And, we have goals. {Update! I'm keeping them!}

We have goals this week! {UPDATED! 5 and 6 month posts are UP!}

My little (teething, perpetually hungry, standing, cruising on furniture, trying to jump from piece to piece of furniture) BABY will be 8 months old in TWO DAYS!

{WHAT?!}

...and I havent posted a monthly update since 2 months.

{Yikes.}

Because, you know, sitting, with a laptop and a memory card sticking out of it while there are children around....

Well, I am gun shy about it.

Why? Because my darling daughter pulled it out once and then it took a few hours for the card to be able to be read again and yeah.

{Many tears were shed in the meantime.}

So, thanks to my daughter and an unfortunate incident with a value sized jar of Vick's VapoRub that should have lasted us roughly ten years (spoiler alert - it lasted two days) I finally got to take a Mommy "business" night out of the house and upload photos! Huzzah!

So.

Today. Three Months and Four Months.

Tuesday. Five Months and Six Months

Wednesday. Seven Months {UP! 10/9}

Thursday. EIGHT MONTHS. On time! The day after it happens!

Those are the goals.

I hope to deliver, and you can watch my little man grow in front of your very eyes.

Much like the last eight months have seemed to me.

Very, very fast.



Evelyn Rae is two years old, Liam is seven months old

...and I think I may start scheduling a regular "Mommy Business Night." It was hella therapeutic.

Idea Girl

If I were a super hero, I think this would be my identity...

{via}

Idea Girl!

Here she comes with more creative projects than she has time! To Do lists that will never be fully accomplished! Wildly ambitious and passionate, she has ideas for everything! Improve! Make it work!

But watch out for that follow through. Or lack thereof.

I tend to get a little, um, stuck once I have a vision in place of how I want things to look or unfold. In the midst of a project I can be totally flexible and go with the flow (because hey! that didn't work? Dont worry! I have another IDEAAAAAAA), but I don't like to let my overall ideas go.

I don't know if that makes sense.

But, it's how I am and it drives my otherwise loving husband absolutely nuts-o.

He is very much the tunnel visioned type who can walk into Target for the one thing that he came for and walk out 5 minutes later with that one thing, and didn't even notice they sold other things.

Whereas I am all about ALL THE THINGS.

"Let's just browse a bit. OMG LOOK AT ALL THE THINGS. "

For example, I have been working on Evelyn's Big Girl Room for almost a year now, y'all. Almost a year. Yes, home projects and designs are continually evolving, blahbity blah. But, I just finished (last night) one of the projects that I knew I wanted in there when I started this whole shebang.

But, it wasn't vital so it kept getting pushed aside for other things, because NEW IDEAS! ALL THE TIME!

{This is why Pinterest is the best and worst thing to ever happen to me. And the rest of the internet using world. You know.}

In any case, usually I keep a pretty good balance between knew ideas and accomplishing those same ideas. BUT, after Liam was born, everything kind of ground to a halt for a while.

I take that back, the accomplishing ground to a halt for a while.

But the ideas? The ideas kept right on coming. Time marches on, yadda yadda yadda.

Thankfully, I am sort of out of ideas? I have a couple of projects that I am ready to pull the trigger on still, but those ideas that have just kept getting moved from one to do list to another are pretty much all accomplished.

WHAT? Who am I? Where am I?

{Which is where I have been while I have been taking my, um, hiatus from this here space that I love oh so dearly. You know and that whole running after two kids thing. Holy crap is it different than one.}

But that's life, right?

Don't worry. I have tons of ideas about balancing all this stuff going forward.

{ha. see what I did there?}


Evelyn Rae is two years old, Liam is seven, almost eight months old

...and I am not even a little kidding when I say that right now as I write this two kids are crying, a dog is barking and there are dishes to be done. Back later. The best laid plans...

Welcome to Crazytown.

Both my kids are teething.

BOTH kids.

Low grade fevers, snotty, whiny, sad babies in pain. Waking up in the middle of the night. One baby wanting nothing but to be nursed all day and the other trying to push him out of the way to crawl on my lap.

At the same time.

I am so le tired.

And yet - and this is how I know I have crossed the bridge into Crazytown, USA - it is sometimes in the most chaotic and babies crying and snuggling and snot covered moments...That I feel most sure that I want more babies.

