Well, friends, I’ve officially become a human again.  Sure, things aren’t perfectly smooth… baby is upstairs squawking in her bed sleepily instead of actually sleeping, I made a green smoothie that tastes like brown water and I insist on eating it anyways and my plan to eat healthier resulted in a major oversupply of perishable food in my kitchen.

But four months after her birth?

This little munchkin is (generally) sleeping, eating and playing like a champ, and actually prefers to spend portions of the day left alone on her playmat, in her exersaucer, under her mobile, in her jumperoo or simply swinging to contemplate life, practice new skills and, let’s be real, munch her hands.

And so I have some freedom to keep a cautious, hovering kind of distance (periodically rescuing her from scooting off the playmat and forcing her to slow down once in a while to take a nap, which she may or may not comply with).  And so first I began cooking dinner again.  (If you count popping frozen lasagnas in the oven cooking.)  Then I began putting real clothes on instead of just a clean set of pjs/sweats/yoga pants/robe.  Then I joined Pinterest (follow me!).  Then I began to decorate my home again.  Then I began to really cook, I mean to the point of buying a stalk of brussels sprouts (the resulting half-chopped stalk sticking a foot out of the trash can made for an interesting conversation piece for my sister’s visiting friends.) and making risotto for New Years.

And now, I will begin to write again.  I forgot how much I like it.  So stick with me, I’ve got a lot to say.

…or at least, you’d better, or Papa’s comin’ after you.

Here we are, for a nice swim across the pond.  Enjoying the sun and the surf.

After a nice meal and a wallow in the mud puddles on the other side, Papa says “YES, little family, we shall sally forth once again.”

Yay!!!  Playtime!!!

Papa:  ”Let us approach yonder bank.”

Mama: “Dear, are you sure this is going to work?”  Papa: “My love, it is the most ultimate in feeding.”

“Mama, mama!  I can’t do it.  Wait, mama, COME BACK!!!’

“MAMA, THIS ISN’T WORKING EITHER!!!”  ”Dear, I’m slightly concerned.”  ”My love, this is the real world… Hark!  Do I sense intruders on our idyllic land?”

“How DARE you intrude upon my family’s place of peace?”  ”Dear, is this really necessary?”

“Be gone, foul beast!”  ”MAMA!  MAMA!  What is going ON?!”

“When I said gone, I meant GONE!  Get ye forever rid of this place!”

“VERMIN!  SLIME!”  ”Dear, you’re freaking out the children.”

“Behold!  I espy another danger to our peaceful nest!”  ”Chill out, freakshow.”

“Mama, we’re scared.”  ”Dear, I think it’s time to calm down and get the kids in for their nap.”  ”I AM KING!  KING!  ALL YE GEESE BEHOLD I AM KING!”

We have two herons roaming round these parts.  But my personal favorite is Stan, our blue heron.  I’ve mentioned him before, and it was requested that I please give some visualization to this combover that I speak of.

Do you see that cowlick of black hair that stays so nicely poised right off the back of his head?  Well, when it’s windy, that combover doesn’t stay so nicely slicked back…. and it gives me quite the giggles.  I love it when he folds that giraffe neck into his body to protect against the chilly wind, and all you can see is that combover flapping about in the breeze.  Along with those wild chest hairs.  I think perhaps he needs a waxing appointment.

Hi everybody.  Do you remember me?  Leah?

I’ve been sort of MIA and I have my reasons.  One reason is that I think this winter is trying to do me in.

I’ve been house bound by snow and ice.
I got the stomach flu.
It finally got sunny and the sunny warm weather gave me a severe head cold.
I can’t get over the head cold because I think my geese are going through some kind of frightening mating season or something and have decided that each of them has a responsibility to be a foghorn starting at about 6:00 am.
I wanted it to rain so that hopefully they’d all peel away to their little nests and leave me alone and also so that the crusted salt would disappear from the roadways; so the winter gave me rain that decided to leak through my bedroom window and severely disturb my sleep and peace of mind.
The rain didn’t deter the geese one tiny bit.

I’m serious.  I think that I did something to offend the winter.

I haven’t been writing because my wonderful husband dragged my iMac into the bedroom this past week and set it up on the dresser so that I could stay in bed, watch Netflix and nurse my various ailments.  It’s sort of hard to think about composing a coherent blog post when I’m surrounded by pillows, down comforters, glasses of ginger ale and used tissues.  Not to mention when I can’t really read type from across the room.

Man I am such an awesome person today.

But today, even though I stayed in bed until noon and nearly cried when I woke up because of the pain in my poor ravaged sinuses, I am hopeful.  I found fresh fruit in the fridge this morning and had a bowl of Kashi’s new cereal Berry Blossoms and I’m feeling like maybe spring will come someday and maybe it will not involve being sick.

So stay tuned, friends.  I’m about to make a comeback.

A few days ago, I unashamedly enjoyed the sight of two innocent ducks accidentally plowing through the fragile ice layer on my pond.

Yesterday, the ducks were actually being blown down the fully unfrozen pond by the wind, their tail feathers flying.

Stan the Heron’s combover is going completely inside in the wind.

They’re all basking in the sun out there like little beach goers.

It’s all awesome, because spring is coming.