So....

Yeah. This blog has been an epic fail. Wish I could say that I had simply forgotten to post all the wonderful, colorful, insightful musings of the past month, but I totally didn't. Life happened, as it is apt to do. So here, instead, I present you with the seven things that have kept me from updating this blog:

1. My bay-buh. That little guy has been sick recently, first with strep (no thanks to moi) and an ear infection, now with hand, foot, & mouth disease. We've had a love-hate stay at home the last week, because while he's sick and contagious he's still full of himself (who, my child? NO WAY!) and because he's so little he can't articulate his confusion at feeling bad one minute and wanting to play the next (but wanting to be held in either case, please, Mommy, NOW) it's just...been...yeah. I've had a few not-so-glorious Mom-ents where I'm standing in the middle of the kitchen gutterally releasing a primal "AAAAAARRRRRGGGGGGHHHHHHH!!!!!" with a used spatula in one hand, scissors in the other, both of which had just been pryed out of the tiny hands of the 3-foot red-faced blonde who had bowed down in front of me in what could be characterized in print as "childs pose," a relaxing yoga position, were it not for the fact that snot, wails, and salty tears littered his tired, spotty face, cementing my temporary position as "worst mom in the universe" for preventing him from licking day-old crusted egg and/or impaling himself.

And then I changed his diaper (OH! THE HORROR!) with much the same response.

And then I walked into another room (GOD, I'M NEGLIGENT!) with much the same response.

So you see, we (and I'm talking the collective "we," not the royal "we") are done with each other for the moment, so much so that while singing my son his favorite bedtime song, he shushed me. MY 20 MONTH OLD SHUSHED ME. For real. OUCH.

At least he followed the shush with a pat on the back before he fell asleep.

Mama's got cabin fever. So  much so that she's internet shopping to fill the boredom void. HELP. MAKE IT STOP.

Now for the love part: Thanks to the baby monitor I've gotten to listen to Ethan talk to himself early in the morning, which usually doesn't happen because we're so go-go-go in the morning that the minute I hear him rustle I'm in his room getting him dressed for the day (or I've already left for work). He's so funny! His inane chatter is hysterical... and it can go on for 30...45 minutes. People, I've been able to stay in bed until 9 am. This is huge. The big thing is when he's ready to get up for the day, he gently, gently says..."Mama....Maaaaamaaaaaa....Daddy?....Maaaaaamaaaaa....."

Or reading him his choo-choo books while playing with his choo-choo tracks while listening to choo-choo on the TV.

Or secretly thinking "that's my boy!" when his little eyes light up to the sound of my coffee maker brewing and his little voice say, "toffeee?"

Lotsa little moments like that. That is, when he's not drawing on the carpet with marker, pulling my porcelin bells out of the formerly baby-proof cabinet, opening files I never knew existed on my laptop, standing on the dining room table, or suplex-style "hugging" one of the animals just a little too hard.

2. Work, work, work. I love work. I love what I do. I love that I'm good at what I do. I think it's remarkable to be able to love what you do...especially when you have two jobs, to love both jobs. But I do, and both jobs have kept me quite busy over the past several weeks (COUGH! Months). I feel very lucky. I'm also lucky to work with my best friend, who truly helps me be a better worker. I know it when it's happening, but I wish I could see an outside view of the two of us deep in the "gettin' shit done" phase of a project because I bet it's just palpable, positive kinetic energy all around.

Stop feeling smug and touched at the same time, Karen. It's akward.

3. I've been cleaning, June Cleaver-style, apron and all.

4. My husband. He needs attention sometimes.

5. Travelling. For work! So this goes along with #2, but I find that the more I go to VA Beach (pronounced "vah beach" by the locals) the more I enjoy it (and the less I hear the jets overhead).

6. I've been doing my taxes, because I like tax time. I'm just about done, waiting for my 1099 for my blood draw work so I can wrap that up and file.

7. I've been eating Frostees on a Thursday night because my sometimes-neglected husband forgot to bring them home on Frostee night, which for the record, is on Wednesdays.