Here I find myself again, it's been months since I've written and clearly blogging regularly just hasn't been my thing. I wish I would've stayed more on top of at least doing monthly posts, because I'm sure by time we have kid #2 I'm going to wish I had something to reference (and just for everyone's sake...there is no kid #2 in our immediate future!) Our little man is now 1, hard to believe how incredibly long and fast that first year went. Gone are the days of multiple wakings during the night and stressing about bottles, breast feeding and all that fun stuff. We are able to enjoy blissfully filled 11-12 hour nights sleep from Ethan most nights and I've finally gotten to the point that I'm no longer breast feeding and pumping. I made it to a year and for that I'm very excited and happy about. I quit pumping a week and a half shy of Ethan's first birthday and we've been dwindling down the freezer supply since. We've started adding in whole milk here and there, but for the most part Ethan is still benefiting from the freezer supply. Over the next couple weeks we'll really work on switching him over to pure whole milk so when the freezer supply ends it won't be such a shock to the little man. It's been a good run, but I'm thoroughly enjoying the extra free time of not having to pump. Kevin and I still sometimes look at each other at night in disbelief that our little guy is sleep at 7:30pm and we've got nothing to do before we head to bed! Free time!!
So many new things happening in our little Swan family...little man is transitioning from breastmilk to whole milk, we're working on dropping out bottles and switching to sippy cups and we've dropped down to 1 nap most days as well. Ethan now has 3 bottles a day...1 right when he wakes up, 1 before his nap and 1 before bed. Little man could still probably do 2 naps a day, but they were getting shorter and I was having a hard time finding any time for us to get out and do things on my day off. So our schedule now usually just has him doing one. He's going to bed around 7 or 7:30pm and waking up around 7am. Then it's breakfast around 8, snacks in the morning with some milk in a sippy cup and lunch around 11:30am. After lunch it's play time and then bottle and nap around 1pm. Hard to believe we have such a great schedule at this point after so many months of absolutely no schedule at all!
I can't even put into words how awesome Ethan is. I knew I always wanted to be a mom and though the transition was harder than I thought it would be, I wouldn't trade it for the world! There is nothing better than to hear him walking around saying "mama", or to have his whole face light up with a smile when I walk into the room. Recently he's been blowing kisses, saying hi and most recently giving me kisses when I ask for them! It is all these things that makes all those hard months in the beginning so worth it! I'm so lucky that I get to stay home with him and spend so much time with him during the week, I can't imagine it any other way! I'm also very thankful to say that Kevin will get to spend more time at home with us soon, because Monday he starts a new job much closer to home and with no overnight travel! We are looking forward to our dada/husband being home for family dinners and more family activities at night!
So yes, our lives continue to be as busy as ever and blogging isn't happening as much as I would've hoped, but things are going well in Swan family land. Ethan is no longer toddling around, it's more of a fast walk/wobbly run at this point. Nothing in the house is safe anymore...he can and will get into anything if it catches his eye. He loves to climb, open cupboards, help vacuum, take cushions off chairs, throw balls, give Kona treats, and make everyone who comes in contact with him melt in his hand. Our little man is truly all boy, and we love him immensely for it! Until next time, which will hopefully not be in another 3 months!
Sunday, October 23, 2011
Friday, July 29, 2011
A busy week for baby swan!
So I still haven't been that great at updating, but at least it hasn't been another 3 months. I didn't even notice Kevin had posted until today! That's what I get for never getting on the computer I guess. So our little man is now 9.5 months old and up to a whole bunch of new things this week! On Monday his 3rd tooth finally popped through...I still don't know if it's his side tooth or canine, but it's there. Ethan is stellar at not letting us get into his mouth to really check it out, the other night he fell asleep in my arms so I thought I'd hit prime time to check it out, but nope...he woke up and quickly pursed his lips! So in due time I guess we'll find out which tooth it is and have to report back. He is working on the same tooth on the other side as well as his front 2 teeth, so we have a little teething ahead of us. The last time he got teeth he slept pretty poorly, this time around little man is sleeping like a champ but a little cranky when he's awake. It's all relative though because our "cranky" boy is pretty tame compared to other kids I know.
