Saturday, April 28, 2012

Saturday Fun!

I read some advice online from a mom that I don't know, and I absolutely love it! She said that when her husband travels, she tries to spend her days with her children as though a dear friend were visiting from out of town, visiting tourist sites, checking out new restaurants, and stepping out of life's daily routines. So with that in mind and with Taylor away for the weekend, that is exactly what we did! 

Today was not a day for phone calls or one handed email replies on the cell phone while bouncing a baby on my hip... today was about spending time with my little man and no one else.  So I left the laundry unfolded, the dishes in the sink, and the bed somewhat unmade (a big step for me!), and I hung out with my favorite new friend. We played with every one of his toys; we climbed up the stairs A LOT; we spent 2 hours napping and people watching at Radnor Lake; we went to Noshville and ate pancakes for lunch; we found a quiet, empty playground and climbed through tunnels and up more stairs for over an hour; Carter napped for 2 hours while I actually sat and read a book; we went to feed the baby fish in the ponds at my parents' house; and we finished off the day slurping spaghetti (and wearing most of it)!

And now I am sitting here in a quiet house, sipping a glass of wine, already missing that precious little boy sleeping upstairs. Being a mom isn't always easy, but today was as perfect as it could be, and I am feeling very blessed. He is just SO. MUCH. FUN.  



Thursday, April 5, 2012

March 2012

My not-so-little man is officially 9 months, and he is ON THE MOVE! He can pull up on almost everything and loves to find the most precarious of situations just to make sure I'm paying attention! Changing his diapers and getting him dressed is becoming super challenging- so we try to avoid anything with snaps these days. Thank goodness the weather allows us to put him in shorts and a t-shirt these days! He loves to eat pretty much anything and loves that he now has finger food to make more of a mess with... and the dogs have started stationing themselves underneath his high chair at each mealtime to help with the clean up! We've had a relaxing March, spent entirely in the city of Nashville! Our days have been filled with play dates, trips to the zoo, bonding with the dogs, playing, playing, and more playing....and dare I say it... NAPS! He now takes a 2-3 hour nap every afternoon-- it is most often in his swing, so we're just avoiding the issue of what to do when he outgrows that! His timing couldn't have been more perfect, since his mom had lots of work  conference calls and insurance renewals to do this month... Emails and computer work are one thing, but when important calls come in, I sometimes find myself in a battle with entertaining a baby and clicking the mute button on and off!  But we have found a balance that still allows me to stay home with my guy and continue to work... so we are very thankful for the daily naps we've been getting!
The dogs are dealing with Carter's new found mobility better than we expected, and I am so proud of them. I still watch them every second, and try to protect them from those tiny sticky fingers... but they are really being good- and they have even been re-connecting with their puppy sides (stealing toys, rolling in what I hope is mud..., and running around their yard in this gorgeous weather!). Our sweet Maggie isn't feeling 100% and may need neck surgery due to a condition known as degenerative disc disease...but we'll hope for the best and see what her CT scan shows next week. In the meantime, we are absolutely loving this little boy and are constantly amazed at the new things he does each day!