We have a One Month Old!

Can you believe our little guy is one month old already?! I have been trying my hardest to hold on to every second - but these weeks sure do fly by!

Last weekend Uncle Tim & Aunt Jen came down from NY. They made good time (8 hours) and picked a perfect weekend. Friday we enjoyed a long walk around Lake Lynn. Since Jen is so enamored by animals this was the perfect place as there are many living things to look at. Like a giant snapping turtle or two that live in the lake. We saw his big head peeping out from the murky depths. I never would have seen him! And we saw dozens of baby turtles perched on logs in the water. Nathan will love this place when he is old enough to appreciate it. In the meantime, we Big Kids enjoyed looking at everything.

Friday night Tim and Jen made dinner for us. (Well, me. Leo is not a Pad Thai fan.) It was delicious and I loved to watch those two cook in my kitchen. I actually love to watch anyone cook in my kitchen. We also played a long card game of "May I" that Leo taught us. Leo has been playing this game with his family since he was little. Nathan wasn't been very cooperative at the end but we managed to finish it late into the night.

Saturday was going to be warm and wonderful so I planned on going up to Duke Gardens in Durham. Apparently, a lot of people planned to do the same. We managed to find parking and the place is so big it wasn't too bad. The planning part for being gone all day was interesting. So many things to think about! Diapers, milk, extra outfits, blankets, etc. I covered it all. Which was good because Nathan went through a record number of onsies all weekend. (Amazing how some days he will actually stay in the same clean outfit and sometimes it only takes ten minutes before he needs a change. I don't get it!) When we parked at the gardens, Leo went to get Nathan from the back. I was setting up his stroller when Leo came over with Nathan in his arms. Our car seat is set up to snap right onto the stroller so no need to take the baby out. So when Leo came over without the car seat I just looked at him like, "uh, are you forgetting something?" Oh yeah. It was probably pretty obvious were are rookies.

The gardens are a large piece of property with all sorts of trees, plants and flowers that have endless trails, ponds and bridges. We got quite a workout from the hills and various routes through the place. Lots of parents with kids! We will be back. After wards we went to downtown Durham for some food. This was our first experience in a restaurant with Nathan. It worked out well since it wasn't crowded at all. I was worried about all sorts of things - smoke, crowds, the stroller being in the way, him crying the whole time, etc. But again, we did it and now we have some experience!

Sunday Tim and Jen were on their way early and we had a day to ourselves as a family. We needed this! It was a nice leisurely day at home.

As all mothers know, sleep is not something that comes in large quantities in the motherhood package. Although Leo works from home and can help out often (and does anyway because he's an awesome daddy!) I am still the one to feed Baby Nate throughout the midnight hours. So I would say sleep deprived is a word that describes me currently. This is where moms, or grandmas, come to the rescue. Tuesday I took Nate up to GiGi's house where I handed him over. She showed him off to the neighbors and played all afternoon and I slept for over two hours straight. Yeehaaaa! We will be making use of grandma time as often as possible.

During the week we had friends over for dinner who brought pasta and dessert for us. What a nice thing to still be taken care of! I started to get back into work this week and made some calls. It helps that Arbonne has some awesome new products that were just launched at our annual conference in Vegas (oh how I missed Vegas this year! I got the dirt from mom who went for the first time in many years) and I have several people interested in Uppercase Living parties. It will take some balancing but getting back to being busy (other than motherhood) will be good.

This weekend started out nice. Since it was supposed to be super hot and I am on a mission to lose the baby weight and walk everyday I knew the early morning hours were my only chance in this NC weather. Somehow I got us (yes, even Leo) up and out walking around the neighborhood at 8am! It was a most beautiful cool and breezy morning. I stayed outside and l did a bit of tending to the yard and washed our cars. When your time is limited it's amazing how much you can do. I surprised myself the day before as well when Nonnie came by for a few hours. She gratefully sat with Nathan while Leo continued to work and I cleaned and got some other house work done. Our friends were joking we should make play dates with our friends, instead of other babies, so they can come over and take care of Nate for an hour here and there just so I can fold laundry and clean toilets. (Unless someone wants to do the laundry and toilet thing for us instead?!)

The rest of Saturday was busy we as we headed out the door to go to Aunt Kerri's Baby Shower. We had a nice time seeing what Logan will be all dressed up in when he makes his appearance in June/ July. Nathan made a fuss at one point but I told him he already has his own clothes and toys at home - these were for his cousin! Later we were all at Kerri and Rob's new place. They have a nice little place with a big back yard for their dogs to run around in. On the way home we saw a wonderful sunset. We had quite the long day!

To wind down I thought we would take another stab at bath time in the baby tub. Nate did alright this time. He loosks much more content, don't you think?

Today is another hot day but open for whatever we choose as a family. It's nice to be able to say that!