In other big news...Ethan took his first steps on Tuesday! I usually have Tuesdays off, but of course this was the one Tuesday I was scheduled to work so off to daycare Ethan went. When I arrived at daycare Debbie kept telling Ethan to do his new trick for me. After he wouldn't do it, I finally asked "what is he doing?" to which Debbie quickly responded "he stands up....and then just starts walking!" I was shocked to hear this and thought Debbie was pulling my leg at first. No way did our little man learn to stand up without holding on to anything and start walking in a day, but sure enough he did. While Debbie and I sat talking Ethan finally showed off, he just popped up and took 8 steps! The most Debbie had seen prior to that was 6, so at least he saved his longest stretch yet for me! I've managed to get a video of his standing up on his own, but haven't caught the walking on tape yet. He still definitely prefers to crawl and I think sometimes even forgets he knows how to stand and walk, but I'm confident before too long Kevin and I will be running after him!
In less exciting, but for the sake of documenting news...I need to post what 9 months has brought for our little man. We're going on about month 2 of absolutely no nursing for Ethan and only pumping for me...it's gotten easier and I've managed to continue to match Ethan's intake so far, so I'll keep going and hope we can make it to a year without needing to supplement with formula. We'll see how it goes since recently I'm struggling to match Ethan, but continuing to pump anyway! We have about a month's worth of milk in the freezer and the Dr. said we could start supplementing with whole milk around 11 months, so here goes nothing! He's usually drinking between 20-25 ounces of milk a day...4 or 5 5-6 ounce bottles! We're also working on adding in more finger foods and slowly cutting out purees. With teething this has gone a little slower than expected, but still a work in progress. Ethan's also getting pretty good at drinking out of a sippy cup, the kid loves his little bit of apple juice and water!
We also had Ethan's 9 month check up last week and everything came out great! He is 30" long which puts him in the 90th percentile and 20 pounds 10 ounces which puts him at the 50th percentile...he is still rocking the huge head with 18.75" and 95th percentile! He has to have room to fit that huge brain of his!
In sleeping news I can finally report Ethan is finally consistently sleeping through the night! Bedtime is usually between 8-8:30pm, but moving up earlier as the month goes on. Lately we've been doing bath around 7pm, bottle around 7:30pm and in bed around 7:45-8pm. He usually sleeps until 6:30-7am, sometimes on my days off I get lucky and he sleeps until 7:30am or so! He is still consistently taking 2 naps a day...usually an hour each, but sometimes more like 1.5 or 2 hours. Napping at daycare is still a struggle, I think Ethan has figured out if he refuses to nap in his crib, Debbie will rock him and snuggle him! Way more fun than sleeping in the crib!
So that's what's happening in our world. I'll try to post more frequently about all the fun things we are doing!
In other big news...Ethan took his first steps on Tuesday! I usually have Tuesdays off, but of course this was the one Tuesday I was scheduled to work so off to daycare Ethan went. When I arrived at daycare Debbie kept telling Ethan to do his new trick for me. After he wouldn't do it, I finally asked "what is he doing?" to which Debbie quickly responded "he stands up....and then just starts walking!" I was shocked to hear this and thought Debbie was pulling my leg at first. No way did our little man learn to stand up without holding on to anything and start walking in a day, but sure enough he did. While Debbie and I sat talking Ethan finally showed off, he just popped up and took 8 steps! The most Debbie had seen prior to that was 6, so at least he saved his longest stretch yet for me! I've managed to get a video of his standing up on his own, but haven't caught the walking on tape yet. He still definitely prefers to crawl and I think sometimes even forgets he knows how to stand and walk, but I'm confident before too long Kevin and I will be running after him!
In less exciting, but for the sake of documenting news...I need to post what 9 months has brought for our little man. We're going on about month 2 of absolutely no nursing for Ethan and only pumping for me...it's gotten easier and I've managed to continue to match Ethan's intake so far, so I'll keep going and hope we can make it to a year without needing to supplement with formula. We'll see how it goes since recently I'm struggling to match Ethan, but continuing to pump anyway! We have about a month's worth of milk in the freezer and the Dr. said we could start supplementing with whole milk around 11 months, so here goes nothing! He's usually drinking between 20-25 ounces of milk a day...4 or 5 5-6 ounce bottles! We're also working on adding in more finger foods and slowly cutting out purees. With teething this has gone a little slower than expected, but still a work in progress. Ethan's also getting pretty good at drinking out of a sippy cup, the kid loves his little bit of apple juice and water!
