3 weeks down

Eventually I'll stop counting the weeks managed but probably only once it feels more normal, which will likely include cooking again, nap routines, etc. <--- I wrote that sentence as early as Monday or Tuesday and saved it as a draft, but here I am on Saturday the 22nd already feeling a bit more normal. The meals brought by the Momtime-moms have finished, and I'm already seeing bits of time where I will be able to cook. Focusing on that may seem silly to some, but preparing the family meal together with Paul was such a focus of our day before Adeline; and doing it together was always satisfying because he could be included and "help" while I could spend time "playing" with him as well as doing something productive and enjoyable myself. I've really missed it. I did take just him grocery shopping once, and that was nice! Funny how taking a toddler to the store seemed so easy when just 3 months ago it was a bit difficult.

Now, to recount the week ... welp, the weekend started with a touch of mastitis. I rolled my eyes in yet-another-thing fashion, but keeping it empty and using a warm compress actually fought it off! Hoorah. We were late for Mass - again. Been the trend for, oh, 'bout 8 weeks now. We celebrated St. Patrick's day (barely) with homemade shamrock cookies and a Finnigans. (Sidenote: another reason I'm antsy to get back in the kitchen is so that we can get back on board with following the liturgical year feasts via FEAST! We'd only just begun at Advent.) Dylan spent Wednesday in the Cities for a lawyer continuing education thing ... which made my day very long. He's been very giving, though, in taking Ada in the evenings, and I've gone to bed shortly after Paul this week. Starting to kick the fatigue, I think. We've been working on his bedtime, though, too, trying to back it up. I've long since limited his nap to only an hour and a bit so that he can go to sleep at night at a reasonable hour, but we're still getting him down just before 9 sometimes. He's nuts. We're trying. 

Paul. Paul is the best big brother. Have I mentioned that before?? He swayed to music holding his baby doll like I held Ada, and he tried to share his pancake with her. He always has to kiss her g'nap or g'night, and he even airplaned his own cookie to himself. Ok, so that doesn't have to do with being a brother, but it's pretty funny. He also participates on Skype a lot more now - he says "herrrOOOO ___", and says most of our families' names! Then he promptly says buh-bye. We'll work on that. He's been saying so much lately. Oh, and we gave him his 2nd haircut. A much better one since I've had much more practice on Dylan since the first (mistake). 

Adeline is growing; gosh, she's growing. She smiles! But only when I make "seriousface" at her. And she coos, too. She's been with us a whopping 8 weeks now - an old pro. Really, though, those eyebrows and contemplative looks - we can't get over them.

Perhaps I should mention - officially - that we're looking to move to New Orleans. Before June. We're scouting the local realtors' websites for rentals, and we've decided to put off buying until we know the areas well and Dylan, ya know, has a job.