Back to Work

I went back to work this week, but only for three days. The students have gone home for the summer, but I had to go in for three days of post-planning. I had some comp time saved up from work I'd done while I was out on maternity leave, so I was able to leave early each day. I also decided to work through lunch, so in actuality I really only worked three half days. My mom took off work so she could watch Isaac for me, and I knew he was being well-cared for. Still, it was hard to leave him. The first day I was back, I called to see how things were going before an hour had elapsed. Of course, he was fine. He really enjoyed spending time with his grandma.

The first day back at work, I was glad to be back and get some things done in my classroom. I felt refreshed after I left, after having a little break from child-rearing responsibilities. The second day, I struggled a little more. I paid attention to every little thing when I got back to my mom's, afraid that our bond would not be as good after being away from him two days in a row. He did act a little differently, but I realized later that it was because he was sick. By the third day, I did better and felt better about working, but I still missed him terribly. This week was a good trial run for me, though, to get an idea of what it will be like when I really go back to work at the end of the summer, to start another school year. My first day of pre-planning is on July 28th, and I'm sure it will be here before I know it!

Isaac is still sick. He had a fever on Tuesday of 100.3, so I took him to the doctor on Wednesday afternoon. We saw Patty, the nurse practioner, this time. Patty listened to his lungs, inspected his ears and mouth, and she said that he is clear. He's been coughing, but that's due to some mucous in the back of his throat. The nurse took a few drops of blood, which confirmed that he does have a viral infection. They didn't prescribe any medication though, saying that it would be better for his body to work it out. They didn't even want me to give him Tylenol unless his fever got up to 101, saying that the fever would help fight the infection. All she told me to do is continue putting breastmilk in his nose before he eats, like I did before when he was congested.

I'm thinking Isaac probably got sick from being around people at church, because that is the only time he's around large crowds. For some reason, people love to touch babies' hands and feet, and you know what happens next. The hands and feet go in the baby's mouth. I usually wipe them off (after the people leave, of course), but apparently that wasn't enough this time. I can't quarantine him forever though. This is just part of life. If he's around people--whether it's at church, or the store, or a daycare--he's going to pick up germs. We'll just have to be more careful with him from now on. I really wish that he could just give his cold to me and let me fight it, since my immune system is stronger. I wonder if that's how God felt about us, when He sent His Son to die for us.

As far as what else is new, bathtime has become a daily activity now. It's part of our nighttime routine. Even though he's not really dirty every night, I think it's good to have that as part of our bedtime routine. When I was preparing to go back to work, I quickly realized that we need to have some things in place to let Isaac know it's nighttime and time to go to sleep. Plus, it's a good bonding activity, and he loves it. Wes bought these "disco duckies" (rubber duckies that light up), and Isaac loves looking at them while he's taking a bath.

Another first that Isaac had this week is Vacation Bible School (VBS). VBS was going on all week at our church, but I only took him on Monday night. The theme was a luau, and I had the perfect outfit to dress him in for the occassion. Everyone thought he was so cute and oohed and aahed over him. I thought I might help out where needed, but I quickly realized that was not going to happen. Isaac demanded most of my attention, as he should. I spent half my time taking care of his needs--nursing him, changing his diapers, cleaning up his spit-up, etc. The rest of the time was spent walking around taking pictures and talking to people.

Now for some pictures!