First Day of Work

Well, my first day at work was a great success in some ways, somewhat sucky in other ways.

Smacky and I woke up together at 6:30 with smiles on her part and grogginess on mine. I deposited her with her daddy and got ready for work, then left around 7:30 with them still snuggling in bed.

My coworkers decorated my desk with many "Welcome Back, Katy!" signs, photos of Smacky hanging from curling ribbon from the ceiling, some really funny Chuck Norris photos (see 2nd and 3rd phots), and my stuffed animal toys spread out on my desk, waiting to greet me. What a happy surprise! People greeted me with warmth all day and I went to lunch with one of my best work friends. Yay!

After a dark and rainy drive home at 5 o'clock, I arrived at a warm house, an offer of dinner and a happy, babbling baby. She became slightly cranky as I removed her from the swing to hold her, and fell asleep after about 10 minutes of being in my arms. At least we get to sleep together tonight.

Gary said she had three naps today, which is a record (way to go, Gary!), and it was very nice not to have her melt down like she does when she hasn't slept enough.

The upside is that I have extra time to blog tonight!

On sadder note, my ex mother-in-law's beloved dog Ching-Ching passed away this week. She will be dearly missed by Linda and Jim and their remaining dog Sheba. Read about it and see Ching-Ching's photograph at Dusty Angels (link to the right). Rest in Peace, Ching-Ching.

First Day at Daycare

Tomorrow I go back to work, and Smacky will have lots of time with Granny, Gary, and her new friends at Kindercare.

Monday Smacky and I did a dry run to Kindercare. She stayed there for several hours, getting to know the teachers and conversing with the stuffed lion attached to one of the chairs. I did see some tear tracks when I picked her up, but they said she had a great day and even took two naps, which is much more than she does at home. I think the day was harder for me than it was for her, but who really knows?

Here is a photo of Gary and Smacky getting ready to start the day. Aren't they cute?

Going Pro

What a genial baby.
I think we should use this as Aurora's professional acting/ singing/ tapdancing headshot.

Fun with Mirrors

Smacky and I were at my parents' the other day, and my dad suggested that we take the baby to the bathroom mirror and see if she liked her reflection.

Once Smacky started smiling, she couldn't stop smiling since the other baby was so smiley, too.

It was a vicious cycle of smiling!

Cutest Penguin Ever

Happy Halloween, everyone!

Aurora Smackerella Penguin

I occasionally get emails from The Picture People, a mall photography "studio" where people take their children to be photographed for cheap.

I decided to take Smacky for a quick session to record her first Halloween and we got some passable shots of Miss Penguin and some really nice shots with her smiling. Such a genial baby!

Once I figure out how to save my scans from my new scanner, I'll post some photos. Until now you'll just have to think about Smacky sucking on her bowtie as she waits to get her picture taken.

Keep Smiling

Smacky and I have been making the most of our last days together before I go back to work. Tonight we had a fun bath with strawberry soap, floating, and swimming (practically!). I even managed to keep her from crying when the shower curtain fell down. Phew!

Today we went for a walk down Hawthorne to do a few errands, and in the morning we went to babies R us for diapering supplies with Granny.

Here is smacky lying across my chest on the couch, the place that we sit for pumping and noshing. Basically, the baby kitchen. Last week we had some work started on the house which left 3-4 inch holes surrounding the back door- brrr! The weather is in the 60s this week and today our handyman sprayed insulation into the cracks so smacky didn't have to wear her snowman fleece like in this picture.