in a groove

I'm about to tell you guys a secret. But you have to promise not to tell anyone, especially not my children.

My daily life ...

is starting to feel ...

easy.

I know. I know! I have no business saying something like that out loud. I'm tempting the wrath from high atop the thing. These things have a half life, you know.

When I was pregnant with Silas, I used to say all the time, I can't wait for next Christmas. By Christmas, Silas will be 6 months old, we'll be over the transition, we'll be in a routine, he'll be sleeping, and life will be fun again.

Ha.

Just after Christmas, actually, is when it all fell apart. Part of that was my mindset - I expected chaos in the first six months, waking up with a newborn, helping Asher adjust. I did not expect a seven month old who still screamed all day long, a nine month old who still did not sleep through the night. After Christmas logic left the building for a while. It was not pretty.

But look at us now - Silas has his own little plate at mealtimes, and eats from it with almost no help from me. He's finally eating enough to sleep through the night (thank you, protein!). We seem to be through allergy season (i.e., ear infection season), and have enough of a handle on his diet not to be struggling with food allergies every day. At bedtime, we put him in his bed and he GOES TO SLEEP, all on his own. And in between meals and naps, he claps along to music, grins at his daddy, waves at the baby in the mirror, looks for his dog when asked, and follows behind his brother like it's his job (it kind of is).

We've had three weeks of uninterrupted sleep, an entire week of simultaneous naps, and today - for the first time in well over a year - I kind of got ... bored. I kept thinking, what does one DO while both children are asleep, anyway? I've had time to talk to friends about something besides the newest round of antibiotics, I've had time to stare in amazement at our little tomato buds, I've had time to prepare for Bible study. I've had TIME. To do - whatever.

This is me, breathing a sigh of relief. It took us most of a year, but it looks as though we may finally - finally - have a routine in this little house.

Thanks be to God, Benadryl, and black-eyed peas. Amen.