A long couple of weeks

But they're finally over . . . or so we thought.  Carmen got home yesterday (Monday) and is supposed to be home for a long time.  And then we find out he's leaving again on Saturday!  But just for the day; he'll leave first thing in the morning and be back that evening.  It's a tough trip for him, but we'll appreciate having him home Friday evening and Sunday. 

The last two weeks have definitely been tough.  To top off the whole single working mom thing, Jayden got a bad cold last week.  Last Tuesday he started getting super congested - barely able to breathe.  It caused him to wake up every hour or two because he couldn't breathe.  I felt so bad for him!  He ended up sleeping in his swing most nights, because the swing keeps him more upright than his bed, even after I stuffed a pillow under one end of the bed to keep his head raised. 

Luckily for Jayden (and for me!) Grandma Barb came to visit on Thursday.  We were really late picking her up - I underestimate how long it takes to do everything, with the baby or not.  Luckily Grandma Barb is super patient and understanding.  One of the best parts of her visit was that she was able to stay home with sick baby Jayden on Friday and help him get better while I went to work.  We didn't cook all weekend, we enjoyed the beautiful California weather (a little shopping at an outdoor mall and a visit to a farmer's market) and we made great progress on Jayden's illness! 

Jayden also got tons of love and kisses and hugs from Grandma Barb:

Today (Tuesday) Jayden was so much better.  He coughed a little in the morning, but that's about it. Thank goodness, because I was already sad enough about leaving for work and leaving him at daycare. 

Jayden has picked up a few new tricks:

Jayden has become fascinated with Jasmine and constantly tries to reach for her to "pet" her.  Jasmine isn't sure yet what to do about it, but they're well on their way to becoming best friends!

Probably Jayden's favorite thing to reach for at this point is my face.  He's always touching my eyes, my nose, my chin, whatever part of my face he can reach.  He loves it so much he managed to scratch me right under my left eye.   Half an inch higher and I might have ended up at the eye doctor!

He LOVES to smile, especially when you do silly things like making funny faces or funny noises at him.

For the past week he has been grabbing at his feet incessantly and pulling them up towards his face.  Tonight after his bath, as Carmen was bringing him to the changing table he managed to get his toes in his mouth for the first time.  Fun stuff!

When he's mad, he's mad.  He is very good at arching his back and straightening his arms and legs.  When he does this you don't have much choice but to do whatever it is he wants you to do.  You also have to laugh a little, because it's just a little funny!

EVERYTHING goes into his mouth.  Even Mama's foot, when she puts it too close to his play area.  This is how he discovers new things - by tasting them and feeling them with his tongue.  So glad we grow out of this by the time we're adults.

 No matter how tired I am or how much I want to sleep pretty much all the time, I love the time that I get to spend with my baby.  He really is growing up so fast.  Before we know it he will be sitting up on his own, maybe attempting to crawl, pulling himself to standing, etc.  And while those things are exciting, they're also scary and also signify such amazing milestons in this little boy's life.  Carmen and I are very lucky parents to have such an amazing little boy in our lives.  And I say that even after we had to clean up a GIANT blow-out poopy diaper tonight that got on two blankets, his walker and caused us to have to take him directly to the bathtub.