The Imfamous 1st Birthday

Sometimes, I swear I forget I have a blog!

Feb. 27th marked Bubba's first birthday! Neither of us can believe it's been a year. A year ago (on the 27th) at about 10:15AM we got our first call about Bubba and the rest is history!

We of course did the cake thing...stripped down to his underwear for the first of many pieces of chocolate cake. Actually we started out the day with a cupcake for breakfast. In case you're thinking "poor parenting" we did feed him oatmeal first. I had one small cupcake left over from the ones I had baked for his daycare class to celebrate his birthday. We put a candle in it and C and I sang to him. Of course, he just stared at the lit candle...kids are so predictable. We took the candle out and put it on the tray of his high chair and he did this:















Apparenty we missed the sign that said "insert finger here". He did eventually eat the cupcake.

After dinner, with some friends and their kids, we fed him his first piece of chocolate cake. He, again, stared at the lit candle as all of us sang to him. The kids blew out the candle for Bubba. The chocolate cake was a tad messier than the cupcake:
















The bath water was an interesting colour!

We are having a party tomorrow with family and friends. Isn't life wonderful!!!

Work, work, work

Well I'm two days into week 2 back on the job. I started a new job. Where else can you be off for 11 months and get promoted?!?

We are all adjusting quite well to the new schedule. The morning schedule is tight, a little hectic, but working so far. I am looking forward to the summer when there is no more snow suit!

Bubba is settling into his new daycare quite well. The two weeks prior to the official start I was to ease him in. Unfortunately, he spent most of January sick. We started the year with croop, followed by back-to-back ear infections, an almost constant temp above 100 for the month (or so it seemed) and vomitting, a reaction to his antibiotics...need I go on. So last Monday, we had to the dump & go. He cried hard and didn't eat much or sleep really well the first week. In the evenings, eh would cry if one of us left the room or his sight and going to and staying in bed were both huge challenge.

Things are getting better (quicker than I though) and he is back to eating like a champ, he is starting to sleep at daycare and having less anxiety. Yesterday's report said he was "happy"! Apparently he loves arts & crafts. His "teacher" said when they bring them out he drops what he's doing and races over to the table. Of course, glue tastes good :)

On another note (since I'm cathcing you up) bubba started walking. He's been doing so for about a month despite his illnesses. His record is 14 steps in a row. He is also doing purposeful direction changes and his balance is great. He also has 2 words - wow & uh-oh. So cute! Last night, after his dinner, he looked at me and clearly said "nana" twice. He usually has bananas for dessert, which he scarfs down. I think that's his third word, but we're not sure if it was coincidence.

I should get back to the job. The first two and a half days were quiet, then people realized I was here and my office is such a mess you'd never know I left.

We're officially OFFICIAL

On Wednesday, March 1, 2006 when we first laid eyes on Bubba, we were an instant family. In the eyes of the law C & I were not considered Bubba's parents yet (appointed caregivers) and he didn't yet have our last name. But a few days ago that all changed.

Tuesday, January 23, 2007 marked the day finalizing Bubba's adoption. We attended court and at about 9:45 the judge signed the document making us an "official" family!!!

Bubba hammed it up for the small crowd of family and friends on hand. It was a great occasion and we couldn't be happier to all be a "legal" family.

Thank you to all of you who have offered your support, encouragement and love during this journey.

Merry Christmas!

From our family to yours, we wish you a very Merry Christmas and a Happy New Year. Let the love of family and friends surround you this Christmas and may health and happiness lead you in the New Year!!

Catholic guilt is the worst kind...

I feel guilty, guilty, guilty. Logic tells me it's "new mother guilt" and I know it's normal, but I still feel guilty. You see, I am going back to work soon (early 2007) and Bubba is going into full-time care. Finding full-time daycare is a very streesful event and I didn't actually think it was going to happen. One mom at our Mom & Tots swim class exclaimed that she had "put her son on every waiting list possible when she was three months pregant". Great...I'm never going to find daycare...or so I thought.

Last week it all came together. I found two within 15 minutes of my husband's office (he will be the primary picker-upper and dropper-offer as I have a unpredictable schedule). Then a day after finding those two, I got a call from one whose waiting list we were on which is 3 minutes from C's office. It's clean, we like the location and if the teachers pan out that we meet next week, then I will give them our money. So it looks like Bubba has care...I should be happy right?

So why do I feel so damn guilty??? I would love to be staying at home with him, but we're not in a position right now for that. I left the daycare last night with a great impression but I still felt guilt about having to leave him there - no Mommy or Daddy sightings for an entire day. Will he be ok? How will this affect him long-term? The feeling of almost despair similar to the one when we left him for the first night with the foster family and had to come back home, snuck back in.

I feel guilty that we have to put in full-time daycare. I feel guilty that I am going to have to work. I feel guilty that we will have less time together. I feel guilty (and a bit jealous) that I won't be able to drop him off and pick him up. I feel guilty because maybe I haven't done enough stuff with him the past 8 1/2 months. Should I have put him in more programs? Should I have been more diligent about saving and stayed off longer or forever. Should I have blogged while he played quietly on the floor...what kind of mother does that!!! These types of things keep me awake at night (besides Bubba).

So, thank you to my mother for instilling that wonderful Catholic guilt! Am I normal??? On second thought, don't anser that.

Holy POOP Batman!!!

Remember when I thought poop was cute. Well, not so much anymore. I used to brag to the other new moms..."we've never had an up-the-back-poop". "You're so lucky", they'd say. You see, Bubba is a bottle fed baby, so the poop stays contained in the diaper. Nice.

When Bubba was introduced to solids...no change. Everyone said, "You're day is coming." But, it never did...until yogurt!

Now we have at least one "up-the-back-poop" daily. We average 4 poops a day and Mr. Mobile has decided that staying still for a diaper change is ABSOLUTELY out of the question. I have put my hand in more poop than I care to think about. It is no longer cute for his sock to go in the poop!

Not my favourite part of parenting, I must confess. Off to do the universal poop check...nose to bum. Admit it you've all done it.

Frogs & Unwanted Calories

Happy Hallowe'en!!!

I love Hallowe'en and even more this year. Bubba's first Hallowe'en. We went to a grand total of 4 houses - our cousins' and three neighbours! He had no idea why we were doing this, but didn't complain and Mommy & Daddy got his candies. I've already downed almost a whole box of mini chocolate bars, so I didn't really need more. Bubba was a froggy...isn't he cute???