Yep, I did it. I resigned last Wednesday and I’m officially a stay-at-home Mom now! I went back to work Tuesday and Wednesday to make enough to pay back some leave I took and hadn’t earned, and am so glad I did because it gave me the chance to say a lot of goodbyes. And it was hard. I was postal (lol) for almost ten years and although my work environment wasn’t conducive to forging friendships, somehow I managed to forge a few over those years and not seeing those faces every day makes me sad. But staying home with my little dude makes me happier than I am sad not to be there. Joshua wins! I’m so happy, and so fulfilled.
Joshua is nine weeks old now and it’s hard to believe. Time is flying! He’s getting bigger all the time and has outgrown all the stuff he was wearing the first month. He’s now 12 lbs and 22 3/4″ – up almost 3 lbs and 3 inches since his one month check up. He had to get his shots which was awful, and he also had to have blood drawn (also awful) to check his bilirubin since he’s still a bit yellow. It’s still a bit elevated (5 and they want it at 1 or less) so he’ll have to see a specialist if it’s not lower by Friday. It was nice and warm this last weekend so we took him our for a sunshiney stroll both days. I’m really hoping we won’t have to go to a specialist about his jaundice. I just want that over with and behind us! Jaundice be gone!
The biggest update is that Joshua now really smiles! OK, not frequently, just randomly, but finally he’s given me a few non-gas-related smiles. The last video has smiles in it, unfortunately they are gas related as you will see and hear (lol) at the end, but he does smile like this without being gassy and it’s awesome. I even got my first giggle yesterday. Be still my heart!
And here are the latest videos. Sorry for the random and spaced out postings – I guess I’m not quite up to getting on a regular blogging schedule yet. But I’m at least cooking and baking again so I have some more recipes to share as soon as I can! :)
Veronica's Cornucopia 
Veronica,
I’m not sure if you are breastfeeding? Both my babies had jaundice as breast-fed babies and I had to give them Vitamin D and Iron supplements because I was too low in iron to provide them with enough. Just thought I’d share in case you didn’t know about the supplement drops that can be used when breastfeeding.
I’m really glad you get to stay home with Joshua… enjoy it! xo
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THANK YOU! The doc told me there was something called breast milk jaundice but he didn’t recommend anything to me for it (I’m sure the specialist would/will). I didn’t know there was anything you could give little babies so I was taking extra vitamin d this week and hoping it transferred to my breast milk. I will look for those at the drug store!
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You’re very welcome. Both babies were cleared of their jaundice within a week of taking the drops :) Best wishes to all of you!
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Here is the supplement, but to lower the bilirubin, you need the one with iron. It may constipate the lil guy at first though :(
http://www.enfamil.com/app/iwp/enf12/product.do?dm=enf&id=/Consumer_Home3/Infants/EnfamilTriViSol2&iwpst=B2C&ls=0&csred=1&r=3568454288
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Thank you! Why does he need the one with iron? Just curious.
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Hi Veronica … I am so pleased for you! I’ve been stalking ur blog for ages I think just before u announced ur pregnancy but I started of reading much earlier than the announcement and when I finally did read it – it was a really bad day for me but reading ur announcement made me so happy I might have cried a few tears :) I’m not a mum but i just have a quick tip from what I Know from looking after my siblings -who all had jaundice and were/are breastfed- I’m not sure if it’s just the pics ur showing but Joshua seems quite covered in the pics when u take him in the sun, when we would take a baby in the sun we would try and expose as much skin as possible, sometime we would even just find an angle where sun is coming in a window and open the window so we could uncover more of the baby without freezing him.
Anyway since it’s past Friday now u must have been to see the specialist by now, hope it went well. Let us know what happens?! Kisses to Joshua!
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Aw, thanks for leaving a comment and introducing yourself! It’s very cold here so we had to cover him up while we were outside to keep from freezing him. I’m afraid he would have gotten sick if we didn’t have the blanket on him. So hard to get enough sunshine on a jaundiced winter baby! He also has been swinging in the sunlight by the window. He’s had his blood drawn and I guess we’ll find out Monday if it helped.
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You will NOT regret this!
Looking back there were many irreplaceable moments I never had a sitter tell me about.
Going forward I picked up on my sons issues (turned into disabilities) I alerted the Doctor, and had him tested. So when time came for school I told them so it made our lives much easier. I had been already working on things at home so he was ahead of the game. I became an informed parent early. I knew my child and all the things he struggled with.
I did my job and am happy to report after many hard years of work he is in his second year of college!
On bad days I told myself “what if I was not there”… He may have fallen thru the cracks and still struggling today.
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That’s awesome Ann!! So glad you could be there for your son, and so glad i can too!
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Congratulations! It was the best decision that I ever made, although I will admit that the adjustment was harder than I thought it would be, but with your faith you can power through, it doesn’t last long if you go through it at all.
Joshua is beautiful – loving his smiles!
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Thanks Pam!
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Awww….Joshua is so so cute!! And I am happy for you that you get to stay home with him!
Enjoy your time with him!
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Oh you know I will! :)
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YAY for you! You will so enjoy getting to stay home with your little man. Joshua is just A.DOR.ABLE! and his smiles would melt anyone’s heart. Great post – how I enjoyed watching the videos. Hugs to you from across the miles! We are heading to FL in a couple of days to get out of this c-c-cold weather. How lovely you got to take baby J for a walk outside.
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I’m so looking forward to laughs now. There is nothing better than a baby’s/child’s laughter! Enjoy your time in the warmth!!
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sounds like a great move for you! have lots of fun at home with joshua! he’s so cute :)
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Thanks Sarah – I’m so glad we could manage this!
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So glad you are able to spend these precious days with Joshua. Love the smiles.
Lillian
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Oh me too! Thanks!
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I have not been on FB for several weeks due to health problems so Joshua arrived without me knowing it! Congratulations on Joshua and on your recent retirement! Hope Joshus’s tests are PERFECT . will keep you in my prayers.
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Thank you Wilma and I hope you’re doing better now!
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I am so happy for you V! I only got to stay home with Hannah for the first six weeks and I’ve worked ever since. You are blessed!
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It’s true, it’s a blessing to be able to manage it on one income. Things are a lot tighter now but it’s amazing what you can do when you really want to or have to!
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oh my goodness! my heart is melting and my ovaries are crying out! he’s SO precious. congrats on quitting your job. what a blessing for your family :)
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I agree, thank you Tobi!
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hi, good luck with the new baby. love billy
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Congratulations! You’ll never ever regret staying home.
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YAY to staying home! I did it for 8 years and it was the best time of my life! wouldn’t have changed it for a minute!! my 3 children benefitted a lot I believe. ENJOY !!!!! ( and I am a bit jealous, wish I could go back! watching my kids grow up and move on is so hard.)
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Congratulations! Enjoy every minute! They grow up so fast!
Love the photos and the videos!! so precious! =)
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You rock my friend, and are so brave to make such a smart decision :D
Congratulations and enjoy all the time in the world!
Cheers
CCU
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