It’s been a very busy week. My sister was in town for the whole week, off for her spring break, and while I was very happy to see her (I was looking forward to it), I was given about two days’ notice of her arrival (she’s the queen procrastinator), so I wasn’t able to have a lot of time to prepare for it. I ended up having to work most of the days she was here, and she was kept busy by Dave and Lily. The good news for this arrangement was that she got to spend a lot of time with Lily Bean, in a more relaxed setting: at home. She and Dave babysat her while I was at work, and this enabled my little girl to get to know her Auntie Sophie a lot more. By the end of the week, it was all giggles and smiles whenever Lily saw Auntie Sophie. It was very sweet.

Yesterday was her last day here, and I took her to the bus shuttle station. I had a good time while she was here. It’s nice having her around. She’s my best friend, outside of Dave and Lily. Being near her makes me really happy. I love my baby sister, especially now since she’s no longer “little” and we communicate on a more “adult” level. It’s nice. I miss her now, that she’s not around. Luckily, she’s been able to visit quite often — several times a year, especially since Lily’s been born. The flight here from North Carolina is sometimes up to 10 or 11 hours, but she’s been a trooper and she takes it all in stride. So we appreciate when she’s able to come visit us. When Lily is older, we’ll be able to make the trip to see her, and the tables will be turned!

At work, things are going pretty smoothly. Orientation is pretty much over, and I’m getting acquainted with having my own caseload. I already have three clients. Since I’ve done this exact type of work at my old job, the new boss feels pretty comfortable just letting me get on with it sooner rather than later. I am loving my new team of counselors, as everyone is educated, intelligent, compassionate, and cooperative. I am loving my new boss; he reminds me a bit of my practicum supervisor, Leaf, and I adored Leaf. The whole atmosphere is pretty relaxed. I feel like I’m treated equally, right, and valued in this job. I like it. It makes the work that much easier to do. I’m in the middle of decorating my little cubicle. Right now, it looks pretty bare, but it will be all spiffed up in no time!

I have to make it look personalized and cool so that all those electronics at the bottom of the desk aren’t the main focal point when you see my desk! I’m very happy with work. The only complaint, as I said before, is that it takes my time away from Lily. But, it’s a lot closer to home, and I see her more often than I did when I was working in Bellingham, so all is good with the world again.

Dave is managing well at home with Lily Bean. First few days, she wasn’t doing so well — she refused to nap for him and didn’t eat so well, and was very cranky throughout the day. She kept looking for me and wondering where I was and why I wasn’t the one who was putting her down for her nap. Poor baby. It just broke my heart. But now she’s doing a lot better, back to her normal schedule, and she’s treating her Daddy well. I couldn’t be happier. I love my family.