Let’s Have a Coffee Date: Babies Sleep Eventually…Right?

Hey, friends! I know I say it every time I show up on here, but I sure do miss blogging regularly. We’re still seriously really struggling in the sleep department (more on that in a minute), and I don’t see myself being able to blog the way I used to until things turn around, but I do hope to hop on here every once in a while and give y’all some life updates!

The biggest news I have is that we’re moving. Again. Writing that makes me a little nauseous, but our apartment increased our price by a huge amount (don’t even get me started on how they are now leasing our apartment for $350 less a month than they wanted to charge us), and we started looking into other options. We are actually moving into a townhouse that’s bigger for quite a bit less money and much closer to my family. It’s the right decision in the long run, but the idea of packing again (with a baby this time!) makes me want to cry. In case you’re curious, this is move number eight for Chris and me since we got married. We’ve been married eight years. We can’t buy a house yet because we have to go through Match again for fellowship in two years.

We’re coming off another really difficult schedule for Chris (two full weeks of nights), but the next two weeks should be a little easier. We’re hoping to enjoy some family time because the four weeks after that will be a super crazy schedule. We haven’t had much time together since Anthony was born, so we really try to take advantage of it when we can.

I think I mentioned in the past that Chris has a four-week long workshop in DC he has to do during this next medical year (the medical new year is in July). We just found out our dates are likely early September through early October. It’s a great time of the year to go, but I am a bit nervous about spending four weeks away from home with an 11-month old! I’ve actually never been to DC, though, so I’m looking forward to getting to explore!

Alright, let’s talk a bit about sleep. I want to start off by saying Anthony is really such a great, happy baby, and I’m not sharing this to complain. I just mostly want to document how crazy this last month has been when it comes to sleep. Anthony has never been a great sleeper. When he was a newborn he had his days and nights mixed up and was cluster feeding. The best stretch he has ever given us was a little over five hours, and that has only happened a few times. Now that he has hit the four-month sleep regression, though, it has been crazy. There are days he wakes up as soon as I put him down, and we do that constantly all night. He stopped wanting his pacifier because he associates it with sleeping. He’s always been a good napper, but now he starts crying as soon as he realizes I’m trying to put him down for a nap. I’m really hoping this is just a phase (though sleep has been bad for six weeks, so it’s hard to believe that sometimes), and that in the next update I can share how great he is sleeping! During the times in between naps and before bedtime, we have so much fun, so I’m hoping sleep will get there, too.

We’ve been all about quick meals lately, and one of my favorites is this cabbage and beef stir fry. I’ve wanted to try it for years, but Chris thought cooked cabbage sounded gross. I finally got him to try it, and he loved it! I thought I would share it in case you are also looking for a quick meal. We do use almost twice the amount of ground beef she suggests.

Seven Books I Read in January

Hey, friends! It feels strange to open up my blog after being gone for almost a month. It's the longest time I've been away since I first started writing, and honestly, I really needed to do it. If you read my Instagram post, you know Anthony has barely slept over the last month, and I just had to give myself grace and step away for some time. I truly missed this space, and it's so hard for me not to write, but I really had to give myself grace (someday I hope to write a post about giving myself grace as a new mother). One thing I did manage to do during those sleepless nights is read. It also helped that I had Erin's Book Challenge as a motivator. I managed to read seven books since my last post, and several of them were winners!

Just Between Us by Rebecca Drake
(ARC from the publisher) Rebecca Drake's Only Ever You was one of the best books I read in 2016. I can't say quite the same for Just Between Us, but it's still a really good read. This book asks how well do you really know your closest friends...and how far would you go to help them? Alison, Julie, Heather, and Sarah each tell their side of the story as the details unfold. This novel is incredibly well written, and my only critic is the beginning dragged a bit, and it took me a while to get into the story. Once I did, I was so hooked and couldn't wait to see how everything turned out. There were some interesting twists and turns, and the ending was surprising. This thriller is definitely worth a read.

White Houses: A Novel by Amy Bloom
(c/o NetGalley)
I wanted more from this book. It's a historical fiction of Eleanor Roosevelt and Lorena Hickok, her "First Friend." Although this is written as an intimate account of "Hick's" childhood and time in the White House, I began to lose interest in it fairly quickly. Some parts of the story were fascinating, but others just fell flat.

Two Girls Down by Louisa Luna
(c/o NetGalley)
I always say the mark of a good thriller is when I can't tell you much in the review, and this book fits the bill. It's about two girls who go missing and two private investigators work together to figure out who kidnapped them. The pace was great, and I really liked both of the main characters. The big reveal was well done, too.

Love and Other Consolation Prizes by Jamie Ford
(c/o NetGalley)
Jamie Ford really has a way with words. I honestly don't think I would have found this story so interesting if written by someone else. It follows the life of a young boy named Ernest who was offered as a prize in the 1909 Seattle World Fair (based on a true story) and is "won" by a woman who owns a brothel. The story is tender, heartbreaking, and beautiful.

Abby's Journey by Steena Holmes
(c/o NetGalley)
This was the sequel to Saving Abby, and I honestly thought this book was a little unnecessary. Once I finished Saving Abby, I never felt like I needed to know more. That said, though the beginning of this sequel fell a little flat for me, the ending was touching.

Dangerous Crossing by Rachel Rhys
(c/o NetGalley)
As far as historical fiction novels go, this one is unique. It follows a young woman named Lily as she embarks on a ship to Australia to become a domestic on the brink of World War II. This book is very character driven, as Lily meets people she wouldn't normally socialize with in her daily life, all who are harboring secrets. I really enjoyed this read.

