it hit me that there were probably tons of these little moments I’d miss now that I was back at work. I finished getting ready and just when I needed it most she started stirring and woke up from her morning cat nap, just in time for me to leave. But she gave me a few minutes of giggles and smiles and “asked” for her paci (meaning she gave me some quiet fussing) and just like that she fell back to sleep. I took it as her saying she is still happy even if Mommy goes to work. At least that’s what I keep telling myself.
As for the lingering “eye” appointments…we are done! No more retinopathy, now they will just check her for possible glasses as preemies have a bigger chance at needing glasses at a young age. She’s doing fantastic.
We didn’t have a well baby visit on the 6 month mark but the guesstimate is 9.5lbs!

Ok, so obviously, it’s been a while since I’ve posted. Life has been amazingly crazy! So, bare with me as I info dump…

Now that I’m back at work and it’s been a little over a month, here is the rundown of how that’s been going. Let’s start from the beginning.

What I Expected:
Insane amounts of tears, some bathroom sobbing and a complete inability to concentrate on anything besides getting home to my baby.

What I Got:
A feeling of accomplishment coming home at the end of the day and knowing that not only would I now be a contributing member of the household but also a huge appreciation for every giggle, tear and smile that Sofia gives.

Why This Was Shocking
I have wanted to be a stay at home Mom my whole life. When I thought about myself with children I always pictured being at home doing laundry, cooking and living life around their cute, adorable, finicky schedule. Don’t get me wrong, I adore every second that I spent at home with Sofia but there was something nice about getting up in the morning and getting dressed for a purpose. Preparing for a schedule that didn’t revolve around a diaper change and bottle was surprisingly…nice. Oh, and let’s not forget, the paycheck. That’s one hell of an incentive!
Now that it’s been a little over a month, I’m still hanging in there. I finally had my day-o-meltdown when Sofie turned 6 months old. I cried while nursing her before work, cried on my way to work…it was an all around emotional day but I feel that my current decision to be back at work is actually what’s best for our family. It provides us with an extra level of financial cushion, it keeps Mommy sane and since we were able to find affordable child care, financially it still makes sense. Maybe after future (very far from now, future) babies the time away vs. incoming cash ratio may no longer make good fiscal sense. But we’ll cross that bridge when we get to it.

Ok, so obviously, it’s been a while since I’ve posted. Life has been amazingly crazy! So, bare with me as I info dump…

Now that I’m back at work and it’s been a little over a month, here is the rundown of how that’s been going. Let’s start from the beginning.

What I Expected:
Insane amounts of tears, some bathroom sobbing and a complete inability to concentrate on anything besides getting home to my baby.

What I Got:
A feeling of accomplishment coming home at the end of the day and knowing that not only would I now be a contributing member of the household but also a huge appreciation for every giggle, tear and smile that Sofia gives.

Why This Was Shocking
I have wanted to be a stay at home Mom my whole life. When I thought about myself with children I always pictured being at home doing laundry, cooking and living life around their cute, adorable, finicky schedule. Don’t get me wrong, I adore every second that I spent at home with Sofia but there was something nice about getting up in the morning and getting dressed for a purpose. Preparing for a schedule that didn’t revolve around a diaper change and bottle was surprisingly…nice. Oh, and let’s not forget, the paycheck. That’s one hell of an incentive!
Now that it’s been a little over a month, I’m still hanging in there. I finally had my day-o-meltdown when Sofie turned 6 months old. I cried while nursing her before work, cried on my way to work…it was an all around emotional day but I feel that my current decision to be back at work is actually what’s best for our family. It provides us with an extra level of financial cushion, it keeps Mommy sane and since we were able to find affordable child care, financially it still makes sense. Maybe after future (very far from now, future) babies the time away vs. incoming cash ratio may no longer make good fiscal sense. But we’ll cross that bridge when we get to it.

Ok, so obviously, it’s been a while since I’ve posted. Life has been amazingly crazy! So, bare with me as I info dump…

Now that I’m back at work and it’s been a little over a month, here is the rundown of how that’s been going. Let’s start from the beginning.

What I Expected:
Insane amounts of tears, some bathroom sobbing and a complete inability to concentrate on anything besides getting home to my baby.

What I Got:
A feeling of accomplishment coming home at the end of the day and knowing that not only would I now be a contributing member of the household but also a huge appreciation for every giggle, tear and smile that Sofia gives.

Why This Was Shocking
I have wanted to be a stay at home Mom my whole life. When I thought about myself with children I always pictured being at home doing laundry, cooking and living life around their cute, adorable, finicky schedule. Don’t get me wrong, I adore every second that I spent at home with Sofia but there was something nice about getting up in the morning and getting dressed for a purpose. Preparing for a schedule that didn’t revolve around a diaper change and bottle was surprisingly…nice. Oh, and let’s not forget, the paycheck. That’s one hell of an incentive!
Now that it’s been a little over a month, I’m still hanging in there. I finally had my day-o-meltdown when Sofie turned 6 months old. I cried while nursing her before work, cried on my way to work…it was an all around emotional day but I feel that my current decision to be back at work is actually what’s best for our family. It provides us with an extra level of financial cushion, it keeps Mommy sane and since we were able to find affordable child care, financially it still makes sense. Maybe after future (very far from now, future) babies the time away vs. incoming cash ratio may no longer make good fiscal sense. But we’ll cross that bridge when we get to it.

This week we hit the 2 month mark…adjusted that is and a little over 5 months actual. I can’t believe I have an almost 6 month old baby! I also can’t believe that she is cooing and giggling more each day just like any other 2 month old. We’ve come a long way from that 1lb9oz fragile little peanut back in the NICU.

She remains feisty as ever with a little attitude that comes out especially during exams she’s not a fan of. Complete with swatting, grimacing and a little back “talking”. But she’s a super cuddler at the same time and loves to listen to new sounds. She thinks “oohhhs” and “ooo’s”, “bababa’s” an “mamama’s” are really funny sounds. So, she likes to give you a smile and an “angoo” back to let you know she thinks you are so silly.

As of yesterday’s appointment she is weighing in at a whopping 8lbs11oz!  And today she read along with her first book of nursery rhythms. We also started putting our team together for the March of Dimes walk April 28th. We already have a few people who are helping us toward reaching our fundraising goal and we want to give a big THANK YOU as we get new donations and walkers to join our team. Today we want to thank Tessa, Sofie’s long distant Auntie from NC, my Aunt Cindy and Melissa for helping us take our Steps 4 Sofia. We love you guys and Sofie sends her hugs, kisses and smiles as thanks!