A Real Update!

Wow. It has been a long time since a real Heap update. Sorry for the lack of communication. It's been hard to find time at night to do this. After the kids go to bed, I have been working on making photobooks (I had a lot of coupons!). And...spending time with Justin!!

That's right--my husband who for the past 9 months has worked 2nd shift is now home at night! He started his new job the week of Thanksgiving, and it is going well. He is now a full time employee of The Bank of New York-Mellon. I'm not sure of his technical title, but he basically works at a helpdesk with people who are having troubles with their accounts. I am so proud of him! This job is so much better for him--he has co-workers that he can talk to, and he gets to talk to, and help, people all day. It's so nice to know that he is not dreading the thought of going to work.

We are still trying to adjust to the new schedule. I do not handle any type of change well, so even though I have wanted him home at night, I miss him during the day. This is really the first time I have had both kids all day. So, I feel like I'm learning how to really be a stay at home mom with 2 kids and not just one. Owen and I have had our rough days. Last week, he almost got sold to the gypsies :) This week has been much better, and I think we are settling into what life looks like for us. I'm learning how to get out of the house with 2 (now that Liv is almost one!) and how to handle all the mundane things of life without Justin.

The two O's are doing well! Owen is still all boy, running around everywhere, trying to hit everything, and climbing onto furniture whenever he can. He is a ball of energy. He still does not watch more than 5 minutes of TV or a movie, and doesn't stay in one place for very long. We put a door-handle lock on the inside of his door, because he kept coming out during naps/bedtime. Now his new trick is to turn on the light when he's supposed to be sleeping. If it's not one thing, it's another with him! He loves playing with animals and little people, and reading books. He likes to listen to "tunes" and sings, "Jesus" at night. He knows his colors, and is beginning to learn how to count. He also recognizes the letter "O". He repeats everything we say, which keeps us on our toes! Our favorite thing he does is use the word "maybe", because he says it at the funniest times, such as "I like to eat, maybe". He has a great memory, and will tell us about things that happened weeks ago, and remembers places that we drive by.

Olivia is now walking! She took a few steps at the beginning of November, and now is walking all over. She is in her own room and out of the pack-n-play. We have painted her room and are slowly decorating it. I put my foot down, and quit nursing her in the middle of the night, and now she shows signs of sleeping through the night. She has done it the last 2 nights, but I'm not ready to say she's "sleeping through the night" yet. She is lots of fun, but can be very moody. If she doesn't get her way, she lets you know how she feels about it! :) She loves eyes! When Justin lays on the floor, she crawls over to him so she can touch them. I'm not brave enough for that! She also plays with her baby doll eyes. She eats everything in sight, and I think she's going through a growth spurt. She has the best smile, but not a lot of out-loud laughter. She will be one in two weeks!

Thanks for checking in! Hope your Christmas season is very blessed!