First is a superficial one: the semi-permanent hardware knows as braces are no longer on my teeth! I have transitioned to a clear top & bottom retainer that I have to wear full time (except while eating) for about 3 months. It is very much like invisaline. After that the retainers will only need to be worn while I sleep. Honestly it is odd seeing my teeth again. They felt almost slimy-smooth at first and looked a little yellow. But I think that is more just because I am so used to seeing & feeling them with braces on. Even though I am supposed to brush after every meal before putting my retainers in, it is nice not to feel so much built-up food in my braces that brushing feels mandatory right away. Also it is pretty amazing being able to floss so easily!
Another superficial but noticeable-to-me change is that my phone is now potentially smarter than me. After talking about it for a while and Matt doing research, we are now Android users. This feels like a mixed blessing. It is useful being able to look things up when I am away from the house. It is obnoxious that every time I hear that little "ding" telling me I have a new email or text I feel compelled to check it. I have not been adding apps yet. I have not even adjusted my ring tones yet. I have much to learn but am trying not to get sucked-in too much. It is way too easy to spend way too much time on it. My regular computer is still much preferred for typing emails, doing internet searches, etc. But I do admit it is nice being able to check my email while watching the girls play at the park :)
A big thing going on is that I am having to mentally adjust to a new last name. I still have not fully adjusted to my little sister no longer being "Walburg", and she got married in October. Now I have to adjust to my friend Becky (who I have known almost as long as my little sister) no longer being "Smiley". I am so happy for her. But it is weird the way female identities change due to marriage.
As we rev up for Beckys wedding I have lots of fun events like a "girls night out" dinner, a ladies tea, a rehearsal brunch and a flower-arranging party to look forward to. One of the fun events happened at my house last weekend: her shower! I decided it is nice to host a shower or party every once in a while because
1) it is easy to justify the very reasonable $15/hour for a housecleaner
2) there is yummy leftover food to snack on
3) there are pretty flowers decorating my house after
4) with the added bonus this time that moving furniture around prompted me to set up baby's space in our bedroom: we now have a dresser full of newly-washed baby clothes, the pack & play set up, diapers stacked to the side, etc. I think the nesting has officially begun :)
And that is the last big transition: starting to prepare for baby! I had to watch a you-tube video to figure out how to attach the (borrowed) infant car seat into the (new-to-me) snap & go. We still have the infant car seat we used with the girls, but I never really liked the way the straps tightened & how it latched. It have a small stroller it latched into but I often had to really fight with it to detach it. So I figured the snap & go style will keep me from lugging around a car seat by hand while I also have two little girls walking by me plus multiple bags to keep track of. I will be watching another video n how to do the Moby Wrap and practicing on a doll. I did a similar wrap to wear Etta as a baby and I loved it. But it is not as simple to remember as something like swaddling - there is lots of fabric! Between the snap & go and the Moby I will hopefully save my back from strain.
I was just realizing the other day that as much as I am looking forward to baby's arrival, there are a few things I can not honestly say I am excited about having re-enter my life. I have really liked being out of the poop clean-up stage. No poopy diapers, no poop accidents on the bathroom rug from little potty training girls who don't quite make it in time, no big blow-outs, etc. But poop clean-up will be re-entering my life in about a month. As will sleep deprivation. Enough said on that. Also making an appearance again will be all the useful but space-consuming and sometimes battery-sucking paraphernalia. Breast pump. Baby swing. Papasan chair. Etc.
So when I am not busy parenting, cleaning, cooking, etc my free time these days has been spent preparing. Preparing for the arrival of baby girl. Preparing for Becky's wedding & wedding-related events. Preparing for the rev-up for the start of the co-op school year.
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