Survivor wrapped up an amazing season last week. And, yes, we still watch it every week. And yes, I'm glad we do because this was an amazing season.
But... that's not the kind of survival I'm thinking about today. Last week was a great week - to the point that I'm willing of officially declare that we are out of survival mode and on to... What? What comes after survival? We're certainly not all the way to "thriving" mode, but I think we've hit our stride as a family of 4. Maybe I've just finally gotten all the pregnancy/postpartum hormones out of my system, but I told Scott that I felt like I as "on a high" all day Thursday because I really feel like things are working. It doesn't feel like I'm are trying to work our lives around a new baby anymore, and I'm not constantly thinking about the extra effort it is to do things with two kids - instead I'm just moving through the day with two kids and it feels NORMAL. I talked before about how we were nearing the end of the new baby tunnel. Now I feel like we are out of the tunnel and aclimated to our new surroundings to the point that we can actually navigate this new place with some level of confidence.
I'm thankful for the wonderful advice we got from all angles to lower expectations and give ourselves grace to be in survival mode for the first few months with a new baby. I had a friend (Hi Stephanie) tell me that she was skipping the toddler baths and relying on Annie's Mac and Cheese quite a bit after her second child was born. While we can't skip baths (remember the blue hair?), I did reflect on her words quite often as I gave myself permission to make PB&J every day for lunch or eat cereal for dinner on those days (or weeks) when we were buried in the weeds.
Just last weekend, I was lamenting to Scott at how frustrating it is to have to work around infant nap times again. If Josh naps until 10:30, by the time I can nurse him, pack up the kids, and get out the door, we usually have just 30 minutes to do something before we have to head home for lunch and nap time again. It was not looking like a fun summer. And then, last Sunday, we headed up to Mt Bachelor for an end of season BBQ with some friends (pictures soon). We got an early start, Josh napped in the car and the Ergo, and we were able to enjoy our time with friends instead of stressing about getting back home. Suddenly, I can see how a similar routine will let us enjoy our summer activities.
Last Thursday was nothing special, but I finally felt like I got some things done other than just feeding the kids and maintaining sanity. The kids and I took the car to the mechanic (thank goodness our shop is owned by a guy with small children, so the waiting area has plush chairs and a children's toy corner), vacuumed, set up a "string and bead" obstacle course, prepped dinner during nap time, went to yoga (again, thank goodness our community gym has an amazing child care center - $2/hour!), read and responded to emails from work, and even cooked and pureed 3 different batches of baby food while making other meals throughout the day. This is just normal stuff, but I think that's the point. It all felt normal, not monumental, not overwhelming, just normal to work through that day. We are hitting our stride.
The other big "hitting our stride" accomplishment is that for 3 nights last week, I fed, bathed, and put to bed both kids by myself. Just a month ago, Scott's mom was here helping out because bedtimes still felt so daunting. Not anymore! I recognize that a big part of this success is that Owen is getting on board with the routine now as well. I bathe and cloth both kids together, but then he has to occupy himself for a half hour while I nurse and snuggle Josh. After many attempts at this where Owen threw major fits, he has finally embraced his "pajama play time." He was so used to bath-pjs-snuggle time, but now understands that his snuggle time IS coming... just a little later.
As I read back through this, it all sounds a little silly. How can it feel so daunting to navigate a day with two kids? But I think that's the point. A month ago, I felt totally buried, but now I almost can't remember why it was so challenging in the first place. Maybe it's not encouraging to read that it's taken us almost 7 months to get to this point, but it sure feels great to be here.
Monday, May 24, 2010
Thursday, May 20, 2010
Second Cousins
My cousin Katie just had her second precious baby. Walker Vincent brings their family to 4, just like us. I'm so grateful that the internet let's us stay in touch and keep up with the latest on each others' kids. We've never met Molly Kate, but I feel like I know her so well. Someday we will get back to Baton Rouge and let our kids meet in person. For now, Owen does like looking at pictures of MK on Katie's blog.
