Back to Work

So I am back to work after a week off and am procrastinating the piles on my desk, so...some thoughts from the past week.

• Hubby had "Spring Break" so I took the week off too. It was so nice for the three of us to just be home together.
• We had a 'to-do' list a mile long, none of which was church work.
• We got much of it done, though not the one major task I wanted to accomplish.
• I did not do church work until Monday night! Couldn't help thinking about church, but avoided it pretty well.
• We took Baby Girl to the park for the first time. It was finally warm enough! She giggled and giggled as she rode in a big girl swing. She wasn't sure of the slide that we went down together. But it was a wonderful family outing!
• We went to a friend's wedding and spent the night in that town about 2 hours from our place. We left Baby Girl at our home with Grandma (my mom) for about 23 hours. It was my first time away from Baby Girl overnight and only the second time I wasn't there when she went to bed. It was difficult, but not horrible. I was only a bit weepy when I saw the babies at the reception. The worst part was figuring out timing for pumping and storage of milk as I'm still nursing. I flipped through photos of her on hubby's iPhone a few times throughout the day and right before bed. Unfortunately the bed at the hotel wasn't very comfy, so I didn't have hours of uninterrupted sleep as I hoped. I was very happy to get home and she was happy to see me. She snuggled into me like she usually only does when she is really tired and let me hold her and sit down for a while. She usually likes to be on the move!
• Speaking of being on the move...her crawling is now rapid, even on slippery floors...AND, she is walking! Her walks are about 10 steps before plopping down. If she has a destination, she will continue to it by crawling, but if there is anything to pull up on nearby, she'll do that first. She is starting to get brave and adventurous. The things just beyond reach and that are 'no-no's are now the most exciting. But she is smart and beautiful and healthy. She will be 10 months old next week and currently weighs 21 pounds and is 28 inches long, well into 12 month sized clothing...still short but catching up on height.
• I so needed the time away and though I don't want to be doing work right now, I have a bit of steam to get me through a little longer anyway.

Friday Five

Sophia at RevGals writes: The pastor of my grad school parish once gave a fascinating reflection, at about this mid-point in the season, called "How to Survive the Mid-Lent Crisis"! As I recall, his main point was that by halfway through the season we have often found it very challenging to live up to our original plans....But, he suggested--on the analogy of the healing and reframing of our life plans that can happen during a mid-*life* crisis--that that can be even more fruitful.So here's an invitation to check in on the state of your spirit midway through "this joyful season where we prepare to celebrate the paschal mystery with mind and heart renewed" (Roman Missal). Hopefully there's a good deal of grace, and not too much crisis, in your mid-Lenten experience!

1. Did you give up, or take on, anything special for Lent this year? 2. Have you been able to stay with your original plans, or has life gotten in the way?
I've combined 1 and 2 because I haven't given up or taken on anything special for Lent because I knew life would get in the way.

3. Has God had any surprising blessings for you during this Lent?
I sure hope they are coming!

4. What is on your inner and/or outer agenda for the remainder of Lent and Holy Week?
After this weekend, I am on vacation for a week! I am hoping to catch up on some sleep, to do much housecleaning, and to enjoy time with my husband. He will also be on vacation...or I guess we will be on 'stay-cation.' We do have a wedding to attend next weekend. As for the rest of Lent and Holy Week, I'm just trying to get through it.

5. Where do you most long to see resurrection, in your life and/or in the world, this Easter?
I need new life--I need to be able to leave this place. And because of our current situation, that depends upon my husband. So...a new job for my husband would be nice.

Bonus: Share a favorite scripture, prayer, poem, artwork, or musical selection that speaks Lenten spring to your heart.
My current favorite is the book Kneeling in Jerusalem by Ann Weems, a book of Lenten poetry.

My Own 11th Hour Preacher Party

So, for some reason, when I go to the RevGals website and try to click on the comments, my home wireless network kicks me off. It's frustrating to reset my modem over and over, so I'm commenting here.

I am so exhausted and have no desire to write a sermon today. I actually have a pretty good start; just need to come up with some way to wrap it all up. It is about 8:30 a.m. here and I will need to leave at about 3:30 for the evening.

But here is my yesterday and today so far:
3 a.m. -- up with Baby Girl
6 a.m. -- up with Baby Girl
6:30 a.m. -- leave screaming Baby Girl home with Grandma (my MIL) to take hubby to hospital for outpatient hernia surgery
8:45 a.m. -- hubby taken to surgery
10:30 a.m. -- hubby returned to room
1:oo p.m. -- leave hospital and stop to bring lunch home
2:00 p.m. -- arrive home and play with, feed, hold, change Baby Girl because she screams bloody murder if I walk away
6:00 p.m. -- say something stupid to MIL
8:00 p.m. -- finally get Baby Girl to sleep and hope to start on sermon
8:45 p.m. -- Baby Girl wakes us, hold her until she goes to sleep
9:30 p.m. -- help hubby get into bed and adjust pillows, etc. and try to work on sermon
10:30 p.m. -- up with Baby Girl
11:00 p.m. -- Baby Girl back to bed, give up on sermon
11:30 p.m. -- wake up when hubby needs to use the bathroom and can barely move, help him
12:30 p.m. -- wake up as hubby moans to give him drugs
6:00 a.m. -- up with Baby Girl and to give hubby drugs
7:00 a.m. -- leave Baby Girl sreaming with Grandma to help hubby out of bed
8:00 a.m. -- leave Baby Girl watching tv (I know...evil mommy, but desperate times) snuggling with hubby on couch and walk away because she is not screaming
8:30 a.m. -- MIL comes downstairs to ask if she should move Baby Girl because she is almost asleep, fine
8:35 a.m. -- procrastinate sermon by blogging

I was exhausted (physically and emotionally) prior to yesterday and had no desire to write a sermon and this just didn't help. Hubby isn't allowed to lift more than 15 pounds and Baby Girl is about 20, which is why in-laws are here since I obviously have stuff to do this weekend--worship tonight as well as morning tomorrow. And while I get along fine in general with my in-laws, it is so much work to have them here...even if they are here to help. And Baby Girl is just off--she is in complete Mommy-mode. (Hence the stupid comment...MIL asked if I wanted her to feed Baby Girl and I said no. In my head, I was thinking something along the lines of 'I just took her away from you after she has herself all worked up screaming; I don't want her any more worked up as I will have to try to settle her down for sleep tonight' and something more like, 'I don't want to torture her' came out...actually the word torture did, I just don't remember the rest of the sentence. I immediately said, "that came out wrong," but with MIL, there is just no going back.)

Hubby is actually being a very good patient--I mean he moans and is sore, but he's appreciative and trying not to ask too much from me. He kept saying last night, "you are such a good mommy and wifey." My response then, and now, "maybe...but it's impossible for me to be a good mommy and wifey AND PASTOR." I am so tired...need to get this sermon done NOW so I can hopefully get a snooze while Baby Girl is still asleep.