Stepping back in...

Post Number 40! You know, that really shouldn't feel like a milestone, but somehow it does. I think it's because towards the end of my pregnancy, and over the last 3 months, blogging hasn't been very easy for me to fall back into. I have a GORGEOUS baby girl named Ever Joelle and believe me when I say that many days, she's the only thing keeping me sane.

SEE????? I told you she's gorgeous! And really, that doesn't even show you how great she looks in person. If Scott and I were better photographers, maybe we could really capture some of her more priceless looks. Not to sound vain, but that child needs to be in magazines.

So... I guess the best way to get things back off the ground again is to say that, well, it's been a tough few months. To sum up and not dwell, here's just the facts, ma'am. I had Ever in what some have considered an epic birthing story... maybe I'll post it on here, but I haven't yet mastered the ability to tell the tale without the TMI details. A week or so before giving birth, they took my dog walks away for fear I would end up going into labor in the middle of the sidewalk. In all fairness, that would not have been good for the company. BUT, they did let me keep my petsits, which ended JUST in time. Literally, I had my last petsit on the day I went to the hospital!

And so, from all that and the hell that is recovering after natural childbirth, I didn't go back to work. I'm way past ready to start doing some lia sophia shows again, but so far, nothing big is on my calendar. Any takers??? After more months than we really should have held on, we finally let go, and gave up the townhouse we'd been living in this year. Money just wasn't adding up and we couldn't hold on any longer. It's been a really painful transition for me, moving back in with family after 3 years on our own AND now having just had a new baby. It's not exactly how I pictured my life right now. Nevertheless, it's where I am, and as my mom loves to say ALL the time, "Oops is not in God's vocabulary."

My very good friend over at Wearing Mascara has inspired me a little to focus more on things I'm thankful for... I have to be honest, this is something I have NOT done in a long time. If I'm honest, I've actually been pretty stinking ungrateful for the blessings God has placed in my life because I've been so bogged down in what's been going wrong. To that end, here goes... a list of things I am grateful for (and I'm forcing myself to list them simply, not allowing for explanations or exceptions because that's not really being grateful now, is it?)

• I am INCREDIBLY blessed beyond imagination to have such a beautiful baby girl who brings me smiles upon smiles every day, and is trying her darndest to turn me into more of a morning person (she's not doing too badly either!!)
• I have a husband who loves me and is committed to going to work every day, loving his job, and working incredibly hard to make sure we're able to pay down the debt we've come into so we can work towards getting back out on our own
• I have a family that loves me and wants desperately to support us and help us get to a better place in our lives
• I have very generous and inviting friends who have helped to make my transition to mommyhood much smoother than it would have been otherwise
• A week or so ago, I was at Wegman's to pick up a couple small things and realized I forgot my wallet at home. There was a girl behind me in line, Anna Maria, who saw what I was getting and said, "You're not getting much and you shouldn't have to drive all the way home and back with a baby." She paid for my groceries.

There are other things, of course, but I think that's a pretty good start. Hopefully I'll start getting a little better about this whole blog thing an you'll see me on here more often. See you soon!!

Irene