Mr. Mom?

We had it all planned out. Carrie was going to enjoy her MLK Jr. day off and then I was going to take off work the next three days to stay home with Elsa while Carrie returned to work. It would make the transition easier. And then...

And

Ice, ice baby

My working theory is that Mother Nature felt sorry for Mother Carrie and wanted to help her out. So it turned out that Carrie was off Tuesday and Thursday and I filled in as Mr. Mom only on Wednesday. How did it go? 

Well, we started out with a 

Luckily, Carrie was well aware of the possibility and had another outfit ready to go. Also luckily, Elsa seems to find her dad trying to take off her onesie hilarious and mostly laughed as I struggled. Finally, she was free and in her new outfit. 

I wish I had some good stories for the rest of the day, but Elsa mostly ate well, slept (a little bit), and played. She also took some time to take her first selfie and send it to her Mommy.

She'll be allowed to take selfies until she's a teenager

Overall, we had a very successful day and we were very, very excited to see Mommy get home!

But I think Elsa would tell you her Daddy did a pretty good job...

With the help of a bribe.

Bittersweet

Today is my last day of maternity leave.  Cue the tears.

Am I sad? Yes.
Am I nervous? Very.

But, Elsa and I have had a few chats about it. We are both going to put on our big girl pants (well more like a pencil skirt and high heels for me - hello pre-pregnancy clothes for this girl!!!) and embrace the changes ahead.  

Rather than dwell on how much I'm going to miss spending my days at home (lots of Momma & Elsa time - sleeping in, wearing yoga pants daily, watching the Today Show) with my little love bug, I've been challenging myself to take a more positive approach to going back to work.  

I am grateful that I have a job that allowed me to stay home for over 11 weeks, all of which was paid.  I even could have stayed home a little longer, but the timing of a short week and the end of the second quarter made this week make sense and I still have some days left in case of illness or to save up for when we are ready for baby #2 in a couple years (I talked to Elsa about this concept - she was not a fan).

I am grateful Erik can take the rest of this week off and my parents can help out so that the transition back to work is a little easier (ie - for a week I only have to get myself ready and out the door at 7am). 

I am grateful we have found a great sitter who is excited to have our little girl in her home and is only a block away from my school.  

I am grateful I had a sub that did an amazing job making sense of my chaotic schedule at school and that I have the best co-teachers that I can't wait to work with again.

I am grateful that Spring Break is only two months away.  

I am grateful that Summer is four months away and that I will get to be home again, just as Elsa reaches the age of bigger milestones.

But mostly, I am genuinely grateful that I got to spend every single day, practically every hour with our girl - taking in her sweet baby smell, her smiles, her quiet little coos, sharing hours of snuggles and thousands of kisses.  Basically, I'm just grateful to be her mom and that doesn't change if I'm at home or work.

Happy Birthday, Bapa!

Grandpa Flott, or Bapa, as Clara named him early on, was kept very busy in his 70th year.  

On a number of occasions he has dropped everything, drove to Fairbury, and showed up at our door armed with a bucket full of tools, ready to fix whatever issue we may have had - and if that means a trip to browse the aisles at the beloved hardware store, he's all for it.  The only payment he accepts?  Pretty much some snuggling time with his granddaughter (and maybe some potato salad from Dave's). 

We are convinced there is nothing he can't fix.  In the past year alone, he has helped install our new kitchen faucet, fixed a leaking fridge, put up the basketball hoop, helped build us a headboard, replaced the seal on our garage door, and worked on a variety of projects for the nursery.  And that was just at our house.

But, we don't just love him because of all the handy-work he does for us.  It just shows how big of a heart he has and how much he cares about his family, friends, and neighbors.

He has also been busy this year keeping up with the latest trends.  He joined the I-Phone world and Twitter, even sending out his first tweet - "AS" (okay, it might have been an accident, but still)!

He is also kept very busy by his three granddaughters - he is known to be a favorite napping buddy and never turns down the chance to rock one of his little girls to sleep.  

We are so grateful for everything Bapa does for us and we plan to keep him equally busy in his 71st year.  We promise there will be even more snuggling time and treats from the bakery! 

Happy Birthday, Bapa! We love you so much!

Golden Get-Together

After some seriously blistery cold and snowy weather held us captive for about 10 days, Elsa was ready to get out of the house.  Fortunately, the Sands invited the whole family to LaGrange for a nice, laid-back afternoon!  Elsa loved playing with her older cousins!

Cutie Connor

 Love this picture of Connor playing with Memaw's necklace - but what is really great was that Connor held this squat pose for a solid minute before falling.

Ryan taking a break from playing sports to play with Elsa

Happy New Year!

 As of January 1st, Elsa is two months old! Erik and I celebrated by going out on our first date since she was born  (we saw The Wolf of Wall Street) and Elsa celebrated by spending the afternoon with her Grandparents in Dwight (we heard some aunts, uncles, and cousins stopped by to say "hi" too)! 

Elsa was a champ at her two month check-up - got 3 shots and only cried a tiny bit.  Doctor says she is one fabulously healthy baby!

Loves to read with dad at bedtime!

Two Month Stats:

• Weighs 10 pounds, 14 ounces (39th percentile)
• Almost 22 inches long (29th percentile)
• Head measures 15 inches (45th percentile)
• Sleeping 5-6 hours straight at night, then 2-3 more
• Loves playing on her floor gym and napping in the swing (but always prefers to be held)
• Lots of big smiles and as of today - laughing!

As of January 2nd, Uncle Jeff is 408 months old! I won't share all his stats, but I'm pretty sure he has met most his motor skill and social milestones. Happy Birthday!