Breathing room for Mama

Today was quite a day around these parts. It began at the ridiculous hour of 5:45, when Augie awoke and popped out of the bed (leaving me behind, lying in a puddle of my own drool). His nap was almost nonexistent, because a school bus dropped off a brood of screaming, screeching, hide-and-seek playing children thirty minutes after he'd gone to sleep, and I couldn't get him back down after that. He walked around the house crying and being mad at me for about half an hour before he calmed down and gobbled down two eggs in about two minutes.

The good news today, though, was twofold: 1) I enrolled in teacher training for Music Together (the first step to opening a licensed center), and 2) I enrolled in a local gym. A gym that offers free childcare. I don't particularly like working out in gyms, but I do like getting some heart-pounding exercise, and that's simply not happening as a full-time mom. This is one of the only ways I can think of to get some personal time and get into some sort of shape (other than baby-in-the-belly shape) without leaving Augie tied to a tree somewhere.

James took Augie for a few hours to day so I could do these things (and some grocery shopping), and it was wonderful. It was the first real alone time I've had in about a month, and it reminded me how important it is that I get this time alone. After a sometimes-tearful morning, I was calmed, soothed, and excited about life again after sipping a latte and going for a walk. And it made me so excited to see Augie again after a short break.

Now, some pictures from the last few weeks.

Augie and Gwenn at the playground in Sheboygan:

The boy loves his eggs.

And Baba loves his chickens:

Walking around the Princeton campus. It looks like he's doing his sign for water here: