It takes a village!

January 30, 2012

It takes a village! Or at least is did for one week. I just had one of the greatest weeks in the history of weeks. My friends visited! Grace and Jaron and their 9 month old son Emmitt, and Caitlin all came to visit us out here in Tennessee. It was amazing. Jaron had to work all week in West Virginia so he was only around for a few days, but the girls and Emmitt were here for a glorious 7 days! It was perfection. The three of us and the little ones just sat around all week cooking, talking, and tending to babies. It felt like the dream we always had of raising our children together. I have to admit that after Brandon left I was pretty down. I was trying to figure out how I would take care of Eli on my own and somehow find a way back to being myself at the same time. I wanted to go to Nashville and shop. Heck, I wanted to take a trip to Target without having a panic attack. And to make matters worse I had reached my limit on how much macaroni and cheese I could eat. I never thought I'd say that! Then the cavalry came...

The girls being here really lifted my spirits and motivated me to move forward. Seeing Emmitt, 8 months older than Elijah to the day, and how much he's grown is incredible. He's so happy! And he reacts to everything with such expression. His crinkled little nose when he laughs is my favorite. I can't wait for Elijah to be there. Also, I was able to see Grace mother round the clock for a week. We talk frequently on the phone and I ask her a million questions, but to get to see it in front of me was so helpful! Caitlin made coffee every morning and cooked almost every meal for us. I will be eternally grateful for the week of home cooked meals (plus the leftovers in the freezer). When we weren't learning new yoga moves or eating delicious food we were just sitting enjoying each other's company. We frequently turned on the TV, intending to watch mindless shows or movies, only to mute it 5 minutes later so we could talk. We took turns holding babies, changing babies, and showering.

One afternoon, Grace and I went to run errands leaving Caitlin- known as the "baby whisperer" in some circles- with the babies. When we returned we half expected Caitlin to be lying in the middle of the floor and crying. We should have known better. The Baby Whisperer struck again an we returned to two happy and fed babies and chicken enchiladas in the works. All she needed was a Skinny Girl margarita in hand to complete the picture of ease in the house. (The Skinny Girl margaritas did make an appearance later along with some Just Dance 3 on the Wii!)

I can't say how grateful I was to have them here. Jaron did so much for us while he was here. Including finding me a grocery delivery service in the event of those frequent Clarksville downpours so I won't have to brave the crowds in the rain. It really gives Brandon a piece of mind to know that I have friends like these to keep me company while he's gone.

So now that it's just us two again, and Maya, I feel more confident, a little stronger, and much healthier in mind and body. Thanks friends! When can you come back?