Back to the grind

It has been a busy few weeks!  Mary Rose has been changing a lot since consuming a dairy-free diet and reaching 3 months yesterday.  She has few days with gassy belly pain and lots of playtime, especially in the mornings.  She is trying hard to sit-up, touching her toys, almost laughing and gaining weight fast (she is over 10 and a half pounds).  She is still a very light sleeper and often wakes up when we put her down.  She still wakes every 2-3 hours at night and is a mess when she is over tired.  This week, we start cloth diapers (Fuzzibunz one-sized) and I realized how much the diapers will affect her clothing options.  The cloth diapers are puffier than disposable, so she will wear bigger clothing on cloth diaper days.  She is also going to her babysitter's house this week, for the first time, and spending her first big chunk of time alone with Brian while I work Saturday morning.  We even have a double date Sat. with two babysitters for the babies, so hopefully it will go well.

Brian took his last work trip for the season at the end of October.  He started in New Orleans, where he ate at Emeril's new restaurant, and stopped in Baton Rouge before flying to Texas.  He was able to visit friends while working in San Antonio and Austin, then stayed with his Grandma Pruitt in "the valley" of south Texas.  Instead of staying home with the baby and no help, I took Mary to my parents' house in Minnesota.  I was nervous about traveling with her and flying alone.  She played and napped as we drove to Boston.  We stopped at friends' for feeding and a break and she fussed as we left Brian and went through security.  I put her in the Bjorn and she slept/fed until we got off the plane!  She also did well on the way home, plus we were lucky to have my mom fly back with us.  My parents were thrilled to take care of her while I tried to get some sleep, and I was able to see most of my friends (and some of their babies).  We took her to the Mall of America, so I could get clothes.  My mom found her dresses while I met friends at the zoo (Mary Rose slept the whole time!)  It seemed to go so fast and I did not get through sorting enough old keepsakes.  I even saw a lot of my brother, who seems to enjoy his niece.  My fun excursion was to a concert (thanks to Tim's girlfriend) by One Republic and Maroon 5 with old friends.
My mom took care of the baby while I returned to work last week (I only do 2 days, but they are long, as I drive 30 miles.)  I was worried when I realized that I left my breast-pump plug at home, but I was able to use my PNP student's battery (it did not work well, but helped.)  I felt like a poor preceptor, as I struggle to keep my patient visits and noted organized and take forever to pump.  Oh, well, it will come to me with time.  I am more nervous about this week, driving to work with Mary Rose and having her with the nanny. 
For Halloween, we put our baby in a hot dog outfit for a baby party (and mass.)  It was neat to have trick-or-treaters for the first time, but hard to keep away from the candy (contains milk.) 
Brian has been a little frustrated without cable lately, as it has been harder for him to follow TCU football, which is currently among the top 5 college teams.  He was able to watch the last game at another alum's house, 30 minutes away, and celebrated a landslide victory.  I still enjoy Netflix, where I watched Father's Little Dividend (much like our life,) Holiday (witty,) and have not finished I Confess.