it's the little things...

We've all been sick.  I mean, all of us.  First the Chicken, then Hubby, and me, and finally Buns.  I think everyone has turned the corner.  Even me, who seemed to have turned away from the corner after Saturday...  Goodness.  There's nothing sadder than a hoarse infant.  And probably not much that's more exhausting than everyone being sick at once--especially if you're the breastfeeding mom.  Sheesh.  Anyway, just a quick little post here to say that this didn't stop me from participating in the Gritty Goddess mud run on Saturday with lots of my favorite ladies.  It's a 5k obstacle course for women only.  Nearly all of us were mud run virgins so doing a girls' race seemed to be a good intro.  We had planned this for about 2 months.  I harassed people into doing it.  We came up with a team name (Bast's Bodacious Babes, based on our wave's name) and then designed and made t-shirts.  So, yeah, even though there w...

And, thus, the conclusion. You'd think I'd have some fantastic Day 30 but work is so crazy now... Monday/Day 29: I ordered delivery pasta from Pizza Hut. If you have a household with two >40-hour jobs, a baby, and a dog, you know how fun this really is. Tuesday/Day 30: I unexpectedly shared the conference room with another person from my company. Sometimes it's nice to just visit with someone. Commiserate. Hadn't met her before but it was nice to share the ridiculous day with someone. Off to what will surely end up being another ridiculous day...

Yesterday...I enjoyed the baby. And marked a lot of stuff off the list. And turned blueberries into baby food. I get really excited seeing little frozen blocks of bold colors in the freezer. Today...I FINALLY gave myself a pedicure. During a conference call but still. I can't even tell you the last time I did that. It was way too long. And I bought a pair of orange Converse for $13. Yeehaw.

Friday--Pizza delivery! We have instituted Dine-Out Fridays around here as Mama is too tired to cook sometimes. Last Friday, there was too much going on to even go out but delivery is always an option. I also got to spend a little extra time with the baby and that's always fun. Saturday--The iPad came! Had the extended family over for dinner and tried out several new recipes. Fun. Cranky baby at bedtime? Not so much. Sunday--Starbucks while picking out paint colors for best friend's house. There is no part of that sentence that isn't fun. Seriously. Monday--Going to a site for work for the first time and finding out that they're actually GOOD. And local. That rarely happens. Also, last day on-site for about a week. And the odd satisfaction I get from maneuvering about the Med Center.

On Monday, I had the day off. That would be fun except that I had to travel for work instead of spending the entire day with the family. So sad. To top it all off, I had to leave the baby who felt suspiciously warm to me. Turns out she was getting some sort of virus. She's better today. So what was fun about Monday? Nachos. For real. Tuesday--chatting with a 7th grader while we were in line to board the flight from Orlando to Houston. I had caught an earlier flight (woohoo!) and ended up close to the end of the line. The kid in front of me started chatting it up. I don't often talk to people his age so that was fun. And? He told me I looked good for having a baby 7 months ago. Sweet kid. :) Wednesday--Eating lunch outside! And not sweating! I don't know about other folks here in Texas (and Louisiana where I was eating lunch), but the break in heat has been really surprising. It had been so hot for so long it just felt like it was never going to end. Like it would be over 10...

Friday--Hubby catching an early flight home (after being gone all week). Getting to spend some time with him before midnight. Woohoo! Also, hanging out with the niece (and, you know, her parents). Saturday--Running errands as a family. I know. This shouldn't be counted as fun but when you've had the whole family together as infrequently as we have lately, it counts. We bought some things to use up my technology bonus at work (finally!) and a jogging stroller we found on Craiglist. And rain! We enjoyed the rain. Sunday--Ordered an iPad (using up that bonus money). Ran for the first time in, oh, 9 years. Finished the new Bay Fest sign--the neighborhood fundraiser. Old sign and new sign.

