Blog Blitz

It's been a very busy, hectic week since my last post, so I'm going to give the quick rundown of the highlights all in one condensed post:

1) Dad and Sharon arrived on Thursday for my birthday and to celebrate Lainey's upcoming birthday. (Lainey is getting three celebrations, so I'll do a full post on all those once complete.) The big outing of the weekend was Brookfield Zoo on Saturday. Lainey loved it! Although it's not free, I much preferred being there to Lincoln Park Zoo. The exhibits are way better, and it was much less crowded, so we could give Lainey a little freedom to run ahead and explore. Dad even commented that he thought it was better than the Columbus Zoo--and that's BIG kudos for him. He LOVES the Columbus Zoo.

2) Nick hit three months on Saturday! He's all smiles these days, but has regressed on his awesome sleep habits, getting up multiple times at night. I'm hoping he's just going through a growth spurt! He's seems to have adjusted to daycare okay. I feel bad just giving him a line-item update for his three-month brithday, considering I gave detailed accounts of Lainey's first year, but I had more time. Should the future Nick feel slighted, here is my message to him -- "instead of writing a post about you, I've been spending my free time talking and playing with you. You very much enjoy playing 'Super Nick' right now, and I like getting a little tricep workout during it."

3) I made it out for the Bachelorette Party Saturday night, but dropped out at 12:30am. And glad I did! I kept the alcoholic drinks to a minimum and drank lots of water, but I still felt hungover on Sunday. Of course, I only got 3 hours of sleep, because the kids were up and at 'em at 4am, so drinks or no drinks, I would have been miserable. Mark had to work Sunday afternoon, but I still managed a nap thanks to Sharon (and I guess Dad, but really Sharon did the work). Once I got Lainey down to sleep, Sharon took Nick and a bottle and I headed off to bed myself. Not a great hostess move, but I really didn't care at that point. Thanks again, Sharon!

4) We closed on the house on Monday! Hooray!!! All went smoothly with no surprises. We are officially home owners! The next-door neighbor boy, Leo, came by with his best friend, Garrett, to welcome us. They just got out of the fourth grade and I think were a little disappointed that our kids are just babies. We briefly met Leo's mom, Meghan, on Tuesday when she came over to introduce herself (couldn't chat because we had contractors at the house).

5) We met with the chimney repairman and bathroom contractor Tuesday. Not so hooray. The chimneys are in worse condition that thought by our inspector and are going to cost A LOT of money to properly fix. Booooo!!! The bathroom is going to take about double the time as estimated over the phone and of course cost about 1/3 more than we thought. The money is a bummer, but not surprising. The real pain is the timing. There is no way to get it done before we move, so at some point we're going to be without a shower for 5 - 8 days. I guess we'll cross that bridge when we come to it. On the bright side, there is now no hurry to get that project started, so we can take our time picking tile and finishes instead of rushing into decisions.

So, there's my quick 15-minute post so I don't fall too far behind on things. Lainey's birthday is tomorrow and then we head down to O'Fallon Friday night to celebrate with Mark's family. We'll also be celebrating Ben's birthday and FINALLY meeting sweet Eleanor and attending her baptism on Sunday. The car ride should provide some opportunity to catch up on blogging...or catch up on sleeping...I might opt for the sleeping.

I'm Thirty-WHAT?!

When did I get old?

Turning one year older has never bothered me; I've always liked celebrating my birthday. I'm mean having a birthday is definitely preferable to the alternative, right? But, for some reason 34 makes me feel old! Wasn't I just turning 24 last year? How did I hit my mid-thirties so quickly? Joanna Kerns was only 32 when she starting taping Growing Pains. Think about that. I'm older than Mrs. Seaver.

My laugh lines are staying put long after the laughing stops, my spider veins are multiplying, and various parts of my body are succumbing to gravity.  Forget saving for the kids' college funds...I'm saving for botox, laser treatments, and a boob lift. Instead of a night out to celebrate, I'd kill for eight hours of uninterrupted sleep (followed by two more for good measure). I'm going to a bachelorette party on Saturday and praying that I don't black-out after drinking two beers. And I'm quite sure I'll end up with alcohol poisoning if I have more than four. Four beers used to just be the pre-party.