We also had Ethan's 9 month check up last week and everything came out great! He is 30" long which puts him in the 90th percentile and 20 pounds 10 ounces which puts him at the 50th percentile...he is still rocking the huge head with 18.75" and 95th percentile! He has to have room to fit that huge brain of his!
In sleeping news I can finally report Ethan is finally consistently sleeping through the night! Bedtime is usually between 8-8:30pm, but moving up earlier as the month goes on. Lately we've been doing bath around 7pm, bottle around 7:30pm and in bed around 7:45-8pm. He usually sleeps until 6:30-7am, sometimes on my days off I get lucky and he sleeps until 7:30am or so! He is still consistently taking 2 naps a day...usually an hour each, but sometimes more like 1.5 or 2 hours. Napping at daycare is still a struggle, I think Ethan has figured out if he refuses to nap in his crib, Debbie will rock him and snuggle him! Way more fun than sleeping in the crib!
So that's what's happening in our world. I'll try to post more frequently about all the fun things we are doing!
Monday, July 18, 2011
Far too long, far too hot
Yep, too many months have gone by without being able to update our stories of Ethan. I'll do my part here to try and get caught up.
The time really does go by quick when you really are just trying to capture the little things in your child's life. I want to experience everything I can with Ethan and Kelsey as a family, but there really aren't enough hours in the day to make this happen. Ethan has been as great of a kid as I could have ever dreamed of. The teething stages, the personality development, and the physical growth, are great because just being able to experience these things is something i have been anticipating for a long time. I love walking in his room in the morning and seeing him smile because "Dada's" there to get him ready for daycare. It's our special time and it's something that I look forward to every chance i get.
He really has grown up a lot and Kelsey and I have experienced some learning points as well. We're getting to know when his funks are because he's such a good kid that anything that comes as out of whack usually means an adjustment. Uprooting him from his schedule causes some changes, but nothing that isn't usually worth the reason for the schedule changes (cabin trips mostly). His eating is under control, the one year mark isn't that far off and that means a big change for Kelsey and Ethan (bye bye breast milk for the most part) and it just signifies more growing.
He is such a ham, our kid. He loves to do his tricks, but only when everyone is watching. I can see now how little Trauscht kids (Johnson's too) love to be the center of attention. With so many interested family members how can you not love all the attention?
His reaction to the word "No" is something that i can't help but smile at. No matter how much we don't want Ethan to climb into the dog bed, eat dog bones, eat dog food, (mini theme there?) or pull on cords, i can't help but smile when he gives that devilish look of "Oh yeah? You say no, but i say YES!!" and then does whatever "No" is directed to. It doesn't help to laugh when you're trying to discipline your kid. Something i need to learn a little more about in the upcoming months i'm sure. :-)
I'll always remember his initial reaction to power tools / motors. He can't take his eyes of the lawn mowers and when the neighbor's leaf blower or chainsaws start he's craning his neck to see where that noise is coming from. He cheered Kelsey on while she mowed the lawn one day. Never once flinching or acting scared from the noisy motor!
He likes boat rides OK. He is still iffy on swimming in the lakes coming from the boat into the cool water, but if you ease him into the water from the shore he has no problems. I say he only likes boat rides because if he's just riding along he can be content, but his real love lies in the fact that he wants to DRIVE the boat. He laughs, cheers and is such a goof when he's got a hold of that steering wheel. I think we might have to bring one of those fake drivers ed portable steering wheels to keep him satisfied and the rest of us safe! (He's not the world's best driver yet, something to shoot for!) Here's a picture:
So we're still growing, still adjusting, and all while enjoying our little dude as he continues to make us smile. Here's hoping we'll have enough time to update in the future.
Until then, hope everyone is doing well!
The time really does go by quick when you really are just trying to capture the little things in your child's life. I want to experience everything I can with Ethan and Kelsey as a family, but there really aren't enough hours in the day to make this happen. Ethan has been as great of a kid as I could have ever dreamed of. The teething stages, the personality development, and the physical growth, are great because just being able to experience these things is something i have been anticipating for a long time. I love walking in his room in the morning and seeing him smile because "Dada's" there to get him ready for daycare. It's our special time and it's something that I look forward to every chance i get.
