What 70 mph feels like

It can be incomprehensible - how quickly Life can change.

This is the real world; everyone has exceeded the speed limit at some point... and some more recklessly than others. What I have always wondered is what it would feel like to go that fast without a car shielding me from the air slicing by.

Foolish me, I got my answer.

Since accepting my new position at work, I have found myself with triple the responsibilities and what seems to be no way of slowing down. It doesn't help that the person before me basically played "pick-and-choose" with their duties for a few months (read: SIX), leaving the me with a whole pile of late fees, late filings, and lost investments. Allow me just this quick moment to bemoan my fate before I move on: It is difficult enough to learn (and master) a new position without having to play catch-up, and having emotional ties to the work that wasn't getting done, i.e. our 401(k) plans... retirement benefits... etc. *breathe*

On the other hand, I have found that I love what I do. I genuinely have an interest in my line of work - yes, it IS possible to care about water/sewer districts - and having three other people relying on me to get their payroll right has had a pretty good effect on my punctuality and decreasing procrastination. I get to travel more, make more money, and overall just enjoy doing a job that matters. I love my company.

Bruce is now well into toddler-dom, complete with all of the mountains and pitfalls that come with the territory.

Example: What seems like an amazing afternoon at the science center can easily lead to an overtired he-devil with crap running down his legs.

That being said, I am in awe of my little spawnling. His ability to grasp concepts and turn them into action is sick; I have lost track of how many times I look at him and think "Huh. Genius. Where the HELL did he get that?!" Oh, and yes... I know... every mother supposedly thinks that their little darling is carrying the cure for cancer in their perfect little craniums, and I don't doubt that most people would see my son as 'ordinary', and that is perfectly fine with me. All that matters is that Bruce will be growing up with a mother and father who love him unconditionally, and think he is amazing just by being himself.

Is that sappy enough for you?

With all the work that needs to get done at the office, I'm finding myself with less and less energy to fully engage Bubba when I get home. Thank God for Stephen; that man is a fountain of endless entertainment for our little man. Bruce is in that fun climbing stage, and Steve is more than willing to lay on the floor and let the midget scale "Mount Daddy" as often as he wants while Mommy curls into a ball and drools.

As with any feeling, hormones are produced. When under stress, your body naturally produces cortisol, the "stress hormone". Cortisol counteracts insulin, thereby raising your blood sugar levels (hello, fatty)... increases gastric acid secretion (hello, diarrhea)... increases water retention (hello, puffiness)... weakens the immune system (hello, perpetual sore throat)... halts the reproductive system (goodbye, womb-raider)... and more. Fun, huh? I tell you that to tell you this: Enough stress in your life feels like a damn high-speed zoom down the freeway.

More that CAN'T be said than can...!

Life is funny. Like hysterically, roll-on-the-floor-until-your-sides-feel-like-they're-going-to-burst hilarious. Unfortunately, that is also the kind of hilarity that brings on nausea after it has had its way with you.

That's where I am right now.

Between people breaking things (father-in-law: neck, grandfather-in-law: hip and/or leg), traveling for work, the insanely fast progression of my son from 'little baby' to 'ginormo', and a few other things I'm not entirely ready to share just yet, this has been one craaaaazy year.

But I am here to focus on the good!

Bruce had his 9-month check up yesterday morning, and is doing very well! He weighed in at a nice 23.75 lbs, with a 19.5'' head, and 30.5'' body. He's definitely a big guy, but not only is he proportionate, he is also extremely active! That ensures that his cute baby rolls stay "cute", and don't morph into "cankles" down the line. He has four teeth now (two on top have broken through, plus two on bottom), and is able to wave his arms and say "Eahhhh!" for "Yay!", clap his hands on command, and shake his head 'no' when asked a question... regardless of the real answer!

He is now a crawling machine, not content to stay put longer than about 1.3 seconds! I love watching him figure out what toy or book he wants to go after, because you can really see the thought process play out on his face. He has mastered pulling himself to standing, and has recently decided that he's ready to walk; he's not, of course (the poor guy keeps falling down...!), but it's still adorable to watch and help him waddle across the room by holding his hands. Cruising (walking along the edge of the couch for support) has also begun, slowly but surely.

As for food... he's a machine there as well! Not content to suffer through regular canned baby food, our little man prefers finger foods - prepackaged and not. Last night, he ate herbed chicken in wine sauce right along with us!

I'm loving my job, and may be up for a promotion (so to speak). We need someone to start doing some hardcore marketing to our members and potential members... and that's where I may come in! I'll find out more about that in a month or so, so stay tuned.

Steve is still considering a career in Radiology. After two years, he could be an Ultrasound Technician, and make some serious money... serious money that we could really use to pay for Bruce's ever-shrinking wardrobe, my coffee habit, and a house of our own!

Finally, we're in the early planning stages of an early-December trip to Florida to visit my Papa and step-grandma. They have yet to meet Bruce, and are in no condition to be flying across the country to do so. I hope to hear back from them soon about this, as there are some killer deals on tickets right now...!

Breastmilk on ice

Not as fun as "Stars on Ice" or "Disney on Ice", but it gets the job done...!

The joys of pumping breastmilk will never be fully understood unless one has done it themselves. That being said... I just walked back to my desk at work (yes, I'm there now) carrying two bags (11.5 ounces, total) of breastmilk in a giant Ziplock bag full of ice. *sigh* Everyone knows what I was just doing...! While I know that "breast is best" for Bruce, there are times where it is down-right inconvenient to get that kid fed.

Just for kicks the other night, I started making "Mooo" sounds from the office I was using to pump in, and my boss nearly passed out from laughing. There is a bright side to everything!