All The Precious Things

A lot has happened in the last year but I will skip it for now and go straight to the latest news.

I am so grateful to God for my little angel baby boy, born almost 2 weeks ago. It was a very difficult pregnancy and even more difficult delivery. By His grace, we overcame the complications and are here today.

During the procedure, I was terrified I would not come out of it alive, that I would never see my little boy and not get to see my 3-year-old son ever again. I prayed through the tears, while my husband held my shaking hand. He sang "Praise you in this storm" by Casting Crowns in my ear until I stopped crying and sobbed the song along with him.

After several more minutes, my baby was out, and I could see the nurse carrying him to the room next door to warm and wash him. Just as she opened the door, I heard it finally. The perfect little cry and I could breathe again. They called my husband in. I saw him hold our second son and rock him for a bit. Then they brought him to me and put him by my cheek. He was perfect and perfectly fine. I dosed on and off at that point but I will never forget what it felt like to hear him for the first time and know he was ok. 

I debated a while whether to even share this very personal moment. Some things should remain private. I still have nightmares about the surgery and those scary moments before he was actually born but I needed to share this for myself, and for my family. I hope that my experience can strengthen someone else and help them make it through their personal storm.

Until next time...

Stall Talk

There is girl in my building at work, on my floor who spends considerable amounts of time on her cell phone in the hall... and in bathroom stalls.

The Stall-ker (get it?) seems like a nice enough girl. She always smiles at you when she passes you in the hall, on the elevator, or on your way in or out of the building. She waves when she drives past you in the parking garage, and on occasion, when you run into each other on a minor walk around the building during break. Nothing wrong with any of that.

Why then am I dedicating this long overdue post to her, you wonder? Well, because The Stall-ker takes her very long, very loud conversations, to the bathroom with her... on speaker!

*insert face-palm here.

But wait... there's more! The Stall-ker always uses the middle stall in a tiny bathroom with only 3 stalls. Seriously? Why? Just why??? Who does that? Where is your stall etiquette?






For you boys out there, I found an image that will help you understand my outrage a bit more.



Today, however, I had the ultimate shock of my life. I find out that The Stall-ker is a lawyer.
A freaking lawyer!
A Law-freaking-yer!!!!


That's all.

Ding Dong, The Witch Is Dead.

This post is completely late and long overdue but it was time to write it.

She is gone.

It's been 3 months and it still feels surreal but she's gone.
Really, and truly gone.

I wanted to be happy about it but I mostly felt sorry for her. Even though she was the most condescending and horrible to me, I felt bad. I always hurt for people more than I should. They go out of their way sometimes to hurt me, but I, like a moth to a flame, return for more. Every time.

So, I felt sorry for her. I know she brought it on herself, and deserved the slap of karma to the face, but I still feel sorry for her. I am not sure if I would have survived there for more than another week with the constant hating and demeaning comments, so it happened at the right time. Still, I feel sorry for her.

I sort of dreaded writing this. I thought it would be mean, or inappropriate. I don't know why, but I did. I still feel like I should be reserved in what I say even though they are my feelings and I can't help feeling them. I was really angry at her and wished for her to be fired SO many times. Maybe I feel guilty that it finally happened?? I don't know. I am weird, end of story.

She called me the day it happened, that night and only cried on the phone. I don't know what she expected or wanted from me, but I heard myself say I was sorry and asking if she was okay. She sent me a text the next day offering me a freelance job at her house but I never responded. Haven't heard from her since but I saw her on my drive home once. Weird.

Things are progressing now, changing. The atmosphere is better with minor kinks we still have to work out but better. I am swamped with work but enjoying the freedom to work how I want to work. No hand holding, no breathing down my neck, looking over my shoulder or dictating the pace of my breathing. I'm not saying, I'm just saying... That was exhausting.

Anyway, I am hoping not to fall flat on my face and disappoint everyone who expects me to kick ass at everything now that I have the freedom to do so.

We'll see!

Clarity

The last few weeks have been very trying, but this morning I decided it would stop. I faced my fear, said goodbye to it and started a new day.

As I watched my son in the rear view mirror blow kisses at me the entire way to daycare, it hit me like a ton of bricks. What could be important enough to drag my attention from him? Nothing. Nothing at all.