He really has grown up a lot and Kelsey and I have experienced some learning points as well. We're getting to know when his funks are because he's such a good kid that anything that comes as out of whack usually means an adjustment. Uprooting him from his schedule causes some changes, but nothing that isn't usually worth the reason for the schedule changes (cabin trips mostly). His eating is under control, the one year mark isn't that far off and that means a big change for Kelsey and Ethan (bye bye breast milk for the most part) and it just signifies more growing.
He is such a ham, our kid. He loves to do his tricks, but only when everyone is watching. I can see now how little Trauscht kids (Johnson's too) love to be the center of attention. With so many interested family members how can you not love all the attention?
His reaction to the word "No" is something that i can't help but smile at. No matter how much we don't want Ethan to climb into the dog bed, eat dog bones, eat dog food, (mini theme there?) or pull on cords, i can't help but smile when he gives that devilish look of "Oh yeah? You say no, but i say YES!!" and then does whatever "No" is directed to. It doesn't help to laugh when you're trying to discipline your kid. Something i need to learn a little more about in the upcoming months i'm sure. :-)
I'll always remember his initial reaction to power tools / motors. He can't take his eyes of the lawn mowers and when the neighbor's leaf blower or chainsaws start he's craning his neck to see where that noise is coming from. He cheered Kelsey on while she mowed the lawn one day. Never once flinching or acting scared from the noisy motor!
He likes boat rides OK. He is still iffy on swimming in the lakes coming from the boat into the cool water, but if you ease him into the water from the shore he has no problems. I say he only likes boat rides because if he's just riding along he can be content, but his real love lies in the fact that he wants to DRIVE the boat. He laughs, cheers and is such a goof when he's got a hold of that steering wheel. I think we might have to bring one of those fake drivers ed portable steering wheels to keep him satisfied and the rest of us safe! (He's not the world's best driver yet, something to shoot for!) Here's a picture:
So we're still growing, still adjusting, and all while enjoying our little dude as he continues to make us smile. Here's hoping we'll have enough time to update in the future.
Until then, hope everyone is doing well!
Monday, June 20, 2011
Has it really been 3 months already??
I can't believe I haven't posted in 3 months! How much our life has changed in such a short period of time! I promised myself I would keep up with this blog or at least Ethan's monthly posts so I could look back and remember things and here 3 months have past without posting. How naive was I thinking I'd have enough time to do everything I wanted to do! Ethan continues to do amazing, at 5 months he got his 2 bottom front teeth, at 7 months he was crawling all over the place and just shy of 8 months our little guy was pulling himself up.on.everything.! He continues to amaze us with how quickly he learns things and just how mobile he can be. Nothing in our house is safe anymore. Just last night he pulled himself up next to the kitchen table and grabbed something off the top of the table. His newest love is anything to do with Kona. He loves to crawl over her, pull her fur, climb in her bed and eat her bones. He also LOVES cords! Like I said, NOTHING.IN.OUR.HOUSE is safe anymore! We really need to finish baby proofing. It is so much fun to see what Ethan can do and watch him turn into a little boy right before our eyes.
Kevin and I were both in a wedding this weekend, so Ethan spent the weekend with my parents. In preparation for this weekend, he spent a night with Grandma and Grandpa back in May so Kevin and I could celebrate our anniversary. Of course he did wonderful that weekend and did just as great this one as well. I'm sad we missed out on his first boat ride, but it looked like he enjoyed it immensely! He received rave reviews from grandma and grandpa and all of their lake friends! Sounds like he was quite the hit! It was nice knowing that he was being so well taken care of, but man did we miss him! Kevin and I never resisted the opportunity to show off pictures of our little man to anyone who was willing to look at them, and we both we eager to cover our little man in kisses when he returned.
