A whirlwind week!

What a whirlwind week it's been! 🤗

I successfully survived four days of having Dan in daycare in the mornings and teaching. The teachers there love him, and it certainly helps that he is such a happy and calm baby. #dreambaby 👶🏻💞😍

On Monday, we also welcomed by wonderful brother in law and his girlfriend into our home. They are going to be serving as travel nurses in VA for the next few months and are now in the process of finalizing housing. I really wish they could stay with us, but both of their commutes would be WAY too insane, even compared to Greg's. Fingers crossed everything is squared away for them today!🙏🏻🙏🏻🙏🏻

Kevin and Ashley also brought their two cats, which causes Dexter great curiosity and Will great joy.🐱🐱

We are also continually getting furniture delivered for our new guest bedroom downstairs, which was previously Greg's office. This will help to comfortably accommodate future guests, especially for Dan's baptism later this month!🌟🌟🌟

A good friend suffered a miscarriage this past weekend, so we are taking her out tonight for a much-needed ladies' night out. And yes, I am happily seeing Bad Moms again. Mamas, you MUST see it! Of course, it's hilarious, but the serious message is important too -- and very unexpected! 💗💗💗

I've made it back to Orange Theory for some quality workouts, which have felt amazing. I continue to be reminded of the importance of a little "me" time every day, even if it just means a quick walk with the dog after the boys are in bed.💪🏻💪🏻💪🏻

Remember to take care of yourselves. If you don't, who will, and how on Earth will you ever be able to really take care of anyone else?!! 👏🏼👍🏼💪🏻💗🌟

Bittersweet!

Today was a strangely emotional day for me. 😩

It's my last full day of maternity leave, my last full day of Dan and me getting to hang out all day. 😩😩

While I know I am ready to go back to teaching part-time -- and know it is good for me -- it's also very bittersweet. This may be the last day EVER that I will get to spend a whole day cuddling and doting on a newborn of my own. It may be the last time I have the luxury of letting Dan call the shots for the day and avoiding things on my to-do list in favor of napping, snuggling, and comfort nursing instead. 😢

I have tried to cherish this time, but the days still went by a bit too fast. I've tried to capture lots of mental "photographs" to imprint these precious moments with Dan in my mind. Hopefully, time won't completely erase them.💗💗

I know I'm not meant to be a stay-at-home mom. I admire those who do, as it truly is THE hardest job in the world. I applaud each and every one of you for what you do and sacrifice on a daily basis. Truly awesome. 🤗🤗

Each of my sons has already made me a better person, and I can't wait to see what the future holds. I hope they grow to see the passion I have for teaching and education and that they feel inspired to do what they truly want to do in life. Always. 🌟🌟🌟

In the meantime, I will try to sneak in as many baby snuggles and toddler hugs and kisses as I can. After all, these moments are FAR too fleeting. 👶🏻👶🏻😍😍💞💞

Time flies...

It's hard to believe that Dan turned 8 weeks yesterday. Where has the time gone?!! 😩😩😩

By this point, I was already back to work after Will was born. And I was ready....mainly. 🤗

I recently made the decision to return to work part-time next week. I will teach two classes at the Chinese learning academy I work at during the school year. This will allow me with a much-needed teaching outlet in the morning while still giving me precious time with my boys in the afternoons. Dan will begin daycare at the same school Will is in, and our back-to-work transition will begin. Hopefully, this will make my first full-time teaching day on August 23rd a bit more bearable! 🙏🏻🙏🏻🙏🏻

I have treasured this time with Dan and will continue to do so. We are making an extra effort this week to go on fun outings and lunch dates with a wide variety of great friends. Dan is even accompanying me to my haircut tomorrow afternoon. 👍🏼

I continue to be amazed at what a sweet, chill, and happy baby Dan is. He rarely cries, is such a snuggler, and seriously knows how to sleep. Last night was a 9.5 hour stretch night, which would have been awesome had some idiot not continually rung our doorbell and knocked on our door at 2:40. NOT cool.😡😡😡

My boys are my world, and I continue to feel beyond blessed. We are figuring out our new rhythm as a family of four, which will only to ebb, flow, and evolve over time.💗💗💗

And I have to remember that Dan will not be a baby forever, so I must savor and take advantage of the endless snuggles and cuddling time now.👶🏻👶🏻👶🏻👶🏻👶🏻👶🏻💞💞💞💞💞

Chores!!

I love this concept.

What do you think? How do or will you handle chore responsibilities and/or possible allowances with your children?? 💵💡🚽🚿

http://www.scarymommy.com/club-mid/why-i-wont-pay-my-sons-to-do-chores/?utm_source=SM

We survived!

We survived 9 days. 👏🏽👏🏽👏🏽

9 whole days of having both boys to ourselves with no help from anyone else or school for Will. Add in that a 5 day "vacation," and it's safe to say we are WIPED. 😩😩😩

We were able to host some awesome friends in our home this weekend, though, including great longtime friends (going back to college), Dan's future godfather, and even one of my wonderful former students. 💗

This student, Catherine, is a rising senior at UMD studying bioengineering and kicking serious a** in a very male-dominated field. She was a serious varsity runner in HS and still hits the pavement most days. Most importantly, she has grown to be a beautiful, mature, and thoughtful person, inside and out. I felt honored that she contacted me and we were able to check-up over such a nice visit for the first time in 7 years. Moments like this make me so excited to be working directly with students again this year -- and also make me seriously consider going back to the classroom full-time as an English teacher. We shall see! 👍🏼

On the homefront, Dan had a particularly fussy day as he continues to go through his second major mental development, the world of patterns (Yay for the Wonder Weeks app and book!!). He demanded on being held all day, which made me extremely grateful for the Baby Bjorn Amanda lent me. I will pick up my own tomorrow, thankfully! 💪🏻

Will continues to be hilarious and was quite impressive on his scooter this evening, even in the crazy heat and humidity.☀️☀️

Dexter is SUPER protective of both boys, always. Tonight, while pumping, Dan was making unusual but cute snoring sounds. Dex was so concerned that he attempted to climb up onto his rock 'n play to make sure he was OK. He then didn't want to leave Dan's side once I left the room. For all of the daily abuse and rough play Dex endures daily with Will (and Dan in the future, I'm sure!), he is every the loyal, tolerant, and loving canine companion. 🐶💗💞😍

Now, if I could only convince Greg he needs a feline buddy to keep him company again... 🐱🐱🐱😂😂😂😇😇😇

We survived!!

