The Start of Fall

6 Months. We have a 6 month old baby. That's half a year!

His newest tricks include sitting up all by himself, turning himself in circles on his belly and laughing like crazy at pretty much everything. I am so grateful to have a happy, healthy baby. His smile just kills me. It makes my heart feel bigger than I ever knew it could be. I forget how I could ever be upset at him or anything (the sleep-deprived grad school full time worker in me quickly remembers however). I just want to show him off to everyone in the world.

Grad school is going. Two classes right now which is a lot of work but I'm making it through.

Work is going well. We got to go to the Boston Children's Museum last week. It was really cool. I don't think I've ever been before. It was awesome that they had a room especially for kids under three. That meant there were things for both the boys AND Izzie to play with. I wish we had more time (or I had another set of hands) because there were so many cool things I saw that we didn't get to do. I'll definitely make another trip as soon as I can.

It snowed today. Yes. Snowed. It is October. I am not ready for the cold weather at all. I have forgotten how to dress for the cold. I have forgotten winter. It's time to remember how to bundle bundle bundle. Both myself and the kids!



Family Portrait at my Dad's house in CT

Declan and Grandpa

Declan and Gramby

Countdown... 2 days!

So I knew I would be a terrible blogger. I'm terrible at updating. But who has time when there is baby time, work time, grad school time, and wedding planning time getting in the way of blogging time? Anyway... so the wedding is less than 48 hours away!!! I can't wait. Some of Logan's family is already up which is very exciting because I am finally getting to see all the wonderful people I have heard so much about for the last year. On top of that I am getting to show off our 4 month old wonder.

4 month old.

crazy.

He is getting so big (over 15 lbs) and being able to do so much. He has learned that there are reactions to touching things (like when you grab mommy's sunglasses and throw them on the floor... they break) and he has learned to roll over. He talks and smiles and is starting to laugh. All of this warms my heart, even when he decides to start this behavior at 5am. We went swimming in a pool at Mel's for the first time. It was pretty great. Mel helped me wrangle all three little ones and we went for a dip. Declan seemed to enjoy himself. While he wasn't quite up to Leo's huge splashes in his face, he seemed to enjoy the water. Though I'm not quite sure he was ready for leaving the water and not being so warm anymore.

So now that we're getting down to the wire, I should get things ready to leave my little guy for 6 days. Which I can't imagine doing. I can totally imagine sitting in the sun and reading all day. But the reality of not seeing his smile for so long is starting to hit me. I guess the beach will keep me strong.

Am I Crazy?

What is wrong with me? Today was my official first day of nannying for a 7 month old, a 2 1/2 year old and Declan (3 1/2 months). I am so tired. It was crazy. I still remember all those good reasons as to why I chose to do this. I get to be with Declan, I get paid for watching him rather than paying someone else to watch him. I appreciate him so much more with crazy kids around, and I know that it will be different when the school year starts. Just... for today... I am completely overwhelmed.

They Say It's Your Birthday!

Today Logan turned 26. He's turning into a pretty old man. Just kidding...

We spent the day sleeping in (until 8... thanks D man), going to birthday breakfast at the Village Cafe, getting coffee (of course), and BBQing with some friends and family that came by. Thanks to everyone that took some time out in their day to have some burgers with us. I'm so happy that it was nice out so we could just spend the day with the sunshine in our faces. Except for a little run-in with the neighbors over parking spots (what would a holiday be without my family causing a bit of a ruckus?) it was a pretty perfect day.

The apartment is clean and the carnival starts tomorrow. Now to find a babysitter so Logan and I can go on the rides...

Exhausted.

I didn't know I could ever be so tired. The thing is... I have pulled a million all nighters, worked hard, studied hard, and played hard. All of these things have driven me to pure exhaustion at one point or another. Being a mom though? It doesn't stop. Ever. I don't get to just take a few days off and relax because my few days off... are with Declan.

Now don't get me wrong. I love him. I would do anything for him. It is just a whole new definition to the word tired.

10 hours of sleep???

Last night. Declan slept. For 10 hours.

I couldn't believe it! I was in shock this morning when I woke up at 7:45 and heard nothing coming from his room. He was STILL asleep. I woke up BEFORE him. I don't want to say this too many times and have it never happen again, but I am just so happy. Of course he didn't go to bed until 10:30, but who cares when he then slept for 10 hours? And on top of that... he is taking a very nice nap right now. Is he turning into a more scheduled, dare I say more normal, baby? I think this whole cereal thing is going to work very nicely.

And I finally got a micro SD card for my phone so I can put pics online from it which pretty much just makes me the happiest!

Can Anything Ever Get Done???

We are getting pretty tired around here. This means that nothing ever gets done because as soon as Declan decides he'll be fine for awhile or wants to go to sleep it automatically makes Logan and I so thankful for a moment of peace that we usually go and bury our heads in a pillow or our noses in a book. Because of this our apartment is still a mess and there are still wedding things to do. I know that everything will pull itself together, but sometimes it feels as though all we are doing is treading water and not getting anywhere. Hopefully after the wedding this feeling will let up a bit.

After the wedding Logan and I are going to be taking our honeymoon. Our first trip anywhere outside of our parents' houses together. I'm not sure if I mentioned this before (and forgive me for repeating myself... it seems as though baby brain doesn't go away with labor) but we are headed to an all-inclusive resort in Cancun, Mexico. I am very excited but am also pretty nervous about being so far away from Declan. He will be in the care of Dan, Logan's mom and my mom. I know that he will be taken care of and given lots of love, but I have to just be able to let myself enjoy where I am and not worry about him. It's probably a good thing that there isn't free wi-fi or else I would just spend the whole time making Dan put Declan on the video chat.

Oh well, at least Declan is sleeping in his own crib, the house is quiet and I can have a minute to breathe. I am thankful for all that I have.

Starting Out

As always I will start this out by saying how awful I am at keeping up blogs. I do however love to read them and keep up with other people's lives, and I feel as though I must return the favor. Things here are crazy and hectic as always. Who knew that being a newlywed, a new parent, recently moving, planning a wedding, being in grad school, and working would be so hard? I guess it's good that my dad instilled a good work ethic into me. Wait... was that instilled... or pounded? Anyway... things here are good. Declan is growing like a weed and smiling more and more every day. Those smiles are pretty much what keep me going. We spent the 4th of July weekend in Rhode Island and then a couple of nights at my mom's house. Unfortunately Logan was unable to come because he had to work, but I'm sure he enjoyed the quiet house (at least a little bit). When at my mom's house, I had a run in with a beach umbrella but came out of it with all teeth in tact which I am very grateful for.

I guess that since we've gotten to the three month mark already I should do a little recap...

Newborn- 4/2/09


First Easter


About 2 months or so

Declan and Daddy at 3 months

So now we're just figureing out life as a new family. Things get easier and easier every day.