our neck of the woods (at almost 12 weeks)

Hola!  It's been awhile, and I typically don't know what to write when I haven't written for awhile.  So.  I'll tell you that I am "sleep training" Jack right now.  This very moment.  He will be 12 weeks on Monday.  He is a BIG baby.  At one point about four weeks ago, I was sure the child had/was going to sleep train himself because apart from the usual stirring, he didn't wake up to eat at all.  And well, he doesn't wake up in the middle of the night to eat... hasn't for a long time.  BUT, something changed and he wakes up needing his pacifier - several times a night.

The second I stick that paci in, he's out cold.  Every.single.time.  So, basically, I am letting him learn to fall asleep without the paci.  I know I could also go upstairs, flip him on his tummy and he'd be out in three minutes.  But I guess that whole sleeping on the back thing is a rule I am unwilling to break.  Not that I think he'd suffocate, but more that if something DID happen, I would be so upset at myself for breaking the dang rules.  So there... Jack is on his back, going on 40 minutes of crying.  Getting angrier by the moment.

I LOVE newborns.  I LOVE this sweet stage that isn't going to last.  My heart leaps when that sweet child smiles at me.  He is so generous with his smiles.  He loves to talk.  It's amazing his delight at mommy and daddy and his big brothers. (Although he seems a tiny bit unsure about Sam sometimes.) I love Jack.

I do not love the first two to four months of newborn life.  Transitioning from 2-3 is by far my easiest transition yet.  By far.  Jack has also been the easiest child to nurse.  He's quick (like less than 8 minutes), he doesn't have spit up or gas (I remember Sam getting really fussy during/after I nursed him).  On top of that, I am not intimidated to go places, not overly concerned about schedules or letting other people watch my kids, etc.  But stilllllll.  Newborn haze.  No sleep.  Hormones...

So that's why I've been MIA.  For grins, I figured that I would share a little day in the life... at least how it's been for the past month.  It will change.

Usually, everyone is up around 7, and I wake Jack up to eat around 7 or 7:30.  (I'd like to say that I wake up before the boys, but usually I am up in the middle of the night, so for this season they are waking us up - not my preference.) Then it's breakfast and getting dressed, cleaning while the big boys make messes till 10, and I feed him again.  (By the way, my older two seem to be "hungry" all day long... I feel like they want to eat constantly.)  We then immediately leave for whatever morning activity sounds best (typically that would be going to the pool, which we had done almost everyday for two weeks until Henry got swimmer's ear this past week).  Back home by 12:30, lunch, feed Jack around 1 or 1:30.  Sam takes a nap (if I am not too lazy to put him down), Jack sleeps.  This is the time where I entertain Henry or, if I am exhausted, I let him play alone or with my phone for 45 min while I sleep, or on a good day he helps me with chores, which he loves to do. 2PM till Matt gets home around 5:30 is the longest part of the day. Matt will take Henry and Sam to run or play tennis or swim right after work a lot of days if I haven't finished (or started) making dinner... I feed Jack at 4, and 7 and then again at 10, although the pediatrician told me that he is big enough to drop that last feeding... Between 4 and 8PM (boys bedtime), we are usually cooking dinner, eating dinner, cleaning, giving baths, etc.  And I am wiped by the time the big boys' bedtime rolls around.  Somehow I still manage to stay up too late every night getting "me" time.

That's that.  I'm pretty sure in all my years of blogging/babies, I have never posted a "day in the life" post because I figured that nobody else really cares.  But now I am sort of over the posting about what I think other people care about... so there it is.  Must be the whole turning 30 thing.

Below are some pics I took with the camera Matt got me for my bday!

Fourth of July neighborhood parade. I spy Erika.

Playing in mommy and daddy's bed

Henry and superman.

if only I could let him sleep on his tummy all night...

he has some adoring big brothers!

I love this little chunker.

Crying it out update... Jack cried for 50 minutes... I finally picked him up and got him down without his paci.  Then he woke up 5 minutes later, cried (angry cry) for 15 more minutes, and then I picked him up again, got him back to sleep and he is out cold.  Woo hoo.