{Escaped!!!}

Friday afternoon, after a rather trying morning, I escaped the house as soon as Aaron was home with the boys. I did this last Friday too, and it seems that when the week is drawing to a close that mommy goes a bit crazy, and I just have to leave and have a little peace and quiet! Luckily Aaron has been getting home earlier on Friday afternoons this month, so my need-to-escape-right-now-before-I-go-totally-nuts routine has worked out quite well, and I plan on keeping my rendezvous with me, myself and I up for as long as I can!

Funny thing though, as much as I have enjoyed having a bit of time to myself, it doesn't feel as relaxing as I thought it would be. Maybe because I am usually out running errands that are easier done alone...and buying T.P., diapers and shampoo isn't exactly a blast. Or maybe because I have a very short window of time before I have to be home to nurse Eli again and thus have to rush, rush, rush through whatever it is that I'm doing. Whatever the reason, I am always glad to get back home, relaxed or not, and have found that I miss my little guys and my big guy too. Although, I must say that when I've been out and have seen other kiddos throwing a fit, and have looked into the harried expression on their mothers faces, I have been a bit thankful to be party of one walking through the store...because I know what it's like to try to shop with a screaming child, and somehow the fact that I'm not the only one that faces that scenario makes me feel a bit better! ;)

Anyways, well today is Monday, so I have several days left before I can go a bit batty, so let's hope that I make it! Haha! Seriously though, things are going great here in the "hive." Johnathan just adores his little brother, and hasn't really expressed any jealousy issues which I am very thankful for. He just wants to hold him and kiss him all the time, and tells him how much he loves him multiple times daily which is so precious. I let Johnathan help me with Eli as much as I can, and his favorite thing to do is to pat his back after he nurses to try to get him to burp! Johnathan has also been a trooper during our "quarantine" period. We've managed to stay busy at home, and Johnathan and I have become really good buddies. I have really tried to give him extra one-on-one time and loads of extra love to assure him that mommy has enough love to give to him and to Eli. This has translated into him wanting to do everything with me, so aside from my Friday afternoon escapes, all of my outings away from the house have included him. It's fun though, and I enjoy his company and the companionship that it provides. There truly is nothing like the love of a son.

Eli is doing well too...the nighttime is getting easier and he is isn't keeping me up as much as he was before...he even went about 4 hours the other night in between nursing! Truly a miracle! He is awake a lot more during the day now, and loves looking around and especially loves faces...he makes very good eye contact, and I just love looking into his big pretty eyes! He enjoys being in his baby swing, somewhat likes tummy-time and of course most of all likes being held! I "wear" him a lot by putting him in my Baby Bjorn carrier...which, by the way will be getting replaced soon by this totally awesome BabyHawk baby carrier that I ordered...and it's fun to be able to have him right there with me as I go about doing stuff here in the house. Plus, I can play with Johnathan and still have Eli with us, all while having my hands free which has been invaluable!

That's all for now, folks. I'm off to work on the new learning/play area that I've been working on in Johnathan's room. I ordered some cute vintage ABC cards from Etsy that I have displayed on the "learning wall", and I'm working on a counting board, and also a felt board for him to play with the colored felt shapes that I have started making. Once all is done I am going to begin our homeschooling early, with a time each day to focus on learning in a fun way. I am very excited about this since Johnathan has really been a little sponge lately, picking up so much learning all on his own. I can't wait to see what he does when I try even more diligently to teach him!

Adios, amigos!

La Madre Loca,
*Grace*