A week from now I'll be back at work. I'm pretty excited about it, especially since I spent a lot of time this weekend with my co-workers; that got me all jazzed up to get back to it. We just started a new clinical trial for type 1 diabetes, and our clinical team hosted a training meeting for all of the doctors and staff involved in the trial from the US, Mexico, and India. It was a rare opportunity for me to go to one of these meetings, so I made the effort to go although I'm still out on leave. I went to the welcome dinner Friday night and then to the all day meeting on Saturday. Pat and Duane were in town, so Jay had help in managing the kids. All went smoothly; I heard that bedtime for Eric on Friday was rough, but then all day Saturday was fine (and I do mean all day - I left at 7:15am and got home a little before 10pm). I had a great time getting dressed up, seeing my friends, meeting new people, thinking about work, and just not worrying about children for a bit! Saturday night I went out for dinner with Sarah, my former manager, and that was fabulous. I'm really going to miss her as both my manager and as a friend - she's moving to San Fran on the 23rd - so it was great to have a last opportunity to see her.

So, the last week before I go back is filled with last minute things to do. Most of them are things that I intended to do before going back and aren't actually needed before I go back. I took the kids to the mall this morning to get some fall clothes - Eric is pretty well covered with the gifts he's received, but Kate was lacking enough stuff for the cool weather (we're still in shorts and short sleeves, but the cool down is underway).  I found her a cute dress and two tops/skirt outfits, so that worked out well. Tomorrow is Eric's two month checkup, Wednesday we're going to get together with Molly and Claire one last time, Thursday is storytime at the library...mixed in with those things are tasks like packing up all of my maternity clothes, giving the house a good cleaning, finishing up a few projects in Kate's room and the kitchen - all of which is very doable in a normal life, but with a two month old...we'll see. I'll do what I can!

I can't believe how delayed I am in posting this entry, but at least I'm finally doing it. The text has been written over many days, so I apologize if it's disjointed.

The most important thing to discuss about my summer (although everyone who reads this knows this fact already): Eric Christopher joined our family on Saturday, July 11 (5 days overdue) at 6:17am. He was 8lb 5oz and 21 1/2 in long at birth - and darling!

A few noteworthy things about Eric:

• He's huge! At birth he was 90% for height, and he's kept it up from there. At 5 weeks he was 97% for height (24 1/4 in) and 90% for weight (11lb 6oz); his head was 85%. He's a big kid! One of the first things I told my mom after was born was how big his feet are - he's going to be a tall guy. No joke, at 2 weeks there were a couple of newborn outfits that didn't fit him solely because his feet were too long for the attached booties. He goes in for his two month check up next week, and I can't wait to find out his stats.
• Like his sister, he was born with a full head of hair. He's only lost the little bit that he's rubbed off while he sleeps. Unlike his sister, it seems to be darker, and his eyelashes have grown in dark. We'll see how it ends up, but for now almost all of us are betting that he'll have dark hair.
• He's had a rough time with his skin. He had horrific baby acne starting a little after he was 2 weeks old. It started on his scalp and forehead, spread to his cheeks, then down under his chin, behind his ears to the back of his neck, then to his chest and shoulders, then his arms and back. At first it was really disgusting whiteheads, but luckily that passed pretty quickly and was followed by a million little bumps. At this point his face looks clear but is still a little rough to the touch. His chest and back are the only other areas that still are bumpy. Add to the acne some pretty rough cradle cap a couple of weeks ago that I've finally gotten under control. Yucko!
• This kid is active. Claire has taken to calling him a wiggle worm, and just about everyone who has held him has commented on how "squirmy" he is. I hadn't really noticed until everyone else started pointing it out, although it has been true from the beginning that if you lay him down he starts twisting every which way. This is the total opposite of Kate, who would just lay there and stare at the ceiling until you picked her up (and everyone always commented on how mellow she was). In the last couple of weeks he's really grown to love standing, and at this point he pretty much fusses until you stand him up. He may be a bit headstrong...

So, we're doing pretty well. I'll be home with the kids until he's 10 weeks old (I go back on the 21st). We've gotten into a routine of going out in the morning to entertain both Kate and myself, and then our afternoons are mellow (Kate still takes a ~3 hour nap everyday). Most days are great, although by the time Jay gets home I'm ready for some assistance - Kate and I both get crabby at the same time in the late afternoon/early evening, so our days almost always start off better than they end.

