We’re home!
Hello again! We are living in our new house and slowly making it our home. We love it and could not be happier about our new space. The boys are adjusting well to daycare and the whole move has been a relatively pain-free process. Our to do list is growing by the minute and every time we scratch one thing off, three more get added. Luckily we’ve got nothing but time right now (and Griffin is too young to care that his bedroom is painted pink right now).
Travis is in the process of starting a new job and has enjoyed being at home working on his honey-do list for the last three weeks. He’s in love with our new huge yard and has been keeping busy mowing, tearing down wallpaper (our kitchen is in the process of becoming less purple and more… anything but purple), unpacking, and organizing. Tomorrow he rejoins the workforce fulltime.
I’m really enjoying being the caretaker at home again, after having 95% of the cooking, cleaning, and laundry done for me for the last 7 months (thanks, mom!). I like having my own space to keep clean and didn’t realize how much I missed making meals for my family.
Griffin is such a big boy these days. He’s busy as can be doing his “work” every day and helping Travis around the house with every project that comes up. He mops the floor for me, weeds the garden with me, helps Travis mud the walls, and anything else we ask him to do. I think he likes having his own room again and he can’t wait to paint it yellow, his favorite color.
Bennett is as sweet as can be and as spoiled as they come, being the baby and all. We’re starting a new adventure with him right now, as he begins to see a Speech Language Pathologist for speech therapy twice a week. That will be a post of its own, but we’re happy to be getting him some help where he needs it. Travis hung a tree swing for him that he uses as many times each day as he can. Little man LOVES to be outside.
Both boys are doing so well in their new daycare. I was worried we’d never find another daycare as wonderful as Jodie’s, but somehow we’ve managed to strike gold twice. Dawn is fantastic. The boys love it there and are already learning new things. Griffin is working on writing his name and Bennett is getting into a drop off and pick up routine. She has a backyard full of fun toys and I love that they get outside twice a day between meals, naps, and school time. She’s been wonderful with Bennett and willing to work with us and him in any way she can.
Now that we’re moved in, 98% unpacked, and relatively settled into our new “normal”, I hope to get back to blogging somewhat regularly. How’s that for non-committal? We don’t have internet at our new place – because we’re that far in the boonies that no providers serve our area – so we’ll see how ambitious I get about typing on my phone.
Creeeeping Back In
I’ll give you a moment to pick yourself up off the floor, as you may have fallen from your chair when you came upon a new post from me. What, it’s only been…. 7+ months. The truth is, I reeaallly miss blogging. Like, a lot. But I just haven’t had the time for it lately. You know, life getting in the way and all. A quick recap of the last 7 months, sparing all the dirty details, goes like this:
September: Get a phone call from former boss with job offer at new organization….. in MN.
October: Put WI house on the market, pack up the kids and move in with the parents. My mom quits her job to stay home with my babies while Travis and I keep working.
November: House still not sold, Travis moves in with the parents too.
December: Merry Christmas!
January: Brrrr, sure is cold.
February: We’ve got an offer on our house!
March: Close on sale of WI house and make offer on new house in MN all in the same day.
April: Offer accepted on new house. Search for daycare, battle the snow, find daycare, battle more snow, coordinate signing of 8 billion house documents with Travis who is working out of state.
And here we are. 10 days out from closing on our new, hopefully forever, home. And hopefully not far away from more regular blogging again.
Because I ‘ve missed it here.
Letters to Bennett: 1 Year
My sweet sweet baby Bennett,
Today is a hard day for your mama. You are a year old and I no longer have an infant. My last baby isn’t a baby anymore. You will always be my baby, but you’ve grown up in the blink of an eye and are now an adventurous, opinionated, smiley, charming go-getter who is always on the move. You take steps by yourself, you don’t take a bottle anymore, and you even sleep through the night on rare occasions.
You love playing outside and will cry if someone goes out and doesn’t bring you with right away. Playing with Griffin is your very favorite thing to do. You want what he has and you want to be doing everything with him. His room is the first place you go when you wake up in the morning, and when he goes down for his nap in the afternoon, you sneak in there a few times and crawl into bed with him so you guys can stand up and jump together. It’s so sweet to watch you two love each other and interact as brothers. Warms my heart.
You have always been, and continue to be, a great eater. You will at least try most foods that make it to your tray. You had no problem switching to cow’s milk during the day and didn’t seem to miss bottles one bit. We now only nurse in the morning and at night. I think that transition was harder on me than you. I love that we still have that special time together and hope we can for a while. One of my very favorite little quirks of yours it that when I’m nursing you, you hold your Nuk in on hand. If you’re really sleepy, you’ll play with it for a little bit and then lay it on your face for the rest of the time. It’s hilarious and adorable to watch you eat with a Nuk just hanging out on your face, my sweet, silly boy!
You’re a scrappy little guy and don’t like it when you don’t get your way. We hear your opinions loud and clear, by the way of screaming, and more often, biting! Unfortunately for me, I seem to be your number one target for that. Ever heard the expression “don’t bite the hand that feeds you”? No?
You say two words – mama, which you’ve been saying for a while, and bye-bye, which was just added to your vocabulary yesterday and comes with a cute little wave and a smile. I love it and hearing you say my name as you crawl towards me full speed. Let’s face it though, I love pretty much anything you do!
Happy Birthday my littlest love. I love you oh so very much!
::sigh::
Me: Did anyone get a time out at Jodie’s house today?
G: Nope!
Me: Everyone was good boys and girls today?
G: But I got a time out.
Me: You did?
G: No
Me: Did you have to sit in the calm down chair?
G: No
Me: Did you do something a little bit naughty?
G: Yeah.
Me: What happened?
G: I said damnit.
Untitled
I have been extremely fortunate to not have had much experience with death in my 28 years. I’ve never lost anyone I’ve been close to, and I’ve only actually been to one funeral – my great grandma’s. Next Saturday that streak will be broken.
This past week we got some unimaginable news from my brother-in-law and his girlfriend. When they went in for what should have been a very exciting 20 week anatomy scan, they were, instead, given the devastating news that their baby girl was not going to survive. Her spinal cord never fused and her skull didn’t develop.
Tomorrow, at 21 weeks, Hailey is being induced. On Saturday we will bury my niece, Hazel May. I am overwhelmed with sadness for Trevor and Hailey. I am sad that they will never get to meet their daughter, and instead will have to lay her to rest. That they will have to walk by her crib in their house and be reminded daily of what they were supposed to have. No parent should ever have to outlive their child. It’s just not fair. As a mother, it is just unfathomable to think about not having either of my beautiful babies here with me every day. I am sad that the shower Kaila and I were planning to celebrate this baby won’t be happening anymore.
Selfishly I’m sad for us too, though I know it isn’t about me. I’m sad that my boys won’t get to know their cousin. I’m sad that I’ll never get to see or spoil my very first niece.
My heart is heavy.
Heaven is lucky to be getting its littlest angel tomorrow.
Summer Vacation
Do you know what’s better than a week away at a cabin with your family?
::crickets::
Me either! We spent last week in Northern MN at my mom and dad’s cabin. We kept very busy, but had a relaxing time as well. It was a perfect, much-needed week away. We stayed in a beautiful log cabin on the lake where all of our meals were bought or cooked for us, babysitters were provided, and even our laundry was done and folded for us. All for the low price of free. Best all-inclusive resort I’ve been to.
The week was filled with a trip to the zoo, professional family photos, 4-wheeling, boating, fishing, shopping, eating, and enjoying the company of family. The pictures speak for themselves.
I hope we continue to make this a yearly vacation.
