Making Life Easier

Today, I was reflecting on a few things that make life these days a lot easier, some more trivial than others, but here they are:

These Veggies

{Image from www.thenibble.com}

These wonderful microwave steam packs are so simple! If it weren't for them, I don't know that we'd get any servings of veggies in our current diet since most days I'm planning dinner as Shane is pulling into the garage and Dylan is eating. I just put one of these babies in the microwave and have perfectly steamed veggies in 4-7 minutes!! (Green Giant makes similar ones that we love...especially the cheesy broccoli)

This Cleaner

{Image from www.amazon.com}

I don't know if it's the "Resolve Power", but this stuff works wonders...especially on lovely orange-yellow baby poop and spit-up stains. So far, there hasn't been a stain that this stuff hasn't been able to get out. Granted, I act pretty fast to get it soaking, but so far I've been pleased with the results.

These Goodies

Ever since our summer in Baltimore, I have LOVED Trader Joe's...so when one opened up just down the street from us last summer, I was so excited and have been exploring their many products ever since. Some of my favorites so far: dark chocolate covered shortbread stars (a holiday product, shown above), chocolate-filled Joe Joe's (TJ's version of Oreos), and their fiberful fruit leather (unsweetend fruit leather with ground flaxseed). I know, I know...two of those three options really aren't the healthiest, but they make a great afternoon pick-me-up on days when Dylan wasn't the best sleeper the night before!

This Blanket
{Image from www.bonnybabies.com}

We witnessed the beauty of the Miracle Blanket our family trip in California and received one from my brother and his wife in preparation for Dylan's arrival. It definitely has a learning curve (see here for usage instructions), but it's the best swaddling blanket and has been perfect for Dylan, who gets so fidgety when he gets tired and still isn't very effective at sleeping unswaddled (his Moro reflex is still very strong...which wakes him up).

This Girl

This is Emma Jane, and I've known her since the day she was born...literally (okay, okay, I don't really remember the day she was born since I was only a month old). And, for the record, I was one of the few people allowed to call her Emma until she decided that it was her name of choice during her freshman year of college, but I digress.

This girl is a very persistent friend, and just what I need right now. I get so wrapped up in my little world of Dylan (feed, burp, change, play, nap...repeat) that I forget that the world outside my house is moving on. I forget to return phone calls, to respond to emails...basically I forget that other people have lives and things going on that matter. Emma calls, and calls, and calls, and when that doesn't work she sends me messages in ALL CAPS on gmail chat, and when that doesn't work she leaves me voicemails threatening to call my mother...and she does all this in good fun because she knows I need to have human interaction with someone other than my 2-month-old (and maybe she needs interaction besides her 2.5 children of her own).

Regardless of her motives, she lets me blab on and on and on about Dylan--about my frustrations, my worries, my joys, my new discoveries--even though she's been through all of this twice before and probably under much more stressful and frustrating circumstances than I could imagine. She offers encouragement, advice, and her perspective and then distracts me by suggesting new books to read or planning an eventual reunion (she lives in TX, I'm in AZ).

{Interestingly, because she's always somewhere on my recent calls list on my phone, she received a surprise call in the middle of the night last night while I was using my cell phone as a flashlight to avoid waking Shane... Sorry Em!!}

This Boy
{See the resemblance?}

Obviously, I love Dylan and enjoy every minute of my days at home withi him, but right now I'm referring to Shane... I can't imagine raising Dylan on my own or with any less supportive of a husband. In the hospital, I didn't change a single diaper thanks to this man, which exemplifies his attitude toward taking care of Dylan--it's both of our jobs. As soon as he's home from work and on weekends, Shane steps up and takes on more than his fair share of Dylan duties. It's nice that he realizes that taking care of him during the day is still work, even if I don't leave the house to do it, and that I need a break sometimes. Every time Dylan cries in the night, Shane checks with me to see if he needs to eat or just needs to be comforted...if it's just for comfort he always offers to be the one to take care of it. Luckily, Dylan generally only wakes to eat (and goes right back to sleep), but I always appreciate the offer.

More than taking on his share of the work, Shane is willing to listen. When he gets home, he listens to my recap of the day (down to the contents of each diaper changed) because he knows I need to talk to someone. Those nights that I'm overtired and frustrated he somehow knows, wakes up, and cuddles or rubs my back, just to let me know that he understands...and lets me vent if I'm really wound up.

When my wonderful friends from Salt Lake came down to visit, they commented on how involved Shane is with Dylan. I realized how helpful he was before, but I don't think I realized how lucky I am to have such a loving, helpful husband.

These smiles

Don't get me wrong, I love my little boy and have loved every minute I've spent with him since he was born (and even before), but now that he's smiling, I love my days even more. He even smiles without me smiling first and now has added cooing to some of his smiles. It makes me melt every time and makes everything seem even more worthwhile.

There's my list for now... What makes your life easier?