Eric's daytime routine has been very much a work in progress for the entire time he's been here. He is definitely NOT a good napper; I get these little 30min respites scattered through the day, and when he wakes up he's often still tired and will fall back asleep within 20min in my arms. I'm not sure how to help him sleep for longer periods. He also strongly prefers to sleep in my arms, although that's a habit that I'm trying to break him of before it's an impossibility when I'm back at work. He's been spending more and more time sleeping in his crib in anticipation of more "real" naps and the impending move from the co-sleeper in our room. For the last few days I've been putting him to bed in his crib and then bringing him to the co-sleeper for the rest of the night once he wakes up to nurse. I think he's getting used to the crib, but he still strongly prefers to be held for his daytime naps. He'll outgrow it, but for now it's a bit of a nuisance, frankly, and it makes the whole going back to work thing a little worrisome.

Kate has been great with Eric from the beginning and is still coping with the disruption to her life very well. My mom, Claire, and Kate came to the hospital late in the afternoon on the day Eric was born, and letting Kate hold him was darling:

Eric loves her! He has started smiling when he hears her voice, and I know the days of him following her everywhere are not far off. A little about Kate - after Eric was born I finished getting her potty trained, so that's been a big deal. She has been ok being home everyday although she talks about her school, teachers, and friends nearly everyday. She's in love with all things princess, pony, and mermaid. She'll be three in just a couple of weeks, and I'm starting to think about a small kid party for her with her friends from our neighborhood. She's definitely 2 going on 3, but she is a really good kid. We've had fun together this summer - even with a crying newborn disrupting our playtime on a regular basis!

So, my mom moves in 11 days! She moved her furniture and a lot of her stuff down a couple of weeks ago, so her pad is all set and waiting for her to occupy it. It is, unsurprisingly, the nicest part of the house now - someday we'll own real furniture too. In case I haven't written about it, we chose to finish a third level in the house specifically for this purpose. She has a living room, a bedroom, and a full bathroom. She's set up a mini-kitchenette in her bedroom (that sounds kind of ridiculous, but it's not) with a mini-fridge, microwave, coffee pot...We weren't able to find a house that we liked with a full in-law suite, and this set up seems like it will be a good compromise. We're all pretty excited about the upcoming arrangement, and there is no question that you can't have a better nanny than a loving grandparent. Jay and I aren't concerned about living with her at all, and we both are certain that her presence is really going to simplify our lives. We've very lucky!

In the way of general updates (sorry this is so random)...After months of not getting paid and then true unemployment, Jay started back at Microsoft at the end of July; he's working in the DC office on a healthcare product and is thrilled to be back. We're really thrilled that he has a paycheck coming in again! We haven't done much with our house (massive understatement), but now that there is some money again the plans are really starting to solidify. First up: furniture for our family room. We're really hoping to take care of our exterior next year: patio, fence, sprinkler system. For now we keep dreaming...I'm looking forward to going back to work. I like being home with the kids, but I really enjoy my job and I miss that environment. Unfortunately my boss quit and her last day is Friday (i.e., before I return). I'm unbelievably bummed about losing her, but I'm looking at it from the at-least-I-got-her-for-a-little-while perspective. I'm desperate to visit Seattle - with Jay back at MSFT it's a more likely possibility now. We toyed with going out there over Labor Day, but the cost was crazy and some critical friends weren't going to be around, so we ditched that idea. Then last Friday he heard that he might have to go out for training next week; we decided that if it came through we'd all go, even though it would be pricey for the rest of us to join him. After a long weekend of tightly crossed fingers he found out yesterday that he won't be going next week. Major disappointment! It would have been great to go without using any of my vacation time. Oh well - we are bound and determined to get out there very soon. When people ask if I miss Seattle all I can say is "yes" because to say much more is too upsetting, but it just doesn't capture it. I am truly glad that we moved - the bond that Kate has with Claire alone was worth it - but it's too bad that the move had to be so great a distance. I thought that with time this whole thing would get easier, but in some ways it's just getting tougher. OK, enough about that...

I'd like to say with certainty that I'll post more entries soon, but you know how I've been. Amazingly I'm at least as busy at home with the two munchkins as I am when I'm working - maybe there's no commute, but there's no shortage of work! People aren't kidding when they say the jump from one kid to two is huge.

More photos from the last two months to make you smile...