A window opens...

For over the past month, Eric has been doing contract work for two separate architecture firms, which has kept him extremely busy. Adjusting to having him out of the house and Liam in daycare has been difficult at times, but has not felt impossible. It makes me feel better that when I drop him off at school, he is genuinely excited to see his teachers and the other kids.

Overall, it has not made me as apprehensive as I thought it was going to (despite the fact that he came home from school with a major bump on the noggin from falling off the slide - but he does come from clumsy stock so I can't blame his daycare for that!). And we have been taking turns passing off various illnesses to each other. I, myself, am recovering from bronchitis and an upper respiratory infection. Sorry to my friends who I have been delinquent in calling lately.

Ever since Liam had meningitis, I find myself worry about him, needlessly of course. For example, anytime he wakes up in the middle of the night inconsolable, I always feel his soft spot and feel for a temperature. And thank God for insurance, because I feel like I take him to the doctors for every little cough, etc. However, the older he gets, the better and more confident I feel about actually doing this...this whole parenthood thing! I wanted to be a mother my whole life, and the path that got us here was a little stressful, so sometimes I still have to pinch myself that we have a healthy, beautiful (albeit clumsy) baby. It is my hope that one day if and when we have another child, I will be more zen. But time will tell!

In other news, Eric received a job offer from one of the firms that he had been doing contract work for! It is a huge blessing and we feel really happy about the prospect of new beginnings. Although I often have to remind myself not to be so cautiously optimistic (a phrase I loathe). After a series of false starts during the past year, I think we trained ourselves not to get too excited in case things didn't work out. And I spent more time pricing lives in cities where Eric was applying for jobs than I care to admit.

I feel like a weight has been (partially) lifted from our shoulders. The past year it felt like we couldn't commit too much to our current life in case we had to up and move. "Do I plant new flowers in the pots? Hmmm. Maybe not if we have to move. Do we sign Liam up for Gymboree? Probably not because it is non-refundable if we have to pull him out." So finally, I feel like we can exhale a little bit. Plant some flowers. Take a swim class.

Do you remember that scene from Disney's Up where the couple had this money jar that they had to smash open every time an emergency occurred - a broken bone, a busted car, etc.? That is sort of how life feels sometimes, for everyone, I am convinced. This past week my student loan from college and mostly law school (sigh), got paid off. One small step towards financial freedom. A new job for Eric and paying off my student loan. Sort of makes me think that maybe I should go check the tread on my tires and inspect our plumbing. But that is a chapter for a later time.