08.31.09: Birthday Weekend

Dear Friends and Family,

Birthday weekend! Mr. mouse treated me to the best of weekends to celebrate.

We flew out Saturday morning. Mr. mouse's folks picked us up at the airport and drove us to our hotel. We got upgraded to a suite because our room wasn't ready. Then, we packed the bags and headed out to the ball park. Pioneer had her first train ride and her first ball game. Afterward, we took the train to my Mom's store and headed back to the hotel together. My mom watched Pioneer while Mr. mouse and I went out to birthday dinner. Sunday morning, my mom came over again to play with P. We all went out to lunch together. And, then, she dropped us off at the airport for our trip back home.

Pioneer did awesome on the plane ride out. We fed her as we took off. She played with Mr. mouse during the flight. And, she snoozed on the way down. The trip home was tougher. She was tired and our flight was delayed. We had a couple of squeals out of her, but nothing extended.

Pioneer also did her first train ride like a pro. She just sat in her sling and watched everyone on the train.

The weather was a little iffy. The threat of rain was hanging over our heads. But, it was cool enough with enough cloud cover to not feel like we were baking in the sun. P sat in my lap for most of the game watching the world around her. Then, she slept in my lap until just before the seventh inning stretch. When she woke, we headed under cover to walk the ball park and take some pictures. We figured we wouldn't press our baby luck or weather luck.

Dinner was nice. I did a lot better without P than at our first dinner out when she was two months old. I was able to relax and enjoy time alone with Mr. mouse. We reminisced about childhood dinners with our folks. And, about life in general and life now with P. And, just about random thoughts like we used to. I got tired waiting for the check, but the extra almond cookies our waiter threw in the to go bag made up for it.

P had a less than perfect night. I think she was tired from the day, was hungry a little earlier than normal, and needed to go poopy. She played with my mom for an hour and then cried for a spell before she had her bottle and then she promptly passed out. My mom didn't mind the crying so all was well.

Sunday morning was a marathon feeding/changing session. But, the scale didn't show any huge jumps when we weighed her last night.

And, now we're home. Two days of work and then I'm taking Wednesday off to head out to the ball park. Yeah for birthdays!


Cheers!
mouse

Ferberizing by Driving

Dear Friends and Family,

After almost a month of crying, Pioneer is hopefully beginning to settle into a routine with our morning commute. She would cry the entire way (I kid you not) when we began which made the commute miserable for both of us.

Yesterday, her best day so far, she cried for five minutes on the way out and four minutes on the way back. I'm still driving on eggshells waiting for the squalls, but yesterday's commute has me cautiously optimistic that we may be able to make this all work at some point.

We've also been trying what I've termed "our grand social experiment." We've been letting P sleep past her 10:30 PM feeding to see when she naturally wakes. I've noted we'd been waking her for those feedings relatively frequently. So, now, we let her sleep and see when she wakes. Yesterday, it was 3:30 AM. Today, it was 2:15 AM. I'm fine with both of those and here's why.

I'm trying to engineer a way out of my 3:30 PM pumping session. It's by far the toughest one for me to make at work. My theory is, if I can replace my 3:30 PM session with a 10:30 PM session, then I can go about my day that much smoother. So, the real question for me is trade-off between a 3:30 PM pumping session and a 2:00 AM feeding session. And, the answer is yes, if I can make it work.

How do I define make it work? I'll continue with the 3:30 PM pumping session until I know I can balance supply and demand. Then, I'll slowly decrease the time of the 3:30 PM session until I can remove it. My initial thoughts is to go down in 3 minute increments: 12 minutes (now), to 9 to 6 to 3 to 0. That way I (hopefully) lower the risk of a plugged duct which (hopefully) lowers the risk of an infection.

As far as balancing supply and demand goes, I'm doing a couple of things. I'm increasing my other two sessions from 12 minutes to 15 minutes. I'm adding a 9:30 PM session (10 minutes so far, will increase to 15 minutes sometime next week - this is in lieu of the 10:30 PM feeding which gets me more sleep). And, I may add a 7:00 PM session as a last resort. If it all works out, great. If not, we go back to waking her at 10:30 PM and call it a night.


