Saturday, December 22, 2012

Balancing Act

Looking good in a hat
 So now that I'm back at work full time, the tattoo shop Ian's working at is up and running, and derby is back on my radar it's time to figure out how I can (or can't) balance all the stuff in my life I want to do.  That my friends, is proving to be quite the challenge.

Merry Christmas World!
My first full time week back at work was awful.  I forced myself to go into the office Monday through Thursday instead of working from home.  Not only that, but I had something going on every night that week...starting on Sunday with derby...babysitting Monday...derby Tuesday and Wednesday and Thursday...it just got to be too much.  I felt like I was hardly seeing Ian and Rowan...something I did not like one bit.  So instead of going to derby on Thursday, I stayed home so we could have a family night.  It was much needed.  That week I realized that as much as I want to keep doing everything the same, that just wasn't an option. I wasn't so naive to know that I could keep the same pace/schedule/routine once Rowan was born, I just didn't know how it would all evolve and change.

Each week that I've been at work has gotten a little easier.  It helps that I have been taking advantage of my ability to work from home more and more.  Saving the 30 minute commute downtown each morning AND evening is a huge plus.  It enables me to actually work a 630-300 schedule.  I love getting off work early, though being ready to work at 630 is pretty hard.  Thankfully Rowan is usually waking up around 5 or 530 to eat, so he's a pretty effective alarm clock. 

Montana Moose Shirt!
Working from home has its own set of challenges though.  Ian and I have set it up so that I work up stairs and he watches Rowan downstairs.  Problems is I hear what's going on down there.  When Rowan's upset, I want to hold him-not that Ian's not capable of soothing Rowan, but that's what I want to do as his momma.  When Rowan's happy, I want to see what's making him giggle.  (FYI: Rowan thinks the Violent Femmes are HILARIOUS)  I want to listen to his stories and watch him play with his toys.  But...instead I focus on my work and enjoy feeding Rowan.  That's the only care taking job I have during the week when I work from home.  It's not much, but it gives me a little time each day with my little man.  I just substitute the time I'd spend pumping when at the office for time spent nursing.


Sleep boy
When I get off work, whether I worked from home or went into the office, I don't want to do anything but hang out with Rowan.  I want to see him play, read him stories, and listen to his words.  But then there's the evening activities...derby, cooking, laundry, cleaning, and giving myself time to relax too.  So how do I fit all that in between the hours of 3:00 and 8:00?  I don't.  Our laundry piles up...dog hair lives in our carpet...dishes stack up...and I'm OK with that.  Ian's been doing a lot more of the house chores.  I think he knows I want to see my little boy when I'm done with work and not multitask.  But he can only do so much too.  One the days he goes into the shop, he leaves when I get off work at 3:00.

Then there's this whole idea of spending time with Ian.  We still manage to find time together, but it's not as easy.  Some days I really miss Ian and feel like I hardly talk to him.  He's great at giving me space when I work from home, but on the days he goes to the shop we hardly see each other.  I'm in bed by the time he gets back, so it's a few minutes of talking before he leaves.  Thankfully we have at least one night a week and some time on weekends where we can all be together.  

I know we'll continue to work to find our rhythm.  I also know I'll have to let some things change and perhaps fizzle into the background.  I'm still not sure how it's going to look, but we'll figure it out day by day.  Each day we're figuring out a little bit more. Maybe by the time Rowan moves out we'll have it all figured out.

Monday, December 10, 2012

Talk much?

Saturday
Rowan has been talking all the time lately.  He's also discovered he really likes his soft octopus toy...though he gets very frustrated with it sometimes.  We're not quite sure what he wants it to do, but he'll be grabbing at it and then start crying because it's not doing what he wants.  Anyway, tonight he was playing with his octopus and telling him who's the boss in this house.  Had to capture it on camera.  Their conversation lasted for a while too.  Long enough for me to realize he was going to talk for a while, go get the camera, and take two 30 second videos...so I'm not exaggerating much when I say he probably talked to his octopus for about 5 minutes.  We'll see if Mr. Octopus behaves tomorrow when he and Rowan play...