Is that weird? Some kind of weird immersion psychological syndrome that I am experiencing?

No? Yes? Who knows.

I am so tired. And exhausted.

And I want more.


Not right now.

{God, please, not right now.}


But eventually.



Evelyn Rae is a big , bad, two year old growing some molars, and Liam is seven whole months old growing some tiny, shiny top front teeth (I think).

...and we will try this whole blogging thing again next week.

Seven Months

My Growing (way too fast for this Momma to keep up) Boy,

Well, here we are again. Another month gone by. And you are SEVEN months old. I don't know exactly why, but this just seems so...grown.

Perhaps it is all the mobility that you continue to amaze me with these days. You have gone from standing up against something for a few moments - if we placed you there - to pulling up all on your own! I am still so surprised every time I leave you alone for a second and come back to see you standing. 

You have continued your push up crawl, though you mix it in with a traditional crawl these days as well. It seems that you favor whatever you feel will get you to your intended destination the fastest. You are moving mainly toward things to climb upon, which has made for more than one spill and tumble this month, that is for sure. The other day, you pulled a twelve pack of water over while trying to stand up on it, causing the cans inside to roll all over the floor and around you. Total time I turned my back? About ten seconds, you little mischief maker. I am still not used to you being so quick!

You still love your bouncer and are showing much more interest in toys these days overall. You have always liked them, but thankfully haven't had too many favorites as your sister likes to show you how to better play with the toys that you do gravitate towards. Now you are showing more and more interest in her toys and we have to make sure to keep everything very separate since you want to put all of her play food right in your little mouth...much like the cookie she thought you would enjoy for this month's photo shoot.

 Overall you are enjoying a bunch of real foods too! We still gave you a few purees at the beginning of the month if you got frustrated at meal times, but overall you are rocking out with solid foods. You are a much, much messier eater than I remember your sister being, but I also got to let her be naked most of the time, so that may have had something to do with it.

Now that you have to get to go with me for preschool drop off and pick up every Tuesday and Thursday, we all get dressed right away - at least twice a week. We've only done it twice now, but it is definitely a little harder getting out the door than Mommy anticipated.

You are growing like a weed, thanks to all that food, but you are still a string bean. You have been filling out clothes a little better and becoming more "dense" (as your Daddy likes to say), but you are still a skinny baby. Alas, it appears that I may never get to have babies with those juicy chunky thigh rolls...if you and your sister are any indication. Your feet, however, are definitely taking after your Brawford middle name. They are getting longer and longer by the day!

You are becoming more and more independent these days, especially with all of your newfound rocking and rolling. We have been hanging at the park quite a bit and you love the swings. I love your happy giggling self when you feel that rush of wind on your face. You have started to lean out of my arms more and more, seemingly saying, "Ok Mom, let me explore a bit." Which makes me crazy proud, and crazy heartbroken all at the same time. Bittersweet.

Thankfully, for a little while longer, you seem to be most content close to and hanging out with Mommy, though Daddy is coming in at a close second these days, which I know he is excited about. I know the time is coming that needing to carry you about and hold you all the live long day is only going to be here for another short eye blink, just don't make it too fast, okay?

I love you to the moon and back.

All my love,

Momma


Evelyn Rae is two years old, Liam is seven months old

...and I hope I can keep him in the frame for the rest of this series.

A little ahead of myself.

So, remember how I said that this was going to be my 500th post?

Well, turns out I am a too busy to look at the details, barely glancing at the fine print, kinda gal. 'Cause...it's not.

It's my like 483rd post or something.

The 499 was including all my unpublished drafts, yadda yadda yadda. Turns out I was all stricken with anxiety over my big 500th post ideas for naught.

And, thus ends your moment of Courtney stupidity for the day.

What this means instead is that I can post a whole lot more before worrying about that fun post and that I have more time to figure out how the heck I want to comemorate it.

I am a big celebrator of milestones.

It sort of drives my husband crazy.

{Remind me to tell you about the time that we had been dating for six months and was totally crushed that he thought nothing of it. He later tried to logic his way out of it because "anni = annual = yearly, not half a yearly." Sadly, he still did not win that discussion because it was being had with a 16 year old girl, to whom six months is a BIG FREAKING DEAL.}

ANYWAYZ.

