Little Warrior

This little man is a trooper. He's had double ear infections for about 8 weeks now, and, other than his poor sleeping habits, you wouldn't know it. We have tried three different antibiotics in this time, and the verdict is in: we're headed for tubes. And as soon as possible. Like maybe this week or next.

All I know is if the kid can smile this brilliantly with all that going on, it's going to be even more amazing when he feels 100% well.

I'm doing well. November is a quick one, eh? Seems it was just beginning a moment ago, and now we're halfway through!

I just love this time of year. I'm taking advantage of the energy I feel. In the past week and a half, I've organized, ordered and received 733 photo prints from the last 8 months of life with four kiddos. I've sorted the kids' shoes. (This task should be in caps and boldface for how essential it had become.) I've organized the photos for my fourth pregnancy scrapbook and envisioned zipping through it in a session or two. I've reviewed and critiqued the first proof of a new design and theme for this very blog. I've been able to spend time at work catching up on things that had been neglected during the event-heavy October. I've gotten a nice leap on Christmas shopping. And I've spent truly quality time with each of my four children and my husband. If I can do all that in two weeks, I must be in pretty good shape.

Oh yeah, and I started an arm workout for my best friend's wedding... which is in ten days. Think it'll help? Ha! I'm also writing my maid of honor speech in my head, which is a great way to start something you really care about writing.

And, finally, I'm working on my own little Thanksgiving project. I'll tell you more about that one next time! Keep reading.

My Angel Baby

Life with a newborn is a very unpredictable thing. It's hard to please a two-foot tall dictator who has major communication deficiencies, but I try. There have been a couple of nights in the past week where blogging or an organized activity of any kind was absolutely out of the question. Luckily, there were a couple of key times when Luke was very good, surprising us all and giving his mommy some much-needed breaks.

Friday was a good day. One of the reasons, I'll be honest, was just that it was so much better than Thursday. Thursday? Not so good. But Friday, hell yes, that was a good day!

Shrek was off work, for one thing. I'll take that extra set of hands anytime. I let him do the school thing with Lily and slept in until 8 with the baby. The sunshine propelled me to Zumba, where Luke slept angelically throughout the whole class. I then had the house to myself (and Luke) for a bit. I finally got to take him to visit Lily's classroom, and she really enjoyed her 15 minutes of fame. I valiantly and cheerfully battled laundry for awhile in the afternoon, curled up with my baby for a nap, welcomed my mother-in-law and yet another set of hands(!), and then--the kicker--got to head out on the town with my hubby, sis and brother-in-law to hear some wonderful friends, aptly named Carpe Diem, play music. My token drink, or two, were also amazing. It was a welcome night with friends I don't get to see nearly enough!

I honestly thought Luke would cry most of the time we were gone. He really hasn't done too well on his trial runs so far. But he again surprised me by being awake a total of maybe 20 minutes the whole time.

So maybe we're turning a corner. Maybe we're growing up a bit. I have to keep reminding myself that even though I'm a veteran mom, Lucas is still a newborn. While it still isn't going to feel good or normal, going back to work and being separated from my baby will be a fourth-time occurrence for me, but a totally new phenomena for Luke. But I've got my village and my wits, and we'll do this thing.

And Luke will do his part too. He'll be an unhappy dictator and an angel baby, in turns. He'll help to remind me that I'm not an island. I'm not in control. He'll remind me to let go and let God.

And just like that, the bounds of my motherhood are expanding. I've got a new teacher, and he's an angel baby. ... sometimes.