Survived!

Last Sunday afternoon, Lucas and I took my mom to the airport after she had been with us for an entire week. The drive home was NOT pretty. Looking back, the mascara I applied in the morning was not the wisest decision I have ever made. Lucas came back home and immediately started looking for Nana, checking her room (the guest room) every time he walked by to see where she was. Knife in the heart. We got through the evening by enjoying some mellow family time just the three of us, and then Monday morning Chris took off for work and Lucas and I were on our own!

Lucas's school doesn't start until next month, and I can't work here until my license gets transferred, so August is now officially "Lucas and Amy Quality Time" month. I haven't been home alone with the dude since he was 9 months old, and I have mixed feelings about all this time home with him now. Obviously, having so much time with my little guy is awesome and I feel so lucky to have it. Yet, both Lucas and I are very social people and we tend to get stir crazy quickly at home. To be blunt, we can bore each other. To circumvent this issue, I tried to fill our week with as many activities as I could find, which was kind of difficult considering I know no-one and don't really know of anything to do. Outdoor activities are essentially out, what with the humidity and 100 degree weather.

Here is the quick run-down of our week, along with my impressions:

Monday: Gymboree class in the morning. Lucas loved the bubbles and parachute. I spent the whole time smiling and staring at the other mom's trying to send them telepathic "be my friend" messages. It didn't seem to work.

Tuesday: We joined the library! The Bentonville library is brand new, super swanky, and has a great children's area. The bonus was a large fish tank that Lucas was super into. We met Miss Sue Ann, the children's librarian, and each chose 5 books for the week. I think weekly library trips will quickly become a staple of our routine. Lucas loved it, and walked around the library with his fingers to his lips, "shhhh shhh shhh-ing" me at every turn.

Tuesday afternoon we went to the Bentonville aquatic center. It was really fun! They have a children's pool with a large mushroom fountain in it that amused/totally freaked out Lucas to no end. It was awesome for me because I was definitely one of the most glamorous/skinniest/had the most teeth out of many of the moms there which was a bonus.

Wednesday...hmmm....not sure I want to write about Wednesday. It was not a good day. I will just say this- it involved multiple hours of being on hold/getting hung up on by the CA DMV, going to the Arkansas DMV (which is not called the DMV, it is the DFA), Lucas not really napping, us ending up at the mall food court and me bribing him with ice cream and coin operated kiddie rides while I basically had a melt down while on the phone with our realtor in CA. And oh yes, me eating not 1, but 2 Sonic grilled cheese kids meals for lunch- that was the high point.

Thursday was a better day. We ran errands and I got my application for licensure in AR done for the most part. We also went to a local children's consignment event and I scored Lucas his first Razorbacks sweatshirt, plus a tricycle that looks brand new that Santa will be delivering for Christmas. Then, we went back to Gymboree and Lucas tried out an art class. He liked painting, and he LOVED snacktime, but wasn't so sure about shaving cream finger painting. I met a cool mom at that class and we were hitting it off...and then my dreams of BFF-dom were dashed when she told me her family was moving to Atlanta in 2 weeks. Drat!

Today, Friday, Lucas woke up not feeling too well so we hung close to home, save for a brief foray to Wal-Mart (yep, I finally did it!). He ended up taking a 3 hour nap and by the time he was up, Chris was home and it was official- we survived our first week alone! Boo yah!!

I am looking forward to having Chris around all weekend and exploring a little. Next week, my Dad comes on Friday and my sister comes on Saturday- can't wait for that! Lucas and I will probably be following a similar routine, and maybe I will even make a friend! People here are so friendly, but I haven't figured out how to parlay that friendliness into friendship.

We have practiced g-chatting a bit this week, and it seems to work pretty well so hit me up! Have a great weekend everyone and love to all!!!