Moving on.

I am super behind on my monthly posts for my darling little man, so those are all coming your way, as well as some plans that I have been working on behind the scenes for this here space, and all those home projects you have been hearing about for years on end and have never been shared (hello Evelyn's big girl room), and you know, whatever else pops into my not-so-little head.

I can say this will all be coming at you with confidence because FRIENDS.

FRIENDS.

Do you know what is great about school?

It helps you achieve NORMALCY and a SCHEDULE.

AND OMG I LOVE IT SO MUCH.

{this definitely merits all caps}

I have alone time with both of my babies scheduled into my week now and all of a sudden there is BALANCE IN MAH LIFE.

...and, that's all I've got this morning.

BBL.


Evelyn Rae is two years old, my darling, bouncing baby boy is SEVEN MONTHS OLD TODAY, WTH

...and yeah. A SEVEN MONTH OLD.

First Day

Today, I dropped my little girl off at her very first first day of school.

Preschool, that is.

I had butterflies in my stomach and wasn't sure how I would manage maneuvering a toddler, baby and the huge bag of required supplies down the itsy bitsy corridors of our adorable school, let alone the butterflies due to watching my girl face her first big, step out into the world moment.

I wanted to be calm and cool for her though, so I faked it a bit. I held her hand and as we walked toward the door, she pointed at other little ones on their way in, exclaiming "Fwiends!" 

Little by little my faking lessened. 

She took a tumble outside on the sidewalk and scraped her knee. As she frowned a bit and asked me to pick her up...

{sure kiddo, I'll carry you and your brother and this huge bag o'stuff and hopefully not take out any of the other tiny humans running everywhere}

...I thought, "Uh oh - that's it, now she is going to lose it and all this careful build up of excitement is going to come crashing down around me."

But as we approached that sweet little classroom door, she started straining her neck to see what all the commotion was about.

And as we walked through the door, well, that was it.

She was hooked. 

"Down, Mommy" she said quietly in my ear. 

And I obliged. 

I watched her meet her teacher and walk right over to a table with puzzles and books.

She looked at another little girl sitting there and said, "Hi, I Evie." 

I saw my little baby walk right up to another child in her class and introduce herself. 

No prompting, no hand holding, there she was. 

Making her way in the world.

I quietly watched her from the corner as I unpacked the school supplies and put them in the specified containers. She was happily playing and engaging already. Smiling at the teachers and other kids. 

I debated whether or not to even say goodbye. Would I ruin it if she knew I was leaving?

In the end, I couldn't stand to not say something, so I made my way to her, gave her a hug and a kiss and told her to have fun. She kissed me back and turned to play, without a second glance.

I was so amazed and awed by her confidence and how proud I was of her, but I didn't cry. 

Neither of us did.

And so, just like that, here we go.

Evelyn Rae is two years old, Liam is almost seven months old

...and y'all. This is post 499 on this little blog, which has left me with a severe case of writer's block and anxiety over the last week on what the heck to do for post *500*. I'll think of something. 'Till then.

Parenthood

It is currently 12:41 am.

I am writing this in my warm, cozy bed. My husband snoring softly next to me.

(I mean softly in the most manly way possible, that is. Right.)

See, every night, Liam wakes up around midnight for what I like to call a "top-off" feeding. Sometimes a little sooner, but generally somewhere between 11:40 and 12:05.

(When you haven't slept a full night in six months, you get pretty precise about this shizz.)

But tonight?

He hasn't.

Still, I don't sleep.

At 12:05, I was surprised that he had yet to wake.

I'll give it five more minutes, I thought. Then, then I am going to sleep.

But five minutes came and went. And then five more.

And here we are.

Because, I know, I KNOW, that the second I snuggle down and doze off...right in that place between dreaming and awake...

(Where Julia Roberts Tinkerbell will always love Robin Williams Peter)

...that is when he will want his top off.

And waking up then is so much worse than just staying awake for a little extra time and playing on the interwebs.

(Holy all things boy band - did you see the NSYNC reunion moment this evening?!?)

So, here I sit.

In bed.

Tired, ready for sleep, and waiting.

I'm giving it five more minutes.


Evelyn Rae is two years old, Liam is six months old

...and this, this is parenthood.