Tomorrow the little guy will be 11 months old. We have almost survived the first year! Its been quite an adventure, so far. I just finished gathering up a picture of every one Reid’s monthly birthdays so that I can pop them in a scrapbook. It got me thinking about what the highs and lows have been in this crazy year. Here is how I remember each of these months:
Month 1: Everything is a brain fart. Kevin and I were new to everything from changing a diaper, feeding, bathing, clothing etc. On top of it all, I had new mommy brain meaning I forgot just about everything except my name on most days. Thank goodness for my iPhone app that would tell me whenever I needed to feed the baby.
Month 2: The height of crying. Around week 6-8, I believe I was having the hardest time. Reid cried so often and I had no idea what to do about it.
Month 3: Discovering a schedule! In the middle of the second month, I realized that if I put the little guy to sleep after he’d been awake every 1.5 hours, he was a pretty happy guy. He even started smiling! I was getting the hang of this!
Month 4: Back to work. This was a difficult time. Adjusting back to work and trying to act like a normal adult was a bit tough. Plus, Reid began getting sick while at daycare. I am proud to say I only shed tears in the office one time during that first week!
Month 5: Family Time. Lots of family was in town for my sister’s wedding! It was fun to show off the little guy to extended family. Reid also met his grandpa Tom and grandma Susan for the first time.
Month 6: Sickness. Reid got sick quite a bit. We were starting him on solids and he had diarrhea at times, an ear infection, high fevers. IT was rough.
Month 7: More Sickness and major change. At Reid’s 6 month appt. the doctor detected wheezing and inflammation in Reid’s lungs. We took him out of daycare and cobbled together child care here and there to take care of him. We started nebulizer treatments which absolutely sucked. He got another ear infection. We saw the doctor almost every week of this month. Reid gets his first teeth. I hate teething.
Month 8: Hawaii and new nannies. We went to Hawaii where Reid’s breathing suddenly had a major improvement, but, he was on a bad sleep schedule. After months of sleeping through the night, he was suddenly getting up multiple times a night and wanting to nurse. It was not exactly a relaxing vacation. Upon our return, we went back to work and Reid was cared for by one new nanny, Yolanda, while we found a nanny share.
Month 9: New Childcare! We started a nanny share with a baby 3.5 months younger than Reid. I thought finding our nanny was sheer luck. She was our favorite teacher at his previous daycare and she was looking for a new job. Things were looking up for us! Reid’s health was much better. Reid starts army crawling and he said mama!
Month 10: In the groove… I went back to work five days a week and Yolanda (from month eight) starts taking care of Reid on Mondays while Mary is our nanny for our nanny share Tues-Fridays. Reid hasn’t been sick much, he seems to be in a great mood, and he is eating like no tomorrow! Unfortunately, he isn’t drinking milk and the end of nursing seems to be nearing. Reid is clapping and giving kisses.
Month 11: Fun. Reid is as fun as he has ever been. He is army crawling everywhere, laughs a lot, started waving and is pretty easy to take out to restaurants because he loves to eat. As long as there is good food in front of him, he is a pretty happy guy. I am surprised and very happy to say that his favorite foods are his mom’s homemade soups. 
I’ve stopped pumping at work, it was getting impossible.
Month 12: It starts tomorrow! But, I’m guessing the overarching theme is that we’ll be ending our nanny share and having Reid with a 1:1 nanny. Things didn’t go well with the two babies and Mary, so, again… we are moving on with a different childcare situation. Bah humbug!
Posted by jlafferty 
