I'm feeling rested and tired all at the same time this morning. This weekend wore me out but I got a good 8 hours of sleep last night which helped quite a bit, although 10 hours would have been a dream come true. Matt has been under the weather with a terrible cough for over a week now so he was rather tired as well.

Friday night was small group and we had a great discussion. I'm very excited to see some of the changes we hope to put into practice as a group doing life together and I'm sensing characteristics being stirred in me that I didn't even realize were there. I'm really looking forward to what the next several months have in store for us as a group but even just in me personally.

Saturday I went to a close friends baby shower and while watching her open those pink packages I felt like it had been years since I had done that myself. It all seems like so long ago and who I was then is completely different than who I am now. I'm not that much older or even much wiser, I simply became a mom and it's amazing how different that made my world and my perspective of it. It was a beautiful shower and I have a feeling I ate my weight in fudge, it was just so good.

Several weeks ago through his firm Matt was able to get us seats at Sojourn™ - La Dolce Vita, WEDU's annual big fundraising gala. Matt was still feeling pretty sick but these were pricey seats paid for by someone else so we knew we needed to go. He had also already rented a tux and I borrowed a friends floor length gown so he took a shot of DayQuil and away we went. It was absolutely incredible. I had never felt more out of place in my entire life but the experience was amazing. Decor that transported you right to the heart of Italy, tuxes, ball gowns, tiaras and fancy cars along with local television stars and sports celebrities made up the scene. There were so many forks, glasses and plates at our seats I wasn't sure which went with what and when to eat with what fork but with Matt's help I figured it out just fine. I don't consider myself one for "frills". A movie on the couch in my favorite pajama pants suits me just fine but every now and then I can definitely appreciate a gem of an evening. We even did a little dancing before his DayQuil wore off and we headed home. A couple from our small group watched Elyse for us and the evening went well for them also which was of course an added bonus.

I was supposed to work Sunday but Matt and I felt it was best for me to be around to help him with Elyse since he wasn't feeling well. It's a good thing too because he tried his hardest to take care of her in the morning and he did great but he was back in bed by 1o am and napped for a little while. As busy as he has been lately I'm thankful I was home so he could do that and get the rest he needed before facing another crazy week. We visited his dad and family for a few hours on Sunday because Matt's great aunt Mary was down from Georgia with her son and daughter-in-law. I had never met any of them before and I'm so glad I was able to. After doing some math aunt Mary pointed out that Elyse is the first Borrack girl in 51 years. I knew there weren't many girls in Matt's family but I didn't realize it had been that long. Of course Elyse was special before I knew that but something about it was just so neat to me. Maybe it's because I came from a house full of girls but I just love seeing all those men go ga-ga over my little girl. There is such a genuine love and sweetness to it and I think it's awesome that Elyse gets to experience that.

That brings us to today. I am VERY excited about today. I am going back to the pregnancy center for the first time in 8 months this afternoon. I can hardly believe it's been that long but I'm thrilled about it. Because of child care issues I'm starting out for just a few hours once a month to help with ultrasounds and if it works out for me to go back more often (which I'm hoping) then I definitely will. It is certainly a ministry I'm passionate about and strongly believe in so to be a part of it again is wonderful.

After our busy weekend and the plans this evening Elyse will have had 3 baby sitters in 4 days. That is definitely a new record and so far she has done great and I'm confident this evening will go just as well. I'm always a little nervous when I leave Elyse simply because I'm away from her but doing my best to ensure our child would adapt well to those situations was important to me and, knock on wood, I truly feel like those measures have paid off. Feeling secure in the people I trust her with and confident in the child that Elyse is while I'm away has become something I take a little pride in. Our friends that watched her Saturday night said they had never seen a baby go to bed so easily and that made me proud because getting here had it's moments for sure. Maybe I had absolutely nothing to do with it but I like to think that I did. You can really see how long her hair is finally getting in this picture. Maybe all the bows I put in her hair distract from that ;).