Yesterday baby Enzo turned 4 months old. It’s a bit hard to believe he has already been here that long, but he’s growing and maturing so fast that it all makes sense. He’s sleeping so much better at night now, and it doesn’t take much to coax a smile out of him. You can tell he already loves his sisters because he totally lights up whenever they approach and talk to him. I feel like he’s got the biggest eyes I’ve ever seen, mostly because he’s always so alert and interested in what is going on around him. He’s very sensitive to sounds and startles easily, which is usually followed by a look of sheer surprise and confusion.
The girls are both doing great as well. The weather has been really nice lately, so they’ve been spending a ton of time outside playing in the yard, the sandbox, riding bikes/trikes, etc. As mentioned in a previous post, Ava is doing really well on her balance bike, so hopefully it won’t be long before she graduates to a pedal bike. Elise loves riding her tricycle, but is usually just as content to be pulled in the wagon. It’s not uncommon for me to come home from work and find them playing outside together. You can’t help but smile watching them running around having so much fun.
We had a nice holiday weekend recently, which included some painting in my office and the guest bathroom upstairs, as well as a fun trip to a car show in downtown Everett on Monday. Not only did we enjoy checking out the ~700 cars on display, but we ran into our neighbor Mike, who was showing his beautiful 1957 Chevy, as well as my co-worker Josh who was there with his family showing his 1966 Dodge Dart and his Uncle’s 1970 Pontiac 442. As a GTO fan, I was blown away by how many I saw at this show (at least 20 including an Orange GTO Judge) and couldn’t help but fall in love with a black on black 1964 GTO. We also enjoyed watching a band of old guys play great songs from the 60’s. I joked to Jessica that someday I would be one of those old guys rocking out on stage, and she replied by pointing out this old Granny showing off her moves near the stage and saying that would someday have to be her then. The girls absolutely loved the live music and couldn’t stop dancing and spinning around. They drew so much attention that even the guys in the band were enjoying them. Jessica and I couldn’t help but laugh. We also saw a Pacific Northwest version of Elvis, who had the perfect hair and glasses, but was dressed in a fleece jacket and blue jeans. Good times.
Tomorrow should be a fun day, as well as an interesting night. We’ve got Ava’s soccer class in the morning, then our nephew Kallan is coming over for a visit at noon. This will be his first time meeting Enzo, so that should be fun. Hopefully we’ll also be able to squeeze in some time to play guitar together. Later that evening Jessica will be heading downtown to work a shift at El Gaucho. Although she isn’t going back to work on any type of regular basis, she told them that she could be available from time to time for special events. This will be her first time working since Enzo was born, and I’m happy for her simply because it allows her to get out of the house and spend some time with adults without having to worry about any of the kids. My only concern is that Enzo has never taken a bottle from me, so feeding him may be an issue. Strangely enough this will be my first time home alone with all three kids for more than an hour or so. I’m sure everything will be totally fine, and if anything it’s long overdue, I just hope Enzo figures out this bottle thing sooner than later.
Sunday we’re heading to Costco with a different type of shopping list than usual. Jessica and I have decided to go on a diet together starting on Monday, so we need to load up on all the right groceries. I told a couple friends at work about our upcoming diet and the question I got from both of them was “Oh, which diet are you doing?” I didn’t really have an answer for them other than to say “a sensible one.” We’re not doing any type of fad diet; nothing with a name or anything like that. We’re simply cutting out junk food, starch, and liquid calories. We’ll mainly be eating lean proteins, lots of vegetables and nuts, plus some fruits. As for beverages, we’re limiting ourselves to water, coffee, and tea. That’s it. I realize it’s pretty boring, and it probably wouldn’t sell any books because there is nothing particularly extreme or exciting about it, but it’s sensible, and that’s what I like about it. I’m just glad we’re doing it together; I don’t think either of us would have the fortitude to go through with it if the other one wasn’t doing it, but together I have no concerns.
I think the biggest adjustment for us will be to make sure to always have appropriate snacks on hand, and to eat more frequently. I generally only eat lunch and dinner each day, and both meals tend to be large, with lots of starch. The goal is to eat smaller, healthier, more frequent meals and snacks throughout the day. Most likely I’ll spend time Sunday afternoon preparing as many appropriate snacks and meals as possible to help prepare us for the first week, which will undoubtedly be the toughest phase of the diet. After two weeks we’re going to evaluate everything and decide what to do next, so for now all we have to think about is the first two weeks of June. Most likely we will continue on the same course beyond those two weeks, but I’m not even thinking about that for now.
Not much else going on for us these days, hence the short(er) post this week. Not even many new pictures to share, but here’s a couple 🙂
