This means I have a toddler right????

We're WALKING!!!!!! AHHHHH!

Landon Giggles!

Ok so he laughed hysterically for like 20 minutes tonight. It started after his bath when I was getting him changed for bed. 

I sneezed.

And it was over after that?!?!

 

Updates!

Wow... I am yet again a bad bad blogger. It's been over a month since I last updated. In my defense, it's been a helluva month!

First of all, there was Christmas, adventure in itself! Despite really wanting to spend Christmas with our families, we stayed home and enjoyed our first Christmas with Mr. Landon! He didn't have a care in the world about anything, even opening his presents from "Santa." :)

What's this "stocking" thing???

After Christmas, comes New Years! I was SO excited to ring in 2011, it's going to be a GREAT year... riiiiight? Ugh, on December 28th we had a little - how should I put this - difference of opinion, regarding Landon's care and on the 29th we found ourselves with no babysitter for him, sad... but really, it's for the best anyway. I had to leave work that day to go back home so Adam (cause really, his job is more important) could go to work and then Friday rolled around, thankfully, my friend was still out of school for Christmas break from college and came over to help me out so I could finish out the year at work. That night we went on our way and did end up having an EXCELLENT New Years Eve!

I love my hubby!!!

Some of our best friends!

Back to reality after the 1st of the year and I took most of the week off because we had no one to care for Landon. Adam's dad was scheduled to have heart surgery on the 5th and I still had no daycare at that time. We had planned on driving home for the weekend to visit and help with any recovery we could. Instead we find out that Landon can't be in the hospital room at all so he ended up getting to spend some much needed time with Grandma! :) In the meantime, Adam and I got to see his dad and hang out with him in the hospital. It was much needed for Adam.

On the way home, I found out that the friend I thought could care for Landon was sick.... oh man, I already knew my absences were up there in number but what could I do? I end up taking pretty much a whole week off cause you can't just find childcare overnight. I called what seemed like 100 different places and found that either 1: they didn't take infants 2: they didn't have space for an infant or 3: they were hell for expensive! After everything, they ended up giving me a second week off for "personal leave."

The 4 places that I did find were very varied. Three of them were in-home daycares. I really liked the 1st place - she was nice, only had 2 other (toddler) kids right now cause all her other kids had "graduated" to kindergarten. It was in-home but her basement was used as the actual daycare and the kids didn't have access to the rest of her house. She was however, $45 PER DAY :( (over $700 per month)

I visited another place similar to this but I got a horrible vibe from the daycare lady - she seemed just like our previous care in which, I felt like she wouldn't listen to what I wanted, as the mom, as opposed to how SHE ran things. She was $575 per month and the cheapest of everyone I visited.

The third place I visited was horrible. I'm SO glad I didn't go here first because I probably would have turn and ran away, quit my job and not looked back. It was like a sad orphanage that you see in the movies... I'm not kidding. It was horrible. And they were still $625 per month?!

Then the very last place that I visited was another in-home place. She runs it literally out of her home. The kids eat meals in her kitchen, nap in her bedrooms, and play in her house. It's great and she's so nice. Adam even (semi) felt comfortable dropping him off. She was still $640 per month but it was what I thought it was??! 

The first week in day care was hard, I'm not going to lie. I cried the whole first day and I wasn't even the one who dropped him off. Adam did, and he said he spent probably a half hour to 45 min there before he left. Which, I'm really happy about. He called me after he left him and said that it went ok. He sat him in the high chair and helped feel him his breakfast before saying goodbye.

The rest of the week continued to go pretty well. He had a couple mornings of separation anxiety but after a little distraction was fine. He also seemed to be adjusting well to being around other (older) kids.

Then... the plague hits...

Ok, well, maybe not the plague but the winter cold/flu. :( It spread from my friend's kid (thanks Joni!) to Landon (who'd just had it 2 weeks prior) to me and back to my friend and her other kid. GAH! Can we catch a BREAK!??!!!

My work had told me when I was still looking for a daycare that I was on the verge of breaking the absence policy and that if I called in another time before the end of March that I would be terminated. Well, knowing that I was beyond sick, I called in... there was no other option. Would they rather me puke in the garbage can and attempt to work OR just stay home??? Apparently they want me to puke in the can?! When I called, basically all my boss said was "When do you want to pick up your stuff?" Thankfully, I took down most of my pictures and "stuff" earlier in the month so there's not much there. I still have to go in and get a few things.

Honestly, I feel like a huge weight has lifted from my shoulders. I'm not going to lie, I was not in a good place before this happened. I hated my job. I hated Landon in daycare, even though we'd found someone we like. I WANTED to be a stay at home mom and housewife!

In the last 4 days at home - despite being sick- I've never been happier?! I love being home all day with Landon. I love knowing his routine, what he's eaten, when he's napped, and most of all I love playing, reading to and loving on him!!! It's amazing. 

There are a few kinks we have to work out...

Landon's medical - on Adam's income alone he qualifies for FREE health care through the state. Even if I end up having an income (via unemployment or another job up to a certain amount) he would qualify for low cost (re: $30 per month) care?!

OUR medical - still working on this one... I just got my information packet regarding COBRA and for the 3 of is it is $1400 per month?! =/ Seriously, who can afford that? So I'm looking into a private plan or Washington Basic Health, so we'll see what we figure out. In the meantime, PRAY neither of us get sick again!

Our income - I think maybe, just maybe, we can make it work on Adam's income alone. I mean, after daycare and insurance, I was making a measly $400 a month. What a joke. So, I've offered my services out to my girlfriends with babies :) Basically if I charge only 1/2 of what their daycare charges and watch 2 kids two or three days a week, I'd be making the same amount of money I would have made working. WOW. Remind me why I wanted to keep my job? Then if I get unemployment for a month or two then that's just a bonus :) Horrible but whatever. Don't hate. :)
Also, I'm trying to channel my inner creativity and find something that I love to do and make money doing it. We all know I love photography and in March the Rocky Mountain School of Photography will be holding a 2 day workshop that I'll be attending :) SO EXCITED!!! Also, I've put an ad out for photo sessions just to gain experience. Basically, I'm hoping to charge something dirt cheap like $50 for an hour or two of my time wherever they want to take photos and edit them. Then I'll make sure they get a CD with all the edited prints and give them rights to print them. It'll give me the hands on experience I need! I'm no professional by any means but I'd really like the experience and hell, it's fun to take people's pictures!

By the way, have I mentioned I LOVE my camera??? =/

So anyway, that's the gist of what's been going on... I'm sure I've missed some and I'm sure this is all a bunch of mumbo jumbo to some but at least I got it out there.

Now, to close... a few of my favorite boy in the world (besides Adam... hehe).

Cheers!