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Wednesday, February 13, 2013

Phew!

Life is amazing. Adventures, challenges, loves, losses, and everything in between. It's  exhilarating, and then it kicks you right in the arse.

Don't worry, nothing terribly significant has happened, but if you check the date of my last post, you'll notice that an entire month has passed in silence. You know what I think it is? Life doesn't like people who get cocky. And there I was, in my eleventh year of teaching, halfway through my second (and significantly simpler) pregnancy, with a whopping (tongue-in-cheek) 36 years of life experiences behind me and life said, "Get a load of this chick. Let's show her who's boss!"

It didn't take much. Just midterm exams. I've written and corrected them for years, but this year, they buried me. It has taken me until now to recover. But I'm back, and though it's not with a vengeance, it's with a determination to stick to what I've started and keep the motor in this blog purring.

So here's a recap of the last month.

Playdate

We are lucky enough to live near three families who all have little boys right around Max's age that have Down syndrome. None of us belongs to an official support group, so we try our best to support each other. Our gatherings are infrequent, but always fun, therapeutic and fulfilling. Max and I hosted the most recent one at our house (no pics though--dead camera battery). It lasted for two and a half hours, cut short only by multiple toddler meltdowns. It was magnificent. Thank you for coming and sharing your time with us, Nathan, Oliver and Colin, with moms Bonnie, Sherry and Kerry. We look forward to our next playdate.

Gender Reveal

At our level 2 ultrasound we found out the gender of our little bun in the oven. I didn't reveal anything here because Sean and I were planning on doing a reveal for friends and co-workers. We couldn't risk leaks of any classified information! So, anyway, at our little Super Bowl shin-dig, we served these cupcakes:


They were pretty easy to make. The key is to use a pointy frosting tip, and not to worry too much about overfilling the centers. The decoration on top hides any mistakes within.

At my work I handed out little white paper bags that I'd decorated with pink and blue question marks, and filled with peanut M&M's. My department is overwhelmingly staffed by women, and the men are very quick to voice their frustration over the most frequent lunchroom conversation topics--pregnancy and husbands. I figured they'd enjoy the humor in my offering, and they were certainly the quickest (and most well-equipped) to guess correctly. 

Our little boy's name is still a secret though--at least online!

Max Started Walking

Full time. And not a moment too soon. My own mobility has been recently compromised by intense pelvic / tailbone pain. Carrying my 30-pound boy is almost out of the question.

With his new found independence, Max has discovered the joys of all kinds of new places and things, like the toilet paper in the downstairs bathroom...

 

Blizzard of 2013

The view from our second-floor window.
This pic is misleading. Most of the snow came down horizontally accompanied by hurricane-force winds. We fared quite well compared to our South Shore neighbors. Lots of snow, but no flooding and no loss of power. And Sean and I both got a little extra time off from work. It was quite enjoyable, actually, though I'm not sure Max would agree. He has not yet discovered how much fun the snow can be.

 
 
This was just about the happiest he got during our 10-minute snow adventure. The feel of his saliva freezing on his chin captured most of his attention.


Final Thoughts

According to my OB, the pain I have been feeling is my body's way of telling me I need to slow down, take it easy. The recliner in our living room is my new favorite spot. I'm a perfectionist, and probably a bit of a control freak, so it's hard for me to leave things to chance. But I'm reminded of the promise I made to myself at the beginning of this year: be less moody, live for the moment, and be happy with my life as it is.

No change is easy, but challenges are motivating. Right now I am motivated to provide Max with a home free of tension or stress. I am motivated to be a happy and supportive wife to Sean. And I am motivated to provide this new little boy of ours a calm and healthy entrance into this world.

I like challenges. I thrive with them. And I will succeed.

1 comment:

  1. And you're doing great with your challenge! It's great to challenge ones self, and its fun. You're doing a good job with all, and Max is such a wonderful happy and loving little boy!

    ReplyDelete