Illness: 1 Family: 2

I'm giving us the win on this one. After a very long, frustrating Saturday night DH and I managed to defeat Cameron's first cold. She still has some sniffles and a touch of a cough but considering how well she slept last night I would say the worst is behind us. I've decided to document our approach here for future reference.

1. Call the pediatrician's office. Neither of us wanted to go into for a sick appointment and Cameron's fever was only 99.5 which didn't worry us. I called to ask about what medications I could use to alleviate some of her symptoms. Because Cameron is over 12 pounds she could get some medications. Otherwise they didn't need to see her unless her cold lasted longer than a week or her fever spiked above 101 degrees.

2. Humidifier. It was packed away after the winter but we pulled it out and DH bought some extra filters.

3. Medication. Interestingly I don't really self-medicate but I am an adult and can handle feeling miserable from symptoms. Cameron can't. I gave her two doses of Tylenol over a 24 hour period. I also used a saline spray twice. She screamed for about a minute while I was administering and suctioning it out but seemed much more comfortable after. The doctor's office said we can give her 2.5 mL (1/2 a teaspoon) of Benadryl. I gave that to her just before her last bottle and she was out like a light.

4. Boppy. Instead of placing a pillow under the crib mattress I decided to use the Boppy as a way to elevate Cameron while she was sleeping. I used it for naps during the day and she slept for 90 minutes at a stretch. It worked just as well through the night.

DH had to do one pacifier insertion at around 1:30 AM. After that I had to wake her up at 4 AM for a feeding and then again at 6:30. She has no fever and coughed only twice before heading out to school. I claim success! Is there anything else experienced parents recommend for the next time. Sigh. Yes, I know there will be a next time...

Hi ho, hi ho, it's off to work I go

Today is my last day of maternity leave. For the past three months I have exclusively worn my mommy hat. BigFinance's policy is to shut off all access to company systems while on parental leave. That means no email, no phone calls, nothing but focusing on my little one. Isn't that wonderful?

Of course now that means I have to put my work hat back on and get my brain functioning again. I will be switching projects at work which is a good thing in a way. I will be able to have a ramp up period which makes things a bit easier. The downside is that I have to learn a ton of new things in a short amount of time.

Cameron decided to celebrate my return to work by keeping me up all night. She had a very slight cough yesterday that turned into a full blown cold starting at 10:30 PM. I alternatively fed her, rocked her and held her until 5:30 AM when DH took over. I called my pediatrician's office and was advised I can give her some Benadryl for her cough. I did give her some Tylenol for her fever and will probably do that again if it gets above it's current 99.5 degrees. The cut off for staying home from school? 100 degrees. Here's hoping she doesn't hit that. And if she does, DH will have to take over...there is no way I can jump ship my first day back at work. Here's also hoping tonight goes better and I get more than 3 hours of sleep!

How have other people handled their first day back? I plan on working 7:30 AM to 4:30 PM so I can pick up Cameron from school by 5 PM. Will I break down and leave earlier? How many times will I call to check in on her (especially because she is not feeling great)? How long will it take us to get a morning routine down?

All tuckered out

Apparently this week was a little rough on Cameron. The not sleeping during the day at school has resulted in a lot of sleeping on Saturday. She's also been a little cranky and I hear her coughing every once in a while. Not very frequently but definitely more than the occassional cough infants do. DH had a slight sore throat a few days ago so I'm going to hope that it is something slight and passing and not something she picked up at school. Because getting sick just one week after starting daycare? And just as I'm heading back to work? Life would not be that cruel to me!

Cameron and I had our regular playgroup today and she made it about one hour before she was a ready for another two (!) hour nap. Poor little girl.

Charlie checks out Cameron as she plays in her Bumbo

Cameron and Mommy spend some quality time together. Cameron plays with two of her "boyfriends".

Ed, Farrah and Michael

DH told me that Farrah Fawcett died yesterday. He then asked me who would be next. I responded, "What do you mean?" DH told me that everything comes in threes. Ed McMahon, Farah Fawcett, so who would be next? I though David Carradine might apply but was DH argued he died too long ago to count.

Never in a million years did I think that Michael Jackson would be that third celebrity. We were watching the news and the anchor (Brian Williams, I think) announced that they had been planning a retrospective on Farrah Fawcett but Michael Jackson just died so they were going to focus on him. I'm sure Farrah appreciated being upstaged like that!

Ed McMahon was not unexpected. He's kind of become a tragic figure over the past few years. Apparently he spent all his money and was constantly in danger of losing his house. Ed sunk so low to earn money that he even shelled for some "money for gold" company alongside MC Hammer.

Farah Fawcett was also sad because of her anal cancer. Now that's a tough cancer to talk about given the name, don't you think? Plus her idiot son decided drugs was preferable to helping his mother during her time of need. I have to say, it was nice to see Jacklyn Smith again on TV (aside from her Bravo TV show). That woman looks just as good now as she did on Charlie's Angels!

So the only shocking death of the three was Michael Jackson. At 50 years old he died of a heart attack. My first thought was drugs. 50 isn't that old even for a very strange and plastic surgery addicted man. But no details have been released yet. Like Ed McMahon, Michael has also had money problems. Crazy for a person who owned the Beatles catalog. And of course his alleged pedophile predilections. I feel bad for his three kids and wonder if they will end of with anything of his supposed $20 million fortune. A long fall from when he was a billionaire...

