Little Steps.

The sixteenth of this month will mark the One Month Till Paul Is Home Day. I am incredibly excited for that, and was actually going to wait until then to post something on here, but I've had such an AWFUL last few days, that I was inspired to come on here and tell you how great things have been going. Make sense?

We really have had a wonderful few weeks here. Things have finally fell into the groove that I had been waiting for for two months. We each fell into rhythm with one another, and life was flowing smoothly. There were fits, and tears, and full-out tantrums, but life was flowing smoothly. Life IS flowing smoothly. It's been a joy to be here, with the sun out and the snow gone and breeze warm. I hit a wall last night, yes, and we had an incredibly pathetic and sad scene playing itself out on the couch (picture me crying with my head in my hands, while the children each cry as they try and fight for space in my lap). But I have a babysitter tonight, and things are looking up again. I really can't complain.

Eli is crawling now, which adds a whole other element to my day. It had gotten to a point where doors in the hallways and cupboards in the kitchen no longer needed to be bolted shut because Alex had just gotten accustomed to not getting into much (although, when she gets tired, you better bolt everything down... because she just goes from one thing to another until you put her to bed). But now, it's back to closed doors and child-locked cupboards. Eli gets into everything, but it's so fun. I was worried about him getting mobile, but it's not been too hard. Alex is such a great big sister (and I say that in all seriousness...)... she keeps an eye out for him. Gets him toys he's trying to get to. Comforts him with little pats on the head and "It okkkaaaayyyy"'s when he gets frustrated. She shares her toys, he shares them back. They share food (which has me restricting all SORTS of snacks right now. Nothing is given to Alex when she is on the move unless I want the baby eating it too). I really enjoy just sitting back and watching them interact. It makes my uterus hurt in big ways, wanting to expand my family as much as I can so I can see them love on each other like this.

I've also changed our diet. I was cringing at the foods I feeding myself and the kids for a while, but not doing much about it because... those foods that are bad for us? They are really easy. And Easy is so great right now. But after hearing some facts and seeing some shows and doing some research, I couldn't knowingly give my kids that type of food anymore. I went and stocked up on fresh and frozen veggies and meat, and for just over 2 weeks, we've not been through the drive-thru, and we've eaten very little processed foods.. and those that we have eaten, are usually organic and not so bad for you. It's been great. It's been both harder than I expected and easier than I expected in different aspects. It's hard not getting a quick lunch or dinner when I am exhausted. But it's nice to be able to sit back and know that what my kids are eating (or throwing, depending on the day) is good. And I've had so many leftovers recently, that I haven't needed the fallback of a quick meal. I've been freezing meals for the first time in my life. Making homemade salad dressings, homemade bread. It's been great. I think this is a change that is going to stick. I just hope Paul is ready for it when he gets home. :)