I can’t think of a clever intro, so here’s a list of noteworthy events.
- Chelsea went back to work (school?)
- My mom came to take care of Lena
- Lena learned that she can put her foot in her mouth
- I went to Kentucky for work
- Chelsea’s dad came to take care of Lena
- We decided to join a church
- Lena had her first trip to the zoo
Let’s start with the biggest event of the month: Chelsea’s return to work.
Back to school
We got lucky on the timing with Lena. Chelsea doesn’t get any maternity leave, but as a teacher she does get the summer off. Since Lena was born toward the end of the school year, Chelsea only had to take about a month of unpaid leave, and then the rest of the summer her paychecks picked back up, but she still got to stay home with Lena.
We knew that once Chelsea started working we would need to find a daycare, and it just so happens that the senior living community across the street has a daycare. We like their style, and we can’t beat the convenience (although it is on the pricier end at $330 per week). The downside is that they don’t have an opening until September. So…we had to fill in the gaps somehow.
Parents to the rescue!
We are lucky enough to have very caring and helpful parents who were eager to agree to come spend a couple of weeks with Lena. While Chelsea and I were at work during the day, first my mom, then Chelsea’s dad (and later Chelsea’s mom, but that’s September) watched Lena at our house.
My mom was with us for the first two weeks of August, and Chelsea’s dad was here for the second two weeks. It was nice to have them here, and I know that they enjoyed spending so much time with Lena. We got a report every day on how she ate and slept (or, how she did neither).
Bottles aren’t boobs
Up to this point, Chelsea had been feeding Lena exclusively through breastfeeding. I did feed her early on with a bottle once or twice, but it turned out to be too much of a hassle to get the milk prepared when Chelsea could just whip it out on demand.
Apparently, Lena got very used to this.
I watched Lena on Chelsea’s first day back (it was a Friday that I had off), and she didn’t eat a thing all day. It scared me because I was afraid that the lack of food would have a lasting effect on her, but I assumed that she would come around eventually.
It didn’t get much better. She basically went the entire month only eating an ounce or two of milk during the day with either Gam or Grandpa Cravens. Chelsea started out coming home during lunch to feed Lena, but had to stay at school once classes officially started.
As little as Lena ate during the day, and as worried as we were about her health, I think she is still fine. The doctor cleared her to start solid foods like oatmeal or avocado mixed with milk. So far, this has worked reasonably well and Lena seems pretty interested in both.
One downside to all this is that Lena wakes up more frequently during the night to eat.
Other happenings
We have been visiting Asbury United Methodist since before Lena was born, and we finally had time to go to the orientation. We had lunch with both of the ministers, another prospective member, and a young couple who have been members for a year.
The ministers (pastors?) talked about their standing with beliefs of the Methodist Church, which is sort of a hot topic right now. We like this church because it is “reconciling” and accepting of all people, including sexuality.
On the Saturday before Labor Day, we decided to take Lena to the zoo for the first time. The weather was perfect for it, and we lucked out on the timing because there was a membership sale going on. $39 for the whole year! And I didn’t even need to lie about still living in Jackson County by showing my (outdated) Missouri license.
Lena enjoyed the zoo more than I expected she would. She spent most of her time watching the other people, rather than looking at the animals, which I did expect. I was pleasantly surprised to see her actually noticing some of the animals. In particular, there was a brightly colored, toucan-like bird that was making a lot of noise that really got her attention. We are noticing her cognitive progress more and more recently, and it is very fun to watch.
Here are some various pictures from a 90 year old hydro plant that I got to visit in Kentucky.
