I am happy to report that my iPod mini is now fixed, thanks to some helpful links from DC and KF! We ordered a replacement battery from eBay two weeks ago, and finally got around to trying it out last night. I am so glad I decided to pay a little extra to get the tools so that we can open the iPod easier, otherwise I don't know how we would've disassembled it. It took us less than half an hour from start to finish to complete the task, doing everything based on memory from watching a video on YouTube last week. I don't think it was that difficult, but then again, M did most of the work, so he might disagree. In any case, my iPod mini lives on, and baby K can have music in her room once again.Speaking of baby K, she came down with a cold, and has been very congested all weekend. She's too young to be taking any medication, so we've just been using nasal drops on her. But she hates it, and would scream for her life every time I get near her nose. She moves around so much that a couple of times, the nasal drops ended up in her eye and in her mouth. Good thing it's just salt water, so it shouldn't be harmful to her. She has a lot of mucus and phlegm that she needs to get out of her system. After I fed her this morning, she coughed up what seems like half the bottle of milk b/c of all the phlegm in her throat. She was protected by her bib, but it left a big mess all over the couch, mommy's pants and socks, and the floor. Needless to say, I had a rough start this morning. At least baby K was still in good spirits, smiling as she was being put in her car seat and staying quiet while mommy went to change and pack everything up.Here's a picture of our cutie pie holding her own bottle with a little help from mommy... the bottle looks almost as big as she is!
Happy First Day of Spring! Imagine my surprise when I looked out the window this morning and saw that we were being greeted by some nice big snowflakes. So much for the change in seasons, huh? Fortunately, it's not enough to require any shoveling, but it did leave a nice sheet of white across all the lawns in the neighborhood.I've recently realized that I haven't taken many pictures of baby K since she's started daycare (which is why there hasn't been that many posted lately). When I was home with her, I'd take a few photos each day (or shoot a short video) so that daddy can see what she was up to when he came home from work. But there hasn't been any solo shots of her in the past three weeks. I have to whip out the camera again and make use of it this weekend. At least they take pictures of her at daycare on a daily basis, and once in a while, I get a cute little souvenir from them. They've made me a 2-page collage of baby K's first week at daycare, and for St. Patrick's Day, they put a picture of baby K in the middle of a clover (not a real one, of course) for me.Baby K had her four-month doctor's visit earlier this week. She now weighs 12 lbs 1 oz, which falls in the 25th percentile for her age. Her height is in the 75th percentile, so the nurse said she's going to be tall and skinny. She's been in the same percentile range since birth, so the doctor isn't too concerned that she might be underweight. I've started giving baby K some formula, mixing it in with the breast milk. She seems to be taking it fine so far, but it's only been two days. Because of her dairy allergy, she needs a special type of formula where they break down the protein from the dairy, and that stuff stinks! It made me want to gag just preparing it! My poor baby, she has to actually drink it!
I am sad. My iPod mini is dead. I usually have it playing Baby Einstein's rendition of Mozart, Beethoven, or Bach in the background while I'm spending time with baby K, but when I plopped it into the Bose speakers the other day, it just wouldn't turn on. M looked into it and said that the battery is dead. I can either have the battery replaced (which would cost an astronomical amount) or get a new one. I'd totally go for a new one if it weren't for the fact that I'd lose all the songs I have saved. I probably shouldn't have deleted them all from the computer, but I didn't think my iPod would die. It just happened without any warning! If only there was some sign that the machine was on its last leg, I would have backed up all my music. SIGH! Anyone know where I can get a good deal for a new iPod? I'm leaning towards that rather than getting the battery replaced.
Baby K is still solely on breast milk, so I've been pumping in the office since I've gone back to work. Unfortunately, this facility is not exactly kind to nursing mothers and has not made a lactation room available. My options are to a) use the Medical Office (but it is only available when the nurse is there, which is not very often), b) utilize the nursing room at daycare, (I did that on day one when they spilled my milk, but it's too far to do on a daily basis), or c) find an empty office. I've been going with option c since it's the most convenient. The major downside to this is that none of the offices here have locks on them. I've been putting a "PLEASE DO NOT DISTURB" sign on the door of a vacant office, hoping that people would READ before entering. I haven't had any problems, that is, until today. As I was about done and putting away my milk, a woman came barging in, shocking the living daylights out of me (probably took away three years of my life!). Good thing my back was turned to the door, so hopefully she didn't see anything. Truth be told, she seemed more traumatized by it than I was. When I left the office, I found her a few feet away by the cubicle of another colleague, literally in tears b/c she was so mortified for walking in on me. Apparently, her head was down and she didn't see my big "PLEASE DO NOT DISTURB" sign.SIGH! Looks like I am going to have to look for a new place to pump. I've also used my boss' office a few times (she's currently on maternity leave), but I found her door ajar today, so I didn't want to use it in case someone needed to go in there to get a file or something. SIGH! I can't wait to start baby K on formula! Not only will that free up a lot of my time, but I won't have to inspect the ingredients to everything I eat anymore for fear of triggering baby K's food allergy problem.