Sunday...and oh so happy!
Also I'm pretty sure he grow overnight this weekend.  I woke up Sunday and I felt like I had a big baby boy in my house.  Thankfully I did snap a picture on Saturday and then another one on Sunday.  Looking at the pictures I don't see a huge difference.  But man...I felt like there was on Sunday.  Maybe it just took me until Sunday to realize that Rowan is 3 months old...and growing more every day.

Saturday, December 8, 2012

3 months

It's hard to believe that Rowan is 3 months old now.  I know we haven't been parents all that long, but I'm already forgetting what life was like as a family of two...and I'm 100% OK with that.

So where to begin with what's been going on with our little man...

Rowan and Gigi (my Nana)
Rowan: He's still amazing.  He smiles all the time and even giggles every now and then.  I was putting him in his car seat the other day to go for a run (his car seat sets in our jogging stroller) and he got the giggles.  I'm not sure if he knew how badly that 'run' was going to go (first attempt at a real run since February was NOT pretty), but something certainly made him giggle.  He also got the giggles when I was singing Jiggle Bells the other day.  Every time I see his smile or hear his laugh my heart just melts a little more.  What's even better is seeing how much joy he brings other people.  He's a pretty special gift that's for sure.
 
Me, my brother, and Rowan in the backwoods of MN

His ulcerated hemangioma is still there, though looking a lot better.  At our last appointment with the dermatologist, she said there was no need to put him in the hospital for the oral medication.  She was surprised at how clean it looked...go us!  We're continuing to follow their 'gentle diaper care' recommendations and it looks like the ulceration is healing.  I'm guessing we'll continue to use washcloths and water for diaper changes while at home, but we may start using wipes while out an about.   So much easier to toss a wipe than to figure out what to do with a wet washcloth when you're traveling or running errands.

Rowan and Nana

We could not ask for better sleep patterns for this little guy.  He seems to like the 9:00 hour for his bed time, and then will sleep until 6...7...or even 8 without waking up.  Naps are still a little hit and miss, but we're figuring out that he likes to wake up, eat, and play for about an hour, then he's ready for a nap.  His naps are still pretty short (30-45 minutes), but we won't complain as long as he still sleeps so well at night.

Rowan did so very well on our trip up to MN for Thanksgiving too.  He slept for 90% of the 9 hour car ride.  We stopped every couple of hours for so he could get changed and eat.  I think Rowan was grateful for the breaks because he tried to make them last as long as possible.  When we stopped, we would change him and then I would nurse.  EVERY TIME I was nursing him, he pooped while eating so we had to change his diaper again.  I think it was his infantile way of protesting being stuck in the car seat for so long.  Both on the way to MN and on the way back he had a screaming fit for about 30 minutes on our last leg of the trip.  We couldn't do anything to make him happy so he just had to cry it out while we were holding his toy in front of him or letting him hold one of our fingers.  But...we all survived and had a wonderful Thanksgiving.  Rowan even got to see his first snow...though I doubt it made much of an impression through the windows of the house.

Soaking up Nana cuddles

He is still growing, but his growth has definitely slowed down.  During the first two months he grew soooooo much!  Considering he started at 6lb 10oz, and was 11lb 4 oz at 2 months...that's a lot of weight to gain in a short time.  We won't have an update on his weight until his 4 month check, but I'm certain he hasn't gained another 4 1/2 pounds.  He's gained a few more rolls on his little body.  My favorites are the ones on his wrists and hands.  He's such a little chubster...I love it!  I'm glad he's slowed down a bit...because frankly, if he had kept up at his same pace, he would have been 50 pounds by his first birthday! (Ok...maybe not that much...but still!).  He was definitely going through a growth spurt earlier this week.  He's still wearing 3 month clothes, though some of them are starting to get a bit small.  
Papa and his grandsons

I have to admit...I've been awful about taking pictures this last month.  With trying to find that 'perfect balance' (more on that later) pictures are one thing that have gone by the wayside.  This month I'm going to try and get better.  I'm just thankful that my mom and sister-in-law were much better at documenting Rowan's first Thanksgiving and trip to Minnesota than me.  So these photos are all courtesy of them.

Yup...3 months old and a stud