Where Have I Been?

Wow, its been a hot second since I last wrote here. So much has been going on in our lives, that I have hardly had a minute to sit down on the computer!! So, I am going to dive right into a little game of catch-up!

• We were on vacation a couple weeks ago and wow was it ever hot. We spent the majority of our downtime in the pool, which Palmer loved! She even got so brave as to put her head under water all by herself, AND practiced swimming unassisted! I think she will do great in her swimming lessons in September!

• I start back to work next week! Monday. AHHH!!! I am a little bit scared, a little nervous, and a whole lot excited. Its been nearly 11 months since I last worked, and it was in a different hospital, in a  different city, on a completely different floor. I think what I am most nervous about is the initial day, finding my parking on time, getting up to the ICU, and getting all settled in. I'm sure it will all be fine though, but its still nerve-wracking!

• We are getting all settled into our new house and we love it! The yard has so much green space for the kids and the dog. The layout of the house works so well for us. I'm really happy with it. There are a few changes we would like to do, a little down the road, but it's all livable right now. The first thing I am going to change though, is the awful baby poop brown walls!! Definitely going to change it up to something light and bright. The house has so much natural light, that I think it will be great with a light wall colour and just some pops of colour as accents! 

This is the window to the Secret Playroom!

• We were sent one of these Baby Binxy Hammocks, as as much as I really wanted to try it out and love it, I just couldn't. Charlie was far too big for it when we got it. She is all about riding up in the seat, seeing everything that is going on, so I just don't think trying to get her to lay in the hammock would work for us. I do really love the idea behind it though, if you aren't a baby wearing mama, or if you are and just don't want to that particular shopping trip!

• I am looking forward to falling in to a more normal routine. All summer we were all over the map with naps and bedtime, and I think we still haven't quite recovered from our vacation yet. Charlie is up anywhere from 1-3 times a night, and although she doesn't need to eat, she does just want to be held and cuddled. She instantly falls asleep once I pick her up, but trying to put her back down is a nightmare. If this were during the daytime, I'd be all for it, but at 3am, sitting in the rocking chair isn't my idea of getting a good nights rest. Any other mama's struggling with this??  I also need to get us on a regular schedule because, with me going back to work on Monday, I need to have some sort of routine for Charlie to follow when she is at the dayhome. We have been working on giving her the bottle, and she is finally taking one like a champ (after only 10 months!!). Now I just need to figure out some sort of nursing schedule, because she is still a boob girl.

• I want to start working more on my photography skills. I have seen a big change in myself over the past while, which I am loving, but I really want to read some great articles or find a helpful website to really teach me more and help me to understand lighting and stuff much better. What are some of your favourite go-to photography websites??