I Should Be Sleeping, But I Slept Already

Two and a half hours with a nonstop nursing, going through a growth spurt baby.  Instead I've been spending the evening catching up on a colleague's CaringBridge page.  Turns out that while I was off having Fynn and enjoying my life as her mama, Ruben was being diagnosed with multiple cancers.  He's a public speaker, writer and thinker, so there are a lot of posts to catch up on.  After five hours or so, I'm about halfway.


And you know what?  I have never laughed so hard while reading about someone's journey toward becoming a cancer survivor.  I hope to never take his journey.  If I do, I hope to do it like him.


After our snowy start to the new year, we've been enjoying downright balmy weather.  I'd heard it was coming to an end by the end of this weekend.  Yesterday I made PB & J's for Mad and me.  We sat on the warm concrete out back and ate them while talking about her baby (her name is Sister, but you can also call her Sister Baby... not to be confused with Fynn, who is Baby Sister.)


Today we had a play date with Mad's and Fynn's friends, two families, each with kids who will turn three and one this year.  Mad's the oldest by two months, Fynn's the youngest by two months.  The park is one where I spent many hours running as a teen.  It's the epitome of a beautiful community park, with sporting fields, an awesome three-ring playground and an exercise trail (.8 miles) that loops it.  The trail is adjacent to an equestrian path, and the park is set in the foothills of a chic-chic neighborhood.  It was frigid.  With a breeze.


We arrived early, which is a rare occurrence for anyone of our playdate families.  Fynn was ready for a nap, so I tossed her in the Beco and did a lap.  For maybe the second time ever, I went the easy way.  That would be down the steep quarter mile or so hill.  I figured that 15.5 pounds of baby meant I could go a little easy on myself.  As I moved, I was reminded of how different my body is now compared to my 16 year old running, dancing body.  Instead of getting down on myself, I thought of people who might not be able to get around with such relative ease.  A mental shout-out went to Bossy Betty's friend E.


After all the playground fun and an icy, rainy lunch we all did a lap.  Mad was the only toddler not in a stroller; because of Fynn's preference for the wrap and carrier, we don't use a stroller.  It's at Grandma's so Mad can still get her daily walks.  So the rest of our group had a slight advantage over us, speed-wise.  By the time we were halfway around, everybody else was done.  Even the lone Grammy of the group.  We skipped the big hill and had a quick-quick-slow race up the grass.


In the car, Mad had a snack, but even with it her energy was low.  All that running around wore her out!  I'm not sure I believed it could happen.  She said sluggishly, "I'm tired," and I believed her.


On the way home, Tom and I dreamed of living closer to our friends, and of one of us getting to be a stay at home parent.  We have to be in our house 14 more months in order to satisfy the requirements of the tax credit we got two years ago.  Fourteen months and selling the house for at least enough to have a down payment on another house down the hill are all that stands between us and a normal life.