Life in Short Chapters

Chapter 1: HeidiLand
On Tuesday night I said a sad goodbye to my sweetie and boarded a plan with my one-year-old. I was pushing his stroller and pulling my carry-on suitcase behind me, which was pretty awkward and kept falling over. Several nice people offered to help carry my suitcase and once we got on the plane, a nice lady changed seats so I could have two close to the front, which was much more convenient. I ended up sitting next to a guy who used to work at Payless with my brother in Lawrence and was in his stake. The world is very small when you are a Mormon traveling to Utah. We survived the 1.5 hour ride (short, yes) with crayons, fruit snacks, and a cup of ice that ended up on the floor. Will is not a sleeper. My dad picked us up and dropped us off at Shera's house where we have been staying.
Shera has an adorable new baby girl who is most definitely a sleeper and a pretty easy baby. I barely need to help her at all. We have had great times chatting and going various places, although the crazy weather has sometimes kept us house-bound. I have also found time to visit with my parents and my in-laws, very grateful for someone else to play with my little boy. We have been missing Aaron.
This week we are going to hope for warmer weather to be able to play with some neighborhood kids we met at church. I don't know what else we will do, but by Wednesday I will be at Mommy's house and anxiously awaiting the arrival of husband. I could not be more excited for his plane to get here and his vacation to start.

Chapter 2: Aaronland
Aaron arises each morning to the alarm, smacking it to be quiet and rolling over for a few more minutes. He snores a little bit until his beautiful wife shakes him awake and he begrudgingly gets out of bed. Throwing on a pair of navy blue scrubs, he heads out the door to begin another long day of dental schooling. A little bit of lecture here and there amidst learning to do root canals and crowns on teeth and counting down the days until a certain professor is not longer in his life.
That day, last Thursday, more or less came. He wrote his final paper and got it back with a good review--whew! What a load off his mind. Now he can relax a little more and start counting down the days until he sees his beloved wife again. In the meantime, his friend from San Diego has come to visit and they have been catching up.

Chapter 3: Billyland
Will begins each morning by babbling, singing, and laughing to himself. For hours. I found out about this because he is sleeping in the closet in the room I am staying in. Will does well in closets, a place where it's dark and quiet and all that can be heard is the buzzing of the fan. But he still wails for a good twenty minutes before bedtime, wanting his daddy to tuck him in. Only a few more days, Will.
In the meantime, he has made busy with a box of crayons and markers and a notepad. He will not travel further than a few feet without his froggy and Pooh bear (the more recent member of his exclusive troupe) unless some snacks are made available for him to begin begging: "peez? peez? peez?" He is frequently heard chattering away in his own language, sometimes understandable, but more often not. He is getting a little more cuddly and lot more old. It's a good thing I will have another baby soon because he loves Shera's baby and will be a great brother.

Chapter 4: Babyland
I can feel it moving. It's so different than last time. Last time it was little exciting flutters, but this time it is real kicks already. Flipping around and around. Feeling a little like I left my stomach behind on a rollercoaster. But I'm just thankful that normalcy has resumed, since the first 14 weeks were hellish at best. Couch-stricken, frozen food-stricken. The awful battle of nausea vs. having to eat to prevent nausea. Crying because I'm so sick. Wondering if I'm going to make it home to throw up or if I have to pull the car over beforehand. Not quite making it home that one time in my friend's car (side of the road, thank goodness, and she was understanding.) The nightmares every night. Feeling fat and falling somewhere between fat pants and skinny pants; skinny pants lose, rubber band trick wins.
But now that is over. And I'm happy again. I'm a person again. I can actually go several hours without needing to eat. I can take care of things, cook meals, do my hair. The stretching pains are much more doable this time around. Eighteen weeks and only two more until I can feel like this baby has an identity.

The End