Big Changes in Little Costanzo-ville


Our most recent family picture

This Monday marks the beginning of another big change for us--Jen is going back to work!!! Yes, after six lovely weeks of maternity leave, Jen is heading back to the office full time, while Mike takes up the mantle of becoming Mr. Mom, juggling bottle-feedings, diaper changes, and his weekly clinic responsibilities. And of course, both of us have mixed feelings about it. Jen's excited about getting to see her co-workers again, but is also sad that she'll have to be away from Tyler for a lot of the day. And while Mike will be with Tyler all day, he's going to miss having other grown-ups around, especially when Tyler starts to get antsy! Wouldn't you know it--right after we finish establishing a new "normal," everything changes, and we have to re-define the new "normal." But according to some good friends of ours, such is the life of parenthood--a life of constant adventure!

 


Tyler seems surprised to hear the news!

Meanwhile, this May, Mike will be graduating from RTS with a Master of Arts in Counseling! Right now he's knee-deep in his final semester's worth of coursework, which thankfully is relatively light, and is finishing up at RTS's student counseling clinic. While it will feel good to graduate and move on, it's going to be hard to say goodbye to so many good friends, especially his incomparable counseling class cohorts. I love you guys! Here's to a GREAT last two months together!!!

 


"Does Daddy really have to stop going to school? He seems to really enjoy it..."

 

The Latest From Tyler's World

As of this writing, Tyler is almost seven weeks old, and already weighs over 10 1/2 pounds. Every day he gets sturdier and chunkier, and (unbelievably) much, much cuter! One of the biggest developments from his world is that he has begun smiling at us--for real! Not only will he smile and coo on his own if he's happy, but we've also been able to coax smiles out of him by cooing and smiling ourselves. It's an amazing feeling to see him looking up at you with his little face beaming all over with joy!

 


Behold the cuteness of Tyler Owen! Can you even stand it?

Of course, he's not all smiles; Mr. Grumpy gets his share of awake time as well. And interestingly enough, we've noticed that as he starts to smile more, he's also starting to get fussier and more frustrated from time to time. In fact, a few days ago he was so fussy that we started to wonder if there was something wrong. Don't worry, dear reader; he's doing just fine. It's all a part of him growing up and expressing more emotions--the happy kind along with the not-so-happy kind. And it helps us to give him grace when we remember that these emotions are just as new for him as they are for us!

 


Who me...fussy??? Never! Just look at how cute I am... :-)

But perhaps the best development so far is his sleep schedule! Not only have we been able to get him sleeping more at nighttime than during the day, but sometimes he even sleeps for up to 6 hours at a time! Most of the parents we tell this to get really jealous--after all, sleep deprivation is usually part and parcel of the new parenthood process. But we can't (and don't) claim any of the credit for ourselves--we're just very, very blessed. Thank you, Lord, for such a healthy, charming, and easy to care for baby!!!

 


YAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAWWWWWNNNNN!!!!!!


A Big Thank-You!!!

Jen and I would like to end this update with a huge, heart-felt expression of thanks to all our friends and family that showered us with gifts and helped us with Tyler in a million ways. When we step back and look at all the gifts we've received--clothes, toys, blankets, towels, stuffed animals, personal care items, meals, cards, and time spent babysitting-- we're truly amazed at how rich with blessings we are. Thank you so much for all you've done for us!



Tyler surrounded by just a fraction of his awesome collection of stuff

 

As always, stay tuned for more pics and stories, right here at mikejencostanzo.com!