Life Lately
I no longer have my monthly posts to capture life (with my
littlest, anyway) so it’s about time for another ‘Life Lately.’
He is challenging us A TON, but so far we’re doing well at holding our ground where it’s important. Getting him to listen is our number one challenge. Threats of a timeout or taking away screen time usually work great. Or, suggesting that there's no way he can actually do what we want him to do.
He has an adorable little head tilt/shake when he’s asking a serious question, and I have to do everything in my power to not grab him and smother him in kisses at that very moment. He’s irresistible.
I just witnessed him drawing his first person, and also writing his own name. Pre-motherhood, I would have never expected such a thing to look so amazing.
Overall, Carter is loud and energetic. Climbs the couch, windows, whatever he can scale, loves making forts, throws and kicks balls around, and never stops talking. Seriously. Never.
And Annabel. Oh boy. Her personality is flourishing! She loves to laugh, and you can see the glee when she realizes something she did made us laugh. She's a tease too. She will slowly approach you upon request, but then turn and run away giggling before you can grab her.
Three, feeling human. Life was hard in 2017 and the early part of this year mostly because I was not getting enough sleep or time to myself. Thanks, Annabel. It didn't hit me until early this year how much that was really affecting me, my quality of life, and my relationship with everyone around me. Poor Jon got the worst of it. Always will, I suppose.
I am finally getting a good 6-7 hours of sleep a night, occasionally 8, and feeling quite human again! Now I just need to get to bed earlier and start getting some exercise so I can really feel awesome...but there is just too much Netflix to watch. Which leads to...
Four, Netflix. LOL, is it sad this is a reason why life is good right now? With sleep going better now, I can actually have an hour or so to sit down and decompress. This usually means watching TV. Sure, I should use this time to exercise. I'm sure some day I will. Since we don't have cable anymore, we rely on streaming, and have come across some excellent binge-worthy shows, like The Staircase. (OMG - watch it if you haven't).
I used to wonder how it was possible for my friends who became mothers before me to not keep up on shows. LOL. Now I know. To be able to sit back and let my mind be consumed by something other than work or my kids is rather refreshing.
Sprinkle in work (which is going fine, but really not just a sprinkle in my day), daycare, fun with grandparents, fun with friends, occasionally finding a new recipe that one of my children will actually eat... and there you have it.
Life lately.
Life lately. It’s really good. Like, I have very few
complaints (and the ones I have are just me hating adult responsibilities like
cooking and cleaning). So yeah. Lots to be happy about!
One, the weather.
Hallelujah that we can be outdoors. Both kids are a thousand times happier when
outdoors. Moods are lifted instantly. It's amazing. We tell Annabel we are going outside, and she toddles over to get her shoes and sits on the step so we can put them on.
So we are spending a lot of time outside. Annabel walks around constantly, occasionally trying to escape the end of our road, but most often walking into neighbors’ garages or up and down driveways. She waves hi as people drive by and freaks out (happily) when she sees a dog go by. And grabs whatever she can from our garage to hold as she walks around. The obsession with having something in her grips at all times is still going strong.
So we are spending a lot of time outside. Annabel walks around constantly, occasionally trying to escape the end of our road, but most often walking into neighbors’ garages or up and down driveways. She waves hi as people drive by and freaks out (happily) when she sees a dog go by. And grabs whatever she can from our garage to hold as she walks around. The obsession with having something in her grips at all times is still going strong.
We just got Carter a new balance bike, and he is OBSESSED.
His neighbor buddy (who is moving next month – sob, sob, sob) also has one, and
the two ride around on our little street almost every evening. Or, they race on
foot, still wearing helmets, chasing bubbles. He seems like such a big kid now. Watching the two of them play is so enjoyable.
We’ve been to the pool a few times so far, and Carter has
gotten so great at swimming and getting his face wet. He can swim with a
flotation device on his own, which is so liberating for whoever is in the pool
with him. Annabel has enjoyed sitting in the baby floatie, but mostly seems to
prefer walking around the pool area staring at people at awkwardly close
ranges. She likes to be on the move. At all times. Sound familiar?
