A Rarity

This is one of the ever more elusive posts that is NOT exclusively about the kids. Whoa. I remember when most of my posts were about the weekend or sharing my views on something or maybe just a couple of random pictures. Simply put, I just don't have time for that anymore. In fact, I have significantly less "me" time than I ever had. I kind of knew that was going to be coming along with the parental territory, but I just didn't think it would be quite so extreme. I don't constantly dwell on it, but there are definitely many days where it is really hard to not have a break. And only having 3 uninterrupted nights of sleep in the last five months doesn't make things any easier. :/

Anywho, I wanted to get some thoughts down here while I actually do have a spare few minutes.

• I'm working again. Very very part time which actually makes it the ideal arrangement. I'm doing some freelance search marketing working with two different folks. The first was my old client contact when I worked at the agency in Chicago. She recently started her own search marketing consulting company and is also a stay at home working mom. She noticed on one of the social media sites for business professionals that I was a freelancer. She got in touch with me, told me what she was looking for and I happily signed on! I'll be working for her max 30 hours a month and can completely set my own hours. It is totally perfect. The second gig I picked up is working on a website of a former colleague. I am going to basically re-vamp their entire search account and run it for awhile. Hopefully I'll be able to make him some good money! It's another "in your spare time" kind of thing and I'll be devoting about 6-8 hours a month to working on that. This was my first month in the new arrangements, and it seems to have worked out pretty well so far! It's been more fun than I thought getting back into managing and building accounts. As long as I can keep a proper balance of work and family time, it'll be all good.
• We're working on a few new initiatives around here. The first is spending less time on the computers/iPhones and making sure we are be as present as we can with the kids. This time with them is going to go by so fast that I want to be in the moment as much as possible. I also don't want them thinking they come second to some electronic device. I know I've let myself become more and more sucked in to constantly checking email, social media sites, blogs, etc. I have drastically cut down my screen time around the kids during the day, and B and I have committed to absolutely zero screen time from when he gets home from work to until the kids are in bed. One thing I've done to help make the change is shut of the audio for incoming emails on the computer/iPhone/iPad. That alone has made a HUGE difference! If I don't hear it, I don't think about it, and if I don't think about it, I don't feel compelled to check. Breaking these habits has been hard, but any adjustments to routine are difficult. I have only been at it for a few days now, but already I feel better about making this change, and I hope to see positive results.
• B and I have committed to not text and drive. It can be so easy and tempting to sneak a peek at a message or "quickly" type back a response. Of course, we all think we're excellent drivers and wouldn't possibly cause an accident. But these inflated views of ourselves and abilities are a huge part of the problem. More importantly, we want to set a good example for the kids. It just doesn't make sense to live by the mantra: "do as I say, not as I do."
• The last one is something I've been more personally focusing on. I call it "PSA" or "Put S#!t Away." I am so sick of constantly running out of counter or table space or having to step around piles of toys or other things. We live in a much bigger place now and SHOULD NOT be having this problem as much as we do. So now, I've been telling myself throughout the day to just put the crap away when I come across it. I like the impact it's had so far. I really hope to keep it up.

That's about all I have time for right now! Time to go remind Caiden it is nap time, not play time.

Five Magic Months - Ezra's Latest Update

My happy smiley little guy hit the 5 month mark on the 22nd! While time does seem to be doing its usual speeding tricks, I'm not angsting over it so much which in turn makes it seem like time isn't flying by *quite* as fast. A blog I follow captured my sentiments on the matter quite well. With Ezra as my second baby, I have an idea of what is coming next and that allows me to enjoy him fully in the moment now. By not worrying about the future, I can appreciate him in the present. It's a nice change of pace. :)

So I always tell myself that I am going to start the next update early, keep it as a draft and add the milestones/cute stories/fun moments as they happen, so that the next month doesn't start with me sitting here staring at the computer going "uhhhhhh." Well, guess what I'm doing right now. Yep - searching my brain, muttering "uhhhhh" and trying to remember all the things Ezra accomplished this month!! Procrastination rears its ugly head yet again. :P

Celebrating Mama's Birthday

This month's highlights:

• I think probably the single biggest highlight is Ezra has slept through the night 3 times now! I'm talking a full on 12 hour uninterrupted stretch! Waking up after a full night of sleep is positively transformitive for this mama!
• I started keeping a sleep log to figure out Ezra's sleep patterns. I really wanted to encourage him to drop his 3rd shorty nap, but I would pretty consistently forget how well (or poorly) he slept within a couple of days . (Cursed sleep deprivation!) Of course the Excel junkie in me went all out and created a pretty elaborate worksheet and corresponding graph so I could really see what was going on. I never understood the value of a sleep tracking log until now. I think it really helped me find and understand his ideal bedtime window!

