Life is like a Raft...

I am so happy to report that Luke has settled back into a normal routine! He just had a few bad days there at the beginning of last week... I really believe it was just the shots that threw him into a tizzy combined with the fact that he is not napping as long as he used to... He still goes down about the same time each day but his first nap is now about half as long as it was.

Scott and I went down the Ocoee on Sunday! It was so fun to get away with good couple friends and have fun like we used to "Pre-Luke." Several of our friends had wanted to put this trip together for a long time, so we finally got it organized. I love going rafting and have gone pretty much every year for the past 5 years or so.... but none of us had ever done the Upper Ocoee-- the Olympic course. This is an all day thing as opposed to the middle Ocoee which just takes two hours or so.

Although I rarely pass up the chance to hang with friends and have an adventure, I was a tad concerned about leaving Luke. Scott and I had done an "experiment" with him several weeks back when I went to Birmingham with ZOE, and he had done great-- but that was when he was with Scott. My parents had volunteered to keep him for us for this trip. I was a little nervous about how he would fair with them for such a long time. My other big concern was the whole nursing thing-- which was more of a concern for me, not for him. He will easily take formula now from a bottle if I need to be gone. He also eats 2-3 big jars of baby food and loves cereal and fruit... So, I knew he wouldn't starve... I was just worried at how I would do comfort-wise missing so many feedings. I almost decided to back out, but then decided to take the pump and car-adapter and make a go of it.

I am happy to say that I was completely fine and Luke didn't shed one tear all day! Things just couldn't have gone any better! He still continues to amaze us with his flexibility and happy demeanor in every situation! We were so proud and very thankful that he didn't make my parents crazy!

We did have several obstacles with the rafting itself-- First, we arrived early-- we thought-- only to realize that we had not taken into account the time zone change! So, we missed the Upper trip! Thankfully, they did squeeze us into the next lower Ocoee trip, so all was not lost, and we had a great time anyway! Plus, we were all kinda glad because now we were going to be getting home earlier. All of us had left kids behind, so getting back to them sooner was a nice prospect.

We stopped at Cracker Barrell and ate, gassed up the cars, and thought we would cruise on into Nashville at least a couple of hours early--- WELL-- that was before we got trapped in the longest line of interstate traffic ever! It took us an hour and a half to wind our way through the back roads of Monteagle Mountain before getting back onto I-24 at the Jasper exit. The wreck was right before the exit, so we had successfully jumped around it and none too soon-- They had closed the interstate in both directions by this point. We drove past a 10 mile parking lot of cars as we headed down the mountain! It was amazing how many cars were brought to a halt. There is no telling how long it took those people to get home last night!

So-- It was a great weekend. Scott and I got to enjoy a day together with good friends and to remember how much fun we have together. Luke did exceptionally well with my parents... I was SO excited to pull up to the house and to see my Dad sitting on our doorstep holding a smiling Luke! He was in such a sweet, happy mood, too.



Life is quite a bit like rafting. You sometimes are a little afraid and anxious about what lies around the bend... Sometimes things splash you in the face and take your breath away... Life is constantly an up and down ride of both the good and the bad, as well as a constant struggle to avoid hitting the rocks! It is scary but also a thrill-- and you wouldn't want to miss a second of it!