Back to the grind

The vacation's over. Time for Herb to go back to work six days a week, which means Ethan and I will be spending lots of quality time together! We went grocery shopping to stock up for the week, and I've already gotten a head start on cooking. This week will determine if my physiotherapy really helped my back. I haven't had a flare up in a while, but that's mostly because I've been able to rest. Herb has been a tremendous help, and I'm already looking forward to the Chinese New Year holidays when he'll be home for more than two weeks.

Unfortunately, we hit a snag with our helper, Nora. We were in the process of handling her paperwork with the employment agency when the agency called to inform us that during her health screening, she tested positive for Hep B. After reading about Hep B on WebMD, I immediately came to the conclusion that we wouldn't be able to hire her for fear of infection. However, because we were supposed to be sharing her with Herb's parents, we decided to ask Herb's dad whether to continue her paperwork and have her just work for them. He wholeheartedly agreed to hire her and not tell my MIL about the Hep B situation because they are in dire need of help. She will get further testing to determine if she is in fact contagious and how far along or serious her Hep B is. For all intents and purposes, it's possible that she had it when she was working for us before and that she's just a carrier. We may have to find alternative help if her positive result is beyond simply being a carrier.

Even though I'm starting my fifth month, I feel huge. I've read that second pregnancies tend to show faster than previous ones, but if I keep growing at the rate that I am, I shudder to think how big I'll be come delivery. I really do need to watch my diet, especially since the holidays were a bit indulgent in the food department. I also bought a prenatal yoga DVD, but I'll either have to do it at night or when Ethan's napping.

We're happy to say that Ethan's got the Chinese New Year gesture/greeting down pat. He's also been signing to me that he's finished eating and wants to get down from his high chair. Occasionally, he'll blow kisses, but that's still not consistent yet. It is exciting to see him learn new things and apply himself. I love it when he's babbling to me and his intonations sound like a real conversation. I want to record him doing it, but as soon as he sees my camera, he stops =(

We're also down to our last can of formula. I'm debating whether to continue giving him one bottle a day just to keep his nutrients up. Everyone keeps saying how small he is, but he's running all around the place and doesn't eat much sugar or fat. He can't really gain any substantial weight. Meanwhile, I've been unsuccessful in finding Nuby straw cups here. My parents finally bought a few today and will send them to me by post. No more bottles! Of course, once the cups arrive in my mailbox, I'll walk randomly in a store and find exactly what I'm looking for...