Two, the kids. They are at such fun ages right now. Carter is a hoot, so incredibly verbal and hilarious. It's crazy to watch videos of him last year speaking in broken/short/simple sentences. What a year of growth. He can recall the most minute detail from weeks ago and use it in the funniest context. He watched an episode of Calliou about compost months ago, and has been rather obsessed with it ever since. It’s his answer to a lot of things, including, “What should we have for dinner?” and “What should Katie name her baby?” It’s particularly funny when he uses it while we are near strangers, as they don’t know what to think of that type of response.
Two, the kids. They are at such fun ages right now. Carter is a hoot, so incredibly verbal and hilarious. It's crazy to watch videos of him last year speaking in broken/short/simple sentences. What a year of growth. He can recall the most minute detail from weeks ago and use it in the funniest context. He watched an episode of Calliou about compost months ago, and has been rather obsessed with it ever since. It’s his answer to a lot of things, including, “What should we have for dinner?” and “What should Katie name her baby?” It’s particularly funny when he uses it while we are near strangers, as they don’t know what to think of that type of response.
He is challenging us A TON, but so far we’re doing well at holding our ground where it’s important. Getting him to listen is our number one challenge. Threats of a timeout or taking away screen time usually work great. Or, suggesting that there's no way he can actually do what we want him to do.
He has an adorable little head tilt/shake when he’s asking a serious question, and I have to do everything in my power to not grab him and smother him in kisses at that very moment. He’s irresistible.
I just witnessed him drawing his first person, and also writing his own name. Pre-motherhood, I would have never expected such a thing to look so amazing.
Overall, Carter is loud and energetic. Climbs the couch, windows, whatever he can scale, loves making forts, throws and kicks balls around, and never stops talking. Seriously. Never.
And Annabel. Oh boy. Her personality is flourishing! She loves to laugh, and you can see the glee when she realizes something she did made us laugh. She's a tease too. She will slowly approach you upon request, but then turn and run away giggling before you can grab her.
It is so helpful that we can communicate better with her, although
she is still as sassy as ever when she wants her way. Carter will often come to her aid to help with a toy, and she instantly views this as him taking it away and screeches as loudly as she can. Poor kid can't even help her out without drama, although to be fair, he started off their relationship doing just what she fears.
She loves music, raises her hands trying to do itsy bitsy spider, has started "singing," and claps and signs "more" every time you finish a song.
She loves to pretend talking on the phone, wearing necklaces, and feeding her baby milk. But then she's on the floor pushing a car around saying, "Vroom!"
She loves to pretend talking on the phone, wearing necklaces, and feeding her baby milk. But then she's on the floor pushing a car around saying, "Vroom!"
They are both just dreams come true, and I can't believe how much I love them and how much joy they bring us.
Three, feeling human. Life was hard in 2017 and the early part of this year mostly because I was not getting enough sleep or time to myself. Thanks, Annabel. It didn't hit me until early this year how much that was really affecting me, my quality of life, and my relationship with everyone around me. Poor Jon got the worst of it. Always will, I suppose.
I am finally getting a good 6-7 hours of sleep a night, occasionally 8, and feeling quite human again! Now I just need to get to bed earlier and start getting some exercise so I can really feel awesome...but there is just too much Netflix to watch. Which leads to...
Four, Netflix. LOL, is it sad this is a reason why life is good right now? With sleep going better now, I can actually have an hour or so to sit down and decompress. This usually means watching TV. Sure, I should use this time to exercise. I'm sure some day I will. Since we don't have cable anymore, we rely on streaming, and have come across some excellent binge-worthy shows, like The Staircase. (OMG - watch it if you haven't).
I used to wonder how it was possible for my friends who became mothers before me to not keep up on shows. LOL. Now I know. To be able to sit back and let my mind be consumed by something other than work or my kids is rather refreshing.
Sprinkle in work (which is going fine, but really not just a sprinkle in my day), daycare, fun with grandparents, fun with friends, occasionally finding a new recipe that one of my children will actually eat... and there you have it.
Life lately.
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