Summer '09 - July

So our 'relaxing' summer didn't turn out to be so relaxing. It was far from it. Since I'm so far behind on the blogging, I'm gonna do a run down of the rest of the summer to catch up. Here is July!

Josh's Taos Trip #1 (July 5-11):
Overall, I'd say that I handle difficult situations pretty well. As long as I am mentally prepared for whatever is to come, I can manage my stress farely well. And even if something is thrown at me, I'm still pretty good at going with the flow.

This trip was going to be the first time Josh and I would be away from each other for more than a day or two. I wasn't worried about that. And it would be the first time I'd have to take care of CeCe completely on my own from morning until night. Wasn't really worried about that either. We had a pretty good schedule going and I already did this with the exception of an hour or two when Josh would get home from work before putting her to bed. But what completely messed me up and took almost the entire week to adapt to was how Josh being gone would affect CeCe. She didn't sleep as well at night, she didn't nap well during the day, and there is only so much that can be done to entertain a then 7 month old being stuck indoors to avoid the summer heat.

I never thought it was going to be as difficult as it was. Before adapting to the change, I don't think I had ever been as physically exhausted as I was. I slowly figured out that although C wouldn't nap in her bed like usual, she would jump herself to sleep in her jumper and swing herself to sleep in her swing!

And a couple of times, we napped together with her lying on my chest (which is something she would never do even as a newborn). And I just prepared myself for an early rise knowing that bed time would come sooner or later and I would eventually get a break. Just when things were going well, the week was over and Josh was home.

Birthing Class Reunion (July 18):
Everyone (minus Josh because he had to work) from our birthing class reunited so that we could meet all of the babies! It was a lot of fun sharing parenting stories and watching all of the kiddos play together! We hope to keep up with each other and get together twice a year or so. It would be neat if all of the babies became friends and kept in touch as they got older!

Josh's Taos Trip #2 (July 19-25):
We did MUCH better this week! GREAT news was that Erin and Reagan were in town so we stayed busy and had so much fun! The girls loved playing together and it was so nice spending time with Erin and sharing mommy moments! We also did lots of shopping and spent time with our other mommy friends and their babies. I have a couple of pics but Erin has a lot more here and here!

Also, CeCe turned 8 months! Check out more pics and Josh's monthly writeup here!

Rain Storm (July 27):
A rain storm came through so I let CeCe play in it on the balcony. She LOVES water and had a blast! She was so cute, I couldn't help but capture the moment!

Girls Night (July 31):
A few of my girlfriends and I left the babies home with our hubbies and went out for a fun night in Dallas! We had a great dinner, drinks and we danced the night away! I surprised myself with how late I was able to stay out (midnight........lame to some of you I know but REALLY good for me these days)! Love my girls :)