How Can You Not?

Here are some "how-can-you-nots" (um, yeah, I think I made that phrase up...):

How Can you Not....

• Love babies! They are so sweet and cute (listen to me, am I a new mother or what?)...but seriously, they are! I love being in this baby stage in my life. I can completely understand why people (especially women) keep wanting and having babies. I understand now why my mother always told me to have more babies. "Have more babies, Amanda. I always wished I'd had a third." I don't know how many times I have heard that from her...even on her deathbed. Having two children has made so much in her life more relavent to me and Matt and I have decided to let nature take it's course and not go back to any birth control when my cycle returns. Arlo is only 3 months and I am already thinking about another baby! A dear, dear friend just announced her third pregnancy and I am so excited for her. I can learn from her so much...as I did watching her with her first two. (Love you, T!)...okay, small time-out while I stop to find our baby backpack....which leads me to the next one....

• WEAR YOUR BABY! One question sums it all up.....how would you get anything done if you didn't wear your baby? I am not even mentioning the incredibly bonding that happens while you wear your baby...I could go on all day.

• Love reading to your child! I read to Sam three different times today totalling about an hour and a half of reading. He loved it and I had a great time.
  
• Watch American Idol and like it just a little bit! I have become very interested in the pop culture of American Idol and really enjoy the singing (most of it anyway)...a good guilty pleasure.
• Have a drink after the day I've had? What a day! A very challenging day...I think I totalled about 2 hours of my enitre day so far without wearing a child...and at one time I was wearing both! A strange fog has settled over Sam and he is so needy lately....Arlo as well, so that leaves me with a sore back, and some great bonding time with my kids.
• Nurse your baby. I have been enjoying my nursing time with Arlo. I can sit down and rock in chair, look at his eyes and his sweet smile when we're done. I love the security he seems to feel while all snuggled in next to me. I still love it despite my drastic dietary changes!

What are your "how-can-you-nots"?

Where to Begin?

Where do I begin? It seems that over the last few weeks I have thought of a thousand things I wanted to write about and yet, I have found little time to sit and write....here's why:

• We are out every morning doing something that requires us to leave the house by 9:15 a.m. and we frequently don't return until noon, at the earliest...
• Monday: 9:30 a.m.~Mom's walking group
• Tuesday: 10:00 a.m.~AP playgroup
• Wednesday: 9:30 a.m.~YMCA gym workout
• Thursday: Our only free day and I usually plan to do something with a friend or a grocery store!
• Friday: 9:30 a.m.~YMCA gym workout

• Tuesdays and Thursdays I have started a babysitting trade with my friend Stacy. This leaves me with Tuesday afternoons without Sam and Thursday afternoons with an extra 2 year old!
• I have started preparing for my seasonal Farmers market job as the CSA (Community Supported Agriculture)Coordinator position. A CSA program is very interesting...for those of you who aren't familiar with it check out this link .
• Sam has become so incredibly needy in the last few days. He is asking to nurse (I have let him and he essentially kisses my breast and then asks, "Where did the milk go?", so he's forgotten how to nurse and I am thankful for that, but felt it was important to honor his desire to try again), wanting hugs and cuddles numerous times throughout the day, generally feeling a bit jealous of Arlo. I am pretty sure his recent behavior is due to a delayed adjustment to having a baby brother. Tonight was the first night in 5 days I have eaten dinner without a child on my lap.
• As soon as I get Sam interested in something, Arlo needs me. I am not complaining at all...actually, I have really enjoyed giving to my boys...I feel so lucky to have the time to do it and I know how important it is to honor their needs.
• The weather has become quite nice here and there is suddenly a large amount of yard work to be done!

And why do I keep myself so busy? I am still mourning the loss of my mother in an extreme way. Keeping busy helps me deal with the myriad of emotions I am experiencing everyday. Next week I will meet with a grief counselor and I hope that I will find comfort in my meeting with her. Iris is her name. How pretty.