Friday, February 27, 2015

10 Months

Budding outdoorsman just like his brothers

This post is super late in that Noah will be 11 months old in just a few short days but better late than never, right?

I usually try to jot a few notes down throughout the month on my Notes application on my iPhone. I'm really happy I've continued to do this. With the other boys I was more sporadic in recording updates and didn't do too many with N at all.

Here are my notes on Noah at 10 months:

- Nurses 2x/day - morning and at night just before I go to bed I'll get him out of the crib and nurse him while he is half asleep. I love the cuddle time and his sweet smell. Each night I marvel at how big he is getting.
- Crawling! Everywhere.. and at lightning speed.
- Pulling himself to standing - in his crib too.
- Eating nearly everything. He can take manageable bites off of larger foods now and I don't have to worry as much about him choking.
- Started protesting naps or fussing in a big way when he doesn't get what he wants
- Loves baths and splashes non-stop
- Started expressing some shyness around strangers


Sunday, February 1, 2015

February (Return to Monthly Goals)

Fearless
Over the past year I've tended to focus on the baby in this space. It is a really odd feeling having 3 kids at completely different and equally awesome and challenging stages. I love that it always feels like we're celebrating someone's milestone or latest accomplishment. Yesterday my biggest boy spent most of the afternoon building a ramp for snowboarding and tobogganing in the backyard. I watched out the window as he hesitated at the top with his board and then finally decided to go for it and he did it..flawlessly on the first try. I couldn't help myself, I opened the door and yelled out "Woohoo! You did it! That was so awesome!". It was so crazy watching my 6 year old do something I probably couldn't pull off and something that took guts. I haven't actually felt that overwhelmed with joy in a long time. It was such a good feeling.  

Last month I really felt motivated to get things done with my 2015 goals fresh in mind. I haven't done a monthly goals post in a very long time but I love how doing them makes me feel more accountable. Here is what I accomplished related to my 2015 goals in January: 

Marriage

- We had two couples over for dinner (we all went to university together). The group went tobogganing with the big boys while I prepped dinner at home with the baby and then we got to spend some quality adult time once the boys were in bed. It was a ton of fun and we realized that rather than getting together with friends separately always that we should try to get together with a few at a time every once in a while. Maybe even push the envelope and bring friends together that don't know each other very well! 
- I made an effort to show more appreciation and tried to be more positive in general. It feels really easy to vent about things to a partner. I don't think I have been doing a very good job of balancing the negative with the positive so it is something I'm trying to work on.

Getting back to myself

- I started reading chapter books with B at night. We began Charlotte's Web. 
- I made plans with my three best girlfriends. I booked a vacation day mid-week in February to spend with one who will be back from Edmonton.  I started planning a long weekend girls trip for this Fall with another that has been about 6 years overdue since I've either been pregnant, nursing, or didn't have the money..and I got together for a coffee on my lunch hour with another that I hadn't seen in about 6 months. 
- I got my eyebrows waxed and bought some new clothes. I ended up returning a pair of pants that didn't quite fit perfectly after trying them on a few times at home. I felt really good about my decision to return them since I ended up saving $50 and probably wouldn't have worn them too often. I also made a list of the gaps in my wardrobe so I could be more purposeful in my spending in that area over the next year.

Health 

- I booked a half day off of work for next month and scheduled several medical appointments for that morning. 
- I made a point of eating more and reminding myself to stop what I was doing. Usually I'd think to myself.. yeah I should really eat and then I'd focus on getting the boys something to eat and then get sidetracked and end up getting back into whatever I was doing and before I knew it a number of hours had passed and I never actually did eat or get that drink. I think just forcing myself to stop what I was doing led to me actually eating more.

Home

- I loosely followed the 52-Week challenge and tackled kitchen cleaning and organization this month. I rearranged stuff to more logical locations in the kitchen, created a dedicated pantry cupboard, and also stocked up on groceries. 
- I went through every last corner of our basement and did a huge purge. I gave some books away to friends who I thought would be interested and investigated where I could get rid of things like my wedding dress or old electronics for a good cause. I have a few piles of things that still need to be taken and dropped off at various places but it was a huge undertaking and I feel really good about all I got done.
- I took my maternity clothes and some baby clothes to the consignment store as well as posted a bunch of baby gear on Kijiji. 

Debt

- We created a new budget for 2015 taking into consideration all of the things we'd like to do this year that have financial implications (post to come!). 
- I tracked all of our spending this month and R and I went over it so we got a clear picture of where we were going over and could make adjustments accordingly. 
- I got a President's Choice Financial Master Card since I only ever shop at participating stores for our household and grocery purchases so I figured I might as well be reaping the rewards points. I also started using the PC Plus program and gained some significant rewards just for grocery shopping as usual. 

February Goals

Marriage

- Get dressed on weekends! I'm embarrassed to say that most weekends I stay in my pyjamas doing housework and cooking before showering later on in the day and putting on some clean..pyjamas or sweat pants. It's bad because I always stress about someone showing up at the door and though I don't feel like I should have to always be put together, even just running a brush through my hair and putting on some clothes takes all of a couple of minutes in the morning before I go downstairs and should be a priority. 
- Go on a date. My birthday is this month so it is the perfect excuse.  

Getting back to myself

- Hang out with one of my best gals (at least twice) while she is back from Edmonton. 
- Compete in a skating competition(!). My team skates in a competition this month. My personal goal is to go out there and do my best and have a clean skate. It has been half a lifetime since I was actually in a competition.  

Health

- Book my annual physical appointment (which hasn't been so annual lately)
- Find a new naturopath and book an appointment. My goal with this is to have some updated food allergy testing so I don't have to stress or worry over eating certain foods. 
- Make time for a bath at least once/week. 

Home

- Keep on following the 52-Week Challenge - recipes, garbage/recycling, coupons, meal planning/grocery shopping
- Finish purging the baby stuff.
- Give the basement a good clean. We set up a TV area in the basement that the big boys regularly use now. Eliminating the dust would go a long way in helping their allergies.

Debt

- Continue tracking all expenses.
- Have a budget "meeting" once/week.