Allergies

I am pretty convinced Tristan has allergies. The question is, just what is he allergic to? He has puffy red and watery eyes that he keeps rubbing and a runny nose and sometimes a low fever and he is sneezing. They cut the grass this week and the car has been covered in fine yellow dust so it could be an allergy to pollen or grass. Also I found Callie in Tristan's crib and on his play mat this week several times. I wonder if he could be developing an allergy to the cat? I feel like all I have done the past several days is wash, wash, wash! I keep washing his blankies and changing his sheets and clothes. I keep giving him a bath and wiping his snotty nose and I keep washing his puffy eyes with a cool wash cloth. We stayed inside all day today and I think it was worse(maybe it IS the cat...or dust?). He went to the doctor yesterday who said it could be a virus as well, but the signs are more like allergies. Sigh. Also I found out that kids with light skin, blonde hair, and blue eyes have more allergies than other kids. Kind of interesting.

a new chapter

This week we realized we have been PAYING for me to work. Part of this is due to the fact that I use a tank of gas every week because my day looks like this: home> daycare> work and then work> daycare> home. So starting May 13th I will be a temporary stay at home mom! I am hoping to pick up an odd job here or there (maybe baby sitting another child part time during the week to earn some extra money) but we will see how it goes. God has really given me a peace about staying home with Tristan and I am starting to feel excited about it instead of sad. I have really loved my current job but since Tristan has been born I really have not been able to get back into the swing of things at work. I think God was just nudging me to notice that financially and emotionally it isn't really worth it right now. Our house has looked terrible since I have returned to work and I have maybe cooked once or twice for my husband since Jan. I feel like being a good wife and mother right now is the most important and for me the way to do that is to take a break from working. Financially I really need to get a full time position, but that will have to wait until I am done breast feeding Tristan because I don't want to tackle breast feeding AND working full time...no thank you!

glorious sleep

tristan slept for ten hours last night! He woke up twice to eat for about twenty minutes then it was right back to bed! I didn't get out of bed for good until after nine!!! I know it won't go on like this for very long so I had to chronicle the one night that I got this much sleep with a two month old baby :)

Saturdays with Tristan

I love Saturdays! Since I have had to return to work to help keep our little family afloat Saturdays are my day to spend with Tristan. While dad sleeps or goes to work we have cuddle time, tummy time, and baby talk time. Tristan's little eyes light up when I place him on the changing table and talk to him and he has just started staring and "talking" to his toys which is just adorable. Today we opened up all the blinds and let the wonderful spring sun come in while he enjoyed tummy time and watching himself in the mirror. We enjoy all these moments during the week as well, but the time is so different when there is no running around to do to try and get everything ready in time to go to daycare and then off to work. Sitting around in comfy clothes and cuddling with a sweet baby is THE best way to spend a saturday!

Longest week ever

this week felt like the longest week ever. The week started out fine, but on Tuesday I woke up with pink eye and the cold i have been fighting for a month now had moved into my chest. So, it was off to urgent care while Jake took care of Tristan. To make the day worse the doctor told me I was really contagious....wonderful. It really was a miracle that Jake and Tristan did not catch pink eye, but Tristan did catch my cough. It is so pitiful to hear him cough I think I might go get the antibiotic filled that the doctor gave me. He said not to fill it unless it was really needed, but I am tired of my little guy being sick so I think I will break down and get it filled. Hopefully that takes care of this stubborn bug that just won't go away! I hate to kill all the good stuff in my body right along with the bad, but such is life.

Grab that bargain!!

My great friend Amanda found this awesome store in Burlington, NC where bargains abound. It is a scratch and dent kind of store which means the goods there have either damaged boxes, missing parts, will soon expire(or are already expired), or have been returned to a store and cannot be resold by that store. However, some of the products are perfectly normal, have not been opened and are not expired. Almost everything there is priced at 1.00 with some items ranging a little lower or higher just depending. Wading through the dirty boxes and crowded shelves and bins is totally worth it for the bargains you will find....just make sure to bring along your wet wipes and hand sanitizer!!

My favorite bargains of the day?

hair dye-$1
Pampers diapers- $4
playtex bottles- $1
Cover Girl mascara and concealer- $1
Quantum dish washer tablets-1.50

Here are some pictures of the great finds! All in all I spent 53 dollars and some change. Can't beat that!

back to work

I go back to work on monday. I will have to leave Tristan for the first time at day care and it is such a scary thing to think about! I found a good day care center and he will only be there for the four hours that I am working, but it still is nerve wracking to leave such a little baby in the care of someone else while I leave him. It is not an option for me right now to stop working. Working is the only way I can keep my health insurance and Tristans health insurance. We applied for medicaid for Tristan but we have not heard yet whether or not he is eligible. I think he may not be because we have too much money in our savings account from when Jake was in Iraq. BUT the money in that savings account pays the extra bills right now since Jake and I both only have part time jobs. On another note (which makes me feel guilty sometimes) I don't want to stop working. I think I would go crazy if I stayed at home all the time. I know it is great for children to be raised by a stay at home mom, but I can't imagine not working. I have realized over these six weeks at home with Tristan that you have to have a lot of patience and be super organized in order to be a stay at home mom. Needless to say patience is the least of my virtues and the independent feeling i get at work I really enjoy. I also feel like I learn so much at work every day I can't imagine not learning new things and improving my resume! If we were in a better place I would probably stay at home with Tristan until he was older, but my husband and I both believe that you should not live off of the government if you can help it and that you should work to avoid taking advantage of the system. I don't think getting medicaid is taking advantage because most working people cannot afford health insurance right now. However I don't want to be forced into food stamps and welfare because I'm too selfish to work. You have to make your own way in this world and if you can take care of yourself you should.