Happy New Year

My resolution? 

Easy.....

To survive 

This guy...

and this guy.....

Notice how I've already dubbed the baby "guy."

simultaneously. 

Pretty ambitious, huh?

Multitasking

As in rooms. Our house is ever changing these days and with Christmas the need for more changes was evident. We need somewhere to store all those toys and books Connor was gifted. I don't want to keep a bunch of toys in the nursery because he really doesn't spend much time back there. It's clear we need to do some serious shuffling around here.

I hope to make our laundry room serve as the following:

• pantry (it's built in)
• mudroom (holding zone for coats, shoes, bags, umbrellas)
• pet storage (food, treats, litter, other supplies)
• laundry room (this means we need room for hampers and diaper pails too.)

I hope to make the front room serve as

• sitting area
• office
• playroom

Tis The Season

  Our Christmas was a whirlwind event. We always host Christmas Eve. This year we had 23 people. That's a lot of people for our house but we managed. It was low stress and a ton of fun. Our family and friends came over for food and to exchange gifts. Connor got lots of goodies but went to bed before he could open them.

 

Steven and I went back and forth about attending the 11 o'clock service. I love Christmas Eve service but we finally decided it would be too much of a gamble with Connor. We were hopeful he would sleep through it. 

After everyone left we cleaned dishes, stuffed stockings and passed out. 

Christmas morning came a little too early! We all got up and headed to the living room to check out our stockings. Connor was more interested in the stocking than the goodies inside. I have to say that I can't blame him. My mom did an amazing job on his stocking. It even came with a key telling what all the different fabrics were. I cried when I saw it. It's so meaningful and incredibly thoughtful. 

Connor literally pulled the wrapping paper off his gifts piece by teeny, tiny piece. We stopped about halfway through and Connor went down for his first nap! Seriously, he didn't have that much to open! 

Yes we're those people.....and after Ivy though every present was hers. 

After gifts, we planned a visit to Steven's grandma at the nursing home. Connor and I stayed home because he was due for another nap. 

We spent the evening at Steven's parent's house for more food, family and gifts. 

It was a wonderful first Christmas for Connor. I will be forever amazed at the outpouring of love and support from our family and friends. I felt like everyone was as excited for his first Christmas as we were. 

Four Hands Are Better Than Two

It's no secret that Connor is a super needy baby. He cannot be anymore than 3 inches from your face at any given time. He's also 22 lbs! The combination makes for sore arms and a messy house.

Steven and I had a super busy weekend ahead of us and I had a ton to get done on Saturday. I called in reinforcements. Sarah came over Saturday and spent the day tending to Connor while I cooked, cleaned and shopped. OMG! It was so nice. I understand now why Stacey had me come so often! (That being said, I took a tone of breaks to enjoy Connor!) I was in the house most of the day but I could get so much done if I stayed out of site. Thank goodness object permanence hasn't set in yet!

While Connor and Sarah played I cleaned the house from top to bottom, did so many loads of laundry that I lost count, cooked for our Christmas party that night and completed some last minute Christmas shopping. It was amazing!

****Disclaimer**** I know I should be able to do this stuff and be a mother too but I'm so far from super mom it's not even funny....and seriously, Connor is not the kinda kid you can just put down. Sigh, judge me if you must.

Saturday night the Muckler crew came over and babysat Connor so Steven and I could go to our last Christmas party of the season (whew, glad that's over!) It was so strange having Stacey and her kids in my house and being the one to give the instructions. I worked for Stacey for almost 5 years and she's a great mom but boy is she difficult to work for. Steven and I returned home to a sleeping baby, the 4 Muckler children asleep on the floor and Stacey ready to tell all the details of the night.

Sunday was a lazy day for us. Connor and I didn't make it to the Cantata because he fell asleep before church and I didn't want to wake him. Steven headed on without us. After church we had lunch with the Grandparents and Uncle Andrew. Connor and I had a long nap together. ( Have I mentioned how much I'm going to miss this when I go back to work?) Then we all headed to Village park to ride the train and see the Christmas lights. Connor really enjoyed seeing the lights but by the time we got off the train he was falling asleep. It's the second night in a row he's been up past bedtime.  Steven was playing with the settings on the camera so the pictures didn't turn out too well!

Here's to a slow week with no Christmas parties and the real Christmas.

Five Things About Going Back To Work

1. I have full faith in Jesse watching Connor. I don't have full faith in our ability to get Connor dropped off and to us work on time. Steven will be taking him to Jesse's but we're not sure how much time this is going to add on his already long commute.

