Realizations

Yesterday, Kalin and I took a trip into Santa Cruz to visit Sarah and 5 1/2 week old Luke. Yes, I drove there myself, which anybody who knows me well enough knows how big of a deal that is. I even had to get on a highway. It was so nice to visit with another mom and to have a chance to get out of the house for a few hours. I realized that Kalin and I need to get out more. We spend way too much time up here in our "tree house" alone. We need more fellowship with other humans. I am by nature an introvert but I think I'm starting to realize how much I need some grown-up interaction to keep me sane.

After dinner Kasey and I went to a special worship service at our church where they were kicking off a new project called "The Service Project" which is aimed at learning how we can serve our community and surrounding communities better and providing ways in which to do that. I met and talked to several people in the church that I've never met before. As we were leaving Kasey commented on how much energy I had, which is highly unusual by that time of night. He said, "You're almost like an extrovert, getting energy from being around people and talking to them." I suppose it could be a combination of the great sleep I'm getting now, getting out of the house during the day to fellowship with another mom, participating in a wonderful worship service, and the feeling of accomplishment at driving somewhere new all by myself.

Anyway, as I said before, we had a wonderful visit with Sarah and Luke. It's hard to believe that they are only about 10lbs. different right now when Kalin looks like he's 3x's as big as Luke!! Luke was having a good day (which I know is a big relief to his parents and completely new and different from the last few weeks). Being around Luke brought back so many memories of Kalin's newborn days. Those are difficult, but precious days that I wouldn't trade for anything. However, I'm sure Kasey was relieved when I got home and said, "Yeah, I'm definitely not ready for another one anytime soon". I loved being pregnant and do look forward to having the experience again. And the newborn stage can be so fun but I love the fact that Kalin is becoming a little more self-sufficient. I don't need to carry him around everywhere anymore. He can follow me around the house and come find me if he needs to. He can get his own toys if he wants them. He can feed himself most of the time. I can just plop him down on the floor, either sitting or standing, instead of gently laying him down. I love the freedom for myself that comes with Kalin's mobility. Yes, I will always delight in newborns and will be ecstatic when the time comes for us to go through that stage again, but for now, I couldn't be happier.