Cheers!
mouse

401k Rollover | Wal-Mart Rollback

Dear Friends and Family,

Monday, they told us she was getting close. But, instead of practicing, we spent the evening at the Home Owners' Association meeting. And, Tuesday, instead of practicing, we went out to dinner. And, Wednesday, at daycare, P rolled over all by herself. Good for her!

I guess it'll be the first of many accomplishments she does while we're at work. In one sense I'm okay with it. It wouldn't be very fun if I saw it while Mr. mouse was working or if he saw it while I was working. I guess this way we both missed it and get to see it for the first time together.

Yesterday, after dinner, I went to play with her for a second and she gave me such a huge smile my heart melted. I wish our days weren't as filled with work and commuting - that I had more time at home with her to see that smile.

I enjoy work. But, there are days I wonder if it's all worth it. The commute. The long hours. The time away from P. If the economy wasn't in shambles, I would consider taking the time off or letting Mr. mouse take the time off. But, right now, it just seems like it'd be a little foolhardy to leave jobs we enjoy to spend time with P.

I love her.


Cheers!
mouse

Morning Thoughts

Dear Friends and Family,

What do we call P?
hairy little monster and
poopy diaper queen


Cheers!
mouse

PS: We also call her sweetie, precious, beautiful, frog eyed girl, dear leader, three month old, and sometimes just plain girl.

Morning Thoughts

Dear Friends and Family,

Days begin to blur,
as we settle together,
into a routine...


Cheers!
mouse

08.24.09: Weekend at Home

Dear Friends and Family,

We spent a quiet weekend at home knowing that next weekend will be a busy one.

Saturday, we slept in. I think we all needed it.

Then, we went to get my driver's license renewed. I could have done it by mail, but I wanted a new picture. I was 55 pounds heavier in my old picture (before Weight Watchers) and thought the hour wait well worth the new picture. Now the big question, do I take my picture again in four years, since I'm still carrying around baby weight? Guess we see in four years.

For lunch, we went for Korean fried chicken. P had lunch compliments of our super convenient booth with high walls. Breastfeeding can be more convenient. It can definitely be less convenient. We're still doing it for now. My new goal: four months. We'll assess again at that point.

We came home. Mommy manicure time. Then, Mr. mouse stayed at home and played with P while I headed out for a wedding. One of my friends from work was getting married and I wanted to go. Since it looked like an adults only affair, we split for the evening. I'm glad I went. I miss some people who moved to a new department.

Sunday, we got up early to get ready for our dratted doctor's appointment. This time, armed with a real baby scale that we finally broke down and bought and a bottle of wine we weighed three times to calibrate our three scales (there's under a half ounce in question between the three scales), we went in loaded for bear. And, I mean loaded for bear. I'm sick and tired of the bullshit stress that comes from the bullshit weigh-ins that never seem to go well.

Okay. Baby: 10 pounds, 4 ounces. Wine: 2 pounds, 15 ounces.

As soon as we got into the exam room and the assistant left, we grabbed the bottle of wine to tare the scale. Neither Mr. mouse nor I had any interest in undressing P if the scale was off. What does the wine weigh? 2 pounds 7 ounces. Re-tared and re-weighed. 2 pounds 9 ounces. I'm ape @%#$! at this point. We grabbed the baby and the bottle and bounced from empty room to empty room until we found a room that weighed the bottle at 2 pounds 15 ounces. Room 15.

I went out to the reception desk and requested a room switch. And, they were all eyebrows like um, no. And, I was I'M HERE FOR A $%#@! WEIGH-IN AND THE SCALE IN MY ROOM IS WRONG! There's nothing like crazy mom to get service people to take a step back and re-evaluate. Is this the hill we're all going to die on? They switched our room to room 15. The doctor came in. He said as long as P is above 10 pounds we're free to go on our merry way. We undressed her and weighed her. 10 pounds, 3.5 ounces. Whoopee! I can only imagine what she would have weighed in the initial room. And, I'm 1,000% sure there's some poor mom going through some poor weight crisis because her child was weighed in the other room.

