Neglect

I have been feeling guilty lately about the lack of attention Ryan has been getting since Bradley has been born. It's been difficult trying to divide my time and attention between the two, especially since nursing takes up 5-6 hours of my day. Now, Ryan got A LOT of attention for the past 3 years, but that's what he was accustomed to and it has been a big transition for him the past few weeks. The days and weeks after Bradley was born, we had a lot of family around which provided him a ton of time and attention, but now that we are getting back to reality, real life has set in and it is HARD. On everyone.

Trying to find the right balance has been very trying. From Ryan's constant outbursts, to trying to discipline him without sounding like a broken record, to what appears to be Ryan's naps permanently dropped in the past week, to paying enough attention to Bradley and bonding with him, it's an uphill battle everyday. I know it will get easier because everyone does it, but figuring it all out is not an easy task.

We decided to take Ryan to the zoo this past weekend, and he had a blast. I think he loved having both of our undivided attention, since Bradley slept the entire time. The weather was gorgeous and it was so nice for the 4 of us to get out together. Ryan loved watching the elephants play in the water. He was most intrigued with all of the animal's poop and couldn't stop talking about it the rest of the day.

I think probably his most favorite thing about the zoo was learning to stand on all of the fences. He watched a few kids do it and then that was all he wanted to do every animal we went to see.

He has been really great about playing on his own. I honestly don't know what I would do if he didn't like playing by himself. He loves playing pretend and he really can do that all day! We set up our formal living room into a play room with all of his toys from Christmas and he just loves having his own space. Sometimes, I watch him playing and feel bad for not being able to play with him because there is so much going on or I feel guilty because I let him stay in there so I can have a few minutes to myself!

Can you tell he has been bored? One day I went into his room and he decided to take all of his toys and start stacking them in his closet for no reason. I can't believe it didn't come crashing down.

 What a mom will do for some peace and quiet. Nothing a Starbucks and IPad can't fix.

 Spending some QT at bath time. He realllly needs a haircut! Maybe this week......