Trial Run

First, let me say that we're all fine now.

This morning, well...I guess God thought we needed a third-trimester trial run to the hospital. We were getting ready for church this morning when a juice glass fell on the counter, shattered, and sliced Josh's right hand (into the abductor pollicis brevis for the more medical minded). When you hear a doctor say, "Ooh - that's a bad cut," you get moving. So we piled into the van in our Sunday best (plus a few red towels) and were off to Vandy's ER.

They saw him right away (his attending graduated with him from Vandy Med), x-rayed the hand, stitched it up, gave him a tetanus shot, and pumped him with painkillers. Miraculously, there was no glass in the wound, it had missed a major artery, and he should be able to use that hand in a couple days. He's resting now but in good spirits and likely won't let me keep him home tomorrow.

By way of this little excursion, we learned a few things about preparing for the ER:

1. Keep gas in the van (won't let it get to empty again till this baby comes)
2. Drop off Noah somewhere (they wouldn't let Noah go back with Josh, so neither could I - we hung out at Borders for 2 hours, waiting for updates)
3. Keep an extra sippy cup and shirt for Noah in the van
4. Take the interstate (stoplights and slow drivers can be maddening)

On the upside, Josh was an excellent patient. Even on the way to the hospital, he was talking about how glad he was it was him and not Noah or me. My hero.

Old Friends

Ok, so they're not actually old, but we saw some of our dearest friends from med school last week as we gathered for a mini-reunion. It was our first since one family moved to Africa and the rest of us had kids, so I think we all relished the time even more.

As we talked, ate, prayed, laughed, and held each other's kids, I marveled that with them, I feel simultaneously comfortable and inspired, amused without having to be particularly amusing. What dear friends. If only we were not separated by state lines - and the occassional ocean.

(photos courtesy of Rob Peck Photography)

The First Decade

Ten years ago today, I married the best man I know. He was my best friend, I knew him better than anyone, and I was in love with him.

Amazingly, he felt the same way.

Perhaps more amazingly, we both still do.

I write a lot about the newer and much smaller man in my life. What you don't see is that my joy in Noah is augmented by my joy in his father - the joy of raising Noah together and of recognizing that they are so much alike.

But "Daddy" deserves some space, too. So here are a handful of the many things I've loved about my first decade with Josh...

- Picking our paths together - JD or MBA? Internal medicine or pediatrics? Nashville or Boston? Baptist or PCA?

- Sharing Starbucks, The West Wing, and Noah mania - Who else would watch 130 hours of one TV show with me?

- Traveling the world together - Balancing exploration with relaxation, loving the same proportion of museums to restaurants to nature walks

- Financial likemindedness - Money was only a sore spot when we had to keep it separate (i.e. before marriage)

- Going to church together - We always come home happier and more united than when we left.

I could go on and on, but I want to go hang out with my husband...

Do You Miss It?

Every once in a while, someone thinks to ask me what I did before Noah. Their reply to my answer is usually, "Do you miss it?"

Before Noah, I loved my job. I loved working for a cutting-edge Christian publisher producing books that influence contemporary culture. I loved working with a strong women's organization that sees thousands find faith every year. I loved being a pragmatic professional who analyzed spreadsheets and art to make concrete decisions about the future. And I loved the people I worked with. I miss them, and if I think about it very long, I miss the role I used to fill.

But...I rarely think about my old job, mostly because I LOVE my new job. I love being home with Noah - watching Sesame Street together for the first time, playing in the rain, singing him to sleep, knowing where every bulldozer is parked in Franklin, building deep friendships with other moms, managing our household so it runs at a mellow pace, spending evenings reading, writing, or watching movies with Josh...I would never trade my current job for any other.

I have been able to keep a toe in the publishing world as a freelance writer. But I don't depend on that. It's fun when it happens, but I have such unexpected peace that I am doing what God wants me to do, that I don't miss it between projects.

For now, I write my blog, manage our finances, organize our house, help coordinate our Sunday school, exchange parenting ideas with friends, debate book merits with fellow readers, cook "creatively," and generally apply my MBA skills in less conventional ways. But mostly I just enjoy Josh and Noah and these fleeting moments when our family is young and growing and the world is full of discovery.

Some days I might miss my old job. Someday I'll definitely miss this job.

Toddler Moments

Vroom-vroom
Noah already loves vehicles - trucks, bulldozers ("bulz"), trains ("da"), and cars ("doh"). Wonder where he got that?

"Bye-bye fish"
It's hard to let go. Of the bulldozer in the garage. Of the toy fire truck he saw on aisle 3. Of the basketball that doesn't come with us to nap. Of the girl he met at the park. So to help Noah transition, we recently started telling these beloved objects good-bye. Not only does it work, but Noah has taken it to a new level. He says "bye-bye" (and curls his fingers) to the trucks passing us as we drive down the street, to the Kmart swimming pools stacked by the door, to the dump truck that he's tired of playing with.

Fly Detector
Our April weather was perfect, so sometimes I'd leave the back door open. One by-product: the occassional fly. Last week, Noah helped me spot one in the kitchen. Today, he saw one hide behind a ceiling light. He walked around for 10 minutes, looking at the ceilings and calling to the fly. Bye-bye fly.

Dee?
There is nothing more inviting than your precious son asking you to come play with him. Noah has figured this out. He'll sit on the floor with his bulldozer, point next to him, and say, "Dee? Dee?" Which means "Come sit here and play with me!" And he gets SO happy when we do.

Vocabulary Explosion
I cannot believe how many words Noah has learned in the last week! It's exponential - and possibly related to the fact that he has just started repeating the last word/phrase we say. Thursday I was straightening our house and told Noah I was getting things "out of the way." He said it nonstop for 20 minutes. He also loves reciting his emergency vehicles: "fire truck," "epps" (ambulance), and "peace" (police), complete with siren sounds.

First Shiner

Noah picked a fight with the kitchen table.

It won.

(The evidence was more obvious but it's already healing - and the camera just doesn't do it justice.)

Hotlanta

We had an awesome weekend at my brother and sister-in-law's house outside Atlanta -- grilling out, walking the neighborhood, garage saling, playing games (from peek-a-boo to Whoonu?), soaking in the hot tub, watching movies, late-night talks, vespers, church, and great food. Noah loved being re-introduced to the girls in our family (it seems we only have boys here in Nashville) - though somehow he managed to come away with a black eye (more on that later). ;) Can't wait to go back!