Bend, flex and lean in (Napping with Ava)

Ava will be 23 months in a matter of weeks and as two creeps up on us it is hard to believe we are also approaching 2 years of napping with her. Gasp, I know. Judges going to judge judge judge but I'm going to shake it off (HaHa).  When Ava was first born, up all night crying I used Mason's nap time to get some rest myself.  I would put her on my chest, lay on the couch and somehow rock her to sleep;  it was the only guaranty I would get any rest that day.  Mason almost always would out sleep her and to be honest still does.   I spent most of the past two years napping with Ava frustrated and not relaxing because I couldn't help but think of all the things I could be doing.  I would say that for the better part of 2016 I have completely leaned in.  I have found myself napping with her, reading books, catching up on emails or suffering the net.  I still know that my time would be better spent cooking dinner, cleaning, taking a shower, working out; honestly the list could go on forever. However, come 1pm every afternoon in our household we ALL need a little break and napping with Ava is the only way to truly get that.  The house is quiet, no one is crying or calling out for me and I guess I'm choosing that over letting her cry for two hours.... or all the other trips/tricks we have tried in effort to break this habit.  Recently, she has been giving me 15-20 minutes in her crib with a book during this time.  I have used the time to do quick little tasks or just hang with Mase.  So there, I've come clean to our dirty little secret!  I would have judged you too but honestly the peace that rolls around here at 1:30pm is AMAZING and I'm choosing GRACE over PERFECTION.

Plus, how amazing is all this snuggling!?!?!

Small Victories

We've had a rough week; no one says being a parent is easy, right?  However, even on the toughest of days small victories are made.  This week marks two...take that back three.

1) On Thursday March 12, 2015 Mason peed in his big boy potty!  We have had the potty for sometime now; and although Mason loves to sit on it he has never actually used it.  During bath time on Thursday night he was getting in and out of the bath expressing that he had to potty.  I quickly grabbed his toilet and let him stand over it.  This happened several times with nothing to show for it.  I then told him if he went in the potty he would get two M&Ms....this seemed to do it for him.  He stood over the potty and went.  Now, by no means is he potty trained but baby steps in the right direction.  He went again during bath time the following night so we are on to something here.  Yay Mason!

2) Ava and her sleeping.  I'm almost afraid to blog this but we had one night where she slept from 10pm to 6am and another night that she was asleep by 8pm with an 11:30pm and 6am feeding.  I will take it.  Again baby steps in the the right direction.

Sweet snuggles with my girl

3) And maybe the most important....the weather!  Some warmth and sunshine has hit our neck of the woods and it has brighten our moods greatly.  I have been able to take multiple walks this week and on some days more then one walk a day.  Mason is playing on the (enclosed) back deck and enjoying every second of being outside.  He already smells like a boy.

Our new norm 

Mason pushing Ava on our walk around the block

Cheers to the toughest job in the world and small victories!