30. That's Me.

I can remember stories of how my parents took a mini-vacation to New Orleans to celebrate my mother's thirtieth birthday. They already had my older brother and myself and loaded up the family to celebrate in The Big Easy. Although I was too young to remember this particular trip, this story has stayed with me because for most of my childhood I would think, "30....that is sooooo old." (Sorry, Mom--I don't think you are sooooooooooo old now and you certainly don't look a day over 40.)

I turned 30 this week and suppose I have now crossed that great age barrier between still being somewhat of a "kid" and now actually being a true adult. Per my request, there were no flashy parties, stretch limos, or toasts with champagne to welcome in this new decade of life (Have you seen a maternity party dress? Think a Mu-Mu that has been attacked with a bedazzler.). There were a few incredibly fun, low-key celebrations that made the event quite enjoyable. Isaac helped me welcome in my actual birthday by having the worst diaper explosion ever that morning which resulted in a complete stripping and washing of the entire contents of his crib (Somehow, Ink-Ink was spared).

Entering my thirties---thus leaving the good ol twenties behind---makes me think over the past decade to see what I have accomplished in order to get to this major age milestone. It was at the age of 20 that I met Tobe (We actually had a class together the Spring semester I turned 20, so technically I guess I knew him at 19 as well. However, he never knew I was in that class and I was terribly annoyed by his loud mannerisms. That is a story for another entry though....) and the age of 24 that I married him (Best decision I ever made). I completed an undergraduate and graduate degree in my 20's. I wrote a pretty good thesis (despite the fact that I did not win the $100 thesis award from ACU---no bitterness there, huh?) and was asked to present it at the national APA convention. I travelled to Africa twice---spending a total of 3 1/2 months living there---and became deeply involved in the plight of street children and in the horrible condition of this continent. I purchased my first home (along with Tobe) and discovered the ups and downs of actually owning your own property. I worked as a behavioral specialist teacher for four years---something I would have never seen myself doing at 20---and came to love a small group of children with such a passion it amazed me. I closed out my 20's by giving birth to the sweetest boy ever and was able to devote my days (and nights) to raising him in his early months. Finally I carried baby number 2 during the last months of my twenties, often times stopping to wonder what this feisty little one will bring to our world.

Would my 20 year old self be happy with this new 30 year old? Probably (although she might be a bit frightened by the 30 year old version of her body and the fact that her hair is still a major battle most days). My in-laws came over this week to celebrate, laden with gifts and chocolate cake. The napkins they brought read, "30...the party continues." I truly hope so.

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Because I am lazy, I am going to include a baby update with this post rather than creating a new one. Yesterday the three of us headed out to our doctor's office and were a tiny bit shocked to discover that I had progressed some in the whole "labor" department, despite the fact that since Sunday contractions had really been picking up. I will spare you the details (except for those of you I emailed last night in which I did give you the graphic description), but our doctor did say this baby needs to at least wait until next week to make an appearance because we want her lungs to be nice and healthy. Um....Tobe and I really need her to wait until about May 4th so he can get through a major project at work and I can actually prepare for this child. I am now going to lay low and attempt to keep this child in a few more weeks. I have crossed off "mulch flowerbeds" and "walk with family to historic farm event" off my weekend list of things to do in order to make this happen. We'll keep you posted!

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What's a blog entry without a funny Isaac story? Yesterday, Isaac and I were riding in the car. I was SUPER tired yesterday and realized as we drove along in silence that I was not being a fun Mommy. I looked at Isaac in the mirror and said, "Hey, you want to sing 'E-I-E-I-O' (his name for "Old McDonald Had a Farm"). Isaac sweetly replied, "No." I then asked, "How about 'Wheels on the Bus?" Again, another sweet little "No." came from the backseat. I tried a third time by asking, "You want to sing your ABC's?" Isaac shook his little head and said "No." Finally I asked, "Would you like to just ride and enjoy the silence?" A big grin spread across his face, lighting up his blue eyes, as he eagerly replied, "Sures!"