Today is Eli's three-month birthday. As I type this, he is upstairs napping in his crib, and Maia and Brian are out running a couple of errands before her naptime.
My goodness, our days and weeks are full! First, I want to congratulate Brian on submitting his first article for publication to a software magazine last week! :) That's what I'd consider a big milestone in his career, and I know it won't be the only time. I know he's not the type to log on here to share his own good news, so I thought I'd do it for him. We continue to treasure his flexibility at work, but we also really value all of these types of opportunities that are coming his way. He's also speaking at a prestigious software conference in January; it'll be his second time presenting there. Brian is still the primary assist parent at Maia's preschool, and it's really vital to our family's well-being that he has the ability to take mornings off, to have coffee and breakfast at Zingerman's with us before work, and to leave work early on days that I have to go off to teach my classes.
I've already started to interview with potential doula clients for as far out as April; there's been no lag in work since I've returned to taking clients again after Eli's birth. I've also been able to raise my fee significantly due to my experience and my DONA certification, which has been nice for our family's bank account. It really feels to me that we've hit our professional stride simultaneously. Brian and I are both getting all of the opportunities and challenges at work that we'd want, but both of our jobs also allow for substantial focused time together as a family of four. We are so very, very lucky.
We're getting back into the routine of having guests over for dinner again and meeting friends out-and-about downtown. Just last night, Brian made a fantastic Bolognese sauce with egg noodles for a college friend of mine and his boyfriend visiting from L.A., and next weekend we'll share dinner with local friends and their six-month-old boy. I love sitting around our dining room table, talking politics and sharing bottles of red wine with good friends--fortunately, Eli's now started sleeping his first stretch of nighttime sleep in a crib, which makes doing this a lot easier than it would be otherwise. :)
I am, however, trying to fit all of this in despite the typical sleep deprivation that parents of infants experience. Eli's sleep is settling somewhat, but our nights are still quite interrupted by nursing sessions. He's growing at such a rapid pace (weighing in at almost 20 pounds by now, I'd guess) that it feels like his little tummy and caloric needs just don't stay satisfied for very long. Also, his behavior really clearly demonstrates the fact that nursing isn't just about nutrition: he smiles and kicks his feet and seems to overflow with delight almost every time he nurses. He's a baby who's clearly thrilled by the bonding experience of it, as well as the food. We're mostly co-sleeping at night, which makes this all much easier; rather than having to drag myself down the hall a few times a night to feed him, he's right there in bed with me, all cozy and warm in the crook of my arm. :) I try to nap with him midday if his naptime matches Maia's, but it doesn't always. The biggest challenge for me has been finding the energy to run outside in preparation for my 5K race in three weeks.
Eli is getting strong enough to almost sit up on his own, and he loves to laugh at Brian in particular. He thinks his Daddy is the funniest person in the world! He's not showing any interest in rolling over yet, but I know that babies of his size can tend to hit some of these physical milestones a bit later--he just needs so much more strength to get the momentum needed to move his big body around. He's talking a lot in his own Eli way, and he clearly understands the turn-taking pattern of conversations (I need to get a video of this--it's awesome). He's started to outgrow most of his clothes in the six-month range, and so we've moved into 9-12 month stuff for the most part. I've recently made a few trips to second-hand stores for stuff for him to wear, because all of the clothes that we had before his birth and as early gifts are completely off for the season we're in. We would have expected his wintertime clothes to be three- and six-month sizes, not twelve. (Sigh.)
So Little E has started to fuss a bit upstairs, and I need to get some stuff organized for some work-related errands I need to run after Brian and Maia come home. A typical weekend in the life of the Family G! :)
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