11 Months Old

Last week Little Man turned 11 months old.   In just 4 weeks, he'll turn ONE.  I can hardly believe it.  Time flies by SO quickly.

Here's my cutie pie with his Tigger on July 14th.



I haven't been updating this blog again because of many factors but mostly because I've been tired and have spent most of my internet time goofing off on Facebook or The Bump. It's mindless, most of the time, and keeps me somewhat sane. I feel that I can connect with other adults without having to go out.  And after writing that, I must sound anti-social, right? I'm not.  But I'm just so tired that mustering up the energy to GO somewhere is difficult.

The weekend of July 9-12, Dude, Little Man and I went away.  One day in Maryland so I could see some 'net friends and attend Nora Robert's book signing at Turn the Page Books in Boonsboro. The other two in Virginia to see Dude's best friend.  We made these plans months ago and expected to spend the day with his friend but it was his girlfriend's sister's birthday and we only saw them for brunch.  I'm a bit sad about that, but at least Dude was able to see him for a little while.  Here's a photo of Dude and I with Little Man in Reston, VA.



The Friday after we got back from our getaway, Little Man had surgery to repair the Hydrocele he was born with.  Dude and I were a bit worried about the anesthesia, but he did pretty well.  He managed without food for a LONG time and, overall, handled the post op without much fuss.  The worst part was when he woke up. He was STARVING and upset and the crying caused him to choke on his bottle.  But once I got him settled, he finished off an 8 oz bottle.  Don't keep Little Man away from his food.

The next few weeks will be busy.  Dude and I are going to help my parents pack up the rooms affected by the remodel of their house.  My parents are both disabled: my dad due to obesity and bad knees and hips and my mom due to Parkinson's.  My brother helps, but his chronic migraines and Fibromyalgia make it difficult for him to manage in this humid heat. Hopefully my best friend will help take care of Little Man, who gets into everything. I can't work without some assistance. And I need to pack up things in my old bedroom so we can throw it in the dumpster—including old furniture and an old television that nobody will take.

I'll try to return more frequently to this blog. Though it's not like I'm a high traffic site.   Next up, I'll update about Little Man's torticollis. I need to gather my thoughts first.

Blogger's Block

I guess that's what I've been going through. It's like I WANT to blog about a lot of things but cannot gather my thoughts. I guess that's part of motherhood, right?  Losing the ability to focus?  Mom brain.  At least when it was pregnancy brain, I had the excess blood volume and weird symptoms to blame.  Now I only have exhaustion.

So what's been going on with me?  I work. I eat. I sleep. I take care of Little Man. I walk the dog. Occasionally DH and I will cuddle (or more). But mostly I just have been existing. I feel like I've neglected many of my friends—I know I have—and I'm not really in the mood to get together with anyone. It's like I've done nothing but run around for the last 3 years and I need a break. First marriage plans. Family gatherings. Baby stuff. It's as though I never have a moment to veg out.

And the other big news is that Dude and I are going to move in with my parents—who are building a handicapped accessible master suite on the ground floor of their house—to help take care them.  And they, in turn, are helping US by giving us a stable home and less to pay per month so we can A) pay off our debt and B) save for the future.  We'll be paying them monthly for the work that's being done on the house, but the monthly payment will be around $300 less per month than we're currently paying for rent.  Our costs for utilities will probably remain the same, but we'll save on cable and internet. And by buying in bulk for food, we'll also save money.  Plus my car will be paid off in June of 2011... yes, a year away, but something to look forward to.

It's going to be a huge adjustment. And, perhaps, my thoughts have been so preoccupied by all this entails that it has contributed to my lack of focus. But planning this.  And also planning Little Man's 1st birthday party (in 5 weeks!) and dealing with some health issues (will update later on that) has taken a toll on me.

But Dude and I are doing OK. We're taking a weekend away—even though we cannot afford it—to see his best friend in Virginia this weekend. And since my Nora Roberts' message board gathering is nearby (in Maryland), we're also spending a day for me to catch up with some friends. It'll be good for us.  We're taking Little Man, so please pray for us that he sleeps.