Man's (errr, Baby's) Best Friend

These last couple of weeks have had some painful mornings of Axel waking up at around 5-5:30 a.m. We have a rule that we don't go in and get him until 6:00, so to not encourage the early wakings, but they just won't go away! We went to Visalia last week and he didn't sleep well in the car on the way there, so he really didn't go to sleep for good until probably 11:00 pm. I thought for sure he'd sleep in the next morning out of exhaustion, but nope, he was up promptly at 5:50! So I'm trying to get him caught up on his sleep by taking good naps, and putting him to bed early. Once he seems like he's caught up, I think we might try putting him to bed a little later to make his wake up time later.

I'm really bummed that he has started not sleeping well in the car at nights. Our nightly car rides were always so nice and peaceful. We'd play our music and talk. Now Axel will wake up about every 1/2 hour and cry for a couple of minutes and go back to sleep. It doesn't sound so bad, but there is something innate in women that makes our stress levels rise when our babies cry. I'm sure it's a survival mechanism. But I just can't fully relax until baby is asleep and quiet.

Our dog, Leia, was staying with my parents for about two months. We had decided to move and sell our house and thought it would be best to not have to deal with getting Leia out of the house every time someone wanted to come take a look. If she was a fuzzy little white dog, she probably could sell the house better. But I don't think anyone would be able to focus on our crown moulding or marble tile with a big black rottweiler staring at them and trying to lick their toes. But after looking at our options, we were able to refinance and stay in our house. So Leia is back! We did not miss her while Axel was army crawling, because he would be covered in black Leia hair every day. But now that he's almost walking, having her around is a lot more fun.

This time apart and now having Leia back has brought even more of a fascination by Axel. He is a total love bug in that he will come up to you (or anyone) and smile and lay his head against you and giggle. It just makes your heart melt. So he also started doing that to Leia. Leia, surprisingly, wants nothing to do with Axel. If you know her, she is the most social, playful dog around, always wanting attention. But as soon as she sees the miniature chubby human bounding towards her, she heads in any direction opposite of him. Which I think is great. It's better that she is not interested in him.

The other day, we were playing fetch with Leia in the garden, and Axel came up and took the tennis ball and threw it! So I made Leia sit and wait while Axel threw it for her. This could potential be a lifesaving game, baby and dog are entertained for hours while mom sits and relaxes. At least, that's my hope.

Yesterday, after playing in the garden, Axel and I went inside to eat dinner. I gave him some leftover Swedish oven pancake (ugnspankaka). I made it with whole wheat flour, eggs, milk, and butter for the batter, then added turkey bacon and brussel sprouts. It turns out kind of like a fluffy omelet. Axel ate his entire plate and was still hungry. He then ate four slices of bread, a stick of string cheese, a pear, and two bowls of yogurt. It was like the book the Very Hungry Caterpillar. Some days he can eat more than us, and some days he just won't eat at all. But when he eats, he EATS.

He has also helped us to start eating healthier. We decided from the beginning to only feed him whole grains, organic, and no sugar (only fruits). After continuing with this, it only made sense that we also adopt his diet, otherwise, I'd have to be cooking two meals. So we no longer eat white pasta or white rice or bread with enriched flour, only whole grains, and less potatoes. I thought I would hate this, but I actually love brown rice and pasta now. And I'm learning to change recipes we've always made and incorporating these healthier new ingredients. Like our spaghetti now has brown rice pasta, and you can't tell the difference! We also try to only buy organic fruits and vegetables. These changes really haven't felt bad, I don't think we even notice that we're eating different anymore.

I am still working at the office two days each week, but am transitioning out in about a week or so. It's funny, I've thought a lot about what I think is best....being home or working. And obviously, I think that for our family, me being at home is the best decision. I have changed my opinion on this many times. Before we had a baby, I wanted to quit my job and be home. But after I became an engineer, I wanted to work. Then I had the baby, and still wanted to work, but not until I felt ready. Then when I went to work part time, I loved it, but then realized that even though I loved my job, that I should be home. I have finally come to the conclusion that Johan and I only know what is best for us. I used to think that all women should stay home, and I have at some time thought that all women should work if they love their job. Now I think that I don't know what is best for anyone else but me and my own family. So I'm done thinking about it!