fitting in

As my little baby quickly transforms into a little boy, we're finding ways to fit him in alongside our daily routines in a much different way than we used to. We rarely used our high chair anyway, so giving that away was simple. After about six months in our apartment, we finally found a decently sized wooden card table to use as our dining room table. Odin loves sitting in his own chair with his own plate, silverware, and cup. He's now drinking out of a regular cup with few spills, which makes me a pretty proud mumma. 

Another recent addition has been his little art desk set up alongside mine. I've been wanting to set one up for him for months and am so glad to have finally found the time. With a little inspiration from his mumma every twenty minutes or so, we're actually able to sit in the studio together and I've been able to get small projects or bits of bigger projects done. Not to mention, miniature things are adorable and having his own studio space melts my heart.

a day for firsts

First hot chocolate from the Bean and first big pile of Fall leaves. Evening trips into town in the Fall have always been my favorite. This hustle of Connecticut Preppies has come to a complete halt and the cobblestones are littered with crunchy leaves. The Bean has my favorite hot chocolate on island (they make their own whipped cream!) and while Z and I shared a coffee, we treated O to his very first "warm" chocolate. Half of it was fed to the ground but he seemed to enjoy the other half (more so after Z went inside to get him a straw).

The Lily Ponds are one of my favorite places in the world. I met Zak there for the very first time as he shared some malt liquor with me from inside a guitar case. I love coming to this spot and thinking about that day. It's funny to think that our beautiful boy is playing in the same spot that we met. Climbing trees, throwing sticks, rolling around in leaves, and all those other boy firsts. Years ago, I never would have imagined life like this.

field time and playing with the big kids

It's so strange for me to see Odin run around the field wildly and play alongside his young aunties, keeping up with them the entire time.   I can't believe he's grown so quickly (and is continuing to do so) and that he's quickly developing his own personality. Toddlerhood has been quite the ride already and no one ever warned me that raising a toddler was not for the faint-hearted. The emotional ups and downs are already reaching extreme on some days and I know it'll only grow more challenging. Sometimes, I feel as if I fall under the category of faint-hearted. I try very hard to maintain my calm and react to a wooden block being thrown at my head or stepping on a pile of squished blueberries in a gentle way. Some days it is much much harder than others, but generally I feel I do well. 

With the challenges comes even more love. Like my friend Angelica from Thunderclouds of Love said-  if I stare at him for too long, it's like staring into the sun, I'll go blind by how perfect he is. Every little thing he does makes my heart skip a beat. The way he whispers "wooww" when he sees something beautiful. The way he looks up at me and flashes me the biggest smile paired with a loud giggle. The way he kisses his baby doll, blue kitty, and stuffed bunny. The way he wraps his arms around my neck when he just needs a quick cuddle. The way he squeals with excitement when he sees our cat and the way he drops down on his hands and knees to give her a kiss. He's so gentle and kind hearted. More times than I can count throughout the day, I find myself in awe of how beautiful he is. With the trials of parenthood comes the most profound love. Nothing has ever compared and I'm so fortunate to have had Odin choose me as his mumma.

A Busy Week: an update

My friend from college, Hadar, visited earlier this week (which explains all the gorgeous photos lately). He left on wednesday, which was also the first day I watched the little baby Nora. I've taken on another little one to play during my "Dancey Pants Daycare." She's only three months old and ten pounds, so I'm thoroughly enjoying having Odin newborn flashbacks (he was born ten pounds). I'll be watching her Monday through Wednesday, which will be exciting but also stressful. I'm trying to save up all the cash we can so that I can travel this winter without worry. I thought for sure that agreeing to watch such a little babe would calm me ridiculously strong baby urges, but no. I've only watched her twice and if anything my "I-want-a-baby" feelings have been amplified. Oops! We'll see how watching a newborn and two toddlers goes, I'm a little nervous honestly!

Odin's starting to become particularly exuberant, which is adorable but also terrifying. He's embracing his toddlerhood whole-heartedly. He spends his days making funny noises, kissing and hugging a tad bit too hard, and learning new tricks like walking on tip-toes and spinning in circles.

For some reason, he's also decided that this week would be the week that we switch from two naps to one, which has been a little difficult. Any advice, help, or experiences you could share would be greatly appreciated! He is tired and a little cranky at the usual time (10 am) but after nursing for about 15 minutes, will spring back up giggling and jumping around. We'll do this little dance on and off for the following two hours and he'll usually give in around noon. Oy. I really enjoyed my two two-hour naps a day...

Zak did work with the bees. They're doing a little too well! We now have 3 hives. One which is very strong, one which was the swarm that Zak so masterfully captured, and the third is an experimental hive. OH! And we adopted some baby chickens! I'm so excited about these little cuties.. I'll post better photos of them soon. Odin's very gentle with them and loves standing next to his papa when he checks on them.

I've also been cooking more, which is exciting. The idea of becoming so domestic is a little terrifying for my wild heart, but we're coming to terms with it. I made a variety of pizzas this week as well as banana crumb muffins and a new favorite- black bean, red pepper, onion, and sweet potato burritos with cilantro and lime. I thank Pinterest for that last one.

So, that's about it. A little update for you all! Again, and nap-time advice would be greatly appreciated. :)

growth spurts

I hate growth spurts. This past week, Odin has been an absolute mess, wanting to be held constantly and whining at my ankles when he isn't. If I try to hand him off to someone else, he immediately cries and shouts "ma maaaa," in a way that makes me feel ridiculously guilty. I'm tired. I thought he may be sick at first but today, both Zak and I noticed him being obviously bigger. I remember the first growth spurt and how I woke up one morning looking down at my sleeping week or two old laying beside me and realizing that he had grown in the night. They grow so much during that first year. He's still hitting milestones and growth spurts and other things that change his behavior temporarily, but nowhere near as often as during that first year. 

These were some of the few peaceful moments this week, I'm thankful for little Paloma who always seems to be very good at distracting him, even if only for a very short while. He's recently started mimicking us to a T and paying more attention to the things he does. He's always been the destroyer of block towers and this week, he finally started helping me build them! I love little milestones like these. <3