Hey y’all. I wish that I could say that this weekend was a super fun one given that my mom is with us and it’s the holiday season but the truth is that it was kind of hard. I had a cold earlier in the week that I tried so hard not to spread but my mom ended up coming down with it on Friday. Ugh, why is it so hard to keep your germs to yourself!?

Also, my sweet Finn has just been all out of sorts. He’s in a clingy phase AND he’s teething canines. I also suspect he’s been fighting off some sickness himself.

All that being said, the weekend was not without good times and laughter…and just having my mom here is enough even if we weren’t able to get out and do a ton. <3

In my 18 month post about Finn I shared that he has been extra snuggly lately. Well, snuggly has morphed into clingy and while I am here for all of the closeness, it’s been overwhelming at times. Currently, Finn wants to be held constantly and will have a full-on meltdown if I don’t pick him up when he says, “up, please.” On top of that, he cries if I leave the room or walk outside. The worst is that while my mom has been here, he won’t let her hold him or even read to him unless I am out of the house and gone.

Just a month ago when we were in Florida, Finn would constantly reach out to my mom for her to hold him even while he was in my arms. And you’ve seen all of the photos of him sitting with my family and reading books. I asked about this sudden clinginess and separation anxiety on Instagram and everyone assured met that it’s super normal for his age and is a passing phase.

Once again, I adore that he wants to be close to me and I am not complaining but this is an intense phase that leaves me completely wiped out at the end of the day. Every night I tell myself that I’m going to pull my holiday decorations out and then I just run out of steam.

Oh, and Finn has also decided that he needs some one-on-one time between 3 and 4a. We’ve gone from regularly sleeping through the night to waking at least once if not several times. I cannot really complain about this one though because here I am writing a blog post at 11p when I could be sleeping. 🙂

Update: he was up every two hours last night and inconsolable. I ended up sleeping in the glider in the nursery holding Finn all night. We are heading to pediatrician as soon as they open. Something is not right. 

One highlight of the weekend was making this big pot of turkey noodle soup for my mom to help with her cold. I based it on this turmeric chicken soup recipe on my blog but made a bunch of modifications to make it leftover friendly. I skipped the whole making your own stock thing and just used boxed low-sodium organic chicken broth. I also added lots of fresh small-diced ginger and some small potatoes. It was delicious, and comforting.

Zoey has also been on the needy train with her cone status. Her hot spot was completely healed and then she somehow scratched the soft, new skin which opened up a new wound. I ordered her a new soft cone from Amazon. While this cone is more comfortable than the plastic, I cannot wait to get her out of it…and I know she’s ready too. I’ve been focusing on getting her plenty of exercise through walks and runs. I’m also going to call her vet on Monday to ask if she might benefit from allergy medicine. I have no idea what makes her keep going back to this spot but it has GOT to heal!

First, can we appreciate Finn’s Santa shark PJs? I’m so sorry I cannot link but they’re already sold out!. Second, here are these two in my lap in full-on need mama’s attention mode.

Today my mom told me that personal space is a thing of the distant past. She should know, she raised me and just this afternoon she was telling me about baby wearing me in all sorts of various situations when I was Finn’s age.

We did get out of the house today. Our big adventure was supposed to be to the zoo but instead it was running errands to the pet store to get Zoey dog food and to Home Depot to get Christmas supplies. Home Depot was a fun outing for Finn and he loved looking at all the inflatables and holiday stuff. (Although he was NOT on board with the life-sized realistic Santa.)

Virginia met us back at home and we went out for a 3.5 mile run with the stroller and Zoey. Thank goodness it was very mild today. The fresh air seemed to make Finn so happy. While we were gone, my mom cooked the most incredible Moroccan chicken dish.

We ate it served over steamed rice and it was just perfect. I am so grateful to have the leftovers in the fridge. Anything chicken + rice combo is comfort food in my book.

Our weekend ended on the couch with Grace and Frankie (I introduced my mom to this show…so good!) and dessert. We were both feeling burn out on pie os we stopped by Villani’s Bakery while we were out this afternoon to get some cake. As I’ve said before, my love for sweets comes directly from my mom, and I appreciate this influence she’s had on my life. 🙂

So there you have it! A very low-key, home-based weekend recap. I’m not complaining about it one-bit. It was hard but perfect all at the same time.

QUESTIONS

Tell me about your experience with toddler clingy/separation anxiety stages. 

Cake or pie? 

Do you do the holiday pj thing? This is something I never thought I’d get into but here I am obsessed!