Mother Nature

It's wet and cold outside. It's a beautiful day for the month of April, you know the saying, "April showers bring May flowers" only problem is, it is May. It's been a weird spring here in Mason City. It's been unusually warm in March and April and now today there is a chance for snow. That's not right, Mother Nature. Did you forget to change the dial on your clock here?

Nature is much like life, unpredictable. We expect that by May we can be done with sweatshirts and jeans and move on to capri's and short sleeve shirts. We've tucked away our winter coats and replaced them with sunscreen and baseball caps. We don't expect snow in May. As with life we expect that certain things are going to happen in a certain order. I've packed away Addie's "baby" toys, her bottles and her little blankets that would only cover her legs now. I've been trying to prepare her for her little sister to come and take over my attention, energy and a lot of Addison's "things". And as of late it isn't going as planned.

Addison has reverted back to wanting to sleep in her crib. I'll put her in her twin bed and she'll slither out and walk to the crib and shake it. I keep wondering why on earth she would want to sleep in a crib where she barely fits anymore. Then last night as I was craving my baby blanket it hit me, it's for security. That crib has been hers and only hers for 14 months now. No one else has ever laid their head on her pillow, slept on her sheets or cuddled with her blankets. We're still going to have her in that twin bed by the time Evie needs the crib but I figure we've got a few more months and I desperately need the sleep so I'm not going to fight it too hard, just lead her with a firm hand.

Neither is my pregnancy. I expected that I would be as big as a house by now. I expected that I would have a boy (I don't know why, I just did). I expected that I would deliver when she decided to come, naturally. I wasn't sure how I was going to take care of Addison being 6 months pregnant but you know what I'm doing it just like I did when I wasn't pregnant at all. I've kept myself in good shape during this pregnancy from chasing her around so I'm actually measuring spot on but losing weight. I won't be delivering when Evie decides but yet when the doctor decides. At first this bothered me but now I realize that having another 10 pound baby vaginally doesn't sound like a whole lot of fun so if I can spare myself that experience again, why not. This pregnancy is moving fast with little to no pain or problems. It's been a pleasant experience beyond the heartburn and I can take the heartburn!

Life threw Billy and I the biggest curve ball when he lost his job and Land O Lakes and we moved here to Iowa. We were starting to really plan how we were going to get into the Mahtomedi school district knowing that right now we can't afford a house there. We were trying to plan our lives based on this job Billy had. And then it was gone. I am so appreciative of life for throwing a job in Billy's lap, literally 6 days later, but I am still unsure why it had to be in Iowa. It changed my plans. Well, now our plan is a little different but we know that Iowa will not be our home forever. We'd still like to get closer to my parents and if that means we take a 5 to 8 year break in Iowa that's okay. We'll get to our plan, if life allows it.

So I guess on this Mother's Day weekend, I have Mother nature to thank for reminding me that life isn't supposed to be expected. It's the unexpected twists and turns that get us to where we are and create who we're going to be. I'm pretty thankful that all the things I've expected haven't happened, could you imagine how boring that would be. Bring it on snow, I've been unpacking my winter coats for you!