Life

I get this way a lot: I have so much to say and start rambling on here that it ends up being the longest post ever with no real point and so I just delete it and move on.

Sometimes I realize in advance that I can't share every emotion, story, or funny thing that happened in a small space, so I try to pick the highlights in advance. Which is what I need to do; otherwise I'll never get a post out, and I really do want to memorialize these days.

And realize, that lots of times when I write on here, it's not to be the funniest/most profound/interesting piece of writing that you've read this year (or even today). Most of the time, it's for me, to remember the funny things that Lilly did, or the way I felt about moving or starting over or our life generally - it's for me, and I can't always put my thoughts into coherent words that others might easily understand and relate to. But, I love going back a year or two later and remembering how it felt to live in a foreign country for the first time, or the hardships of living in the busiest city in the world. Or the relief it felt to be back "home" in Charlottesville, just to move again (and again and again). And, while I try, every post can't be a convincing argument on how amazing it is to be blessed with a beautiful daughter who has Down syndrome - but those of you who come back to read regularly know just how full my heart is, because of my little girl.

I am loving Bethesda, part of the DC suburbs. I love the house we're renting, I love the space (compared with a small NYC apartment, especially), I love living in a suburb instead of a city or a small town or a foreign country. I love Lilly's independence in our new house, how she goes from her playroom to outside on the trampoline and to the potty independently and to her room to read a book. And I love how, with that independence, she wants more than ever to include us in her world. And I love how, with this month off of school and work and obligations, we are able to just go with her flow for once, and do anything she wants, whenever she wants. We rarely have to tell her no right now - not in a spoiled way, but in a "Of course you can go on the trampoline. Of course you can watch Mary Poppins. Of course you can play, laugh, go swimming, be a child enjoying summer."

Most people have this, I realize, but with our moving and traveling and working and craziness, we haven't had a normal summer for Lilly - ever. And I am loving day after day of giving Lilly a great childhood.

Of course, sometimes we have to say no. Lilly asked to see Mary Poppins on Broadway, and I had to turn her down this time. (A month ago, I would have scouted for last minute discount tickets, and she knows it.) And yesterday, when Jon was out looking at cars, Lilly asked if she could get a horse. Because, if daddy gets a car, why shouldn't she get her own mode of transportation? We had to reject that request, although seriously I looked around my backyard to make sure we couldn't squeeze a pony in somewhere... maybe on the trampoline?

And finally, yesterday, I went to the grocery store for our first normal shopping. We had to stock up on everything, as we only moved from NYC with our spices and that's it. (Note: we don't even need spices because our back yard includes a vegetable garden with thyme, basil, and who knows what else...) The best place to stock up on the essentials is Trader Joe's. Their prices are great, and I can get many organic items for the cost of a regular item somewhere else. So, now we have a full pantry and fridge - I spent $275 which for Trader Joe's is next to impossible - I have a hard time spending more than $100 there usually - but I think I literally bought almost every item in the store.

We cooked our first real dinner last night - homemade pizza, salad, baby zucchini, and carrot sticks and dip. Lilly helped make everything, which was great - including bites out of the raw zucchini before we cooked it - she loved it! Love family dinners, especially those prepared with love by my little chef.

So, just another 10 days of moving in and unpacking and organizing and shopping for a few more things (tv stand, bathroom trashcan, karaoke machine - the essentials) and then we have our biggest adventure of our life: our Mediterrean Disney Cruise!! And then... even more normalcy as Jon starts work, Lilly and I hang out for most of August, and then she starts school and I get back to work. Life is good.