2. It felt good to be in the classroom again. I went into work on Monday to see a couple of new programs we've started this year. It felt like home and it was so nice to be outside of the house. It's going to take a lot of work to get my class and classroom where I want them to be though.

3. It's going to hurt. I haven't kept it a secret that I didn't enjoy the first 6 weeks of motherhood. It was hard and shocked my system. But my, oh my how I love 6 months. Connor is so much fun and I love how his personality is really shining through. The nice thing about Monday was that I could leave at anytime. I made it through lunch and headed out. It breaks my heart to think I won't be the one putting him down for naps. (I'm totally cool with not being the one to change his diapers.)

4. I don't know how I'm going to juggle everything. The thought of working, picking up Connor and making doctor appointments for the current pregnancy is enough to send me into a full blown panic attack. One day at a time, one day at a time.

5. This is my favorite thing about going back to work......The house cleaners are coming back! WOO HOOO! Seriously, biweekly cleanings were one of the smartest decisions Steven and I ever made. It took some convincing at first but even Steven admitted he liked it because we fought less. I know it may seem like a waste of money to some but if makes my marriage happier, I'm all for it!

I Should Probably Mention

This fella

We managed to keep a secret until almost 12 weeks. Today I'm 12 weeks 5 days. 

Connor and Baby 2 will be 12.5 months apart assuming this guy decides to come on time.

FAQ

Will you return to work in the fall?

Yes, staying at home is not for me. I love Connor but I miss people.

Will you find out if it's a boy or a girl?

Yes, I'm not sure what the difference is but I just have to know this time.

Will you get rid of the toy room?

I certainly hope so!

Do you want a boy or a girl?

I can honestly say we'd be happy either way. I'd love to have a girl because we would have one of each. I would love to have a boy because I could name him Max and Connor would have a playmate for live. (BTW don't Connor and Max sound/look super cute together?)

Are you worried people will judge you?

Sure, but very few people have been ugly about it. The worst comment so far was from Steven's grandmother who said "A box of rubbers ain't but $10.00." I wanted to DIE! Thankfully, she was totally joking and is thrilled to have another great grandchild. 

Did you plan it?

We're not stupid, people. We know how babies are made and if you don't just watch this handy clip courtesy of Look Who's Talking. 

Our family is growing so fast! 

6 Months

6 Month Stats

22lbs 6 oz

30 inches long

You, baby boy, have officially outgrown your infant car seat. I can't believe how old and big you are....but the big part, you really could slow that down a bit.

Sleeping Habits

I'm happy to report that your sleeping has improved greatly! PRAISE GOD! Turns out you had an ear infection and after a round of antibiotics things are normal. You're still waking up at night to eat. Twice a night, actually. I think the reason for the first waking is because of your early bedtime. You typically go down between 6:30 and 7 and wake around 11 and 4. The doctor told us today that you really should be sleeping through the night. 

Eating Habits

You've made it very clear that you are not interested in baby food. We're still playing around with food a bit. You have a taste here and there but you're not on a regular eating schedule yet. You are eating between 40 and 48 ounces of formula a day. I think it's so strange that you're not interested in eating as soon as you wake in the morning. You usually wait 30 minutes to an hour to have your first bottle. 

Playing

You still love your jumper. You also enjoy sitting on the floor playing out of your toy basket. Sometimes you prefer the basket to any of the toys. Your favorite toys are the penguin book, caterpillar and cow.  You love to watch Ivy run though the house. You often squeal and laugh hysterically when she runs past you. If she lays to close to you, you always pinch her. She's surprisingly tolerant. 

Other Things Worth Noting

You are a blankey kid and I love it. We actually bought a duplicate of your favorite blanket just in case. We were going to wait and give it to you for Christmas but we had an emergency and busted that bad boy out! 

You're going to bed awake now but we still rock you to sleep for naps. This is more for me than you though. I love snuggling you just before you fall asleep. 

You flirt like a rock star! Seriously, women and men flock to you no matter where we are. You smile and smile and smile. Then, just when they show interest in you, you bury your head in my chest and I'm stuck talking to the strangers that you've just reeled in! Shameless. 

Separation Anxiety has started....and it's killing me that it's happening just before I go back to work full time.

Oh and...J Con totally stuck. Sorry kid. 

Your First Christmas Cookie

I love you Baby Connor!