• Bullet point number 3 is also about sleep (Obsessive topic? Oh yes.) - Ezra averages 2 naps a day that range from 1.5 - 2.5 hours each. His bedtime is anywhere between 6:30 and 8:30pm depending on when his afternoon nap was. Most nights he sleeps 6-8 hours before waking up for a feeding, and on occasion wakes up in 4 hour intervals. I think the hardest part is the inconsistency. If I new what to expect in a given night, it would be so much easier to plan my evening around it. But, there is nothing I can do to control it, so I just hope for the best each night and see what happens.
• Poor little boy got his first cold this month. Day after my birthday he was unusually cranky, and by Friday he was noticeably under the weather. Coughing, napping poorly (wouldn't sleep without being held), and definitely not his sunny self. Took him to the doctor the following Monday and confirmed my suspicion that he also had his first ear infection. Tuesday and Wednesday he started finally showing signs of his normally cheerful self, but the coughing is still a nuisance for him. Hopefully he'll be all better real soon!
• Found out at his sick baby appointment that he now weighs ~17lbs, 12oz!! Up nearly a pound from last month!
• He has become quite adept at rolling over from tummy to back and has come real close to going from back to tummy. He is much happier during tummy time and loves to watch Caiden running around being his crazy self.

• Ezra has also been doing really well practicing reaching out and grabbing objects when you hold them in front of him. It is funny to watch him concentrate. He gets a little cross-eyed as he intently focuses on the item and then once it is in his grasp his eyes widen in what seems like surprise. "Hey! I GOT it!"
• He continues to work those vocal cords. Lots of long babble sessions to his animals. He tends to get more "talkative" the closer he gets to being ready for nap time.
• He really dislikes being interrupted from eating for a burp, and boy does he let you know it! Sometimes he goes into mad mode and gets on a good pout while making a "maaaa maaa maaa" sound thru pursed lips. Makes me laugh every time!
• He is very much in 6mo clothes and quite comfortable in 6-9mo clothes as well. I can't believe what a big kid he is!
• I just love the way he lights up when I come over to him after he's been playing on his own for a little bit. He gets the biggest grin on his face and his eyes widen in excitement!
• He likes being walked around. He seems to really enjoy seeing what is going on around him.
• We got to celebrate his first Christmas. He did really well, tho I'm pretty sure he had no idea what the heck was going on around him. :) He got lots of great new toys and clothes and plenty of teething toys to chew on. One of his favorites is his Sophie giraffe.
 



Ezra and his Sophie

• His trunk and neck muscles are getting ever stronger. I can hold him on my hip with little support for his back and neck. He can sit up quite comfortably in my lap too. Won't be long before he is doing it unassisted!
• He seems to be showing interest in books. I can read 5-6 board books to him in one sitting and he listens to me and watches the pages attentively. Sometimes he tries to chew on the book. Maybe he's just a voracious reader? Ha ha! I hope he grows up to love books as much as Caiden does!
• Speaking of Caiden, he continues to be a really awesome big brother. He is thoughtful of Ezra and likes to bring him his toys on many occasions. He is still very gentle with him (most of the time), and exhibits very little jealous behavior. I really hope this trend continues!
• Some days getting out of the house simply is not an option. Those are the days the boys are on what I call the "ships in the night" schedule. Both are awake in the morning, then Ezra goes down for his nap. He wakes up just in time for Caiden to take his nap. Then Caiden wakes up right after Ezra has gone down for his nap. I think I had a solid week of that schedule, and man it was exhausting! I never realized how much I need a break with time to myself during the day!
• Ezra still has the best cheeks for lovin' and smoochin' on! And most of the time it is a surefire way to get grin after grin out of him. :)

Whew! I guess I remembered more than I thought! Hope you enjoyed this latest update on our sweet little guy! Here is the link to his latest photos on the Son Times.

Beefy Arm!

Caiden's Puzzle

Awhile back for his big brother gift, Auntie Summer got Caiden a set of way cool construction vehicle puzzles. He totally loved working on those puzzles with Daddy. Well, the puzzles were forgotten for a little while, until Aunt Cathy had the same great idea for Christmas! So we pulled out those puzzles once again, and Caiden has been a non-stop puzzler! He LOVES doing puzzles now and can't get enough of them! He's gotten so good, that he can now assemble these all by himself! I finally found the chance to capture the video to prove it. :) Enjoy!

Audio Thanks to: Royalty Free Music and Sound Effects. Download the music and sound effects you need for your multimedia project today at Partners In Rhyme.

Happy New Year!

Caiden's Video Greeting