updates & bullet points?!

You guys! I seriously have not written on this bad boy in probably around a month. How embarrassing. (I am guessing no one has noticed but if you have, good on you! Thank you for caring and reading!) We've been so busy fully settling in this new-ish area, going on a little weekend trip, I was spending a lot of my spare time outside of taking care of Ben and the house painting, planning our trip to California and going to California, which was wonderful and much needed. I feel like I could go into depth on many of these topics, and I will most likely be making a separate post about our first real trip and plane ride with Ben - I have no tips except for the obvious ones because we tried everything and our flight home was a literal disaster. I have no words. Actually, I have a lot  of words, but I will probably use them later in a travel post.
I just figured I would write some little bullet points to give you general facts/tips/updates/whatever that I have picked up in the last month or so! Just to say hello again and let y'all know that it won't take as long for me to post again this time!

• Ben has been NOT napping at home. Any other mamas experience this? He napped for about 40 minutes all day today, then for a little while after Chris got home when we were driving. I just feel like he's not getting enough rest during the day. I do all the normal things - darken the room, give him a bottle, turn on the fan, play lullabies, snuggle... nothing. If anything, he just gets more mad at me! Even though I know he's tired, naps ain't happening. #help #sendmecoffee #andalsopatience 
• At the same time, he has been SO smiley and playful. I feel like he's always peeking at me, waiting to make some weird noise and then he cracks up. I feel like he and I are best buds, always together and always laughing at each other being silly, which I love.
• Chris and I really miss California already. There are many wonderful things about Michigan, but we both feel like our hearts belong there right now. We are hoping to look at moving out to Chris' family's area, in Santa Barbara County, in mid autumn of this year.
• Eating healthier is becoming more of a priority for me. One of our loved ones is having some serious health issues, and in encouraging them to eat a better, more plant-filled diet, I want to begin doing the same thing for myself. I am no pro!
• Hair tips?? I need some?? I have thin hair and Ben has seriously pulled out so many strands, not to mention the color I got last late fall officially looks strange when combined with the new growth. Helloooo, brown/orange/damaged blonde ombre THING! We are trying to save for moving now and I always have a hard time justifying spending over 100 on my hair, even though I know it will make me feel better and that's probably what the cost will be. Humph.
• All of the horrible news from our US-Mexico border has really been making me feel both terrible for those poor children and families who are separated, and also grateful that I get to be near Ben all day. I can't imagine their pain, and it helps me put my struggles in perspective. I don't care what side of the political spectrum you stand on, separating children from their family is cruelty at its finest. 
• I hope you are all having a wonderful early summer! For you mamas with babies in preschool or normal school, I hope that you are having a great summer hanging with your babes and that it's been wonderful, not stressful! Enjoy the sunshine, mamas! You are all doing AMAZING.

I will be posting a few posts in the next couple of days - my traveling with baby tips and stories, my favorite mom media (books, podcasts, and blogs!) and why having mom friends feels amazing. 

Megan