Return to Work

Well, I did it.  I survived my first week back at work!  It helped drastically that I only worked 3 days.  That was necessary for our schedule but I didn't realize how necessary it would be for my sanity!  Returning to work was kind of exciting for me.  I enjoyed the adult conversation and lets be honest, pretty much all I did was talk about and show pictures of my sweet baby boy! 

It was so comforting to know that while I was working, he was home with dad or a trusted friend.  I knew he was in great hands and not having to worry about him allowed me to focus better on work. 

As soon as I walked in the door on Tuesday (my first day back), I took that baby in my arms and pretty much held him until bedtime.  I was trying desperately to make up for all the time I missed that day.  Luckily Dad didn't mind passing him off. 

Wednesday, I realized I hit the husband jackpot (I've actually known this for a while but this day just confirmed it)!  I came home to a happy baby and a clean house (including 6 loads of laundry done).  I praised his over achievement and thanked God for my blessings that night! 

Thursday was my day to spend with baby and then all I had to do was get through Friday!  Friday we had a sitter since Mike and I both work.  She's a dear friend who we trust wholeheartedly and we're happy she's part of our "village."  Ya know, the village it takes to raise a child? 

Admittedly, I felt so busy this week with the transition back to work that I really didn't take many pictures at all. Nevertheless, here's what I did take:

WE SPEND MANY EVENINGS (DURING THE
"WITCHING HOUR" WHICH IS BASICALLY DINNER
TIME) IN THE CARRIER. 
IT GIVES HIM A NICE NAP AND FREES OUR
HANDS FOR DINNER PREP, ETC. 

POST MILK COMA - I HATE TO WAKE HIM! 

SOMEONE IS GETTING CLOSER AND CLOSER TO
ROLLING OVER! 

HE IS FINALLY ABLE TO REACH HIS TOYS
ON HIS BOUNCER SEAT! 
HE GRABBED THIS ONE (WHICH PLAYS MUSIC)
AND COULDN'T FIGURE OUT HOW TO LET GO! 

We feel so fortunate that we can both be working parents, and still both be there for our baby.  The first week seemed to go pretty smoothly, lets hope that continues! 

In other news, we fly to NC in TWO weeks!  Yikes!  I've been doing LOTS of research to prep for flying with an infant. Start praying for smooth travels now, please!  And thank you!  Also, stay tuned! 

Hi-Ho, Hi-Ho...

... it's back to work I go!  I really can't believe my maternity leave is coming to an end.  That was easily the FASTEST 8 weeks of my life!  I'm so grateful to have had that bonding time with our baby. 

I have really mixed feelings about going back to work.  Part of me isn't ready and wants to stay home with Clayton forever.  But there is a part of me that's excited to get back to work... to see my co-workers... to see my sweet kiddos that I work with... to get back to a sense of my "normal" life before baby!  The best part is that I'm going back part time (just 3 days a week) for the first month.  So, I will be able to ease into the work/mom life balance.  I am so grateful for this flexibility. 

This will be another big transition for us, just like bringing home baby, and just like when Mike went back to work.  We are praying that it goes smoothly. 

I've had so much fun being home with Clayton.  I love all the sweet little moments throughout the day when he flashes a big, gummy grin.  He's so close to giggling and it makes me sad to think that I might miss out on those firsts because I'm at work.  But, we need my income in addition to Mike's and I like contributing to our family.  See?  Mixed feelings. 

Mike and I have staggered work schedules so while it's very unfortunate that we won't have a day off together for the next 3 weeks, it does mean that we get to be the ones taking care of our son the majority of the week.  I will be home with him Saturday, Sunday, Monday, and Thursday.  Mike will be with him Tuesday and Wednesday.  And we have a friend who will come to the house to watch him on Fridays. 

In 3 weeks we fly to North Carolina to visit with family and when we come back, Mike has the opportunity to take his paternity leave for 6 weeks - so then he will get some good father/son bonding time with Clayton by being home with him every day.  Our plans for childcare next year may look a bit different (still to be determined) but at least we are able to be with him through the remainder of this school year. 

Well, I know you all read this blog for the pictures so let's get to it:

SO HAPPY

AFTER FEEDING SMILE...
TOTALLY MILK DRUNK

EVERYDAY WE HAVE FLOOR TIME WITH BROTHER ZEPHYR

STORYTIME

I MEAN, SERIOUSLY!  HOW CUTE ARE THEY? 

THAT IS LOVE. 

WE WENT FOR A WALK IN GENOA. 
IT WAS 60+ DEGREES! 
MOM WORE A T-SHIRT AND HER ARMS GOT
SUNBURNED!!!  AFTER SUCH A COLD AND
SNOWY WINTER, IT WAS AWESOME! 

