Tuesday, August 5, 2014

Two summers

This summer has been the exact opposite of last summer.

This is a glimpse into last summer:
- Holding my newborn.  Most of the day.
- Trying to figure out how to nurse my bobble headed daughter
- Napping as much as I could because... well... you'd want to nap frequently too if you felt you'd been hit by a truck every morning.
- Taking an occasional walk down our street but they would be short because baby carriers are hot in the summer and it can be brutal on the back after awhile.
- Deciding between eating lunch or showering during her 30 minute naps
- Greeting my husband in the same pajamas he saw me in that morning and most likely, still didn't have brushed teeth.  Yes. I know. Gross.
- Went grocery shopping in the evening by myself, most likely still wearing my pajamas.

This summer is much more the painted picture my mind imagined before Selah was even born regarding what it would be like to be a stay-at-home mommy.  This summer has been so fun already and it seems inconceivable that in just 12 months, my life has changed that drastically.  But it has.  Selah has gone from a helpless newborn to a smart, active toddler, in just 12 short months.

A glimpse into this summer:
- She sleeps so much better now, praise the Lord!  I think we have finally hit a solid, good stride in the sleep department.  I still take a nap from time to time when she does because ... well... again... chasing an active toddler around all day is a tiring job.
- We laugh, play, read books, take walks in her big girl wagon, we go to the park, we have playdates, she splashes in her kiddie pool, she studies Baby Einstein, she walks around the house carrying her babydoll, ball, dish towels, shoes, remote controls, and pillows.  It's all so incredibly adorable.
- More often that not, I greet my husband in regular clothes, not pajamas, and with brushed teeth.  Maybe brushed hair.  But probably not.
- I can take her grocery shopping and she's usually content hanging out in the cart as long as I bring some snacks for her to munch on.
- I can get household chores done.  Last summer, I could barely get anything done but I eventually learned to let go of that ambitious goal.
- She'll "read" menus at restaurants or "read" her Dr. Seuss Foot Book and that is also incredibly cute.
- Every room she plays in looks as though a tornado went through it.  But I don't mind :-)
- We have weekly mommy/daughter Panera dates where we share a bagel (it's good for both of us to have a change of scenery!) and she charms every person that walks by with her adorable, happy smile and twinkling eyes.  

It's quite peculiar how much change occurs in the first 12 months.  She has learned to entertain herself for periods of time and I have learned how to better multi-task because of her progression.  I feel the two of us girls have finally hit our sweet spot.  For the time being anyway. 


Trust me, we still have our fair share of hard days when she is overly fussy, whiny, bored, cranky or discontent.  These are the days when she chooses to hang on my legs while I slowly shuffle through the kitchen attempting to get dinner started.  But that's expected.  It's still tiring and hard but at least the positive days highly outweigh the crummy days.

Loving life with my girl!  Selah Grace, you bring us such joy!


Her piggytails aged her another year!

What a goofball (wonder where she got that from?)

We love summer

First taste of chocolate

Mommy and Selah bagel date

The VERY FIRST TIME she fell asleep in her crib while playing AND while daddy was hammering downstairs.

Exploring at the DuPage Children's Museum

This girl LOVES mama's hats

Close enough

Saying hi to daddy during his first week of travel

Post bath when she gets really wound up!

2 comments:

  1. aww this is how I remember last summer being with Jake as well! The summer before was definitely much different and harder and last summer was exactly what you said (with the occasional fussy moments as well :) and honestly I feel like this summer is even more fun with Jake, too! It keeps getting better. And your little Selah is SOOO cute. Love the updates and pictures! Miss you!

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  2. She's so cute. I really like her orange and white outfit in the chocolate picture. And yes- her pigtails really age her. Haha. However, I think my very favorite is the bath time pic. =)

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