Good Day

Just thought I'd post that I had a great day today.  It started out early as hell, but I had coffee all ready to go and Ingrid was in a good mood.  So, it was doable.  I had my bathroom and kitchen cleaned, Ingrid had breakfast, I'd had two cups of coffee, and Otis was down for a nap all by 9am.  Sheesh.

Ingrid played by herself for a long time this morning, she got into my button stash.  It's amazing how simple things like buttons or scraps of fabric can keep her occupied for ages!  I used the time she was busy and Otis was sleeping to make my living room curtains. 

We had new friends over to play after lunch.  It's great to be back in Milwaukee because everyone had kids while we were gone.  So instead of being the only parents, we now have a great support group of others with kids and there are a lot of moms around during the day to have playdates with.  Ingrid's not too sure of her new friends, she seems rather pushy with them--to see what she can get away with maybe?  I don't know what it is, but with her old friends in Michigan she never seemed this bossy/grabby/pushy.  Hopefully this too is a phase that she will quickly outgrow!

I can almost feel spring coming.  I can't wait.  The lake is a couple blocks away and there's a great park there I can take Ingrid to.  I will be so happy when we can just get outside and I can let Ingrid run her energy off instead of her breaking down at 4pm every day because she's been cooped up with a tired mom and a colicky little brother.  It's so close!

New Friends

When we moved here we started going to story time at the library. There was a mom there that had a little girl a little older than Ingrid. I would smile and say hi, and as the weeks went on we'd talk a little more each time. I saw the mom and her daughter at Whole Foods and finally introduced myself so at least I would be able to call her by her name instead of "hey you!" Then story time took a break and Ingrid's nap schedule changed and we didn't see them for a long time. When we did this summer, the mom was about ready to have baby #2, the first I knew she was even pregnant...I thought hmm, I should really get her number so we can hang out but she's got a new baby coming, we're probably moving soon. Why bother?

Well, fate threw us together again, this time at the post office. It's been five months since I've seen them, but the other day as I was mailing something I heard a mom say "Okay, let's mail the diapers!" I turned around because anyone mailing diapers is probably mailing cloth diapers, and of course I have to see who it is...It was the mom and her daughter! And the first thing out of my mouth was "I have to get your phone number so we can have playdates!"

She came over today and it was so fun. Her daughter, P, was kind of shy at first. She just stood there as Ingrid tried to get her to play with her kitchen stuff. P started to play, then walked away, which Ingrid didn't get. She physically grabbed P and turned her toward the kitchen! My little subtle girl...The girls warmed up to each other and played really well, and I got to chat with the mom. We have lots in common, which is something I'm finding that by living here I do tend to meet a lot of moms with similar ideas. I got to watch her with her baby, all wrapped up, napping as the mom swayed while we were having a conversation. Which of course made me want to get started on #2 so I could sway with a sleeping baby all wrapped up close to me.

P is adopted and we talked a lot about that. I always thought about adoption, thinking I wouldn't be able to get pregnant, but once I did have Ingrid, I stopped thinking about it. This family is so awesome, though, they have one adopted, one biological, and are starting to talk about adopting #3. It was really interesting to hear about the process from someone that's done it, hear about the wait, the paperwork, the reasons behind it. I just love that they choose to adopt even though they could have their own. It made me think about bringing another life to this earth just because I want one. Maybe I should go back to thinking about adoption if I want another so badly. That was always my main thing when talking about having one kid--there are so many people in this world, I don't really need to make another. I have love to give, doesn't matter where the kid comes from!

That is the thing I love about making new friends--as much as you have in common with someone, there are always differences. And differences are good--they make you think about why you believe what you do and either challenge you to think differently or confirm your beliefs. I'm glad I ran into her at the post office, I'm glad we exchanged numbers, I'm glad they came over today, and I'm glad I have the opportunity to meet new people!

Baking Epiphany.

The past few days have been downers for me, I don't know why. I was really unmotivated to do anything, I let the house get a mess, there was no food in the pantry or fridge. I was sick of watching Ingrid, I didn't want to do anything with her even though I knew she was bored and that's why she was acting out. I just felt...blah.

Then yesterday morning we got up early and had a playdate with our friends Jami and Ben. I made a loaf of banana/zuchinni bread and after I put it in the oven I had this strange feeling come over me. I had missed baking! Making that loaf of bread suddenly made me feel more peaceful, ready to deal with a toddler, and reminded me I like my simple life. How can that be? It was like something clicked and I remembered why I like to be a stay at home mom and what kind of life I want to lead.

I admit, I get carried away with daydreams. Lately I've been getting a lot of people wanting to trade things for the dresses and owls I make and I started thinking of how nice it would be to have a little sewing room where no little hands could pull things off tables and get into the felt scraps. I started getting irritated with Ingrid for being the curious person I usually love that she is. I started wanting her to need me less so I could get on and do my own thing. That simple act of making a loaf of bread put me back into reality--I am at home with a one year old. I have a home to take care of, a dog that needs walking, a toddler to keep entertained, and some fresh air and sunshine that need to be taken in. Perhaps in a few years there will be time for hard core sewing, but for now I have to take advantage of what I have--an adorable daughter that wants to play!

So the rest of the day went smoothly. We went to our friend's house, we came home and Ingrid napped. I got three owls cut out to be worked on after Ingrid went to bed. After naptime we spent the afternoon outside. And I was really in tune and happy to be where I was. Thank god, because I really hate feeling cranky and crabby!