This has been a bit of a transition welcoming our second baby into the family, although we couldn't imagine our lives any other way now. Tate has been such a blessing to us and is a super sweet, cuddly, smiley little guy. He does come with a disclaimer though for anyone who wants to hold him - he is a spitter! Our Doctor labeled him a "Happy Spitter" at his check-up yesterday (where we also found that he weighs 11lbs and is 22 inches long!) and confirmed that he is not concerned at all with the spit up since he is gaining weight well and seems content otherwise. It is more of an inconvenience and a laundry nightmare, but otherwise innocent. I am currently doing a load of laundry that contains 99% spit-up soaked clothing/blankets/burp cloths, so Dr. Brennan was NOT kidding!
All in all we are doing well. The weather up here in beautiful Santa Barbara county was very rainy and gray for awhile around the holidays, which did nothing to help my already gloomy state of mind. I seem to be affected by Baby Blues after the birth of my children (same thing happened with Finn), but am doing my best to be proactive about having a plan each day and getting out of the house with Tate more often. I am so thankful for some wonderful friends in town who have made sure I have something on my calendar to keep me occupied and did just receive the OK from the Doctor yesterday to begin exercising again. Let's get those endorphins flowing! I am also extremely lucky to be able to take a lengthy leave of absence from work and will be heading back in the middle of April so I need to enjoy every minute I have with Tate during this time!
Finn is adapting to our new family member with ease, although he seems to be harboring some resentment toward Mommy. It's a pretty daily occasion for me to hear "No Mommy, you can't ___________" and fill in the blank with whatever activity Finn is doing either by himself or with Daddy. I have been told I can't sit on the couch; eat breakfast; go to the playground, etc. My personality being such that my first instinct is to say "well, Mommy doesn't want to ___________ with you anyway!" but I have come to realize that is not the most appropriate way to handle a 2.5 year old. This parenting stuff is hard! :) I am extremely thankful that Mark is so patient, fun, mellow and supportive because he seems to be able to keep us all sane for the most part. Poor guy could probably use a happy hour or something!
I hope this new year brings everyone much happiness, joy and time to make memories with loved ones. Although I haven't made specific resolutions this year, I do want to carve out more time to spend with loved ones, both family members and friends. I have come to realize that in the long run material items just tend to gather dust and don't call you when you are feeling down or give you a hug when you need it most. Recently I have loved looking at old photos and reminscing about different times in my life, remembering both the good and the bad and all that I have learned or taken away from each experience. My goal this year is to make many positive memories for my boys to have as they grow and start new traditions for my own family. Oh and eating better and exercising is on the list too. I have already lost almost all my baby weight from dietary changes I have made thanks to Mark and am going to sign up for some 5ks later this year with the help of our friend who is a local running coach and runner extraordinaire himself! Cheers to feeling good on the outside AND on the inside!
Thanks for checking in and hope to write more soon! Tate's photo above pretty much sums up how he felt about the Christmas holiday = BORED!
