Happy Signs of Spring

Did y'all know that it's spring already? I've been relishing life without running the heater as the thermostat in our house has risen from a steady 68 to 70 to 72 and has finally landed at 76. That's when I had to turn the air conditioner on for just a few minutes. My baby was sweating on me while I rocked her. That's a sure sign that it's too warm in the house. AC or not, I'm already excited about receiving our next power bill; it has to be lower than it was last month. Lower electricity bill aside, I love spring. It's absolutely my favorite time of year. After the coldness and deadness and drabness and dreariness of winter, my soul needs the spring. It longs for sunny days, daffodils peeking through the grass, bursts of forsythia, and Bradford Pear trees burdened with thousands of tiny blooms.

Oh, and flip flops.

And painted toenails.

My soul needs those things too.

A couple of weeks ago, Micah and I ventured outside for her first outdoor photo shoot, and while we were out, I snapped a few shots of the forsythia and Bradford pear blooms. They're the first herald of spring around here.

Sigh. Seeing those two things made my heart happy.

So do flip flops.

And painted toenails.

What makes your heart happy?

Until next time, grace and peace.

Tripped Up By Another Hurdle

Well, that was a short respite. Just two days ago, I shared my theory that motherhood is a marathon of hurdles. I was basking in the glow of a baby who slept 12 hours at night and took three long naps all by herself. Life was good. Then she got a runny nose. I took her to the doctor, thinking that she just had allergies, like her mama. But no.

"I'll tell you what's wrong with her," said Dr. Freeman. "She's got tonsillitis."

"Tonsillitis? Seriously?" I asked.

"Seriously," said Dr. Freeman. "Her tonsils are red, swollen and covered with puss."

"But she's not acting like her throat hurts. She only coughs when she tries to swallow the snot that's running all over her face," I responded.

"It's tonsillitis," said Dr. Freeman.

Dear friends. Just so you know. Tonsillitis on an almost-7-month-old baby isn't fun. If she wasn't acting like she was in pain earlier, she's definitely acting like it now. Last night, we spent the night in the chair, after repeated attempts to lay her down in the crib. When her head hit the bed, she shrieked in agony {at least that's how I interpreted the shrieks}. Needless to say, I called for backup. My mama {aka Nana} is here, and she has taken over rocking responsibilities for now.

Tonsillitis. I never would have guessed.

Hello hurdle. I'm not really pleased to meet you. Please go away soon.

Thanks.

Motherhood :: A Marathon of Hurdles

Well, week one of the writing challenge didn't really go that well, but even if I haven't succeeded in writing five times a week as promised, I'm at least writing more frequently than I used to, which is a good thing, right? But today is Monday. A new week means a fresh start, and I'm praying that this week goes better than last week. It has already started off well. Micah slept for almost 12 hours last night without waking up at all, and when it came time for her morning nap, I laid her down in the crib, and she drifted off to sleep without a fuss. For the first time in 7 days, Micah put herself to sleep. Glorious day! I love rocking my baby, but I don't love being chained to the rocking chair while she naps in my arms. I'd rather rock her while she's awake. Cuddling time is sweeter then.

I have a friend who just had a baby a few weeks ago. The other day on her blog, she quipped that motherhood is a marathon, not a sprint. She's right. It's definitely a marathon. But it's a marathon of hurdles. Every time you drag yourself over a hurdle, there's another one looming in front of you. Recovery time is short. And the hurdles just keep stretching out in the distance. I'm pretty sure they'll never go away. Maybe with more practice, I'll be able to handle the hurdles better and will hop over them with ease. For now, I'm just glad when they're behind me. I don't know what the next hurdle will be, but I'm sure that there will be one. For now, I'm going to enjoy the in-between time.

Until next time, grace and peace.