We’ve had some amazing fall days over the last few weeks… I’m soaking it all up as fast as I can because I know in just a few short months it will be cold and snowy again. Last weekend we took a trip to the coast to visit family and I had a photo shoot with a nice young fella, and this weekend we spent Saturday morning at the Common Ground Fair, baking in the unseasonably warm sun.
“Getting out” seems to be the theme of the last few weeks, to the point where I’m looking forward to a weekend that doesn’t involve, well, anything. No plans, no deadlines, no long car rides or coolers–don’t get me wrong, I love spending time with Tim and Ellie doing all these things. It’s especially fun to see the world through Ellie’s young eyes–simple things like apple-picking or a walk along the coast take on a whole new meaning when I see the joy reflected on her face. We’ve made some wonderful memories and I wouldn’t trade that for the world. But I’m also exhausted! I think hibernation is in order, if only for a weekend or two.
Tim, being the saint that he is, gave me a few hours’ break this weekend so I could work on my latest project, a personal web portal. Now that my personal blog is separate from my photography and illustration websites, I wanted a single place that brings everything together in an attractive way. I’m so pleased with the way the portal came out, especially where it was built in just a few hours. Beyond that, I’m finishing up the latest influx of custom orders and working on a backlog of blog posts for Calobee Doodles. It feels nice (and a little crazy-making) to be so productive.
For the record, my kid is growing up way too fast. I don’t think I expected to have a miniature human being bossing me around so soon or so eloquently. We’re living with a very short, very loud, very temperamental camp director. It’s ridiculously cute when she marches up to Tim and demands “Hugs, Daddy, hugs!” Almost makes up for the fact that she’s recently decided sleeping is for losers. Maybe it is, but I am fine with being a well-rested loser!
I feel like I’m juggling everything, but just barely. T & I have talked about another kid, but I can’t imagine how that will work, logistically. It seems like we’re struggling to fit in everything we currently want and need to do, and what kind of load will a second kid add to the mix? On the other hand, I felt much the same way before Ellie was born–hard to imagine thinking of life before Ellie as “busy,” but I distinctly remember asking myself incredulously, “How do people with kids do it?!?”
Now that I have one of my own, the answer is… I have no freaking clue. Nope. No idea how we manage to keep the house relatively clean, make sure Ellie is clothed, bathed and fed, get a full night’s sleep, work a full-time job, have a relationship with my husband, maintain friendships and spend time with my various creative endeavors. In fact, at least one of those things always gets lost in the shuffle, and it seems the key is to accept that you can’t do it all, but you shouldn’t completely neglect anything, either. Hah-hah, because that’s just as easy as it sounds, of course!
Despite the sheer amount of Crazy that seems to have infiltrated our lives, I don’t want to wait too much longer before we start thinking about future baby Moore. I’d prefer to get the baby stuff out of the way sooner rather than later, while I still (barely) have the energy for pregnancy and 3 a.m. feedings, before I’ve completely forgotten what it’s like to live on three hours of sleep at a stretch. I think (I hope) Ellie will eventually appreciate having a sibling, too. Just one more minion in the arsenal as far as she’s concerned!