ToLiveIsToFly...

[Tocqueville3]

Did I miss a Frankie update?

How is the little guy feeling?

Did the stomach bug go away?

[ToLiveIsToFly]

He's slowly getting better. He's hungry and eating everything he can get his hands on. Hurling is down to once a day or so. Back in daycare. Mom is positively freaked out that he's lost 10% of his body weight, though everyone is constantly assuring us that this is normal and that he'll gain it back fast.

He's still a bit lethargic and a little less coordinated than he usually is, and it's hard to get him to drink any liquids except breastmilk, which is in finite supply. We no longer have a wet nurse.

[VAdame]

Aw, Frankie's got the Giraffe costume!

Leah's store -- Tuesday Morning -- had that one, & a Lion, as well as the Dragon. But Johnny went right to that green Dragon & didn't pay a bit of attention to the others It's good to have an Auntie who manages a store with such great stuff (& gets a nice discount, too!)

Glad to hear your little guy is on the mend!

[ToLiveIsToFly]

Thanks. We had a LOT of laundry. By the way, T-Mobile was very nice, though a little odd, about my phone. It was in my shirt pocket when Frankie hurled all over it, and it was ruined. I called to throw myself at their mercy, and told the gal who answered what happened. She told me where to find the liquid damage indicator, which miraculously wasn't tripped. Then she said that she must not have heard me right because she wouldn't be able to replace my phone for free if I was TELLING them it was damaged in this way, but that I should immediately hang up and call back in, that she was sure I didn't really know why my phone was malfunctioning. So I did what she suggested and now I have a new (well, refurbished, but still) phone.

[ToLiveIsToFly]

If it's not one thing, it's another.

Frankie's not in day care today again, but it's not because of illness. He's home because his Mom can watch him. She was laid off yesterday. Hopefully she'll land on her feet.

It's a little terrifying, I think more so for me than her, because she can do more to affect the situation. I have faith in her, but it's still really tough to focus on anything else, like work.

She is a marketing manager for an architecture firm. If anybody knows of marketing openings in the Chicago area, we're all ears. Or if anybody knows anyone who needs marketing work done on a freelance basis. Of course I'm a little vague on what exactly she does, but I know she can do award submissions, research reports, design of marketing materials, and presumably a whole bunch more.

The worst thing for me is we need to figure out what to do about daycare. We absolutely love the place he's in now, but there's no way we can afford it on just my income. And if we pull him out, there's no telling how soon we can get him back in. The thought of having more time for Mommy to be with him is really great, but he's also getting so much from having a group of similarly-aged kids to play with every day. I'm convinced that's why he's walking so soon, for example. (Update during the several-hour period between when I started writing this and when I posted it: the daycare is being pretty great. They're waiving the cancellation fee, and the 30-day notice, and if we try to come back anytime in the next six months we'll have priority. So that's good news)

On a completely unrelated note, I had joined a bowling league for the first time since I was in college. Last night was my first night of bowling, and she insisted that I go. I did MUCH better than expected, averaging 175, which is better than back in the day. So either bowling ball technology has evolved in leaps and bounds since the late 80s, or I've magically gotten better during a near-20-year layoff, or more likely it's a fluke and I'll have a lousy handicap relative to my true ability for the next few weeks.

[kayrharris]

Yikes, I'm sorry to hear about her layoff. Did it come without
any warning? Does layoff mean "temporary"?
Will the daycare let you do part time instead of full time? I hope things work
out for you.

[ToLiveIsToFly]

Thanks.

No explicit warning. I guess I shouldn't be surprised, but I am. Monday night we were talking about how business was way down at her firm, and we should be a lot more aggressive about preparing for the worst (we've been saving for the past couple years, but not fast enough, and some unexpected baby-related expenses have cut into it). Tuesday morning they laid off about 10% of their staff. I really thought she'd be ok - she's gotten nothing but glowing performance reviews, and she just got a major promotion and a big raise a couple months ago. Now I think the higher price tag made her a bigger target, but what do I know?

I think the layoff is permanent. Anyway, by the time they're hiring people back, we'd better have come up with a new plan or things are going to be really bad.

The daycare is full-time only.

[Tocqueville3]

Yuck!

After you and your wife have a few days to think about the future I'm sure you will figure something out. That was really great of Frankie's daycare to waive the fees and all.

I hope things will work out for whatever is best for all of you.