Happy Thoughts

Wow! It's been a long time since I last blogged. I have been in a bit of a rut lately. The last month has been one of those head-down-and-keep-on-chuggin' kinda months, and I am glad to kiss August 2010 goodbye and start a new chapter in life.

I am feeling especially cheerful this evening since Matt got some good news today. Starting this afternoon, he was able to put weight on his foot and over the next two weeks he will be transitioning into walking without his crutches. That means that sometime in the next 2-3 weeks he will be able to return to work, at least part time. Once he gets off the crutches, he will be able to do other things for himself as well (like get meals and take a shower). I am starting to see the light at the end of the tunnel.

It's hard not to get my hopes up as to what Matt will be able to help with, chore-wise, and when he'll be able to help with it. All I know is that it will be amazing the first night he is able to put Kisa down, or the first weekend morning I am able to sleep in. I have been really blessed to have lots of help from friends and family over the past six weeks, but nothing can replace your spouse/your kid's dad. It will be cool to see Matt and Kisa walking around the house together pretty soon. It is not too far off for either of them.

Which brings me to another point: my kid is walking. She hasn't quite mastered it yet, but I've watched her take several steps together, crossing the living room on her own. Today we walked from our house to the mailbox (with me holding her hands) and then halfway back before she lost interest. She has been pretty brave. A couple of times I have watched her eat it pretty badly, but she picks herself up (sometimes even giggling) and just keeps on truckin'. I think the real tipping point for her has been, and will continue to be, efficiency. She picks up a new mode of transportation only when she deems it more efficient than her previous preferred method. She followed this pattern moving from rolling to zombie crawl and from zombie crawl to an actual crawl. In this, she is truly her father's daughter.

I've enjoyed watching her learn to stand up on her own, which is still a pretty weird thing to see. To think that this baby I have spent the past year feeding, rocking, changing etc. is no longer a baby and can actually do some things on her own is strange. She tried to feed herself with a spoon the other day (it was a disaster, but she had fun).

I am really looking forward to this next stage of parenting. Although I do miss the small baby stage, I am excited to watch my daughter learn, grow, and begin to express her sense of humor and her personality in ways we can understand. I really can't wait for her to start talking.

On a final note, this past weekend was our last weekend meeting at Ethnos before the upcoming Walkabout, which I am also really pumped about. I think it will be great to relax for a bit and explore what these different communities have to offer. Our extended family might potentially be joining us in visiting a few of these churches, which I am also looking forward to.

Anyway, here's to a new chapter- to getting out of this rut, and getting on with life!