After our glorious weigh in, savoring our new re-found sense of freedom, we headed out to meet B and Chef M for lunch. They had eaten, but it was a good chance for us to catch up with them. After lunch, P and I, mostly me, slept away the afternoon.

Happy Monday!


Cheers!
mouse

Crib Time and Upright Time

Dear Friends and Family,

How has this evolved from a blog about me to a blog about P?

Well, last night was her first night solo in the crib in a long while. She did well, but woke a little earlier than usual - 3:15 vs. 5:00. She's back asleep now. We'll do two nights in the crib next week and see how she does. It makes sense to have her spend the bulk of her time there, going forward. But, I don't want her to lose her flexibility which is super useful when we travel.

And, now, I need to gripe. Mr. mouse has been REALLY dropping the ball when it comes to her morning upright time. I know he's tired. I am too. But, three days ago, he cut it short and they both fell asleep on the bed. Yesterday, he cut it short and they fell asleep on the bed. And, this morning, he cut it short and he put her down in her crib. Another morning this week (was it Tuesday?), we gave her a topper since she got up early. But, he was super slow about waking her so she didn't have her full 20 minutes before we put her in the car seat.

I know he thinks her reflux is getting better. And, I agree, on a whole, she's doing way better than she was a couple of months ago. But, she's still an ABSOLUTE nightmare in the car. That may be random chance. It may be reflux. I TOTALLY resent the fact that he's taking shortcuts that I then need to deal with the ramifications of.

My other option is I hold her upright for 20 minutes in the morning. Well, that's 20 minutes less sleep for me. And, I'm already napping in the evening because 1. I'm drowsy at work, 2. I'm drowsy on the road, 3. I feel like it affects my milk supply, 4. Mr. mouse doesn't want me to have caffeinated beverages because it may suppress P's appetite. I feel so boxed into a corner on this one. And, I can tell by my rant, I'm going to let him have it when he gets up this morning.


Cheers!
mouse

Thursday, Already

Dear Friends and Family,

It's Thursday. And, I'm in still in one piece.

I've begun napping in the evening for an hour to an hour and half between dinner and waking to feed Pioneer at 10:30. Combined with a couple more caffeinated beverages at work, I'm not dragging as badly as I was last week.

Next week, I want to find the time to squeeze in some exercise. That should help with the energy level.


Cheers!
mouse

Love

Dear Friends and Family,

I love Mr. mouse. I love P. But, they're very different kinds of love.

It goes deeper than the obvious - one is my spouse, the other is my child.

Mr. mouse is a constant. On a day by day, week by week basis he doesn't change a lot. I've known him for almost 15 years now. He is who he is, mostly. And, we've been together for a long time. And, we'll be together for a long time more. We've got a lifetime journey to share.

Pioneer is different. The changes on a week by week basis still stun me. After all, she's 14 weeks old now and a completely different person than she was when she was born. And, although the pace of change will slow, it's still light speed compared to Mr. mouse.

I've been with P for a short period of time. And, unlike Mr. mouse, it isn't a lifetime we have to share. At some point, she'll have her own life. We'll still be together, but not for dinner every night. She won't sleep in our room every night. We'll still be a family, but she'll move on.

Mr. mouse's love has a permanence to it. I've compared it to a steady fire burning away in the fireplace - something I find warming and comforting. P's love seems more ephemeral. And, because of that, it seems more fragile and precious. I'm sure it'll continue to evolve as she continues to grow.

For now, I'm just grateful I've got two such wonderful people to share life with.


Cheers!
mouse

Sleep Training

Dear Friends and Family,

Longer post tomorrow...

