Flashback Friday

My summer vacation ends next week. Back to work for another school year. I was talking with a friend last week about how I'm actually kind of excited to go back to work this year. That is in stark contrast to when I started back to work last year and when I started back to work after my maternity leave. I was a mess of anxiety and self-doubt each time.

Spencer was born in early September, 2007 and I stayed home with him until he was four months old in early January, 2008. Then I went back to work two days a week, Tuesday and Thursday. We were very lucky that on the days I worked, Michael was able to stay home. We did this until the beginning of June, 2008 when I started summer vacation. When I started work again in August, Spencer went to a baby-sitter for the first time- Monday, Wednesday and Thursday mornings.

Michael and I were blessed with four months of colic after Spencer was born (that is meant to be read with a very sarcastic and biting tone). I think Spencer stopped crying all day every day around Christmas time. Maybe Santa talked some sense into him. Anyway, he was just starting to be delightful around the time that I had to leave him for the first time. I wanted to mark the occassion with some pictures that I could bring to work with me.

This would have come out better if Michael had mentioned the blinding light coming through the doggy door.

Much better

The idea of this picture was good. The end result, not so much. Spencer is cute, but I have a fat beluga whale face. One of my favorite pictures of the little peanut. My first day of work was January third. I went in for four hours and it was all I could bare. I raced home and was positive that Spencer was going to be wailing. This is what I found:This was my first day back to work last August.

List Wednesday

This is a continuation of my list from last Friday. You might say that I'm "piggybacking" on my previous list. (Giggle/Groan depending on your style of humor).

I love Sandra Boyton pigs. If real live pigs looked like her drawings I would never eat another piece of bacon for the rest of my life. And I love me some bacon. One of the perks of having a kid is that I can indulge myself in buying kid books and pass it off as a benefit to Spencer's future literacy.

There are a lot of Boyton books that we don't have, but I think I have bought everything with a pig. Here they are:

What's Wrong Little Pookie?

Spencer's current favorite Boynton book, and one of his faves in general. He asks for us to read "Kiki" at least 30 times a day.

Pookie and his mom. How great is a baby pig in overalls and a mama pig in an apron?

The Going to Bed Book

My second favorite Boyton book/Boyton pig. Michael read this to my tummy every night when I was pregnant. I just love a pig in pajamas. Pajama Time!

Again, Pigs + Pajamas = Funny. That's just basic Algebra 1. Bath Time!

A waterproof book of a pig taking a bath?! The only thing I like more than a pig in pajamas is a pig in the tub.

Moo Baa La La La.

Spencer's previous favorite. Classic Boyton pigs. Barnyard Dance

I like the idea of a pig and a duck strutting together. Seems hip.

Hester in the Wild

My all time favorite Boyton Pig is Hester. My aunt and uncle bought me this book for Christmas when I was three. It is no longer published and if you're lucky enough to find a copy it will run you between $40 and $180 (depending on quality). I know, because I looked. Spencer does not have access to this book. He doesn't even know it exists.

Look at how freakin' cute she is.

Jason "Quit Bugging Me" Natural Insect Repellent Spray

I am hesitant to spray Spencer with bugs sprays that contain DEET. I've researched DEET on-line and have been left thoroughly confused as to whether it is safe for babies/kids or not. However, I am also opposed to letting Spencer get West Nile Virus, so I bought some spray called Jason "Quit Bugging Me" Natural Insect Repellent Spray.

This is what the label says:

Keeps bugs at bay for up to 3 hours.
Deet, PABA and Paraben free
Non-greasy and Easy to Use
Safe for kids
This non-greasy, light oil formula keep mosquitoes, gnats, horseflies, black and biting files away. Quickly absorbs into the skin to protect you and the whole family.

This is what happened to Spencer after going outside at night with the Jason spray applied to his entire body:He's got three big bites on his hand, three on his back/neck, one on his shoulder and one on his chest.
These are his first ever mosquito bites. Do you think I should document this in his baby book along with the things like "first food", "first tooth" and "first baby-sitter"? Unfortunately the same thing that happens to me seems to happen to Spencer when bitten by mosquitoes. The bites swell up into welts. These just happened two nights ago so I don't know yet if they will bruise and then scab over like mine do.Jason "Quit Bugging Me" Natural Insect Repellent Spray:

2 thumbs way, way down.

Look what I bought today

I can't wait to hang it up.........in 3 months.

List Friday

My PIGGIES

Flying pig

Pig on a platform #1 Pig on a platform #2
Pig on a ball
Cowboy pig
Pig in the jungle Mama pig with baby pigs Pig with a message Vegetable bowl pig Pigs on the window ledge Pig with apples Pigs by a pig hut Outdoor/Front door pigs Pig lamp Olive branch pig Pig hooks

M.I.A

These are all of my shoes that are currently missing their mate because Spencer has worn them and left them in some unknown location. You'll notice that there is ONE gold slipper and ONE pink slipper left. I guarantee you that their matches are together somewhere because he only wears one gold and one pink together. Never two pinks and never two golds. Weird.

Sometimes

You just have to be creative as a mom.

Kirkland's

I love, love, LOVE the home decorating store Kirkland's. I have a ton of stuff from there, but I can always find room for more.

I bought this long candler holder at Kirkland's when we first bought this house. It was perfect for the dining room table.

I've been wanting a little bit more color in the dining room lately. I think all the red, white and blue 4th of July decorations made me realize the black and brown was a little boring. I found this flower arrangement at Kirkland last week. I think colorful is an understatement. The runner is from Cost Plus but I think they look great together. I also got this great little palm tree from Kirkland. Now if I could just find a few mini coconuts to add to the branches....

Pinetop and Tucson

Michael taught a couple of classes at a conference in Pinetop last week. Since the hotel was paid for and it's about 30 degrees cooler up there, Spencer and I tagged along.

We're getting really good at traveling with a kid! Michael had to get up early to go to his classes, so in lieu of daddy's body we made a little guard rail out of chairs.

I didn't take very many pictures on this trip. We mostly hung out at the hotel pool. We did go for a nice little walk in the woods one day. I managed to capture that moment. How long should I keep Spencer's first pine cone before I throw it away? There was a banquet the last night of the conference. Spencer was the only baby. He did a great job. Ginger went back to my parent's house while we went to the conference. The day that we left for Pinetop the air conditioner in our house broke. We decided to go straight to Tucson instead of coming home for a day in between trips. This is going to be a little round-about and random, but stick with me and it will all come together in the end. When Nick graduated from high school my mom had a little empty nest syndrome. She and my dad became a Big Couple with Big Brother's Big Sister's. Their little brother was Daniel. He was the ring bearer when Michael and I got married. Daniel and his family moved to Arkansas last December. He had been paired with my parents for 7 years. Daniel and his family were in town last week so my mom and dad had them over for dinner on Saturday.

Daniel is now taller than both my parents. Hard to believe that little brother Daniel will be getting his Driver's License next year! Daniel's real little brother, Matthew, loving on Ginger. Daniel's mom, Jennifer, Daniel and my mom. My dad has a Yalta Conference bench on the side patio. He's very proud of it and likes to show it off to guests. It took me years to not jump and gasp when I walked by the window overlooking that bench. When he first got it, their dog Geech would bark and growl at it. Seeing it here in this picture I realize that it is really creepy. But then again, the real picture was pretty creepy too.