Has it really been this long?

I knew that it had been quite some time since I updated my blog, but I didn't realize it had been over a month! I have been so busy just keeping up with life these days. I'm not even sure quite where to start...

Ethan: He is doing GREAT! He had his 15-month checkup this past Tuesday, and he now weighs 22 pounds, 14 ounces and is 31 and 1/4 inches long. That puts him in the 30th percentile for weight and the 60th for height. He got three shots and took them like a champ! The nurse said he his hitting all of his milestones and wasn't concerned that he isn't saying very much. I know he's fine and that he'll talk up a storm when he's good and ready.

We've discovered that he has a peanut allergy. A few weeks ago, I gave him a bit of natural peanut butter on an English muffin. About 10 minutes later, he had 2 small hives on his upper lip, and his chin was broken out. The pediatrician said that Ethan can't have peanuts or peanut oil at all, and he gave us a prescription for 2 Epi-pen Jrs., one for home and one for daycare. There is only a 30% chance that he'll grow out of it as he gets older. I was upset about it because I know that it can be a difficult and dangerous allergy, but I am feeling better about it now. We'll handle this as a family, and it will get easier as Ethan gets older and knows what he needs to stay away from.

Ethan has been learning a lot of new things lately. He has started dancing and I think this child is going to be the next Taylor Hicks with his jerky, wacky dance moves! (Don't get me wrong, I LOVE Taylor Hicks, but his dancing leaves a lot to be desired!) Ethan learned "Uh-oh" and now he throws EVERYTHING on the floor just so he can say it. Of course, it's accompanied by a big grin. He also is trying to say "All done" and "Grampa". I am amazed every single day when I look at him. I am such a lucky woman and I never want to take that for granted.

ME: I am still doing Weight Watchers with my Mom, but things aren't going as well as I hoped they would. I lost 6 and 1/2 pounds pretty quickly, but I have been stalled for about a month now. No loss, but at least no gain. I know that I need to exercise, but I have NO time at all to squeeze it in. I need to buckle down and start keeping better track of my points. I'm glad I haven't gained, but I want to lose 20 more pounds before getting pregnant again next year, so I need to get my butt in gear!

I had a job interview this past Tuesday. A neighbor of mine told me about an opening at her company for an Administrative Assistant III for a department of about 45 people. I am content where I am but very bored and unchallenged, so I figured I might as well submit my resume. The interview went well, but the very top of the salary for the position is still $3,000 less than what I am currently making as an editor. They were supposed to let me know by the end of the week if they had made a decision, but I didn't hear anything today. I have talked it over with Joe and decided that I most likely wouldn't accept an offer anyway. I have incredible flexibility where I work now, and I would be hard-pressed to find that anywhere else. Because Joe works more than an hour from home and is often unreachable by phone, I need to be the parent with the flexible schedule, the one who can drop everything and pick up Ethan at daycare if he is sick.
I would still like to make a career move one day, but staying where I am is the best choice for our family right now.

This week has been a tough one for all of us because Joe has worked some crazy hours because of a big, high-profile project. I have felt a bit overwhelmed by working full-time and taking care of the house, 2 dogs, and Ethan. Hopefully, Joe will be around this weekend and we can all have some quality family time.

Mother's Day was wonderful and so different from last year when Ethan was just 3 months old. Ethan and Joe both gave me cards, and then we went out to lunch with my Mom and Dad. When Ethan got down from the high chair, it quickly became evident that Daddy had put his shoes on the wrong feet! LOL I got a sterling silver Tiffany necklace to match the bracelet that I got for Christmas, and Joe told me I could get a new Mommy Bag/Diaper Bag. I went today during my lunch hour and picked out a cute, red Vera Bradley carry-all bag.

My dad works for the Cystic Fibrosis Foundation, and all of us are doing the Great Strides walk this Sunday. It should be a fun day, and we're hoping for nice weather.

I hope now that I've caught up on my blog, I can post more often. Sometimes I feel like I don't have much to say, but I have to remember that this blog is really my journal.

Be back soon (I hope!)