August GBOMB

Good

The zoo. I feel like I say this every month, but it is seriously one of the best things we decided to do this year. And AJ is more fun every single time we go. More aware, more observant, more excited. Today he was excited to see the monkeys, and he actually did watch them. It's so fun. 

AJ generally. "Come on dad!" "OK, yet's do it." "OK, yet's go." "Time to get in the car." I just love all his little phrases. He makes me smile all day every day. And he also makes me take deep calming breaths when he's having completely psychotic meltdowns. But mostly I just enjoy him and appreciate this stage. 

Harry Potter at Megaplex. I'm going in just a few minutes to the theater to watch Harry Potter and the Sorcerer's Stone at Megaplex. Megaplex is so decked out with Harry Potter stuff. It is awesome! 

The weather. Going outside in the evenings with AJ lately has been so nice. When the sun is down, but it's still warm. I love it. I will miss it when winter is here. 

Bad

Babysitting. I just struggle with having AJ watched by anyone outside of daycare or spending time with my mom. I feel like if he's with other people so much of the time, he should be with us the rest of the time. So an evening date just feels not great because I may only get an hour with him between getting home from work and leaving to do something else, like meet up with a friend or go out with Matthew. I also don't trust a lot of people to do his bedtime or much of anything else. And I hate to ask my mom to do more than what she already does for us. So really dates or evening activities just feel impossible. Our niece will have plays at the Hale Center Theater, etc., but the finding a babysitter part is what has kept me from attending any of them. 

Creativity. I keep feeling like I need to make time to write and express or find some other creative avenue, but I'm not sure where or how to start. 

On My Brain

Fertility. What haven't we done at this point? Let's list the things. Fertility teas (2 types, daily), Vitex daily, Progesterone cream (2x daily), tracking my cycle on two apps, wearing an Ava fertility watch nightly, taking my BBT each morning, logging cervical mucus, LH urine strips, guaifenesin expectorant before doing the deed, a menstrual disc after doing the deed, and more recently pre-seed lubricant. Then of course I've done one round of Clomid. And my pelvic floor physical therapist learned about a manual method that potentially helps fertility (mostly just by increasing blood flow in the ovaries and uterus). Plus I did Whole30 hoping that would generally decrease inflammation and stress and be helpful. Hoping for the best as we wait to test positive for a May baby. Fingers crossed. 

New phase. It's wild to be invited to the birthday parties of little toddler friends. Our old neighbors Ashley and Stefan had a disco 2nd birthday party for Zion on 8/31, and then on 9/1 (today), our neighbor friend Kennedy is having her 2nd birthday at the pool. I'm thinking about AJ's third birthday in April and how we will have lots of little friends for him to invite. It's so weird and kind of fun to be entering this level of parenting! 

Whole30. SO DONE, friends. So done. Today is dairy reintro. I've had some cheese, a breve, and a little yogurt with lunch. Plus some sips of AJ's chocolate milk. I'm feeling OK so far, nothing crazy. I was particularly curious about yogurt due to my EverlyWell food sensitivity test results. It's been a long 40 days. I've been doing this since July 24, and honestly the reintroduction has been the hardest part. Going back to Whole30 for two days after reintroducing something just sucks, and mentally the last two days I've not been doing well. 

Motherhood. I posted a meme yesterday that I thought was funny. It said, "Once I get pretty again I'll post pictures but rn I'm just a mom." Just has me thinking about the occasions I really feel photo worthy. It's rare. And really I just don't have time to take pictures of myself. I wonder if I ever will? If I'm just always going to come in second as I have to squeeze in self-care and just survive. Honestly my appearance is kind of an afterthought, and I'm not sure if that means just that I feel neutral about myself or just don't have the time or energy to be concerned with it. 

For my annual goals, I still haven't taken AJ on a hike, and the window is closing. I haven't been writing Yelp reviews but have been to restaurants. Everything else is going well.