Back to Work!

Last week was a big week for Thomas and I...we went back to work! For those that don't know, one of my best friends, Jen, opened her own handbags & accessories shop in downtown Elk River last March.  I have been working with her since she opened and was working Thursdays, Fridays, and Saturdays since I left Target.  We had to postpone my original return date because of poor Jen having a terrible cold, but we were back last Thursday! 

I'm back working Thursdays and Fridays and am lucky enough to be able to bring Thomas with. Jen's kids, almost 1 year old Jack and 10 year old Alexis, come in to the store with her too, so it's really awesome to be able to have Thomas come with me! It was nice being able to get out of the house and into a routine again.  Thomas did really well and I'm sure it will just get better.  I apologized to Jen in advance for not being the most diligent worker for these first couple of weeks as Thomas tries to figure things out and get into a routine there, and luckily she understands! On Friday Thomas was so tired that he finally gave in and took a very nice nap in his carseat.  I think he is really aware of when things are out of the ordinary and does his best to stay awake and try and take it all in.  He also seemed to finally realize that Jack was there and that he was another baby! Once he woke up from his power nap on Friday and was all refreshed, he could not stop staring at Jack! I think it will be a lot of fun to see him and Jack become fast friends! 

Sunny Days & Celebrations

Thomas has been able to get out on two walks around town this month.  His first was just around our neighborhood during the Sunday it hit 60 degrees and his second was just last Saturday when it was nice again. We felt ambitious last Saturday and took him all the way from our house up to the strip mall in town! We needed things at the grocery store for dinner that night and decided to make it a family outing, which also included bringing him in the store.  This is a huge deal for me since I'm a big worrywart and take all of the doctor's light warnings quite literally! We went to the drugstore, the grocery store, and even McDonald's to see if we could find a movie we wanted to rent.  It was definitely a big day! Thomas slept almost the entire time so he missed out on the real adventure but I guess it was more of a big deal for me! 

The day after our big walk we went up to St. Cloud to celebrate Grandma Kathi's birthday.  This was Thomas's first trip up to Grandma and Grandpa's house since they have been kind enough to come to us in Delano so far.  I think Thomas really enjoyed himself and was able to do some showing off on how much he loves his activity mat and smiling! I don't think Grandma and Grandpa minded that at all.  It was really nice to finally get to St. Cloud and I'm sure we'll be getting up there often now! 

After our birthday outing we had dinner over at our neighbors' house.  This was also the first time Thomas had been there so it was a big day for him! They have two dogs as well who Thomas hadn't officially met so Koda and Bella got the opportunity to sniff him out and really greet him! 

It was a weekend of big steps for us (by us I really mean me!) and now we are really getting the itch for consistently nice weather so we can come out of our shell! I can't wait to be able to take more family walks, or even to get out for walks while we're home together during the day.  That week I felt comfortable enough to take him to Barnes & Noble and, even though he woke up while we were there and made the decision that we weren't staying long, it was nice to feel OK bringing him on errands.  Soon enough we will be out and about!

March Madness

Thomas has been going through a couple of exciting growth spurts lately...very exciting to see! He's is more and more alert during the day and sleeping even harder at night.  I can't begin to describe how amazing it has been to watch him grow and develop right before our eyes! Being able to wake him up each day and get a smile from him when he finally focuses his sleepy eyes is the best way to start a morning! Dad usually receives a picture email from my phone when Thomas is up for the day with some sort of "Good Morning Daddy!" message and then updates throughout the day.  Then when Joe gets home he immediately "scrubs in" and starts Daddy duty. They are well on their way to being best friends and its a bond that I love to see develop! I was able to get to lunch with girlfriends yesterday and Joe and Thomas were able to relax and watch their very first baseball game together...I'm sorry I missed it! 

Thomas and I also survived our first night alone this weekend.  Joe had a bachelor party on Saturday night and that left Thomas and I to fend for ourselves.  We tried watching a Baby Einstein DVD, which somewhat held Thomas's attention, and did a lot of playing with his activity center.  He's loving that more and more these days and is just mesmerized by the star at the top that lights up and plays music. He will stare at that and smile and dance his heart out! 

On Sunday it was so gorgeous out that we bundled Thomas up and took him for his first walk.  It was great to be able to be outdoors and so fun to finally use his stroller.  We've been waiting almost 4 months for that! Thomas seemed to enjoy it, he feel asleep pretty quickly, just like he does in the car.  We had to stop by our neighbors house to show them who was out and about in the neighborhood...and to practice getting the stroller up and down stairs.  That's something that I'll have to practice a little bit more!