Hi Ho!

This past week was my first week back to work after a gloooorious 15 month maternity leave.  The week was good.  I work for the Saskatoon Health Region as an occupational therapist; previously I worked in a department where the focus was on post elective orthopedic surgeries (hips and knees).  With some lay-offs and switching around, I am now in acute ortho trauma (all limbs, but post-trauma such as car and bike accidents and altercations). The department also includes pediatrics, oncology, hands, neuro, and general medicine, so I will occasionally go to those areas as needed and in the future may work more in those areas.  It's been quite eye-opening this week, but I think it will be good.  Acute has a quick turnover, so in ortho OT we usually only see the patient for a couple days, primarily discussing home set-up and safety, getting them appropriate equipment to help them manage at home, and training on the use of the equipment.  Time spent with patients is quite different from my sub-acute/long term care job in Illinois where we saw the patients daily for many months straight.   

As a result of my going back to work, Annabel had her first week of day care.  Saskatoon has an extreme shortage of day care centers with multiple year waiting lists, so we found a home day care of a new mom who has a 1 year old herself.  It's nice for Annabel to have someone to buddy up with, and so far I think it should work well.  She didn't cry the first day of drop off, but she had figured it out by the second and cried at least until just after I left the rest of the week.  Up until this point she hadn't found a "comfort item," but she has been attached to her little pink bear at least when she is tired at day care.

Getting ready to head out the door to day care!  She LOVES this jean jacket!

Of all days, Annabel started getting her fifth tooth Sunday night and was up until two or three am!!  She was uncomfortable the next couple nights, so I had hardly totaled 8 hours of sleep by mid week.  This was our first experience with a really bothersome tooth.  That and figuring out our fastest travel route, considering the traffic, was our main challenge in our first week.  Luckily, day care is just a small loop on the way to both of our jobs (which are a 15 min. walk apart) and we leave home around 7:20 to get me there by 8:00.  I've been waking Annabel up at 7 and she eats breakfast at day care (so nice!).  

We all caught a cold by Wednesday, with all of us recovering fairly well by today.  Annabel has quite a cough and runny nose and I'm exhausted but hopefully it won't linger too long.  

I'll continue our Europe journey posts soon.

In the mean time, here is a few recent life happenings:

Hot day water play in the "pool".

Just like Grandpa.

Still thinks smelling socks is quite hilarious!

Annabel's favorite place in the house

Her obsession with Go Dog, Go! is easily pushing a month now.  

First trip to the dentist!!  She didn't have any teeth on her first birthday, but currently has five!

Play date with Benjamin and Reuben...isn't Reuben the cutest?  He is almost 6 months and has had over 4 haircuts!

Reuben, Annabel, and Benjamin.  They splashed a ton shortly after they adjusted to the water.

Last weekend we attended the Broadway Street Fair, which included a small petting zoo.

She loves riding in this doll stroller and has a thing for carrying shoes.  More than once I have left the house not realizing she had swiped a shoe just before I picked her up.

She turns fifteen months in a few days and has been starting to walk, practicing a little each day.  One day she took just over 20 steps.