January 10

Remember our hard workout last night? Well. I was definitely feeling it this morning. Plus, I got to bed late last night. So even though I only got 6 hours of sleep (I need at least 8 to function well) and my legs were trembling, I decided to get up at 5:45 and go to the gym like I normally do. I was so proud of my willpower and determination, and then...
The darn New Years Resolution gym-goers ruined everything. Even at 6 am, the gym was packed and the machines I prefer were full. I had to use a different machine. Fine, whatever. 8 minutes into my workout, though, I saw that one of my machines was available.
Hooray!
I stepped off the machine I was on, and... fell. Hard. I rolled my ankle and landed hard on my tailbone. People around me were so kind, but it was embarrassing and painful and I just went home. I cried the whole drive home, both from the pain and tiredness and embarrassment. At home, I explained myself to a perplexed Chris and climbed back in bed for an hour.

Today was our first day back at Classical Conversations after winter break. It was good to be back in the swing of things, but it was a long morning. After I dropped the big kids off at Chris' parents' house for Special Time, I treated wounded bottom and pride to a visit to the brand-new Starbucks drive through near our house.

(No, Mom, I wasn't driving when I took this picture. I was at a stop light. See the needle on my speedometer at zero?)

People, this is a game changer. For years, I have lamented the fact that there are no drive-through coffee shops within 20 minutes of my house. I rarely get coffee from Starbucks, but when I do it's because I am desperately longing for a special treat. Unloading four children from the van and taking them into a coffee place, then keeping them corralled while we're waiting to order and then waiting for the coffee to be made is just too much, so it never happens.

Finally, though, they opened up a drive-through Starbucks just minutes from my house. Feel free to send all the Starbucks gift cards my way to celebrate!

After I got my coffee, we went home and I put the little two down for naps. I was still feeling the pain of the previous day's workout, the fall at the gym, and the wounded pride, so I laid down for a nap. Unfortunately, Eli woke up much too early from his nap. I decided that my need for rest was dire, so I pulled him into bed with me in the hope that we could snuggle and sleep. Of course, anytime we are lying in bed, Eli thinks of nursing. He immediately demanded, "MILKIES! Milkies, please!"

These days, we usually nurse in the chair in his room before nap and bedtime. That's it. Our nursing journey is definitely nearing its end. So today when he wanted to snuggle and nurse, I chose to cherish every moment of it. 

This used to be our standard. He used to sleep only in our bed, and we spent so many hours snuggling and nursing just like this. Now, I look at this and wonder if it will be the last time. We will still continue nursing for at least a few more months, but will this be the last time I nurse him to sleep in my big bed? I'm so thankful for how far we have come. I still remember sitting in this bed, nursing him, then pumping, then feeding him a bottle of the pumped milk, then setting my timer to do it again in an hour. It was exhausting. We struggled, and thanks to God's grace and good counsel, we overcame. 

I am thankful.