Progress

All of a sudden, my baby seems much older than last week!  This age just seems to be full of changes, and progress and all of it so fast!  One day nothing, the next day something!

I took Joel for a photo at playgroup yesterday.  It'll be a lovely Christmas present (from him) to his family and we got there, and the woman photographer (thank goodness else he'd have cried had it been a man!) asked if he was sitting up yet.  I replied  for about 3 seconds then toppling!  So we decided to have a go, and I hesitantly placed him on the floor and hovered with my hands ready to catch him, and do you know what?  He didn't topple at all!  He just sat there with a big smile on his face as though to say, see what I can do!

I was amazed, and then thought, if he's only sat up at home with cushions he knows he can fall, so maybe without the cushions he was better and maintained his balance more?  It'll make for a very cute picture though!

He's also fully rolling over now, onto his tummy.  We've known he can do this for a while.  At the last count he'd done it three times, but just seemed to not like being on his tummy, whereas now, he's seeing the benefits so it throwing himself into it with gusto.  Placing his toys of reach seems to have helped as he rolls over to select which one he wants, then rolls back again holding it for a chew before getting bored and rolling back to get another one!  Or, like this morning, rolling over and pulling his playmat towards him to get all the toys in one go!  I didn't see that one coming, but had to admire his logic!

How did I get under here?!  Oh, so that's how I stay up in my Jumperoo!

He's so strong when he 'stands' on our knees, and loves being up like that.  I walked to my parents yesterday with him in his baby sling and he giggled and really enjoyed the view, and I could feel his little legs kicking about as though he were walking on the air!  And no passer by could walk past without a smile at seeing him so happy with the world!

HV Check

We went to the Health Visitor this week, and Joel has done it again!  Put on a perfect pound over the last four weeks!  So he's now weighing in at 17lbs and 1oz!  He's on the perfect centile which I don't really understand but as long as he's doing well I'm chuffed with that.

He's also got a bit of baby excema on his shoulders which flares up when he's hot and bothered, and it's been irritating him and making him scratch himself horribly, so he's got a bundle of new creams and a steroid cream to use for the next couple of weeks to sort it out.  The redness has gone down already and although he's still scratching a little, I think it's a lot better.

He's 30 weeks next Wednesday!  Cannot believe it!  :)

Appeal Time

As per my previous posts my flexible work request was rejected, which left me feeling dejected (little rhyme there!!) so having thought long and hard about all the pros and cons of the situation, I had to submit my appeal letter by today else it'd be the end of it, so I felt putting it in by the deadline and then rescinding it if I changed my mind would be a better solution.

So off went my letter to the director of personnel, including all previous correspondence.  And now I wait.  I should hear from them within 14 days.  And then the non-fun will begin.

So first, here are my cons:

I wasn't enamoured of my job to start with, so was looking elsewhere before maternity anyway.
I hate having to appeal and the whole idea of confrontation terrifies me, and the hearing sounds very formal.
The appeal means I have to think about actually going back to work which pains me.
The chances of it actually being upheld are slim to none.
The process is likely to stress me out.
There are not a lot of other jobs out there part time which would suit me

And the pros:

If it all goes according to plan then I would be able to go back to work 2.5 days a week
Joel would have his childcare all sorted.
I could go back in January and not have any unpaid time off
I could think about setting up my own business
Even though my office isn't so family friendly, the University is a great place to work, great holidays, decent wages, and I won't find that anywhere else.
We'd be better off financially and it'd help us with moving house.
I have friends at work and it'd be good to feel a bit like 'me' again, and they're all supporting me.
And not forgetting, if my God is for me, who can be against me?!

Family Time

Here's some pictures from our mini-break....

Daddy and Joel filming a sunset time lapse

Mummy and Joel wrapped up snugly warm

Joel and his serious face!

Enjoying the scenery from his buggy

Taking a bath in our hotel

Eating his bath toys

Not impressed with the lovely waterfalls

Out by Loch Trool

Sunshiney days

Taking the news after breakfast

Enjoying the beach despite the cold!

Lunch

Holidays with a Baby

It makes for a different sort of holiday!  Your time is still not your own.  There are no lie ins, and the amount of stuff you have to take is the same as for 4 days or 2 weeks!