It's time to find a better option than dragging my feet somewhere I am not wanted day in and day out. It will suck to leave, but I don't think there's a choice anyway so...

Oh Sanity, Where Art Thou?

I can't remember if I posted about this before, but I am writing a book. Actually, I have been writing this book for a while, maybe 3 or 4 years? I guess I should be more diligent about writing often but I basically start and stop when time permits, or when the mood strikes. Can't be the right way to do this at all, but anyway... I digress.

I am thinking it is time I set a schedule to write a little bit every day and stick to it. That hardly ever works for me in general, but I have to start somewhere. It usually calms my nerves to write - I hadn't expected that when I started - and it seems to relax me. I am feeling overly stressed lately, so it is probably the best time to revert back to my writing.

I am not sure if any of what comes out of it will be good or interesting, or if it will all be affected by my mood and sound angry, dark and bitter... Maybe it should? Maybe it's going to be good for me to get the junk that's bugging me out of my mind and on paper. That's better than sharing it on Facebook at least, ha!

I used to write songs in the past when I felt like I have been feeling the past few weeks. I'd sit at my keyboard for hours and play random melodies until something clicked with my mood and then the words just flowed. I don't have a keyboard anymore. I would try it with the guitar, but then I may spend way too much time trying to figure out chords instead of playing, so... Maybe someday when I am better at the guitar, it will be easier to let it all out.

Lost

Everything's gone. 

Her voicemail messages, her emails, some of the text messages I had forwarded to my home email - all gone.

I feel like I just lost Lorraine for the second time. The pain feels like the night I heard the news of her passing, almost 5 years ago. I can't breathe, I can't think, my hands shake and my head is spinning. I can hardly see the computer screen through the tears and no matter how many times I repeat "this isn't happening" to myself, it clearly is... it already has. It's over for real now. Everything I had of hers is now gone, just like her.

I am devastated.

I don't know how not to be furious and react irrationally right now. I don't know how not to let anger take over and I don't know what to do other than clench my fists until my fingers are numb.

This is what happens when you block things out instead of feeling them. This is what happens when you don't mourn, say goodbye, and let go. I don't knoww to let go

I just don't.

Catching Up

Recapping last year's missing months in short bursts.

Found an apartment


Went to Boston for friends graduation and got to see Josh and Elise get ready for their wedding day. Sadly couldn't stay but they looked amazing, both of them!

Friends threw me a surprise mini-baby shower. Amazing of them!

Others friendships ended suddenly. Unsure why and it still stings at times, but eventually I'll catch on and move on.

Traveled to Maryland for my sister's big 4-0. They threw me a shower too, got to see some great friends! I miss my peeps =/.

Visit from one of my Florida sisters and her hubby for a weekend. Took silly pics, ate a lot, drank a lot (water for me, red wine for her but enough for the both of us =p).

Getting too big to walk, sit, stand, or sleep in pretty much any position.

Stopped working because I just couldn't anymore. Almost 9 months pregnant by then, big as a whale, with swollen feet the size of cantaloupes - yes, I am exaggerating (more like grapefruit size).

Went to a 4th of July BBQ and danced with my big belly

My mom and sisters came to stay with me for a month and a half to await little peanut's arrival.

I discovered Sherlock (holy Sherlock!), and Orphan Black (my life is now almost complete).

Peanut is here!!! (now my life is complete!). He is tiny.
I am terrified.
Hubby's birthday was mellow this time around.

Peanut is still tiny and also long. So long! My mom and sisters all left and it's just the 3 of us now. 2 of us during the day.

I stare at him a lot and I am still terrified.

Amazed, but definitely still terrified.

I think I am getting the hang of this. Not terrified anymore, just regular scared now. It's a step up :).
Started looking for work everywhere.

Sister from Atlanta visited with her kids for Thanksgiving.

Interviewed at a cool place with a ping pong table, haha!
First time being away from my baby. Not fun - at all!

Birthday was mellow too.

Got the job! Really hard having to leave baby at the daycare everyday and I miss him from the time I drop him off to the time I pick him up. I don't know how others do this :'(.

Christmas was great - at the apartment with brother and family. So fun!

In-laws arrived in the nick of time to ring in the New Year and visit their grandson. Mellow New Year's Eve and New Year's Day. Lots of sleeeeep!

This year's update will be in a different post!