Katie just posted 1 week pictures of Walker, maybe it's just the eyes (or maybe just that "new baby" look), but I think he and Josh share a lot of similarities:
Walker at 1 week:
Josh at 1 month:
Monday, May 17, 2010
In my place
Owen has decided that he's going to start using the potty when he is 3. I keep suggesting that maybe he would like to get some practice in before his birthday rolls around, but at this point, he's pretty dead set on his plan. And, with 6 weeks until his birthday, I'm nearly resolved to just wait it out and then dive in full force come June 5th. (Maybe I should pick up that book about the one-day potty training method. Does it work?)
Today's car conversation:
Owen: Last night (which is his term for anything that happened in the past), I had 2 birthdays.
Me: Really?
Owen: Yes, one at our house and one at Miss Stephanie's house.
Me: You know Owen, in six weeks, you're going to have another birthday.
Owen: (Gasp!)
Me: Yes, and when you have your birthday, then you will be 3 years old!
Owen: ... and I will use the potty!
Me: Okay. Sounds good to me.
Owen: ... and you will wipe my bottom.
And so decreed the king. And I really can't argue (though I did get a good laugh). Yup, that's pretty much how it will happen. Sigh. This is not a glamorous job folks.
Today's car conversation:
Owen: Last night (which is his term for anything that happened in the past), I had 2 birthdays.
Me: Really?
Owen: Yes, one at our house and one at Miss Stephanie's house.
Me: You know Owen, in six weeks, you're going to have another birthday.
Owen: (Gasp!)
Me: Yes, and when you have your birthday, then you will be 3 years old!
Owen: ... and I will use the potty!
Me: Okay. Sounds good to me.
Owen: ... and you will wipe my bottom.
And so decreed the king. And I really can't argue (though I did get a good laugh). Yup, that's pretty much how it will happen. Sigh. This is not a glamorous job folks.
Friday, May 14, 2010
Moab (aka Why my Husband is the Toughest Guy I Know)
(I'll add pictures to this one later if we can get them off Scott's phone)
Lest you think the only thing we have going on around here is managing two kids (though that would be enough), I thought I'd give you a little peak at what Scott's been doing lately. Top of the list would be WORK, followed by Work, Work, and more Work. He is one of the lucky guys that still has a job in the construction industry of Bend. While we are grateful for his employment, the lack of jobs also means that those few employed people are taking on a LOT more responsibility than when there is more money to hire more people and spread the work around. So, Scott works his 55 hour weeks and usually has to go into the office at least one afternoon on the weekends. In the midst of it all, I am grateful that he is diligent about getting home by 6:30 for some brief toddler wrestling before helping put the kids to bed. I've only had to tackle the double bedtime routine a handful of times.
Scott's most recent project is a new Technology Center for Bend High School. It's a pretty awesome building that replaces the old wood shop with a modern building that will house a wider variety of technical skills classrooms - automotive, sound studios, video production, wood shop, computer lab, etc, etc, etc. You can see a picture of the finished building here. As cool as the project is, we are VERY excited that construction is coming to a close. Scott's next project will be the Deschutes Recovery Center - a residential mental health treatment facility near the County jail.
In the midst of all this work, our friend Kevin schemed up a Guys Trip to Moab for some amazing mountain biking at the end of April. I say schemed because he got Dave - father of a toddler and newborn twins - on board first, so none of us other wives could object to anybody else going on the trip. In reality, I'm glad Scott was able to go. That trip gave him something to look forward to, motivation to get to the gym and on a bike, and a reason to take some solid days off work. Plus, we all need to get our adrenaline pumping once in a while, and chasing much better riders over some of the best mountain biking terrain in the country?? That'll do it! We had Grandma Ethel come stay to help me with the kids and the guys did 3 days of amazing mountain biking sandwiched between two 880 mile road trips. Do you think anybody was sore after that one?
We decided that with 10 guys doing that much riding, there was probably a required number of injuries to be sustained. Scott was generous to take them all for the team. Final tally - two cracked ribs*, one broken nose**, one semi-sprained ankle, and one re-energize husband/father who looks ready to tackle the world again.
*Cracked ribs - sustained 100 yards into the first ride on the first day. Scott realized they might be cracked 2 days after getting HOME from the trip. The doctor told him the most important thing to do with craked ribs is to breathe deeply. Um, 2 days of mountain biking will keep you breathing deeply.
