On this beautiful day!

The weather has me in a great mood! I don't think you can get much better than Florida at this time of year! It's just so clear and pleasant, we keep the windows open during the day, and my friends and I enjoy lunches outside! I wish it could feel like this year round. Things have been great lately for me. I decided to take a leave of absence from work since Nate has been in and out of town so much. It's just too hard to hold down a job and be a mommy with your husband always on the go! The change has taken a huge load off of my back and freed me from a lot of stress! I've also been making a lot of great new friends! I never realized having a child would open me up to so many opportunities to meet new people. And I have been blessed to be meeting some really amazing women! I'm really energized my life right now, which is great because X has been exhausting!

Xander is a force to be sure! Luckily for me he is a force of good! This child never ceases to amaze me! We have had to thoroughly baby-proof every inch that Xander touches because he is quick like lightning and as curious as George. He does everything with his tongue sticking straight out, just like his daddy. He loves saying 'LaLaLa' since it too involves sticking his tongue out! He was progressing so quickly with cruising I was terrified he would be walking before 10 months, but luckily he seems to have settled down and is very happy pulling up, cruising, and then dropping down and crawling to get somewhere else. I've learned to rotate toys to help avoid boredom, and keep musical shows on the DVR for feeding times. But with as high energy as he is, he is also a very happy boy. He loves to sit quietly and figure something out. He cuddles his stuffed animals and his real ones, too. He loves to just sit and watch Miss Spiders Sunny Patch with his parents, and my favorite of all, he loves getting brought into bed with us when he is having a rough night. A lot of people think we are nuts, but Nate and I have always looked forward to sharing our bed with our children, and we are so happy that our son seems to easily go back and forth between his crib and our bed. (Mommy problem: Xander gets terrible gas at night and none of the traditional methods seem to help. If anyone has any suggestions, please let me know! the poor kid can't sleep some nights! And NO, I am not eating gassy foods or dairy, so I don't think its me he's getting it from.)

Mornings are still my favorite with this little ball of fire, which continues to baffle me since I have never been a morning person! I guess thats one of those mysteries of motherhood!

Aside from job changes, the baby, and new friends, the only other thing I've been working on is the house. Since we moved in while I was pregnant, I never really got to decorate! I have been sifting through paint samples and buying picture frames on clearance and can't wait to finish putting my finger print on our home!