I'm already exhausted which is a bad sign since it's only Tuesday. I began to wonder if I wasn't sleeping as deeply with P in the bed. And, since P is now well on her way to four month old hood we decided to start sleep training. Last night, she slept in her pack and play bassinet. The plan is to sleep her in it for the rest of the week. Weekends I might be tempted to spoil her.

And, we'll pick one night this week for her to sleep in her crib, in her room, solo.


Cheers!
mouse

08.17.09: Caught Up on Sleep

Dear Friends and Family,

Happy Monday!

Friday, I was able to get out of work a little early and decompress after week two. Saturday, I caught up on sleep with a huge afternoon nap. And, Sunday, I slept in. And, now it's Monday again. May the cumulative sleep deprivation begin!

But wait, there's more. Our neighbors from the Winter Cabin have been in town since Wednesday night. Mr. mouse took Friday off to eat hot dogs, watch planes and go shopping. Saturday, we split. The men went to watch the Air and Water Show while the women stayed home and enjoyed the air conditioning, Harry Potter and playing/napping with P. Sunday, P got a bath. Then, we headed out to a delicious brunch, a popcorn pit stop, a walk in the park, some TV golf and then everyone headed out while I watched P for the night. She and I played and ate and played and napped and ate and slept some more. And, then, everyone else came back and we had pizza and ice cream and the weekend was over.

P's cold is a lot better. There's still the occasional cough and sneeze, but the congestion seems to have passed and she seems a lot happier/more comfortable now. This weekend, we played at conversation which she's gotten really good at and at holding toys which is something she's starting to do and at rollover/rollback which seem like foreign concepts to her. And, just for the record, she clasped both hands together Sunday night.


Cheers!
mouse

Friday

Dear Friends and Family,

It's Friday. And, we've got a bi-weekly off-site today, guess they started while I was out on leave. I wish I could take the day off and sleep the entire day. So tempted.

I'll do a "hard pump" before leaving for the day. Cross my fingers and hope for the best. Feed P when I get home and do a second "hard pump."

Wish for a good traffic day.


Cheers!
mouse

Almost Friday

Dear Friends and Family,

It's Thursday.

Our Winter Cabin neighbors arrived yesterday for a visit. They'll be here through the weekend. We ate pizza, played with P and turned in for the night.

Today's a working day for the working folks and a day at the zoo and eating cupcakes for the non-working folks. And, for P, it's a day at daycare for her. I think she's staying home with Mr. mouse tomorrow.

I know you're tired of reading about my sideline creamery, but it's top of mind for me.

I'm finally feeling some iota of confidence that there's enough milk for Pioneer. There were a couple of days that were close, but so far, I've been able to pump enough each day to meet that day's consumption. Which means, knock on wood, barring any unforeseen circumstances, I may be able to make it through to the six month point when she starts solids. Which means, knock on wood, barring any unforeseen circumstances, I may be able to make it through to the one year point when she transitions to cow's milk. We'll see.


Cheers!
mouse

Work, Life, Balance?

Dear Friends and Family,

I made a list. Let's see how far I get down the list in the next 24 minutes before I have to shower...

Commute. Still not routine. P still not great about being in the car seat. We have good days. We have bad days. Sometimes Mr. mouse comes out. Sometimes it's just the two of us. Hopefully each week brings a sense of routine to this before winter strikes and throws in a new monkey wrench.

Pumping. Getting there. Made it through last week. This week, two days down, three days to go. Made it through two days of 6 ounce bottles. Beginning to feel more routine. If I get a morning session in before work, three sessions at work, and an evening session at home, I seem to be good. That means I get to skip one of the evening sessions at home which feels like a luxury. The next three months are the hardest. After she starts solid foods this will get easier.

Work. Yesterday, I picked P up and brought her back to work for an hour or so to get some more work done. We were in a room talking through plans and strategy and stuff and I needed to get her and I needed to be a part of the discussion. So, she had a bottle and her twenty minute up time and some shoulder time before Mr. mouse came to pick us up and bring us home. Hopefully this doesn't become a common occurrence.

