Back to Real Life

Well, after six weeks of Family Medical Leave, Jeff headed back to work today, leaving me alone with Charlotte, Elijah, and Jeremy for the first time since the baby was born.

Sigh.

I can’t believe how the time has flown.  Jeremy turned seven weeks on Friday and already bears little resemblance to the wrinkly, skinny newborn he once was.  He is really filling out, sleeping better, and starting to eat a lot and very regularly!  He has also grown eyelashes and is beginning to have visible eyebrows.  (He was born without either one!)  He has cut his nighttime feedings down to one, and he really doesn’t wake up for those anymore.  Dare I hope that sleeping through the night is around the corner?!

I took my first trip to Walmart this morning by myself with three kids.  Before we arrived, both older ones promised that one or the other would push the stroller while I manned the cart.  This didn’t work out so well.  Elijah crashed the stroller into another lady’s cart when he didn’t look both ways before crossing an aisle.  Charlotte informed me that she had already said SHE didn’t want to push the stroller and that she had wanted me to put Jeremy’s car seat in the cart.  (I have no recollection of this conversation.)

As Charlotte and Elijah’s only reason for happily going to Walmart this morning was to purchase a Slip’n’Slide with their allowance money, neither much cared about the how’s and why’s of the rest of the shopping.  I guess it could have been worse, but we’d better not have another trip like that.  Charlotte and Elijah are way too old for that nonsense!

But now, both are out playing on the Slip’n’Slide, enjoying our ninety-degree, sunny, and humid temperatures, while I squeeze in some writing before Jeremy has to eat again.  All’s well that ends well.

The kids and I made a summer activity chart over breakfast this morning, in hopes of staving off the inevitable “I’m bored!” that happens a week into summer vacation.  The kids only get about 30 minutes of electronic time a day on vacations (it’s only on weekends during the school year), so they will need to find other ways to fill their time. 

We agreed that they would work on their multiplication tables twice a week (OK, I pretty much told them they were doing that), that we would try to do a water activity at least once a week, and that we would make it to the Peoria Zoo at least once before the summer is over.  These, in addition to their regular activities, should give all of us something to look forward to.

Bring on summer!