Our boy is growing!! In 2 weeks he has gained another 2 pounds. That makes 3 pounds since birth for a weight of 10 pounds 3 ounces. I am cloth diapering and couldn’t wait for the service to bring the bigger diapers!! The newborn size could not keep up with him! I was changing clothes every diaper change because he wet through his diaper! He is definitely filling out and becoming more curious about his world every day. Chris has gotten some more awesome shots of him and they should be up soon – I will let you guys know when.

OK – 63 Christmas cards down and about 40 to go. I am a bit psychotic about my cards, but I have a large family and this is the one time a year I get to update them on our lives.

Tyler still has his congestion at night. There is really not much we can do beyond suctioning out his nose, putting in saline drops and trying to not have the heat on too high. Thankfully he slept fairly decently last night (which means I did as well!) I got up early though because he did, so I am sure I will crash early tonight. I am already pretty wiped out.

This parenting thing is so wierd. I am learning how to share this job with my husband. I think the hard thing is that if the baby has a bad night – everyone still has to work the next day and trudge through. I guess that is the thing – you just survive the best you can. I keep thinking that because I am at home, I should be the one to lose all the sleep. However, I still have to take care of a baby during the day and need rest as well.

I am taking off 2 more weeks in January. There is just no way that I could go back to work right now with the current feeding/sleeping situation. I still wake up at 11AM to get all my sleep and need to do that. I will probably go back part-time as well so I can be more flexible as the grandparents start helping out with his care.

One other funny note – my friend Beki videotaped her son bawling like crazy when he was a baby and had her husband tape he during a little breakdown where she was crying. She said if they decided to have another one, she wanted to watch them and remember when they would be in for. It is rewarding, but it isn’t easy and there are days you just want to take the batteries out for a little while. It is nice now when he crashes out for a few hours…god, what are we going to do when he is a toddler and is going all the time? I hope we can keep up!!

Anyway – it is a Friday and we have a fun busy weekend planned. Tyler will be a social butterfly this weekend meeting lots of people! Looking forward to everyone meeting him and seeing what a cutie he is!!

You all take care!

OK – but just not in blogging. I am determined to get out my Christmas cards and that is taking all my spare time right now. That and Tyler has a stuffy nose which is taking all my sleep right now…. It has been a busy week…but I will be back…

Well – I had a pretty ambitious things to do list on Friday and am proud to report that I tackled most of it. My secret? I have learned how to nurse while working on my laptop!! Additionally, I have learned how to write thank-yous while on the couch nursing! That may sound bad – but this kid is ALWAYS nursing! We are going through the growth spurt that just won’t end. In order to get anything done, I have to get creative…. Right now, he is quite content crashed out on the boppy in my lap.

My neighborhood newsletter is done! Yipee! I updated our Christmas letter too and will probably start some Christmas cards this week. We did decorate this weekend, so it is starting to feel a lot like Christmas around here.

The only bummer is that it is a Sunday which means I have another week on my own. This whole parenting thing is a lot easier when we are both around. May try to do some soul searching this week as well. We are both having “mid-life” crisis so to speak. We are trying to figure out what we want to do with our lives. We have spent a good bit of our time being very conservative and resposible. While it has paid off for us, we are not necessarily feeling fulfilled by these choices. Not that I expect thinking about it this week will lead to an epiphany – then again, who knows what may hit me.

Hope everyone has a good week!

Sorry it has been so long since I have posted. Things are doing better. I have still had my good days and bad, but I feel like things are slowly balancing out a bit. What has helped is remembering to tap into my support system. My doula came over to check-in on me and helped me learn how to put Tyler in my sling! That was AWESOME! Look Ma – no hands! It was like being free again! My baby is happy to be snuggled next to me and I can run around the house and do laundry, dishes, clean up and write email. I LOVE it! That has really helped my days.

Chris and I do a nighttime drive that I look forward to every week. We pack up Tyler in his carseat, get some coffee/cocoa at Starbucks, and then do some scenic nighttime driving around Austin with the moonroof open. It is so peaceful – I just love it!

I have also learned to not read too many baby books. They can really freak you out! You just have to take the information that works for you and forget about the rest. I was feeling good about our decisions and then read about separation anxiety and started worrying about putting him in daycare. Then I started thinking about working and staying home….just felt like I didn’t know what I should do. Enter in my support system again…..the therapist I have been seeing for a few years happens to have a Ph.D in child development. So if I need to have my fears calmed about how to be a good mommy – she is the person. I have an appt with her next week.

Our friends have been wonderful about bringing food by – even at 3 weeks old – we are so busy getting to know and take care of our little one and ourselves that cooking seems like such a huge undertaking. I am going to start easing back into that probably next week and have appreciated all the meals that folks have brought by. At this stage in the game it is such a welcomed treat…

I am hoping to get some things finished this weekend – one last newlsetter I need to put together, get caught up on thank you notes – our friends and family have been so generous, get some Christmas decorations up, and maybe some Christmas cards done. I know what you are thinking….but I can still be a little ambitious and hope that I will find time to get some things accomplished. I have prioritized my list…so it is okay if I don’t get it all done!! :-p

I should let you all go. We have had a great Friday evening so far – spoke with Chris’ sister and brother in-law. They are so great and we hadn’t caught up with them since Tyler was born. We have ordered in some yummy food from West Lynn Cafe and may do some Christmas decorating tonight. Fun stuff! You all take care!