I guess the real point of this is to actually do more fun things. It's not so much about blogging about it--which is good since I can't seem to write here on a daily basis. Yesterday while I was in the airport I chatted with another mom. She had a not-quite-1-year-old daughter who obviously had had a challenging year medically. The mom loved her kid so much and told me how she'd do it all again. It was really inspiring but at the same time I was extremely grateful that my Chicken has only had very minor issues. But, you know? It all boiled down to the fact that we're both new moms. We immediately had something in common and just felt like friends chatting. I also had dinner with the in-laws last night. A home-cooked meal that I didn't cook? Fun. And it was nice to visit with them since they had been on vacation for so long. Today? I talked to my husband on the phone for 38 minutes. THIRTY. EIGHT. He's not much of a phone talker so that was crazy. And I ...

Yesterday evening we went for our usual walk. Dog, baby, and me. We have fairly friendly folks in our neighborhood but there's nothing to get people talking like being accompanied by and dog AND a baby. We chatted with multiple people we hadn't met before. One woman asked how old the baby was. She said she remembers seeing me walk the dog when I was pregnant. One man showed us his old Boxer so I could see what Maggie would look like one day (not that I needed that but it was still nice to chat). The most fun thing, however, was watching the kids on the basketball court. The fire department was using a truck to water the grass and trees in the park but they were spraying the water really high so that the kids could run crazily under it. I swear, if I hadn't been so tired I might have joined them. Their "something fun everyday" may have ended when the crazy woman (dog & baby) ran around with them. Today the fun was finishing up with work a little early. It bo...

Friday = Day 5. I treated myself to a facial. My skin has been a wreck post-baby. Recent stress, travel, and drought conditions have done nothing to improve things. So yea for the facial. But these days? Even just lying around for an hour is heavenly. Saturday = Day 6. Eeeee! The babies got to meet! We captured the moment on video. Perhaps one day of these 30 will be me figuring out how to get that on here. But something tells me that would fall into a 30 Days of Frustration list... Also? We got Tookie's! Praise tiny baby Jesus, they're open again. Sunday = Day 7. We had lunch with the in-laws. They're back from their long European vacation. It was good to catch up over Mexican food. Later, Hubby and I got to nap on the couch while the baby slept in her crib. Priceless.

Today was full of fun. I worked on-site with my manager. She's really awesome. Best one I've ever had. It's not often that I get to work with someone while on-site so that was fun. And since it was such an easy day (at a good site) we ended up just visiting most of the time. I also was able to come home and finally hold my new little niece! She's so cute and small and snuggly. So light weight compared to the Chicken. And, finally, I was able to make it home home. Chicken was in bed already but at least I got to stare at her. Oh, and I also got Freebirds. Was a good day.

Sometimes you plan fun and sometimes it just happens to you. I had to travel today. Blah. I don't like being away from home very much anymore unless I can take my family with me. I'm rarely able to do that. I especially don't want to leave when my husband had been gone the entire week before. But work is work. This morning I made it through security (which was bad--why? Shouldn't you people have kids in school now?) and had been seated at my gate for about 2 minutes when my cousin walked up. We were on the same flight. We chatted for a few minutes and then we needed to board. We ended up sitting together (sorry, her boss, for neglecting you) and chatted the whole way. It was so nice to visit and so unexpected. A much nicer way to start the day than doing work on the plane. But because I need to, I'll be doing work here in a bit. Here's to inviting the fun in...

It's a big one... Become an auntie!!! I was so excited to meet her this morning that I had to distract myself with WORK until visiting hours started. But since her Mommy and Daddy haven't posted any pictures, I won't yet either. Instead, you can get a few of the Chicken from this morning (with photo bombing Maggie). She's awfully excited to meet her cousin but won't be able to for a few days. I can't tell you how much I'm looking forward to these two baby girls growing up together. It's going to be awesome. I like how she looks suspicious in this first one.

I'm late jumping on this bandwagon. So late that I'm probably not even on the wagon but dragging behind it--way behind it--hanging on by a rope, bouncing along kicking up dust. That, by the way, will not be something I do for fun over the next 30 days... Who doesn't need more fun? Also? Who doesn't need something light and quick to post about because she's feeling like the blog is super neglected? Me. And also me. Today, I'm making banana yeast bread. It's a new recipe, per Hubby's request, that doesn't use baking soda or baking powder but (shockingly) yeast to make the dough rise. You know, hopefully. It's currently sitting in the warm junk sunroom and, boy howdy, does it smell good. Fun thing #2 is that I'm at home and not in Florida for work.