January...

January is usually a quiet month for us. We typically don't have a whole lot going on and our weekends are mostly free and open. We usually plan an all day date sometime during the month and do lots of party planning for our biggest boy, but that's about it. It's even been kind of boring in the past. This Jaunary however is proving to be a little challenging and crazy... which I expected... but it's still a little wild to actually deal with and live through day to day even though I thought I was ready.

Somehow, in the midst of an already crazy time, I ended up at the doctor's office late Friday afternoon with both of the boys. As in, they both had an appointment. We came away with a positive strep test for Garrison (he's literally never had a negative test) and some kind of ear infection/issues with Austin. Over $100 later we think we're on the mend.

The other good news is that Austin slept through the night last night for the first time in several days. Yay! The bad news is that mama didn't. Guess I've just reached that point in the pregnancy where sleeping good is a thing of the past. Boo!

The other bad news is that we're struggling with bedtime big time. We aren't quite sure when or how it started but our babies are having a very difficult time settling down and going to sleep at night. They've been pushing a 9:00 bedtime almost every night for a week or so... even though we get them in the bed before 8:00. They get in trouble every. single. night. And mama and daddy are at a loss and trying everything we know to correct the situation with very little success. Talk about frustrating!

Anyway, we're 5 days into January and things are already super busy and just a teensy bit overwhelming. Nothing that has me stressed out (yet), just lots to do and a short amount of time in which to do it all.

For one thing we're planning a 5th birthday party. (I can't believe my oldest baby is turning 5!) It took my firstborn FOREVER to make a final decision about what kind of party he wanted, but once he finally made a decision we've determined there's no going back. And we've scheduled the party for almost 2 weeks before his birthday just in case baby brother decides to make his debut early. In other words, we're in a rush. There's party supplies to purchase, invitations to send and give out, a cake to pick out and order, a gift to purchase, etc, etc. And it all feels so last minute because we're having his party later this month. In an already crazy January! Help! Just kidding. Hopefully it will all come together just fine and Garrison's 5th birthday party will be special, fun, and memorable.

Then there's our littlest love who is scheduled to arrive sometime mid-February. And there is MUCH to be done before he gets here. With Austin coming 2 weeks early we've vowed to be more prepared this time around. We've made our to-do list and are trying our best to get things done quick-like. We'd love to have the nursery ready. We'd love to have about 10 freezer meals prepared. We'd love to have time for a "big brother" fun day for the boys. We'd love a date for just mama and daddy. Basically we'd love to have all the biggies taken care of beforehand... unlike our total scramble and unpreparedness that occurred when Austin arrived.

So between coming up with party ideas, cooking extra meals to freeze, setting up a nursery, trying to determine our must-haves for baby boy before he gets here, and taking care of the normal day-to-day things around here, mama is feeling a little crazy. Right after I just said I wanted to do things well this year. Sigh. Thankfully the hormones haven't taken over completely. I'm actually surprised at how I've been able to somewhat "go with the flow" despite the hormones and crazy-long list of things to do.

God has definitely been faithful. We've been provided for. We've been given the energy we need for this crazy month. We're together and doing it all as a team and as a family. And I am SO grateful. (And praising God the hormones haven't taken over!)

I may need to get used to Jaunary being a little crazy and challenging. Future January's are going to be a tad busy afterall. We'll have 2 parties to plan for and 2 boys to celebrate. But, just like I've determined Austin's birthday party should be planned before school starts every year, I'm thinking our February birthdays should be planned before Christmas every year. It's a goal to shoot for at least. And then January can get back to being quiet and low-key. Sounds like a plan.