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All three of us are fine, and (I’m not sure whether this is good or bad) my innocence bit the dust a long time ago, but there has been a recent death in the house. To fully explain this story I need to go back to last year.

So it seems that at some point during the work that was going on in our downstairs family room there was a cardboard box that became designated as the spot for all smaller home-improvement-type things (measuring tape, nails, screws, etc.).  It also seems that at some other point my husband designated this box as the perfect spot to put the dead bugs that he either found or killed while working downstairs.  I didn’t discover this until a few weeks ago after the box in question had been moved upstairs and I made the unfortunate carcass discovery while looking for a spare nail.  It wasn’t pretty (my reaction or the actual bodies), to say the least.

Fast forward to last week.  It was the end of the day and I was completely exhausted.  It had been a long very-short-nap-filled day, my ankle was swollen, my knee was aching and I was ready to have dinner and go to bed.  Matt was putting Liam down in the other room, so I was quietly trying to put some leftovers in a bowl and carry them downstairs to relax with a little Tivo.  That’s when I heard it.  Shortly afterwards, I saw it.  It was some sort of a flying beast that would obviously attack and sting me multiple times about the face and neck if it got the chance.  I didn’t scream because Liam was sure to be almost asleep by this point, but I did what any sensible 29 year old woman would do and I ran away.  After Matt came downstairs (much later because, as it turned out, he thought that I had gone downstairs for some alone time) to find me I informed him of the situation and told him that I wasn’t going back upstairs until he found and killed the thing.  He spent a great deal of time looking but didn’t manage to locate the hairy beast anywhere.  Then he convinced me to come upstairs (which basically only succeeded because I was completely exhausted and my bed is upstairs) where I had daydreams about being attacked in my sleep, but managed to fall asleep and stay that way, attack free.

Fast forward to this afternoon.  I (once again) needed a nail and I glanced in the bug graveyard to see if I saw any.  Right there on top was the hairy, stinging, beastly (and obviously extremely poisonous) creature.  He clearly knew that I was too much of a match for him and died in the only appropriate place in which to do so.  For this, I am grateful.

And hopefully, ankles straight and steady.

Please send good thoughts my way tomorrow morning from about 8 until just after 10 as I’m going to make another go at a 10-miler.  I’ve run a couple of times on the treadmill since last week’s incident but this is my first time outside in the world of wet pine straw and uneven streets, so I’m a bit anxious.

I know I can do it, it remains to be seen if I will do it…

Scene:  Tuesday morning in the Connolly household.  Matt is preparing to leave for work and Shannon is trying to eat breakfast with Liam (who was generally unhappy with the world until he was picked up) in her lap.

Matt: What’s the weather going to be like today?

Shannon: Hold on, let me check. (opens up laptop to search for the forecast)

Liam: AHHHHHHHHHH.

Shannon: Here (hands Liam container of puffs and continues searching for the weather report).

Matt: I’ve gotta go, do you know what the weather’s going to be like yet?

Shannon: No–it’s taking me a minute.  I’m trying to get the page to load and there’s a child in my lap swiping at the keyboard. (motions head towards Liam and looks down)

Shannon: Liam!

Liam: (has opened the container of puffs and is now literally elbow deep in it).

Matt: What’s going on?

Shannon: (motions towards Liam)

Liam: (has now taken an entire handful of puffs and is trying to stuff them all in his mouth at once).

Shannon: Ah, that’s my boy.

End scene.

I think that my favorite part of the day is the few minutes before each of Liam’s naps when we’re sitting in the rocking chair in his room, everything is quiet and still, and he nuzzles into me while falling asleep…

Liam had his 9 month (and some change) check up today.  His official stats are as follows:

Weight: 20lbs. 15oz (50th percentile)

Height: 29.5in. (90th percentile)

Head: 10.25in. (75th percentile)

He’s basically following the same track he’s been on since birth quite nicely (despite the fact that everyone who sees him comments on how big he is..).  Everything else checked out well and although we’re going back for a flu booster next month, beyond that it doesn’t look like we will have to go back until the end of the year (fingers crossed).