Weekends At Home

I've just finished my second full week of work and also our second weekend in a row without anything planned except hanging out at home.  I have to say, I don't know if I have ever appreciated weekends at home as much as I have these past two weekends.  The week can feel hectic with getting ourselves up, ready and out of the house, then at the end of the day - cleaning up, cooking dinner and prepping ourselves for the next day.  I used to look at the weekend as an opportunity to accomplish house projects and chores.  But now, waking up and taking our time, going for walks, watching Jack explore his playmat, his toys, his hands, the ceiling fan....snuggling, snoozing, jumping up and down to hear that precious giggle - these are all much more important than house projects that have been written on lists over and over again ;)   He seems to be growing by the minute, so we'll keep taking these weekends and soaking up all the love we can get from our little man...



4 Months Old!

Jack turned 4 months old on Saturday - based on a quick estimate it looks like he is weighing in at ~16lbs these days, though we have a doctor's appointment coming up this Friday so will get the real measurements then!  The past month has brought a number of new things, but mainly it has brought a happy-go-lucky content little guy.  He smiles with ease, loves to giggle more than cry and adores when people interact with him - talk, sing, make faces to him - he doesn't care, just pay him some attention and he will show you that irresistible dimple of his :)

We spent the weekend hanging out with our buddy and enjoying the gorgeous weather.  We had a picnic in Saratoga state park on Sunday and Jack loved looking at the trees, checking out the view and giggling/playing with Grammy & PopPop.

Current happenings:

Jack is still sleeping through the night consistently, goes to bed around 9:30pm and sleeps until ~6-6:30am.  He will quickly grasp an object and bring it straight to his mouth to see if it fits and check out the flavor.  He still loves to suck on his fingers, more often than not it is his 2 middle fingers on either hand.  He will spend more time on his belly, lifting his head right up to check himself out in the mirror, but after 5 minutes or so, he'll let you know that he's not that interested in being there anymore.  We're having so much fun watching this little guy grow & change by what seems like the minute!   

 

The Next Chapter...

This week presented a number of changes for everyone in our household.  Jack had his first day of “school” on Monday.  Brian took the day off so we could figure out the drop-off/pick-up routine and it also gave the two of us some time to grieve the life we knew while I was on maternity leave and maybe make a stop at Cocadotts for some emotional eating.  We brought him in at 10:30 where he was all smiles – flirting with every female he saw.  When we picked him up at 2:00 he gave an ear to ear grin when he saw us come in the room – man I love those smiles... 

Brian went back to work on Tuesday and Jack had another half day at school; he was in a happy mood again when I dropped him off and picked him up.  Wednesday was my first day back in the office, Jack’s first full day of school, Brian’s first day of dropping Jack off at school on his own and Buster’s first full day home alone in almost 4.5 months (though PopPop did come to play with him for a little while so he didn’t feel immediately neglected). 

The past 3 days have had a number of ups and downs.  Part of me felt good to get back to work and have some independence & intellectual stimulation, part of me felt guilty for feeling good to get back to work, part of me felt heartbroken that Jack will likely be given a bottle by 3 different people during the day, part of me felt terrible that I'll be without my baby for 9 hours a day, part of me felt bad that Buster was sitting home alone waiting for someone to come play fetch with him, part of me felt anxious wondering what time I’d eat dinner (food is always on the brain), I could go on and on but there could easily be a million parts to me, all thinking different things at the same time – Brian can attest to that.

I’m only 3 days in to this full-time “working mom” thing but I can already tell that I will feel judged (by everyone and anyone) and guilt-ridden no matter what I do.  At the end of the day the only thing that matters is that our little boy feels loved and happy.  We will do everything in our power & abilities to make sure of that…based on this face, I’d like to think we’re doing a pretty good job so far.

Jack's First Family Vacation!!

Family vacations mean so much to me –even when they had no money to do so, my parents made sure we had a family vacation every year.  We would stock up on “essentials” (Twizzlers, Peanut M&Ms, Combos, juice boxes, etc. :)) and get excited to spend a week together as a family.  30 years later, we get just as excited to spend a week away together, setting aside the day to day responsibilities of the real world and just enjoying each other’s company.  Our vacations have certainly changed throughout the years but have always served as a good reflection of the stage we are at in our lives.  I am so incredibly thankful that our entire family continues to make the effort to plan time away together and so happy that Jack will now get to experience the fun as well!

Our family has been going to Cape May for 10 years now but this year was a little bit different for Brian & I…We were both so excited to bring Jack on the first of many family vacations to come!  I started writing lists weeks in advance to make sure we were prepared with all the essentials a baby could need or want.  It is truly amazing how many lbs of luggage you need to bring for a ~15lb baby.  Brian packed the car strategically and we were off!  We spent Friday night at cousin Lucy’s house in NJ and then first thing Saturday morning we were on our way to Cape May.  Jack was perfect for both the car ride to Lucy’s and the car ride to Cape May.  He then continued the streak for the entire week where he adapted well to sleeping in the pack & play, napping in his bouncy seat on the beach, taking snoozes on Grammy & PopPop, watching his crazy cousins run around and take in all of the sights and sounds that Cape May has to offer.  We can’t wait to bring him back next year and watch him chase his cousins (& the seagulls) around on the beach!!