Hitting Our Stride (Somewhat)

Well, its the summer solstice and longest day of the year, so I guess I have no excuse not to find some time to update the blog:)
It's been hot here this month. Really hot. Which is tough when you've got a 2-yr old boy who wants to be outside all the time. He's landed some pretty awesome outside toys since we've been back...a wagon, a lawnmower, a grill, a car, shovels, rakes, water toys, and bike seats and trailers that attach to Dad's bike. It's nice having a fenced-in backyard so whenever he gets bored inside (or rather, I'm nursing Ada), he can scoot out the back door and do whatever it is he does out there. He "tinkers" just like Ted, and wanders in and out of the garage, dragging his tools out and kicking at his wagon tires and inspecting his grill, and most recently, faithfully watering the patio with the hose. When he's stuck inside, his favorite activity is cleaning. He didn't inherit this trait from me. He loves to Swiffer the house and loses his little mind when its time to put the Swiffer back in the closet, screaming "NOOOO!" and sobbing on the door. He also loves to vacuum, wipe up spills, and put things in the trash. I think its odd but I'm keeping that to myself, for fear he'll change! He's learning how to do so many more things by himself since Ada was born, since I can't always do it for him anymore. If I'm changing a diaper or something and Jude says "Help" from somewhere in the house, more often than not I'm yelling back "Hang on a minute" over my shoulder. Then I go find him and discover he's completed said obstacle all alone and proudly screams "Self!" (as in, all by myself) when I see him:) He's also really falling into the big brother role nicely. He's always giving her little kisses and rubbing her head like I do, giving her impromptu private guitar concerts, and being my little helper. He loves helping me in the kitchen and seems to really enjoy cooking. I figured this was something I'd do with Ada, but maybe not! Or maybe both:) I said before that it was really tough finding our groove at home, but now we're a team:) If I run upstairs to get dressed or grab something and Ada starts crying, he'll come to the bottom of the stairs and yell up "Mama! Crying!" and go pat Ada's head until I come back down. Sometimes I just stand in the doorway and watch for a second because its so dang cute. I've always trusted Jude with things most people don't trust toddlers with and I trust him with Ada too...he's never tried to kill her up to this point. I know accidents can happen and toddlers need supervision, but with Jude, I really feel like he rises to the occasion and appreciates our trust. He's also getting into counting now, but really only likes 1,2,3,8,9, and 10. He combines these before exciting moments with the phrase "Ready..Set..Go" and it normally comes out something like, "Ready? Eight, Three, Ten, Go!" And the final interesting fact about Jude is that he sleeps til 9am every morning. Bless you, child.
Ada. Ada Ada Ada. She had her days/nights confused for about a week there and I essentially didn't sleep. Things seem to be on the mend and she's waking up about every 3 hours now, knock on wood. And generally sleeping in her crib. She's her most alert and "talkative" in the mornings, and sighs and burps and looks around from her bouncy seat while we have our coffee and watch Regis and Kelly:) She's filling out too, and we'll see how much when we go for her 1 month checkup/shots tomorrow.
Ted celebrated Fathers Day yesterday by running an errand with BOTH kids all by himself ("Self!"). He is such an awesome dad and its so fun to watch Jude mimic every single thing he does. Daddy definitely hung the moon. He's also now the proud owner of a CoPilot, which is a 2-kid trailer that rides behind a bike and then transforms into a stroller when you unhitch it. It will be perfect for family bike rides to Broad Ripple or downtown. Ada just needs to work on being able to hold her head up so she can ride in it! I'll be doing some rigorous neck exercises with her until then:)
I've taken a break from just about everything lately: exercise, writing (see my most recent article here),cleaning, reading, sleeping, sometimes showering...having a newborn is pretty consuming and a lot of things have been put on hold since she was born. But the break is starting to get boring and I'm about ready to engage in life again. I'm gaining confidence little by little in my ability to mother 2 kids and now I'm looking forward to getting back to some of the things I enjoy. (I enjoy being a parent, but you know what I mean!)