Yes, I'm working full time.

I've had many people express curiosity about my status & it seems to confuse the hell out of them. Yes, I'm working full time. No, that doesn't translate to being in an office 40 hours a week. Here's the deal -- I work about 21 hours a week IN an office. And the rest of the work I need to do, I do from home. The hours vary widely, which works out fine, because it means I'm pretty flexible when it comes to doing stuff with Alexandra.

I have to say I'm pretty close to living the life of Riley. Finances are uncomfortably tight, but we can turn them around in another few months. Having this time with Alexandra is absolutely priceless, and I wouldn't trade it for anything in the world. Having flexible hours means I can wander next door, eat lunch with a friend while feeding Alexandra, then come home to watch Alexandra swim!


I could cram more work hours in, and I'd bring in more money, but I already did that all of last year & for the first three months of this year, and it was not what I wanted. I think that we'll just tighten the belt a notch (heck, we need to do that literally anyway & work on our health goals more vigorously) and just be parents. We've got 2 events this fall -- my niece's 9th birthday, about which we'd made many promises over the years, and my DH's twin brother's wedding. Other than those expenditures, I think we'll just be careful with our spending & soak up being parents.

And before anyone says "Yeah, kids are expensive," just hush your mouth. The only "kid" expenses we've had are (1) astronomical adoption costs, which are now all completely paid and (2) diapers & formula. Seriously. Diapers and formula set us back $115/month. So, don't think that we're blaming our financial stressors on Alexandra, 'cause we're not. It's just a function of robbing Peter to pay Paul when we got back from Georgia, and I'm still waiting for things to stabilize. They will. They always do.

So, Alexandra's due to get up from her nap any second ... then it's time for her to eat & I'm off to the doctor for a routine check up. Just ordinary stuff, but it's glorious, with Alexandra around.

Happy Father's Day!

My honey's first Father's Day was quite laid-back, which is just how he wanted it. We went out to brunch at our fave breakfast place, along with my mom & dad who were in town. The rest of the day we just kind of meandered & chilled & did random stuff that we liked. Oh, and Alexandra took a 3 hour nap in the middle of the afternoon, which allowed Daddy to play computer games totally guilt-free! Usually her naps are more like 45 minutes long, so this was her own little gift to Daddy.

We talked over dinner tonight about how it feels to be parents. It's just awesome. We joke about how we're chopped liver compared to her. She just elicits so much positive attention from everyone who sees her. We truly are fortunate to have the opportunity to be parents. Know how people say that mothers forget about the pain of labor & it allows them to want to do it all over again? I think there's something to that, even with the 2 year "paper pregnancy" of the adoption process, 'cause I told him I wanted to consider adopting a 2nd child. He just can't even wrap his brain around the idea at this point, so we'll table it for now. Alexandra is just so amazing, the idea of more kids seems rampantly appealing, at least as an idea.

Both of us are keenly aware that Alexandra is not a typical baby. She eats easily - sucks down 5-7 oz with no breaks, just some back pats and jostles at the end. She hardly ever has gas. She poops once a day. She seems to time her eating & sleeping to coincide with things like eating just before we have to leave the house, sleeping when we get to a restaurant. She sleeps 9 hours at a stretch now ... sometimes she'll even go as long as 10 1/2 hours! She smiles so much, it's ridiculous. Her version of a total meltdown is what I've experience with most babies to be "moderate fussiness." No cradle cap. No eczema*. She travels well. She loves to swim & to bathe. Been eating the same formula she started with on day 1. I mean, honestly? I didn't know babies could do this stuff. We have people say, "Well, enjoy it while you can ... something's bound to trip you up." Yeah, sure. But we are really really enjoying it now.

And my honey's not only enjoying it, he's doing a fabulous job. His anxiety is surfacing with lots of over-zealousness & some over-protection, but I think he's learning to tone it down & trust others to take care of her with a little more grace & calmness. Way to go, new dad!

*at least so far ... we know it could pop up still.

It's the little things

We got back from our trip to Walt Disney World ... and oh, yes I have photos to share. Many many many photos. I already posted some to Alexandra's site. But I just had to share these 2 pictures, because it's just too cute.



We were racing through the rain, to get to our lunch reservations at the Italy pavillion in EPCOT & I saw a dark speck move into my path. I thought it was a small leaf, and as I came closer I realized it was the tiniest frog I've ever seen in my life. He was hopping across the broad walkway & I just had to stop and effect a rescue, fearful he'd be crushed by guests, running pell-mell in the rain. So, I stopped & scooped him up & carried him to safety. I have pretty small hands ... and he was barely the size of a fingernail! I put him in a raised flower bed, off to the side he was hopping towards. Just a precious moment!