Zehr Family Blog: Back to work....well 3 weeks ago :)

I have been back to work now for 3 weeks. The first day was so hard for me. I cried several times that day. It got easier as the week went on, but was still a rough week. I called 2-3 times a day to see how she was doing. I spent 10 weeks at home with her and enjoyed every minute of it. It was so sad to have to leave her. It made it worse coming back to work and walking straight into stress mode. I so wish we had enough money saved up where I didn't have to work. Maybe in time I will be able to do this. It's a goal of ours...just don't know how long it will take us to get there. Jazlyn is getting to enjoy lots of time with Mama Zehr Monday - Thursday and Grandma Watts and Aunt Tammy on Fridays though. The Papas get a visit in there every once in awhile as well (lunch times, home from work early, etc). I still call once a day to see how she is doing.

July 17th weekend we celebrated Breanna's 8th birthday. On Breanna's actual birthday (July 17th), Alex and I dropped off Jazlyn at my mom and dad's to babysit for her, while we took Breanna out to eat, putt-putt, go-karts and ice cream. We brought my parents ice cream back as well. Of course they enjoyed the few hours they got to spend with Jazlyn watching her smile and coo. On Saturday we had a birthday party at our house with Breanna's friends and family. Aunt Mellie came home to visit as well. She spent 4 days with us. It was great to see her and spend some time with her. She definitely enjoyed her time with Jazlyn too. Since Melanie was home, we decided to head to French Lick after church for lunch and then we stopped by my grandparents house and my aunt & uncles. They hadn't seen Jazlyn in a while so that was a good time. Grandma just cracks us up with her. Grandpa always has to hold her first before anyone else does. When she gets heavy or starts to fuss then Grandma can hold her. Although Grandma doesn't like it...she waits patiently for her turn.

Jazlyn got to experience her first Jasper Strassenfest. I entered her baby picture in the Baby Photo Contest. There was 96 entrants and only the top 15 got prizes. Unfortunately, she didn't win anything, but we did get to show her off as we walked around the square. She also participated in her first Strassenfest Wettlauf. She enjoyed the 5K ride while I walked and pushed her. She had it made while I struggled pushing her up those big hills. Thank goodness my mom was with me and helped. We took turns. It was a beautiful morning for it. Alex also participated in the Wettlauf, but he ran the 5K. We all met up at the end and enjoyed pancakes made by our church youth group. Instead of going to the parade on Sunday, Alex, Breanna, Jazlyn and I headed to Holiday World for the day. We always usually take Breanna once or twice during the summer and this year we hadn't gotten a chance since Jazlyn was born. It was a beautiful day. I was worried about it being too hot for Jazlyn but it wasn't at all. Her and I hung out and watched Alex and Breanna have fun. Next summer she will have a blast there.

This past Sunday, we traveled to Illinois to attend a baby shower for my cousin Darin's wife who is having twin boys sometime in October. We can't wait to meet them. Jazlyn and the boys will have so much fun playing together at our holiday gatherings. It was the first time that most of my relatives got to meet her with the exception of Darin and Candice. They came in for a visit the weekend Jazlyn was born. But it has been 3 months for them.

Overall Jazlyn is still a very good baby. She has been sleeping through the night for probably 10 weeks now. Every once in a while we have to get up in the middle of the night just to put her pacifier in, but then she goes back to sleep. We enjoy every morning waking her up and seeing her smile and coo like crazy. What an awesome way to start the day off. She is still tiny as can be. She is probably about 8 1/2 lbs or so. I can tell she is getting longer. She is eating about 3 ounces at each feeding. I am sure she will be jumping up to 4 ounces soon though. When we get home from work she is typically in a really good mood, although last week there were several days in a row that she was really cranky. Alex and I both had trouble calming her down. We ended up having to rock her to sleep. I think it was because she wasn't getting long enough naps during the day. We made an adjustment and now she is good again. She definitely needs 2 really good naps during the day if not a short third one as well. In the evenings she loves to sit on the boppy pillow and watch TV. I think she likes the blinking lights and movement. It doesn't matter what is on...she stares at the TV.