In which we soak up the last days of summer

How can it be that summer is already winding down? Normally, our summers are hot and miserably humid, but we had only one week that was truly unpleasant. This summer just seemed to fly by. Late mornings at playgrounds, trips to the zoo, and most recently, splashpads, have filled my days, as I take Little Lion on little adventures.

We’ve celebrated birthdays (so many July birthdays!) and even a wedding. We also had a wonderful day celebrating five (FIVE?!) years of marriage. I feel like every year has been or had some challenge, but we’ve managed to stick it out, and after five years, there’s a certain comfort and security in my relationship, even if we do disagree a lot. Thanks for sticking with me, Honey Badger.

We’ve also had our share of sad news as the summer winds down, which is part of why I stepped away from writing and even social media, just to give myself a little break. But truly, I have just been living life. Good, bad, and bland.

In a flash, our summer is over, and I’m kind of sad about it, because it means the end of our Wednesday zoo trips, and splashpads, and eventually when winter arrives, our long lake walks.

Now, we’re looking ahead to fall birthdays, planning for little trips here and there (hello Iowa State Fair, I’m looking at you!), and even wishful thinking about a little trip over to do a special training and visit family in California. We’re also hoping for the good news that our family is growing, as I begin fertility treatments very soon. While my miscarriages and then subsequent infertility have been heartbreaking challenges for our family, I’ve also seen some good come out of them, including connecting with other moms who have experienced extremely similar situations. It’s a terrible club to be in, but it’s comforting to be able to comfort someone else, if you know what I mean.

Anyway, enough about that. Our relaxed summer schedule is quickly coming to an end, and my mind is preoccupied with thoughts of my son’s third (THIRD?!) birthday. He’s growing up so fast. We finally weaned him on the 4^th of July, which has been bittersweet. I won’t lie, I do miss nursing him. He also frequently asks to nurse still, which is so hard to decline, but we hope that weaning him will give my body a chance to get healthier, which we all want.

I will say though, the timing was impeccable. We had a party the whole day and ended it with fireworks, so that he could have a really great memory of his last day of nursing. So anytime he asks to nurse, I remind him about the party. Sometimes I even explain more of the reasons of why we weaned him, but usually he will let it go and ask for a bottle of milk or go play instead.

And that’s another thing I’ve been thinking about lately. Memories. I was reflecting on when I started remembering things, on my earliest memories, and it hit me that they were right around this time. Sometime between two and three. Right about the age my son is now. So I’ve been thinking a lot about the kind of memories I want to give him, and the kind of childhood I want him to have, as much as it’s up to me.

Last year, we had a very small birthday party for him. I think it was just family, and that was it. But this year, we’re planning to have it at a splashpad, with lots of his little kid friends (and lots of mommy’s grown-up friends 😉). We scouted out a few locations last week and settled on one, so now I’ve just got to put together invitations and get those out and then settle on the food.

Little Lion has been asking for a strawberry cake, so that’s a no-brainer. Then I’ll probably do some cupcakes for easy on the go eating, but it’s the dinner that’s throwing me. Pizza? Maybe. It’s a classic birthday food. But I’m eating gluten-free currently, and I know some of my other guests are as well. I also have some guests who can’t eat dairy, so pizza wouldn’t be a great option for them. So I’m thinking maybe I can whip up some sandwiches of different varieties, which will be easy enough to modify for food preferences, and I won’t have to worry about keeping anything hot.

Anyway, I’ve got to crunch some numbers and do some more rumination. In college, I was the one making the sack lunches for the athletes’ away games, so I know I can whip out a hundred sandwiches easy. Not that I’ll even need that many! And I think it will be cheaper than three to four pizzas and chicken wings (which is the current other option). God bless them, my parents used to really spend a lot on our birthdays growing up, but I’m just not on that level. I’d rather put in the work to make it as affordable as possible, that way we can save our money for other things, like those little trips we might take in the fall.

Gosh, I have missed writing. I’m terribly sorry for the long absence. Not only was I hiding my head in the sand to avoid difficulties, but I was also getting carried away by distractions like video games and tv. As fun as they are, they really do rob me of any desire to actually produce any work. And also, my sleep. So, I’m back. And hopefully so is my sleep.

Thanks for keeping up with me, and I’ll see you again, next week!

Sierra