It's Been a While!

I haven't posted a blog in a while! We've had a lot going on, with the holidays, and most recently with Brenden's surgery to put tubes in his ears. He has suffered through awful ear infections since October, so he desperately needed them. The surgeon told us the fluid in B's ears was some of the thickest he's ever seen. I feel bad thinking of all the pain he's gone through. But now he's all fixed up and he should feel better and hear much better.

He has started talking more and more, and I'm amazed how well he understands us. This morning he didn't want to put his shoes on to go out, so I explained to him that we had to put his shoes on so he could "go with Mommy to the store." He calmed down and put his shoes on right away. Then when we got home, he didn't want to get out of the car until I told him we were going inside to have lunch.

Some of Brenden's first words:
Mama
Dada
uh-oh
no
dogga (doggie)
ki-ki (kitty-kitty)
nana (banana)
hot
cold

It is really fun to be able to communicate with him more. Being a mom gets easier and easier for me. I'm able to do things around the house as we go through our day on the weekends, so I don't have to wait until those precious moments when someone else is watching B or he's asleep. Today I was able to vaccuum with him in the room for the first time. (I used to have to make an elaborate plan to find a time to do it.)

Adam and I still miss some things about Seattle, especially my job. I had a job I LOVED with awesome insurance and a great salary. We went from coasting along just fine financially to dog-paddling desperately until help comes along. (In the form of a raise or better job for Adam.) I really like some things about my current job, but I have to deal with some drama I'm not used to. With my job in Seattle I just threw myself in 100% and did great. But here I have to worry about politics and watch what I say really closely.

Hopefully I will get more comfortable at work. It's stressful at times but it's well worth being close to our families and living in a great house. I love this house so much I would give it a big hug if my arms were long enough. Someone could offer me a bigger house in a better neighborhood, with a dishwasher and an attached garage, and I wouldn't want to move. (though I might try to talk them into just giving me the dishwasher!)

Ok, time to wake B up from his nap. He's been fighting his naps lately and didn't go down until 3:30 today. I will pay for that big time tonight when he refuses to go to bed!