A Case of the Mondays

Two Monday's ago, my little fam took our first mini-baby-road-trip (only 2 and a half hours away) to a small town in southern MO so mama could work. While I knew from the onset that this would likely NOT be the most amazing, exotic vacay of all time, I also had high hopes that it would be a fun little family get-away.

Miss Everleigh Harper was an absolute doll in the car, which was a blessing since she usually hates car rides, and that's about where the good time ended. It started pouring rain--like the heavens opened and dumped the motherload-- kind of rain. We had to pull over at one point cause we couldn't see and there were semi's all over the road. Ev thought it was neat.

So I got to my work site late (a small University campus), while daddy and Evie hit the hotel room. I was trying to shake off the rough start and get into the groove of my event, when I discovered one of my "patients" (an actor) for the event was sick in real life and wouldn't be able to work. This happens sometimes, but not usually when we're out of town. So I was scrambling. Also, Ev was scared by her new environment and lack of ME, and was crying and basically had to be walked in circles around the small hotel room to stay calm. So if I could get the chance to get away and pop in at the hotel, that would be great...

On my way back to the work site, I apparently left my car in neutral, and it started slowly rolling down the parking lot as I crossed the street. The lunch sandwich I got had some weird sauce on it (sweet and sour on roast beef?) and tasted terrible. My cell phone started dying and I realized I had forgotten the charger at home. It was one of THOSE days.

But you know what? I still had fun swimming in the hotel pool with my little girly and tickling her on the bed, bathing her in the tub and snuggling her to sleep.

And I realized how absolutely happy I am to be a mom. Without her, my trip would have been an absolute bust, but instead it was a mostly-bad but also kind of special time.

It also made me really excited about quitting my job, and starting in a new position IN MY FIELD!!! I received an offer the day before Thanksgiving to go work for a behavioral health facility in town, where I will start as a case manager while I work on my licence, with the opportunity to become a full-fledged therapist there within a year or so. This is so awesome, because it's really my passion to work in a thrapeutic setting and I'm so happy to be getting one step closer to my career goals. Next step? Finish my Play Therapy Certification, get my LPC licence, start a private practice, become a consultant, teach at a University, write a book, have more time to spend with my family while making bank. A girl can dream right?

Sorry I've Been Away!

Stop the madness!



 This week Everleigh had her first minor baby illnesses PLUS her first baby tumbles. It's been a tough week on baby, mommy and daddy.

I got sick to my stomach big time on Monday about 3AM and puked up all the pizza I had eaten on the bathroom floor, then cried, then started cleaning it all up. Ick. The cleanup process also required a shower since I somehow managed to get it in my bangs, up my nose, down my shirt, you get the point. I've always been a wimp about puking, but you know what? In spite of all the bad ways I was feeling, my primary thought was, "I hope I can get this (and myself) cleaned up before Evie needs me! What if she starts crying and I'm all pukey?" etc. Babies really have a way of muting the selfishness in us all, and if you know me, you know that's saying a lot ;)

So by the time I was clean and the bathroom was clean and I got back to bed, fed Miss E, and so on, it was about an hour before her insanely early wake-up time. Happy Monday! Plus I had a job interview Monday--which could potentially be really great news. More on that later though. And guess what? On my way in to the interview, I locked my keys in my car. That's right. And saw myself doing it as it happened. Luckily, the security guys seemed bored and mildly attracted to me enough to come to my rescue! Did you know it's actually kind painfully easy to break into a car? Gulp.

Within the last week, Everleigh has now taken TWO spills. Her first two ever. I think she's figuring out how to squirm her way around better so look out! The first one--she was in bed with me and her papa in the early early morning and I got up to brush my teeth and try to wake myself up. She was in the middle of the bed right next to Scott. I looked over, she was fine. I looked back and she was on the floor on all fours. She cried a little and scared the crap out of me, but she seemed to be perfectly fine with no scratches, bruises, or bumps. It seriously looked like she landed like a cat. Terrible but at least she was alright. Then later this week, I came home from work to hear that she had taken another tumble. She was on the couch next to daddy, he stood up and at the exact same time, she rolled off the edge and bumped her head on the carpet. Not good. Again, she seemed perfectly OK and was laughing again in minutes. I hate to admit all this, really. We always try to look out for her safety and never leave her unattended. She's just getting too curious and too strong without the coordination part yet. So, we have had to set some new rules for ourselves about where to set her down, looking away for even a second, and so on to ensure this doesn't happen again. :( Poor kid.

OK, enough grouching. I just wanted to give you a feel for what my week has been like. After I got sick, Evie got sick with diarrhea, which seamlessly transitioned into a full blown cold. I took 2 days off work to be with my little sicky poo and worked way more at home than I ever do at work. Stay at home moms--a tip of my hat.

I even had to bring her in to my office a couple times this week, which I was worried about, but she was just glad for a change of pace so she fit right in.

Now I have to crank out a 4 page paper by midnight for my Play Therapy certification, attend an online class tomorrow morning, prep for my second job interview Monday,and maybe just maybe try to get a little sleep somewhere in there. For now, I'm nursing my pumpkin spice latte and hoping my eye makeup is convincing enough to suggest that I'm not sleepwalking :)

What this week has taught me:
*babies are really cute when they sneeze
*it's super sad to see a baby feeling under the weather
*when babies fall short distances onto carpet, they are usually OK, but it will make you feel a guilt you've never known
*being a mom is hard. being a puking mom is harder
*trying to relax and interview for a job when you've been up all night and you're stomach hurts and you're worried about your baby and your car that you just locked the keys in is not easy
*somehow you make it through and things are OK, and life keeps going
*having a baby has made my life a million times more complicated and a million times more rewarding