The end of a decade.

I turned 30 last week. What??

It's true. I feel like it sneaked up on me. I can remember details about the day I went to get my driver's permit at age 15, which is now HALF MY LIFE AGO. I cannot make sense of that in my head. I remember details from the year I was 10, which is now TWO-THIRDS OF MY LIFE AGO. This is surreal and crazy.

I still don't feel like an adult in most areas of my life. I feel like other people view me as the college student that I haven't been in quite a few years and like I'm not grown up enough to have a baby that I'm responsible for. You know how when you're in college, it's totally expected that if someone has to sleep on the couch or the floor, it will be you? In my head, I'm still that kid. But in reality, I'm definitely old enough to score a real place to sleep. These are the very grown-up thoughts going through my head.

I’m not upset or stressed about this particular birthday; I feel kind of ambivalent about changing decades. So ambivalent, in fact, that I didn’t bother making a list of goals to accomplish before turning thirty or planning a big birthday bash. I had a small cookout dinner with a couple of friends for a party, and the ship sailed ages ago on making a list of goals for my twenties. So, in an inversion of that activity, I decided to make a list of things that I’m really glad happened while I was in my twenties:

1. Graduated college, summa cum laude (the summa part of that accomplishment is important, seeing as how someone told me my freshman year that aspiring to be near the top of my class was a goal I should abandon).

2. Lived internationally with an organization whose goals I firmly believe in. I never aspired to live in Ukraine specifically, but Ukraine became a HUGE part of my story.

3. Worked at my alma mater, doing a job that I loved.

4. Married Brad. Best decision of my life.

5. Lived in a major U.S. city. I fell for Boston SO HARD. Loved it so much.

6. Had Claire while living in Boston. Love that girl.

7. Lived in three states that are not my state of origin (Tennessee, Massachusetts, and North Carolina).

8. Became rather adept at parallel parking. J

Not a shabby list, in my opinion. All wonderful people and events that have radically shaped the thirty-year-old me. I’m so thankful.

Birthday festivities started with a trip to the Biltmore for the Dressing Downton Exhibit, courtesy of my in-laws. They kept Claire and sent Brad and me to enjoy a day at the Biltmore, which we did! The exhibit was great, and we had a good time hanging out and getting to chat without interruptions about Cheerios or dirty diapers.

On my actual birthday, we had two couple friends over for burgers and hanging out. It was really low-key and lots of fun. One couple are friends through Brad’s program at Duke and the other we know through both Union and the IMB. So crazy how people can come back into your life when you least expect it.

Brad made me lots of fantastic Birthday Week Meals (he makes AWESOME biscuits and gravy) and took me to several of my favorite restaurants. Well done, mister.

Claire learned to say, “Happy Birsday, Mommy!” and did so, often, with gusto.

Thank you to everyone who had a hand in making my birthday so much fun! 

She guarded the Bocce ball like it was her job.

Love Mrs. Ashley...

...and Mr. Eric.

Promise.

The Bocce-players (and the ball girl).

See? She likes Mr. Eric.

Flowers from friends (left) and flowers from Brad and Claire (right).

Greenhouse at the Biltmore.

We had a great time visiting during the "Dressing Downton" exhibit.

I made Brad pose for this one. So glad I did.

Oh yes...Mother's Day was the day before my birthday this year. Here's our photo shoot:

Is she a mess or what?

Around here lately: May 2015 edition

Things that have been happening around here lately...

A rare moment of sleeping in the car...

A few weeks ago, we went to Chick-Fil-A for a family breakfast. Claire was particularly cute that morning and won over the admiration of two older gentlemen. They chatted and smiled and waved throughout breakfast. Before we headed out, one of the men walked over and handed an intricately-folded napkin. When we unwrapped it, it contained a dollar. So sweet.

First "popsicle" (frozen watermelon)

I know I've written before about Claire's propensity for speaking out- LOUDLY- in church. Not too long ago, she latched onto the liturgy preceding communion, which includes the line, "Holy, holy, holy Lord, God of Power and Might." During a quiet moment, she decided to yell out, "HOLY GOD!" It's just so unfortunate that yelling out those words could sound a little inappropriate, if one does not have the correct context in mind.

Growing up too fast there, Bearsy.

On our trip to Alabama, I overheard Claire squeeze her little plush duck and say, "I hold you, Duck. I hug you."

She has caught on to saying "Bless You!" when she hears someone sneeze. It's so cute. Sometimes, I fake sneeze just to hear her say, "Bwess you, Mommy."

She has also stopped saying "I wuh wuh" for "I love you" and has started saying "I wuff you." I wuff it.

This was definitely a "two-year-old" day

There is one particular Claire quirk that has been unbelievably endearing over the past few months. I don't remember exactly when she started it, but I hope it never stops. I got in the habit of telling Claire that friends would be joining us for dinner whenever we invited company over. She would then address those guests as "friend" while they were at our house. Example: "Fwin, you yike biskies?" ("Friend, do you like biscuits?"). We had a couple of new friends stay with us a couple of times over the past two months, and Claire used this habit very effectively to win them over, lock, stock, and barrel. Example: Claire spilled her milk, then looked at the husband and said, "Fwin, you spill milk?" ("Friend, do you spill milk?"). It's so exceedingly cute.

To reinforce to us that she hears and files away EVERYTHING WE SAY, she has started saying, "Sweet dweams, baby. Sweep tight!" to her baby doll when she puts her to bed. 

