Currently

LOVING
My little work station at home. We have the desk in the dining area and hubby got me some shelves for Christmas that are great for all of my piles of crap. Lovely things I have found for my station are colorful notebooks by greenroom, a cheerful desk calendar and file box with bird folders from Paper Source, and the COOLEST fox metal sign by FluffyCo, a gift from Allyson. Aside from finding all of my neat little things, we put a TV tray next to my chair so that Hobbes can lounge next to me and purr in content at the fact that he thinks we are having quality time together. Without that perch, he thinks he needs to be in my lap or ON the keyboard. Anyway, the work station is because I am building my own freelance copywriting business. This was the first week of nearly non-stop work and I am exhausted! Getting up with Raine at 5 or 6 am and then working 9-6 pm, then playing with him until he goes to bed, and then sitting down and working MORE is one heck of a long day! But I feel it is completely worth it and I am so excited! I hope to share more updates soon about the projects I am working on and how my little business is progressing.

Lovely things for my desk.

THINKING ABOUT
We are in the early stages of potentially buying a second home. It is complicated and we are trying to figure out if we can do it and the best way to do it. So the chapter of our life that we have spent in our condo is nearing a bittersweet end. While a lot of our situation is stressful and scary, we are focusing on the end goal of that day where we will get the keys and open the door to a home that is everything we have been dreaming of for six years. I am dreaming about no stairs to struggle with, a yard and a designated place for our car, and maybe a fireplace! I am thinking about a little more space and something we can make our own over time. I am imagining a place where we can spend the rest of our lives and watch our children grow. It makes my heart smile and I am thinking positive thoughts. We can do it. (And while we aren't shopping yet, it sure is fun to look! Here is an example of a home currently for sale that we love!)

ANTICIPATING
Back up baby-sitters! Woo-hoo! We are interviewing several candidates this weekend. We found them using Care.com (which is how we found our primary caregiver for Raine.) When I was pregnant, the goal was to find her AND also a back-up person that we could call when we needed someone short notice. Well, we never got around to it and we have spent the last year and a half scrambling (and I will admit I am usually in a TOTAL panic when I scramble) to figure out how to watch Raine when our sitter is sick or otherwise unavailable. We have been fortunate to have GiGi help out when she is able, but other than that, we have no available friends or family in the area. Dan and I end up trying to take half days off work and splitting the time. We are fortunate that our employers have accommodated this, but really, how much is enough? I am tired of having to tell my boss that something came up and I need to leave, work from home, or miss a day or two altogether because we don't have anyone else to watch our son. It also really eats into our paid time off for trips to Illinois. So, we are finally finding someone! I am so excited to meet the three women that responded to our job listing. I think it is exciting to meet new people that share an enthusiasm for your child. I am hoping that the person(s) that work out will be long-term and have a great relationship with us and Raine, just like our super awesome primary caregiver does. Fingers crossed.

LISTENING TO
More radio (thanks to Josh M. for suggesting 90.7 KBOO - quite quirky and good) and Shazaming! I synced my Shazam to Facebook so I can see what my friends are Shazaming. I downloaded the Spotify app, per Corey's suggestion, but I have yet to start using it. Here are a few things I Shazam'd this week and also some tunes I discovered on Pandora (the app we use on our TV to listen to music in the living room.)

More Than Life / Whitley
Eyes / Rogue Wave
Michigan / Milk Carton Kids
Sleeping Sickness / City and Colour
Crave You / Flight Facilities (Radio version feat. Giselle)
Constant Surprises / Little Dragon
Essence / Lucinda Williams
Lover's Revolution / Iron and Wine

EATING
No appetite lately. Craving chocolate milkshakes. Stress diet?

WISHING
My mom was doing better. And that we could visit her. Since my last post, we realized she had been exhibiting symptoms of hepatic encephalopathy but they also had to also check her for stroke or any other brain damage because the symptoms are similar. They found her ammonia levels were elevated, so they are monitoring those and I guess considering an antibiotic for possible infection in her intestinal tract. Her specialist at Mayo isn't quite sure it is HE. Long story short, she isn't quite herself and we don't have definitive answers yet as to how to fix it or what "it" is. And although her spirits are high, she is struggling with cognition, judgement, speech, and some movements. We are waiting to hear more about a blood test this weekend and starting a new medication. Dan and I were considering a trip back to Illinois around Easter but I might just have to see if we can move it up.

Sorry to end this "Currently" on a sour note. How about some cute pictures of Raine? Sure! I have plenty of those. Let's take a look at what he's been up to currently:

Elmo slippers & Ernie on TV.

Playing with mama at the park.

At this point, I guess he's going right-handed.

Big fan of no pants playtime.

Obsessed with getting food out of the cupboards. Especially crackers.