Lions and Tigers and Bears, Oh My!

On Saturday, my husband and I took Liam to the zoo for the first time. It was definitely a hit with him, and more trips are sure to follow. I just kept thinking about how strange it must be for him, seeing all of these animals for the first time. Can you imagine what he must have thought of the anteater, giraffe and elephant? The only animals he had seen up until that point were dogs, cats and birds. It was a beautiful day - not too hot, and the zoo is nice and shady. It was really wonderful to have time together as a family. It is my goal to have some sort of family activity every weekend, be it another zoo trip, or a simple picnic at a nearby park. The weekends go by so quickly and in such a blur, and I think that it will be nice at the end of the weekend to be able to look back and know that we had some quality time in there, and that the whole thing wasn't eaten up by running errands, doing laundry and pulling weeds.

This next week is a big one for me - tomorrow is my first chemistry class! I am so very excited to be taking my first step towards becoming a nurse. It feels really good to have a goal to be moving towards, and also to be taking charge of my career path. Up until this point, I have kind of fallen from job to job, doing what I could find available. That isn't to say that I haven't liked my jobs - I have, and I do like my current one, but I never meant to do it. I sort of happened upon it. It is exciting to be moving towards something that I really want to do.

As if having my first chemistry class wasn't enough to make me excited about the coming week, on Tuesday Liam and I are flying to California to visit my parents! I am really looking forward to it. Liam's Nana and Grandpa are positively giddy with anticipation. Liam has changed a lot since they've seen him last - he now has two teeth, and he has so much personality coming though. They are just going to eat him up. I'll also get to catch up with some high school friends and see my grandmothers and aunts who live near my parents. And the weather in California is supposed to be about 30 degrees cooler than it will be here in Arizona. I'll have to pack my ski parka and mittens!

On a side note, Liam is now in his second week of sleeping all the way through the night. It is incredible. I am getting a solid night of sleep now, instead of two and three hour chunks, and the difference it has made in me is huge. I've been on medication for post-partum depression since Liam was six weeks old, and I was getting frustrated and, well, depressed that things didn't seem to be getting much better. I did not realize how much my lack of sleep was impacting me. Now that I am sleeping, I feel like myself again. I have more patience with Liam, and I find more joy in our time together. I have to credit my success to Healthy Sleep Habits, Happy Child which my PPD counselor and my PPD psychiatrist both told me I HAD to get. I got it, I read it, and I started working on Liam's sleep habits, and it has made a world of difference. He is getting the sleep he was needing, and he is happier now, and so am I.

Smiling,
Jenny