My Lil Boo Boo

(this post is a little bit rambly... but there are lots of pics of May, so....)

I call May, "Lil Boo Boo" -- not sure where this came from but it has stuck... we have a song and everything.  I'm thinking even more about my lil boo boo right now than usual (if that's possible).  I'm getting ready to head out into the working world again (insert gigantic sigh here).  It's a blessing, it really is... but, I have to be gone for 8 days in a row.  Gone gone... like, as in gone to Texas.

Before I became an administrative diva at the Village Church of Gurnee, I was a corporate meeting planner.  The full-time job didn't suit me though -- a bit too high stress, a little too much travel.  So I left that job on good terms and found something a little more my speed.  The great thing about this field is that you can freelance... I've grown to love that word.  All I have to do is fly to Dallas and work a meeting (with an old friend, no less), come back home and never think about that meeting again.  It's a nice gig if you can get it.  Don't get me wrong - we work long hard days onsite but I love that I don't have to plan the meeting and I don't have to wrap it up.  Anyways, enough about that.

On Friday I'll be leaving my lil boo boo in the extremely capable hands of my darling husband (and super-dad) and his amazing mom (henceforth referred to as "Gigi").  Gigi lives in South Carolina (yes, so does my mom... no, none of us are from there, it's just a coincidence), and she's flying up here to stay with Chris and May for 8 days.  The Lord has blessed us immensely.  We knew that I would have to find some part time work eventually and the Lord majorly provided.  Not having to find regular care for May (like, every week) is so wonderful... having a mother in law that would hop on a plane and joyfully fly up here to change poopy diapers for a week is so amazing... having a super involved dad who knows everything about our little girl is (insert another word for amazing or wonderful here).  

Now, all this being said, the mere thought of being away from my lil boo boo for even one day makes my heart hurt.  EIGHT DAYS.  Eight days.  Ugh.  So, in preparation for my EIGHT days away I have written a novel entitled "How to care for a 10 month old baby" for our dear Gigi... who has raised two children of her own.  I started to type up some of our daily routine for Gigi... the schedule, what she can eat, what she can't eat, the doctor's phone number, etc... and then, before I knew it I was on page 8 and typing up list's called "Favorite Toys" and "Troubleshooting" -- yep, that happened. 

I am astounded by how much life has changed since my lil boo boo came into this world... I knew that my life revolved around hers now but WOW, this is crazy... I wrote 8 pages of information on how to care for one little baby.  All this is to say that it's actually kind of fun to look through this ridiculous document (that I do not plan on editing) and know that I am the one who knows this much about my dear, sweet, adorable lil boo boo.  Is that weird to say? I love being the "May Expert."  

I think she's amazing and I think I am so lucky and so blessed to be her mom.  

I love spending days in our jammies playing and smearing banana's all over everything (ok, May does that, not me... I swear). 

I love that I don't even bat an eyelash when I realize that a diaper change is absolutely necessary this very instant.  (I'll spare you the photo on this one :-)

I love that I know the difference between her "I just fell down and it didn't really hurt but I'm going to see if I can get you to think that it hurt" face and her "I just fell down and I actually think I might be dying" face.  

faker.

I love that when I come through the front door she crawls as fast as lightening to get to me.  I love that I know exactly how to make her laugh.  

I love that I will read the same book to her over and over and over (and over and over and over) again because I know that she loves it and it's helping her to learn.  I love that having a daughter has taught me to love in a way that I never EVER EVER imagined possible.  And, I love that I feel like my body is going to Dallas but my heart is staying in Illinois... it hurts so bad but I wouldn't trade that feeling for anything.

Eskimo Kisses... :-)

So, for the next 4.5 days until I leave I am going to focus on keeping my life in perspective.  I'm going to focus on how darn lucky I am to be able to stay home with this lil baby every day, that I am able to pick up and go off to Dallas for a week to do some work and then I get to come back home to my baby.  I'm so lucky that my biggest concern when I'm falling asleep at night is, "I need to remember to write down where we keep the extra overnight diapers."  My life is a blessing and I'm going to focus on viewing it as such.