So at 8 months Ethan is crawling like crazy, pulling himself up on anything, getting into everything and even starting to sleep through the night again! We usually get him in bed around 8:15pm and he often is up between 5:30-6am for a bottle and then back to bed. I guess that's another thing...eating. He still is getting only breast milk, but decided to give up nursing around 7 months. I'm pretty happy that I've been able to continue to match him and now hope to make it a whole year! He also is eating solid foods like a champ and has even mastered eating cheerios and puffs! We are continuing to work on adding in finger foods but he's a little hesitant about anything other than his usual cheerios and puffs at this point. He's also getting pretty good at drinking out of a sippy cup every once in awhile. The kid is drooling like crazy and we expect that his 2 front top teeth aren't far from making an appearance. Ethan also started being a little beaver in his crib chewing up the side rail, so rail covers were a necessity. I think ditching his infant car seat isn't too far in our future, time for the little man to grow up...he's getting heavy to carry around!
That's our life in a nutshell. Constantly chasing an ever more mobile baby around our house, trying to fit in time for laundry and house cleaning and a little time for our family as well. We're looking forward to Summer finally making an appearance in Minnesota so we can enjoy boating and swimming time at both cabins as well. I'll have to do a picture upload when I get home from work and find some time. Here's to hoping I can make blogging a more regular occurrence again in the future!
Kevin and I were both in a wedding this weekend, so Ethan spent the weekend with my parents. In preparation for this weekend, he spent a night with Grandma and Grandpa back in May so Kevin and I could celebrate our anniversary. Of course he did wonderful that weekend and did just as great this one as well. I'm sad we missed out on his first boat ride, but it looked like he enjoyed it immensely! He received rave reviews from grandma and grandpa and all of their lake friends! Sounds like he was quite the hit! It was nice knowing that he was being so well taken care of, but man did we miss him! Kevin and I never resisted the opportunity to show off pictures of our little man to anyone who was willing to look at them, and we both we eager to cover our little man in kisses when he returned.
So at 8 months Ethan is crawling like crazy, pulling himself up on anything, getting into everything and even starting to sleep through the night again! We usually get him in bed around 8:15pm and he often is up between 5:30-6am for a bottle and then back to bed. I guess that's another thing...eating. He still is getting only breast milk, but decided to give up nursing around 7 months. I'm pretty happy that I've been able to continue to match him and now hope to make it a whole year! He also is eating solid foods like a champ and has even mastered eating cheerios and puffs! We are continuing to work on adding in finger foods but he's a little hesitant about anything other than his usual cheerios and puffs at this point. He's also getting pretty good at drinking out of a sippy cup every once in awhile. The kid is drooling like crazy and we expect that his 2 front top teeth aren't far from making an appearance. Ethan also started being a little beaver in his crib chewing up the side rail, so rail covers were a necessity. I think ditching his infant car seat isn't too far in our future, time for the little man to grow up...he's getting heavy to carry around!
That's our life in a nutshell. Constantly chasing an ever more mobile baby around our house, trying to fit in time for laundry and house cleaning and a little time for our family as well. We're looking forward to Summer finally making an appearance in Minnesota so we can enjoy boating and swimming time at both cabins as well. I'll have to do a picture upload when I get home from work and find some time. Here's to hoping I can make blogging a more regular occurrence again in the future!
Tuesday, March 15, 2011
Dad supplies the pictures
So the only thing that Dad has to contribute to the blog below is the REALLY important thing that Ethan did today. Ethan started on picking his very own March Madness bracket! I asked him which of the two teams (or two rings I put in front of him) would win. He grabbed one ring and that's who he chose. I switched up the order and the two different color rings so it was as fair as I could keep it. I'm guessing Ethan beats Dad this year, we shall see. He only made it through the first two rounds before he got fussy, so we'll finish it tomorrow night. I'll keep everyone updated on his progress. :-)
Until then, here are some pictures from the last month. Enjoy!
Ready for brunch in Florida!
Until then, here are some pictures from the last month. Enjoy!
Ready for brunch in Florida!
Loungin By the Pool. :-)
Ready for Swimming!
Can we go in the water yet?
So this is swimming?? Ehh... its OK...
Hangin out in my Florida high chair. :-)
Watching a sunset on the beach
Four Generations of Trauscht boys.
Florida is TOUGH!! Nap time!
Uncles and cousins swimming in the pool!
I'm 5 months old!!
FEED ME!! FEED ME!!!
Look how far i can move! From the center of the blanket to a few feet away!
More to come!!
So much to blog about!
