Conquering January

Happy Sunday! This is my first post of weekly blogging similar to my friend Becca's system because I want to do a better job at keeping a record of my family. Plus, I miss writing! When I feel like I'm back on top of life more after this second baby business I hope to write more essays on this blog as well. But for now, I'm looking forward to having weekly updates that my kids can look back on someday.

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Michael:

Works so much! We are so grateful for him. January has been a crazy month for him with a lot of nights at the hospital and many, many long days. He is enjoying his oral surgery program and the people he works with, but it's crazy busy. This week he took a patient's wisdom teeth out on his own. That kind of blows my mind! Westin seems to be understanding now that dad is a doctor and he frequently asks Michael for a shot. I'm not sure why that idea sounds fun to him because he does NOT enjoy visiting his pediatrician. Michael just came off a five-month anesthesia rotation and is now back on oral surgery service through the rest of his first year. His years go from July 1 to July 1 and it feels good to be chipping away at this infamous first year. Some weeks he only sees Westin one or two days, and that's the saddest part. When Michael was home this week we all played hide and seek together, and I asked Westin, "Where'd daddy go, Westin?" when Michael was hiding. Westin said, "He went to work." It was hilarious yet super sad if we thought too hard about it. Luckily daddy was just hiding by the bed and not back at the hospital and Westin was pretty happy about that.

Maddie:

I have been working hard to identify what really makes me happy because I think it's so easy to lose all sense of self after having a baby. Right now I know that spending time outside with my family, having a clean and organized home, documenting life, reading books, and eating chocolatey treats make me really happy. Those are in no specific order and there are many other things on that list. Like getting enough sleep. But, I am only setting goals that are in my control of course (looking at you, Bennett). I've had a weird week with too much news and social media consumption. Watching the Inauguration of Trump was kind of an indescribable experience for me, as was immersing myself in coverage of the women's march in locations all over the world the next day. I want to understand people more. I always want to be guided by love and an open mind before anything else. 

Westin:

Is a two-year-old boy, oh my goodness. His new favorite phrase is "No, Westin's turn" and that pretty much sums up his attitude right now. But man is he sweet when he wants to be! He has recently realized that he's good at making Bennett smile and it has transformed their relationship. He is much more aware of Bennett now and likes to be involved with taking care of him. He will still occasionally sit in Bennett's little rocker  and "cry", which is a pretty big hint that Westin needs some attention. Haha I kind of love it. I want to potty train him but honestly I just don't feel capable of that right now. He loves when daddy comes home from the hospital with snacks, and loves to sit in dad's little blue truck. He's obsessed with that truck, with his toy truck, with his book called Little Blue Truck... definite pattern here. He's also obsessed with picking any berries we see on a walk, and a highlight of his life recently was picking lemons in our primary president's backyard. He was so thrilled that he was actually allowed to pick them since he's always obsessing over lemon and orange trees on our walks. He's a great sleeper apart from occasional sad dreams, but he still does 11-12 hours at night and a 3 hour nap every day. He's in a crib but likes to read stories in his toddler bed that is set up next to it. We're slowly working up to that change. I love Westin. And I love when Westin takes naps. :)

Bennett:

Is almost four months old! I can't believe that. I think of him as a newborn, but when I meet someone and they have a 4+ month old baby I don't think newborn in my mind. So, we're just entering baby stage! He is strong and loves to sit up or even stand up when his hands are being held. He has started staring at his hands and moving his fingers, and I LOVE when babies start to learn they're in charge of their little body. It's so cute to me. He only naps in his swing and that stresses me out, but I can't let him cry in his pack n play during the day because then Westin would wake up from his nap. And you guys, we need that nap to happen. So for now he swings it out and takes 3-4 naps in my kitchen, then he is in our room at night. We had a really sad SIDS experience in our community and it completely changed me -- I used to never sleep well with a baby in my room and now hearing Bennett's noisy baby breathing is about my favorite sound in the world. Someday I want him to share a room with Westin, but we're working up to that.

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That's life right now! We feel like we are still getting settled in Fresno, and I miss Indianapolis something fierce. This rainy winter was not too shabby though, it feels so nice to wear just a jacket and go for walks in January with no snow. I'm not sure I could live completely without seasons but these overcast rainy days feel seasony enough. Especially when I see all my Utah friends post about their insane snow storms... yikes. We've loved exploring Woodward park by our house recently, and we also love that a Cafe Rio opened nearby. I've only been a couple times but being able to THINK everyday "Maybe we'll just go to Cafe Rio tonight..." has really been a mood lifter. Here are some pictures from January!