The good, the bad, and the ugly

Let's start with the ugly.

Marsha was kidnapped.

Right out of my car, in my own driveway, during broad daylight, with me and Bean and Evey unaware inside the house. The jerkface broke my driver's side window and snatched my beloved Marsha the GPS navigation system from the dash, taking my sense of security right out with him. DH pointed out the irony: we have lived in Detroit and St. Louis, the two highest crime cities in the U.S., and this happens in safe Seattle. The 'burbs are the 'burbs no matter where you live, I suppose. Anyway, DH discovered the deed when he came home from work on Monday and saw my window smashed. We promptly called the police department, who took our statement over the phone. They asked DH if he wanted to press charges, apparently in case the bad guy walks into the police station and turns himself in, because they are not even pretending to attempt to find him. Now DH and I have to struggle to coordinate getting the window fixed at one place, tinted at another, and getting a new GPS while working and caring for a baby. Not to mention we have to pay our deductible during a completely unpaid maternity leave! Adding insult to injury is the fact that Marsha's abductor did not take any of my CDs. My taste in music not good enough for you, tough guy?

Now the bad. My sweet little Bean might have reflux. We are taking him to the pediatrician on Friday to get him checked out. Last night around 10 pm, the poor baby was having so much gastrointestinal pain! DH and I were terrified as he gurgled and choked and spit up and cried, it was the first time we could truly understand the horror that parents feel when their child is suffering. Welcome to parenthood! After about an hour, he was snoozing soundly again like a little angel. And this morning, I woke up to this face:

I admire his resiliency. I wonder where he got it from.

Now let's leave all that and get on to the good. We had a wonderful time with DH's parents in town. Not only were they super helpful taking care of Bean, but my father-in-law made it his mission to make sure I got out of the house. We took the baby out to a restaurant for the first time (Cheesecake Factory, mmmmmm), toured the scenic Pacific Northwest, spent an afternoon walking along Alki Beach (gorgeous view of the city across Puget Sound!), and looked at houses with the realtor. And best of all, I didn't so much as boil water the whole time. Awwwww yeah.

Our house hunt started off pretty interesting. We are finding that in our price range, the houses are either in a nice area but ugly/trashed inside, or they are in a strange/undesirable location (one was in an elementary school) but move-in ready. One house in particular has caught our attention. We absolutely love the neighborhood, it's very family-friendly and safe for GPS systems, and the house is huge. But the inside is strangely reminiscent of the first house we bought: fabulous "bones" but ugly as sin. Remember the offensive green carpeting that came in our old house, even insulting you in the bathroom? I kid you not, this house has it too. We are torn between being wary (didn't we already fix up this place? and now we have an infant!) and being eager to once again slip into a house that we otherwise couldn't afford. Join us next week for an all new House Hunters, followed by Flip this House!

I spoke with our day care center on Monday, and it looks like they'll be able to accommodate my schedule. Starting May 5th, I'll be working from home three days a week (M, W, F). I'm pretty ambivalent about returning to the job. Nothing like a little "can a woman have it all" angst! Part of me is heartbroken to leave Bean with someone else. Will they rock him to sleep as he likes? But the other part of me can't want to have my hands free, myself free, for 24 hours a week. I'm dying to know if I still exist under all this spit-up. I'm hoping the part-time schedule will accommodate both mommy and individual, making me the first woman in the history of the world to yes, actually have it all. Right.

Other than the possibility of reflux, Bean is doing really well. The breastfeeding has been going much better lately. Our next task is to wean from the shield we've been using, and then we will be pros! We've even did our first NIP (nursing in public) at Alki Beach. This was my view:

(No, I will not show you Bean's view. Let's keep it clean, huh?) My little smarty boy has also figured out the difference between night and day. Hooray! We are still up to nurse several times, but at least he goes back to sleep instead of staring at me with those wide eyes: "How are you going to entertain me now so I don't scream?" A tired momma's nightmare. We are learning each other slowly but surely, this Bean and I. I'm still coming to terms with the fact that my to-do list is a huge joke (my public apology to anyone who has emailed me in the past month, I'm sorely overdue to reply). And he's coming to terms with the fact that I get to choose what we watch during the day, at least until he can gesture preferences. In my defense, I thought the movie "Enchanted" was satisfying entertainment for all audiences. Loving the Netflix!

Now I'll end with the adorable. Here are some more pictures from my in-laws' visit. Is it just me, or is Bean getting cuter every day?