Catch Up

I feel like I need to do a catch up post since I haven't been blogging much! We are doing great and adjusting well to our new normal as a family of 5.

Alaina is 8 weeks old today and sleeping GREAT. I mean, it's almost crazy how well she has been sleeping lately. I nurse her between 8:30-9 and she falls asleep. I put her to bed, and she sleeps solid until 6AM when I wake her up to feed her because I feel like she really needs to eat. Ha! I'm totally not bragging about this AT ALL, because I haven't done a thing to get her to sleep through the night. I nurse her on demand during the day, and she just apparently loves her sleep :) I also realize that this probably won't last forever. I know there will be growth spurts and probably some regression on the sleep front, but I'm SURE enjoying it while it lasts! Alaina also naps really well in her bed. When I was pregnant, I prayed that Alaina would be a good sleeper, and so far she definitely is! Thank you, Lord!

Jude is growing and learning new things everyday! I can't believe he'll be TWO in July! He is starting to talk more and more. He says lots of words, and he'll put two words together sometimes. (Example: Do you want Mama to pick you up? Jude: No! Daddy!) A lot of his words sound alike, so you have to guess about what he's saying. Bird and bug, Daddy and Doggie, Milk and More are just a few examples of things that sound very similar when he says them. He isn't talking as much as Aubrey was at this age, but she was/is an especially verbal child, so I try not to compare them. I think he's saying plenty of words to be in the "normal" range for his age. He is SO independent right now. He wants to do everything, and I mean everything, himself. If he can't do something himself, it leads to a major meltdown. He's such a sweet baby, but he has definitely started throwing some major temper tantrums lately. He is really affectionate and has a blast playing with Aubrey. They get along really well most of the time. He still loves Alaina and calls her "Baby."  :)

Aubrey is my little helper! She really is a big help to me, and I'm so proud of the way she tries to help me take care of her brother and sister. When David took her to a birthday party last weekend and I was at home with Jude and Alaina, I thought it would be easier getting ready with just two kids. But it really wasn't. It made me realize how much Aubrey does actually help me keep Jude occupied while I'm getting us all ready. If he leaves the room while I'm nursing, I get Aubrey to go follow him and tell me what he's doing. If Alaina is crying, Aubrey goes and sings to her. It is just the SWEETEST thing. Sometimes when Alaina is screaming and Jude is whining and Aubrey is singing, I want to pull my hair out, but I love that Aubrey tries to comfort Alaina. Aubrey is going to be starting a 2 day a week homeschool supplementation school in the fall, and I'm SO excited for her. I think she's really going to enjoy it, but it's kind of bittersweet. I know I'm going to miss having my sweet girl with me all the time. I have to be honest and admit that there are days when the thought of just having two kids a couple of days a week is pretty appealing, but I've just loved having her home full time her whole life. I don't have any regrets for keeping her home this year! And I feel really good about our decision to send her to this school and homeschool the other three days. I have high hopes that it's going to be a really good fit for our family. I can't wait to watch Aubrey learn and discover new things everyday :)

I rejoined the gym today, and I'm really glad to be exercising again. I'm SO ready to loose the rest of my baby weight. I started the Couch to 5K program, and I've done it before, but I'm determined to actually complete it this time :) Honestly, I don't care a bit about running a 5K. As a matter of fact, I HATE running, and I've accepted the fact that I'm just not a runner. My goal is only to get back to my pre-pregnancy weight, tone up, and be more healthy. I really want to go to some exercise classes at the gym, but I feel like I need to work out on my own a little bit first so that I don't pass out during the warm-up time. Ha! :)

We are currently getting estimates to have our deck refinished, and I'm so excited to get that project done. We haven't done anything to our deck since we moved here over 2 years ago, and it's looking pretty rough. We have been spending a lot of time out there, so it will be exciting to get it spruced up :)

So there are some highlights about what's going on in our world right now. I'm hoping to start taking more pictures... I've done awful lately, and I hate it when I don't take a lot of pictures of the kids. Especially Alaina, because she is changing so much everyday. Speaking of pictures of Alaina, I just realized that I never posted her newborn pictures, so I will do that soon!