Baby Sullivan | Week Forty Two

Sullivan has been living his best life the past few weeks. Everything is new and ready to be discovered. Family vacation was a whirlwind of fun for him as well. I'll blog about our trip to Estes shortly but for now, I wanted to to write about week 42 of Sullivan James. 

He still is not crawling. I've been trying to work with him as much as possible. We are attempting lots of tummy time, which he still really isn't a fan of. He will sit up and play for a long time but once he's on his tummy, he fusses and whines. Poor dude. If only he knew what adventures await once he is mobile. We are going to keep at it and I know one day it will click. I just don't want him to fall behind milestone wise. Crawling is also an important step in his development. Babies that skip crawling can face issues later on and I do not want to face that. He will be 10 months old next week and I'm ready for him to start moving around. It's time. 

He spent his first night out of town with us in Estes and did such a great job. I realized when we were there that he has only ever slept in the hospital when he was born and then in his crib at home. Marin has sleepovers with the grandparents fairly often, but we haven't tried that with Sullivan yet because he still wakes up pretty early to nurse. 

He slept in a pack n' play in our room where we were staying. He was pretty wiped out by the time he went down at night and slept decently well. The first night he woke up quite a bit though. He woke when I came in to go to bed. I picked him up to change his diaper and he was pretty confused as to where he was at. He realized that he wasn't at home. It was pretty cute. The second night he slept through the night without waking. 

He ate all sorts of fun stuff on the trip. He tried pizza. He had grilled cheese sandwiches and broccoli. He tried a little bit of pie. He was living it up, that's to be sure. He has been taking less and less formula and breastmilk lately. I know a lot of that has to do with how much actual food he is consuming. 

He had his first dentist appointment this week as well. He has four teeth and three more are swiftly on the way. We are now brushing his teeth as well. We found out that he has an oversized labial frenum which is an extra piece of gum flesh that comes down between the two front teeth. Once he is older, he will probably have to have it surgically cut so it doesn't cause issues later on with spacing and gum recession. It's pretty common in kids and a lot of time it causes the infant to not be able to latch well when nursing, like a tongue or lip tie. Luckily, we have had no issues with nursing from day one and I'm super thankful. 

Here's Marin at Week Forty Two. 

The End of an Era & the Beginning of Another

I think part of me never truly believed I would be writing these words. Part of me was so caught up in all the things that working in healthcare presents and supporting my family was found at the top of my list.

 

No more. There is a great deal of freedom now in my life. Last Wednesday, I walked through the hallways of a dental clinic as an employee for the last time. I turned in my keys, my sweaters, and my laptop. I said my goodbyes and gave my hugs. It felt strange, almost like a twilight version of my job, as if it wasn't really happening.

I worked at a dental office for nearly 6 years. That's a lot of years. That's a lot of time. That's a lot of paychecks, meetings, and to do lists. I learned so many things about the business world and working with people and I am so glad that I went in for that job interview all those years ago.

Had someone sat me down ten years ago and told me that I would be working in human resources at a pediatric dental clinic, I probably would have laughed at them and walked away. Ten years ago, I figured I would be playing a ton of music, traveling, taking a lot of photos, and living out a creative life as much as I possibly could. But then, life happened. Life happens. Good life happens. Becoming an adult had to happen and bills needed to be paid.

 

If I have worked with you over the last few years, thank you. You have taught me so many things about myself and my capacity in the business world. You have been a home away from home in many ways. You have helped me strive and helped me live. You have challenged me. I would be lying if I said it was always good. There were times that were tough, times when I wanted to walk away and be done with all of it, but I endured. Transitions come and go and so do people and now I'm on the the other side of it.

 

Just, thank you. You all are wonderful.

This past season has been one of lots of waiting and of wondering where it would all end up. I knew my time was coming to an end but I didn't know the hows or whys. This past season has not necessarily been easy but I believe that our little family have never been in such a good place like we are now. I am embarking upon a new job as the Events Coordinator at Vintage City Church. I am able to use my college degree yet again and use all of the things that I learned at the dental office. I am able to spend more time with my family and make my own schedule for the most part. I couldn't ask for a better opportunity. I was made for a job like this.

So, Toothzone, I bid you farewell. I will surely not forget that last 6 years of my life but I am very excited for the next years of our lives.

Farewell.