Parenthood Adventures: 8 Months, Resolutions, and Still 2 Under 2.

Hey Everyone,

I hope that everyone had a very Merry Christmas. It is always such a fun time of togetherness with family, but it always feels like it is over way too fast. Kind of like going on a big vacation. You anticipate for such a long time, have a great time, and then bam it is over and you're back to real life. We enjoyed going to the Harvey's on Christmas Eve and then Ben and I hosted my side on Christmas Day. We don't do Santa, but I LOVE filling stockings. Ruby's stocking was full of everything Curious George. She loves him. She lovingly refers to George as "ah ah" I think it is because we always say that is what a monkey says. Both girls have had terrible colds for the last week. It is such a bummer when they get sick. It is mostly a hefty cough. Ruby woke up from her nap on Friday pulling at her ear, so I took her in and she has an ear infection. Stella has a cough, but as of right now, I think/hope that is all.

Stella is 8 months old. It is just crazy to me. She has 2 teeth on the bottom and hasn't bit me while nursing yet! When Ruby got teeth she would smile when she was done and clamp down. It was painful as you can imagine. Stella is crawling all over the place trying to keep up with her big sister. When we are at home, Stella is pretty lively, smiles often, and can be pretty goofy. When we are not at home, she is so so serious. People will try really hard to make her smile and she will not give them the time of day. It is kind of funny. She is starting to have a little bit of stranger danger. She will look at someone and stare at them and then get that look in her eyes where she is about to cry. Her bottom lip turns upside down and it isn't long before she is wanting to see her familiar faces. Stella has been sleeping a lot better lately. When she was getting those two teeth, it was a doozy. She was wanting to comfort nurse about every two hours at night. Now she wakes up 1-2 times. I know I should probably just let her put herself back to sleep and she will eventually. However, knowing that Stella is probably our last, I really do enjoy going in there and nursing her in the silence of the night and just holding her. We, including Ruby absolutely adore Stella.

Ruby is doing really well. Although, it seems like she is sick one week, has a couple weeks of health, then will come down with another cold. I have a love hate relationship with nurseries/play dates. We send Ruby and Stella to the nursery during church and MOPS. It is usually hit or miss, but usually one of them comes down with something. Then we have play dates with my MOMS Club friends and well, you know kids...if they are good at sharing something, it is their germs. :) With that said, we can 't just hibernate all winter long or we all go crazy. Ruby continues to climb everything. Our dining room chairs right now are on top of our dining room table. She loves pushing them all around and getting into everything she shouldn't. Is this normal? She has SO many toys, but she would rather get into all the things! She is so busy, but so much fun. She has the capability of making me want to pull my hair out one minute and the next minute she can make my heart melt into a puddle of mush. She helps keep me grounded and enjoy the little things in life.

Do any of you make New Years Resolutions? I think all of us can say that at one point we have made a resolution to stay/be healthier. Well, this year is no different. As a mom of two littles, it is SO hard to take care of yourself. Their needs will always come before your own. I don't think that will ever change. But, that can't be an excuse to neglect yourself entirely. So, I will continue on my 21 day fix plan. I have been pretty lazy with it lately, but starting on the 1st, this momma is getting healthy. Something that I love about this, is that I'm not doing it to lose weight...although, that is REALLY nice. I'm doing it to actually be healthy. I know the weight I'm at right now is not healthy, and I want to be the absolute best for my kids. I don't want to get winded running up and down the stairs. I want to feel confident in my jeans and perhaps even put on a swimming suit this summer. ;) I love the way I feel when I'm getting at least 4 servings of veggies a day. When I eat junk, I feel like junk. When I eat clean, I feel SO much better. If any of you are interested in hearing more about the plan that I do, I would love to fill you in. I'm not a coach, so I'm not hassling you! It is just something that has worked so well for me.

For one more month I will still have 2 girls under the age of 2. I don't know why, but it just seems like a big step for me. I feel like that means the girls are getting older, and hopefully it means a little more manageable! haha! Stella is the easiest baby alive, but she does just add another dynamic to our day. Before having Stella, I had severe mommy guilt thinking that Ruby was going to feel neglected. Boy was I wrong. Ruby still runs the show, and I often feel guilty thinking that Stella doesn't get held enough, she plays by herself way too much, and that it is just not fair for her. It is what it is I guess. My living room floor is always a mess, and I'm ok with it for the most part. Cleaning it up while they are awake is like shoveling in the middle of a blizzard. It is just nearly impossible. So, to keep myself sane, I pick up everything while they are napping and after they have gone to bed.

One last thing, Ben and I got a ping pong table and oh my gosh, it is so much fun! We put the girls down at night and will go downstairs and play ping pong. I don't know if Ben reads these or not, but I'm totally winning. Yes, we have a tally going right now and I think I'm up 11-5. Boo yeah. Turns out I'm still pretty competitive. :/ Anyway, if you are reading this, thank you! I often feel like a horrible friend because I honestly just don't have the time I used to to devote to friendship. It doesn't mean that I don't care, I so care, but it's just a different season right now. Thanks everyone! Hope you have a happy New Year!