March Recap

The Joe

UWRF had to conduct their "reduction in force" in light of the potential budget cuts, resulting, thus far, in the loss of 70 positions on campus. We were very thankful that Joe was not included in that number. We're not certain if his contract will be renewed or not next year, but we're set for now. In the meantime, he is working really hard to help his department adjust and cope with all of the changes resulting from the budget cuts and restructuring of the department to be less theater focused and more film focused, which he is well equipped to help with. The end of the semester will be really, really busy for him, but once he gets past graduation he'll be able to take some (paid!) leave and that will be great. He's got a really good amount of time he can take to be with the baby, so that's a huge blessing for which we're very grateful.

He's also excelling at being Z's best play buddy and music guru. They love to play chase, hide and seek, and listen to indie music, especially Dave Bazan. For some reason when we turn on Dave Bazan, Z almost instantly mellows. Bonus points if we're putting on a record since he loves the record player.

Finally, they are about to be best bike buddies as well! As a present to ourselves, we bought a bike trailer so that Joe and Z can go on adventures around town without needing the car. Z was really uncertain about this until they got moving and then he was only upset if they stopped! River Falls is pretty small so most places are easily accessible by bike. We noticed last summer that bikes with trailers were parked at basically every event we attended, which got our gears churning. Plus, since we only have one car, it will be even more convenient in that light. The trailer accommodates two, so we will be able to use it for both kiddos next year. Huzzah!

The Sara: 

I guess I'll lead off with the bad news that my position was one of the 70 that was "reduced." My department head tried his best to save as many adjuncts as possible, but thus far seven of us have gotten the ax. I've been pretty bummed out about it because I've really enjoyed teaching and the part time routine. It's been working really well for us and we had even found a daycare that would allow half days 3 days a week for both kiddos that would cost less than what we are paying now. But, c'est la vie, right? Sometimes things just don't go as you have planned. Now I'm just trying to not let this affect my motivation as I finish out the semester.

I don't know for certain what this means for me. I'm not even going to bother putting on here what I think is going to happen because there are so many factors up in the air so you, my readers, will just have to discover it in real time! Wooot. This is what I know will happen. I'm going to finish out this semester and have a baby. I'm not going to worry about anything else until probably August. We'll see who #2 is and how much difficulty or ease he brings to the table.

I think I spent maybe 10 days of March feeling healthy. I'm really hoping April will turn this around for me. It does appear that I successfully headed off the most recent attack on my immune system with an intense defense of nasal rinses, orange juice, mint tea, water, sleep (thanks, Joe!) and Nasonex (prescribed by my doctor), so that was exciting. Instead of a full blown sinus assault, I've just had some mild stuffiness and sore throat.

On the bright side, the mom group I joined has turned out to be a really great experience for me. The ladies are really nice and Z loves playing in the childcare room at the weekly meetings. They plan a lot of fun activities for kids as well as mom-only times. I was pretty nervous about getting into this world, I thought I would feel really out of place, but the group is a really diverse mix of people and it's been nothing but positive thus far. I'm thankful that I didn't let my prejudice or anxiety stop me from trying this out.

The Eldest Child

Z has had quite the month! The rumored "language explosion" seems to have finally come and he abruptly decided that it was appropriate to start repeating words and use new ones. I had a real awakening when we got home from an errand and saw I had missed the UPS delivery I'd been excited about (everything I needed/wanted for Bebo). I exclaimed, "OH SHOOT!" Which was quickly followed by a little voice from the backseat shouting, "OH SHOOT!" Guess we need to watch our words around the little sponge. It's been a huge relief for me, however, to see his word count skyrocket and realize how much he really knows, which is more than I had realized. Joe was pushing him on the swing when he suddenly counted to ten without any help. All the numbers. In the right order. What!? First of all, I had no idea he knew all those words and I certainly didn't think he knew them in order like that. Turns out he's be squirreling away all kinds of little tidbits of knowledge. 

He's still very selective about what he does and does not say, but as I've said before, I think this is just his personality. He's really cautious about certain things and that is just that. He's very playful and creative, making up games and creating toys from random objects. He's extremely curious and wants to do whatever we are doing. He's also a boundary pusher. He does a lot of things he knows are not allowed just to see what I will do or say. Overall, he makes us laugh a lot and is a very vibrant and engaging child. 

A big highlight for Joe and I was when Z finally, after tons of secret practice and testing it out on me, called out, "Papa?" for Joe. For some reason he's been sitting on that word for months and he finally felt like he was ready to say it. Shockingly, I teared up when it happened. 

The Gestating Child

Bebo has gotten really big and strong. I feel like he had a major growth spurt because for several days I was absolutely ravenous and then it seemed like my belly grew exponentially. His movements have gotten really pronounced and regular. He gets really bouncy when I don't eat for awhile and does not approve of that at all, which amuses me since Z was the opposite. However he is sitting is very much squishing upward right now, which I will take because I frankly prefer shortness of breath to downward pressure. I feel a distinct foot popping out right by my ribs on a regular basis, so far that I can grab it. He doesn't really approve of that either and kicks at me big time.

Other dislikes include Z crying, loud noises and when I absentmindedly hum in this weird, off-key tone that I only do when I am alone and really concentrating. Bebo HATES it and will squirm, hit and kick like crazy to make me stop. He's continued to be much more of a night owl than Z was, so sometimes it's hard for me to fall back asleep after one of my many trips to the bathroom at night. He seems like quite the mover and shaker, so I'm envisioning two energetic little boys, tumbling all over each other, in my near future. We shall see!