Life lately

I wish I was better at stream of consciousness writing. I mean, don't get me wrong...I know how to ramble...and I definitely wouldn't say I'm particularly adept at being concise. But when blogging, I tend to think every post has to have a purpose. A theme, a narrative or a goal...or at least a comedic angle. And while I love using this space as an outlet for expressing my heart, sometimes it can get a little heavy. Especially in these months after having a baby, I find that my entries skew towards the serious, the deep, and the emotional. Nothing wrong with that, but it's not a fully accurate portrait of the place I'm in. Yes, I've got all kinds of new mom perspective and learnings I'm wading through, but we've also got a big slice of just plain old life going on too. And since this place serves more as an online memory book more than anything else, I want to try to come here more often, with less pressure. I tend to spend a lot of time writing, rewriting, editing, unsticking my brain, deleting and starting over. And while that does lead me to meaningful posts, and stories I'm proud of it can also get in the way. When I can't get my words together, when I can find the cohesion, when I don't have the right photo to juxtapose my point, some stories go unshared. They say that perfect is the enemy of good, so I'm going to attempt to not let my desire for perfect get in the way of getting things out there. Good things. Every post won't be an eloquent essay, but that's ok. There's value in the mundane too. After all...these micro moments- good, bad, messy, incomplete- are what add up to a whole life. A good, bad, messy, incomplete life. 

I've now spent 300+ words, and 20 minutes finding just the right way to explain that I'm going to attempt to self-edit less, and go with the flow more.  Clearly there is a learning curve here. 

So bear with me as I try a new approach (for the moment anyway)- a bit of a brain dump. Let a see where it takes us. 

Our life lately...

I'm tired. Like the, "looking around for my phone when it's in my hand, using Piper's toothpaste by mistake, starting sentences and forgetting what I....." kind of tired. I expect this to pass...in about five years.

This is unrelated. But I like seeing her face. 

At least when I'm able to keep my eyes open. 

I'm LOVING the stage Piper is in right now. She seems to learn 85 new words a day (ok...maybe not quite. I'm too tired to count). She plays pretend, cooking us little meals and sharing with her animals. She loves to read with us, and actually will sit still to finish entire books (usually). She has mastered full phrases, my favorites being "Bless you, mama" and "it's ok, Fin". I'm trying to take as much video as I can of her in this fleeting toddler stage because I fear one day she'll wake up and be a full blown kid, and I will have missed my chance to capture the adorable way she says fin (shin) and the absolute comedy that it is to see her try to "gump" (jump.)

I don't want piper to grow up spoiled, but I can see how it happens. Ever since she got old enough to really talk and interact, I've realized how easy it is to get addicted to buying her things, just to see her face light up. I try to keep it to affordable or necessary treats, but this girl is still amassing quite a lot of stuff. The most recent purchase? Zebra pajamas- just because I like to hear her say Ree-ra. (She loved them so much she insisted on wearing them to school the next morning.)

We've been taking advantage of the time off this summer to spend time in Columbus with my parents, which has been awesome. Piper gets to play, my family gets time with the girls, I get extra hands to help out.  Win win win. (Bonus wjn- Dustin gets some time to himself. Jealous.) ((I'm currently sitting in the park typing while my mom- and a random new playmate- push piper on the swings, and the baby sleeps by my side. Not a bad Monday.)

When I can find an extra 10 minutes I've been reading for our book club- current selection is Where did you go Bernadette? Highly recommend. 

We went to the most beautiful wedding this weekend, and had the most wonderful time. I am convinced I need to go to a wedding at least once a month. Dinner, dancing, dessert? Yes, yes, yes. Plus I adore seeing friends in love...hearing them recite vows reminds me of Dustin and I committing to each other nearly eight years ago (next month!) and makes me fall in love with him all over again.

(It helps that he's handsome!)

I could survive for weeks, if not months, on the following: hot showers, long naps, grilled cheese sandwiches, and coke slushies. That foursome is the stuff of dreams, and is all I will be requesting for my anniversary, Christmas and my birthday this year. Bonus points if the shower doesn't include a toddler playing "I see you" in the curtain, and of the bed is spit up free. But I'm not picky.

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Linking up with Blair!