Sabbatical plans

I've been asked a dozen times about how I'm going to fill my time during my sabbatical from work and then once Thomas goes back to school every. single. day. instead of just three days a week.

The answer: easily.

Before T goes back to school, we're going to enjoy the heck out of each other. I'm going to play forts and monsters and go swimming and all the things that three-year olds like to do. And I'm going to do them without guilt. I'm going to play and swing and run around without thinking about all that I've left undone and if I'm making my boss mad or if I'm going to bill enough hours to pay the rent this month.  I'm tired of the worry. I'm tired of being distracted. I'm tired of telling Thomas that I can't play yet because I need to work. For the next six weeks, I'm going to be a wife* and mommy and that's all I need to be.

Once he goes back to school and by sabbatical ends, I'm going back to work part-time. It isn't a forever plan, but a 'right now plan.' (My boss and I have a symbiotic relationship - we both do well when we work together. Once it doesn't 'work' we'll end our relationship. It's perfect.) I will do my work before Thomas wakes up and while he's in school. I'm NOT going to work during the day when he's mine. I'm going to focus on him and his daddy (and his big sister, of course). I'm also going to do projects that I've been putting off - Thomas's baby book, organizing my office, unpacking the rest of the boxes, designing the rooms in our house, exercising!, cooking new things, reading (every book ever), writing (blogging more!!), cleaning (I really do enjoy it), grocery shopping alone, drinking a second cup of coffee, soaking in the silence so that I can recharge and reset for the end of the day.

I love my job and I love having the intellectual challenge of being an attorney. I don't love being pulled in a million directions and performing subpar in all of my roles. I've been ready for a new season for awhile now and it is finally here.

It couldn't have come at a better time.

*More mommy than wife until Matt gets home...

My little bear is THREE!

It's been two days and I still can't really believe it - Thomas is THREE!  It seems like just yesterday that he was born and also like he's been here forever.

These days are equal parts fun and frustrating. Thomas is independent yet still such a momma's boy. Today, actually, he told me that he wanted to make popcorn (gasp! I know, letting my three year old eat popcorn) while I held him. I'm not sure he actually wants to be completely independent....

His favorite song for me to sing at sleep time is Jingle Bells. His favorite toy is Buzz Lightyear and his favorite movie is Sing! Though, he's a big fan of Elsa too. He would watch Daniel Tiger and Curious George all day long if I let him. He likes the idea of taking naps in my bed but doesn't actually do it. He loves chip and dip more than anything else in the world. He'll eat three pieces of Johnny's Pizza when he gets the chance. Annie's fruit snacks are the best kind of fruit snack.

He tells me that he 'really misses Daddy very much' at least three times a day, three hundred times on Mondays. He would rather be outside than anywhere else and at the beach more than our house.

He likes to help me cook, but rarely eats what we make. His sweet tooth is proof that he's mine. His favorite book is The Cat in the Hat. He prefers Shake it Off over Old McDonald but he's always up for The Wheels on the Bus.

I love this kid more today than I did yesterday and I don't know how it's possible.

THIS is what I've been waiting for!

I realized this morning that Thomas has gotten to the stage where he really does say some funny things. Not on purpose, mind you, but things that I relate to Matt at the end of the day and we just look at each other in awe of our adorable-minded child. Granted, those glazy-eyed looks Matt gives me may be exhaustion (that man works A LOT), but I like to think his eyes are twinkling because of mirth.  Now, Thomas is no Alice, but I'm going to try this Judith-style. (Also, how many hyphenated words can I use in this post?)

Ready?

Here goes:

*I go in to get him up for the morning wearing a tank top (My normal attire, though usually I have a sleeved-shirt or fleece jacket over it).
Thomas: Hi, Mommy! Thomas take good nap! Go get dressed, Mommy!
- He also doesn't like it when I wear sleeveless running shirts and will usually tell me to go put on a shirt.

*Thomas doing something he isn't supposed to be doing
Me: Thomas...
Thomas: Mommy, go work!
- in other words, leave me alone.

*looking outside
Thomas: It's not dark anymore.
Me: Why not?
Thomas: Sun not sleeping. Sun take good nap! Sun so happy!

Thomas: Mommy, run pillows with Thomas!
Me: Not right now, Thomas, Mommy doesn't feel well.
Thomas: *shoves his cup in my mouth - Drink, Mommy, Drink!

I hope you enjoy Thomas's shenanigans as much as we do!

Adventures in Tallahassee - Escaping Hurricane Hermine

The title is misleading. We didn't run from the hurricane. Instead, we ran from the power outage. Y'all, Tallahassee heat and humidity is no joke. We say Louisiana is bad, come to Tallahassee. Actually, don't. Let's all just leave Tallahassee.

But I  digress.

In early September, a little rainstorm named Hurricane Hermine came to town. It didn't have much of an impact on property except for power lines. All of Tallahassee was without power. We dealt with it for 24 hours without a problem. But the heat, oh my heavens the heat. Probably the humidity was the worse of the two, but still. We'd get in the car and drive around to charge our phones (that didn't work) and get some AC. After two nights without air and absolutely no hope of a quick repair (we live about ten minutes away from town in a purely residential area and the city focused on the hospitals and businesses first, after getting the power station back running) (I should also say that Tallahassee owns their own power company full of very efficient and hard-working men and women but because of that and the way that electrical unions work, the city couldn't call in reinforcements to help. In fact, it wasn't until the fifth day without power and LOTS of backlash did the mayor allow other companies from surrounding cities to come in.), we decided to leave. We headed to Jacksonville for a weekend of cool air and the zoo!

Down to diapers....

Jacksonville is a four-hour drive from Tally. The first thing we did, was put Thomas down for a nap. The hotel didn't have any cribs right when we got there so this little man slept on a pallet in the closet. We got a crib after the first nap but it was too big for the room because we also had  Giselle with us and she had to be crated when we weren't in the room, thus, little man slept in the closet the whole weekend.

After a nap for Thomas (and a shower for his mommy), we went to the zoo! The Jacksonville zoo is top-notch. I love the BR zoo but this one was more on par with the Audubon zoo in Nola. We went both days that we were in town!  

On Sunday, we went to the zoo first thing in the morning and then we went shopping! Thomas fell in love with Pottery Barn Kids. I wish that I was kidding. He got very upset when it was time to leave. I almost bought this hundred dollar sheep rocker because of how much he loved it. And because I am a sucker.

While we hadn't planned on going to J-ville when we did, we had a great time and loved getting out of Tallahassee. We went back home on Monday and I started some clean out of the fridge and freezer. We still had no estimation of when power would be turned back on so we decided that since Matt had to be at work early Tuesday morning and look professional and clean-shaven, that we'd find a hotel in town with power for the night. Luckily, about half of the town had power by that point so we were able to find a place. We ended up getting power back about 9 Monday night, but we decided to stay put and enjoy not having to make the bed Tuesday morning.  In the end, it took Tally and the outside companies about a week to get power back to the whole city. I'm pretty sure the mayor still has egg on his front door though....