Mommy Nightmares

I had my first two mommy nightmares last night.  Both were about being separated from Conor.  I think I'm a bit anxious about going back to work (again) tomorrow after having this past week to revel in being a full-time mom again!  In the first dream, I suddenly heard Conor's cries and realized I didn't know where he was.  After listening frantically, I realized he was outside.  I had left him in his carseat next to the car, apparently forgetting to bring him inside after a trip out.  In the meantime, rains of epic proportions had arrived and there was now a veritable sea surrounding our house, complete with waves.  As thunder boomed and lightning flashed, I swam out to him, watching his little face get engulfed by the rapidly rising water.  I grabbed the carseat and somehow managed to hold it just above the water and swim back toward the house.  In the second dream, I was touring some sort of compound, like a rich person's plantation, with many buildings all around.  I kept looking at the clock, knowing I needed to leave by 4:15 to get Conor from daycare.  At 4:15, I snuck out even though the tour wasn't finished.  Unfortunately, all of the buildings looked alike and all of the many parking lots looked alike.  Therefore, I couldn't find my car!  I frantically (yes, again, frantically) raced around the compound trying to find my car.  Finally, I found a help desk, and the woman gave me a gold bar to take to a lot, which she assured me would have my car.  I glanced up at the clock and realized it was 4:45.  I was going to be very late, and my anxiety rose.  I didn't have time to make sense of what she was telling me, so I asked what to do with the gold bar when I got to the lot.  She said once I found my car, to throw it in the grass.  I'm not sure whether I ever found my car.

My anxiety is rising just thinking back on the nightmares now!!  Hopefully returning to work (again) tomorrow will not be nearly as stressful as either of those scenarios!  And hopefully no more Mommy nightmares...

3 months

Conor is 3-months-old today.  It's amazing how much he's developed and grown over the past three months.  Mike commented yesterday, "He really seems like a human now."  And it's true.  He interacts, he smiles, he looks for us in a room, and he responds to our voices.  He only rarely screams as if the world is ending nowadays.  Those terror cries are no longer a given every time we have to change his diaper, dress him, bathe him, or do any of the other necessary evils (as he would have called him a few months ago).  He really only now cries moments each day - only to let us know it's time to eat or he's getting tired.  He has a real interest in toys now.  He loves playing in his bouncer chair, where he's able to hit the toys on the toy bar to make the lights and music turn on.  He also enjoys his activity mat, where he can also bat at the toys.  Each morning, he grins from ear to ear under his mobile while is turns round and round playing music as Mommy makes the bed.  His schedule is regulating and he's finally beginning to learn how to sleep.  He now goes to bed at 7:00pm and usually wakes up 2 times to eat and once for his pacifier.  He's then up for the day sometime between 6:45 and 7:00am.  This earlier bedtime means Daddy gets less time with him at night (he makes it home just in time for bath and story time), but he gets some quality time with him in the morning, Conor's best time of day.  

As for physical growth, we don't see the doctor this month, so it's hard to say for sure.  However, I did weigh myself without him and myself with him several times today and pretty reliably had him weighing in at 14 lbs.  As you can see in the photos below from bathtime tonight, he's definitely got those rolls of baby fat.  He's gaining control over his body now and has a particular interest in his hands.  He sometimes just stares at them, and they're now often in his mouth.  While he hasn't yet figured out how to suck his fingers, he enjoys licking his fist and trying to suck it.  That usually only lasts a few seconds before he realizes a fist is not a fully satisfying sucking mechanism.  

All in all, we're pretty amazed by all the past three months have brought.  We're making progress ourselves as well.  This past weekend, we finally had the time and mental attention necessary to watch the first movie we've watched in at least three months!  (We watched Burn after Reading, which we would not recommend.  Pretty pointless movie.)