Three month birthday. It was P's three month birthday, yesterday! She's a totally different baby from when she was born. Her eyes have opened, her face is more defined, she has eyebrows and eyelashes, she's lost her hairy forehead and grown even more hair, and she has expressions.

This past weekend, she began clasping her two hands together. She isn't doing it often, but it's something new. She's really taken a liking to her swing. She used to sit in it while I ate lunch. But, now, she'll pass out in it for her naps. And, her head control, it's so cute to watch her on her stomach with her head up. Gigantic head, scrawny neck, tiny body. I love it.

Bottles. We're trying 5.5 ounces today. She couldn't finish two of her three bottles yesterday. We'll see how it goes.

Time flying. I read on a website that the first tooth comes in, generally, sometime during the fourth month. I'm not ready! She's growing up much too quickly for me. My baby (while still in newborn clothing) is growing up. She's a full fledged baby now.


Cheers!
mouse

Food Questions

Dear Friends and Family,

Yesterday, P had three 6 ounce bottles. Mr. mouse is all for sending four 6 ounce bottles to daycare with her today. I'm convinced I won't be able to keep up (nor will she). And, why should she bother with nursing if there's the never-ending free-flowing bottle?

I'm for giving her the three bottles this week and seeing how her weight gain does this Sunday. I don't think he realizes the angst he's causing me.

On the flip side, I know she's small. I know she needs to gain weight. It's hard for me to think that there's anything "wrong" with her when she seems so perfect. I love her just the way she is.

She's 10.2 pounds today. If she gets to 10.6 pounds by Sunday we'll all be doing the happy dance. She was 9.6 pounds on Sunday. I'm optimistic. Why isn't he?


Cheers!
mouse

08.10.09: First Cold, Compliments of Daycare

Dear Friends and Family,

Considering Pioneer just started daycare and she just started sucking on her hand all of the time (she started here and there before daycare, but really hit it hard this past week), it should be no surprise to anyone that she caught her first cold this past week.

Saturday, she started showing all of the classic cold symptoms - runny nose, congestion, and coughing. Sunday, it continued with the addition of yellow and green to her nasal discharge. And, today, Mr. mouse is staying home with her to help her get some more rest and 1:1 care.

We took three month footprints on Sunday. And, took three month photos. Yes, it goes that quickly. Fortunately, we caught her in a good spell so it all worked out.

We also took Pioneer in on Sunday - to have the doctor look at her cold and because of the dratted weight check which we can never seem to get behind us. I'm convinced this is something that's going to haunt us until she's weaned. And, frankly, the pressure is something I can do without. I want to enjoy the time with her, not be counting down the months until she's on table food. Hopefully we can get this behind us at some point. Seriously.

For now, we're upping her bottle to 6 ounces. I hope I can keep up supply wise. And, I hope she doesn't become lazy and start to prefer the bottle. She was a marginal eater on Sunday. I'm not sure if it's from all of the bottles at daycare or if it's because she was sick. I'm hoping it's the latter.

And, last but not least, we picked up a new pump on Sunday because the current one is so bulky. Turns out the accessories aren't as compatible as we had thought, so we need to invest in a couple of new pieces.

So, instead of a smooth week ahead of second week of daycare, second week of work, I feel like I've got sick baby, sick mommy, new pumping needs, new pumping process, and missing parts on my hands. Sigh. Sooner or later we'll be rocking and rolling.


Cheers!
mouse

The Switcheroo

Dear Friends and Family,

Well, still not sure what to make of it. Not much I can do about it. Wish it hadn't happened. Recognize it probably won't happen again. Recognize there are worse things that can happen. P will probably be fine. But, still -

Yesterday, at daycare, P got someone else's bottle by accident.


mouse

Quick Snippets

Dear Friends and Family,

Here's where we are:

• I'm beginning to feel the cumulative lack of sleep catch up to me. Napped yesterday during the car ride home. Napped last night before completing our PM check list. Hit the snooze button once this morning.
• Mr. mouse spent some time yesterday morning at daycare with P and her care providers showing them the tricks of the trade. It's hard to impart via written word, easy to show when you're in the room. We've both confirmed, 4:1 care is not the same as 1:1 care. It has me a little depressed and rethinking the nanny route.
• We went out to dinner last night since traffic was bad on the way home. We fed P in the car before heading into the restaurant. And, we finally had some alert time with her. Both Monday and Tuesday, she crashed the second we got her and slept through the night. She must have been exhausted. But, yesterday, maybe because we were out, maybe because she got more sleep at daycare after Mr. mouse's visit, maybe because of random luck, we got to spend some time with her awake. I love our baby.
• Pumping went more smoothly yesterday than Tuesday - I had fewer meetings and I ducked out of one long meeting to take care of it. We'll see how today and tomorrow go.

I'm beginning to look forward to the weekend. I'll hopefully catch up on sleep. And, both Mr. mouse and I can catch up on P time.


Cheers!
mouse

Figuring Each Other Out

Dear Friends and Family,

P's second day at daycare was a little rougher than her first. But, I think Mr. mouse and I were able to decipher what went down and give some helpful hints which was a huge boost to our sometimes fragile confidence in parenting P.

Fussy Spell #1:

Lasted most of the late morning and early afternoon. She needed to be burped. Her caregiver got 2 big burps out of her after her third bottle. Shiny, happy baby.

Fussy Spell #2:

Started late afternoon. She needed sleep. She gets tired about 1:45 to 2:00 hours after waking. Try to get her down before that and she fights you - even if she yawns a couple of times before that. But, miss that window and she short circuits - heaven help you at this point, because it's not pretty. It's the holding, rocking, singing, dancing, walking, human swaddle routine. Desperate times call for desperate measures. And, yesterday, it happened. The hard part is it's not 110% obvious when the switch is going to flip. She'll yawn a couple of times, she'll lose interest in the toy she's playing with. She may have a diaper. And, then, boom, 0-60 in the blink of an eye.

Well, I guess this is all a learning game - P's provider's learning her quirks and Pioneer learning the daycare routine. We'll see how today goes.


Cheers!
mouse

Back at Work

Dear Friends and Family,

Well, they did a bang up job at work welcoming me back. Everyone stopped by to see how I was doing and to congratulate me. And, my boss told me that my number one priority is Pioneer, but, here's the work we need to get done. Some people might think that's callous, but it's not. It made me feel needed - there's work I can do that makes my contribution meaningful and impactful. That's why I work. Otherwise, I'd just stay at home and be entertained by P.

Speaking of P, she seemed to have made it through her first day at daycare in one piece. From what we can gather, the first couple of naps were rough, but she got one good one in and the teachers are optimistic that today's naps will be easier. I'm feeling better about today too. Hopefully each day will get easier until we have a sick day - which will happen sooner or later.

She got home, ate like it was going out of fashion, and fell asleep. We woke her for her evening feeding and let her sleep some more. Hopefully tonight we get some alert time. I stopped by daycare to play with her a bit before Mr. mouse came to pick us up. She's started using her hand as a pacifier. I'm not sure how I feel about this. She did it once or twice over the weekend before daycare so I don't think the two are related. There are worse things...

Pumping: I got three sessions in, not without some juggling. I was able to pump three bottle's worth (which is what P gets at daycare) plus a little extra which is reassuring. Hopefully this gets easier each day as well.


Cheers!
mouse

08.03.09: Odds and Ends

Dear Friends and Family,

Good morning!

It was a weekend of cramming in time with P and doing all of the last minute odds and ends to get ready for work and daycare.

Saturday, we went in for his and hers wax appointments followed by a quick stop to pick up a sandwich for me and bread for Mr. mouse. It's funny, I started my pregnancy with an egg salad sandwich from a deli in our neighborhood (well, not started, but I had one early on, I remember distinctly). I had one one of my first days home with Pioneer alone (not day 1, but early on, I remember distinctly). And, here I was having one as I return to work.

