finally feeling settled

so this month has been good.  mr. z has been so much fun.  he walks and runs around, he has been sleeping well, he babbles and says some understandable words.  he loves to read.  hubs and i have been having a great time with him.  he catches on to things that we do or say so quickly and will act it out later unexpectedly.  it's hilarious.  but besides just this month, i feel like i am more settled, and that as a family we have finally kind of gotten into a good stride.  after a year, i feel that we are there.  for now.  things change so quickly with a small child.  but, finally, after having a baby, buying a house, moving away from our friends and Bahai community, and starting school again, things are feeling a little more comfortable, more balanced.  z and i have a pretty good schedule these days.  mornings after breakfast we play and read books, during z's nap i can take a shower and clean up a little bit, after lunch we play some more, sometimes we go to run some errands, or visit friends or go to the park or for a walk, z takes an afternoon nap and i can get some stuff around the house done or sometimes take a short nap, too.  i can get dinner cooked nearly every night, and while i'm finishing z and hubs spend some time together, outside usually taking care of some yard maintenance.  we eat, play, sometimes take a walk.  we may give z a bath, and then start on his bedtime routine.  i get him down for bed while hubs works on some project or another around the house or yards.  we have been exercising with the T25 after z goes to sleep.  we are in a routine, and it feels great.  i do well with structure and familiarity, and so do children.  i feel so much more comfortable and at ease being z's mama.  i have less anxiety about certain situations.  z is very social, waving and smiling and saying hi to people in the store, at lowe's, at the park, wherever.  that and because he is becoming more aware of what's going on around him, it's fun to take him to new places and let him have new experiences.  i've been taking advantage of the beautiful weather this summer, taking z to parks and beaches and my beloved greenlake (he loves the kiddie pool).  actually, i've kind of been putting off projects that i've had on my to-do list (for the house) because i just feel like we will never have this opportunity again, when z is young and an only child, and i have the time to spend with him during the summer (which is my favorite!!!).  as he is growing and gaining independence and character, i am also getting to know him better.  and he's pretty great.  and i feel like hubs and i are on the same page about our parenting, it's much more organic nowadays, and we balance each other well in addition to keeping each other on track when one or the other is getting a little frazzled.  it's a nice place to be.  don't get me wrong, we still have bad days, we are not perfect parents, there are many times i react before i can think about how i want to handle the situation, but it's all a work in progress, am i right?  things will get shaken up a bit when i go back to school in the fall, i'll have more on my plate and will be a little more busy.  z will be with a caretaker for several hours twice a week.  but, it's good change. i hope that this next year brings more contentment, more unity, more fun, more family.