SAVE THE DATE

The Bar Mitzvah of Joshua Brett - 2020

4 1/2 Months

On my desk, I have 2 of these pictures so I can look at Josh during the day. He is so cute. He used to look just like Keith, but now people say he looks like me as well. Josh is holding up his head pretty well now and tummy time is not that bad. He can hang out on his tummy for a good 10-15 minutes and not fuss.

One Week Down

I finished my first week of work. I only worked 3 days this week. (I didn't work on Monday, and I have Fridays off). That definitely made the transition easier. At times work felt like I had never left, but on the other hand, it also felt like I had been gone forever. The most difficult part is coming home. Once home, I have a whole other routine, and it makes for a long night. I am feeling very overwhelmed. I do love coming home though. It is so wonderful to see Joshua again when I get home. I know it will take some time, but then I will be in a good routine and it may not be so bad.

Back to the Grind

I can't believe the day finally arrived - the day I went back to work. My maternity leave came and went so fast. I can't believe it. Where did 4 1/2 months go? I really dreaded this day. I begged and pleaded to Keith to not make me go back to work. It didn't work. I was really nervous to go back. I had been gone for so long. A part of me was looking forward to going back to work. I am pretty good at my job and enjoy the people I work with on a daily basis. On the other hand, my job is really stressful, and I wouldn't mind staying home with Josh for a bit longer. I did extend my maternity leave one week longer, and I was so tempted to extend it to March 1. But, I needed to rip the band-aid off and get my butt back to work.

I woke up at the ungodly hour of 5:45am. It was pretty awful. I was definitely tired, because I hadn't had to wake up that early and stay up for the longest time. I fed the baby, pumped, put on my new work suit, and waited for the nanny to arrive. I got on the shuttle that takes me to the metro at 7:30am, and I cried. When I got on the metro, I cried again. I am not sure if I cried because I was going to miss Josh or because I didn't want to go back to work. I think it was a little bit of both.

I got off the train at metro center at 8:25, and I called the nanny, Tania. I hadn't even stepped into my office, and I was already calling her. I checked in a little later in the day, but besides that, I was pretty good about it.

Work wasn't that bad. Everyone welcomed me back and were eager to talk about Josh and see pictures of him. The attention was nice for the first day. I did feel overwhelmed in my work as I felt like I had so much catching up to do. One day at a time. I know it will get easier.

Weekend in PA

This weekend, Joshua and I decided to tag along on Keith's weekend away at a bachelor party. Keith dropped us off at our friend Hannah's house and then he continued to Atlantic City. Hannah has a newborn, and her husband was away as well, so we had a nice girls weekend with our babies. Her son Daniel is 11 weeks younger than Joshua. Look at the size difference! Hannah and I were talking about how 11 weeks makes such a huge difference at this age, but in the near future they will really be the same age. Joshua broke in Daniel's crib and slept in it 2 nights without a fuss. I am so so so lucky to have a good night time sleeper. (Daytime naps are another story).

On the way back from Hannah's house, Keith and I made a stop in the boonies of Pennsylvania in a small town called Schwenksville. That is where my friend, Kellie, and her husband moved. It is a beautiful house, and I am sure if I wanted to live in the middle of nowhere I could have a house like that too. For now, we will stay in our nice "Leave It to Beaver" neighborhood outside the overpriced city of the nation's capitol in our nice townhouse. Kellie is expecting a baby in late May/early June. Her doctor and sonogram tech can't seem to agree on a due yet, but when it comes down to it, the baby in her belly is the only one who really knows when she is coming out. Yes, I said, "she". Kellie and Mike are expecting a girl. Watch out world!

One Year Ago Today.....

Keith and my world changed. Life as we knew it was never going to be the same. There was no longer going to be just the two of us... We were starting a family. One year ago today, I learned that I was pregnant.

It started just like this...

I peed on the stick (and managed to do it right this time). Expecting a minus sign, the plus sign entered the window right away.

The positive pregnancy test led to another test 3 days later. This time, a digital one, just to be sure.

Yep, still pregnant!

These tests led me to start looking like this...

Then, I looked like this...

Which led to me looking like this...

A week and a half later, Joshua Brett Eichenholz was born.

What a wonderful year it has been!!!!

Joshy Laughs

Josh has been smiling for awhile now, and each day he smiles more and more. Today, we heard Josh laugh. It is the cutest laugh ever.

4 Months

4 months old. Where has the time gone. I can't believe my pregnancy has come and gone. I can't believe the birth and newness of everything has come and gone. Yet, not all the newness is gone. Each day is still exciting as we learn about all the new things Joshua begins to do. In just a short time, Josh has learned to hold his head up, blow bubbles, smile, coo, roll over from his stomach to his back, sleep through the night, kick and grab things. It is hard to imagine that just a few short weeks ago, he couldn't really do any of those things. As much as we are going to miss these early months of Josh's development, we are excited to move forward with Josh as he learns the next phase of developments.

Bumbo....Bumbling Idiot

The Bumbo Seat was a pretty good invention, I believe. It enables a baby to sit up unsupported prior to them being able to do it on their own. (Look at Joshua - 3 1/2 months and sitting on his own). Once they can sit on their own, the Bumbo Seat is a good little chair contoured for their body. Pediatricians have even recommended the seat to help babies strengthen their back and neck muscles.

However, in the fall, the Bumbo Seat was recalled for a short period of time. Apparently, children were falling out of the seat and hitting their head. These parents of injured babies were leaving the child unattended and also placing the Bumbo Seat on tables, chairs, sofas, or other elevated surfaces. (Notice Josh modeling the proper way to use the Bumbo Seat). Those parents get my Bumbo Bumbling Idiot Award.

While raising Josh, I will make mistakes and I may not make all the right choices regarding childrearing. However, I hope I have enough brains and common sense to do the right thing when it really matters.

5am Poop

Josh has been sleeping in his crib for about a week and a half now. He is doing pretty well going to bed around 9 or 9:30pm and waking up between 6 and 6:30pm. Since he is in his crib now in his own room, we have started to use the monitor. I keep the monitor by my side of the bed, and I can hear him when he wakes up ... or apparently does anything. At 5am this morning, I heard a noise in Josh's room. It did not sound like a noise from Josh's mouth. (It sounded like a noise coming from another body part). This sound woke me up, and I was pretty out of it anyway. I look at the monitor, and Josh is peacefully sleeping. Hmm, maybe I was just dreaming. I fell back asleep and woke up again by Josh's adorable coos at 7:15am saying, "Mommy, it's time to get up". When I changed his diaper, I discovered that I was not dreaming, and the mini explosion I thought I heard was a 5am poop. I guess the monitor is able to pick up lots of sounds. Hmm, maybe I should keep this monitor until he is 18. ha ha