I Needed That...

Trying to balance parenthood and a full-time job has made me into a caffeine hungry shell of a zombie. Sprocket has been a little unpredictable in the sleep department and this coupled with an already exhausting job is no bueno. I feel like I am being tugged in so many different directions and so on the weekends I tend to hibernate and recuperate. For example, last weekend...I left the house ONCE.


This past Friday I led a professional development workshop in the morning and then had the afternoon off. I picked up Sprocket early and did laundry and cleaned while he napped. It was great to have time to actually clean up and get things done.


On Saturday, we met up with our friends and went on about an hour hike in the mountains near their house. It was Sprocket's first time in a hiking back pack, and he seemed to really enjoy it.

We went out to eat Saturday night and timed it just right so that Sprocket was super content and we enjoyed a delicious and peaceful dinner at a nearby brewery.


On Sunday, B went on a bike ride and Sprocket and I went on a run. It got pretty chilly pretty quickly, so I ended up turning around early so that he wouldn't get too cold. I only got in less than 3 miles, but it felt good to get out. We watched some Sunday night football and relaxed the rest of the day.


Here is the kicker...on both Saturday and Sunday night, Sprocket slept for about 11 hours straight. He fussed a bit both nights, but managed to soothe himself back to sleep both times. In the Smither's household we don't call it a trend until it happens for a week, but we will take it!


I woke up Monday morning (a day off school) feeling refreshed and rested -- a feeling I haven't felt in quite a while. Then, we headed over to one of Sprocket' NICU buddy's house and had a play date. Sprocket loved all the new and exciting toys and pretty much drooled all over everything in their house.

Taking a break from the Drool Fest.

We came home for his afternoon nap and then headed off to his 9 month well check. My little 3 lb 11 oz peanut is now a whopping 16 lb 9.5 oz chunky monkey! He is in the 4th percentile for weight, 15th percentile for height, and 30th percentile for head circumference. The doctor was super impressed and felt like Sprocket was hitting all the main milestones for his adjusted age. We made a quick stop past the NICU to drop off some goodies and see some old friends. We happened to run into the Labor and Delivery nurse that was the one that sent me to Labor and Delivery when my blood pressure spiked to 180/120 on the morning before Sprocket was born. Oh, the memories.

We came home and Sprocket capped off the great weekend, by doing this:

It is not full on crawling...but he is getting there!


I needed a nice weekend to feel like a human again. A little sleep. A little family time. An extra day off school. Life is good.