My New Once a Week Post

Outside my window... is a very dark sky, and the same neurotic squirrel that has been hanging around my balcony since we moved in.

I am thinking... about going back to work. I'm so excited and scared at the same time. It'll be nice to socialize with adults, but I will really miss Sophie.

I am thankful for... finally getting a new job. I feel so much less stress now that I don't have to worry about finances.

From the kitchen... Maple Braised Pork Chops with Garlic Mashed Potatoes and Steamed Peas. One of my favorites. :]

I am wearing... Sweats and my "Staying in is the new Going Out" tee.

I am remembering... how great of a day Sophie and I had today. We played on the floor and I think I heard her talk more then than I ever have. :D

I am going... to make pancakes for breakfast tomorrow!

I am reading... baby blogs. I need a new book to read.

I am hoping... this new job works out and I can enroll in school next semester.

I am hearing... Ugly Betty, Season 2. I LOVE this show. :]

Pondering these words... "Lucky parents who have fine children usually have lucky children who have fine parents."

Around the house... are a bunch of little messes that makeup one big mess. :/

Noticing that... it is almost bed time. For Mommy.

One of my favorite things right now... is looking at Sophie. Sometimes we just stare at each other. Her smile just melts my heart. :D

What we've done/plan to do this week... not a lot! Auntie Mel came over today, Justin has the weekend off, and at this moment, I honestly cannot remember what we've done so far this week.

Sleep... is getting better now that she is getting a little rice cereal in the bottle before bed and Justin and I are alternating the feedings.

Best moment so far this week... is really any time spent with Justin and Sophie together. :]

I'm looking forward to... Justin's weekend off.

Weekly Wisdom... Family comes first. Always.

Milestones... Sophie is holding her head up so well! :D

What's new with us...

Today I finally had my post-partum checkup. According to the doctor, everything looks good so I can go back to my normal activities. I can take a bath, exercise, and lift more than ten pounds. I'm mostly excited about the bath. :] It feels nice to know that I am getting back to normal. Now I just need to start exercising so I can start feeling like myself again. :/ Something that helped was getting some new clothes. Some jeans that fit, a few new tops, a sweater, a dress, and a new pair of every day flip flops make a difference. Nothing makes you feel crappier than when you're wearing maternity clothes and you're not pregnant. It's hard enough that I am not sleeping well, but it shows on my face. I just look tired all the time. I just have a hard time falling asleep even though I'm completely exhausted. Too many things to think about.

Anyway, I'm starting to feel selfish because this is supposed to be "The Sophie Chronicles", and yet I've hardly blogged about her. So here it goes.

She's finally at that age where she does more than sleep, eat, and poop. She's smiling and making sounds, "Gah", "Coo", and "Ahh". She holds her head up very well, and she's so alert! Her favorite thing to do is stare at lights or look outside. She loves the bouncy seat - it lights up and plays music. I haven't quite figured out why, but she talks the most when she's on the changing table and in the bouncy seat. I put her on the floor today, on her back for a while, and then on her tummy. I've been doing tummy time, but she usually gets fussy when I put her on the floor, so I've been lying on the couch and putting her on my chest. Today was different. She was totally calm for at least five minutes. She did this weird butt wiggle where she pushes with her legs and scoots her butt around. I thought she might have been trying to roll over, but if you imagine her lying down as a clock, she somehow managed to go from 12 o'clock to 9 o'clock. I'm not really surprised. At three and a half weeks she was using her feet and legs to push her butt off my chest when I was holding her. I think she's going to walk early - I started at eight months.

Today is day 4 of the rice cereal attempt. The first three days I've been trying to give it to her with a spoon - Mom insisted she did that with the three of us when we were that age, but she's just not ready for the spoon. A little in her bottle tonight went a long way. She was out by the time she finished, and I am just praying that she stays asleep past 12:30 tonight.

Some good news... I got a new job! I am going to be working full-time making a lot more money. The best part is that now we don't have to worry about being able to afford daycare. After looking at a few, Justin and I decided to go with Playtime Learning Academy. It's so structured and safe. They have an infant curriculum that has activities that stimulate their development and it is clean! The teachers are not only certified under the requirements by the state, but they have extra certifications and workshop hours as required by the daycare. The teachers are so nice and I feel like I can trust them. You need a passcode just to get into the daycare and there are video cameras everywhere. I'm more excited about going back to work now that I know that she will be in a safe learning environment. It doesn't mean I won't miss her like crazy and possibly want to cry because I can't see her all day every day, but it's a start!