So Good to Get Away and Even Better to Come Back

I had a nice and relaxing weekend with my girl friends. We ate out (and ate a lot), did some shopping, went to the movies, slept in and didn't have to worry about bringing the diaper bag with me or hurrying home for a nap time.

The first day and a half went by quickly and I was enjoying my days as a free woman. Of course I called Troy to see how things were going, but I was completely enjoying my time rather than wondering about things at home all the time. After two days, I was ready to come home (I just wish I could take these girls with me to Tucson). Let me explain. I loved having my girl friends with me and gossiping about this and that and talking about non-baby related things. I was able to just be me and not "Eevi the mom". And it was so refreshing, but after two days, I was ready to be "Eevi-the mom" again. While I believe it is so important to make time for things that don't involve Saku or even Troy, they really are the most important things in my life and it is nice to get a reminder of that.

I brought these beauties home with me. However, they ended up being little too big so I will have to return them. I am totally bummed because they are beautiful and make my legs look nice and long:)

What happened at home while I was gone?

Troy did a fabulous job. Saku started really cruising when he crawls. Troy sent me sweet text messages such as "I don't know how you ever get anything done". Our generous friends had the boys over so Troy wouldn't get too lonely or have to cook for himself. Thank You! Troy got annoyed with baby clothes and all the "cutsie" things are added on them. I thought this was so funny and I completely agree.

When I first got home, I was holding Saku and Troy was next to me and Saku pushed away from me to go to Troy. Troy asked me if I was OK with this. Fortunately, within seconds, Saku wanted me to hold him and he kept going back and forth between Troy and I. I think he was just happy to have his whole family there.

I am so grateful for this weekend and the ability to get little extra steam to tackle the next few months of chaos. And before you feel too bad for Troy, he will be going to Utah to ski this weekend.

What is the longest you have been away from your kids? Did you feel guilty or did you just enjoy yourself?

An ordinary, yet Happy Day

Today was a good day. Saku was happy and active(as always), which resulted in him falling asleep within a minute of laying in the crib.

He looks like such a big boy in this picture. Do you love how I have a hospital bucket in my living room?

A friend of mine watched Saku today while I had to go and take care of some new hire paperwork. When I picked Saku up, she said "he just loves to stand". Yes, he sure does. He crawls toward anything that will help him to stand up.

Saku has learned to play with his toys while he takes a bath. Of course, I have to watch him EVERY SECOND to make sure he doesn't take a dip into the water with his face first.

I love baby bums! And sometimes, it's just fun to be silly with your kid.

I'm sure going to miss this little boy this weekend when I go to Vegas this weekend for a girls' weekend. That's right. Troy will be taking care of Saku all weekend by himself. How lucky am I! The idea of a girl time, good food and sleeping through the night and sleeping in sounds so good. Since I will be with two sassy red heads, I'll try to make sure that we'll behave;)

Saku-Silly at Seven Months

Saku hit his 7th month mark last Sunday.

Saku loves pulling his books out of the box.

Saku loves standing up in his crib, especially when it's time to go to sleep. The moment we lay him down, he starts crawling towards the bumper pads and pulls himself up. It is adorable, but also it can get frustrating since he does not know how to sit down, so we have to go and lay him down after he is "done" standing and then he decides to repeat the whole thing again.

Saku's menu has expanded exponentially in the last month; yogurt is his new favorite.

Saku still doesn't sleep through the night, but he doesn't eat at night anymore. About a week ago, I decided that he was a big enough boy to get through the night without feedings and he adjusted to it very well. Most night he wakes up few times, cries for minute or two and goes back to sleep on his own. We don't even go to his room. When he wakes up after 5 am, I go and feed him. It is so nice to get 7+ hours of sleep. It makes me feel a completely different woman!

I love the fact that Saku is crawling. He gets around and plays by himself much more. He was never happy just laying around, so his new skills has made him much happier baby. This obviously means a lot happier mom as well!

What Does It Take to Get a Job?

In November, I applied to eight different RN positions at the University Medical Center. After I finished my applications, Saku happened to wake up from his nap. I went to him and I cried as I nursed him. I thought of the possibility of not being with him 24/7 and I was sad.

Right before Christmas, I had been rejected from five of the eight positions without even an interview and I heard that one of my friends had been hired. I assumed that I would not even get an interview, which felt like a slap on my face after all the work I did during nursing school.

Two days after Christmas, the nurse recruiter called me and schedule two interviews: one at neurology unit and one at a transplant/surgical specialty unit.

A day before my interviews, the position at the neurology unit got filled. And I was scheduled for an additional interview at the oncology/BMT unit.

Last Thursday I interviewed with the manager of the transplant unit and I felt fabulous about my interview. Camille watched Saku and I was grateful to know that he was in good hands while I had to concentrate on something else.

