Take your lumps

This week I taught my son that if something bad happens you have to get over it because no one will come to your rescue. :(

Because the retreat this week was in Dubuque, we decided Bryce would still work Schera's and Link would stay with me at the center. Around 9 pm I put Link to bed and went to do late night sessions with friends. Some people went to bed so I left the door open and the light on in case he made a fuss, someone would get me. Around 11 pm I went to check on him.

The bed was empty and feet were sticking out from under the bed opposite the one he was on. Tiny yelps (as if giving up his calls for help). My heart completely sunk. I have no idea how long he was under there, how he fell, and how long ago the fall happened. He was happy to see me, not red faced, just startled. I brought him out to the group and they reassured me I was not a bad mother. He wasn't upset and didn't look bruised or cut anywhere.

That night when I changed his diaper, he demonstrated how he fell (me lightly bracing him). It involved rolling to his stomach, scooting backwards off the bed, and then a fall to feet, to butt, to head.

So, everything was making me feel better until breakfast the next day when a neighbor said. "I heard Link's little melt down last night. Was he crying or laughing?"

Ahh. My poor boy.

I graduated again

Over the past three days the Adventures with Lincoln crew spent a beautiful weekend retreat leading up my graduation from Spirations Institute for Interspiritual Formation. The two year program has been amazing, filled with beautiful strong women growing into spiritual directors. Besides meeting quarterly at retreat centers throughout the Midwest, such as Dunrovian, Sinsanawa, and Creighton, the curriculum included readings, pod casts, music, and integrative pieces to do at your own pace, as well as visiting other events where people experience faith. At our retreats we practiced and crafted our own way of becoming spiritual directors and participated in group activities such as Interplay, Dances for Universal Peace, and Soul Collage. I have never experienced such a community of belonging. They gave me what was needed to grow in ways I sometimes feared.

I made graduation caps for all my friends. It was quite fun to spend the month as the Mad Hatter.

The X Factor

I'm still trying to figure out this blogging as a job thing. First is trying to figure out followers. We were on Crunchgear and we got 166 views from that. The whole time I have been doing giveaways to help boost traffic. I have done a few giveaways where I have put a little money into it ($10-$20) and they have gone well. Maybe 27 entrees max. Last week I do everything the same way, my giveaway is travel samples I have collected that are nothing big. No money put into it whatsoever. I get 1,323 views that day and over 320 entrees. I thought I hit is big, then this week, I do the same thing again, plus a few more things and I am only at 8!!!! I don't get it. Someone teach me the ways oh blogging masters.

Meteor

Last night something sounded like it hit our roof and the whole house shook. I ran up to check on Link who was sleeping upstairs, maybe he fell out of bed and knocked over the rocking chair on the way? Bryce went outside to check if someone ran into our house of a tree branch fell on it, but nothing. Today's news. A meteor hits Wisconsin. Not far from us at the same time. We were just feeling the sonic boom. http://www.geekosystem.com/wisconsin-meteor

Lincoln at 8.5 months

It has been a while since I have given a Link report. Link is now almost 9 months. He is still around 23 lbs and mostly a sitter, but he has grown in other areas, including personality. Link is a great smiler, laugher, and entertainer. He starts shy and goes to excited, only crying when a parent leaves the room from time to time. He will babble for hours in a comfortable setting. Link has 6 teeth now and is eating solids a lot more often. The only thing he has not liked thus far is Gerber turkey. He nurses less during the day but still does about every 2-3 hours at night. Link still takes about 3 naps a day. He is working a lot of facial expressions. Last week was the frown turned into a guppy smack. This week it is a nose wrinkle. He is very observant and explores every aspect of each toy. He has excellent fine motor skills and likes to greet people with an ET finger touch. Link is getting interested in moving. He is pulling up on things and scooting on his butt. He can now roll comfortably on purpose. He does the splits when he need to reach further than he can and does a pivot. He is gorgeous as ever and pleasant to be around.

Still in a good mood

What a great couple of days.
Saturday- Had a great day of volleyball. Went dancing with friends, had so much carefree fun, danced with several people I don't know. Found $20 on the street.
Sunday- Decided to go to Decorah. Ran into the Awads at Walmart and they invited us over. Ran into Matthew at the Co-Op and he sat and chatted with us. Went to Brenda's to nurse on her porch swing and talk.
Monday- Went to schools to deliver fliers, stopped at Jason and Sadies, Link bit Stella's toe (embarrassed and guilty), got pulled over for speeding 15 miles over the limit and ended up with 5 warnings and 1 ticket, the cheapest he could give me not having my license. Admist this great week I misplaced my wallet somewhere.
Yet, I am still in a good mood.

Everytime I go to Decorah

Everytime I go to Decorah I run into so many friends it makes me realize I have way more there than here. Still whenever I think about moving anywhere I always think about the friends I may be leaving behind. When we moved to Elkader I had to calculate milage to Trisha and Richards and found it comparable to Arlington and I was worried about losing contact with Dani and Todd (though we have seen them more since moving). Now I think about Brian and Frederique, Leslie, my Monona friends, Sadie & Jason, Trish & Dani again, etc. Which makes me rethink.
But if we could get a job in Decorah that is sustainable it would be super nice. Especially if we moved when Link was around 4-5. There is a Waldorf school, a Montessori school, tons of parent friends with kids being raised the same way (nursing toddlers, etc), ArtHaus has super fun things to do with kids, all these things Link could be a part of without ME having to be the founder of the programs.
Grrr. I hate knowing there are too many great places on earth. Why do I even travel 10 miles away from my home?

Philledelphia of a day

Via David Ives, I am having a Philadelphia of a day. Yesterday was so stormy and full of hail, but not enough hail to claim damage on our roof. I tried to find a place for the Navigator and I did, under the patio at Schera's, but then there is extra stress because that is the first place that floods in Elkader. In the last flood the water was 15 feet higher than where I parked.
Today is gloomy too. When I went on a walk the tornado drill went off in town and got stuck so my whole 30 min walk had a blaring siren ringing. I went to Strawberry Point to pick up something that wasn't ready, but I did step in dog crap. We went to grab some grub and 1st order they didn't have, 2nd order then didn't have. Ironically I ended up with a PHILLY cheese steak sandwich, which of course came without green peppers. ;(

Easter was Awesome

All the Durbin's got together for an Easter Celebration in Ohio. Lincoln was inspired by the movement of all his cousins and can now scoot across the floor on his butt. He also popped out tooth number 5, decided to do his first bite and hold on while nursing, and loves chocolate.

We also did some sight seeing on the way out to Columbus for our Adventures with Lincoln blog.

I'm feeling good all over.