When the children are away, Mommy is at play

For six glorious weeks, between when the girls started school full time in early September and when Quinn was born in October, I got a taste of Mommy Freedom.  For six whole hours, five days a week, I had no children I was responsible for. No children to entertain, change, feed, bathe, soothe or push around in strollers.  I'm not going to lie.  It was pretty awesome!  I can't say I really missed the girls that much.  Despite being in the final stages of my pregnancy, those six hours each day were packed with activities as I tried to take full advantage of my freedom knowing it would be coming to an end all to soon.

My days were filled with going to the gym, lunch dates with friends, Arbonne activities, walks in the park, tours and outings around the city and uninterrupted naps in the afternoons.  Also being in somewhat of a nesting mode, I had time to clean out closets, get Quinn's nursery ready and various other house projects without the "helping hands" of Olivia and Ashton present.

Here some of the (photographed) highlights of my six weeks of freedom:

Royal Mews - Olivia's school class took a field trip to the Royal Mews and I went along as a chaperone.  The Royal Mews is adjacent to Buckingham Palace and where they keep the carriages the Royals have used for processions throughout the years. Some of the carriages are hundreds of years old.  I was under strict instruction not to take any photos during the field trip, but I snuck this one in.

Covent Garden Gastropub Tour - I went on a tour of various gastropubs/foodie eateries, with my favorite stop being the School of Chocolate.  Yum, yum!

100,000 white balloons depicting clouds in Covent Garden 

Shoreditch Art Tour - Shoreditch is an area of London on the east side of the city.  That part of town is a bit edgier and gritty with a thriving street art scene. For 3+ hours, my friend Jennifer and I wandered the streets while our tour guide shared loads of history and background on the various artists and their work.  Very fascinating.  

My favorite one - how cool is this three dimensional piece??

Fat Tire Bike Tour - While the girls were in school, Geoff and I spent the morning on a tour cruising some of the Royal Parks and attractions in the vicinity.  The weather was a picture perfect fall day. Absolutely ideal for a bike ride.  It's days like those when I think I never want to return to the USA and could live in London forever.   Then I go home and do laundry in my frustrating, British-style washer/dryer and the thought flees my mind.

Calvary doing their thing

One month

Our little man is one month (and 15 days) old already!  He's been the perfect addition to our family and we can't get enough of him.  The girls (particularly Olivia) smother him in kisses all day long.  Of course, I think they are only imitating their mommy.  I just can't get enough kisses on those cheeks of his!  :) 

Speaking of cheeks, Quinn is a really good eater and his cheeks and tummy area starting to fill out.  He's is definitely losing his fragile newborn look already which makes me a little sad.  He feeding consistently about every three hours.  Sometimes at night, he'll give me a 4 hour stretch but it's not consistent or predictable. The night feedings and sleep interruptions are exhausting for me, but he immediately goes right back to sleep after eating so I'm really not up that long with him.

Here are his one month stats:

Weight: 8 lbs., 6 oz.

Length: 22.25 inches

I often get asked how the girls have taken to having a new baby in the family and the answer is really good.  I haven't seen any signs of jealousy exhibited towards him from either girl.  Both girls are good helpers, especially when it comes to diaper changing.  They love seeing his poopy diapers. (What is it with kids' fascination with poop???)  They get very excited when he's alert and looking at them.  Olivia is always telling me how handsome he is.  Ashton has been having bigger, louder and more head-scratching tantrums lately but I'm not sure how much of it is due to not being the baby of the family any longer and how much is just her being a typical 2 year old.  Hopefully she'll snap out of this stage soon because her tantrums are more frustrating and exhausting than having a newborn.

So thankful for these three blessings God has given me

Quinn is a very laid back and chill baby.  He's developing somewhat of a schedule.  He usually wakes up between 7:00-7:30 in the morning to start his day and is awake for an hour or two.  He's content to just lay on his playmate or bouncer observing the world.  Then he typically takes short naps, with maybe one longer nap, throughout the day followed by another wakeful period for a couple hours generally between 5:00-8:00.  He must know that his sisters are in bed after 8:00 because that seems like when he's the most fussy and only wants to be held.  Then he settles into a deeper sleep around 9:30-10:00 between waking up two times during the night to eat.

We like him and think he's a keeper!

The Streits, party of five

Photo credits to our wonderful photographer Hermione!