Squirrel Sprint

It was rush hour, and I was running a few minutes behind so of course I sat longer than usual at the stop sign to leave our neighborhood.

O-man was in the back seat happily singing "Twinkle, Twinkle" at the top of his lungs for the 42nd time that morning (best version of Twinkle, Twinkle I've ever heard!), the radio was playing "Raise Your Glass" for the 43, 504 time (great song, but wow, give it a rest) and I was watching the stream of cars pass by...

I happened to look down to the side of the road where a brave little squirrel was about to dart out into traffic. She would glance from side to side, her tail nervously twitching, then she'd inch out a bit further but then take another two steps back. And then like she had planned it this way all along, she took off in a sprint and made it successfully to the other side of the street. 

I gave her a thumbs up, since it seemed as if she paused for a minute to look back across the road to appreciate her accomplishment. 

And yes, I have just written an entire blog post about a squirrel. 

But isn't it funny--the things that can make us think? I've seen hundreds of squirrels run across the road in my lifetime...and the not so pleasant view of when they don't make it. And for some reason, seeing this one particular squirrel reminded me that I've felt a lot of that adrenaline lately...of wanting to sprint to the finish line instead of taking my time. Wanting to go against my normal "think-it-through" mentality, and just do it without thinking. 

I find myself wanting to be at the "finish-line" as far as our family plans are concerned...I want to have the answer now, and sprint towards it. I get frustrated feeling that nervous twitching of not knowing what the future holds. I have to also remind myself to live in the present--even if I am tempted to sprint across the road. I have an amazing toddler that keeps me sprinting after him....multiple times a day. Maybe that squirrel and I have more in common than I thought! 

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An important PSA for you before you go....my fabulous friend Courtney, who has created Chance to Hope (please take time to check it out!) is asking for volunteers who would be willing to share your story if you have battled infertility and have survived...whether you became pregnant through treatments, a "miracle", or adoption.  She is creating a video for the website and educational purposes. Please contact her at chancetohope@gmail.com if you are interested, and she will provide more details of the involvement. 

A Shower Curtain Saga

While O-man spends his first weekend with his Aunt and Uncle, Mook and I were going to lay around and do absolutely nothing after the toll the last few weeks have taken on us...

And then we had one small conversation over dinner last night that changed everything.

I casually mentioned that I'd like to get a new shower curtain for our guest bathroom, that is also O-man's bathroom. I wasn't ready to make it completely "kid" themed, but that it needed an update. No big deal, one purchase at Target and we'd be home and lounging in front of the TV.

Well we made that purchase. Got a few other little things, and did go home and veg in front of the TV and we were asleep by 10:30, and even slept in this morning--go us!

But since we got up?

The new shower curtain has been hung...but we've also done a few other things:

• converted the crib to a toddler bed
• hung black-out curtains in Omans room
• removed a piece of furniture from his room and moved it into another room
• redecorated guest bathroom
• posted items on craigslist that we no longer need
• drawing up plans to turn current "home office" into a play room
• moving said "home office" to a more condensed space
• removed frames, and hug new ones with plans for other decorative changes
• set up a reading/play tent in O-man's room
• re-distributed items in O-man's room to be more toddler friendly
• scrubbed both bathrooms

So after seeing that list, it may not surprise you that there came a point earlier that I couldnt find Mook. I called and called...only to find him here...

I consider myself a fair "boss" (heh heh) so I gave him a break...but he only gave me time to add more to my list.

And after all that? He's still taking me to dinner later. Wonder what conversation we'll have this time...

It All Evens Out

Today, my blog turns four years old....

I still remember writing my very first post like it was yesterday...I wish I had taken a screen shot of what my very first layout looked like, but I remember creating it with a "build-a-blog-kit" before moving over to blogspot later in '07. I just dove right into Google, looking for anyone else who had blogs about trying to have a baby...and I was so lucky to come across LJ, Farah, Mel and others in my early days.

I find it super-special that timing worked out pretty well, due to the fact that O-man's birthday falls only days before this blog's birthday. We celebrated the big TWO this past Friday...

So lots of even numbers around these parts...and I'm happy to say that things are evening out with the health of my 2-year-old and my 32-year-old. I really appreciate the get-well wishes and thoughts as we navigated through all of that. I'm thankful that both my hospital visit 2 years ago and this most recent one all turned out OK, but I'd rather not have to plan on being anywhere near a hospital during the last week of January from here on out. Hoping the universe is listening...

Since I'm all about happy-shiny-good things today, I do want to also mention again how grateful I am to all of my blog/twitter friends who honestly kept me sane the past few weeks. Looking back at my FB page and the notes people left during Omans hospital stay, I am more convinced than ever that the friendships I have made through blogging are incredibly strong and genuine. 

Thank you LJ, Alison, Jamie and Rottenstinker for rallying the troops for our support system...and all the time and effort you all put into making sure we were taken care of. My Braces Bunch girls--I love you. No doubt about it, you all are my sisters. And of course, I am incredibly thankful for my family and all that they did for us.

So I'm handing you each a piece of virtual cake--thank you, thank you for reading along, whether you've been here four years or four days. I am grateful for this space and look forward to blogging until I'm 94.... :)


P.S. Another celebration? I have an article in the current edition of Babiekins Magazine :)