These Days

These days, we're trying to keep things as normal as possible even though J is home recovering from his surgery. C has adjusted fairly well to the fact that he can't pick her up and doesn't come upstairs for bedtime.

While we're relatively housebound these days, we decided to give underwear a try... 

She has been doing #2 on the potty since March but has no interest in doing #1 there. I thought underwear might help since she has no problem doing it in a diaper. So far we haven't made it to the potty in time, but she realizes right away that she's making a mess. Baby steps. We're taking lots of baby steps these days.

Our outside time these days is spent on the front steps with chalk and bubbles instead of running around the playground with other kids...

Fortunately, C is quite the artist and doesn't complain about this at all. Yesterday she told me she wanted to make a sun. And she did. It's the first time she has drawn an actual thing. Since you can't save sidewalk chalk and post it on the refrigerator, I snapped a phone picture. She's growing so fast these days.

These days spent at home, all of us often in one room together for most of the day, I've seen such a sweet and loving side of our baby...

Not that she isn't always sweet and loving, because she really is. But watching her take care of daddy has been just heart-melting. She snuggles with him, she helps me bring him his "mice" (ice packs), and frequently checks on his boo-boos. 

Today she felt that she needed some "mice" on her belly too, just like daddy. Her "mice" is actually a harp seal, but who's counting?

And who can resist a cute picture of a baby and her dog? Our poor dog. If he didn't drop in the rankings enough once C was born, he is certainly taking the back burner now that I have both a toddler and a recovering husband to take care of. His basic needs are met, don't worry. I'm just saying it doesn't go far beyond that these days. He is lucky to have C, though. She loves to sit down with him and pet and talk to him. If we didn't watch so closely she would totally share her snacks too, but we can't let that happen. They are buddies for sure.

Yep. These days not a lot is getting done beyond survival. I'm thoroughly exhausted for a variety of reasons, and as a result we're functioning on the bare necessities. Toys remain strewn around from day to day. Laundry sits on the couch, some folded some unfolded. I'll get to it. There's dust. There are crumbs on the floor. I've accidentally kicked a handful of things that went under the couch and they remain there. I didn't clean my bathroom this week. The truth is, these days, if I have time to do that stuff I really just need to rest up for whatever is coming at me next. It is tiring, but we truly are enjoying some extra time together as a family without stressing out about work and house chores. I think in the long run we will look back on these days and be glad for them.