Family Living: Abbott Style

Today, I broke down the bassinet--and put it into storage. It is too soon to say this is permanent.  But Owen got booted from the bedroom.  Every child is different.  So I dislike comparing.  But Haley was sleeping through the night--in her own crib by 6 weeks.  There were a lot of different circumstances surrounding that. But with Owen waking up often.  I was not in a real hurry to get him in his crib. It is a long walk to his bedroom when you are half asleep.  Also, I didn't want him waking Haley. Now, he is waking up"only" once a night--and is basically the length of the bassinet.  So it was time.  I feel okay with it.  I feel like I am starting to reclaim some of my "alone" evening time.  Perks of the schedule at hand.  So the kids are off to bed and I get my extra long shower and a glass of wine.  Maybe some Netflix.   Time is flying and we are entering a month of May madness.  Starting with May ...

  Owen's 5th Month 5 months strong with EBF!  Next month we will likely start baby food.  I'm holding out until after his 6 month checkup so I can get instructions.  So much information is out there now about how your suppose to start solids, that I prefer to just go with what our pediatrician suggests.  Owen does not sleep through the night. Waaa, waaa.  We have had a few rough nights, but mostly he is waking up around 3ish and then again 5ish. He laughs a lot and LOVES playing with Haley.  He smiles biggest for her.   His evening fussiness is decreasing. I have not imposed a parent led schedule yet.  Generally I have been following his cues (hunger and sleep) and it has worked well for us.  But as he starts solids, I will start transitioning into a more traditional schedule.   His first tooth popped through (bottom left!) We had to buy a larger swaddle sack because boy loves to be swa...

..........send wine.

                              Owen's 4th Month Another month EBF!  I really really wish breastfeeding would have worked out longer with Haley. At this point, I was exclusively pumping for her, so she was still getting breastmilk exclusively (Aside from the Kero Syrup crap...but don't get me started on that).  I don't know exactly what he weighs because his appointment isn't until Monday, but he is over 17 lbs at this point....andddd has yet to take a bottle.   Owen regressed as far as sleeping goes.  He no longer makes it through the night. I can't pinpoint why, but I have chalked it up to growth spurting mostly.  The plus side is that it has helped my supply (I noticed my supply majorly dipped when he was sleeping through the night).  It is what it is, but a perk of being a SAHM is I take the day at my pace. He is SUCH a happy boy.  Smiles a lot.  Giggles so...

How old are you? I two. How old is mommy? Two How old is daddy? Two            What is mommy's name?  Bre-Na What is daddy's name?  Ian What is grandpa's name? John What is grandma's name?  Mom What does daddy do for work?  He works in his police car at McDonalds.         What does mommy do for work?  Cleans up What is your favorite food? Skettis What do you like to do with mommy? Help mommy with dinner Where is your favorite place to go? Church What does mommy do when you are not around? Run around What does daddy do when you are not around? Nap I had more questions, but like most two-year-olds her attention span is brief.  Haley never stops amazing me.  She is at that age where you never know what she is going to say.  During this time of terrible twos I want to take a moment now and then and remember the things I don't hate about this age...

Taking on any project in addition to the juggling act that is my life seems a little insane.  But insane seems to suit me well. My first order of business was to address our saddle stools for the kitchen island: At one point, the dog decided to use one of the legs as a chew toy and it had all types of damage to the finish.  It was a stool in distress and not in a good way.  So it was time for a facelift: I sanded them down, and gave them three good coats of off white paint.  I wanted something similar to our cabinets.  But I started to worry about the outcome because the paint looked......amateur.  From a distance it was fine, but it really bugged me that it didn't look..."perfect".  That is the issue with any project I do.  I tend to have an over critical eye for my own work.   But then I did the most liberating thing.  I beat the crap out of the brand new finish, and added some stain to give it a shabby chic look. ...

There is a time  for everything,      and a season for every activity under the heavens: 2       a time to be born and a time to die,      a time to plant and a time to uproot, 3       a time to kill  and a time to heal,      a time to tear down and a time to build, 4       a time to weep and a time to laugh,      a time to mourn and a time to dance, 5       a time to scatter stones and a time to gather them,      a time to embrace and a time to refrain from embracing, 6       a time to search and a time to give up,      a time to keep and a time to throw away, 7       a time to tear and a time to mend,      a time to be silent  and a time to speak, 8      ...