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Pooped: Five Tidbits

That’s a catchy title, isn’t it? Ahahahaha! ;P

So, painting a couch, hosting 30 family members for Easter, reuniting with friends, maintaining some semblance of routine, traipsing off to San Francisco for a week…… Noooooo, we haven’t been busy a’tall!

I’m too tired to poop out of parties, as Lucy would say.

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But my husband and I have been keeping it real here, despite our crazy schedule, because we just  like to keep each other on our toes ;P Every marriage has a crazy cycle, and we stay on ours for good exercise. Not!

In the midst of doing life, I’ve been learning and pondering and discovering and wrestling and learning again….. So here’s a round-up of five topics I’ve been, you know, tossing around….

1. Baby – Sun up to sun down, and even after so it goes, she is my companion come rain or come shine. And as a result I never get anything else done! Haha. I’ve discovered that bath time is the perfect time to clean the bathroom itself, because otherwise I’m too embarrassed to use the toilet myself much less let in my half-witted neighbor. The loo is in serious need of upkeep these days, so if the baby’s happy splashing then I’m happy scrubbing.

2. Books – Novels that keep me up at night, drowning in the story by dim lamp light, are the best. I just finished one of my new favorites, The Irresistible Blueberry Bakeshop & Cafe by Mary Simses. If you’re a sucker for small town coastal living, the wit of male -female dialog, and tantalizing family-kept secrets then this novel will be a page turner for you, too. I’m now transitioning to a different genre, a book my counselor has recommended for me, War With Words by Paul David Tripp. Hmmm…. Will I be drowning in it as the clock strikes midnight? The first page was a dead-pumpkin give-away. *Sigh* I’ll let you know how my next heart-turner goes…..

3. Grief – Unfortunately, I’m a romantic, and as a such grief is not a topic high on my list for self-education. A romantic loves Julia Child, spontaneous date-nights, “blown glass, teddy bears and chocolates!” (long story, inside joke). I keep a steady stock of wit and charm for washing down the mundane of life. Even when I worked as a Vision Therapist, I couldn’t keep a straight face with any of my patients. But now, after losing Heidi, understanding grief has become central to self-education. All humans grieve something somewhere along the way; grief is a human process of the brain that can’t be avoided. Here’s the kicker – we can go through grief effectively or destructively, but those are the only two options. The key is to go through it effectively and to let the loss, the process of grief, shape us into stronger, more appreciative, humble people. Daily I wrestle to effectively grieve.

4. Routine – Who needs routine when the bread-winner works 24 hour shifts and the baby wakes at odd hours of the night? I do!! Spontaneity lights my fire but lack of routine will kick my a**. So, as I’ve referred to before I’m sure, I try to manage time well spent and pay it forward. When we get out of our routine like we have been for, oh let’s see, the past three months, I just jump back on the bandwagon! No, really, I actually try to do this. The baby has a set sleep routine of two to three hours in the morning and the same in the afternoon. Now, we can switch it up by running errands or going on vacation, but on a typical day that’s how we roll. My husband and I have created our own little routine, too: 9am-12pm productivity/projects, 1pm-3pm rest/relaxation, 4pm-6pm preparation/organization, 7pm-9pm couple time or alone time (depending on the need or the day). It’s been helping us stay on track!

5. Travel – The traveling milestone. Sooner or later every baby’s gotta try out the big bird. Well, considering we forgot the one piece of sanity we tried so hard to remember to pack in the carry-on bag, which was the baby tylenol, we did okay… considering. But we did have a lovely time visiting our friends in a lush little suburb outside of SF and baby Evey was a trooper for all the changes. My husband and I gained some much-needed perspective on “it is more blessed to give than to receive” by way of awkward circumstances of our own, and we found that though we have different interests on vacation we benefit from debriefing together. Basic tips from our short trip: don’t overdose the benadryl and the babe will be out like a light; go to bed together even on vacation; take lots of naps if needed; talk about the spending-fund before spending-it; soak up the time to talk face-to-face with friends who are thousands of miles away.

Welp. That’s my round-up. I’ll be back with more bleubird tidbits in a few days. Till then…. What’s been keeping you busy till all hours of the night or what’s your favorite baby traveling trick?

 

Signature- BB Mama

In the hands of the potter,

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