And...Nobody Cares

It was a whirlwind of kids and hurrying this morning and then off to physical therapy. I live on the other side of town from therapy so I often try to think of other things I can accomplish in the area to make the most of the trip. It's pretty silly because without exception I am wrecked after therapy and barely make it home.

However, efficiency trumps logic for me every time. I was convinced I needed to run a series of errands to inform people I was getting married in a few weeks even though my name won't change. I had been anxious about there being any kind of financial, medical or other such loose ends. I worked my butt of at therapy. It was one of the most intense sessions to far. I think they get caught up in my enthusiasm and things escalate. I've been less sore post workout each time, but today was an exception.

I shuffled my tired bones to my mom's in the rain and convinced her to hit a drive thru for lunch and "keep me company on some errands". Once I had a belly full of McNuggets and fries I was sure we could knock out two of my biggies in an hour. Turns out I was almost right.

The first errand involved us getting there, walking in and discovering that they didn't care/need to know. It was five minutes tops. The second errand involved us impressively getting turned around despite the two GPS's between us. It was brief miscalculation though. Then I waited my turn to hear yet again that they do not care about my martial status at all. Huh. In the end it turned into a "while you're here let's make some updates/changes". I was there an hour in total.

I was wrecked between the wet weather, the PT and all the running around. Whoa. It started to feel like I'd re-broken my hip. It seems weird to me, in a society where everyone makes such a big deal about being legally married, that so little will change for us. All our names will stay the same, we won't move, we won't change the bank accounts or really anything about the daily routine. We will have to run out and get the marriage license squared away in about two weeks and there will be some health insurance changes, but that's it. Huh...

A Little Running Around

I haven't run an errand by myself in a while. The surgery laid me up and prevented driving until recently. On top of varying levels of mobility Riley has been my shadow lately. I had intended to bring her with me to Target to pick up a few things after her nap. It turned out Mike had an urgent request with 30mins left until Riley's nap. I thought I'd still bring her for a quick drip, but she had a fit that included throwing a bowl of food. So, I left by myself.

It was strange. I remember similar feelings of freedom the first few times I went somewhere without her when she was a baby. I alternated between extreme pride at my independence and mobility and the feeling I'd forgotten an appendage. I walked into the store on my crutches, but I was tired from the party so I hopped on an electric cart. I zipped around gathering my items. It was strange not to have to entertain a toddler. My thoughts seemed louder.

I even ran into a mommy friend and had an uninterrupted conversation, whoa. Once my errand was complete I came home to a quiet house and worked on crafts projects until nap time ended. It was nice. I was happy to see madam cranky pants when she woke up. It's nice to have options again.

It's nice to run around by myself and equally nice to come home to the kids. I don't mind being home most of the time and I enjoy spending lots of time with kids. What I don't like is have no choices. Stir crazy doesn't really cover it. Little by little I'm getting out and about again, doing more around the house and feeling like myself again.

Bustin' Out!

Yesterday we actually opened the front door and sat on the stoop to get some fresh air. I think the novelty of not having to go anywhere has worn off for both of us! We have ants in our pants big time. Riley made it through a full two hour nap yesterday and best of all slept through the night last night without getting sick! Woo-hoo! Mike and I woke up disorientated like we used to when she was tiny.
"Did you get up with her last night?"
"No, did you?"
"No."
"But that means..."
"Yay!!!"

She everything she ate down yesterday. Now, if the other end of things behaves normally today she can be officially released from quarantine from other kids. She ate a good breakfast and was very happy this morning. My mom just got back into town from taking care of my Aunt post car accident (this was her car). So, grandma came to visit us with some treasures she found on her trip. Riley got new cupcake and princess pants among other things. She brought Isaac a peace sign made out of a circuit board, it was a big hit. She even brought Mike and I some things.

I decided to test the waters and run a post nap errand. Riley slept well and I got to see all the beautiful pictures from Mom's trip. When she woke up the three of headed over to the mall. I needed one thing and knew exactly where to get it. Unfortunately, Riley's patience was all used up on the walk from the car to the store. She did point into the case at jewelry store and say “oh! When I grow up I'm gonna have some of these. I'm gonna wear them on my finger.” Upon inspecting her finger and considering “they're gonna fall off.” I guess it's hard to imagine your hands bigger. After the cute commentary concluded and Mommy still wasn't done she got mad. I think she was hungry and grumpy, but what a pill! She dove away from grandma and right into the sign, Konk!

I'm sure they were happy to see us go! After a trip to the food court for a snack Riley claimed to "feel better." By then of course we were leaving. We came home for bit and then we took a walk to go get Isaac from school, lots of fresh air. I'm confident she can go play with her friends tomorrow without danger. Now, If I survive the insane amount of laundry the sickness left in it's wake we'll be getting back to normal around here. Phew!

PS: Happy Birthday, D!!!