i'm back

davis heard that i haven't blogged in over a month...
(yes, he can pout. and he does a very good job of it.)

and thinking about the fact that the last time i really posted was christmas eve.. and just how much has happened since then? well, it makes me feel like a bad blogger.

but this little guy takes up a lot of time.
and it is sooo worth it!
in the last six weeks, we've gotten a sleeping pattern down. usually in bed by 7ish, up by 7ish, with 2 feedings at night (typically 1ish and 4ish.) he never naps longer than 45 minutes, but we all enjoy those stretches of sleeping during the day :)
i've returned to work! and davis is staying with his grandma (justin's mom) along with another boy she keeps. this is such a blessing, and it's a relief to drop him off there each day and know he's being taken care of by someone who loves him almost as much as i do.
he's constantly smiling and is a big flirt--though he saves special smiles for his mama...
and his daddy!
there is such an excitement and joy with each new day and each new milestone he reaches.
we've traded in busy evenings for quiet nights reading books and listening to lullabies.
we lie on the floor to see what he sees, trying to imagine the perspective of a child in this world we've created for him.
and he's taking it all in...
he's still exclusively breast-fed, and i've been able to keep up with his bottle-feeding during the day by pumping at work. i love that we've made it past 3 months and i hope to make it to at least 6 months, if not longer.
he got his first set of shots at his two month appointment, and i cried more than he did. it broke my heart, but we both made it. (didn't help that it was on my 2nd day back to work, too.) he was in the 55th percentile for height and weight that day, and 97th percentile for head circumference. such a big 'ol head!
we've been able to keep up with family through the holidays and then again last month when davis was christened at my family's home church in fayetteville. (we plan on doing the baby dedication here at our church in a couple of months, too.)
we're so blessed that we've got family close by and so many friends to visit as well. my college roommate linda and her husband stopped by last weekend :)
we were especially thankful for them this last week, while justin was gone for his grandfather's funeral and i was home with davis on my own for three nights. i have a new appreciation for single moms!
i guess most of all, i've learned how much your priorities change as a parent. how you will forgo eating, sleeping, using the bathroom, letting your arm go to sleep--all for the comfort of your child. we've had some challenging days, some nights where i just wish i could sleep without knowing i'll be waking up in a couple of hours, some moments where i so wish that davis could think rationally and be reasoned with.

but in all my recent pictures, behind the tired eyes, lack of make-up (because there's just no time!), and circles under my eyes--there's joy.

i turned 28 yesterday. it was probably one of the quietest birthdays i've had in years. justin and i got to go out to dinner--thanks to mom and grandma baby-sitting--and then we went grocery shopping (i wasn't about to go near supermarket today with the all the gameday shoppers.) there was no big party and i had a hard time coming up with anything to put on my birthday list that wasn't more for davis than myself. but i felt content and more at peace with myself than i have in a long time.
yes, i still have a lot of baby weight i want to lose. yes, i'm still dreaming of a complete night of sleep. yes, justin and i talk about the vacations we want to take, and i'm coming to terms with the fact that we probably won't be able to do a big trip for our anniversary this year because he'll just be six months old and i'm not sure i want to be away from him overnight yet.
but this time is so special and i don't want to miss a moment of it. i really hope to get back into blogging, especially to help document davis' milestones and those day to day memories that i know we'll forget if we don't put them down somewhere.

so i'm back, blog-world. and if you're half as helpful with parenting advice as my facebook friends, then we'll be just fine :)