Back Already!

Brenden LOVES his Pooh Bear hat

I'm back from my business trip to Indianapolis, and everything went really well. It's funny that I was in tears over it a month ago, because it was not a big deal at all. Brenden had a fun time with his Grammy and Aunt Allie until Adam got off work on Thursday, and they did just fine that night on their own. I anticipated a dramatic reunion, but when I walked in the door last night Brenden only had eyes for the bag of Long John Silvers I was carrying.

I enjoyed the trip to Indy. It was really helpful for me in my new job, and it was nice to get away briefly. I took myself out for a nice steak dinner, then took a steaming hot bath in my nice hotel room. After that I ate a piece of chocolate cake a la mode in bed while watching HGTV. The quiet was nice just for one night, but I was really ready to get home yesterday.

It is really good to know that it's ok if I have to be away. I read a good article in Oprah magazine right before I left. It was an interview with Julie Bowen from the TV show Modern Family. On the show she plays a stay at home mom who keeps a perfect house, but the article was about the reality of having to travel and be less than a perfect mom to her 3 boys. She talked about the importance of making time for yourself and focusing on being a good mom instead of a great one.

If someone asked me if I thought I was a good mom I would say yes without hesitation. But a great one? Hmmm... Some nights we have chicken nuggets and fries for dinner, and I can't seem to keep up with the mess of toys that get strewn all over the house. I also have to admit that I've let Brenden walk around the yard without shoes on, and I'll turn on cartoons to keep him company while I do dishes. GASP!!! And here's the kicker - even though I really should do some cleaning and yard work and unpacking while Brenden's taking his nap, I've just written a blog and now I'm going to lie down on the couch and take a nap. Hopefully child welfare services won't knock on the door and wake me up.

Brenden and Ian doing their homework

Not to worry, Brenden is just pretending in that picture. He is NOT one of those poor babies forced to watch those Your Baby Can Read videos all day. Those commercials are creepy, if you ask me. Driving your kids too hard starts really early these days.

Things are going well. I have been at my new job for 2 1/2 weeks. I'm still figuring things out but so far I like it. I have my own nice office and the commute is so short I can come home for lunch. One thing that's a bit rough is working at the jobsite. I stay in the construction trailer doing paperwork, but I was shocked to discover there's no bathroom! We have to use a porta potty used by mostly men. Yes, it's just as disgusting as you might imagine. After my first day at the site I learned that my morning cup of coffee is not worth it. I only have to go to the jobsite one or two mornings a week, so it's not too bad. It's over an hour away, and at first I was bummed about the drive, but now I like it. A whole hour to myself!

Adam's schedule at his new job is a bit difficult. He works a lot of evenings and weekends, and I have a hard time managing dinner and dishes and bathtime on my own. Brenden is usually really fussy in the evenings. He wants to be held the whole time, which is impossible of course. He's had several major meltdowns complete with ear-splitting screams and theatrical beating of his head against the floor.

But weekends are great. It's still hard but Brenden is in a much better mood when we spend the whole day together. Last weekend he napped an hour in his crib and an hour on the couch with me. It was so nice to just lie down and watch a movie and fall asleep!

Overall I feel more settled than I have in a year. It was about this time last year that I started feeling like Seattle wasn't working for us, and since then we've been through a lot of upheaval. I cannot believe how much work this move has been. Planning, packing, moving, job hunting, buying a house, buying a car, finding a daycare, and a mountain of other things to be taken care of. Now that Brenden has been sleeping well for about a month, I have FINALLY caught up and don't feel like I'm drowning. Now we get to think about fun stuff like decorating the house. We have a huge finished basement that we hardly use, so in the next couple of weeks we're going to set up a den/play area for Brenden during the winter months.

We have some other minor things to update. Thank goodness this house is in awesome shape because we're hopeless when it comes to home maintenance. Our ice maker just stopped working and I have no idea how to fix it. I guess I'll start by googling it...