Sick again

I was hesitant about going away this weekend with Brandon on a retreat (location= 6hrs away) because of the success we now have with Gami sleeping at night and his nap times.....

Side Note: Yes, we finally have him sleeping through the night. He still seems to be waking once or twice with a few whimpers (I think it's b/c he's sick), but I am not getting up to feed him. This is big!! We gave up getting sleep (not like we were getting any before) over the long weekend to allow Gami to cry at night. It took the whole weekend, but by Sunday night he awoke once with only a few whimpers. It was like he was saying, "Are you coming?.....I am crying for you.....Are you coming now?..." It was actually kind of cute. I am so grateful to finally be getting more sleep at night and that I had Brandon's support over the weekend to do it! Parenting really is teamwork!

.....It seems that he doesn't nap as well when we go away, even 3hrs away, and especially when other people are in the van with us. However, we prayed & flipped a coin...the results determined that I would go.

Come Friday morning, when we got the baby up to leave, he was really congested & had quite the runny nose. So, last minute we decided that I would stay home with Gami. This made Brandon & I really sad & a bit frustrated. We always want to spend time together and to be together whenever possible. Having him leave for the weekend was difficult, but we knew it was for the best: Gami. All day Friday I wiped Gami's nose about every 3-5min. I felt like I was constantly going at his face with tissues. He probably felt the same way given the way he would throw himself backward when I came at him. It was like a cheetah attacking an antelope...well, maybe not quite that bad. It was a rough & energy-draining day for me. Nap times were great! I was discouraged to see that Gami had broken out with a rash. I first noticed it on his face (sides of face & forehead) but then when I gave him a bath I saw it was all over his stomach, chest, and very little on his back. As a mother, this is not something I want for my child. I tried to sort out what it could be and even called a friend to discuss it with her (a mother of 6). So I am going to have to play process of elimination, starting with the Wal-Mart brand (Parent's Choice) of Gerber Graduates puffy cereal. That is the newest thing that I can think of that he's had. Unless it was something I ate, which is nearly impossible to figure out. So I am monitoring the rash. Tonight I gave him a bath with some Baking Soda in the water (recommended by the mother I spoke with). I hope that helps to ease any discomfort he may have from the rash.

Today his nose was not as stuffy and did not run as much as yesterday. I was grateful for that. It gave us both a break from the tissues. I wonder if the stuffiness is also an effect of an allery he is having to something he ate. He did have a bit of a cough and it sounded like he might have had some flem in his throat...my poor baby!! He was his usual happy self! He was crawling around a lot today! I was quite impressed with how much more he is moving and how much further he is going. He is really getting the hang of crawling. When I get a good video of it I will post it up. It brings me a lot of joy to watch him.

In February I will start watching the neighbors newborn baby 4 days a week, all day (the "normal" Army work hours). After I talked with the family, I gave them a typed out offer of the set hours I would be willing to work (the "normal" daily army work hours) and what the extra charge would be if they were late (if not pre-arranged). We are going to give it a one week trial period to see how it goes. I am a bit concerned that it might be too much for me right now (Gami, housework, Brandon leaving, my personal care...). Since the baby is a newborn I don't think it will be too difficult and it will allow me to still be at home while making some extra money. It will also give me something to do (like I don't have enough to do already!) while Brandon is gone for 6-7mos this year. But this is why we are going to give it a one week trial period & why the couple has a back-up if for some reason (such as going to Maine/NY in April or sickness) I cannot watch their baby. I am nervous b/c I do tend to put a lot on my plate, but I feel I should be able to handle all my responsibilities a little better. I am just not very good at it yet. My big thing will be to get their baby to nap when Gami & I nap each day. If I don't get a nap, I may not be watching their baby. Ok...enough thinking out loud...

Tomorrow, probably in the evening, Brandon will be coming home. I wish he was coming home sooner but the chaplain is doing sessions tomorrow morning after breakfast. So that puts Brandon on the road about 12-1pm, plus a stop for lunch. Grrrr... I just want him to come home. I need a break! What am I going to do when he's gone for months? I nap better when he's home. B/c Gami doesn't have to eat as soon as he wakes in the morning or the afternoon, I usually get an extra 30min nap when Brandon's home. I am definitely more tired when he's not home. I miss him!

Well, I am going to get ready for bed & then play some Mario Party on the Nintendo Game Cube my friend let me borrow this weekend.

Shalom, Cassy