Introducing...

Valerie! We are SO thankful and blessed to have her in our lives.

And here is a photo from a couple of weeks ago when we had amazing weather. My dad and I packed a picnic dinner and enjoying fish tacos at the beach. Kai went swimming. Ryan had homemade sweet potatoes, saw, heard, and felt a train for the first time, and got lots of vitamin D.

"The Plan" - take 2

The sun has been shining here in the NW! We even broke 70 degrees two days in a row!



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Sitting up. Six teeth. Smiling boy.








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MckMama, author of the blog My Charming Kids, has four kids under four, is an amazing photographer, and is a very humorous writer. Her youngest child, Stellan, is currently in the hospital due to a heart condition. He is very sick. A gallery of Stellan's name from around the globe has been started as a beautiful way to show Stellan and his family that you are praying for and thinking of him. This is my entry ♥







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And a couple more shots from today in his new swing.





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"The Plan" - take 2:

I also wanted to share our current child care situation...we have decided to have a "nanny" come to the house to take care of Ryan. It is such a blessing. SHE is such a blessing.

Valerie, I'll have to take a photo soon so I can "introduce" you to her, is the latest and greatest addition to the family. She loves Ryan and we all love her too!

In this post, we thought that day care would be the route we would choose. However, after a month or two of day care, we decided it would best for Ryan to be home. Since making that decision I KNOW that was the best for Ryan and for our family.

Ryan was well cared for at day care, but I trust Valerie implicitly and know that Ryan has her one-on-one attention, is read to, snuggled with, truly loved, gets to go for walks, and sleep in his own bed/crib. I cannot begin to put a value on the peace of mind I have leaving for work every day.

We hope Valerie will be part of our lives for a very long time! Thank you, Valerie. You are a blessing!

Grandpa's Day

My dad watches plays with Ryan on Thursdays and it's SO wonderful (for both of them). Here is a little snapshot or two Ryan's grandpa took this afternoon.

Back to work, week two

Playing with Sophia (8 months) and Aidan (8 months).

So after posting that my first week back to work wasn't as hard as I thought it would be...week two arrived...

It was much harder than week one! First of all, I learned that Mondays are the hardest day of the week for me. We had so much "togetherness" over the weekend that Monday arrived too quickly, the workday went too slowly, and "the Monday blues" had a whole new meaning for me.

I have today off and it is wonderful. I gave Kai and bath shower, am doing laundry, getting some snuggles and play time in with Ryan, and doing some work from home. This will be a short week and I hope week three proves a little easier on the heart than week two did.

Rob and I have been discussing and dreaming of the many possibilities we could consider instead of our current decision to have me work part time and have Ryan in daycare (and with my dad on Thursdays) and have ended up right back at square one. I guess I just have to trust that we are just where we are supposed to be for today. And we will take each coming day, opportunity, and decision as it comes. For now, we know we are doing the best we can and have a safe, happy, and healthy little boy who has as much to gain as he does lose by being in an in-home daycare.



Going back to work lesson #1:
The word "daycare" often comes off my lips feeling like an apology somehow and collides with a wave of guilt and sadness. It really is a happy little place and I know Ryan is in capable and loving hands. But somehow I feel judged and have that ugly mother's guilt. It's time to accept this word, daycare, and feel okay about it for our family.

Lesson #2:
I do love my job, but I COULD be a stay-at-home mama and would love it. Something to consider/plan for when the time comes for baby #2.

Lesson #3:
I do like having to get up and get showered/dressed/presentable by 8:30 every morning. Having a routine is nice.

Lesson #4:
You have to ask for what you need...from work, from daycare, from family. People are accommodating and supportive if you just ask.

Lesson #5:
Sometimes you just have to take things a day at at time.

Made it!

My first week back to work has been better than I anticipated. We did it! Monday Ryan stayed with my parents, so that was pretty easy. When I got off work we stopped by the daycare for a visit to see Ms. Lydia and Ms. Rosie. It's an in-home daycare with one other baby and about 10 kids. Almost half the kids there my co-worker's wee ones! It's known around here as the "Charles Wright daycare."

Tuesday Ryan had his first day...9-2. All went well. Wednesday went even better (for mom that is!). Thursday is my dad's day - so he came to our house and he and Ryan spent the day together. And today, Friday, he is at daycare from 9-1. Not too bad. And man, if I could work 9-2 for the rest of my life I would! 60% is pretty nice with a little one.

Anyway, just wanted to give a little update on our latest transition around here. All is going well...better than I thought it would. Guess it really helps that I love my job and the amazing people that make up my office. We have a great time together and I have so much support from my CWA family. Thank you Charles Wright!

All around town!

Ryan and I had a busy day yesterday!

We went to my dad's office so grandpapa could show everyone his little grandson.

Then we stopped by to see my amazing printer (who has so generously offered to print, assemble, and mail our baby announcements as a baby gift - thank you Lynnette!).

Then home for a bite/feeding.

Then to my office to drop off some paperwork and say hi to everyone (that took two hours but was great to see my wonderful coworkers).

Then the airport (my parents flew to Arizona to help my brother move back up here to WA - YAY!).

And finally Rob and I stopped off for our first dinner out with the little man!


Rest up baby! We have a big day!


Time to get ready!


Ready to go! And I promise - I don't pose the pointer finger!!


Visiting my office - I was so glad the kids were out of school and got to see him!





At dinner...the pointer!

The Plan

Well...I am a planner for the most part. Not every part of my life feels organized (just look in some of my drawers or "the office" in our house or even my desk at work these days), but when it comes to schedules and who will be where and when etc...I'm on it.

Many people have asked us our plan for work, childcare etc...once this little guy arrives. Thankfully, my place of work, Charles Wright Academy, is very willing to work with me. I am starting my sixth year and have accrued a fair amount of sick leave and also have some vacation time. I will stay home from the time he arrives until just after the New Year (all or most of it will be paid). Rob will be home with us for the first week and then plans to go back with shorter days the second week, and then take another full week off the third week. From there we will see!

Once January arrives, my mom and dad have agreed to take Baby Judge a day or two a week (thank you Mom and Dad!!!) and we will also be taking him to daycare. The daycare we have chosen is an in-home daycare with 12 kids. It is unique in that we already know half of the kids/parents at our daycare as they are all co-workers of mine at Charles Wright and one is a counselor at another local school who is a Charles Wright Alum. We have lots of rave reviews from these parents/educators whom I really trust and value - which has helped us a lot in this decision. It is also very close to our home, my work, and my parent's house. The two women who work there speak Spanish with the kids (as well as English, of course) which we think is a great bonus. We look forward to him joining these other happy babes and tots!

Any other arrangements with my work schedule will be made after he is here and we have a better idea of what we need as a family. I do know that I have great support from my workplace and I am confident that I can juggle both working outside the home and my family's needs.

If you're interested in spending some time with the little guy, please let me know. We would love for him to spend lots of time with our friends and family! Now if he would just arrive...we can hardly wait to meet him!!

Baby Shower!

My office (they ROCK) planned a baby shower for me today. We went to the beach for a picnic and they "showered" me with wonderful weather, great company, scrumptious food, adorable baby goodies (toys, the ocean wonders for the crib, diapers, socks, blankets, and books). And then brought out the stroller we registered for!

What a wonderful afternoon and what a generous and thoughtful team I work with. I couldn't ask for more. Thank you Molly, Susan, Dori, Aileen, Althea, Kerri, Noel, Debbie, Sue, Steve, JoAnn, and Laura!

Photos were taken but I don't have them from the camera they were taken with just yet. I'll put them up as soon as I get them! Off to the hospital tour!