Another Month Bites the Dust...

My last post was on June 29th... which means it's been a month of no-blogging. Not surprising, I'm sure, to any readers left. (Are there any of you left??)

This month, just like the one before it, has gone by quickly. We're somewhat settling into a better routine here at home. Casey is attending school just three days a week (Tuesday, Wednesday and Friday) while I snuggle with Finlay and try to devote a lot of one-on-one time to him (though I'll admit that I often use these days to catch up on cleaning house, starting projects that will inevitably never be finished, and so on). On Mondays and Thursdays, I try to plan at least one fun out-of-the-house activity for Casey's sake (even if it's sometimes as simple as walking to the playground or having "splash day" in our own yard), and we both make time to sit and relax together in the moments that Finlay demands our (my) attention. I dreaded Mondays and Thursdays for the first few weeks of Finlay's life, simply because I wasn't use to juggling two children at once - and wasn't yet skilled at getting Casey to independently play (instead of getting into trouble) when necessary. (I also wasn't prepared back then for how to react when she'd hit Finlay. Yes, we dealt with a two-year-old hitting a two-week-old once or twice.) But I think that all of us are getting the hang of our new family.

Even Tee Jay has had to adjust, of course. His responsibilities have shifted somewhat (though certainly not lessened!). Before I had Fin, Tee Jay would arrive home around 4:15, relax, play on the computer, and then cook up a delicious dinner while watching his little kitchen TV. Casey and I would arrive home near 6:00 and be ready to eat, play, bathe, and hit the hay. Now when Tee Jay gets home, there is zero "alone time" available to him normally (except for the rare occasion when Fin and I have already headed out to pick up Casey on our own). He sits for about five minutes (usually holding the baby) before driving to NJ to get the girl. They arrive home and eat a meal that I have cooked. So though he's off the hook in the kitchen for the next few months, Tee Jay is still doing an incredible amount of housework (because my "housecleaning" moments on days alone with Finlay are pretty small, despite my feeling of accomplishment) and co-parenting (because two kids are a LOT of work, I tell ya!).

Finlay has been doing great, and we're finally seeing a little bit of "chub" developing on him. I wouldn't say he has rolls yet, but lines are starting to show on his arms and legs and I know those delicious, want-to-gobble-them-up rolls are coming soon. Though he looks completely proportionate to me, each time he's next to another baby near his age, Finlay's head looks so much smaller. He certainly doesn't have the hanging cheeks that Casey had... maybe they're still to come. He usually drinks from a bottle (of pumped milk) once a day so that when I return to work, he'll be a seasoned pro at switching from the breast to the bottle and back again.

I almost don't want to post this, in case it jinxes us in the future, but Fin has not yet hit a colicky phase, which Casey entered into at 6 weeks old (and didn't get out of until 12 weeks). He is more alert during the daytime (we had several smiley staring contests today), but is still a big napper. It makes me nervous that maybe he should be awake more, because I honestly cannot remember what Casey was like at this age, but then I think that he's probably exactly where he should be at this point. In the evenings, Casey is normally asleep (or at least in bed) around 7:30, and I nurse Finlay around 8:00 or 8:30. At that point, he goes down pretty easily into his co-sleeper and snoozes for about 5 to 5 1/2 hours. I nurse him again, and he's up next about 3 hours later. Let me tell you, this is a welcome routine! Casey didn't sleep this soundly until she was WELL over a year old. Granted, I know things are bound to change any day, but I'll take what I can get at this point.

I'll write more soon about our recent trip to RI and NH, as well as Finlay's one month stats (just in time for his two month checkup) as well as our "monthly" photos... which have a different spin from Casey's monthly in-the-glider shots.