This Week: 04.13.2018

My totally naive self thought that after having this baby, I'd still be writing as much as ever.

Maybe more, even, I thought...  since I'm not really working anymore. Being a "stay at home mom" would open up hours and hours to spend thinking and writing and reading, right? HA.

I sorely, sorely misunderstood the time commitment and intellectual commitment my little miracle would bring along with him. I kind of knew that having a baby would be work, but I don't think I realized (and I'm not sure you really can realize, until you're in the thick of it) just how much brainpower and energy would go directly to loving and caring for my little fella.

Soooo. Yeah, not writing as much as I'd like to. By any means.

And so, after doing almost no thinking about it, I've decided to use these Friday posts in a more all-encompassing way and fit a whole bunch of things into one quick, chatty blurb. We'll see how it goes. Let me know what you think.

It seemed nearly impossible, but we've burned through the huge stockpile of wood that was cut and stored in a shed already when we bought the house. Trevor's been going out and cutting up the dead fall in our grove, so the fireplace is still a-goin'. 

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Grateful For: My precious little boy, afternoons full of playtime, snuggles and giggles, flannel sheets (because it's still so cold!!)

Amused By: Little E is sitting on his own pretty well, now- it seems to improve more and more every week. This week, he's still a little tippy, but sitting up is all he wants to do. He'll sit and play, then tip over and get onto his tummy, and then demand to be sat back up again.

E has had a stuffy nose for a while, and he won't let me suction it out unless he's sitting with Trevor. Trevor puts his face to the back of E's head, and then hums or makes silly noises, and it distracts E just enough that I can get his nose clear.

Surprised About: E was fussing in the car the other day (because he can't sit all the way upright in his car seat, and it was making him mad...) and Trevor turned on the radio, and it just so happened that the station was playing classical violin. E settled right down and played quietly the rest of the car ride. Apparently he needed some violin at that moment.

So far, playing classical violin before nap time does not seem to have the same effect. Bummer.

Playtime looks like this lately-- for about ten minutes, and then he gets mad that he can't get himself to a sitting position. He is definitely starting to scoot- I have to be sure all contraband is removed from the area or he WILL get to it. He's rolling front to back and back to front very, very well. 

Working On: Next week's goal is to finish scraping old flooring up from the closet corner in the bathroom (one step closer to getting the floor in!).  More fun than that, though... I'm going to make a woven wrap for my sister-in-law! I think I'm going to try my hand at dyeing it, too-- really really excited about that!

Shopping For: Wellll I think we may need to get a couple more bibs for Mister Drool Monster... we are going through at least five bibs a day at this point, and he's still toothless, so I'm thinking the teething drools are going to require lots more bibs. I have these ones and I like 'em, so I'm thinking about ordering another three. Probably in these colors. 

Smitten With: I am seriously lusting over this woven wrap. I think it's GORGEOUS. Of course, it's no longer being made, and while I have seen it being sold used, the lowest I've seen it for is..... $700.  Of course I can't fall in love with one that's like, forty bucks. Oooohhh no. It's the white whale of woven wraps. The one that got away. <sigh> 

It's amazing how every room of the house has taken on a whole new colorful look because of all the toys!

Reading: Still picking my way through Bringing Up Boys (church library), and of course, reading Little Blue Truck over and over and over. I have it memorized. Mr. E and I do read other books together, too, but there's just something about that blue truck that makes him smile, so we read that one a lot.

Writing: Not much! Ah! I did get my post done for this Monday's Failing Followers post-- just barely!-- and I haven't written anything since. <sigh> I'm hoping to have a good block of time to do some thinking and writing about next week's devotion... maybe tonight. We'll see.

Cooking: On the menu this past week- lots of frozen pizza, leftovers, more pizza (I'm really winning at this meal planning thing).

Most notably, I made this recipe-- Sloppy Joe Stuffed Peppers-- and we liked it. I used this really spicy spaghetti sauce that Trevor picked up at Menards (free after rebate!) in place of the tomato sauce, and wowza. Spicy. Used lots of sour cream on top. I wasn't sure about what side dish to make with it (we're kinda trying to avoid carbs, or I would have gone with rice), so I went with (pause for effect) NO SIDE AT ALL. Ha. Suggestions?

Proud: I've been attempting more and more back carries with my woven wrap and I'm getting more confident and successful with it. And it makes it easier for me to do dishes or vacuum, so I'm getting more done around the house, too.


Praying: For patience. 

Lately little E has been really struggling with falling asleep. He's such a good sleeper once he's down, but this past week it's typically taken about a half hour of solid angry screaming before getting him to sleep- naps, bedtime, whenever. Usually he's such a happy little fella that he almost seems like another kid when he's tired, and he's such an active baby that when he's tired and mad, he gets really physical- he almost throws himself out of my arms. I get frustrated pretty easily with that nonsense. I need more patience and need to remember that he's not doing it to thwart me, but just because he's little and being tired is no fun.

Currently:

It's muddy, mucky, and raining... and the forecast is predicting six or so inches of snow all day tomorrow, with high winds... so... blizzard. Hurray.

I feel like this winter has gone on forever! I've been thinking about that-- I think it's felt especially long this year because I didn't really have a Fall- it was summer still when E was born and then I spent two months in the NICU, and by the time we were out, it was definitely winter. I'm so ready for warm weather and spending time outside-- let it come soon!!!

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