Zane's World! Zane's World!

Here is Zane in his crib which I call the Entertainment Console. He gets entertained while I sit nearby at the computer. We listen to the Row Row Row Your Boat mobile a million times while I check e-mail. I was going to say that he doesn't sleep there yet, but he just fell asleep as I was working on this post! Don't worry, if he sleeps there more "officially", I'll take out all of the toys.

Throughout this post will be pictures of the things Zane loves to look at. Zane's World! Most of these will bring a spontaneous smile to his lips. The bedroom light fixture (like a giant, luminous breast); the cherry tree outside his changing table window; Uncle Abraham's volcano painting in our bedroom; Zane's Cranes, which are right behind the chair where we nurse; shiny brass plates, dragons, and a horsechopper; plants in the livingroom window.

Zane is two months old today! Sometimes it seems like it went quickly, sometimes forever. Like when I'm changing the 8th poopy diaper of the day, that's forever. I think to myself, only 100 weeks to go before he might think of being toilet trained! When I look at pictures of him from when he was born and realize how much he's changed already, then it seems like the time has just flown.

Zane had his two month checkup on Monday, and the doctor says he looks wonderful. In fact, he and his nurses were really happy to see a happy healthy baby in for a checkup after a long busy day of sick people. Zane is now 22.5" long and 11.5 lbs. He's just a little smaller than average, but that doesn't really mean much. Just statistics. He got four vaccinations, and then was feverish (up to 101.3) for about the next 24 hours. Zane is really good even when he doesn't feel well. He even managed some occasional smiles. Other than screeching on the changing table (probably sore legs), he just wanted to be held. We did Illegal Sleeping all night, and he slept in bed with me so I could hold him.

I've managed to find childcare for Zane starting in February when I go back to work. Three days a week is going to run us $936 per month or about $11k per year. Yowza! It's still better for me to go back to work as that is about a quarter of my income, and I have the insurance. The childcare is an in home daycare 1.5 miles from our house. It is small, but the rooms are filled with pictures and letters and music, and the two ladies who run it had very good references. It'll still be hard to leave Zane there!

Zane and I have been getting daycare practice because I started going back to the gym two weeks ago. The gym has a really good daycare, and I can get exercise, socializing, and a shower all in an hour and a half for $4.50.

Since Zane is so much older (ha), I've signed him up for a GET account: Guaranteed Education Tuition. I'll be just putting a little by every month for now, only enough for 1.5 years of school, but later we hope to increase the payments. Plus, people can always put in gift payments (just an idea ...). School will be so expensive! If I were to pay monthly, right now, enough to pay for 4 years of Washington state tuition, I would have to pay $350 per month for 17 years! Wow. I hope he's really smart and gets full tuition somewhere ...