Across the Miles

Around the world and back again. Okay it was only Boston. But it was the first time I've been away from McKay for more than a few hours. Because I somehow landed the most amazing part-time gig a baby momma could hope for, part of my duties include traveling four or five times a year to interview clients and attend conferences. There has been, however, quite a dry spell for independent globetrotting since Mac burst on the scene. But life has found a steady pace and things are good for now, so Matt and I agreed I'd better get while the gettin's good so I can keep said fab job.

In addition to meeting with seriously impressive clients, one of the perks of my time away from home is usually a dark, quiet hotel room with fluffy pillows and a wake up call with a time that although usually early, is determined entirely by me. So are you waiting to hear how I slept, slept, slept my night away, woke rested and ready for the next nine months of restlessness? So am I.

Just like the crazy mommy I've been trained to be, I woke every three hours and worried about how the boys were doing at home. I pumped my way out of lactation misery and then laid in bed mad that I was not sleeping. I know. I'm insane.

The next day brought adventures navigating Boston which over the last decade put their interstate under ground so as not to mess with the aesthetic of the city. It's a great idea, but not so great for Debbie Directions who sternly told me from the confines of the GPS system she runs that I must turn LEFT now. LEFT now. Re-calculating route. My dearest Debbie, there is no longer a LEFT turn there. There is a wall. In any event, we found our way to the client and had a great day meeting with the big wigs and touring their ice cream factory. Yes. There were samples. Peanut-butter-smothered-in-their-own-hot-fudge samples. Did I not say I have the best job EVER?

Back again to the hotel where a dream of mine for a while now met reality when I saw heart baby Luna's mom waiting for me in the lobby. We've been fast friends separated by far too many miles as we journey through our kid's heart adventures. It was amazing to look her in the eyes and share stories and worries and plans. Yes, many, many wonderful plans. Stay tuned.

Then it was home again, home again lickety split to find a nine-month old on the verge of a good cold and ear infections. A couple of quick trips to the pediatrician, pharmacy and home again and we are still trying to return to normal. I was reminded how great our slightly-less-than-optimal is at lunch with a couple of dear friends on Friday. These ladies both have babies who have finished their battles, but left their mommas trying to find their lives again in all that's still here. They are truly glorious and special people. Ear infections? Sniffles? No complaints from me.

So it's Memorial weekend. It's stormy. I'm home with a not-so-cheerful McKay and the boys are in "Vanilla" (as Preston says with such delight because it shares its name with his favorite ice cream) or Manila as the rest of the world knows it, enjoying a muddy Flaming Gorge with their grandparents, aunt, uncle and daddy. And a Sunday morning at home with no one tell on me means I've had three cookies and one poached egg for breakfast. Carb. Protein. Sounds complete to me.

It's a quiet house with just one baby. I think I'll follow the advice that is so incessantly offered to first-time mothers but becomes increasingly comical with each subsequent birth--"Just sleep when the baby sleeps." After all, it is nap time. xoxo.