Clockwork

I have this idea that eventually, I will figure out structures and habits that make my life run more smoothly.  I will wake up in the morning and have a plan in place for the day that gets everything done that needs doing.  Meal planning is part of it--there's nothing like the 4PM panic of not know what will be on the table for dinner--and I've been trying out a daily list of cleaning tasks so my floors don't get too nasty.  The next big thing is adding Katie's "school" into the mix.  She won't be 4 until February, but she's definitely ready for something a little more structured. 

This quest has been ongoing, but I especially feel some pressure as I consider the addition of a third child.  As always, I wonder if I'd feel differently if we were birthing another child.  I guess I'd have a better idea of what to expect with an infant, and I've done it twice before.  With adoption, it's so hard to know what the transition period will be like, not to mention the special needs aspects.  Who knows how many surgeries or what kind of therapy she'll need?

I have this idea that if my normal life runs like clockwork, I won't have to think about keeping it going while I deal with this new addition.  (insert maniacal laughter)

Is that such an unreasonable expectation?

Multiplying and Dividing

Have you ever noticed how some things just tend to multiply without any effort on your part?  I remember the first time I bought a mug.  David and I were just married, living in a tiny efficiency suite at his officer training.  The kitchen was smaller than our current guest bathroom and consisted of a microwave, a small fridge, and a tiny sink.  I think we may have bought it so I could drink my coffee in a mug, or maybe for microwaving water. 

I've bought very few mugs since then--maybe just the ones that came with our dish set.  And yet, my mug cupboard is overflowing, despite my recent purge on behalf of my sister.  I doubt I will ever buy another mug in my life, and I'm confident I will have to do more purges to keep them under control. 

I have also bought hangers once in my life, and through various events and circumstances, I now have hundreds of them.  When salespeople ask if I want the hanger, I politely say no thank you. 

Pens and hair-things, on the other hand, must have specific black holes that follow them around and swallow them up.  I don't even want to consider how many I've bought in my life, and how many more I will need to purchase.  My hair-things tend to hang around for longer periods now, but Katie's take on a life of their own and must wander off to foreign lands.  At least pens have the excuse of sometimes running out of ink, but I know I have lost more than I've used up. 

What tends to multiply or disappear in your house?

Filling Up the Time

September always seems to be a very transitional month to me.  Even when I was in school, September was filled with getting the new schedule down and settling in, watching fall finally breeze its way past summer, and switching out to the appropriate wardrobe. 

Our fall transition was postponed by a lovely week-long visit with the grandparents, but this week has been focused on all the things I've signed up for and committed to--like teaching my class (very important to remember) and making it to Katie's new gymnastics time (today! not Friday!).  We'll have it all down by October.  

I find myself looking at our calendar and wondering whether I have overloaded our schedule, but then I remind myself that a) at least the time will go by faster and b) we have purposely planned very little next semester in preparation for our trip to China.  A friend mentioned the importance of scheduling seasons of rest to balance out busy times.  Unless there's a miraculously fast timeline to our adoption, we probably won't be traveling until the spring, which gives us a space--a season--after Christmas to rest and prepare for the upheaval of our life.  

I would gladly trade that for a miraculously fast timeline, though!

Too fast

When Luke was a baby, it was hard for me to imagine him as a little boy.  I'm not sure why, especially since I had a toddler hanging around already (granted, she was a girl, but still).  And now it's here--he really is a little boy. He loves trains.  Here he is watching the trains at our local gardens, and the highlight of his week with the grandparents was riding the train to Santa Fe. 

Busy having fun!

I try not to let too many days go by without writing a blog post, partly so you don't forget about me and partly so I don't forget about you.  Blogging seems to be one of those things where the longer you leave it, the harder it gets to get back to it.  I've been quiet on here because we've been busy in life--Grandpa and Grandma are here!  There are so many things to do while they are here visiting, which leaves me a bit tired for writing.  We enjoyed a hike at the Rio Grande Nature Preserve for Labor Day and had ribs in the park for our church picnic, spent some time hanging out with Aunt Susie, and visited the Aquarium and Botanical Gardens.  We've still got a train ride to Santa Fe planned (Luke is still deeply in the locomotion phase), along with a few other things.  Maybe I'll post some pictures at the end of the week with our favorites.  :)

A runner, I guess

It's been a year since I downloaded the first podcast of "Couch to 5K."  For those of you who aren't familiar with it, it's an 8 week running program designed for absolute novices.  I wasn't an absolute novice, but I think the last time I had gone running was in college.  There was one summer in high school where I ran regularly, but even in college, I was an occasional runner. 

It started when my friend Beth kept talking about how much she loved running.  Like me, she was an 'I hate running' kind of person, and then all of a sudden, she started singing its praises.  She told me about this program she did, and how now she loved running, and she was going to start training for a 10K next.  I was almost 1 year post-baby and still hanging on to some weight, and I knew I needed to get back into exercising regularly.  Running seemed like the best option, and if I could get to the point where I'd actually like it, so much the better. 

Although Beth was my inspiration, I never could have done it without David.  He tirelessly encouraged me to keep at it (and still does)--and of course he was watching the kids the whole time I was training.  I worked my way up to 30 minutes, and while the winter was a bit touch and go, I'm still running 30 minutes, 2-3 times a week.

I wish I could say I like it, but as I was commenting to David this morning before my run, I can't think of one time where I was excited to go running.  But I still go, helped by the fact that my definition of a good run is one where I get out the door.  :)  So I guess that makes me a runner. 

Stirrings

Over the last few months, I feel like I've had a pretty good handle on my waiting.  I've posted about patience and while that post was focused on Jesus' return, it applies to dealing with shorter waits too.  For whatever reason, this week has been harder.  In my head I know it maybe six months before we see that face, but it's human nature to anticipate the longest odds--that I will open my inbox tomorrow or answer the phone to discover that our referral is ready.   I don't know if it's because several of my friends have either given birth or on the cusp of it, we've hit some big milestones in our journey, or I've just run out of my store of patience.  I'm knitting a shawl pattern called Chinese Lace, and while I have an idea of posing Katie with it, I keep imagining a little black haired girl in the picture.  I feel my heart stirring, and I realize once again that my daughter is out there somewhere, definitely alive at this point, being cared for by someone else instead of at home with us.  I think about how crazy it will be to actually travel to China, and I imagine how incredible it will feel to hold her in my arms.  And I haven't even seen a picture yet!  How will I handle it once we have seen her face?