Well, we're home! We survived!!👏🏽👏🏽👏🏽

And now we need a vacation from our vacation.😩

You fellow mamas know the feeling of sheer exhaustion vacationing with your little ones evokes, the kind that cuts deep into your core and makes you want to hide under the covers.😩😩

Yes, I feel your pain, and yes, traveling with a toddler, newborn, and dog is NO JOKE. We were tested to the limit every day, and despite it all, we wouldn't trade this vacation time for anything else. We LOVED Deep Creek, made memories that will last a lifetime, and cannot wait to go back!🎉🎉🎉

For those of you looking for traveling advice with your littles, please take the following words to heart: 👶🏻👶🏻👶🏻

1. Less is more. Over planning and overpacking your day with endless outings and activities is a sheer disaster waiting to happen, for both you and your kids. 🤗

2. Go with the flow. Things will not go as expected, and someone will have a meltdown or a blowout diaper when you least expect it. Breathe. You will laugh about this in a few years, maybe even sooner. 😝😝

3. Keep your kids to a schedule. We had a rough plan for what we hoped to do every morning and afternoon but let the kids' moods and needs guide us. Ensuring Will had his midday nap was a must and kept him much happier and calm.💤💤

4. Figure out a method of organization that works for you. We went to Deep Creek with a loaded minivan, but every bag had a purpose. We kept bags and supplies for the beach in the van and minimized what we dragged back and forth in and out of the house. When you've already got a car seat and toddler to carry, this is key.👏🏽👏🏽

5. Have a bag of snacks, wipes, bottles, sippy cups, plastic bags, and versatile toys on hand at all times. Consider keeping this in the car along with a ready-to-go diaper bag. You will thank yourself later, trust me.👍🏼👍🏼

6. Baby wearing is an absolute lifesaver. My favorites for newborns are the Baby Bjorn and Nesting Days baby carrier. Both are sturdy and easy to figure out. The Bjorn was comfortable to wear during our hiking adventure to Swallow Falls and allowed me to remain mobile and wade in the water at the beach while watching Will. I never used carriers or wraps much with Will, but I'm seeing what a necessity they are with subsequent children. #musthave 🏊🏻🏊🏻

7. Yelp was an amazing resource for us to find kid-friendly eateries, even in the middle of nowhere.🍴🍴

8. As you can, divide and conquer kids and responsibilities with your spouse or partner. Greg spent much of his time with Will and me with Dan, for obvious reasons.🍼🍼🍼

9. Organize as much as you can for the next day the night before, even if it's the last thing you want to do. Believe me - it will make your mornings 10,000x easier, especially on the last morning of your trip when you're trying to load the car while your newborn wants to comfort nurse and toddler is having a hysterical meltdown for no apparent reason.  😩😩😩

10. Don't forget about your significant other. Show and tell them how much you love and appreciate them. Every day. Be kind and patient with them, especially when your kids are being particularly impossible. Yelling and getting impatient and angry with each other solves nothing. A little understanding, empathy, and support goes a long way.💗💗

Yes, we learned a lot this trip, especially about how strong Team LaBanca is. We also gained a bit of confidence in our ability to travel with 2 boys under 2.5 -- and a dog. We both feel strongly about exposing our sons to new places, experiences, and cultures early on. ✈️🚤

And this past week was certainly a step in the right direction.💞💞👏🏼👏🏼

Ugh!!

It's a good thing Daniel is so cute and adorable. 👶🏻

Today was challenging, quite challenging. 😩😩

Take an already really constipated baby and combine that with the traumatic 7 week mental leap, and you've got yourself what we call a HOT MESS. 😩😩😩 This is by far the most fussy and impossible he's been yet. 😩😩😩😩

Our great friends Ally and Matt came all the way from DC to witness this magic. 😁 I think they left our house reminded once again why it's better to wait to have children. 😳 They did just get a puppy now, which is a gateway drug to child, as far as I'm concerned. 👶🏻🐶😍

Once both boys were finally in bed by 9 pm, I hurried around like a mad woman trying to pack all of our necessary 10,000 bags for our 5 day trip to Deep Creek, as we leave tomorrow midday. This is where my OCD and love of packing lists and organization serve me well. In fact, such high intensity packing is like my version of the Olympics, where my gold medal is ensuring everyone has every possible thing they could need while away, even the dog. I find this kind of organization energizing and strangely therapeutic. Maybe that's why I still have so much energy now after midnight, despite not sleeping well at all last night. 😝😝😝

In other news, I went back to the Barre for the first time post-pregnancy! 💪🏻 The opening arm exercise sequence was surprisingly OK; it was the extended planks that did me in. I felt great overall, though! Even so, I am going to continue being kind and patient with my body and take things slowly. After all, a little human exited it a month and a half ago. 😝😜👶🏻

Wish us luck as we depart for our first vacation as a family of four (plus the dog)! Fingers crossed that Dan is over the worst of his leap and that we can ALL get a bit of much-needed relaxation at the lake. 🙏🏻🙏🏻🙏🏻🏊🏻🏊🏻🏊🏻