6 weeks (+)

Tuesday marked 6 weeks of life for Elliot...and it continues to amaze me that if I didn't have the job I have, I would have had to be back at work on Wednesday. Maternity leave (excuse me, it's not called that, it's medical leave) in the US is so crazy!  You are guaranteed your job for 6 weeks no matter where you work, and 12 weeks if you work for a large enough employer (I work for the state, so definitely a large enough employer).  My employer will also allow further parental leave for up to one year and still allow you to return to your job - but this is not mandated like the other leave, I just happen to work somewhere that allows it.  All of this leave is completely unpaid - the US is the only industrialized nation in the world, and one of only 4 nations total that have unpaid maternity leave.  Crazy.  I will be taking my full 12 weeks starting late August when the semester would be starting again for me, and then an additional 4 weeks of "parental leave" for the remainder of the fall semester (because nobody wants a new teacher taking over the class with only a few weeks left in the semester). Right now I'm just on my regular 3 months of non-paid, non-working summer time.  So, I feel lucky that I will end up getting 7 months of time with my baby before I return to work when most people only get between 1.5 and 3 months.  The academic schedule works out nicely for having babies!

Anyway, here's what we've been doing this week!

dreaming about pooping on our almost daily walk around the lake

naked play time with big brother

tummy time is so much better with a friend!

We also went to the garden store, and O was particularly excited about the skid steer that was parked in the back of the tree area.

Every summer, artists craft mini golf holes that are set up in the Sculpture Garden outside the Walker Art Center (which is quite close to our house!).  So we headed over this morning to play the front 9.

nice form!

rockin' the promotional sunglasses the museum was handing out to the kids.