Guzowski Family Blog: 9 month reflections

Noah turned 9 months on Friday, and it was a sweet, normal day for us. We went to the library, had a lunch date with Daddy at Martone's, and then I had the strange coincidence of running into the midwife who delivered Noah when I was out at a concert that evening. I had a sense of wonder all day, thinking that he has now been outside the womb as long as he was in. At 9 months, he is a great napper (2-3 hours twice a day), a great eater, and has the most happy, social disposition. More than anything, it gave me a chance to stop and realize how far we've come in these 9 months, and despite the difficult adjustments of adding a baby to our family, we're doing okay. Oh, and most of my pre-baby pants fit now, which was a nice little boost for my self-esteem (it took much longer after Evie!). Here's a before and after photo, just for fun!

Finally, Mother Nature has shown us a little mercy, and we were able to get outside a few times this past weekend. Fresh air felt heavenly and gave us hope that spring will in fact come!

Ice skating

Winter at the park isn't so great

I feel like there have been so many articles published with "top 10" lists lately, and it inspired me to think about the top 10 things that have helped me survive this long and cold winter:

Remote car starter - this makes a huge difference when you're taking kids out in the freezing cold!
Long down jacket - I am SO glad to not be wearing an icky maternity jacket this winter!
Keen Betty boots - these are the warmest, most comfy winter boots, and they make it bearable to go out in the cold.
VT Coffee Company coffee and Lake Champlain Chocolates hot cocoa - yum and yum.
Going to ECHO and the library - I never would have tried doing these things if it was warm out, and my kids love both places!
Crazy crock pot lady - I have been inspired by the cold weather to make a bunch of delicious recipes in the crock pot this year. Matt might tell you I'm a bit obsessed!
Jazzercise - Keeps me sane! It feels good to crack a sweat when it's so cold out, and my friend Rebecca has started coming with me, which makes it extra fun.
Gas fireplace, Grampa's Garden rice packs, Electric blanket - I love having ways to get warm on those bone-chilling days and nights. Grampa's Garden is the best - if you don't own one of their products, you should!
Keg of Magic Hat Single Chair in the kegerator - cheers!
Friends, family, and especially Grandmas and Grandpas - they come hang out with us and watch our kids when it's too cold to go out, and we can always go visit Grandma and Grandpa when we have cabin fever!

Mary-Alice visited us last weekend!

Family hoodie photo

Daddy and Evie selfie at Starbucks

Unfortunately, right on the heels of Evie's last cold, she is sick again. This one is pretty nasty with a fever, relentless cough, congestion, and generally feeling awful. Noah also seems to have his first cold, so our house is an infirmary.

Poor baby girl!

I'm sure many of you have had nights like this, but here's an example of what our life looks like on a night with two sick kids:

8:30pm: kids asleep
9:30: Noah is fussing off and on, but settles himself back to sleep
10:30: Evie wakes up and tells us that she threw up in her bed (from coughing so much). We have to fully change her bedding, pajamas, pillow, stuffed animals, etc. She's also upset and worried that she's going to throw up again, so she's awake until 11:30.
11:30: Matt and I head to bed, praying for a little sleep for everyone
12:00: Noah is up and needs Mama. I realize he has a stuffy nose and cough, and start to get worried that we aren't going to sleep at all
3:30: Noah needs Mama again
5:30: Evie wakes up and throws up again from coughing (but made it to her trash can, yay!). Matt helps her get back to sleep
6:30: our alarm goes off, and we hit the snooze button, hoping for 10 more minutes of sleep. Evie comes down to our bed and Noah wakes up a few minutes later and needs Mama again. Good morning!!