I realize I’ve been a bit off the grid lately. Unless you are directly related to me or live within 100 feet of me, you probably haven’t seen or heard from me in a while. That happen sometimes. This time it’s because there has been so much happening that I’m just trying to exist.
First off, the really great news is that after his whirlwind 9-month battle, my dad finally kicked his cancer to the curb and my parents got to head back to Japan. Hurray! I just wish I was able to be there when they ate their celebratory cake. It looked magnificent.
YASSSS
Tommy and I packed up and headed for the lake at the beginning of the month. He got to spend some quality time with his grandmother and great-grandmother, and I got to relax a bit and look at the lake while I got some work done. Tommy loves splashing in the lake, and while I don’t love cleaning the sand out of his diaper, I do love seeing him discover the awesomeness of the beach.
We got to see the Wolfeboro, New Hampshire, Fourth of July parade, which Chris Christie and Marco Rubio marched in. It was really bizarre, but I guess fairly predictable with the number of local wealthy republicans and the fact that it’s an early primary state. The bulk of the parade was your typical small-town fare with trucks and floats from local businesses and clubs, small bands and youth dance groups, and the obligatory choreographed lawn-chair routine. Then it seemed like the parade was over. But no, there were people pointing up the street saying something else was coming. And along came the Christie group, creeping along, super slowly, so that the candidate could pose for selfies with some of the many, many local republicans. And then there was a loooong gap, and Rubio’s group came creeping along, doing the same deal. Apparently Mitt Romney, who has a house nearby, hosted what Jezebel called a “deeply weird sleepover.” Fairly hilarious and totally worth watching.
Unfortunately we had to leave Robin at home. He’s been working really long hours lately. He hasn’t been home during daylight hours much in several weeks. In fact, he’s at the office right now, on a Saturday afternoon. He hates it, I hate it, but what you gonna do? We know it’s temporary but necessary.
Luckily, I was able to use much of the down-time at the lake to get ahead on my editing project and finished it up earlier this week. So I don’t have that stress to worry about, and I can take the occasional nap when I feel like it. Which is very important to this pregnant lady.
I also got to go to Ikea to get a new coffee table (Tommy smashed the glass top on our old one) and a new dining set. Sorry Mom, but I sold the fabulous 1980s wicker set you passed down to me. It was time. And I really didn’t need Tommy smashing the glass top on it. I love Ikea. Coming from Oklahoma, I didn’t have the opportunity to go there until fairly recently, but now I’m addicted. I love wandering through the store, eating in the cafeteria, and putting stuff together. Unfortunately, the dining set didn’t come with any of the required hardware, so I had to pack up Tommy and drive all the way to freakin’ Paramus, New Jersey, twice in one week. Less than ideal. But meatballs, chicken fingers, and the play area went a long way toward soothing us.
This gem served us for about 30 years
I realized last week that the BlogHer2015 conference would be going on in New York City this week, and I spent a lovely few moments imagining how I could get myself there. But in reality, there’s no way I could have gone. Maybe if I had realized it was going on before last week and planned ahead. I love conferences. And a lady-blogging conference where I might run into one of my favorite writers in real life? Yes please. But I didn’t budget for the fees (hello, Ikea) or set up a babysitter, and this is NOT somewhere I’d want to go with a potentially cranky baby. Besides, I’m simply not a serious enough blogger for it to be terribly important right now. Maybe next year, if it’s somewhere I can travel to, or if I decide to do anything with this blog beyond simply communicating with a handful of people. We’ll see.
I’ve been using much of my free time this week getting ready for my new job teaching a couple of classes at a local community college this fall. I interviewed for the job well before I found out I was pregnant, but I figure I might as well go ahead and teach a semester, then I might be able to only take off one semester and teach again next fall. We’ll see how well this works. The class is the most remedial of remedial English classes, meaning I’ll probably have an interesting mix of young and older students who haven’t seen a decent classroom in quite a while and need to figure out how college works. Quite frankly, editing pays better than teaching, and this isn’t exactly the ideal course, but I’m dying to work outside the house, if only for two afternoons a week. I’m working on getting Tommy into daycare, but the facilities on the campus and here on post both have full infant rooms. I’ll probably end up paying most of my paycheck to have a sitter while I linger on their waiting lists. But, guys, I get to GO SOMEWHERE to WORK! I might even get to GO TO THE GYM!
Who knows what my life will be like when baby #2 comes along. I may not get to work for a few years, or I may fling the kids in the general direction of the nearest daycare every chance I get. I love working, but I know this might just not be the right time for me to work outside the house beyond the classes this fall. And I can deal with that. I’m just really lucky to be able to have choices about it.
Tommy is growing and growing. He shoves solid foods into his mouth by the fistful. He’s crawling everywhere and trying to climb things, but so far with very little success. The dog’s water bowl seems to be a favorite destination. He babbles and whines a lot but has yet to say any actual words on purpose. While in New Hampshire he figured out clapping, and he’d clap for his great-grandmother every time she entered the room. We’re working on waving, but quite frankly, I’m a terribly lazy teacher when it comes to baby tricks. I’ve almost completely crapped out on baby sign language. As cute as he is, It can be exhausting hanging out with Tommy all day (I know, I know, this is paradise compared to what I’ll face with multiple children, just let me whine. IT’S MY WEBSITE). He’s not napping well right now and tends to get really tired and whiny during a good portion of the day. Ugh, and the pinching! Don’t let that little boy’s fingers anywhere near the soft flesh of your upper arm. But he does love hanging out on the front porch with our neighbors, watching the bigger boys play. And when all else fails, Sesame Street can captivate him pretty well.
Stella gets so nervous. Those ears.
As for baby #2, I’m roughly 8 or 9 weeks pregnant, which according to babycenter.com, means the kid is the size of a kidney bean. But my stomach isn’t aware of that fact, because the instant pregnancy hormones hit my system, my tummy pooched out as if my abs decided they were going on vacation early this time. Such assholes, those abs. And the nausea hit harder this time, but a combination of vitamin B6 and (weirdly) antihistamine seem to be keeping me from being completely miserable. Tired but not completely miserable.
The maternity suit (yes, already) masks the 7-week belly pretty well.
So that’s what’s happening with me. I’ll try to keep the blog updated more, now that I don’t have to work every single moment the baby’s sleeping. In the meantime, happy summer.
What Do I Do with My Hands? 