Sleep

When we had Elliott, of course I was anticipating the sleep deprivation that followed a new baby, but I was shocked how exhausting it was to wake up in the middle of the night.  And compared to some babies, she was super easy because at the most she woke up twice a night (for like 2 weeks), but she typically just woke up once.  Not to mention she was sleeping through the night at 8 weeks.  I know...how can I complain?
With Mason, I knew what to expect.  I think I was able to feed him, change his diapers, and reswaddle him without ever opening my eyes.  The night times were not stressful because I had been there before.  What I was NOT expecting was for my 16 month old to start waking up nightly (which I talked about here).  She has been waking up consistently since he was born.  He's almost four months old, people...that is entirely TOO long.  We would have a couple of stretches where she wouldn't wake up, but for the most part, she would wake up once and sometimes twice a night.  I started resigning myself to the fact that I might never sleep again...slight exaggeration but sleep deprivation definitely makes me exaggerate and feel emotional.  As of about two weeks ago, she started sleeping again.  The waking up just stopped.  It started without warning and ended without warning.  At the same time, Mason started sleeping through the night.  I'm so thankful that the stars have aligned (at least for now), and they both are sleeping through the night.  Their naps are at completely different times so I guess that will be our next challenge.  I hate to get too used to sleeping through the night, because I'm sure one of them will soon decide sleeping is overrated.  Sigh.  Guess I better enjoy it while I can.  For all you new moms out there, I promise you WILL sleep again.  There is light at the end of the tunnel.

We are on DAY 14 of the Whole30.  Almost halfway done.  Yippee!  My thoughts so far:

• Coconut milk in my coffee is WAY better than black coffee.  Definitely the highlight to my week.
• Committing to this has taken way more TIME than I ever would have anticipated.  Finding new recipes, chopping LOTS of veggies and fruit at the beginning of every week, cooking multiple meals a day.  Not a commitment to be taken lightly.
• We have eaten TONS of eggs.  Every morning.  I love me some eggs, but it would be nice to have something different every once in a while.
• Gone is the day of fast meals.  No pre-made meals from the grocery store, no ordering out pizza when I don't feel like cooking.  I have to cook every night.  I'm still adjusting to this.
• Fruit smoothies in the evening are an amazing tasty treat.  Who needs ice cream?
• Elliott has actually done really well with all the fruits and veggies.  We still give her cheese, yogurt, chicken nuggets, PB and honey, but she has definitely tried way more fruits and veggies than she ever has and I think it's just because we're eating so many.
• This week, we ordered eggs, meat, and sausage from a co-op so they're organic, grass-fed.  I'm excited to see if I can tell a difference.