Just stuff.

I think we are over the worst of the ear infection. Actually, I think the ear infection was better Tuesday. The rest of this week he has been irritable. He has not been sleeping well, and wanting to nurse way more often. He finally did better the past couple of nights, but this week has been rough.

I suspect there are several reasons for the night waking. He is teething, on the verge of a major milestone (crawling), and he is due a growth spurt. He has a lot going on, so I guess it is no wonder he is not feeling good. It is rough on me, though. Hopefully he is starting to feel better now.

Little Dude is really close to crawling! He already has a commando crawl across the floor, and he is able to get up on all fours and rock back and forth. We sort of expect him to start really crawling any day. He is so darn close! I have mixed emotions about it. It is fascinating to watch him grow and change, but on the other hand once he start crawling everything changes.

I find it amazing that I will be teaching at the community college this fall. When I went in to talk to them, they gave me the books for the course, and paperwork to fill out for HR. I realized that it is going to happen once they accommodated my vacation in October I still plan on keeping my nursing job. At least for right now. I make more there than I will teaching. In two months of working as a nurse 2 days a week, I will make the same amount I will make over one semester. I hope that made some sort of sense. Anyway, I really enjoy being an OR nurse, and do not want to give it up. Not yet, anyway.

Damn it!

We have another ear infection! I hope that this will not turn into a recurrent thing. Unfortunately, It may very well be recurrent. I had recurrent ear infections as a child, which is a risk factor for your child to have recurrent ear infections. And before you ask, I am still breastfeeding the Little Dude. He not really taking any solids at all. Apparently breast feeding only offers so much protection against ear infection. I suspect the reason ear infection rates are lower for breastfed babies is that breastfeeding mothers do not take their babies to the doctor for every ear infection. I feel a little gypped, if you want to know the truth.

On the bright side, there is no fever, and he does all right as long as he gets his tylenol. I just wish the tylenol was not colored red. It can get everywhere! Do people not think of these things?

Oh, the thoughts that come into your head at 4 AM.

I put the Little Dude back in his bassinet, and could not go back to sleep. And I am worrying about stuff I really should not be worrying about. I am sure it will work out in the end.

I am worried about not attending enough staff meetings for my OR job after I start teaching. Stupid, I know. They have staff meetings twice a week. On Fridays, the staff meeting is in the afternoon. At 2 PM. My class is scheduled fron 1-1:50. If I cut class a few minutes short, I may be able to make the Friday meeting. Provided my mother is willing to watch Little Dude for another hour. I think that she will. I just need to ask her.

And then there is the issue of when I can exercise. I really need to make this a priority. I think I should be able to exercise while the baby naps. I hope. I also need to find time to do lesson plans. It helps that I have taught this class before. I just need to break out those notes, and use them. I would like to follow the textbook being used, but most of the research and resources I already have should be fine. Hopefully I will not have to do too much to put stuff together.

And then there is the mommy guilt of being away from the Little Dude more often. I think he can handle it, as he will be about 7 months old when this all starts. There will be an adjustment period. It may be longer as I have to find alternative childcare arrangements for the first week or two. My mother has already planned a trip the first couple weeks of the semester, and will not be here. After that, she is planning on watching him while I teach. But I still need childcare those first couple weeks. I am crossing my fingers that something will work out.

Why do I worry about stupid things? These things will likely work themselves out. I really hope I worrying over nothing.

Out of the blue...

I get an offer to teach a class at the local community college! I was not even thinking about this position, and they call me and tell me they are looking for someone to teach general biology. I would love to! I loved teaching at the community college. I am looking forward to teaching there again.

Now to figure out how to make it work. I think I should be able to add another day with the day care provider for the day I have to teach lab. And hopefully my mother will be able to take him for the afternoons I lecture. It will only be a few hours. It starts in the fall, so she has time to get over the stress of moving, and hopefully get into shape to look after a baby.

I am considering keeping both days at work. Financially, it will make me more comfortable. And it is only 2 days a week. I do not think that they will let me reduce my hours, but I may be able to change the days I work. This needs some thought...

Lots to think about!

Nap time!

Well, nap time for baby. I have cleaned the kitchen, finished folding clothes, and now I am working on a blog post. Amazing what I a mom can do in an hour. I think I like nap time.

My big achievement for the day: I actually put the baby down to sleep! He has done it for others before, but I have never tried it. I thought I would try it today. He fussed for a little bit, but went to sleep within a couple of minutes. Who knew? I will have to try that again when he gets fussy. He really sleeps better in his own bed, not in my lap. Oh, and he actually slept from 8 PM to 4:30 AM last night. I actually got sleep! It was incredible. Hooray for nap time!

I even went to the gym and played on the treadmill for a little while, and then I went for a short dip in the pool. I thought about taking the baby, but I think I would rather take the baby when someone else is there to help hold him. I like to swim, too! Maybe that will be our family outing this weekend.

Sick.

I really hate being sick. I hate seeing my baby sick. It is not fun for me right now, as both the Little Dude and I are both sick. We took the Little Dude to the doctor the other day, and discovered he has an ear infection. He does not have a fever, he is still eating, and he did not seem to be doing so badly. I guess it goes to show that you never can tell.

Little Dude is not doing too badly. It is too early to tell any difference with the antibiotic, but I suspect by the weekend we may notice a difference. He is not letting the cold and ear infection slow him down any. Right now he is jumping away in his jumperoo like it is going out of style.

I think the worst is that I cannot take anything to help with the nasal congestion, so I feel miserable. I have some suda.fed nasal spray, and a neti pot. They help some, but I am still congested and wiped out. I hope it is because it is draining. I am also drinking ecinaecia tea hoping that will help boost my immune system and soothe my throat. It would probably be more soothing with honey, though. I also took the day off work to hopefully help myself get over this. They probably do not want someone hacking and coughing in the OR.

Anyway, I am still alive, but barely. Apparently mothers do not get sick days.

Back to it.

Back to work yesterday after about a week off, thanks to Memorial Day Weekend. I think they are about ready to kick me off of "orientation." And I think I am about ready to go off of "orientation." As long as they do not put me with temperamental surgeons just yet. We will see.

I have the day off today. I plan on a hike with my mother at a local reservoir, and then lunch with my parents. I am considering a jaunt to the store this afternoon. I know we need cat food, and I am sure I can think of some other things we need.

We got our high chair yesterday, and have started trying to eat at the table. It is wonderful to eat with both hands. It is also nice to be able to talk to Hubby. At least have a little time together where we can be a family. Hopefully this weekend we can do a family outing. I think it is good for us to get out as a family.