Endeavor (en DEV er)

We are still struggling to find the new normal in life. This week I started back to work full time - under more protesting. I know Matt doesn't understand because he's been "back to work" full time for 9 weeks. I did try to explain to him but I'm not sure I can explain my not wanting to leave maternity leave status to myself either. Next week may be even more of a struggle because this past week I at least had 2 part time days. She's doing very well at work - it helps that Commerce has been extremely supportive and people want to take her and see her. It also helps that she naps pretty well in the morning, which has become my productive point of the day.

We closed the work week by checking in on my Grandma, who has officially moved into an assisted living facility and we couldn't be happier! It's a nice place and her room looks over her flowers in the courtyard and she's happy with how nice everyone is and it was fun to watch her introduce her youngest great-grand to all the staff. I did chuckle about how she's going to have to "watch herself" with the dining room because everything is so good and she doesn't have to do any work - meaning grocery shop, make it, clean up afterwards, etc. I'm glad she's enjoying being taken care of.

We had a busy weekend - It started with John, Allison, and Oliver. They were passing through on their way to Minot and stopped to visit. We hadn't seen them since last Memorial Day and Allison was just pregnant. It's amazing to see how much things have changed. It's also amazing to think of some of the stories Matt has told me about him and John and now see them as responsible Dads. It was Len and Oliver's first meeting and I loved that he was a strawberry blonde too with blue eyes and what a happy baby! My only wish is that they didn't live all the way out in California, would be fun to compare stories and watch these two grow up together.

It was also our first camping trip of the year... well, Len's first camping trip period. Now I'll be honest

- I've become one of those people I didn't want to be that is limited by their baby. But I do not like deviations from my routine because, well, parenting is hard. I am fully aware billions of people have and will continue to do it but I haven't quite found my stride and I like the ease of my routine. Either way, Matt and I pushed me out of my comfort zone and found ourselves at Fort Lincoln State Park in primitive camping with a 10 week old. And I think she handled it better than I did. We had a few meltdowns and we didn't quite find a good system with baby, but she slept really well once we got her down and we even enjoyed a campfire and I had my first s'mores of the season. We only went for a night to see 1. how the camper would go 2. how we would do. The temp did get up to 85 but the night cooled down nicely to 61.

Best meal: Not exactly a meal, but I did enjoy my s'more and my husband by the campfire.

After a long day at work and helping Grandpa move...
ALR and EER in backseat.
ALR: We are almost home, Len, don't cry.
MJR (from the font seat): Sing Ol' McDonald
ALR: Old McDonald had a Farm, EIEI-O and on that farm he had an Eleanor, with a Wahh wahh here, a Wahh Wahh there, here a Wahh, there - a Wahhh... everywhere a Wahh Wahhh.
EER stares.
EER starts fussing again.
ALR: Old McDonald had a Farm, EIEI-O and on that farm he had a Dad with a grunt, grunt here, a toot toot there, here a grunt, there a toot, everywhere a grunt grunt.
EER stares
MJR (still from the front seat): I like that version.