Hi. We're still alive. I will get right to it instead of going into my usual tale of why I only blog once every 2.4 years. I'll keep it really simple, too. Please excuse the straightforwardness. Its just easier this way.
1) For a myriad (yes, really, a myriad) of reasons, I can't really say more than this, but Andrew resigned from his position as Pastor here. And well, like I said, that is the end of the public version of the story. His last day to preach was at the end of January. If we haven't talked in awhile, you're probably thinking you're really out of the loop and that this is really sudden, but believe me, this was incredibly sudden for us, too, so don't feel too left out. We have no more than 5.5 months from now that we can possibly still live here in the manse (and have severance) before we HAVE to move out. Right now, we're trying to figure out what the next step is. Andrew has been applying to PCA and OPC churches for Pastor/Assistant Pastor positions. We're hoping and praying the Lord opens something up in that way of things, but we know that that can take a very long time (usually does, in fact), even for someone older and with more than 1.5 years of pastoring experience. In the meantime, we're trying to wrap our heads around this life change and figure out what is best to do for now. Move to Jackson (realistically, the only place to find work, which is 1.5 hours away, one way) for Andrew to get some sort of job? Have Andrew commute to Jackson to work, x number of days per week with us still living in Tchula? Will I come with him to Jackson when he goes to work so I won't be here by myself and the baby for long stretches, at night, etc? Some combination of these things? We're trying to figure out what makes the most sense financially, for safety reasons, etc etc etc. So. That's enough about that. Prayers are appreciated.
2) Oliver is pretty much awesome. I love him. We love him. Hes still super cute and amazing and such a blessing and I still have no idea how I lived without him until he was born. He just turned 9 months old. Hes so busy. Hes crawling all over the place, doing a lot of pulling up and standing while holding onto stuff, etc. Hes exploring everything.
3) I love La Leache League. Living in a small town with nothing to do here, LLL meetings are my hobby, I guess, every month. Is that sad? Lol. I mean, not "is it sad" in that it is a bad hobby to have, but is it sad that that is really my only go-out-and-so-something hobby? Oh well. I don't really mind. Back to LLL, this ties in with my ... how do I say this the right way?...complete amazement with and commitment to a whole lifestyle of nourishing and parenting my baby. The more I study, read, learn, hear, etc about breastfeeding and attachment parenting and feeding my child healthy foods and things of that nature that somehow all tie in together, the more I just want to yell from the rooftops and help other people in their struggles to breastfeed or nuture their children in what I believe is the most normal, loving and intuitive way possible. That probably didn't make any sense. -- Like-mindedness for all those things converge at LLL meetings, and its beautiful. -- I'm horrible with words. This is probably why I don't blog more often. Well, one reason. Sorry.
4) Pictures just don't get posted here, sorry. If you follow me on facebook, you will see plenty of Oliver pictures, there. I am usually behind on posting pictures. For instance, right now, I have a plethora of pics to post, but got stopped at late December.
5) I'm not done with taxes. Why, you ask? Well, I will just give you one reason. I like to blame it on the fact that our taxes are really involved since we have tons of itemized things, deductions and such, to show separately. We got this huge form from our tax guy to list everything in, and seriously, I don't understand half of it, at least. Apparently, if I don't have something to show for a category, I still have to put a zero or a dash or something else I forget in the line, and every time I look at it, I'm like, 'should I list this here, or here?' or 'What in the dickens does this mean?' Or, 'does this mean what I think it means, or something else?' Every time I sit down to try to work on it, I look at the form - its actually a stapled-together booklet - and totally freak out. I just want to call our tax guy and say, "yeah, about that form...can I just give you all the numbers I have in language I understand and you can make sense of them?" And that's pretty much the end of me working on taxes, because at that point, my head has exploded and I've had a nervous break down. Andrew keeps asking me if I have the taxes done. Its looming over my head like a black cloud. Just typing this about it makes me want to hide. So we're moving on. I lied, I am going to give you another reason. I usually can only sit down and get anything done, interrupted, for a total of...maybe ....3 minutes, before Oliver beckons me in some form or other. You know, because he is going to knock something over, or hes had enough of his jumperoo, or sitting him in his crib to play so I can work on taxes leads to much hollering and I just can't concentrate with that going, or hes with Daddy, but its not going so well with Daddy and I can't concentrate with Oliver fussing loudly....except for times like this, late at night...when really, I should be sleeping, because Oliver is sleeping, and he still wakes up a LOT (you may send hate mail regarding any sleep training need to idonotwanttohearit@gmail.com)during the night to nurse, and you know me, and I need a LOT of sleep to function at a semi-normal level, so...where was I....point was, i could be working on taxes now, except I need to go to bed...or unwind because I need some ME time.
6) I know you think I'm such a whiner. Which leads me to my next thing of I am THAT mom who is not even remotely ready to even think of having another child. Yes. I am THAT woman. You might be thinking, 'wait, didn't you just say Oliver is only 9 months old, who said anything about you having to have more kids yet?' But lets be honest. At this point, its not unusual for people to think of the idea. I LOVE being Oliver's mom, and love every hard, sleep-deprived minute of it. But I know I am nowhere near ready to even have the idea enter my head of more children any time soon. Except when that idea is closely followed by, 'Oh sweet fancy moses, I would die.' I am amazed because I know so many women, currently, or throughout life who seem to rebound very quickly after having children to be "ready" to have another child. Not that anyone is every "ready." But. You know what I mean. Able to function. And I am realizing (actually, I've known this so far in), I am just not anywhere close to being there yet. I am savoring my days with my baby boy.
I always feel like my posts are really just...dumb. I think I come across all wrong. Oh well.