Then, I stayed at home with P while Mr. mouse went to pick up mail, iron on labels, a second car seat and mirror, and other miscellanea. P was in a good mood for the morning. But, she didn't want to go down for her afternoon nap, so I held her in green chair while she slept. It felt good to pass the afternoon with her even if Mr. mouse would have preferred it if she slept alone.

Saturday night, she slept while I picked out photos to print of the her. And, we must have done other stuff, but I don't recall now.

Sunday, we went to the doctor's office to pick up our forms. Oh, that's what we did Saturday night, we filled out forms! That's right. And, after the doctor's office, we stopped off to pick up sleepwear for P. We picked up a polartec jumper and two sleep sacks. Hopefully, between the two, she stays warm when she sleeps at daycare.

We came home did a quick photo shoot; then, Mr. mouse played with Pioneer while I did one more Target run for bottles and storage containers and photos of P for me to take to work. I tried to pick up more Zantac for P, but that turned out to be a comedy of errors I won't go into here. Suffice it to say it took way longer than it should have, and in the end, they couldn't fill it. BTW, I remember now, I also spent part of Saturday night playing with Pioneer.

We went out for dessert. Pioneer had one more feeding. And, Mr. mouse and I spent the rest of the evening labeling her clothes, assembling her daycare bag, assembling my work bag, and other things to get us in good shape for today.

And, now, I have 30 minutes to get my head in order before we feed P, shower and then run.


Cheers!
mouse

PS: Wait! I almost forgot! There's a host of stuff about P I need to cover. She napped on her back twice on Sunday without incident - hopefully that means she'll do okay at daycare with it. She's cooing like a champ, accompanying sounds with facial expressions. She gets the saddest look sometimes, right before she bursts into tears. She's reaching for the stuffed animals regularly, now. And, she's licking them which seems like just the habit NOT to be picking up a day before daycare. She clasped her hands together yesterday. And, she's beginning to purposefully pat her face and head. (BTW, I love how disproportionate her arms and head are - the former are too short and the latter too big, by adult standards, but it's the only combo she knows.) Sometimes she watches you SO intently, like she's really trying to capture everything you're doing. And, last but not least, the recognition of Mr. mouse and me, it's getting to the point where it feels like she knows us from a line up of adults. Okay. That's it for now.

Day 15 with Pioneer

Dear Friends and Family,

One chapter closes as a new chapter opens. Yesterday was my last day of leave. Today is the first of our weekends-only routine.

Pioneer and I took the morning to nap and catch up from movie night. Then, while she was having her lunch feeding, my phones started ringing off the hook - my cell phone, then my home phone, then my blackberry. Turns out my close friend from school was in town with his family on a layover from Frankfurt to San Francisco with eight hours to burn. He drove his family down and we met up for lunch. Mr. mouse, wanting to do the sneak-home-to-see-Pioneer lunch visit one last time came home as well.

We all met up for ~15 minutes before heading out to a sandwich shop for lunch. Mr. mouse headed back to the office; we had lunch followed by ice cream; and then they headed to the zoo while Pioneer had her afternoon meal. The timing worked perfectly. She slept through most of lunch, they had a chance to see her and we had a chance to see their youngest, who is already one.

We played for a little bit and then napped again in the afternoon. Actually, she napped and I stayed up doing my second favorite activity - watching a sleeping baby. I must have dozed because the next thing you know, it's an hour later and our day was effectively over.

I took her down to pack her up to meet Mr. mouse at the train station. But, just as I was unlocking the door, he was stepping in. He took her in for her bottle. I snuck out for a manicure. He met me and we went on a nice evening walk. Pioneer ate and then went down for the night. And, we watched some TV before crashing.

She slept until 6 this morning. And, although I'd write more, I'm dying to go upstairs and play with her which says so much right there.


Cheers!
mouse

PS: Although another week would be great, I'm okay with going back to work now. It feels like an inflection point where I'm ready. I don't feel robbed of time with Pioneer (anymore) and I'm confident we'll all do okay with the transition.