Will is 16 weeks old

Will is almost four months old, which is crazy because he was just born. I love the weird little milestones like now he can sit on our lap at the restaurant and look around. So much easier. Also, yesterday Cohen was pretending his water tasted bad, and had Will laughing hysterically. Jon and I basically both started crying because it was the coolest moment ever. Also, I busted the crotch in TWO pairs of stretchy jeans. I may have jumped the gun on switching out of the maternity jeans. 

(This was right before we dismantled Will's cradle. He is growing so fast!!) 

(This is a really good look at my normal life right now. Holding a baby, trying to get Cohen and myself ready for daily life)

(love a baby in overalls. Also, that face)

- Will's sleep is kinda all over the place right now. He is still sleeping beside me in the basket bassinet, but he is pretty much touching the ends. He wakes up maybe three times per night and at least once he is wide awake and chatty. I'm not sure if I'm ready for him to be in his own room yet-we will see. 

- We are still exclusively breastfeeding and he is taking a bottle of my pumped milk when I am at work. I am doing ten hours at work this week- I am taking my return to work super slowly. I feel really lucky I can do that.

- Will gets super frustrated these days because he seems to want to crawl when we put him on he floor. He also loses it when he can't get a toy to go in his mouth. He loves chewing on his fingers too.

The rest of our holidays

When we got home to NB on Boxing day, we had planned to dive right into our usual Christmas stuff with my sister and brother and my niece and nephew. And then we each got so sick. It started with my sister, then my niece, then my brother, then my dad, and then me. It was bad. Vomiting, etc. IT knocked each one of us out for two full days. So the rest of the holiday was spent just doing the best we could, hanging out, and relaxing a lot. 

(my brother turned 29 on the 28th) 

(we got through one huge puzzle. This is a tradition whenever we all get together) 

(these cousins. Graycie is pretty much obsessed with Will) 

(the attempt to get that cousin pyjama pic) 

 (I mean. The sweetest)

(we did one sleepover night at Nan and Gramps) 

(these two could not be more different. They get along better and better as they get older)

Being super sick over the holidays was not awesome, but it did force me to slow down. We did not do much at all. I even had to cancel our New Years party because I was throwing up. Jon and I are looking at 2018 as a year to slow down, stay home more, travel smaller (like maybe just Moncton and PEI a few times), and just hang out with family and friends. No huge purchases, no big decisions. 2017 was crazy for us, so we could use a quiet year. 

Our Christmas on the island

This was our third or fourth Christmas spent on PEI, where Jon's parents live. We have always tried to split our holiday break (2012, 2013) between our two families, and we feel like we have finally figured out how to do it. It helps that we now live 4 minutes from my parents and 4 hours from Jon's parents. We ended up spending four nights in PEI, in an Airbnb in downtown Charlottetown. Jon's mom lives 6 minutes from where we stayed, and his dad is only maybe 20 minutes away. 

(our set-up at the Airbnb) 

(we drove to PEI after work on the Friday, and had to stop MANY times. Cohen loved it) 

 (this little guy was not loving his carseat. we pulled over frequently so Jon and I could pass him back and forth. I ended up between the two boys for most of the trip.)

 (Cohen liked helping his Grandma with her cooking)

(Jon's cousin brought us these amazing chocolates. So good)

(chilling in the Airbnb)

(family selfie Christmas morning. Santa found us in the Airbnb) 

 (Cohen playing with a Christmas gift)

(this was us at all the gas stations)

Even though we were only in PEI for four nights, we ended up getting into a little routine. We would get up, have a little coffee and breakfast at the apartment, then head to Jon's mother's for the day. We would have lunch there, hang out, then head back to our place in the late afternoon. Jon's mom would bring supper to our apartment so we could all eat and hang out after the boys went to bed. We loved having our own place in Charlottetown, because it meant we could entertain a bit and hang out in the evenings. We ended up having Jon's family over for multiple meals, and also a few friends and extended family also. I am all about the Airbnb vacation these days. 

Will is 12 weeks old

So in love with this little guy. These weeks have flown by, I think partly because the weeks leading up to Christmas always go kind of fast. 

- He weighs over 14 lbs now. He feels really heavy to me. He is super strong, and rolls over every time we do tummy time now.

- He is so chatty!! He loves to make bubbles and babble with us.

- He is pretty much sleeping through the night. Most nights we get a long stretch of sleep from 11-5 or 6, which feels great to me. I feel pretty rested now, which is everything. He sleeps in his little bassinet beside my side of the bed. I'm hoping to get some kind of nap schedule happening during the day pretty soon. It's just lots of tiny catnaps right now.

- After many, many attempts, Will is finally taking a bottle. I'm hoping it's not a fluke. I am working 5 hours a week now, and have been feeding him in the parking lot, but the bottle thing will mean I don't have to do that. He is with my mom when I am working, which I think they are both loving.

- I still find it pretty hard to get much done during the day. I always try to treat myself (haha) to a shower, and I try to have supper made. After hanging out with Cohen, the rest is still hit or miss. The things that have been saving me lately: my Instant Pot, and online grocery shopping. I have been using the Instant Pot pretty much every day to either make soup for lunches or to cook veggies for supper. So easy. And the online grocery shopping is new in our town. I know lots of places have had it for years, and I am so happy we have it now too. I order a bunch of stuff online, then go pick it up, and they put it in my trunk for me. So I don't have to bundle the boys up to schlep them into the store. LOVE. It's $3, but worth at least $10 to me. I now wish all stores had this option.

On the weekend

Sometimes I feel like everyone else is super busy, while our little family is always laying low, relaxing. I love keeping our schedule pretty free so we can be a little spontaneous on the weekends. 

(This seems like maybe a little too much lego for a four-year-old? Is there such thing as too much lego? He loves it so much and plays with these guys all the time) 

(My boys. Cohen has started requesting I go get my phone so I can take a picture sometimes. This was one of those times. I always oblige.) 

(We went to the kids Christmas party at my mom's work. Cohen was in heaven with the cake, treats, crafts, and Santa showing up) 

(These two are twins. Will is getting really strong) 

(We end every night with a nice deep conversation between Will and I. He is super chatty around 10 pm every night) 

Our weekends have started with Saturday morning swimming lessons for Cohen for a while. He had his last one until after Christmas this past weekend. He went down the big slide all by himself, which was pretty awesome for a little guy who refused to go in the pool at all until recently. I got called in to work on Saturday, then I tested out my brand new Instant Pot when we had my parents over for supper. I am in love with the Instant Pot. Can't wait to do beans in it.

We took a super long family walk on Sunday morning, which I feel is the absolute best thing for a Sunday morning. We went to the Christmas party later at a nearby church. Cohen was super shocked when Santa showed up as we were singing Jingle Bells. He is all in on the magic of Christmas.