Revisiting "Catch-Up"

Don't you just love it when your life gets so crazy that you find yourself playing catch up as your life continues to march on?  Fun times, as usual, here at Casa Haytko!

Saturday marked a week since Bobby was fighting the 3 in 1 illnesses...  His tooth cutting seemed to stop, the Fifth's Disease rash went away, but his cough was still nasty and his nose still runny thanks to the spring cold that knocked him out.  A trifecta of the worst kind.  My in-laws were nice enough to watch the babes and Peter and I took a much needed 2 hours (as you can imagine, sleep hasn't been happening for more than a bit at a time, nor has any sort of married life as we've been operating on 100% parent 100% of the time).  We biked into the next town and back, had an early dinner at our favorite Thai place, and then biked home.  He picked up the kids and I went to church to help set-up for our Sunday Social (tea, coffee, juice, and donuts, once a month) that the Respect Life crew was sponsoring.  Loved the SS lady and it was a treat to hang with her on Sunday too.  Sunday was a whirlwind of attending 7:30 Mass, helping at the Social, handling home visits as an Extraordinary Minister of Holy Communion, coming back to finish the Social, hitting the supermarket, getting home for some brief snuggles with the babes and hubs, and then cooking for a dinner guest.  Dinner rocked (as did my triple chocolate cake with wild cherry jam and dusted with powdered sugar), and the babes went to sleep peacefully (and behaved well all evening!).  This morning, Bobby met me at his gate with a grin, and although he is still coughing, he seems to feel much better.  Hopefully this week will be the week of wellness!

Saturday also brought a huge first for me: an 11.5 mile outing!  I walked the first quarter mile as a warm up, ran 10.75 miles, and walked the last half as a cool-down.  I ran from Lansdale to Harleysville and, let me say, never under estimate the power of hills!  Those things are merciless!  But it was awesome to do it and to have the sense that I could do it.  As I get closer and closer to half marathon distance, I find this flower in my heart starting to bloom... This sense of having faith in my body again.

What doesn't give me faith?  My second period of the month.  That's right, kiddos... Two periods for April.  I know- what the hell indeed... My April cycle started on the 11th.  It was lighter than usual (only needed "normal" tampons the entire time) but did the whole spotting, light, regular, light, spotting, end game that has become fairly regular around this house.  Lasted 5 days.  Pretty normal.  Fifteen days later, on the 26th, I started spotting brown.  The 27th, more brown spotting.  The 28th brought me actual red and a "light" tampon, as did the 29th.  Then back to spotting on the 30th and light spotting yesterday.  Really?  I mean, I know we were hitting Beltane and the fertility festival of the year, but really?  I mean, that's not the way I'd want to ring it in!

Which brings me to yesterday: quite a number of interesting things.  It was International Babylost Mother's Day, a day to honor those mothers who dont have all of their children with them in this world.  I lit a candle for all of our children who have died to soon and for the hearts that mourn them, be it for one day or 100 years in this world.  The weather suited the day, I think.  Breaks of sunlight streaming through cloudy skies and hints of rain throughout the day.

It was also Divine Mercy Sunday and the day that our beloved former Pope, John Paul II, was beatified.  As I've written before, I have a soft spot in my heart for JPII.  I truly believe that his intersession helped bring Bobby and Maya safely into this world, and I've kept him in my heart since those days during my pregnancy when I prayed to him to add his prayers to my own.  Knowing that he is a step closer to being granted sainthood warms me to my core.  Perhaps one day, one of my kids will take him as their Confirmation saint!  Who knows!  For now, we continue to light our candle and ask for his continued prayers for our family.

And, as the spring comes into full force, it was Beltaine, or May Day.  The (observed) halfway point between Spring and Summer, this is a day that we celebrate the fertility of the earth (and her creatures)...  I'm glad by garden is planted and I was able to say a little blessing over it as I watered it last night.  It gave me a sense that things are moving as they should be. :)  Especially when I saw little buds breaking the surface!  Fruits, veggies, and herbs- here we come!  Although we were too busy (and tired) for any sort of maypole activities, I look forward to being able to string ribbons with the kids. :)  I have fond memories of doing that with the children of friends.  We didnt light a bonfire this weekend, but perhaps we will on the astronomical date, which is this Friday.  Maybe Peter can pick up a fish from the fish market near his work, and we can grill out on the patio with the firepit going... We'll see...  Ah Spring: so glad you are here!

Well, the laundry just buzzed, so I'd better get these clothes hung up before the babes decide to wake from their napping.  Although I've probably got at least another hour to 90 minutes of sleeping little ones, you can never tell...