It's the end of our summer as we know it...

...and I don't exactly feel fine. I go back to work tomorrow, and I'm really going to miss my smiley little girl! As challenging as it was sometimes, being home alone with her all day, I think it will be harder to be apart. We did a trial week of day care this past week. Ivy did great; I only cried the first day and that was just leaving her for a couple hours! We'll survive though. Weekends are going to become all about snuggling in bed, like in this picture:


Update from last entry - I found my pants (they were in the laundry basket, probably covered in spit up and drool) and the binkies...but those didn't matter because we threw them all out today (they're only supposed to be used up to 3 months).

The biggest item on our to-do list was to make Ivy's room feel more like a baby's room, even though it also houses all our crap, and even though she's not sleeping there yet. Her furniture arrived and we cleaned up a bunch of stuff. I think it's pretty darn cute:



Items not accomplished on the summer to-do list - primarily anything to do with photo albums and scrapbooks and such. Oh well. By her first birthday, I promise to be caught up!

And since this blog entry wouldn't be complete without a much-anticipated rant, here's the latest:

Why is everyone so eager to see you fail as a parent? Okay, maybe fail is too harsh, but it seems there is no shortage of glee when you share your challenges of raising an infant. Like if I were to say, "Ivy woke up twice last night" it would not be uncommon to hear a response (from another parent, so clearly an expert in the matter) "HA HA, your kid sucks! She doesn't sleep! Now you know the pain that I went through when MY kid didn't sleep! Enjoy the suffering."

Now, let me be clear. I sympathize with any new parent who has a tough time, especially because Ivy is so darned awesome and I wish everyone's babies were like her - easy - as opposed to other parents wishing all babies were as difficult as theirs. But I have never rubbed it in anyone's face, primarily because I'm not entirely convinced Mike and I can take credit for all of her awesomeness. I said not long ago "Ivy is basically sleeping through the night" and the response I heard from more than one person? "Yeah, well don't get used to it because MY baby did that once and then she never slept at night again...in fact, she's now in 2nd grade and still doesn't sleep through the night. So there." Well, I'm sorry that my kid knows how to keep her trap shut and belly full for 7-9 hours and yours doesn't, but why wish your hell upon me? I am well aware of the 4 month wakeful period and the phenomenon known as teething. So excuse me for enjoying a night's sleep every once and a while (except on the occasion that I have to interrupt the bliss of such a stretch to pump because I am a walking dairy case that's overstocked).

Then we have the friends whose first kid got the whole sleeping thing down, but the second never quite figured it out (in general, she's pretty out to lunch, but that's another story). They shared their experience of not trying to be too self-congratulatory the first time around, lest subsequent offspring are not quite so obedient at bedtime. Now that's advice I can take...we're pretty darn proud of ourselves so far, but are very well aware of this fragile state of affairs.

And so my brief stint as a stay-at-home mom has come to end. Ivy girl, I love you so much and I'm really going to miss you all day. But I'll more than make up for it by showering you with love and kisses and snuggles.

Happy 3-month birthday, Ivy! And happy grandparents day to all four of the proud grandparents!