What a start!

Let's start at the very beginning. (A very good place to start.)**

My last day of school (and in my district) was Friday. I'm so glad to be done...no more pumping four times a day! Working full time since he was 6 weeks old, I know that I have missed much of Evan's first year. I will never get that time back, but I know that he has been in the best hands that I could ever have wanted...my mom's. She has been such a huge help to Paul and I. Although there are things that I wasn't around to see happen the first time, I made it just in time to see one that I would have cried if I had missed. His first steps.

After coming home Friday afternoon, Evan was doing his usual walk around the coffee table. I outstretched my arms, gave him a huge smile, and said "come to Mama!"...he let go for a second, thought about it, and went for it. He took about 3 or 4 steps to me before plowing me over. It was an amazing feeling and as I think of the words to describe it, I can't. It just makes my eyes watery. I wish Paul had been there. We tried it again and this time my Mom and Dad videotaped it. (I don't have a copy of it yet, but I'm trying to get it. It's not such an easy thing to video tape on your own!)

The next day was Paul's 30th birthday. Unfortunately, he worked from 7:45-4:15, then had to go to his boss's house to drop off paperwork and didn't get home until 5:15. What a birthday!

Since Paul was working, I thought it would be nice if he came home to something "special".

While Paul was at work, Evan and I took a trip to get the keys to our new home. We then went to meet Aunt Emma and Uncle Jason at the Arizona Mills Mall to check out the new aquarium. Of course, babies have their own agenda. Evan wanted to be fussy instead and so I nursed him in the home furnishings section of Neiman Marcus Rack. We met Aunt Emma and Uncle Jason for lunch in the food court and went home afterwords. So much for the aquarium attempt. (We later heard from Emma that the line was ridiculously long to get it. Evan would have never lasted that long.)

While riding in the car, Evan decided that he wanted to start eating his toes.

That night, Paul and I went to one of our favorite restaurants downtown, Cibo, for some dinner. It was nice to have a date again and have some grown up time. With everything going on (buying a new home, finishing my online/Masters classes, packing, work), we definitely needed some alone time. Once we returned home, Paul was able to open his gifts.

Stemless wine glasses! Now we can put them in the dishwasher!

In the middle of the night, I started getting a queasy feeling as though I needed to vomit. At Evan's 5:00 waking, I had to have Paul come in because my stomach wasn't feeling well. If only I could take Pepto-Bismol while breastfeeding...it would have been a life saver. I had stomach problems all morning and finally did end up vomiting. Paul let me sleep most of the morning and then we went to his mom's house for a birthday celebration. Sadly, I lay around like a bum with the chills. I was not much fun to be around. I took my temperature in the evening and was running a mild fever.

To add to my sickness, I also developed a clogged milk duct. On Tuesday, the affected area had become extremely reddened and hot. I called my doctor who prescribed me an antibiotic and I went and saw him today. In two weeks, I need to go back so that he can check to make sure it's cleared up. If the lump/clog is still there, I'll need an ultrasound to determine if it's an absess. If so, I may require surgery to remove it. (I'm hoping that it will be gone by then. My friend just had this done...I don't want to experience it as well.)

My mom has been kind enough to come over and help out with Evan while I fight off my sicknesses and we even were able to do some packing. I'm hoping that this just means the rest of my summer will be filled with fun!

And look!!! Only one more spot to fill...3.5 weeks until Evan turns one!

**First one to comment with the correct movie that this is from gets a prize!