Stories of Now: Time Flies

It's been a busy couple of weeks and Lily has changed so much recently. She is holding her head up quite a bit more, sleeping better, smiling and talking and in so many ways moving from fragile little infant to active little baby. I started back to work on May 2nd and the transition has been taxing at times but also a little easier than I expected. I really enjoy being back at work and in that environment. I've always known that I could not be a stay at home mom and both times that I've been home on maternity leave have proven that while I enjoy my time with you girls I thrive with the challenge of balancing everything outside of the house with things at the house. I'm also extremely proud of the example that I am setting for you girls of how to create a balance between work and family. Certainly there are times where one ends up losing out to the other and I feel like I have missed things but I also know that we wouldn't have the lifestyle we have without the sacrifices I make for work and I wouldn't be as successful at work without having made some sacrifices at home so in the end I feel I have managed to strike a relatively successful balance between the two. It may not work for everyone but it seems to be working for us. I feel that the time that I am away from you guys makes me more aware of the little things when I am with you and I try to carve out time to just focus on being mom and not worry about things around the house (which is why I just finished folding laundry at 11pm).

This weekend the weather was cold and rainy so we were stuck inside all weekend which is never fun, however, it has given me some extra time with Lily and I am amazed at what a different baby she is from Julie. One of the most striking differences to me is her attention to her environment. In her car seat we have a small bee that dangles in front of her and I can often look in the mirror to see her tracking the bee's movements with her eyes. At home she is starting to enjoy spending time in her swing and will grab at toys while swinging and spend time watching the lights that are on the top bar of the swing which is amusing to me because Julie never cared about toys dangling on her car seat or the lights on the swing.

Lily's sleep habits are also a stark contrast to Julie who needed a nuk to fall asleep and often wanted a nuk to just be calm and happy. Lily on the other hand usually falls asleep without a nuk, although she does sometimes suck on her hand or fingers. Recently Lily has started to sleep on her side and moves quite a bit while falling asleep and asleep. One shared attribute is the ability to fall asleep anywhere, in any position as demonstrated by the next picture which was taken a couple of weeks ago on Sunday morning when Lily fell asleep in Steve's lap while looking at the paper.