But, while I no longer look like a co-ed and my stamina for a night out has dwindled, I still think every year gets better than the last. I'm digging my thirties. I'm comfortable in my skin and in my life choices. I'm a calmer, less dramatic version of my 20-something self. I know having the last word, doesn't necessarily make you the winner and drawing attention, doesn't necessarily make you interesting. While I'm still striving to be a better person and pursue new challenges, and hope I always will be, I'm doing it for me--not to prove something to someone else. I may have traded in my four-inch heels for ballet flats and bar crawls for Chuck E Cheese parties, but I'm happy, healthy, and loved.

So, bring on the mid-thirties...and the late thirties...and keeping it going right up to the nineties, should I be so blessed. Because if things keep improving at the rate of the past 34 years, I'll be having one kickass life at 94! I think I'll ask for 35 candles on my cake tonight...I need one to grow on.

Date Night

Mark and I hit the town Saturday to see The Book of Mormon (the tickets were an early birthday gift). This is the first night out we've had since September. Since we're watching our cash flow right now (we close on the house in two weeks!!!), we opted for pre-show drinks at The Gage versus dinner out. I also didn't want to worry about making a dinner reservation if the kiddos delayed our departure from the apartment for one reason or another. Who wants to start a nice night out with a whole bunch of stress and rushing around?

As it turned out, all went well on the sitter front. Lainey and Nick were both on their best behaviors. I on the other hand was a clumsy mess that night. First, I managed to elbow a guy in the face when I stumbled on the el. Luckily it wasn't too hard and he was nice about it. Then at the theater I hit the bottom of my champagne glass while talking too wildly with my hands, spilling it on my lap and splashing the woman next to me. Again, luckily not much spilled, and she was really nice about it. So, not my most graceful outing, but whatever. 

The show was really great and it felt nice to get gussied up a bit and have some solo time with my main man. With Mark's crazy work schedule and our crazier kids, we haven't had much time to focus on each other lately. 

Of course, we paid the price for our glorious evening. After going to bed around 12:30 AM, Nick proceeded to ditch his streak of sleeping 6 or more hours and got up at 2:30 AM and 4:30 AM. Lainey decided she should get up at 4:30 AM, too. Only instead of going back to sleep like her brother, she thought it best to just be up for the day. Yaaaaay! We were exhausted, but it was still worth it.

Tracks of My Tears

What was I thinking putting make-up on before taking the kids to daycare this morning? As soon as I handed Nick over and he gave me his crooked smile that I so love, my eyes filled and it was all over. At least I made it out the door before I pulled one of those embarrassing snort-sobs. 

I have the day packed with errands, chores, and cooking (stocking the freezer with quick meals for busy after-work evenings). If I just keeping going, going, going 5 pm will be here before I know it!

12 Weeks is Not Three Months

My maternity leave with Elaine went fast. My maternity leave with Nick went at warp speed. Friday was my last day at home with my little guy (and we spent half the day at an ENT appointment for Lainey). I haven't done any posts this week, because I've spent every moment drinking up his sweet face. During the days, I think he slept maybe 30 minutes out of my arms all week. I thought going back to work was going to be way easier this time, but it won't be. I already cried when driving to pick Lainey up from daycare at noon on Friday. Not because I didn't want to have her with me, but because it meant my alone time with Nick was really over. Of course there will be stolen time for one-on-ones with him, but who knows when and who knows for how long. I am so happy we made the decision to keep Lainey in daycare three days as week; again, not because I don't adore my daughter, but because it was really special to have that time with just Nick. It's a luxury that most people don't get to have with their younger children. I feel really blessed that I had that time with him.

So, Monday is going to be tough. Even more so than with Lainey, I've been Nick's main caretaker every day of his little life with Mark taking most of the lead with Lainey. So, I'm nervous of how he'll be with strangers. On top of having to be separated from him all day, my poor little guy has his first cold courtesy of big sister. She just can't keep herself from getting up in his face and loves smothering him with kisses these days. It's adorable except when she leaves a trail of snot across his face...sorry Nicky Nick (that's what Lainey calls him). Even with the cold, I'm sure sure he'll fair much better than me this week. I'm going to miss his sweet smiles and coos.

And I have to confess, while I lament are impending separation, I could keep him home another two days. I don't go back to work until Wednesday, but I'm taking one day to do doctor's appointments and errands and one day just for me (although that day is looking more and more like another errand/chore day). Let's see if I can make it to 5pm each day before going to pick the kids up...

This Guy