Life has been full speed ahead since arriving home from California 9 days ago. Lewis was an angel on the airplane home, even jumping into my mom’s lap before takeoff – his first willingly-initiated interaction with another person all weekend (and a big step for him and my mom!). Then he slept the whole flight.

Once we arrived back at the house, it was as if he was a brand new baby. My baby. We had thought he might be sick while we were in San Jose, and even almost took him to urgent care to check his ears… but I guess the real explanation is that I accidentally took Mr. Hyde with me to California, and my sweet baby Dr. Lewis Jekyll was left behind in Portland!

Despite the trials of having kiddo with me, I do think that the trip to California helped me to mourn and find closure after my Grandad’s death. I particularly notice a difference in my ability to track and focus. I have been much less forgetful and overwhelmed. This is why funerals are important – those left behind need them in order to heal and move on.

I can’t even remember what happened during the work week last week. I think that’s what happens when you’ve been away from home for a weekend and have to dive right back into working-mom life with a toddler without any room for a breather (although Kyle did take Lewis to his dad’s for a few hours after we landed so I could do laundry and rest. He’s a saint). I managed to keep my head above water, though, and the long holiday weekend saved me. I feel like a new woman this week!

The holiday weekend was lovely and relaxing for us. We have decided to refinance our house (more on that later), so we started a couple small things to get ready for the appraisal. And we did a few errands here and there (washed cars, groceries, haircut, shoe shopping for Lewis, etc). But mostly we relaxed, took walks, went to the park, saw family, and napped. I’ve been trying to take it easy due to Lewis-carrying induced back pain since California, so a calm, relaxing weekend was just right.

Lewis went to sleep around 8 on the 4th, and when the fireworks started just before 10, he didn’t even stir. I couldn’t believe it! The noise was insane, and kiddo just slept right through it. He’s been a good little sleeper most of the time lately, including two weeks straight of me not needing to get up for him even once. I know this streak won’t last forever, but I like that it is becoming the “norm” and I’m enjoying it for now!

We had a suspicion that we would be able to see all of the fireworks across the river in Vancouver, where the ground-to-sky fireworks are legal, from our balcony. Those kinds of fireworks are not legal for personal use in Oregon, so we were pretty excited about the potential for a free show. Therefore, we elected to stay home and see what we could see from our house (AKA no one invited us anywhere and we were too lazy to make other plans). It turned out to be a great way to spend the evening. We saw thousands of fireworks going off across the Columbia from Portland, and we even got to see the Fort Vancouver fireworks show!!! I have a feeling that hanging on our balcony for the 4th of July will be a tradition for years to come.

Upcoming plans include: trying to get my back to stop hurting so I can sleep better, staying active and eating healthy in order to lose a few pounds, working on the refinance, throwing a bridal shower for my best friend, working like a madwoman, cleaning the house, and keeping our everyday life going. Lewis has his 15 month appointment next Thursday, so we’re looking forward to getting his stats then!