Today our sweet little guy turns one month old. It’s a bit hard to believe that he has already been here that long, but as Ava’s first pediatrician in San Diego told us years ago, “the days will seem long but the months will fly by.” He was right about that. So far our initial observations of Enzo are that he is perfectly healthy and growing fast. He seems to spend more and more time awake every day, however the majority of his time is still spent sleeping and eating. In his case, no news is good news, and that’s pretty much where we’re at. He has had a couple checkups so far and everything looks perfect, so we’re very thankful. I can’t wait to see him smile for the first time, and I love holding him and watching him look around to examine his surroundings.
One thing I can say for sure about Enzo is that he is the loudest nighttime baby we’ve had. He grunts, snorts, and moans all night long. It’s probably fair to say that we got off easy with Ava when it came to sleeping, but Elise and Enzo have been more of a prototypical baby in that respect. Ava was sleeping through the night by the time she was a month old, and I remember feeling at that time that all the hype you hear about sleepless nights with babies was totally overblown. The reality was we just got lucky with Ava when it came to sleeping, and even today she continues to be the heaviest sleeper of the bunch.
Now that Grandma and Grandpa have been gone for a bit, the rest of us have had a chance to get into a normal groove, and things are going well. The girls have adjusted nicely to having a baby in the house. The weather is starting to get better and Spring is just around the corner, so it feels like we’re on the up and up. Ava is transitioning from her weekly art class to a weekly music class (which makes me very happy) and she seems to be enjoying it so far. Very soon she and I will also be going to a soccer class on Saturday mornings. I love the idea of exposing each of our kids to a variety of activities and seeing what sticks. The main thing for me, particularly on the weekends, is to get up early with the girls and keep them occupied so that Mom and Enzo can sleep in. There is no question that Jessica has it much harder than I do when it comes to caring for Enzo in the middle of the night, so I want to do whatever I can to take some of the load off of her.
Yesterday was my last day at Amazon. I was looking back through old posts on our website and realized that my career as a full-time employee at Amazon lasted exactly two years and two days. Certainly not as long as I expected, but as I’ve said in the past, everything about my time at Amazon happened faster than I expected, including my exit. I’ve heard many people at Amazon say that one year at Amazon is like two years anywhere else; this is because of how fast you work and how much you’re expected to get done. I personally hardly ever felt like we were under unrealistic expectations, but I also like to stay busy as often as possible. There is no question that I gained a ton of valuable experience and knowledge during my time there, and I’m very excited to apply all of it towards my new role at Microsoft.
My final day was a good one. There was no work for me to do, so I spent the day meeting with various people that I’ve become friends with during my time there to talk about why I’m switching jobs. The response I received was 100% positive and everyone agrees that I’m doing the right thing. I think the thing that felt best about my departure was that not only would my own team welcome me back anytime, but I was also told by two other teams that they would also be happy to have me should things not work out at Microsoft. It felt really great to hear that, and by no means would I ever discredit the thought of someday returning to Amazon. They are a world-class company whom I was always proud to represent, so who knows? It’s important to me never to burn a bridge, but for now I will continue to be a loyal Amazon customer, while my professional focus shifts entirely towards Microsoft. I’m really excited about this new opportunity with Microsoft and can’t wait to get started on Monday. Plenty of updates on that coming soon.
Today should be a fun day for us; we’re doing our monthly Costco trip later this morning, and having our friends Laurel, Solana, Josh, and their son Ronin over for dinner this evening. We’re doing kind of a potluck thing, but Jess and I are making tacos, so that should be fun. I’m also hoping to squeeze in a run somewhere in between. Jessica and I have both been running for the last few weeks and we’re enjoying it. I used to run at the athletic club when I lived in Las Vegas, and after a while I got to a point where I could run 10 miles without stopping, but then I tore my meniscus and gave it up. I’ve been wanting to get back into it for a while now, but decided to wait until after Enzo was born because I knew Jessica was also interested in running and I didn’t want her to feel excluded.
Although we don’t run together (because someone has to be home with the kids) we’re both enjoying it, mainly because it gives you a chance to get away and clear your mind. When I first started running, the route I was taking was only 2.25 miles. I would get home exhausted, but after a couple weeks I found myself taking a route twice as long and finishing not nearly as tired. I’ve found that running is entirely a mental battle, and that’s actually my favorite part about it. I learned from a Navy Seals book I read a while back that the mind will always give out before the body does, so I will sometimes remind myself of that when necessary. One thing I’ve learned about running is that its best to keep your mind occupied with something other than running. Never think about how far away the finish line is. You see a lot of people out running with headphones on, but I have headphones on all the time at work, so I prefer not to wear them when I run. Instead of listening to music while I run, I think about music. Specifically I think about music theory and how it pertains to the guitar fretboard. I’ve found that this works well for me because music theory is complicated and requires a fair amount of concentration. If my mind is focused on the intricacies of music theory and guitar, that means that its not focused on the run, meaning that my body gets into a comfortable pace and before I know it, the run is complete. The best part is that I’m simultaneously becoming a better musician while I exercise. It’s all about finding something that works for you.
Jessica will be doing Enzo’s first monthly photo later today, so I plan to include it on my post this Monday. Monday is a big day for me (for a variety of reasons) so I’m looking forward to writing another post that night. Happy weekend!