Yoga

Throughout my maternity leave, Conor and I attended Mom and baby yoga each Wednesday.  It was a great way to fit in a bit of relaxation into the week and was a great way for us to have some time to play and cuddle together.  In addition, it gave us a way to connect with other moms and babies.  Many people ask what Mom and baby yoga is.  Basically, it's similar to regular yoga, except you include the baby in many of the poses, such as holding the baby above your head when you do half moon pose or laying the baby on your tummy as you do crunches.  The biggest difference is that it's not a quiet experience; there are lots of baby noises from giggling to crying.  At times, I've had to breastfeed Conor while practicing.  While that may seem awkward to traditional yoga practicers, it's actual a perfectly relaxing experience.  Now that I'm back at work, I'm hoping to find another class that we can attend on Mondays.  

This week, I decided to show Mike some of the things we've done in yoga.  Conor enjoys the "flying baby" pose.

The big transition

The time has come.  I am no longer a full-time mom.  Of course, I suppose I am still a full-time mom.  I mean, the job of being a mom never really ends.  But on top of being a full-time mom, I'm now also a part-time Dean of Educational Partnerships.  Yes, I've returned to work.  I ever-so-thankful to work under someone who is understanding of family needs and agreed to allow me to cut my schedule to 20 hours per week.  I'm working Tuesday through Friday, 11am - 4pm.  This allows me to have long weekends and to have my mornings with Conor.  While I'm at work, Conor spends time at daycare.  I chose a family daycare 7 minutes from my school.  It's run by three women.  The owner is a very maternal, caring grandmother who still has spunk and energy to run around with a bunch of toddlers.  She has two full-time assistants who who have a combined 7 children of their own.  They currently have nine children and can have up to 10 total at any one time.  Most of the children (six of them) are between the ages of 1 and 3, which makes for a good amount of noise.  Conor is still getting used to that.  Thankfully, he was happy both times I dropped him off so far.  It would be much harder to leave him if he were crying.  After I left the first day, he began crying and cried for a while, even while taking his bottle.  However, after a nap, he woke up happier and had a good afternoon.  The second day was better.  He's struggling to nap well with all the noise, but he'll get used to it in time.  Leaving him at day care is one of the most difficult things I've done, but day two was about 100 times easier than day one, so I know it will only get easier with time.  And it is great to be back at work.  If only I could be at work and with Conor at the same time.  (My boss is very understanding, but not that understanding!)  And so, we both survived our first two days of work and day care.  Now, I have a week of vacation.  (It's school vacation week.)  Next week, back to the grind...

Conor's first Easter

Conor celebrated his first holiday with the Ribeiro clan in South Dartmouth at Aunt Sandy's house.  He was all decked out for the affair in a dashing seersucker and sweater-vest ensemble.

I think all agreed that he was the most handsome man at the party.  He was in great spirits for the day and was happy to be passed around and cuddled by everyone.  (Almost everyone... Uncle Robby still wouldn't hold him no matter how much he promised he wouldn't jump out of his arms or throw up on him.  Even Auntie Chrissy took a turn for a few minutes until a small whimper escaped through his lips!)  

Conor is enjoying learning about all of his family members.  Amazed by the full head of hair on Uncle Dave's head, he even tested it out to see whether it was real.  (It is.)   

He got quite a kick out of the entertainment that Grampy provided and was mesmerized by Daddy's juggling.  

All in all, he was a great sport and had a fabulous day!

While the Easter bunny did not find his way to our house this year (no jelly beans allowed, yet!), Conor was showered with gifts from plenty of others.  Before Easter even hit, he received all sorts of cute gifts from Aunt Dee and Uncle Dan and Auntie Nicole, GG and Papa, and Mimi and Popi.  Mimi even made Conor an adorable romper that he cannot wait to sport this summer when he visits her in the hot Tennessee weather.  Boy, that Mimi is talented! (I forgot to put the matching hat on him for his photo shoot... Yes, there's a matching hat!)

On Easter day, Conor was spoiled even further, receiving Easter bounty from Grammy and Grampy, Aunt Jenny, Great-Grandma and Papa, Aunt Carol and Uncle Jeff, and Aunt Sandy and Uncle Steve.  While he slept through the opening of most of these gifts, he assures me that he loves them all.  You can see that he's now the proud owner of many stuffed animals larger than he is!  

Conor wants to thank all of his oh-so-generous family members for all the gifts.  

Conor's first Easter was a great one!  We hope you all had a holiday just as blessed as ours.