It's a Tough Life

By Henry Chiara

My momma tries every morning to get me to leave my blanket that I love so so much in my crib. I don't understand why she doesn't want me to lay around the house in the middle of the floor snuggling my blanket. Or walking through the kitchen dragging it on the floor that didn't get swept that day. Why wouldn't she want me to put it on the bathroom floor when my sisters leave the door open as they use the restroom? I don't get it. It's a tough, confusing life. And I'm very sad about it. Everyday.

Changes...

Are you a lover or a hater? Is it good? Or scary?

I think I like change. I think.

For the first 18 years of my life, nothing changed. At least nothing in my environment changed. Except I changed from a pink room, with hearts on my bedspread, to a room covered in Mickey Mouse memorabilia with the coolest Mickey Mouse phone ever. But I lived in the same city, in the same neighborhood, in the same house, and mostly the same bedroom my whole young adult life. Then I went to Rexburg, Idaho for a year. Boy. Was that ever a change. Then onto Provo, Utah for two.

Once married, it was St. Louis, Missouri for four years. That was probably the biggest change of my life. Mostly because I was in the Midwest, newly married, newly separated from my best friend-twin sister-never spent anymore than a day away from each other, and I didn't know one single soul other than my husband. It was scary. I was 20 and hadn't a clue what the heck I was suppose to do in St. Louis. It didn't seem very glamorous. The city frightened me. I definitely wasn't on University Ave. in Provo anymore. That first year in St. Louis had more changes than my whole life combined.

And you know what I realize now? That year was the most growing, learning year of my life. Not just my environment change, but I changed. I grew up. I learned so much about who I am today, while in St. Louis. Things that I thought about myself changed when I was forced to be in a situation that I was uncomfortable in. I gained confidence. I gained independence. I gained a sense of adventure. I went back to school and got my degree in the ghetto of North St. Louis. I graduated with the highest honor of summa cum laude while working more than part time and being barely pregnant. I never thought of myself as "smart", only athletic, and I finally felt smart for the first time in my life. I made friends with people I would have never imagined even having one thing in common with. I learned to go places by myself and make opportunities for myself. I learned of my love for photography. I interned at an art gallery that allowed me to excel at something I didn't even know I was interested in. I learned all these things about myself that I am sure I would have never learned if I had stayed safe in my comfort zone. I learned these things because of change.

Now we've spent the last five years in Washington and the best changes of my life have happened here. Even though Gabs was six month old when we moved here, this is where I truly became a mother. Oh the learning I have experienced here. It's insurmountable.

I think about leaving this wonderful home we have created here and it's scary. But I remember the growth that comes from change and I get excited. Change brings a chance to reevaluate yourself and set new goals. It brings a chance to regain your priorities and remember the important things in life. It allows for discovering new places and meeting new people.

So here I am. With my husband, three small children, and a baby bump. Exactly one month away from our stuff being packed up and moved to Kansas. And I'm ready.

Because change is definitely good.

Laundry List

Dear Children of the World,

You are so loved. What special little people you are! Your mom appreciates all the generous help you give her around the house. But sometimes you just get it plain wrong. Your poor mother doesn't need more work. And although you think you're helping, often, you are just giving her more work (ie. laundry) to do. So here is a list of what does and doesn't go in your laundry baskets. I promise your mom will love you even more (hardly possible, but guarantee will happen) if you get this right.

What DOESN'T belong in laundry baskets:

1. The clothes you wore for five seconds then decided to change out of.

2. The socks you never wore, but didn't feel like putting back in your drawer.

3. The sweater you wore to walk your sister to school-it's really not dirty.

4. The swimsuit you wore around the house when you were pretending you were at the beach.

5. The pajamas you were asked you to put away-in your dresser.

6. The beautiful silk church dress that is dry clean only and has at least twenty more wears out of it before it actually needs to go to the dry cleaners.

7. Your Polly Pockets.

8. Your ballet skirt you wore for 1 hour twice a week. It's fine- we promise.

9. The dress-ups. Those are suppose to be dirty. They're dress-ups. Nobody ever washes those princess dresses.

10. Anything that doesn't visibly show chocolate milk, spaghetti sauce, or ketchup.

What DOES belong in laundry baskets:

1. Underwear.

Remember these rules, and you're sure to make your mom very happy. Now go kiss her and tell her I said "Your welcome and Happy Mother's Day."

Love,

A very tired-sick-of-doing-laundry momma

Oh Baby!

There's going to be another addition to the Chiara's! And these faces couldn't possibly express more perfectly how we feel about it! We are thrilled. Beyond thrilled!

I am 12 weeks and feeling good, which is a welcomed change from Henry's months of sickness and fatigue. I think I feel good because one, Joe is home a lot more than he was while I was pregnant with Henry, so that's given me some sanity, and two, because I have no other choice but to feel good with a one year old running around. Plus, we've got places to go (Kansas) and things to do (move halfway across the country), so I really have no time for sickness. I'm suppressing it as best I can, a few times it's gotten the better of me, but we've survived.

I know what you're thinking though, "Are you crazy? Isn't it a little quick?" At least that's the response we've gotten to the few we've told- besides my mom's "Holy crap Jamie", which still makes me laugh thinking about it. It was classic. Well, to answer your burning questions, no, we are positively not crazy. There was never a question that we would have another baby soon. And if by "quick" you mean 4 months sooner than we planned, then yes, I suppose it was quick. But we expected to have another baby when Henry turned two. Henry will be 20 months old when this baby comes, so I guess it's 4 months "quicker". But what's four months when you're talking about a lifetime? I don't think those four months are going to amount to any difference.

Last Sunday we finally told the girls (in effort to keep it quiet as long as possible) and they cheered. They wanted to know right away when it would be here. They keep asking how big the baby is today. And, right there at the dinner table, after we told them, they already decided it's a girl and that her name should be Ginger. How cute is that? They can't wait "until after Gwen's birthday and before Gabs birthday" until the baby comes.

Neither can we!