We Are All Made of Stars by Rowan Coleman
(c/o NetGalley)
I'm surprised this book isn't more popular. There were a few parts that I wish were more emotional, but overall, it was really moving. Centered around a hospice and a woman named Stella who writes final letters for those about to pass away (though there are two more major characters-Hope and Hugh), it is surprisingly hopeful.

Favorite reads in January: Just Between Us, Two Girls Down, and Dangerous Crossing.

Linking up with Steph & Jana.

I love book suggestions. What have you read lately?

SaveSave
SaveSave

Anthony’s Newborn Photos

Hey, friends! I hope everyone had a wonderful long weekend. Chris and I both ended up sick with colds (which is always a bit scary with a young baby), but we still tried to make the most of our time together. Now that Anthony is almost three months old (what?!), I thought it’s about time I shared a few of his newborn photos.

These were taken by Brittnie Renee Photography, who also did our maternity photos. Anthony was two weeks old, which was later than what we wanted, but we didn’t have a choice unless we wanted them taken at the hospital. He was quite a bit more alert, but I think it made for some great photos! I was also even more of a mess post-partum than usual because of all of my complications, and I didn’t really have the chance to plan what we would all wear ahead of time, but, thankfully, I still think they turned out well. I’ll always treasure these photos of such a sweet time. It’s crazy to look back on them and see how much Anthony has changed in 10 weeks!

Anyone have a favorite photo? :)

SaveSave
SaveSave

My Word for 2018

Last year was the first year I ever had a word of the year. I wasn’t really planning on it, but it had gotten stuck in my head and had turned out to be the perfect word for 2017. I was hopeful for everything the year would bring, and 2017 turned out to be so wonderful. I will forever treasure that year. The same thing happened to me this year. I wasn’t even thinking of having a word of the year for 2018, but one word just kept popping into my head over and over again.

That word is joy. There are definitely good days and bad days in parenting, but I hope to find joy in every single day with our little man. Anthony is so full of joy. He is full of smiles and squeals these days. I can’t even begin to explain the joy I feel when he gives me a big smile first thing in the morning when I go to pick him up, even when that morning wake-up time is sometimes 5:30 a.m. I have always wanted to be a mother, and, honestly, I have been truly thankful for every day with him so far. I really hope to continue to find joy in our daily life as I watch him grow!

Six Books I Read in December

Happy Monday, friends! Chris is in the middle of working 12 days straight, so we didn't get much of a weekend, but there is light at the end of a tunnel with a three-day weekend coming up! After only managing to read six books total in October and November, I ended up reading six in the month of December (and the first part of January!). I attribute this to two things-I read some really good books, and Anthony had a week where he didn't want to go to sleep till 11. I ended up reading a wide variety of books last month, so hopefully there is something you will enjoy, too!

The Wife Between Us by Greer Hendricks
(c/o NetGalley)
I have mixed feelings about this book. I thought some of the twists were extremely clever and surprising. My problem was the build up took FOREVER, and I prefer for my thrillers to get exciting as soon as possible. That said, I would still recommend this thriller just for how good some of the twists are.

When You Disappeared by John Marrs
(c/o NetGalley)
First off, I must say this book was well written. It kept me interested, and I wanted to know how it ended. Part of the ending was really obvious from the beginning, but that's not what bothered me. Simon, the main character, is just awful. This is truly just a depressing, terrible story about a broken man and how he broke his family. I wish I would have passed on it.

A Vicarage Christmas by Kate Hewitt
(c/o NetGalley)
This book was a lot more serious than I expected, but I ended up enjoying it. It was really more of a novella, so it was a quick read. It's the first in a series of four, and I think I'll keep reading them.

The Trust by Ronald H. Balson
(c/o NetGalley)
I have loved all the books I have read by Ronald H. Balson, but this one is my least favorite so far. I liked learning more about Liam Taggart and the conflict in Northern Ireland, but I think he made who the killer was a little too obvious in this novel. That said, there were some really interesting plot twists, and I enjoyed the book overall. Also, I really like how even though this is technically the fourth book in the Liam & Catherine series, all of the books can easily be read as standalone novels.

The Life She Was Given by Ellen Marie Wiseman
(c/o NetGalley)
I sped through this book. Usually, when a book is in a past/present format (though the "present" is the 50s in this case), I usually prefer the past, but both parts of this story were great. Ellen Marie Wiseman does an amazing job of tackling important topics (in this case child abuse and animal cruelty) in interesting ways. I must admit I didn't expect this book to be so depressing, and I finished it feeling a bit bummed, but it was fascinating to learn more about circus life and the treatment of those in the sideshows. I thought the big reveal at the end was pretty obvious, but it didn't detract from the story. I do want to note there was some horrible animal cruelty in this book, but it was only a few pages long, and you can tell it's coming for those who would want to skip it.

The Little French Bistro by Nina George
(c/o NetGalley)
This book started off really depressing, and I was worried I would hate it. I turned out to like this journey of a woman finding herself after finally walking out on a horrible marriage. The prose is just beautiful, and all of the other characters are on journeys of their own. It's a lovely novel to read at the beginning of a year.

Favorite reads in December: The Life She Was Given and The Little French Bistro.

Linking up with Steph & Jana.

I love book suggestions. What have you read lately?