Bowdenisms: Newborn-ings

It seems like every few months, I get the urge to document all the "-ings", so here's the latest on what we're up to...this time with a newborn in the mix.

Making: progress on cleaning up our house. If you watched our last house tour, you saw the secret hoarding lair (the basement), but we actually had another den of messes out in the garage. I don't have before pictures to show off the transformation, but Dustin managed to organize everything enough to get TWO cars in the garage. It's basically a miracle.

Cooking: nothing! Well...almost nothing anyway. We've been so blessed to have people dropping off meals for us over the last few weeks. Meal planning is just about my least favorite task ever, so to not have to think about that while we get settled has been AWE-some!

Drinking: water out of my gigantic hospital cup (because I'm practical) with a splash of lime juice (because I'm fancy).

Wanting: the next 4.5 weeks to go sloooooooowly. I know, I know, I'm trying not to worry about it, but I'm just loving this time with my squishy little guy, and I know time will go even faster once I'm back at work.

Reading: mostly Instagram captions and Facebook statuses. Nursing gives me a ton of time to sit, but for some reason I've never been able to concentrate well enough to read anything of much substance. I catch up on blogs and articles, but reading a real live book just isn't happening right now.

Looking: tired. (maybe because I am!) I need to figure out some sort of skin care routine, but beauty products are so not my thing. It all seems overwhelming, so I just stick with a simple moisturizer and basic concealer. I'm not getting any younger though, so it's probably time to finally act like a grown up and take care of my skin.

Playing: bass. Well, Dustin is anyway. Somehow he ended up as the only bass player at church so he has a weekly standing gig now. He's loves serving in general, but especially loves the worship team, so that's been extra fun. Because he goes in early though, it means I have to get all the kids to church on my own, so that's been a bit of a challenge, but I figure it's good practice for when I go back to work and we actually have to be out the door on time everyday.

Wasting: time before I go to bed. I know, I know, I should sleep with the baby sleeps. The trouble is, his longest stretch of sleep starts around 9pm (sometimes, anyway...we don't really have a predictable schedule yet). I wish I could take advantage and get more than 2-3 consecutive hours, but it's nearly impossible for me to go to bed that early. So I turn in around 10 (if I'm really good) or 11 (not as good). Similar story when it comes to naptime. When he dozes off, I find myself scrambling to get a least a few things done, and then kicking myself when I realize how tired I am, but now it's time for him to eat again. I'm really trying to get better at shoving the to-do list aside, and prioritizing sleep first, but for a type-A girl like myself it's a challenge not to just run myself into the ground.

Wishing: all pumpkin foods were available all year round. Guess I'll just have to eat them all right now.

Enjoying: the weather. September as a whole was delightful. We've gone outside as much as possible, taking walks, setting up the bounce house, visiting playgrounds, grilling out...just extending Summer as long as we can. I am trying not to mourn too hard, but I'm really not looking forward to Winter. At all.

Waiting: for Miller to give us honest to goodness smiles. He's grinning from time to time, but it's still not 100% clear if he's doing it on purpose. I'm excited for him to get a little more interactive (until then I'm defining his personality as "snuggly" which is really just fine with me).

Liking: hanging out with our next door neighbors. We've gotten to be great friends with the couple next door, and we were thrilled that they had a baby (their first) just a few weeks before us. We've hopped over the fence to spend time together bouncing fussy babies and trading we're-so-tired stories. And while both of us ladies are on maternity leave, we've been taking walks around the neighborhood a few times a week with the babies. It's been so fun to be able to encourage and relate to each other as we go through similar stages, and we've loved being a part of their lives as their family grows.

Wondering: how we're going to manage when I go back to work. I'm not too worried...after all, we've figured it out twice before, but it will be an adjustment. Three kids hasn't rocked me quite like two kids did, but the days can seem like a hamster wheel, just trying to keep up with the endless, and monotonous tasks, only to get up in the morning and do it all again. I know it's going to be even tougher when we have to pack all of those things into just evenings and weekends.

Loving: getting ready for Halloween. I'm a little embarrassed to admit how many costumes I've bought...but you know, it's sort of my thing. Poor little Miller might be stuffed in a themed outfit every day for the rest of the month. But to be honest, I'm not even a little bit sorry.

Hoping: I can get my act together to plan Piper's birthday party. It's less than a month away now, so I should probably start doing some of those ideas I've been pinning.

Marveling: at how fast the kids are growing: Miller's chunky body, Piper's long legs, and Fin's expanding vocabulary. On one hand I want time to slow down so I can savor who they are in this moment, but I'm also so excited for the stages they're entering. It's all just so good.
Needing: an extra set of hands. And SO much more patience. (or maybe fewer, more obedient, kids?)

Smelling: Miller's sweet little baby head. There's a limited time to enjoy that so I'm enjoying every second of that signature baby scent.

Wearing: anything that fits. I know it's still early, so I'm trying not to be too hard on myself. Most of my regular clothes technically fit (not bragging) but it's my shape that has changed, so I'm still feeling squishy and frumpy. Plus, nursing makes a lot of my wardrobe impractical, so getting dressed isn't exactly fun. I'm not excited to say goodbye to Summer, but I'm looking forward to cooler weather so I can wear more layers and button downs (practical and flattering). But I don't want to hide in clothes just because I'm not feeling confident, so I'm also trying to start exercising so I can look and feel better.

Following: advice of people wiser than me. Or at least trying to. I'm lucky to have a community of young mom friends, but I find myself continually looking for women a few steps ahead of me in life. Teach me your ways, wise women!

Noticing: how much of an extrovert I am. I love having this time off to get in a rhythm with our new family but I find I have to make sure to arrange time get out of the house and interact with (grown up) people or I'll go nuts. I've been trying to strike a balance each day of downtime (naps) and a planned activity- like a play date, lunch, or church group. Anything less and I feel drained from the repetition of baby care. Anything more and I get wiped out from doing too much and crave simple cuddle time.

Knowing: that marrying Dustin was pretty much the smartest thing I ever did. I didn't know exactly what I was getting into back then, but somehow he's turned out to be an even better partner than I could have imagined. Plus he can make waffles with one hand, while rocking a baby to sleep with the other. #likeaboss

Thinking: that I get just a little better at this baby thing each time. It's a shame I couldn't just skip to the third one without all the insecure theatrics I went through the first time around.

Bookmarking: more quilt ideas. For someday...

Opening: lots of mail. We're so grateful for all the cards and gifts from sweet friends.

Giggling: at Fin's antics. She is a handful for sure, but she makes it impossible to be mad for long because she's so dang cute. She's constantly in trouble, typically for kicking her sister (we actually had to move her carseat to the back row of the van for a few days to try to teach her a lesson...) or for being wild at dinner. But her sweet smile, and goofy giggle tend to keep us from holding it against her. She is always quick with a snuggle or with the irresistible request, "Daaaaddy...I need sumpin'!...Pwease?" so she knows the way to our hearts.

Feeling: really lucky. And happy. And tired. But mostly happy.