Oh my gosh, ladies, I've been really lazy with keeping you all updated (actually I've been really lazy keeping anyone updated lately, even my poor mom I barely talk to some weeks!). Look at all those cute girlies! Summer and Kaylee are looking so adorable and so BIG! Where has all the time gone?
Kerry, are you back at work yet? Are you planning to go back if you aren't? I'm just starting to look at nurseries now, which is both exciting and sort of terrifying! Josie has only ever been left with grandma once for 2 hours. Otherwise, she's been with us since she was born. It feels weird (and so grown up of her!) to leave her somewhere random with a stranger. Jen, so glad you decided to reduce your work week. That sounds like such a better arrangement! I'll be going back very slowly. I work from home anyway and at the moment, don't even have any research funding to pay myself a salary (not ideal!), so it's just going to be a few afternoons a week of work to begin until I get in a better situation and can take on more work.
How is weaning going? Josie will be 6 months next week (WHAT?!?), so we'll be starting her with solids then. We're doing BLW, so we're just going to give it a go and see what she does. We're off to the beach for a few days next week, so then we'll start officially after we get back. She's grabbed a piece of banana and some bread already and really seems to enjoy trying to gum it, so it should be fun. Still no teeth here either, Jen! I'm so jealous of babies with teeth. I really want teeth. I'm like the only one of my friends who is actually looking forward to this.
We're now going swimming once a week. We went for one swimming lesson, but now the term has ended, so we'll start up with formal lessons in September, but for now just doing it for fun. Josie seems to mildly enjoy it, though I'm not sure she knows what's going on. She mostly just looks confused and concerned the whole time we're in the pool. Hopefully she eventually starts to like it. If nothing else, it's just a good time to be around other babies being social.
I forget when I last talked to you all, but my husband left his old job and started up a business as a blacksmith. It's going fantastically. I really didn't think it would be as easy as it's been. But he's doing so well and has gotten so much work and a lot of great feedback on his work. He's been mainly doing a lot of outdoor cooking/bushcraft gear, but also some decorative work. He's so much happier and it's so nice to have the flexibility, for instance, if I'm sick, he can take a day off or if Josie has a class he could take her and spend time with her while making up the working hours later. It's made such a difference. He has a massive event he's selling his work at this weekend, so it's been super stressful and he's been pulling long, like 16 hour days, prepping for it and building up enough stock. But I'm really excited for it and I think it's going to go so well for him (and we're really looking forward to him having time off next week so we can relax and see each other again).
As for me, I'm just starting to think about starting up my research work again. I do try to answer some emails and do some reading on things I need to write about, but I don't get much more than that done during nap times. I'm thinking of changing my research focus to make the work I'm doing a bit more compatible with life at the moment (new focus means less overseas travel in the short-term). But I really won't get back to doing much work til Josie is in nursery in October/November. I'm glad I'm home with her now, but it's also nice to start thinking about grown-up things again too.
Preggo ladies, how are you both doing? Jess, you and your bump are adorable. Looks like you had a fantastic baby shower. I like the coed thing so much. I think that makes it much more fun and it's just nice to get everyone together before you have a baby. You won't have as much time in the first few months for seeing friends and family or at least not as often as you'd like, so it's so nice to get it in now. Puppy, how did your scan go? did you find out the sex?
Here's some photos of Josie since I realise I never post any. Just a few of her being cute at home, then one from her first trip to the beach (she loves it when daddy buries her in pebbles) and also one of her in her wrap which is her favourite place to be. Actually, that's where she is right now.
Oh gosh, someone's awake now. Must go. Sorry, I know I'm forgetting a few ladies. How are you all?
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