Thursday, February 28, 2008

The only thing constant is change

Today I dropped the minivan off for state inspection, and ran home 2.5 miles. Will run back to pick up car. Recovery =5M total.

Did my run home without watch or Ipod-- just me in the 20 degree weather. Got to thinking about how things are changing again with the boys' schedules, and how it seems like whenever I get things under control, something happens to shake things up a bit.

When they were babies, the change was constant: new feeding schedules, new sleeping schedules, playdates, etc. We were kept hostage by the ever-changing needs of the boys as infants, then toddlers. I was able to carve time out for myself due to naps, help from family, and sitters. Some days it was all I could do to hang in there until-- ahhh.. bedtime, which held constant for years between 7:00-7:30. Time after the kids were in bed was precious: time to workout, hang out with Bob, or get the ugh.. laundry done.

Now, however, this has all changed. 7:30 got pushed back to 8:00, and then Tommy often had trouble falling asleep- lying up there sometimes until 10:00 pm. So, in an effort to assist him with getting to sleep, combined with his newly-acquired ability to read, Tommy now gets 30-45 minutes at night to read. The caveat, however, is that he need someone to help him with words.

Don't get me wrong- I LOVE lying beside him and reading-- it is relaxing, and he truly enjoys his books, as do I. The adjustment part is that he is not usually tucked in/lights out these days until 9:00. Again, time to readjust MY schedule. Truth be told: I'm still held hostage by the schedules of everyone else in the family, but there is more time overall.

With the marathon training taking up a great deal of my 'free' time, 2 hr. delays and schedules changes figure much more strongly into the overall equation of our family dynamic. Learning to roll with it does not come easy, but I'm getting there.

Change is good, isn't it?

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