What have I been up to? Or not . . .

To all of my fans out there (all five of you!) I must apologize about my lack of blogging in the past couple months. Since I hit the six and a half weeks pregnant mark, I've been neglecting many of the things I enjoy doing (reading, blogging, photography, exercise, cooking) and ignoring all of the things I don't like doing (mopping the floor, laundry, grocery shopping, dishes).

To give you a few examples:
I just put Christmas cards in the mail. Today. Yes, it is January 4.
I have a stack of books on my bedside table to read - and these are books I want to read! But the problem is, the moment I open one, I fall asleep. Here they are, in case you're curious:
In Defense of Food
Outliers
Room With a View
The Diary of a Wimpy Kid
Olive Kitteridge
The Best American Essays of the Century
I haven't composed my children's traditional Christmas letters yet (and I love to do this!)
I haven't written in my journal in at least six weeks
I've only gone to the mall about twice in the last eight weeks
I have not reorganized my office space
I have not cleaned out my files
I have not cleaned out my pantry
I have not finished Sophie's photo album that I wanted to finish before her 2nd birthday (10/31)

BUT - lest you are tired of my whining about what hasn't been done - I will now detail a few things I've accomplished despite nausea and fatigue:

I made my first real cheesecake and it was sensational
I baked and decorated sugar cookies with Emmy
I sang and danced to Christmas songs with my girls - several times
I've made a new and wonderful friend
I didn't complain too much
I went to bed early, often
I made dinner for my family most nights
I sang in the church choir Christmas concert
I lost my voice caroling at the top of my lungs while cruising through San Francisco in a cable car
I read many books to my children (a few current faves: The Three Trees, A Small Miracle, Snowmen at Christmas, Who is Coming to our House?, Fanny's Dream, The Paperbag Princess)

And there you have it. My life during the past two months. And now that I have some perspective, I can see that even though I've felt crummy the majority of the time, I've been living a happy life. And I'm starting to think about what really matters to me.

Today I spent several hours cleaning and de-junking my kids' room. During this time, they begged and begged that I play with them, read to them, color with them, paint with them, do puzzles with them . . . I denied most of their requests. I was on a mission and I was not going to be deterred. I'm glad I finished my task. But when I think of how Emmy wrapped her arms around me while I sang to her at bedtime and kissed me square on the lips, and how Sophie said her prayers in the softest, sweetest, whispery voice and then went right to bed - in the end I think I'll find more joy in spending time with them than in a clean bedroom.