Missing in action...

I've been absent from blogging these last couple of weeks, and I don't even have a decent excuse. (Well, aside from living a life ruled by a four-month-old.) I think up things I want to write about while I'm driving or taking a walk, but the thoughts evaporate by the time I can post up at my laptop. Speaking of laptops, I even have mine back! Jeff finally has his own for which we are both thankful. Anyhoo, where to begin...

Well, let's start with the non-Harper news. I am officially unemployed (willingly, mind you). In early January, I put my notice in at the Chamber, and I've been home for a week now. I suppose this doesn't actually qualify as non-Harper news as she was the main impetus for the change. Family and friends were gracious enough to watch HP after my maternity leave was up, but we could not figure out a long-term childcare plan. Daycare was a no-go, particularly as she was wait-listed everywhere and lacks the vaccinations they require. Long story short, Jeff and I made the decision that I would stay home with Harper. (Oh, and finish that pesky Master's degree, too, but I'll save that discussion for another day!)

HP and I have had a great time over the past week. I think this arrangement is truly for her benefit. I never pictured myself as a stay-at-home mom, so I'm struggling a bit with my identity at the moment. Ah well, I'll come to terms with it eventually. Besides, it isn't forever. I'm thinking of it more as a hiatus from the workplace. When the three of us are ready, I'll go back to work. Until then, I'll be busier than ever at home taking care of Harper, my husband, our house, my volunteer commitments, and finishing my applied research project.

You'd think that I would have free time galore now that I'm home, but that couldn't be further from the truth. I have a laundry list of random things to complete, fix, replace, clean, donate, drop-off, etc... Last week, I bagged a mammoth pile of leaves and broke down loose limbs from the yard. I took apart the bathroom scale to reattach the "on" button. I did umpteen loads of laundry. I even put away the clean clothes--my second most-dreaded chore. I wrote a dozen thank you notes. I started a recipe binder for those loose clippings pulled from assorted magazines. I recycled. I birthday shopped; I grocery shopped. I organized closets. I found Jeff's long lost box of sweaters hidden right under my nose. I paid bills. I updated Quicken. I attended a birthday dinner, a rehearsal dinner, and a wedding. I danced 'til the cows came home. I did a million little things in the moments I could steal while Harper napped or watched an occasional Baby Einstein DVD. However, I did not blog, and for that I am sorry. :)

I'd better wrap this up for now. Harper is napping, and Jeff is on his way home for lunch. I'm going to assume Wrigley is asleep in the living room. To the untrained eye, there might appear to be a blanket loosely piled on the couch. I know better--I know a pile of blanket means Wrigley has burrowed down for an afternoon nap. Lucky!