While in Florida Kevin and I also had plenty of time to finally establish a routine for Ethan before bed. It was so nice to not be rushed getting home from work and getting settled and then trying to get ready for the next day. We got Ethan into a routine of watching Wheel of Fortune, then taking a bath, getting lotioned up, nursing one last time and then heading to bed. It was amazing to watch him settle into the routine and for bedtime to get a little easier, even if we were in a foreign place and he didn't sleep as well. Kevin and I vowed to keep this routine going at home.
I have also been wavering back and forth about starting Ethan on solid food. At his 4 month appointment with his new pediatrician we discussed the pros and cons to starting solids and she told me she doesn't see anything wrong with starting them before 6 months. I still was wavering about when to start them, but decided when we got back from Florida Ethan was ready. Ethan has been tracking our food for awhile and showing interest in anything edible, so I knew he was getting ready to start eating something of his own. So Sunday we started some rice cereal...I was prepared to watch my precious liquid gold run down his chin and cover himself but was totally shocked when he just started scarfing it down. Kevin couldn't feed him fast enough, he loved it! Monday we made it a little thicker and the same thing happened, there wasn't a drop that touched his bib! Today was the same story, ate every lost drop! I think starting solids has also helped Ethan's nightly routine. We're still watching Wheel of Fortune as a family, only difference is Ethan gets to eat his cereal while we watch. Tonight he was almost falling asleep in his highchair after finishing the cereal! After cereal, it's time for a bath, lotion, and a final nursing session. Last night he fell asleep in the first 5 minutes of nursing and was out for the count at 8pm. He didn't wake up until 4:30 this morning, I'll call that a success. Tonight after almost falling asleep in his highchair Kevin and I were contemplating skipping the bath, but decided against it. So the same routine and Ethan went down for the night at 7:50pm. This is a huge change in our nightly routine. Usually it takes a half hour of shushing, bouncing and pacing with Ethan to get him to go to sleep and then he sleeps great. The past two nights there has been no shushing, walking or bouncing. Just a quick nursing session and then into his crib he goes without a peep. It's amazing! I'm finally starting to see what life is like with a tiny bit of free time! Here's to hoping that writing about it in the blog doesn't jinx what we have going on.
One last thing before this post becomes a novel. On Sunday 3/13 Ethan rolled over from back to front for the first time. He was close so many times in Florida but never actually did it, I think he didn't want to perform for the crowd cheering him on. So, he decided to roll over when Kevin and I were busy fixing the kitchen table to have my family over for dinner; one minute he was on his back, the next Kevin looked over and he was on his tummy! Today after I picked him up from daycare I had him on our bed on his back while I changed out of my work clothes, I looked over to see him rolling onto his tummy and then back to his back. How quickly he learns! The mobility only continued as the night went on, while I was getting settled after work and dealing with bottles and pump parts I left Ethan on a blanket in the family room. I could hear him playing and talking from the kitchen but couldn't see him. When I went to check on him he had managed to roll a few feet from where I left him on the blanket and the rolling didn't stop all night! Our little man no longer stays in one place...he's getting so big!
In a nutshell this is what's going on in the Trauscht household lately. We've managed to survive a vacation with a 5 month old, started rice cereal, and have formed a nice little nighttime routine. Mommy has also started to see glimpses of a few minutes of free time in the evening! There is so much more to say and also a 5 month post to write, but it will have to wait for now. It's time to sneak in my shower and get ready to head to bed!
Saturday, February 19, 2011
Attitude of Gratitude
This is something I've been working on living my life by. Attitude of Gratitude. I did a group at work on this the other day and it really got me thinking. We often get so bogged down with the junk in life we forget to look at what is good in the world and the things we are lucky to have. I know since having Ethan there is much to be thankful for but often I get wrapped up in the chaos of my life as a working mom to a infant that I forget to look at all the things I'm lucky to have. I know I've blogged on gratefulness before, but I find it helpful to stop and look at the good in life periodically to remind me just how lucky I really am.
