October, the month of staying home

I know, I know, no new pictures. Seriously, the kid is adorable and I love his expressions, so I take lots, no LOTS of pictures, but he has this thing with "camera face" so there's lots of photos to go through, and few of them capture him as I see him. Plus, computer time is at a premium.... But it's on my list of things to do!

BABY
Kaden's been sick since October 6th. NO, it's not the stinkin' H1N1-whatever-Swine flu, blah-blah-blah. He started with a little cold, I got it too, but I knocked it out, and figured, "Hey, my antibodies will kick in any day now, and he'll get better with nursing." So I got better, he didn't. I took him to the doc and shockingly, he had strep throat. Umm what?! Anyway, as of a week and a half ago we were treating the strep with Amoxicillin, but that was apparently not strong enough to knock out what became a sinus infection. Because of the Amox, he got a yeast infection on all his sensitive man parts and the poor kid's ass looked like it was on fire. I felt so freakin bad for him. He screamed bloody murder every time we changed him, the pain was obviously intense. So, in addition to a new, stronger antibiotic 'scrip we filled to treat the strep and the sinusitis, we also had some prescription butt cream. Keep in mind, all this is happening while he's teething like crazy. Between the saline spray, the aspirator, the tissue, the antibiotics, the Tylenol, the butt creams, the face creams, the teething tablets, etc., it's amazing the kid still likes us, because lately I'm torturing him roughly every hour or so.

Kaden being sick freaked me out a bit. It made me aware of his vulnerability and how well we've had it since he's been around. I'm really not a freaky mom-type, despite my control freak tendencies. I'm actually pretty chill for the most part. Kids are kids. We've all lived through a lot, and it's made us better stronger people. However, some things that I see as no biggie, are things that I know other people see as a big deal, and visa-versa, but hey, that's the joy of parenting. You, and you alone, are responsible for fucking up your kid. As parents, you have to discover solutions constantly, and make decisions that are totally customized to your family as a whole. I haven't a clue if I'm making the right decision for the long run, but nobody else knows either. Often people and magazines and websites and books try to fooling me into saying they know, but they don't. I can honestly say, that we are constantly thinking and talking to each other about how to approach the challenges that come up raising Kaden. We analyze different options and are implementing the ones that feel right. Home birth with no drugs was right for us, antibiotics for strep and sinus infection was also right. Right now, I am thoroughly frightened by all the decisions we will have to make as parents. However, I am confident in Erik's and my ability to approach an issue with totally different perspectives, discuss it, and for Erik to say to me, "You're the Boss."

Other than October being our month of sickness, it's been pretty good. Kaden is 8 months old and is getting a lot more fun. He is a crawling maniac, so baby mobility has definitely effected our household. The kitties are much more aware of his location and have gotten the hang of tearing off if Kaden spots them, squeals and charges. Finding new things to do with him has gotten harder. I've raided most of the household cabinets for things that he may find entertaining for a few minutes, but earlier this week I broke down and bought him some pretty commercially plastic toys. It's amazing how a stay at home mom can justify $30 for the possibility of having an hour or two of distracted baby time. I'm telling you, vulnerable, sleep-deprived, desperate mothers with credit cards will get this economy going again if we fund them.

My favorite part of this stage is his sweet cuddling. Our routine is to take a long nap together in the mornings. It's probably my favorite time of the day. Cozing up in bed with him, the whole bed to ourselves, not worrying about waking up Erik is rejuvenating and keeps me going. When he wakes up lately, he is so totally happy to see me, and starts babbling and cooing and smiling. But, it's when he looks me right in the eye and clambers up my chest and snuggles his whole head into the crook of my neck that I melt. Those soft little cheeks and the smell of his hair are intoxicating, but knowing that he is a little person with his own free will, who knows that he wants to snuggle with me, and has the power to do so is pretty cool. Despite him being sick and miserable lately, he has still been so sweet and so mellow. If people didn't know him, they wouldn't really know he was sick. He's been a trooper. And seriously, kids don't get any cuter, but you can't actually verify that until I get around to posting pictures.... Bad Blogger no biscuit!!

WORK
I am so glad I told the Internet universe that I wanted a kitchen and bath project (see the end of my last post) because lo-and-behold, I got one! Not just a so-so one either, a fun one. An open up the whole floor plan, Craftsman inspired, cool clients, decent budget one. We're just in the beginning stages of planning, but things are going well so far. I am super excited about it, and have lost quite a bit of sleep over it while lying in bed designing everything down to the hardware. It feels great to have a project again, and I am anxious to get the floor plan back from the draftsman so we can start talking numbers and hopefully get things rolling in the next couple months. I also got a call from a contractor whom I did a proposal for almost a couple years ago, who just called me up and told me the project has been revived and am I still interested. That project is 18 units for a higher end extended stay complex near the country club area, so I'm looking forward to that too. That one will push my comfort zone a bit since I've never done anything like it, but I'm down for a challenge. The hardest part about work coming up is that I want to do it all and give it my all, but Kaden comes first, so I have to figure out a new balancing act. Thankfully I'm a consultant and I am flexible, but being a mom now will definitely bring a new level of complexity to my work and how I accomplish it.

I am feeling thankful. Thankful that I have had a sweet healthy baby up until now, and that his first round of sickness was something I could tackle with antibiotics. I am thankful to have support from my husband, family and good contractors. I am thankful for new projects that are creative, stimulating and challenging. I am thankful I don't have a job. I am thankful that I have the Internet to babble to.

P.S. Next weekend (the 6th) is my nephew Zabri's first birthday! Wow, what a year it's been. Happy Birthday, Zay-bah!!