New Goals

As most of you know, I'm not so great with words. I wouldn't even say I'm proficient with words. So please excuse my lack of whatever I would need to make this what it should be.

This past week I had a minor "Mommy break down". Basically, I felt I had lost all my individuality and was feeling like just a mom with endless lists of things to accomplish. Plus things I've done just 10 minutes before, that have to now be done again. (To keep the perspective on the "Mommy breakdown" it happened right before my bedtime--the most emotionally vulnerable time.) So since then I've had a few goals established to maybe keep me feeling like a Nicole with talents and intellect and not just a "mommy".

Here are some of my goals:
-Write in my journal (no specifics like daily/weekly/etc, just to do it)
-Have "couch time" with Ricky. In the evening, no tv, just chat sitting together with no distractions or tasks.
-Find more friends in the area to socialize with. I've been feeling shut in from the world. The "social butterfly" needs to get out and visit.
-Exercise regularly, and keep a record. I'm such a visual person, if I don't keep a record of what I'm doing I don't know I'm progressing.

Some updates on the family.
Ricky has been studying for the LSAT daily early in the morning. Working full time on the facility and teaching part time at the prison two nights a week.

Eli is still not speaking. (And it is really frustrating me as of late...uhg!) The only word he will say now is bubble, and not when I ask him to. He does a really good job of babbling (a whole spectrum of sounds) when he is pretending to talk on the phone. I know he can hear just fine, but he will not echo anything we say. He still hasn't said Mommy or Mama to call me. He has tried Daddy in the past but it really didn't sound like it at all. Any suggestions?

Abi is doing awesome! She is taking about 4 steps all by herself and progressing daily. I will post videos on facebook. (I still haven't figured out how to post them on this blog.) She is babbling just as much as Eli, and she echos what he babbles really well. She has become very vocal about what she wants and doesn't want as of late. But when she plays with Eli and he takes a toy away from her, she doesn't seem to mind and finds something else; she is easy going that way. I'm sure one day that won't be the case.

This coming weekend Ricky is going to Utah for a family event and taking Abi with him. It will just be Eli and me, so I've thought I might try introducing potty training. It may be too early for him, but it is a prime opportunity to focus on Eli without having to worry about Abi. If it doesn't work, we'll put it away for a bit. We will see how it goes.

I've been feeling so tired lately, and this weekend I had a sore throat and cough. I'm not sure if it is a cold, but it comes usually at night when I'm trying to sleep. Maybe with my exercising goal I won't feel so tired and depressed anymore. But that means getting up earlier than Eli. He gets up anywhere from 6-7:00am. I can never count on him sleeping until a certain time. Two days ago he slept until 7:30am and this morning he was up at 6:15am. He takes an awesome 3 hour nap and goes to bed consistently at 7:30pm.

That all being said, I will try and write again soon. Hope some things get better by that time.