Adjusting to Summer

This time last year, Avery was just about three months old and we were finally starting to hit a semblance of a routine as she discovered the difference between night and day and CP and I felt somewhat human again. I knew that I had two more months home before I returned home to work and looked forward to taking it easy and continuing to discover what exactly the whole parenting gig involved (poop....so much poop!).

The beginning of this summer has looked quittttte different. I want to preface the rest of this post by saying that in so many ways, I am extremely fortunate- we have a healthy, happy baby who is the light of our lives. Avery continues to make every single day count and I'm more than excited to spend lots of time with her this summer. To that end, the last two weeks have been a major adjustment for the both of us! Both of our routines normally consist of heading to daycare/work at 8am and spending the day with others before we see each other again around 5pm. Since school has let out, though, I've been experimenting with the stay at home mom gig and it has been different. I'm certainly not complaining about it....just simply being honest.

I've always been confused by the phrase "I don't know how you do it, ____________ - stay at home with your child(ren), work a full time job while raising kids, have seven kids, run ultra marathons, travel all week for work. Like most things in life, when there's a will there's a way and hopefully personal happiness and health aren't put on the back burner in the process. I have the will to make this summer fun with Avery during the weeks that we're home together and now I'm finding the way. Admittedly, it has been more difficult than I envisioned but we're getting there.  :)

Many parent-teachers will probably agree that the exhaustion at the end of the school year runs a close second behind having a newborn child. Instead of waking up and being pretty lazy and then also indulging in a looooong afternoon nap, I'm more or less on all day and trying to figure out how to keep Avery entertained and happy. It finally dawned on me that Avery probably misses her daycare buddies (they are quite the crew!) as well as her caretakers there, too. Fortunately she's going to spend some weeks with them this summer and in the meantime we're finding entertaining ways to fill our days. My friend Sarah who is a SAHM also speaks teacher language and told me to take each day like I would at school- break it into little chunks and fill those with different activities instead of having the day end up as one big blur of chasing down a toddler. You guys, I've been teaching for seven years and this did not even occur to me to try with my own child! Granted, we DO leave the house (I promise!) and do lots of different things, but breaking it down into a written (loose) schedule gets both of our days started off on the right foot. 

SO- the summer adventures continue! On the weeks I'm home with Aves, you'll find us on long walks with Sloan, perusing the aisles of Target, walking laps at the mall on the barn burner days, going to the pool, pulling every single piece of tupperware onto the kitchen floor to organize it, and snuggling- lots and lots of snuggling! To my stay at home mama friends out there- I know how you do it. You pour your heart into every single day and I love you for it!

Here's to the rest of the Summer 2016! Oh- and to lots of homemade cocktails with ingredients from our garden at the end of the extra long days.

PS. At Avery's 15 month checkup appointment last week, she confirmed that she continues to be OFF the charts in her height....and not close behind in her weight. You do you, girl!!