ZEPHYR IS ALWAYS SNEAKING KISSES

I LOVE A SLEEPING BABY

DID Y'ALL THINK I WAS KIDDING???
EVERY. SINGLE. DAY.
WE DO FLOOR TIME MULTIPLE TIMES
A DAY AND ZEPHYR
LOVES TO JOIN IN! 

THIS IS ONE OF MIKE'S OUTFITS WHEN HE WAS
A BABY!  

ROCKIN' DADDY'S OUTFIT FROM THE 80'S! 

We appreciate your thoughts and prayers as we transition into a new routine this week!  And stay tuned for more updates on the adventures of Clayton and Zephyr (maybe that should be the blog's new title???). 

Routines

Any routines we previously had have gone out the window.  Our life now is all about new routines that revolve around the baby.  It seems that things revolve around when the baby is sleeping... and anything I'm doing comes to an immediate stop when the baby is hungry.  It's an adjustment.  

The first few weeks were really hard because there was NO routine.  We didn't know what we were doing.  Eventually we fell into an eat... play... sleep routine but the times that each of things occurred were all totally random.  So at about 6 weeks we began following a suggested schedule from one of the books we have.  It suggests a feeding, playing, and sleeping routine during the day, as well as a bathtime/bedtime routine at night.  The rationale being that it will prolong sleep at night.  After only a couple of days following the schedule (as much as possible - babies can't tell time), Clayton went from sleeping 4 hours a night to pretty consistently sleeping 6.5 hours a night!  Honestly, he could sleep longer than that but I wake him up to feed him (as per the schedule).  In the next few weeks though we should be able to let him sleep a bit longer and I honestly think he will be able to!  

In addition to the improved nighttime sleep, the routine has helped us around dinner time.  That's a rough time for newborns and Mike and I were struggling to figure out how to cook dinner, eat together, and comfort the baby.  Having a set time for feeding baby has helped us better figure out how to feed ourselves!  Clayton still likes to fuss during this time of day but it's not like it used to be.  

I also love it because Mike gets some bonding time with Clayton every night - he gives him his bedtime bottle and puts him down every night which is a huge help to me but also some sweet father/son time for them.  I love it.  

Having some resources and attempting a routine has been awesome for us.  Before, we had no idea what we were doing.  Mike would ask me a question like, "Should I try to put the baby down for a nap?" and my answer would always be, "I don't know."  Now, we at least have a plan - things don't always follow the plan of course, but at least there is a goal in mind.  

I love a routine.  I'm an organized, type A kind of person so following a routine is something I can totally wrap my head around.  And I so appreciate Mike being on board with it!  It takes the team effort and I'm so blessed to have a supportive team member!  

In other news, Clayton stayed with babysitters while Mike and I went on a date!!!  Hallelujah!  We didn't know what to do with ourselves!  We have awesome friends!!!  And he stayed with a sitter while I went to a brief meeting at work!  Big steps for us!!!  It's helping me understand how I will be able to go back to work (which happens in 2 weeks and I'm already dreading it).   

Clayton also went on his first snowshoe adventure with me and Zephyr!  I won't lie, it was challenging but fun!  

Without further ado... the photo dump... 

Z LOVES HIM.  AND HE'S VERY GENTLE WITH HIM. 

BEST BUDS

HELPING DURING TUMMY TIME

SWEET SNUGGLES

WE ARE READING BOOKS

AND GETTING STRONGER IN TUMMY TIME

READY FOR A WALK IN THE COLD WEATHER

SO EXCITED! 

WE TOOK ZEPHYR ON OUR WALK. 
HAD TO THROW SOME SNOWBALLS FOR HIM. 

OUR BEST ATTEMPT A FULL FAMILY SELFIE

POST WALK - OUT LIKE A LIGHT

SNOW IS MELTING ON THE BEACH!!! 
YAY!!!  

CAN'T WAIT FOR SUMMER! 

YEP - HE'S IN THE WATER!
CAN'T KEEP HIM OUT OF IT! 

YES!!!  SUN IS OUT!!  SNOW IS MELTING!!!
COME ON SPRING!!!  

That's it for now... but stay tuned because this baby is growing and changing so fast!  

Priorities

Since becoming a mother, I've struggled with what my priorities should be.  First of all, being a parent has taught me to lower my daily expectations... and then lower them some more.  I'm the type who likes to get it all done (and on my schedule).  Whatever is on my to-do list, I try to knock it out as soon as I possibly can. 

Well, this isn't really possible when you have an infant.  They pretty much set your schedule for you... eat... play... nap... poop... etc.  And you work around them.  In the beginning, I would get kinda frustrated that I didn't get as much done at nap time as I might have wanted to.  At the end of the day, I would think of all the things I DIDN'T get done. 