On Tuesday, I shadowed at the oncology unit and loved the unit. I interviewed with the manager of the unit. While the interview was fine, I was not a huge fan of the manager. Also, she informed me that I would have to work a schedule with day/night shift rotating and I wouldn't be able to schedule myself for the first 5 months. As I sat there and kept answering her questions, I already knew that this position was not going to work for our family.

After the interview with the manager, I interviewed with two RNs for the transplant unit. The interview wasn't as great as the one with the manager, but I still felt like it would be a good fit for me.

Thanks to Camry, Saku played happily with new toys and even took a great nap:) For some reason, he refused the bottle.

Wednesday, I canceled the second interview for the oncology position and ended up spending two hours at the transplant unit to get to know the unit better.

Saku napped and played at Janae's house without any issues. Thank You!

Thursday morning, I received my first job offer as an RN for the transplant/surgical specialty unit. And I accepted.

I will start working on February 15th, which means that I have a month to get myself and my family ready for this change. This will include lots of shopping, pumping, reviewing nursing stuff and most importantly, enjoying each day with my silly little boy.

How do I feel about this?

I am so excited about using my nursing knowledge and learning more.

I am sad about the hours that I will miss of Saku's life.

I am grateful to have a husband who supports me with 100% and encourages me to use my talents.

I am excited for the opportunity that Troy and Saku will have to spend time together without me.

I feel like this is the right thing for me and my family at this time and I know that if there comes a time when it doesn't feel like the right thing, I will not hesitate to make my family the priority.

Oh how loved you are

Dear Saku,

I wish I could really express how much I love you and how much your isi loves you. I wish you could understand the excitement that your aunts and grandpa felt when they got to see you this Christmas. I wish you could know how much each of your slobbery kisses and sweet snuggles means to me. I hope you will always know that when I say "I love you" or "Rakastan sua", those are so much more than just words. I hope you will always know that since your arrival last June, my life has been filled with happiness beyond description. I love watching you learn new things. I love making you laugh. I love the fact that I can comfort you when you are upset. Six months ago, I was amazed at how precious you were and today, I am even more grateful to be your mother.

Love,

äiti

One of the best Christmas presents for me was the fact that Saku loved being with my sisters. There is nothing sweeter to me than to see my family love my baby boy. As I watch my sisters interact with him and love him, I can imagine how my mom would love him. It truly is a blessing to have a loving family.

Saku-Six Months and Going Strong

Saku had his 6th month Dr. appointment the day we left Tucson, so my 6 month post is little delayed.

Remember my chubby baby boy from few months ago, well it appears that I'm not feeding him enough and he is a skinny little dude now. We have started to supplement with some formula, since my milk just doesn't seem to do the job. We have also started doing solids and Saku does well. He is not a huge fan of vegetables, but loves fruits.

Weight: 15 lbs 13 oz (25th percentile)

Height 27 inches (90th percentile)

Head 44 1/2 cm (75th percentile)

This is Saku's standard grin. He doesn't give you a little smile. It's all or nothing. He totally has the same cheeks that Troy and I have. The "apple cheeks" as my mom would call them.

Troy loves the fact that Saku loves playing "rough".

Babies in diapers are adorable. And obviously, I think that mine is more adorable than most:)

Many people get little worried when Troy and I start tossing Saku around. He absolutely loves it.

Saku's tricks include

Sitting on his own without any problems

Pulling himself up from sitting to standing in his crib

Army crawl

Rocking back and forth on his hands and knees

Babbling

Pushing himself from tummy to a sitting position

drooling!!!!!

How is it possible that my little boy has been with us for half a year. It has gone by so quickly.

I ain't leaving on a jet plane anytime soon

24 + hours of traveling looks like this

Wake up at 6 am (Finland time).

Check-in at 07:00

Depart Helsinki-Vantaa airport at 08:00

Land in London at 09:30 local time (after a 2 hr and 45 flight)

Endure a 6 hour lay over-Saku and I nap for an hour and a half

Wait in line for 45 minute AT THE GATE while every single passenger is patted down and every single piece of carry-on is searched.

Receive compliments for our beautiful son from other passengers

Sit in the airplane for another 45 minutes while other passengers board

Hold a feverish baby boy for 10 hours while he attempts to sleep

Land to Phoenix around 8 pm local time

Somehow stay awake long enough to eat some delicious enchiladas

Sleep from 10 pm to 3 am

Try to get Saku back to sleep from 3 am to 7 am while he sleeps for 30-45 minutes a time.

Traveling with a baby is hard, BUT Saku did such a great job. And you know me, I don't try to make him look like a perfect baby. And spending Christmas with my family was so worth the lack of sleep caused by the time change.

Happy to be home. Saku is sleeping in his own bed and loving it.

Pictures to come soon!:)