not necessarily in this order

  Lil Momma and the Mr. are visiting family down south this week and I’ve been on my own with Bella, our dog. To be clear, they didn’t ditch me!! I’m just not walking fast or far enough for it not to be a drag or a liability on that type of vacation.   To be honest, LM and I were both a little shook - we’ve never been apart this long!! It’s one of those times I’m glad she has a way to text me and we got to talk each night about her adventures (which included dip dyeing the bottom 6 inches of her hair purple - an early birthday present!). In honor of my week here at the house by myself, here are 5 random Friday thoughts about being alone: One : I realized that I’m very rarely alone in a situation where I can just be. I’m alone in my car on my ride to work or driving back from dropping LM off somewhere, but this week was different because I could just exist in this space and be.  Two : Back when the Mr. traveled for work and LM was a baby on steroids who never slept, I alwa...

It’s been a wild July and I feel like I’ve been scattered all over the place. I figured I’d start the week off with some quick updates! Weighted dance Dino and hotel room ice cream!   PT Update I’m in this weird space where I feel like I should be progressing faster, but I’ve also come so, so far. I have to keep reminding myself that I started weight-bearing at the end of May and got out of the boot and back to driving at the start of July – it really hasn’t been that long!   Now that I’m more comfortable walking (and less terrified my ankle/foot will shatter into a million pieces), my PT is all about building strength, balance, and endurance. I’m finding that I can walk for a few minutes in good form and then I start to limp– and, the limp leads to my right hip and lower back hurting. This was exacerbated by going back into the office 2 days a week (which is so much walking) and sitting in awful chairs on the weekends for Lil Momma’s performances. So, I’m also doing a lot of ...

Yesterday, Lil Momma asked to make a treat she saw on Kids YouTube that falls into a category the Mr. and I call “a mess that won’t be worth it”: Basically, you pour a flavored seltzer into a zip-top sandwich bag and seal it. Then, you put the sandwich bag into a larger freezer bag filled with ice and salt and shake it for a bit. The result was to be a flavored, bubbly shaved ice.  My doubt came from the fact that isn’t rock salt in the bag. I grew up making “kick the can” ice cream where rock salt was the magic ingredient. The Mr.’s doubt wasn’t really doubt but more of an aversion to a mess or a disappointment while he was working in the room next to the kitchen (where she’d make it) and living room (where she’d eat whatever came out). However, we both remembered that this was a summer of building independence for our girl (and how much mess can a seltzer make compared to other baking and crafting “experiments” she’s done?!), so we gave the go ahead and tapped out as she rustled ...

 A handful of thoughts from the end of June chaos… One Poor Lil Momma had a freak accident last weekend, but luckily it was more annoying than painful. Saturday night, she was headed upstairs to get ready for bed and remembers hitting her palm on the railing - but not hard enough to say anything (and she would say something, haha!). When I came up to hang with her, I noticed her ring finger was bent down and asked her about it. We quickly realized she couldn’t raise it without her other hand or assistance. Strangely, I didn’t even have to ask Dr  Google what it was (although I’ve googled a lot since haha!): When LM was a toddler, she randomly developed “tr!gger finger” in her thumb that had to be released via surgery; here’s hoping this one will have some other options. A trip to Urgent Care left her with a splint and an appointment at the orthopedic surgeon’s next week… Two …which leads us to the camp she was supposed to attend this week and next saying she couldn’t come un...

I've been deep in my thoughts and feels the last couple of weeks. I know I keep saything this, but I don't know what I expected from this recovery. I think, possibly, that I didn't expect anything because I was so busy doing so many things (so many) that I never took a beat and thought about what this might be like. Bella sitting in my feels with me, haha! Recovery so far is a roller coaster and so much more mental that I ever thought.  Tomorrow will wrap up my third week of PT.  I've gone from using both crutches and not putting my right foot on the ground at all.... to putting my booted foot down with both crutches... to using one crutch with my booted foot... to walking around inside in only the boot! Amazing, right? 3 weeks! Six appointments! I'm really proud of my physical progress and my mental progress, too, as moving on to each "phase" has come with a lot of anxiety. Will my foot even hold me up anymore? What if I fall? How do I even walk? HOW DID ...

I  started PT  last Thursday! It feels so good to be doing things! Yet – it is also hard to do things when the only thing I’ve been doing is keeping my foot elevated for the last 6 weeks. I had read so much of this is mental and that really is true. My first PT activities have included doing the ankle alphabet (literally drawing the letters with my big toe) and dorsiflexion with a band a few times a day to increase mobility and TAKING 20 STEPS AN HOUR!! (in the boot) (on crutches) (at 25%). The steps took me on a journey. First, it’s hard to step down when the whole point wasn’t to step down for weeks and weeks. Next, it’s hard to recognize what 25% pressure feels like. I did the whole thing with the scale and figuring out what it feels like, but it’s hard to know in the moment if I’m putting enough pressure on it. But, all good steps (haha) in the right direction and I’m excited to do more at my 2 PT appointments this week! Lil Momma had a tween sass-induced tech break for 24...