2:15 AM.

I legitimately thought that I was sleeping better.  I'd been getting to sleep a little easier and staying asleep most of the night.  Then this week happened and I'm back up.  

To be fair, I worked until 1:15ish..so I just got home.  So I'm on the decompress cycle right now.  It actually was a good night...just a little complication right about shift change, so I needed to stay a little late. I'm ok with that...worth it when you're not forced to stay.  

I think I should explain a little more the last post.  I am not great with my words, and sometimes what I mean to say and what I actually say don't really mesh as I want them to.  My question about whether I'm a stay at home mama or a working mama was not so much a question of if I need to change the situation I am in.  More of just feeling like I don't have a "classification" per se that I fit in.  Brad and I both feel very strongly that I am supposed to be working one day a week.  One day a week to use my brain that the Lord has given me, one day to serve others outside of our home..we know this is where the Lord has led us for this season of our life.  I am just emotionally struggling because I miss my old job, and the new job is beating me down.  :)  But I have hope that will improve with the end of the baby baking that's happening.  I think my emotions will be more stable and I think I'll get back to looking forward to work again.  

I do believe that after Duey comes along I'll be cutting back my hours quite a bit.  We'll see what happens.  

In other news...

We are 5 weeks from D-Day!  I am so excited!  We have finally decided on names (YAY).  Not going to share on here for now...ya know..in case we change our minds again..but it's nice to at least know we're going in with one boy and one girl name.  

Noah is hilarious.  That's it.  He's so funny.  He is also a PISTOL.  But we're working on it.  I LOVE watching him learn.  Recently he's quite the little negotiator.  He's very into movies right now...so his new thing is to ask for a movie over and over.  He changes is up...such as he starts with "King" (Which is Lightning Mcqueen), then we move to "Nemo", then Choo-Choo (Who he recently learned his name is Thomas so sometimes we just ask for Thomas, and then we ask for George.  He has this adorable little grin when he's asking.  Even when I keep saying no.  

He also does this at bedtime.  We sing ABC's and Jesus loves me every night before bed.  No when you're finished singing one he starts asking for another.  Over and over..and when he's done with that..he's been known to cry wolf on poopy.  "Oh poopy mama, poopy, uh oh"  He also has realized that if he keeps asking me to read stories then he doesn't have to go to bed.  So we read a story from his Bible, then for his "King" book, then another Bible story...then he'll hand the books to Brad and ask him to read.  Seriously.  I mean the boy has skills.  

If we're being honest here..I'm totally letting him get me on that bedtime thing.  I am loving all the time he wants to hang with his parents.  I know these times won't last forever, and I know that we have only a month before he doesn't get to get all our undivided attention..so I want to shower him with it.  

He turns 2 in a week.  Oh my goodness.  How has that sweet boy of ours been here for 2 years?  

We start weekly appointments at the doctor on Monday.  So so so very close. 

Mom and Dad came up last weekend to babysit for us on Thursday night...totally awesome to have Mom and Dad come and hang out for the day.  The men and Noah went to the museum up in Chicago, and then Mom and I went shopping.  It was the first time ever in my adult life that my parents just got to come hang out for the day.  They have always come and visited...but it's always a week long stay because we lived so far away.  It's just really cool.  Plus...Brad and I got a date night which was also fun!

Last week one of the ladies from my mom2mom group watched Noah for me.  He LOVED her three boys..and it felt totally ok to ask someone if I could drop Noah off for an hour.  Such a blessing to my soul to feel like these women are really becoming my friends. They are so sweet and I love every time we get to spend together.  I'm so grateful.  Today I had lunch with one of the girls and her sweet daughters.  It was awesome!  We're getting there!  We're getting community slowly but surely, and I am so thankful for the people the Lord has brought into our life here.  

Brad's coworkers are great! We spent Saturday and Sunday evening with them.  They are so friendly and open.  I'm grateful for the friends he's making there.

So that's where we are.  Life is hard sometimes.  I still miss Austin every day.  I still cry often abou that..especially Sundays.  I miss our missional community.  I miss the ladies that became my soul-knit friends.  But I am starting to see the blessings here more and more.  I see how the Lord is working in each area of our life..and that's awesome.  

Anyways...feel like I have more I could type..but that could be the tired talking here.  But it is now 3:04am..and someone I know will probably be up close to 6:30am.  So I better get to sleep.  NAP TIME is calling my name tomorrow.  Have a great week!