Date Night Preparations: Then and Now

Earlier this week, R and I celebrated our ninth dating anniversary.  (As it also happens to fall on his birthday, some of the celebration may have been directed elsewhere.)  In the few moments I have before we head out on a well-earned date night tonight, it seems to be a good time to reflect on how my dating life has changed over the past nine years:

THEN:  Sleep late in the morning -- 10am or so -- wake up refreshed and thinking about how to get ready for the day ahead.

NOW:  Sleep late in the morning -- 7:02am or so -- wake up exhausted and thinking about how much needs to be done before the sitter our friend arrives.

THEN: Enjoy a leisurely morning of pampering -- perhaps a haircut, manicure, massage.

NOW: Enjoy an activity-filled morning of making breakfast, doing housework, and trying to catch up on lost time with A and C.  Haven't had a haircut, manicure or massage since my thirties.  And I turned 40 nearly three months ago.)

THEN: Chat with girlfriends about the upcoming evening, the gentleman caller and the prospects.

NOW: Chat with the preschoolers about the upcoming evening, and how mommy and daddy need to go out once in a while.  Listen to "I don't want you to go on a date" about 200 times and remember to try to appreciate that they want to spend time with you.

THEN: One hour to go -- cute outfit on, hair and makeup done.  Waiting for nails to dry.

NOW: One hour to go -- clean outfit on.  Makeup done.  Waiting for hair to dry.  Quickie manicure not even a possibility.

THEN: Nine years ago, your best friend and the man you want to make a family with arrives at your door.

NOW: That man is the one by your side.

Here's wishing each of you a wonderful weekend too!

Writing Pink Today!

I was blessed to have been asked by the ladies of Bigger Picture Blogs to participate in their "Write Pink" for Breast Cancer Awareness month and Melissa of Peanut Butter in My Hair is hosting my post today.  Hop over here to read my thoughts on how you can answer "How Can I Help?"

You Left Me Wordless Wednesday

Mixing things up a bit on Wordless Wednesday, but I would be remiss if I didn't take a moment to put in writing how I was left "wordless" by the outpouring of support over the past week for my husband and me as we have been dealing with some pretty scary stuff involving our 3 year-old C.  The e-mails, tweets, DMs, IRL hugs and prayers have raised us up and given us strength.

For those who I haven't updated yet, C completed her sleep study on Wednesday and had 12 instances of central apnea, each lasting about 3-5 seconds; with 5 instances being normal, C's definitely on the high side.  This left R and I feeling at once relieved that the professionals were able to observe what we had (i.e., we're not just overworried parents) and anxious that C's brain is taking little breaks from breathing overnight.  Next step is a rule-out MRI to ensure that these little breaks aren't being caused by a particular condition (which C's overconcerned mom needs to stop googling) and the likely end result will be simply knowing what's there, and not needing further attention unless things get worse over time.

R and I are comforted that the very smart doc has assured us that there is nothing dangerous at play here, but we are filled with questions -- what's the "circuit breaker" that gets her started breathing again, etc -- and new concerns about having to put C under general anesthesia to have the scan done.  (Something about a 3 year-old not being able to sit still for 45 minutes.  Go figure.)  But we are blessed to have a happy and healthy C and have faith that we are asking the right questions of the right people.

Thank you again for your thoughts, prayers and blessings.  I am truly lucky to have stumbled into this community of kindness.

Robin

Just Breathe

Tonight I feel like half of my heart is sleeping somewhere else.

Tonight is the night that my sweet baby girl C is getting wired up, plugged in and monitored by some very smart people.  (Including my dear husband R, keeping guard nearby for the night.)  Seems that C's been taking mini-breaks in her breathing while she sleeps, and this has the docs curious enough to order an overnight sleep study to see what her little body's up to.

While these docs have assured us that there's most likely nothing to worry about, forgive us for being a little hypersensitive in these matters.  In the past ten months, we've seen not one, not two, but three families lose their young children, most recently a child just three days younger than A...while he slept, for a reason no one could have known until it manifested itself one night in a terrible, irreversible, cruel way.

So we're breathing.  And trying to find answers to the questions we don't even know how to ask.

And for my sweet C, whose bedtime routine I missed terribly tonight:

Mommy loves you,

Daddy loves you,

Grandmas and Grandpas love you,

Aunts and uncles and cousins love you,

And A loves you.

So God bless Mommy, God bless Daddy,

God bless Grandmas and Grandpas,

God bless aunts and uncles and cousins,

God bless friends who go on long walks with us,

God bless A,

and God bless C.

Sweet dreams tonight, big girl.

WW: "Enough with the First Day of Preschool Pictures, Mom"

Before...

...and After.



Is This Thing Still On? :: tap tap::

Wow.

Apparently it's been about 6 weeks from my last post.  Seems that "Wordless Wednesday" became "..and half the summer too."

One would think that things have been quiet in the Just After Bedtime house as summer has been winding down to an end.  But, of course, that isn't the case.  I've simply been away, too tired to think or blog at the end of a long day, but so many things to report on.

Like how we ended up doing on our summer bucket list.

And how I spent 3 days in August trying to make a little bit of a difference for a cause I'm passionate about.

And how I turned 40 and managed to make it through.

And how I blinked and my girls have become preschoolers -- sometimes seeming more like teenagers trapped in preschool bodies -- but preschoolers nonetheless.

And how life keeps moving on, one day at a time, bringing joy, laughter, craziness, worries, silliness, seriousness and all the rest.

Thanks to those who are still sticking with me.  I'll start checking in more often and appreciate each of you who do the same.  Hope this back-to-school week finds you all happy, healthy and loved.

Robin

(Almost) Wordless Wednesday - A Snort!

"Are you my mother?"

"You are NOT my mother!"

 "You are..."

"...a SNORT!!!"

With many thanks to PD Eastman, whose classic "Are You My Mother?" is one of the dog-eared favorites of our girls.