2011 has been a crazy year. We settled in Iowa (having moved the previous December 28th), became a family of four, started two jobs, started a business--and countless other moments that were no less significant. So here at the beginning of 2012, what does life look like?
-Matt is still working at the co-op. After a disc injury to his back this fall, he's now trained in multiple departments to avoid the overuse that led to his original injury. Despite having re-aggravated it a few times, it does seem to be on the mend. And in spite of having very little time to devote to it, he's becoming an amazingly skilled hand tool woodworker.
-I've had several births in the past year, and actually rang in the new year at a birth last night! While it's been stressful to try to learn the ins and outs of running a business on the fly, while at the same time keeping busy with our family life, I love what I do and the clients I serve. I also continue to work at the hospital during off months for midwifery, and feel incredibly fortunate to be able to both keep my skills up and supplement our income this way.
-Eden is two and a half, (mostly) potty trained, and beginning to talk a blue streak. She's bright, funny, and generally sensitive to others' needs, including Eve's. As a toddler, she still battles frequent impulses to do things like kicking and throwing, but we admire her high spirits and energy level. She still has the most insane food preferences I've ever known anyone to have, young or old. Favorites include cod liver oil, brussels sprouts, tuna fish, meatballs, broccoli, carrots, lemons, and dried mangos.
-Eve is 8 months old with a lovely, sweet personality. She's sitting up and starting to babble. She loves playing with toys and watching Eden's antics (though is very sensitive about being roughhoused if Eden gets too close). She's really not eating any solid foods yet, as when we've tried them she hasn't seemed quite ready yet.
The less-than-glowing report is that neither girl is a stellar sleeper. And of course, like all good parenting problems, it's a moving target. Sometimes Eden goes down like a dream and sleeps all night. Other times, it's fighting bedtime (with shrieks and screams you wouldn't believe). Still other times it's frequent nighttime wakings. Eve, on the other hand, is adopting Eden's abbreviated nap schedule and still gets up every 2-3 hours to eat or pee. So between the two of them, we're often up every hour throughout the night--not exactly restful. We've tried troubleshooting it every way we can think of--and just wind up feeling like we're chasing our tails. Potty training has taken a similar circuitous, one-step-forward, two-steps-back kind of a route, which is similarly exhausting and frustrating.
For our own part, Matt and I entered this winter feeling bloated and sluggish and out of shape. Our clean, lean, primal eating habits have really taken a hit this past year, and so between the weight gain and back pain and overall low energy level (since sleep isn't an option), we knew we had to do something. I'm pleased to report that the following regimen seems to have us back on the road to good health:
Green smoothies every day. We invested in a refurbished Vitamix blender and for lunch every day we have a mixture of spinach, carrots, apple, pear, lemon, and ginger--all thrown in whole. It's surprisingly palatable, and both girls actually love it.
Yoga every morning. We love the Living Arts yoga series for being approachable for everyone, beginners on up. Matt has long been a huge fan of yoga, and after trying it the past couple of months, I can't believe it was under my nose all this time. I FEEL FANTASTIC after doing yoga, in a way I thought was probably behind me forever. We shoot for at least once a day--two or three times is even better.
Healthy, primal, low-carb eating. No sugars or grains, minimal natural sweeteners (like honey) and moderate amounts of carbs and starches (such as potatoes and corn, though I know the latter is technically a grain).
Next up on our list of constant experiments: trading in our morning coffee for tea. We'll see how that goes...
Anyhow, some recent pictures:
-Eve is 8 months old with a lovely, sweet personality. She's sitting up and starting to babble. She loves playing with toys and watching Eden's antics (though is very sensitive about being roughhoused if Eden gets too close). She's really not eating any solid foods yet, as when we've tried them she hasn't seemed quite ready yet.
The less-than-glowing report is that neither girl is a stellar sleeper. And of course, like all good parenting problems, it's a moving target. Sometimes Eden goes down like a dream and sleeps all night. Other times, it's fighting bedtime (with shrieks and screams you wouldn't believe). Still other times it's frequent nighttime wakings. Eve, on the other hand, is adopting Eden's abbreviated nap schedule and still gets up every 2-3 hours to eat or pee. So between the two of them, we're often up every hour throughout the night--not exactly restful. We've tried troubleshooting it every way we can think of--and just wind up feeling like we're chasing our tails. Potty training has taken a similar circuitous, one-step-forward, two-steps-back kind of a route, which is similarly exhausting and frustrating.
For our own part, Matt and I entered this winter feeling bloated and sluggish and out of shape. Our clean, lean, primal eating habits have really taken a hit this past year, and so between the weight gain and back pain and overall low energy level (since sleep isn't an option), we knew we had to do something. I'm pleased to report that the following regimen seems to have us back on the road to good health:
Green smoothies every day. We invested in a refurbished Vitamix blender and for lunch every day we have a mixture of spinach, carrots, apple, pear, lemon, and ginger--all thrown in whole. It's surprisingly palatable, and both girls actually love it.
Yoga every morning. We love the Living Arts yoga series for being approachable for everyone, beginners on up. Matt has long been a huge fan of yoga, and after trying it the past couple of months, I can't believe it was under my nose all this time. I FEEL FANTASTIC after doing yoga, in a way I thought was probably behind me forever. We shoot for at least once a day--two or three times is even better.
Healthy, primal, low-carb eating. No sugars or grains, minimal natural sweeteners (like honey) and moderate amounts of carbs and starches (such as potatoes and corn, though I know the latter is technically a grain).
Next up on our list of constant experiments: trading in our morning coffee for tea. We'll see how that goes...
Anyhow, some recent pictures:
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