Because we have a two-year-old in the house, there is a lot of time-outting that goes on around here. Our system is that she will sit in time out until the timer on my phone goes "beep beep beep," then we discuss the reason she was in time out. This happens so very regularly. A few days ago, I was working in the kitchen and Claire came in, sat her stuffed Olaf (from Frozen) down in the middle of the floor and said, "Owaf, sit til timer beep beep beep" (Olaf, sit there until the timer goes beep beep beep). Apparently, time out is making an impression of some kind...

When I start fretting about her getting too big, I make her sit next to Big Bear to give me perspective. Whew.

A couple of weeks ago, Brad's aunt and uncle were in town and visiting for a few hours. They brought some little happies for Claire to open. Completely out-of-the-blue, instead of responding with her usual "thank you," she enthusiastically shouted, "THANK YOU SO MUCH!" She had never done that before, and it was hilarious. 

We often hear her telling her dolls and animals "That's RIGHT!" (imagine a vocal lilt on the RIGHT). Not sure where she got that; perhaps I tell her that things are RIGHT. Maybe?

Wearing Daddy's shoes.

And finally, I brought home an OLD SCHOOL telephone from my Granddaddy's house. Claire uses it to call the Magic School Bus...just like the kids at the end of each Magic School Bus episode. Smart girl.

I turned 30 this week, so I will be getting a post about that up soon. I'm excited about heading into my 30's, especially with a little who says the darnedest things at my heels.

Love her.

On preparing for and executing a single-parent, million-hour road trip with a 2-year-old. And surviving.

I would shorten the title to something snappier, but it would lose something in the process, I think.

We've done long road trips with Claire before...but it's always be a "we." Not an "I." So, to say that I was focused, nay fixated, on achieving optimal driving/riding conditions would be such an understatement. I gathered information and supplies for weeks. I even spent a naptime one afternoon sitting in the car and figuring out where things needed to be situated so that I could reach them and where things needed to be situated so Claire could reach them. Yes, I did.

I read blog posts like this one. I researched various and sundry products that would make roadtripping easier. I bought a few new things so that Claire would have a few surprises along the way. I talked poor Brad to death about my ideas/strategies/plans. It was my job, y'all (a little bit literally, seeing as how I'm a stay-at-home mom). *I should note that I'm not actually a crazy, over-stimulated mom; I just know that Claire is a delicate car traveler. She doesn't sleep in the car, and she hates just sitting and watching the trees fly by. The thought of driving for ten hours with a fussy/whiny/crying/screaming toddler was just more than I could deal with.

I developed a multi-level system of arranging Claire stuff. First up: this travel tray. I cannot possibly say enough fabulous things about this tray. It was a game changer. Best $20 I've spent in a long time. I may start buying it for people having babies and just say, "Trust me. You'll thank me profusely one day." It has two mesh pockets on each side, which I filled with small board books, a zipper pouch full of these twist up crayons, and a mini-clipboard holding a pad of paper for coloring (of course, I had to leave the zipper pouch partially unzipped so she could maneuver it). This set up worked out really well; she caught on quickly and made good use of everything.

Second level: bag of books. I filled a large, sturdy bag with all manner of books and propped it up in the seat next to her so that she could reach everything. She read the same 4 (of about 12) of those books over the course of the trip, but they kept her occupied for 10-minute stretches at a time. I'll take it.

Third level: I filled a tote bag with toys that I could control the release of/pass back to her at intervals throughout the trip. I put this bag in the front passenger seat, within arm's reach of my seat. It included some matchbox cars (she loves them), fuzzy craft pom poms and small cups for sorting, a magnetic "paper doll" and her clothing, sticker pads, coloring books, and a few other small things that I thought she'd like. I only spent a couple dollars for this trip (craft pom poms and coloring book), as I already had everything else and had just been holding on to them for just such a special occasion. The slow-release plan worked out famously. About every half hour, she would start getting restless; I would pass something back to her and buy myself a little more quiet/contented time.

I also had a second bag full of additional (in-case-of-emergency) toys. Toys I didn't really want her to play with but would resort to, if necessary (i.e. noise-making toys. So not my thing.). Thankfully, I never had to use any of them. Woo!

Fourth level: snacks. This is a vitally important level for Claire. She requires refueling more than the average bear. I filled a little basket with supplies and kept it in the console between the front seats of the car. It had two snack cups full and waiting (Cheerios, Goldfish), two ziplock bags ready and waiting (pretzel sticks and graham crackers), a banana, a few boxes of raisins, two sippy cups full of water, and a fruit/veggie pouch (and occasionally a cheese quesadilla). This was carefully designed to last for one 5-hour leg (there were four legs, total). Are you starting to think I'm obsessive? Maybe. But I'm pretty sure it saved my sanity.

I also had back-up bags (the bag full of additional diaper-changing paraphernalia, snack re-fills). Do what ya gotta do, folks.

At Granddaddy's house, I collected a few small toys and a mini-magna doodle that Claire hadn't ever played with before and stuck them in some ziplock bags to hand back at intervals on the trip home. This was great because she was totally intrigued by "new toys." I'm hanging onto them, too, until after some trips we have planned for the summer.

And that is how I survived the car time with Claire, darling that she is. She had a few patches of fussy and cranky, but on the whole, life was bearable and the trip passed without incident. That makes all the crazy planning worthwhile, I think.