**Broken nose - sustained early on day 2. Supposedly caught on camera, but I've yet to see. Scott realized in might be broken a WEEK AND A HALF after it happened. Not until the swelling went down did we notice that it was a little crooked. Even the urgent care doctor that diagnosed the ribs didn't identify the nose issue. Scott's Dr sent him right to the ENT, who told him he could let it heal and decide later if he wanted general surgery -OR- come back in a couple hours and he would try and get it back in place (aka rebreak your nose while you sit there and watch). Scott chose Option B. Took local anesthetic, held still while watching/listening to the doctor reposition his nose, and then headed back to work. An evening on the couch and he's good to go with a very stylish nose split for the next week.
I told Scott it's a good thing he's tough or his injuries would have really put a damper on the trip. He pointed out that if he wasn't so tough, he wouldn't have kept riding after a fall that cracked two ribs - thus saving himself from the broken nose and sprained ankle. Good point.
Boys!... and I have two of them who are clearly taking after their father.
Lest you think the only thing we have going on around here is managing two kids (though that would be enough), I thought I'd give you a little peak at what Scott's been doing lately. Top of the list would be WORK, followed by Work, Work, and more Work. He is one of the lucky guys that still has a job in the construction industry of Bend. While we are grateful for his employment, the lack of jobs also means that those few employed people are taking on a LOT more responsibility than when there is more money to hire more people and spread the work around. So, Scott works his 55 hour weeks and usually has to go into the office at least one afternoon on the weekends. In the midst of it all, I am grateful that he is diligent about getting home by 6:30 for some brief toddler wrestling before helping put the kids to bed. I've only had to tackle the double bedtime routine a handful of times.
Scott's most recent project is a new Technology Center for Bend High School. It's a pretty awesome building that replaces the old wood shop with a modern building that will house a wider variety of technical skills classrooms - automotive, sound studios, video production, wood shop, computer lab, etc, etc, etc. You can see a picture of the finished building here. As cool as the project is, we are VERY excited that construction is coming to a close. Scott's next project will be the Deschutes Recovery Center - a residential mental health treatment facility near the County jail.
In the midst of all this work, our friend Kevin schemed up a Guys Trip to Moab for some amazing mountain biking at the end of April. I say schemed because he got Dave - father of a toddler and newborn twins - on board first, so none of us other wives could object to anybody else going on the trip. In reality, I'm glad Scott was able to go. That trip gave him something to look forward to, motivation to get to the gym and on a bike, and a reason to take some solid days off work. Plus, we all need to get our adrenaline pumping once in a while, and chasing much better riders over some of the best mountain biking terrain in the country?? That'll do it! We had Grandma Ethel come stay to help me with the kids and the guys did 3 days of amazing mountain biking sandwiched between two 880 mile road trips. Do you think anybody was sore after that one?
We decided that with 10 guys doing that much riding, there was probably a required number of injuries to be sustained. Scott was generous to take them all for the team. Final tally - two cracked ribs*, one broken nose**, one semi-sprained ankle, and one re-energize husband/father who looks ready to tackle the world again.
*Cracked ribs - sustained 100 yards into the first ride on the first day. Scott realized they might be cracked 2 days after getting HOME from the trip. The doctor told him the most important thing to do with craked ribs is to breathe deeply. Um, 2 days of mountain biking will keep you breathing deeply.
**Broken nose - sustained early on day 2. Supposedly caught on camera, but I've yet to see. Scott realized in might be broken a WEEK AND A HALF after it happened. Not until the swelling went down did we notice that it was a little crooked. Even the urgent care doctor that diagnosed the ribs didn't identify the nose issue. Scott's Dr sent him right to the ENT, who told him he could let it heal and decide later if he wanted general surgery -OR- come back in a couple hours and he would try and get it back in place (aka rebreak your nose while you sit there and watch). Scott chose Option B. Took local anesthetic, held still while watching/listening to the doctor reposition his nose, and then headed back to work. An evening on the couch and he's good to go with a very stylish nose split for the next week.
I told Scott it's a good thing he's tough or his injuries would have really put a damper on the trip. He pointed out that if he wasn't so tough, he wouldn't have kept riding after a fall that cracked two ribs - thus saving himself from the broken nose and sprained ankle. Good point.
Boys!... and I have two of them who are clearly taking after their father.
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