Freedom
June 30, 2010 
The thought of 'freedom' has been on my mind lately. Even though we are heading into our 4th of July weekend, and I'm so thankful for our freedom as a country, that's not quite the kind of freedom that I've been thinking about. I've been pondering the freedom that I'm currently experiencing on a more personal level, the microcosm of freedom that exists within my greater freedom as an American...
My babies aren't babies anymore.
Little by little, our life has been evolving, and suddenly I'm aware of certain things... Certain things that I no longer have to do, or carry, or endure, such as...
Regular sleep disturbances. (Now we live with irregular sleep disturbances. It's much better.)
Being loaded down with 50 pounds of child and 50 pounds of gear when migrating to and from our vehicle.
My body being affected by the toll of pregnancy. My abdominal muscles and back muscles and every other muscle that was atrophied during pregnancy is pretty much back to normal. Or at least the 'new normal' that includes a little more, ahem, relaxed state of being.
(Relaxed = droop.)
(I don't want to remain on this topic any longer.)
And what else can I tell you? There are so many little things that contribute to this feeling...
Ms. Peaches is potty training and doing really well. Our diaper budget is on the decline!
Both of my children respond to verbal direction (usually) and caring for them is a whole lot less 'hands on'. They're both even getting better at dressing themselves.
When we first started going outside for playtime this spring, Ms. Peaches was like a little kamakazi. I didn't know where she was going to careen next. Over the retaining wall? Onto the road? Headlong into the electric horse fence? She too was experiencing her own new sense of freedom. I was experiencing what I thought were the beginnings of a heart attack. Taking her outside seriously raised my stress hormone levels. However, over the last couple months, she has become much more savvy about sticking around the yard where we play and staying close to mom and dad. We have by no means perfected this practice, but at least we're not in 'kamakazi' mode anymore, and my stress has greatly diminished.
And speaking of outside... For the last several months, almost every day we have been able to have the windows open, enjoy the fresh air in the house, and hear the birds chirping out the window. And with the windows open, I feel much more connected to the dogs and horses outside as well.
I think... I thinnnnnk... Mr. Blue Eyes and I may even get to go on a real date sometime in the near future. And our children are approaching an age where they might be able to do a sleepover with some family, allowing us to think of the possibility of going away (for more than a couple hours!) somewhere together.
And I get to wear stretchy pants almost every day of my life.
Talk about getting to the heart of personal freedom!
And since it's summer... Pretty much barefoot or in sandals all the time, shorts/capris, tank tops. Already I take it for granted, but when I think about how quickly the season will pass by, I appreciate it so much more.
It's all these little freedoms, part of my greater freedom as an American, that I want to shout out a THANK YOU to all our veterans, and all those whose work in our country contributes to the betterment of our daily living.
Me and my stretchy pants thank you.
What about YOU? What little (or big) freedoms do you enjoy?
p.s. Don't go thinkin' this means I don't want another baby. I do. I think that's why this time of 'freedom' is all the more sweet... I know there are more days of diapers and sleep deprivation down the road!
Reader Comments (5)
I'm enjoying the freedom of being with my husband this year. He was in Afghanistan last year, so to have him home and be FREE to do what we want to do when we want to do it is awesome! And also... just a few more days until I am out of this stinky apartment! So that's an anticipated freedom that I am (impatiently) waiting for!
P.S. It's nice to go off on your own. My husband and I left our daughter with my parents for 2 days after he came home in January. We got a hotel room nearby and just kept to ourselves. It was awesome! Especially after 12 months apart! Hopefully you guys can have some real "alone time" soon!
Just got back from a trip to town where I thought I can handle two kids, what will I ever do with 3?!
Yes, I can totally relate: normal sleeping routine, independence, etc is something I don't want to take for granted since it's all going to change this fall.
Oh and just something to think about, the last time my hubby and I got away from the kids for a few days...#3 came to be! ;)
Rayleigh's Mom - I can't even imagine being away from my husband for that long. Thank you both for sacrificing to serve our country!
FJM - Hmmmmm... I'll be sure to watch out for that if/when we ever do get to go away together. I'm not ready yet! But it's all in God's hands anyhow...
Oh I'm sooo with you on the stretchy pants! :-)
And I'm discovering different freedoms - like now my kids can both drive, I am a redundant taxi-driver - a role that has consumed my life over the past decade (just wait young lady!)
Got to ask though - is that the done thing over there to plant tomatos in buckets? Never seen that before :-)
Cate - Yes, I guess it kind of is. People usually put something around the tomato plants when they're young (not always buckets) to protect them. At this point I'm debating if I should take them off or if it will be alright to leave them there for the season. Still undecided, but will probably just leave them. I don't think they'll hurt at thing.