I'm working this weekend and although it's not fun to be at work when the rest of my family is at home for the weekend I'm feeling particularily lucky that I have a husband who is genuinely excited to spend the weekend alone with our son. Not every dad would find it fun to be at home without help for the weekend with their 4 month old son, however Kevin looks forward to it and for this I'm lucky. I'm also lucky that he is such a hands on dad. I know that when I'm feeling overwhelmed and rushed Kevin will be there to pick up any slack he can and help out however I need it. I'm grateful he is willing to put the needs of our family before his own and be present in our everyday life. I'm also grateful that he is a wonderful dad and husband. Ethan and I are pretty lucky we get to call him ours.
Speaking of work...I'm particularily grateful that I've recently learned I can be part-time. This is my ideal situation and although I've been struggling with the idea of not making as much money, I'm grateful that I have the opportunity to do both work and stay at home with Ethan. I'm grateful that I have Kevin to support me in this decision and that he's willing to do whatever it takes to make this work. I am so excited to spend more time at home with Ethan, to find fun things for us to get involved in, to watch him grow up and reach new milestones, to be able to spend a lot of time with him. I'm grateful to have wonderful co-workers who truly make coming to work all the more enjoyable and for giving me friendships I have grown to cherish. I'm also grateful for the work I do. I often get bogged down with the craziness that is my job, but seeing one patient get it, or tell me I've made a difference...it's what I've always wanted to do. So although my job is emotionally draining some days, totally frusterating others, I'm grateful to be doing something that I'm passionate about and able to help others. On days I have trouble remembering why I do what I do, I look back on the cards and notes I've gotten from patients thanking me for caring. It's wonderful to know that I'm going to get to have a great work-home balance. I get to do both things I'm passionate about, being a mom and a wife and getting out of the house and doing something for others.
I am also grateful for our daycare lady Debbie. She is awesome. I'm so lucky we found her to watch Ethan. She has been more than accomodating in our ever changing schedule, willing to work with us and be flexible when work keeps changing. She also genuninely loves our little guy. We have a notebook that we keep track of what happens at home and daycare so things get communicated between the two places. Kevin picked Ethan up from daycare yesterday, so when I got home I read the notebook. At the end there was a message that made my heart smile. Debbie thanked us for letting her be a part of Ethan's 1st year and then she said she loves him! I'm so grateful that we found someone who enjoys spending time with him as much as we do! It makes going to work easier knowing that he is spending time with Debbie and the kids at daycare who are so excited every time Ethan comes thru the door. It's great to know that he's learning to socialize with other kids, to be away from home, and he gets to play and have fun all day!
And the thing I'm most grateful for?...Ethan. I've said a million times before, being a mom is something I've always wanted. It's the most challenging thing I've ever done and a million times harder than going to work, but it's also a million times more rewarding. I'm grateful that it didn't take us long to get pregnant with Ethan, that I had an easy pregnancy and I was rewarded with the greatest little guy in the world. During my pregnancy several people I know experienced loss of a child and I remember feeling so thankful that our little guy was growing and healthy as ever. Recently I learned that a family friend lost a little boy at 21 weeks and had to deliver him knowing that he wouldn't be joining their family. I can't even imagine what she is going through, but it definitely made me stop and give Ethan a little tighter squeeze and be so thankful I get to do that every day. Yesterday morning I forgot I had to be at work later than usual so I woke up at my usual time of 4:30am. I quickly got ready and then went in to wake Ethan up to feed him before I left. I thought since I had extra time I would feed him and then maybe crawl back into bed. Ethan had other plans, he ate and then was wide awake. I felt so lucky I had the extra time to snuggle him, hold him close, watch him smile, coo, laugh and be generally happy to be awake and spending time with me so early in the morning. Would I have loved to get more sleep?...Of course, but yesterday morning will be etched in my head forever. I loved getting to spend some quality time with my little man early in the morning, just the two of us snuggled up on the couch enjoying spending time together. It's moments like that which make being up at 4:30am seem like the best thing in the world. I smile just thinking about it.
So when life gets crazy and things feel out of control. I'm trying to remember to breathe. To stop and take a look around. To remember the things I'm grateful for and shift to my attitude of gratitude. When I do this, I realize I have everything I've ever wanted. An awesome, loving, supportive husband. A wonderful, healthy, happy, growing son. A family who is with us every step of the way. I truly am so lucky.
