The lasts.
Saturday morning David and I went to brunch with 6 friends and had a wonderful time. We rarely (if ever) do this, so in this case it was a first and last experience! The sweetest - and totally unexpected - thing was that they came bearing gifts...gifts for ME! :-) Bath salts, yoga supplies, sumptuously smelly lotions, etc. It was such a thoughtful thing for them to do. Ah. My friends.
Sunday I met up with my FlyGroup. A brief introduction: a couple years back I was reading my Real Simple magazine and ran across a reference to www.flylady.net. Out of curiosity I went to the website and spent the next couple of hours browsing around. This website was created by a woman who had had a hard time getting her house (and consequently, her life) organized. She finally found a way that worked for her. Some friends of hers wanted to try it also, so she started a small yahoo group to send out daily reminders ("Where is your laundry?", "Do you have your shoes on?", "Have you decluttered for 15 minutes?"). The yahoo group membership has grown to over 250,000 people worldwide. It's free, it's supportive and based on all of the testimonials that are sent out, it has helped a LOT of people.
Anyway, I digress. Last year the members were encouraged to meet locally and share stories, advice, etc. So, I found myself going to a local shopping mall and sitting in the food court. A few minutes later there were about 6 or 7 women that gathered. A group of us clicked and decided that it would be fun to meet at each others houses and help in the decluttering, cleaning, and organizing process. We have continued to do this for over a year and it has been fun and very helpful.
So, Sunday we met at one of our houses and had ourselves a FlyParty - since I didn't want to do anything strenuous or fume-filled, I stayed in the living room and shredded old documents for an hour or so. The rest of the group dispersed and swept through the kitchen and pantry cupboards. Spending a couple of hours helping each other tackle a put-off project feels wonderful!
Sunday night my brother and sister-in-law came up to visit for Aunt P's last (again with the lasts!) night in Seattle. We had a fabulous barbecue on my parents' patio and followed that with a rousing game of Turbo Cranium. Family game nights. Good.
Monday was my pre-natal yoga class (though I have a feeling it wasn't my "last" class). We had a newbie there who just found out she was six weeks pregnant. That has been the best part of the class: learning from the 30-40 weekers and reminiscing with the less then 20 weekers.
After class, David and I went out to lunch, took my aunt to the airport, and then visited our new nephew, Joshua. Joshua was born on June 30th and this was the third time we got to see him. It has been an exhilarating experience sharing this pregnancy with Bob and Janey. We've gone to all of the Baby 101 classes together, swapped books and stories, and now we get to visit and see the "outcome". What a sweetie! However, I did get a taste of trying to comfort and calm an inconsolable baby. We all watched frantically for clues: is he hungry? tired? cold? hot? overstimulated? does he just want to cry? I could feel the tension in my shoulders increase the longer that Joshua cried. Such a learning curve! Having someone hand off the baby to as I clear my head is going to be a requirement! I can't wait. Seriously.
Tuesday we had another pre-natal doctor's appointment with one of the other docs in the clinic. Since they have an on-call rotation, they try to have us meet all of the doctors prior to our delivery - just in case. This particular appointment was pretty uneventful. Sam hasn't moved very far - she is still head down and at -2cm. But our doctor did ask us "so...has anyone told you that Samantha may not be a small baby?" We laughed nervously, yeah, we heard that.
I think I'll wrap up this novella with a quick question: is there anything more annoying than trying to grow out your hair?! Grrr.
posted by SeattleS | 7:14 AM
5 Comments:
WOW!! I can't believe that you are part of a FLygroup. I still have my flylady magnet somewhere. I love Marla.. she is such an inspiration and when I'm flying there is nothing like it. HOWEVER... I often digress as well (ESPECIALLY NOW). What a wonderful idea to meet with other people and help them declutter. You would definitely have to get beyond the CHAOS feeling to let the others see your hot spots and unorganization. I'll have to look into that one.
As far as the "lasts".. Paul and I often still talk about the "remember whens.." Remember when we had a full night sleep.. Remember when we could sleep in, go out to breakfast, and then sleep some more. (hmmm...my theme seems to be sleep now doesn't it...hee hee). But the "firsts" are a lot of fun too. It is so close, I'm so excited. I didn't see a post for awhile, I haven't posted as well..pretty busy.. but for you I was wondering if we were going to see a new face on the board. VERY CLOSE I TELL YOU>
I remember when we brought K. home..Paul and I just seemed to look at each other like "now what?". Did they really let us leave with this thing, like we're supposed to know what to do? Where is the user manual... Once you get over the sleep deprivation (nobody can truly explain it to you..) you'll be able to return to those things that you mentioned that are important.. yoga, brunches, book clubs, etc.
And lastly, to answer your question.. NO! There is nothing more annoying than being in-between hair styles. The looks you get from people makes you want to wear a shirt that says "No, I don't need a haircut, this look is on purpose!"
Boy oh boy - there was no internet when I was a young wife and mom - a Flygroup - what a novel idea and what a great idea. I used to have a few friends who did that but "it" didn't have a name! There was no way I'd let somebody into my house THEN - but now? Who cares - we'd be all in the same boat hence the reason we joined such a group!
The "lasts" last a long time . . . because there are "lasts" in all stages . . . the last of the diapers . . . the last kid to start school . . . the last kid to get through orthodontist appointments . . . the last kid to graduate from highschool . . . college tuition . . . get married . . . THEN the firsts start all over again! Life is good . . . no matter where we are in it!
Growing out a hairstyle is the pits - but I found it usually takes about four months to get past the ugly-I-can't-do-a-thing-with-it stage!
We'll be thinking and praying about you McBryders! We love you to bits and can't wait to meet Sammy!
Many of my friends, mostly my GUY friends who are DADS, are fond of listing off such other cherished "lasts" such as last night laying around watching a ballgame with a beer in hand, among other GUY activities.
My musician friends have pointed out that my evening gigs may also have to be curtailed. They usually back off when I tell them how much I rely on the evening gigs to make ends meet around here.
And, since my main hobby has been brewing beer for the past few years, an activity that takes about six hours out in the "brewery" (garage), it's been suggested that I might also have brewed my last batch. Ha! I say. I will not succumb! Samantha will know her dad as a gigging horn-playing brewer! We'll find a way!
What a great week. So cool that you have a FLY Lady group to help out with those icky jobs. It's strange how when the mess belongs to somebody else, it's not so bad.
You're going to have so much fun being a mom! That is, after you realize that you really do know what you're doing (which takes a bit of time).
Congratulations! and well done! I'm so happy for you both. Pretty soon she'll be asking to borrow the car and you'll wonder where the time went. 'Hope to see you sometime.
Love,
Eric Hanson
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