Sadie's fifth month was a fast and jam-packed month in our house. I was heading back to work earlier than previous years (no joke, August 5th) so we had but a few weeks to fit in all things summer that we had yet to do. As a teacher, I think I start to get fatalistic about the end of summer, and I start to think that there will never be time to do anything fun once I start back to work. This usually means that I have a mini-panic attack right before I head back to work and fill my calendar with too much to do. Even after a four-month vacation away from work, I was starting to feel that we had so much that I wanted to fit in and so little time left.
With our happy little girl now a constant, we were looking forward to starting out the month with a visit from the girls' photographer, Kendall. The first and last time we did our photo shoot with Kendall was the day that Sadie turned the corner into a scary few months, so needless to say, I was nervous that a day of posing and positioning could bring back the dark side. Right before the shoot started, typical Reno weather gave us a torrential downpour with flash flooding, but that was the only darkness that day. Sadie was smiling and laughing through the entire session, and she truly cleared her name from the previous session with Kendall. As usual, we ended up with some beautiful photos, and this time, with one happy baby.
The day after the shoot was Sadie's four month check-up at the doctor. We were eager to hear how she was coming along statistics-wise, mainly because she seemed so big to us! Whenever we held her next to Stella, it was odd to us how big Sadie looked, so we wondered where she was on the growth chart. It was no surprise when the doctor told me that Sadie was in the fiftieth percentile for head and weight; she seemed a bit heavier than Stella was at this age. On a side note, if this is what a baby in the fiftieth percentile looks like, good God, I cannot imagine baby in the seventy-fifth or hundredth! However, the surprise came when I heard how tall she was- Sadie was in the ninety-fifth percentile for height! I knew she seemed tall next to Stells, but not that tall! Well, I have always said that as long as our babies came small they could grow like weeds once they were born. I guess we are on track to have a mini-Steve! Truth be told, Steve has told me that he caught up to his older sister at about Sadie's age, and then was mistaken for her twin for years later. Perhaps we are destined to see history repeat itself.
As if the last few days weren't full enough, I decided that we had to go back up to Tahoe at least one more time. So, Saturday morning, we packed up the gang and headed up the hill. Today was not going to be just lunch and a brief visit to the shore; I wanted to spend the entire morning enjoying the sun, eat lunch at my favorite restaurant, and then make it home a little after nap time. My grand plans for the day were somewhat realized, but mainly foiled.
First off, packing everything needed to spend time anywhere with two kids is a task in itself. We definitely did not get on the road as early as I had planned, but we arrived at the lake a few hours before lunch.
Stella usually likes going to the lake, but that day she was actually really interested and invested in everything around her. She wanted to stand in the
water, throw rocks, kick the beach ball, and make friends with everyone else who was enjoying the lake that day. On the other hand, Sadie was not having the best time. The minute we got to the lake, she began to cry and was not happy about being out on the beach. After a lot of effort, Steve finally was the big winner when he rocked her to sleep in the car seat. I had a sneaking suspicion that this return to unhappiness from Sadie could be a hint of things to come.
Two days after our Tahoe excursion started our "trial week." This is the week that I try everything that I can think of that we will experience once I go back to work. This means: getting the girls used to Mommy being gone, going into work and prepping myself, getting Sadie used to taking bottles while I'm at work, getting into a pumping schedule at work, and giving Daddy Daycare its trial run. From my previous experience with Stella, I had learned that it takes about a week to get everything and everyone on board with the changes ahead. As usual, Stella took to change with little problems. Sadie however was not too happy with the new arrangements.
In all this change and experimentation, we managed to awaken the beast. Yes, out of nowhere, Sadie had returned to bouts of screaming, not eating or sleeping well, and generally rejecting all forms of anything new and different. The changes we had made to prep for my return to work seemed minimal, but to Sadie, we had turned her world upside down. In an effort to help Sadie eat better and sleep more, we decided that it was time for her to begin eating rice cereal. We had started Stella on rice cereal at right about four months exactly, so we were a bit behind what we had planned on doing anyway. The first few weeks of rice cereal do not really have your baby actually eating the stuff anyway, so we thought it was best to start her as soon as possible so that we could get into solid foods.
With all the prep and planning the week prior, it was officially time for me to go back to work. Even though I had had four months at home this time, I would have to say that this return to work was harder than the last. This time I had two little people at home that I would be missing. My maternity and summer leave had not just been about Sadie, but I also had truly enjoyed my time with Stella. We all had routines and activities that filled each day, and now I would be coming home at the end of the fun. The only thing that was getting me through was the idea of Daddy Daycare. I knew that Steve would have the girls while I went to work, and nothing made me feel more confident and secure than this fact.
To his credit- Steve was amazing!!! I cannot begin to describe how wonderful he is with our girls, and he slipped into the daily routine with such ease. I never had any frantic or panicked phone calls, but rather, he would FaceTime me at lunch so that I could see the girls. Having him there was what made my transition back to work happen, and I feel so lucky that we are able to work our child care this way. He will be starting back to school here shortly, and then Daddy Daycare will split time with Grandpa Daycare. Again, we are incredibly lucky that we are able to have family watch our kids!
As we headed toward the end of August, we were surprised by a very special guest-Uncle Billy! Billy is one of our oldest friends who we still consider our big brother. He has been a co-worker, a supervisor, a groomsman, and the list could go on forever! Let's just say that he has played many roles in our lives, and he is most definitely considered family. On a whim, we asked him if he would be free for a visit up to Reno for Steve's birthday weekend. We were beyond surprised when he told us that his trip was booked.
Steve and I knew that Billy was good with kids, but we had never seen him with babies. Let's just say that he had no problem winning over our girls! When he got here, his first little person to meet was Sadie. I came home to the two of them thick as thieves, and Sadie let him carry her all weekend without any protest. Stella took to him pretty fast as well, but on Saturday it was clear that she was a huge fan of "Abba Babba." Billy could not go anywhere or do anything without his little shadow following him around and asking him to hold her.
The whole reason for Billy's visit was to come for Steve's birthday, so the two of them spent a lot of time golfing and catching up. We also had a little birthday barbeque over here to celebrate the day, and Stella was really looking forward to someone actually having a birthday! She loves the song and wants us to sing "Happy Birthday" to everyone (dogs included) every day. The idea that we actually had a birthday to sing about with candles made her very happy. I think we sung to Steve about ten times that night.
The following day we took Billy to Stella's favorite place to eat, Squeeze In. I think it's her favorite because they give her a big cup of blueberries every time we eat there, but they really do have amazing food. The boys went golfing again after that, and before we knew it, it was time to take Billy to the airport. It really was incredible having one of our oldest friends in town, and it was so sweet to see our big guy finally meeting his nieces. We are already in the talks for future visits, so here's hoping that we see Uncle Billy up in Reno again soon!
Sadie hit her five month mark and ushered in the end of summer. I had truly enjoyed having so much time with my girls. It's amazing how much a little person can change over the course of a few months, and I had the pleasure of watching two little people come into their own. I got to watch Stella grow and learn so much each day, and I got to see the sweet little baby that Sadie has become finally emerge. With Steve back to school and me back to work, we are now working hard to maximize the time that we do get together with the girls. Stella is our bright little parrot- seriously, the kid repeats every word and song she hears now! And Sadie, oh Sadie, she is now this cuddly little ball of laughs and smiles. There is nothing better than coming home to her sweet little face with its huge smile each day after work.
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| August 23, 2013 |
