Spinning

Ever get that feeling that life has you tied in a tilt-a-whirl and is spinning you till you turn green and puke? Yeah. I hate that feeling.

Please, someone, make the spinning stop!

Someone Should Have Warned Me

Apparently when a woman has a baby, she's not warned of an amazing and miraculous fact. It is possible for a mother to survive with her very heart on the outside of her body. Said heart can be dressed in a cute fuzzy orange sleeper and be passed around to all the adults and children of her home small group, all the while smiling, laughing and babbling at all the funny faces.

It's adorable, startling, terrifying and magical.

New Leaf Turning - aka The Gym

We joined a gym. We chose the most expensive one in town, mostly because they were the only ones offering any child care beyond "we stick them in a room and someone looks in on them every now and then". Besides, it offers all sorts of great classes, including a parent and baby aqua class. 2 more months and we are SO hitting that class. I already got Jadyn a few swim diapers!

The downside is that there are all these things you have to do when you join. You get bloodwork done, fill out this lifestyle survey, have a physical assessment done with a trainer, then an hour long orientation. Sheesh! I didn't have to do this much work to apply for my job!

I know it will be worth it in the long run. It's just that this week was already full enough with both Jadyn and I scheduled for doctor appointments this week. (Neither of which actually appeared on the doctor's schedules for some cosmically strange reason.) Add to that all this other running around and my week is quickly filling up to overflowing.

Geesh, all this to get in shape. Next year, my resolution is to simplify my life.

Can a Girl Catch a Break?

Jadyn is almost 4 months old now, and has been watched by a babysitter 5 times now, not counting being dropped off at the nursery for church or MOPS. Now, I personally don't see that as very unusual, let alone daring. But several of my friends have commented to me (and apparently to our mutual friends) that I'm doing so well to be entrusting my darling little angel to the care of others at such an early age. After all, it did take us quite a while to be entrusted with her ourselves, so it apparently comes as a surprise to my more veteran parenting friends that I so willingly drop off my child, give basic instructions and my cell number, and with a kiss and a wave I happily walk away.

I look at it this way: yes, I'll miss her, and it requires trust to leave her in even the most capable of hands not belonging to me or my husband, but honestly, if I don't catch a break to catch my sanity, I may very well lose it forever. Now, exactly how is THAT gonna help ANYONE?

So, yes, I love and adore my beautiful blue-eyed angel child. It only serves to enhance our relationship and energize me for another day of diapers and bottles if I get out among the real world every now and then.

Can I get an amen??

Things I Pray For (an abridged list)

• My husband - to be joyful even though some parts of life are not joyous
• My daughter - to find God as the source of her love and joy
• My parents - to figure out the balance between being grandparents and adult children of aging parents, and where that will lead them.
• My church - to grow and meet the needs of those she serves
• Our pastor - to get the rest he needs while enjoying life with a new baby and a 2 yr old
• Our Children's Ministry - to be real, relevant and resourceful
• Volunteers for said ministry - to be blessed, refreshed, and to increase in number
• Jadyn's naps - to last longer than 45 minutes
• Wise Use of Time - to get done quiet time, the laundry, cleaning, cooking AND my paid work
• Direction - to know where we are supposed to go next
• My friendships - to be deep, healthy and fun
• My blogging buddies - to come away with either a smile or a deep thought, depending on the topic of the day.

Balancing Act

Becoming a new mom has required a lot more strategic planning than I first imagined. Everything from a quick grocery run to a weekend road trip means planning that sometimes rivals that needed for the D-Day invasion. I also work part time as the director of children's ministry for my church, and thankfully most of it can be done from home. But that means squeezing tasks in while laundry is going, dinner is in the oven, and Jadyn is either napping or swinging contentedly in the next room. I'm beginning to feel like a circus juggler. At least I'm not tossing running chainsaws in the air!