10 Weeks: Back to Work and School

This week marked a new chapter in the lives of the Cox family. My much anticipated AND dreaded return to work brought a whole lot of craziness. First, the morning routine when I actually have to be somewhere at 8:30 a.m.....and fully dressed and with dry hair to boot.....and get the kids ready is TOTAL CHAOS. This week, I've felt like I needed a nap just about the minute I walked through my office door. Next, I just don't think I'm quite all "with it." I'm trying to throw myself back into a very hectic work environment and I realize it's going to take a little bit of a mental adjustment as I'm not yet firing on all cylinders. Oh well, I'll get back into the swing of things soon (I hope!).

Bailey started a new MDO, so she's now going to "school" 4 days a week. While I value the opportunity for her to socialize with other kids and whatnot, the main reason for the increase to 4 days is simply so Jeanne won't have both kids full-time 5 days a week. I've done that for the past 10 weeks and, trust me, I don't want to do that to her. :-) My kids are great kids, but having them with you all the time can start to wear on you.

Nolan has seemed unfazed by our new situation. He does, after all, only care that he's fed and changed...it doesn't matter who does it. I did feel that he wouldn't make eye contact with me Monday evening after our first day apart. Of course, Jason didn't help my feelings of guilt as he just kept saying, "He's mad at you, mommy." Great.....

A little anecdote from our first week involved Nolan's newfound ability to reach for toys. Bailey was playing outside at Jeanne's and looked into the window and said, "Grandma, Nolan grew up!!!" When she asked what that meant, Bailey explained that he was holding a toy on his bouncy seat which means he "can play with toys like a grown up little boy!" She was so excited and has since been FORCING things into his hands. He doesn't like that, by the way. :-) Here are a couple of pictures of his new abilities (or as good of a picture as I could get).

Speaking of things he doesn't like, he also is not a fan of riding around the house in a doll stroller.

(All stunts supervised by a responsible parent. Uhhhh, or my husband.)

And, yes, Bailey likes to dress up in her Christmas dress just to play. I figure it's okay because it's not like she's ever gonna wear it again.

Finally, this week marked Nolan's first haircut. What started out as a little snip-snip around the ears turned into a full-fledged cut. As his hair has grown, it's started to stick out in all kinds of crazy ways. So, now his mohawk is a little tighter and I do have to say it looks cute. Since I couldn't exactly get a picture of the cut in progress since it was a 2-person job, you'll have to settle for the shot of the hair in the sink and then the after shot. I'm sure you can't really tell the difference from a picture, but we cut quite a bit!

And, actually Jason is in there cutting on it some more as I write this. He has to make sure that everything is perfectly even!

Wish me luck on this next week of work. And, hey, a lot of people have told me they read my blog but no one ever comments. Show a girl some love...holla so I know I'm not just writing these for myself. You just click comment and can post anonymously (meaning you don't have to create a blogger account). But be sure and sign your name so I know who you are. No mysteries allowed. :-)

Kendy