it's been quite a week here... we leave tomorrow for an extended stay in michigan, where we'll celebrate birthdays and thanksgiving, and also (potentially) get a little christmas cheer crammed in, since we won't be traveling back again next month for christmas.

this past week rex turned 6 months old. i was able to celebrate the fact that i was able to exclusively breastfeed him until then (we've started him on some solids, but he hasn't had any formula). i know plenty of people that have used formula for one reason or another and i'm not passing any judgement. i was completely open to the idea of using it if i had any troubles breastfeeding or if it simply became too stressful to breastfeed after i went back to work full time. i'm writing this post from the "mom's room" at my office, which has become my 2nd office, and what i jokingly call "the mom cave" because of its lack of windows, sunlight and airflow. i've lugged my oh-so-stylish backpack to the office every day and spent at least 45 minutes in here, typing away, attending conference calls, managing client crises, and trying (through it all) to forget that i have no shirt on and am hooked up to a machine. i love my little rex and am proud of myself that i was able to do this for him. now that we're starting to give him foods, i'm hoping i can start to do this less and less, and can spend more time with my fab officemates in my regular, window-laden office.

also this past week i was with a dear friend that's nearing the end of her trimester when she started having some scary symptoms. i was able to help give her a ride to the hospital, and luckily her baby is okay. pregnancies are tenuous and fragile things, and i thank my lucky stars that my pregnancy with rex was as problem-free as it was. most of you probably know that i miscarried before getting pregnant with rex. i was very fortunate to find out that the fetus had stopped progressing before actually experiencing any symptoms of miscarriage, but i've certainly thought of that baby-to-be often. it's so common, yet so infrequently admitted to or talked about. i hope my friend has a relaxing weekend and that her further tests next week show a happy, healthy 12 week old fetus.

when we head back to michigan tomorrow, it will be with my mom in tow. my mom bravely took the train out here in mid-august to come and live with us for awhile and watch rex once i went back to work. things have worked out much better than i ever could have guessed, and it's been wonderful to have her here. she's amazing with rex (no surprise there) and it's been really helpful to expose her to what our life is like here and very special to get this time with her. since she's leaving we had to figure out what we'll do for childcare once we return to california at the beginning of december and we've been fortunate enough to meet another couple that lives near us that is looking for a nanny. we're going to do a nanny share with them, and i feel very good about the "fit" with them. three days a week we'll have the baby's aunt watching our babies, and we'll be hiring a two-day-per-week nanny. cross your fingers that we'll find the right person to watch our little ones.

my time in my cave today is up. my inbox is overflowing and there's only an hour left to try to tame it before the weekend. for those of you in michigan, i'm really looking forward to seeing you soon...

happy friday...