Over the next few days, Farrah Fawcett's death will fall by the wayside as it has been coming for the past 3 years with her terminal diagnosis. Ed has basically already been forgotten. But the interest and reporting on Michael Jackson will continue for weeks. What do you think will come out about him? Will we learn more about his kids? His skin condition? His finances?

Slowly adjusting

We are three days into school for Cameron and we are all slowly adjusting. It has helped that my friend Helen is in town to keep me distracted from thinking about Cameron too much. My biggest issue so far? Naps. Or rather the lack of naps. I've been picking Cameron up at 4 PM so she can get at least one hour long nap before her last two feedings and bed time. That won't be happening next week when I'm back at work and I pick her up at 5 PM.

Cameron has been napping for about 30 minutes twice a day while at daycare. I expressed my dismay to the teacher and asked if her transition would get better. While assured it would and that they are swaddling her (but not the super swaddle) I am still very nervous about how much she is sleeping during the day. She used to nap for about 6 hours while I was home with her. And was rarely crabby, even in the evenings. Now, even after her one hour third nap, she is a crab monster in the evenings. I shudder to think how bad it will be when she doesn't get that long last nap.

I appreciate that she is interested in everything and won't sleep but I question how hard the teachers are trying to get Cameron to sleep and stay asleep. With 8 other infants I can't imagine they have the time to spend keeping her asleep. I'm also not happy with the level of detail they are providing in her daily log. Basically it is just a list of dirty diapers. They should at least tell me which feeding she doesn't finish her full bottle at (which they said they would originally). I also want to know if she's "talking", getting tummy time, etc. I just want to scoop her up and get out of there not spend 10 minutes asking questions. Plus, it is usually a different teacher at the end of the day than in the morning. Am I crazy? Should I be pushing for more written detail?

On the plus side Cameron has been sleeping either through the night or close to it with a wake up at 4 AM. It is kind of a pain when she sleeps until 5 AM because I have to hold her off until 6 which can get dicey. So, any thoughts about napping? Will Cameron start sleeping more at school or will I just have to suck it up and deal with a crappy evening?

Cameron in an adorable dress and leggings that Auntie Helen gave her. Cameron is tuckered out after a long day at school

Daddy decided to be silly and put a sock on Cameron's head. Auntie Helen gets a snuggle in.

Updated: Cameron had a wonderful day at school and napped for almost 4 hours, including a two hour long nap! I promise to try and not expect miracles and just hope that as the days pass Cameron does learn to nap better in a more hectic environment than home.

Cameron: three months old

Dear Cameron,

Today you are three months old. It has been a wonderful three months for us with lots of new adventures. You have moved into your three to six month clothing so I know you are really growing up!

You have starting holding your head up all the time but still have a bit of the bobble head. You like to lean forward while sitting in your car seat or in our laps to build up your stomach muscles.

Another new thing for you this month is the drooling. And spitting up. Mommy and Daddy have learned to be very prepared with a burp cloth at any given time.

You are absolutely fascinated by your hands. You will grab for anything you can and always seem to be stuffing a hand into your mouth. You are also quite the little talker. Daddy likes to listen to you talking over the monitor when you first wake up in the morning.

We love how happy you are when you wake up from a nap. The first thing you do is smile and it just lights up our hearts.It has been a busy month for you. First you met your Bumpa and saw your Grammy again. Auntie Helen also came to visit. You visited uptown Charlotte for your first Taste of Charlotte. You had lots of playdates which prepared you for meeting your cousin Lucy. It also helped ease you into your first week of daycare.

Next month is a big transition for Mommy as I head back to work. But I know I won't be able to wait to see you every evening and spend lots of time with you on the weekends. I will print out lots of pictures for my desk so I can think about you all the time.

Love,

Mommy and Daddy

A wonderful day all around

Apparently I am not cut out to be a stay at home mom. Why? Because today felt absolutely liberating. True, I won't be back at work until Monday but it was wonderful to spend most of the day not thinking about Cameron. Scratch that. I thought about her all day. I just didn't have to think about her in terms of doing something with her or for her.

Cameron wears a special outfit from her aunt Allison for her first day of school.

The house felt oddly quiet after I got back from dropping her off (20 minutes round trip) and it was weird to not have to be quiet while walking around or carry a monitor. I cleaned, talked to my sisters, pumped and then went to the mall. And while at the mall I didn't have to think about the following:

• Do I have the diaper bag?
• Will the carriage fit through the store and in the changing room? (I'll have to do another post about how bad stores are about this)
• Does she need a diaper change?
• Does she need to eat?
• Will I be home in time for her next nap?

Me? Extra work while Mommy runs errands? Never!

True, I did have to pay some attention to the clock to be home to pump again but there's a lot more flexibility with pumping than breastfeeding. Plus, now I can see how much she probably gets off of me at her regular feeding times. Very eye opening! I think that with a consistent volume at daycare Cameron might be dropping a feeding. But we'll see.

I called the school around lunch time just to check in. I was told that she had already napped twice (good) and eaten two bottles (also good).

Cameron is ready for her first day of school

After picking Cameron up from school I discovered she had two very short naps (like 15 minutes) and one long 90 minute nap. She was just about to fall asleep for her last nap so I quickly scooped her up and cuddled her. I got snuggles and smiles from her right away. The teachers told me she had a wonderful day which was great to hear.

Cameron is sleeping as I post this for her final nap of the day. We both survived and I would argue thrived during Cameron's first day of school!

Updated: Of course Charlie had to go and throw up all over the carpet as soon as I posted this. Isn't that always the way?!?