When Clayton was somewhere around 4 weeks old, my priority shifted.  I realized that I was halfway through my maternity leave and not savoring every moment with my rapidly growing newborn.  So, I stopped worrying about having a clean house, or clean clothes (or taking a shower).  I started focusing all my energy on my sweet baby boy.  Every playtime, I was on the floor playing with him... reading to him... smiling at him... etc.  My days instantly became more enjoyable.  Even breastfeeding became SO much more enjoyable!  Instead of it feeling like a task (that was keeping me from completing other tasks), it became a sweet time of bonding with my son that I started to look forward to!

And today's church sermon was about our priorities in life. It taught me that this busy lifestyle we are so used to, shouldn't be our priority.  My focus shouldn't be on how much I can get done in one day.  My focus should be on God - thanking him for the amazingness that is this life.  And my focus should be on my family - loving on this sweet little blessing as much as I possibly can while I can (and loving on the dog and my husband too)!  It should be about talking with family back home.  Playing with the dog outside.  And taking some time for myself (reading, yoga, etc - after all, you can't pour from an empty vessel). The rest can wait. 

By the way, at the end of the day, instead of listing all the things I didn't get done, I list off all the things I DID get done.  It's always more than I realized and makes me feel better about myself.  Some days all I did was keep a tiny human alive AND let the dog out to poop (but those are monumental tasks sometimes). 

Without further ado: some pictures of my new priority...

I MEAN WOULD YOU LOOK AT THAT FACE!

LITTLE MAN WITH A BELLY FULL OF MILK

HE SMILED EVERY TIME I SHOWED HIM THE
PICTURES

MY SWEET BOYS

THIS WAS SOME GOOD SLEEP!

FINALLY CAUGHT A SMILE ON CAMERA!

IS THERE ANYTHING SWEETER THAN A SLEEPING BABY? 

Becoming a Mother

Y'all... the newborn stage is HARD.  I mean, they send you home from the hospital with this impossibly tiny human being and you're just supposed to KNOW how to keep it alive??? 

You return home... to your place where everything is familiar and comfortable... and yet everything is drastically different and seems impossibly difficult.  Babies take up ALL of your time (particularly if you're a breastfeeding mother).  I won't lie, I cried almost as much as the baby in those earliest days.  It was hard. 

It was also exponentially harder due to the astronomical amount of snow we got in a very short period of time.  It wasn't about cabin fever... it was about NEEDING my husband's help in the evenings. Mike was back at work and then would have to come home to HOURS of snow removal when all I desperately wanted was him inside the house, holding the baby so mama could have her hands free for just a bit.  And then, he got stuck in Sacramento for work and couldn't get home... Clayton and I had our first solo night together (which we SURVIVED!!!).  It was incredibly tough. 

Finally the snow let up a little (I won't say it stopped... because there has been a STEADY stream of storms but luckily they aren't producing the same crazy amount of snow). 

And then we turned a corner.  We fell into what resembles a routine.  His cries started to have meaning.  There was something suddenly predictable and familiar with his actions.  He would flash the most beautiful, toothless smile on the planet... and I fell even more in love with my son which I didn't think was possible! 

I went from PRAYING he would sleep, and wondering how long God would allow this nap time to last... to missing him during nap time (to the point that I would consider waking him up just so we could snuggle).  I went from pretty much hating breastfeeding in the early days, to loving that I am the only person on this planet who can provide this nourishment for my child.  And where I hated sitting still for so long initially, I now look forward to this time of quiet bonding with my son. 

It's amazing the shift that happens.  Honest truth: those first few weeks I kept thinking, "What have we done???"  Now, I know that Clayton is exactly what Mike and I need.  He's already taught us valuable lessons about communication and relying on each other.  We are so blessed to be making this transition into parenthood.  I feel so blessed that I am slowly but surely becoming a mother.  And I love watching my husband (who had really never held a baby for more than a few minutes) become a father.  I couldn't be more grateful for this amazing, rewarding, complicated, life-changing adventure! 

SUPERBOWL SUNDAY!

THOSE LIPS!!!  THOSE CHEEKS!!!  

NEIGHBOR'S PARKING PAD

A VERY FULL SNOW STORAGE AREA

TRYING ON HATS TO SEE WHAT FITS

FINALLY THE SUN CAME OUT!!! 

IMPRESSIVE SNOW WALLS AT THE NEIGHBORS

WE STAYED COZY AND WARM INSIDE

PLAYTIME

ALL BOY NAP TIME IN THE BABY'S ROOM....
DADDY... BABY... AND DOG ALL CUDDLING

I LOVE THESE SNUGGLES.  

WE EVEN MADE IT OUT OF THE HOUSE ON OCCASION! 

I have a lot to learn about being a mother but I am so grateful for the opportunity!