Writer's block

Good morning, all! It's been tough for me the last couple of days to get a blog in because I have a very clingy 7-month-old. He's adorable and hilarious and I love that he always wants me, but
I can totally see why celebrities have nannies. I've realized I no longer feel like myself very often. I've morphed into "Mom" and that seems to now define me. Gotta' be honest--I don't love it. So I'm making a point of holding on to the old Erica by whatever means I can. Today, I'm letting Zach quiet Levi down when he reaches freak-out decibels so I can type this blog, find some great frames for our new family photos at Hobby Lobby, and catch some sun at the pool. My working out has hit a 3-day lull, but I'm feeling better about the levels of crap I'm ingesting. Less crap, more fruit, work out when possible. It'll be more like a 35-day shred than a 30 day shred, but whatever.


Here's what I've been up to in the blogging interim. On Monday Levi and I roadtripped to Peru, Indiana, the Circus Capital of the World, to visit Leslie and Nolan. This was the boys' first meeting, and they really hit it off. Nolan was born one year and one month before Levi (October 2, 2010), and at the time I had no inclination to have a baby yet. Fast-forward a few months. Following a Power Cut class at the Y I watched three pregnant women settling in for a prenatal yoga workout, and I said, out loud in my jealous/whiny voice, that I wanted to be pregnant. There's definitely something to be said for voicing your goals to make them a reality. I found out I was pregnant on February 28, 2011, and the rest if history. Anyway, it was wonderful to have our boys together for an afternoon. Nolan is a bit of a biter, but he was really great with Levi. He would tickle Levi's feet to make him giggle, hold his hand if they were sitting next to each other, and bring me the pacifier or bottle every 5 minutes. Leslie and I had so much fun doing our normal stuff (laughing, dancing, eating, reminiscing), the things we've done for years, but this time with our babies in tow. She asked me if I'd have thought we'd both have sons by the age of 26 back when we were at the Cactus every Thursday night dancing, and I shook my head. It's crazy to think how much has happened since I graduated from Purdue in 2008. My life is completely different from how I imagined it then, but it's a different I wouldn't change for the world. I thought I'd be living in a big city (Chicago, most likely), working at a publishing firm, single and independent and fabulous. I obviously had Carrie Bradshaw delusions. Here I am, though, married with children, a dog, two cats, and the most traditional, unfabulous job you can imagine. I really do love teaching--I think it is the skill I most naturally possess. Part of me still wants to enter the publishing world and work at breakneck pace, donning pencil skirts and heels every day, but making my students laugh, helping them understand a concept they've struggled with, and having the perfect schedule to be a mom is pretty wonderful. I have always wanted to write a novel, and I think it's about time I actively pursue that goal. Better start brainstorming...

Yesterday I took Levi and Pippa (our crazy puppy) to my parents' house for a swim. Actually, the baby stayed inside in the air conditioning to avoid our 95 degree weather, but Pippa and I splashed around a bit. She's hilarious in the pool--she will only jump in if me or Zach is in the water, and that's because she immediately crawls up into our arms and wants to be held like a baby. She can swim just fine, but she prefers being cradled and walked around. So spoiled. Then I met Angela for coffee. She and I often have catch-up dates and they really make my day. She is an amazing listener, we always make each other laugh, and I really don't know what I'd be doing right now without her. I always say it's hard to believe we've only known each other a couple of years because it feels like we were meant to be friends. Finally, in the evening Levi and I headed to my sister-in-law's house for my first Scentsy party. Definitely a cool set of products!

We have Norah now for the next four days, so we're off as a family to do some shopping and then some swimming. Happy wild Wednesday!