You have travel cots and different meal times to contend with, and there's no way you can do home made food when staying in a hotel.

Luckily for us, Joel was really easy going and each night we were there, the better he slept.

He took to sucking the puree out of the Plum and Ella's Kitchen pouches, with fresh banana and bits of bread and teacakes for finger food, and I had taken some yoghurts for him as well.

In fact, since we've been back, he's not been pooping at 6am anymore which is helpful as he's sleeping in for a bit longer of a morning!  And he's been eating my home cooking with added gusto as well which is nice!

We managed our days out around his routine and nap times and he napped in his buggy at lunch times, and we were usually in the hotel for his morning nap, and sometimes his afternoon nap.

We found it so relaxing just watching films and playing with him, and he loved having us both just sitting on the bed with him and playing with him.  It was wonderful.

I guess the next time won't be so easy once he's on the move and needs more entertainment!

Time Away

We are having our first family break and its lovely!

We are in south Scotland, staying in a really nice hotel, and the weather has been wonderful so far.  We're having dinner, bed and breakfast for four days, and as a big fan of food I've been really pleasantly surprised how great the restaurant here is.

Joel has been brilliant, and although he seems a little wary of the travel cot up here, our bed is so huge I've been bringing him in to doze with us if he's not settled.  He's lying next to me on the bed at the moment as Steve has gone out filming the night sky.

We drove up in four hours on Thursday with a two hour stint to Lancaster, a nice long break for Joel and then just over two hours to Carlisle and onwards to Newton Stewart.  We chilled out watching tv and playing with Joel (who seems to love lying on the bed with us!) and then went down to dinner.  He got very tired so we had our desserts upstairs.  What did we eat I hear you ask?  I had garlic and rosemary breaded brie for a starter, lamb cutlets for my main and then the most delicious poached pear for pudding.  Steve went for a haggis tower, lamb shanks and strawberry cheesecake.

Once upstairs Joel had a lovely bath and went off to bed quite readily whilst Steve and I watched a film together.  It was an evening I will always remember, not trying to be soppy, but everything was just perfect and that doesn't really happen a lot for us!!

Today we've been to a whiskey distillery and then drove along a Queen's road through the Galloway forest and stopped off all along to see some breathtaking views, red deer, wild goats and waterfalls.

And we went a little early to dinner which meant Joel made it through pudding tonight.  I had a homemade pate with scottish oatcakes, sea bass in a delicious wine sauce and then a fruity meringue tower.  Steve had the brie, scampi and the cheesecake again!!

Joel hasn't been eating loads as his routine is a little out of whack, and we had a very solid nappy earlier as he's not had enough water (his cup leaked whilst out today :( so I didn't want to use mineral water) and I've been using ready bought pouches with bits of bread and fruit in between and he's not asking for more food and doesn't seem to be wanting more milk than normal.

I wish I'd brought his baby sling along, we've carried him where a buggy won't go but he's a heavy boy now!! Theres stuff I've packed we've not needed and more bits we could have used but for a first attempt we've not done too badly!

We're going to the coast tomorrow, and I'm looking forward to that!!  Then home again on Sunday.

Guns Blazing...

I've been angry today.  and I'm not an angry person in general.  But the more I think about work, and their out and out rejection the more angry I get.  I have no doubt that had my manager been supportive, the outcome would have been different.  Had I not got the days I preferred, or been put in a different job I wouldn't have minded, but to have them just say no, when they're meant to be a family friendly institution is outrageous.  And ergo, I will appeal.

In the meantime, I will have to put off going back to work as childcare will be an issue.  Joel can go to nursery from February on a Friday, and then from April he can have a Wednesday so if I took till the 28th March on maternity, then added some holiday onto that, we could get to April which would mean my parents would have him two days a week, and if I can have the four day weeks for six weeks, I'd have him on a Monday, then possibly my mother in law would have him on a Monday (we've not spoken yet about this but she's said she will help out where she can and it's an option) so I'm feeling a little calmer that he'll be ok although full time work will make me miserable and stressed.  I do not believe you can work full time, look after a baby and a house all at once.  It's too much.

So I now have 14 days to put a case together.  I shall email personnel for advice in the first instance about my maternity dates then put pen to paper (or keyboard to laptop?!) and do a draft.

I just can't believe they said no.