Monday, November 4, 2013

three months



I can't believe it has been three months since our little Levi was born. I was going to say that in the past month so much has changed, but really the past week has seen some significant milestones. In the past week Levi has finally ditched that nipple shield, begun sleeping longer stretches at night, and has moved into his big crib in his own room. He has a smile that is infectious, has just begun cuddling and sleeping in our arms (every once in a while), and has really started chattering away. He's finally started to cut those nursing times down too.

He really started to grow - it seems like every day I find a new clothing item to put away for the next baby. He has strong little legs too. He loves to stand on our laps, supporting his weight for as longs as he can until his knees bend, then muster up the strength to try again. He still loves to be outside, loves falling asleep while nursing, and loves his daddy. He smiles when he walks by and tracks him across the room. They have bonded so much during their week days together.

My favorite times with him are in the morning before work. He gets done eating and is in such a happy mood in bed with us. He looks right at us and chats. I also love that first nursing after work too. I finally get to hold him again and he either falls asleep in my arms in the warm afternoon sun, or is so distractible looking all around, he can't quite focus on the food.

We haven't imposed a strict schedule with him. He typically takes an early morning and mid day nap, followed by a longer afternoon nap. Every so often he'll take another evening nap. We let him sleep as much as he wants (which somedays isn't much) because it seems sleep begets sleep. He's been falling asleep awake in his crib or swing now, for which I am so grateful.

He's still as curious as can be with eyes scanning every which way. Now that he's found his voice, it's nice to hear him communicate in ways outside of crys. We're getting to know those little sounds quite well.

At three months I feel like it is time for me to strike a bit more balance in my life. Now that I am getting more sleep, I hope to find the time to jog. I really need to buckle down and work off that last bit of stomach, which includes me getting serious about no longer indulging every craving too. That pregnancy sweet tooth never really went away. I want to focus on our home more, cooking and creating a nice space for us. I hope to dive into work and I'd love to make stronger friendships. I realize that I'm just adding things in instead of taking anything else out, but I want to find a way to live a rich life down here in North Carolina. If nothing else, every day will be a success if I make sure to take advantage of every moment with my son.

Happy three months, Levi. You bring us more joy that you could know!

Saturday, November 2, 2013

inspiration block




Well, it's been two and a half months now that we've been living down here in Chapel Hill. There have been lots of challenges related to moving across country with a new born (he was only 2 weeks old!) but on of the big ones for me has been how it's impacted out new home.

We decided to choose a rental townhouse off craiglist so that we had something set early (the last thing I wanted was to have uncertainty about where we were going to live as my due date approached) and to start looking for a place to purchase once we got familiar with the area. The tricky thing about moving from Chicago or Boston to Chapel Hill is the housing stock is so different. Gone are the old brownstone or triple decker apartments with all their vintage goodness. Hello carpet, electric ranges, low ceilings, and shoddy finishes. We ended up finding a townhouse set in a wooded area with almost all our "must-haves." Three bedrooms (space was important since I'm working from home), laundry, AC, dishwasher and high ceilings. We have plenty of room and a few extra perks (two-stories, access to a pool, etc). There is carpet and the kitchen leaves a lot to be desired, but you can't have it all.

At first I really hated the place. Older white carpet really means grey/beige carpet. They didn't clean the place so it gave me the creeps until I could slowly scrub it down in the hours Levi was asleep (not many of those early on!). However once we were finally able to unpack and get some furniture set up- I realized how well our midcentury/danish inspired pieces fit with the place. I really do love the overall vibe of the space. Also- turns out carpet really works well with a little one.

The biggest challenge though has been been that now that all the boxes are unpacked, some art has been hung on the walls, the furniture arranged, I've done very little else. I've not even considered painting. Our bedroom/office has really just been thrown together. I've lacked the inspiration to make the space our own. I'm bogged down by working and caring for Levi, and since I know we may decide to buy within the year, I keep asking myself if it's worth it.

Yet, up until now creating spaces for our home has been a pretty central part of who I am- it's a pretty significant hobby - and not exploring that creative part of my personality has been a real downer. It's what I do to make a house feel like our home. Now, I feel even if I had the time or energy, I have no ideas.

Over the past few days Levi has been sleeping more at night, which makes me feel like I have a little more space in the evening. I'm hoping to have more energy (when I'm not catching up on work) to putz around a little in the evening and get creative with our space. I loved our home in Boston, and even if we are only here for a year, I'd love to love our home in North Carolina as well. I'm getting there. Slowly.

Welcome!

Welcome!