Good kids, good wine, good times

It's amazing what one night out and a good bottle of wine can do for your spirits. Plus, a good bottle doesn't leave you with a hangover in the morning which is even better. On top of that our beautiful children let us sleep in until eight, so overall, I'm feeling pretty f-ing good. After three difficult months, it's about time.

It's not what you think. Yes, two kids can be tough, but my problems are all physical. But when you have enough physical issues, they start to take their toll on your attitude and outlook, and mine has been a little bleak as a result. So let me briefly recap the list of ailments I've had to contend with since September. Mastitis. Twice. Fever included. Strep throat - two weeks. IUD insertion + minor complications. Shingles. Yup, shingles. And my first period at exactly the three month post-partum mark, which means it fell on the exact date of my last period - December 25, 2010. Then let's not forget the "normal" things one has to contend with post-pregnancy: six weeks of bleeding and cramping, boob pain, and a ridiculous amount of hair loss.

I'm not complaining, but I am telling the universe that whatever it was you wanted me to learn by all this, it's learnt.

Now that the shingles have cleared up, while I wait to see if I passed that archaic virus chicken pox onto my kids, I am enjoying another glass of good wine to keep up the inspiration I experienced from my big night out. Inspiration that came from a dinner that started at the very adult dinner time of 8:30 and continued for hours amidst a conversation that cemented the love I feel for my partner and my teammate in this life of raising human people.

If you are one of the lucky people to have found that person who you always want to be with, you've had these conversations many times over. The conversation that spurs that feeling that someone finally understands you and all of your tangents. The conversation that creates a bubble around two people fading the background into a dull hum. The conversation that makes you feel like you are in exactly the right place at exactly the right time and that you are still learning and growing with the help of this other person.

When you live together, as Lorenzo and I have for the past 7 + years, although you know that these conversations can happen, they get shadowed by the daily conversations that are critical to survival. "What are we going to eat.", "Will you take the baby while I go to the bathroom?", "Did she eat?" And then there are the truly important conflicts. "Can you please pick your underwear off the bathroom floor?", "You forgot to put the clothes in the dryer." "Where did you put my bag? You always move my stuff." Boring, necessary, routine and annoying. The moments that drive people to look for excitement elsewhere. But when you really consider this person to be your family, there is no moment when you think you won't be with them, despite the conflicts and boredom. And when the kids stop needing your breast every hour, when you can drink wine and speak adult-like again, when you can remember what you need, when you can cement your love with inspiring conversations, your partner can remind you of your best self. You start to remember how much you like to sing in the bathroom because of the fantastic acoustics, you dig out those books that light the sparks of your soul for a moment, you start a nightly routine of Motown dance parties with your two year-old, you talk with your partner about your dreams and ideas and about how you are proud to be a parent with them. And things get better. Shingles get forgotten. Life feels right. One moment at a time.