This week has been going by a lot smoother than week one. Baby K is adapting well to daycare, and everyone there adores her. She had trouble napping last week (would take catnaps and wake up in less than an hour), which I found odd b/c she never had any problems sleeping at home, but I guess it's a different environment. This week, they put her on her side and she seems to like that position better. She's been able to sleep 1-2 hours straight and seems to be less cranky when she's up.I think the hardest part about being back at work is missing the new things baby K can do each day. When I went to pick her up yesterday, the caregiver told me that she rolled over. I was so happy to hear that, but at the same time, was saddened b/c I wasn't able to witness it myself. But I choose to go back to work instead of being a full-time mom (which really isn't an option if we are to maintain our current lifestyle), so we can't have it all. One thing I am thrilled about is that I can make baby K laugh at will (as long as she's not being fussy), although she always ends up hiccuping when she does. I find it quite amusing, but daddy doesn't like it when she hiccups. It's hard to believe such a tiny little thing can bring so much joy into our lives. Sometimes, the way she looks at me is so affectionate it just melts my heart. I need to cherish these moments now, while we still have her unconditional love.Our first family photo taken this past weekend... it only took us nearly four months!
This is my first blog entry in a while that's not about baby K. My apologies to those readers out there who are expecting an update on our little one.For the past few years (since we moved to the burbs), we've hired someone to care for our lawn. In addition to cutting the grass, they also do fertilization, pesticides, aeration, seeding, grub control, liming, the whole works. However, all that does not come cheap. The contract they sent us for 2009 would cost us about $2,400. M and I are trying to save money this year and want to cut down on some of the services provided. Actually, he wants to go with a different company all together and just pay for grass cutting. That would cut our costs by more than half. I'm hesitant to do so, since I don't know how bad our lawn would look without all the extra stuff. Can anyone provide any insight on lawn maintenance? Should we shell out the dough for complete lawn care once again, or put the money towards baby K's 529 plan and run the risk of having our property be the ugly one on the block? Please leave a comment on what you think we should do.
We had a snow day this past Monday, so I got an extra day at home to spend with baby K this week. My little one seems to be adapting well at daycare... at least much better than mommy. The first day was very rough on me, more so b/c of things going wrong than b/c I missed my baby (although I did). I've worked very hard these past couple of months to get baby K on a routine feeding schedule; that was the only thing she was consistent on. Everything else (like her playing time and nap time) would vary from day to day. Consequently, I got very annoyed and upset when I got a call from the daycare mid-morning that first day, informing me that they gave baby K a bottle at 9:45am, less than 3 hours since I last fed her. Then at noon, I got another phone call from them requesting for more milk b/c the second bottle I left with them had spilled. I had to go over there to pump and supply her with another bottle (good thing I brought an extra one with me), and rush back for a meeting with my boss. I didn't get a chance to eat until 3:00pm that day, and when I did, all I had was lettuce. Apparently, they've cut back on a lot of meal options in the cafeteria since I've been gone, and with baby K's allergy to dairy, nuts, and soy, the only thing I could eat was salad (and even then, it was just plain lettuce, some tomatoes, and carrots). Maybe I should get into the habit of eating breakfast again, which I've stopped doing after the pregnancy.Things have improved since day 1. Baby K came home with a little scratch on her face on day 2 (probably one of the other kids got too close to her), but I can't get too worked up over things like that. I'm sure that scratch was the first of many to come. I'm still adjusting to this new routine, and find myself getting less sleep now than I did when I was home taking care of her. At least then, I was able to take naps when she did during the day. Nowadays, I wake up at 6:00am, pump, shower, pack all the baby necessities, then feed baby K, change her, and get her ready to go. By the time I get to my desk at work, it's past 9:00am already. When I return home at night, I need to unpack everything from the day, wash all her bottles (hopefully she's asleep, otherwise she'd want to be carried), and wait for daddy to come home to cook. After dinner, we get an hour (or two, if we're lucky) to rest and/or play with baby K, and I usually end up falling asleep in front of the television. Then it's time to pump again, feed her, and put her to sleep. By the time we climb into bed ourselves, it's past midnight. Then we get to do it all over again the next day.I wish I could say I have Saturday and Sunday to look forward to, but this upcoming weekend will be a busy one. We're heading up to M's sister's place tomorrow in Rockland County to celebrate the triplet's birthday. Then Sunday, we're driving out to Chinatown, going to church, stopping by a friend's grand opening (Silk Cakes - highly recommended if you ever need a cake for any special occasion!), and visiting baby K's grandparents. SIGH! I feel worn out just thinking about it.