I'm working this weekend and although it's not fun to be at work when the rest of my family is at home for the weekend I'm feeling particularily lucky that I have a husband who is genuinely excited to spend the weekend alone with our son. Not every dad would find it fun to be at home without help for the weekend with their 4 month old son, however Kevin looks forward to it and for this I'm lucky. I'm also lucky that he is such a hands on dad. I know that when I'm feeling overwhelmed and rushed Kevin will be there to pick up any slack he can and help out however I need it. I'm grateful he is willing to put the needs of our family before his own and be present in our everyday life. I'm also grateful that he is a wonderful dad and husband. Ethan and I are pretty lucky we get to call him ours.
Speaking of work...I'm particularily grateful that I've recently learned I can be part-time. This is my ideal situation and although I've been struggling with the idea of not making as much money, I'm grateful that I have the opportunity to do both work and stay at home with Ethan. I'm grateful that I have Kevin to support me in this decision and that he's willing to do whatever it takes to make this work. I am so excited to spend more time at home with Ethan, to find fun things for us to get involved in, to watch him grow up and reach new milestones, to be able to spend a lot of time with him. I'm grateful to have wonderful co-workers who truly make coming to work all the more enjoyable and for giving me friendships I have grown to cherish. I'm also grateful for the work I do. I often get bogged down with the craziness that is my job, but seeing one patient get it, or tell me I've made a difference...it's what I've always wanted to do. So although my job is emotionally draining some days, totally frusterating others, I'm grateful to be doing something that I'm passionate about and able to help others. On days I have trouble remembering why I do what I do, I look back on the cards and notes I've gotten from patients thanking me for caring. It's wonderful to know that I'm going to get to have a great work-home balance. I get to do both things I'm passionate about, being a mom and a wife and getting out of the house and doing something for others.
I am also grateful for our daycare lady Debbie. She is awesome. I'm so lucky we found her to watch Ethan. She has been more than accomodating in our ever changing schedule, willing to work with us and be flexible when work keeps changing. She also genuninely loves our little guy. We have a notebook that we keep track of what happens at home and daycare so things get communicated between the two places. Kevin picked Ethan up from daycare yesterday, so when I got home I read the notebook. At the end there was a message that made my heart smile. Debbie thanked us for letting her be a part of Ethan's 1st year and then she said she loves him! I'm so grateful that we found someone who enjoys spending time with him as much as we do! It makes going to work easier knowing that he is spending time with Debbie and the kids at daycare who are so excited every time Ethan comes thru the door. It's great to know that he's learning to socialize with other kids, to be away from home, and he gets to play and have fun all day!
And the thing I'm most grateful for?...Ethan. I've said a million times before, being a mom is something I've always wanted. It's the most challenging thing I've ever done and a million times harder than going to work, but it's also a million times more rewarding. I'm grateful that it didn't take us long to get pregnant with Ethan, that I had an easy pregnancy and I was rewarded with the greatest little guy in the world. During my pregnancy several people I know experienced loss of a child and I remember feeling so thankful that our little guy was growing and healthy as ever. Recently I learned that a family friend lost a little boy at 21 weeks and had to deliver him knowing that he wouldn't be joining their family. I can't even imagine what she is going through, but it definitely made me stop and give Ethan a little tighter squeeze and be so thankful I get to do that every day. Yesterday morning I forgot I had to be at work later than usual so I woke up at my usual time of 4:30am. I quickly got ready and then went in to wake Ethan up to feed him before I left. I thought since I had extra time I would feed him and then maybe crawl back into bed. Ethan had other plans, he ate and then was wide awake. I felt so lucky I had the extra time to snuggle him, hold him close, watch him smile, coo, laugh and be generally happy to be awake and spending time with me so early in the morning. Would I have loved to get more sleep?...Of course, but yesterday morning will be etched in my head forever. I loved getting to spend some quality time with my little man early in the morning, just the two of us snuggled up on the couch enjoying spending time together. It's moments like that which make being up at 4:30am seem like the best thing in the world. I smile just thinking about it.
So when life gets crazy and things feel out of control. I'm trying to remember to breathe. To stop and take a look around. To remember the things I'm grateful for and shift to my attitude of gratitude. When I do this, I realize I have everything I've ever wanted. An awesome, loving, supportive husband. A wonderful, healthy, happy, growing son. A family who is with us every step of the way. I truly am so lucky.
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