We skipped work/daycare on Friday, dropped the dog off with the grandparents and drove to Galena. After checking into our condo, we went into town for lunch and walking around – the weather was gorgeous and we wanted to take advantage! Gavin was excited to show us his expertise in using (and not eating) crayons!

That afternoon, we were well on our way to earning Parents of the Year award. Gavin had been very patient about being in a car seat, high chair and stroller all day, so we decided to let him walk out some extra energy. The scene takes place on a large lawn in front of the information center. I’m getting things organized in Gavin’s stroller while Sweets puts Gavin down on the lawn. Next thing I know, I see Sweets walking to the right and Gavin (who is behind him) veering towards the left, where there is a curb separating the lawn and a cobblestone sidewalk. You know where this is going. Apparently, Sweets was distracted by a dog. And Gavin didn’t see the step before he took a tumble and face-planted on the sidewalk. You see those bruises in the photo above? After that fall, there was another bruise and a fat scrape added to the mix. I’m telling ya, we’re winners over here!

Despite the spill, Gavin was a good sport as we walked in and out of stores. Bought a beautiful, handmade Christmas ornament. And checked out the wonderful architecture around town.

 Also, check out this red box. If you look closely, you’ll see that it’s a collection box for tickets. Only in a small town do they let you pay by red box. hahaha.

I think Sweets was surprised how beautiful it is in Galena. You see, here in the Midwest, we expect a lot of flat scenery. When we think rural, we think farms and corn and wheat fields. We don’t necessarily think rolling hills and bluffs, which is exactly what it’s like in Galena. They even have a ski resort … it’s no Colorado, but it’s definitely pretty.

We spent Friday night at the condo we rented, which worked out perfectly. The kitchen and living space and one bathroom were on the first floor and the bedroom and a second bathroom were on the second floor. It was small, but very open, tall ceilings, great natural light. We brought a whole bin of toys for Gavin to play with, but his favorite activity was looking out the window. At home, our windows aren’t low enough for him to look out. He’d spend all his time looking out the windows if we let him!

Saturday, the weather was in the crapper. It was cold and rained all day. So, we had a lazy morning at the condo. After Gavin’s nap, we packed up the car and headed across the Mississippi River to Dubuque, Iowa, which was only about 30 minutes from where we were staying. For a small city (100,000 population), it has some wonderful, old architecture. We drove around to get a feel for the city and then picked a cute spot to have lunch.

After lunch, we made our way to the Mississippi River Museum and Aquarium. The museum and aquarium are split into two different buildings, situated next to one another, and cover national rivers / salt water fish and the Mississippi River / fresh water fish. The museums were practically empty – it was the perfect indoor playground for Gavin. Unlike the last time we went to an aquarium, this time Gavin loved looking at all the displays. He was fascinated and kept pointing to the fish. He also got to see an alligator and beaver!

As we were leaving the aquarium around 5pm, it was almost dark out. We noticed, way up in the bluffs a huge display of lights. This was no ordinary display of lights. We had to find out what it was! So, we went driving in search of lights. What we found was a park completely decked out with holiday lights. The festival of lights was raising money for a local charity. Local businesses sponsored every light display. We were instructed to turn our radio to a station playing all holiday tunes as we drove through the fully lit park. It was such a fun surprise ending to our trip to Dubuque!

There are different people who fill our lives. Family. Close friends. Long-distance friends. Acquaintances. Service professionals. Employers. And so on.

One of these people in my life, a person whom I don’t see very often, has found herself in a very difficult predicament. What I can tell you about this situation is it has affected all aspects of her life. Her ability to be a good wife. A good mother. A good business owner. Her ability to have peace of mind. They’ve all been negatively affected by this predicament.

Although I’m not particularly close to this woman, she felt she could trust me. She confided in me. Put it all out there. Showed she’s strong, yet vulnerable. Smart, yet not ready to make all the right decisions. Shared how this predicament has affected so many parts of her life. How everything weaves together, so when one part fails, the sum of the parts fails, too.

Week after week, she told me more and more of her story. If this were my best friend speaking to me, I would’ve stepped in after those first words left her mouth. That’s how serious this situation is. But, this isn’t my best friend. This person isn’t even really a friend, per se.

I found myself in a very difficult position, not really sure I could do more than listen. I offered her insights and advice. Suggestions of what she could do. But, I wasn’t ready to leap into the territory of actually taking action myself.

And then, she disappeared. I mean, maybe she’s where she’s supposed to be. Maybe she’s just fine. Maybe she’s not fine, but working on her life to get it to a place where she’s fine. And maybe something is seriously wrong. I don’t know, because she vanished from my life.

We were supposed to see each other a few weeks ago. She was a no-show. I sent her a text. She did not respond. I do not have another way to contact her.

This isn’t the first time she’s disappeared from my life without notice. The last time, it took her over a month to reconnect with me. What’s different is this time I know the details. I know the likely reason why she’s disappeared. It makes me uneasy. And sad. I don’t like being armed with such information. I want to rid myself of knowing too much. And yet, I can’t.

It’s weird to be in this position. This situation itself weighs on me heavily, although it has nothing to do with me directly. We’re not friends. And yet, I know the intimate details of her life. I worry about her. I feel protective of her. And yet, I feel there’s a limit to how much I want to get involved. After all, I have my own family I need to take care of. I need to protect them, too.

I considered calling the police. But, there’s nothing they can do. I don’t know where she lives. I’m not even sure she’s legally residing in this country. I can’t direct the police to where she might be. And I certainly don’t want to get her in any more trouble than she might already be in.

So, I sit and wait. Wondering where she is. Pondering whether she made a good or bad decision. Curious whether I’ll ever see her again. This position I’m in, it’s uneasy. And yet, here I am. With very few options. Sitting. Waiting. Wondering.

Have you ever been put in a position where another person in your life is in trouble and there’s very little you can do to immediately help?

• Wood for Good winners have been chosen (thanks to Random.org). Congrats KT, Nora and Ris!!! Please contact me with your real names and mailing information.
• Gavin is going through a crabby spurt. Every night between 6-10, he’s really fussy. Hard to entertain. Doesn’t want to be held, doesn’t want to sit or lay down. Super tired, but refuses to go to sleep. Both Sweets and I take turns dealing with the little monster. One of the hardest things about parenting (so far) is caring for an upset baby who cannot tell you why he’s upset and is difficult to console. It’s heartbreaking.
• I made it to the gym two times this week. Once to run the long run I failed to do last weekend. And once just to workout (imagine that). If you can believe it, I will be going back there tonight to complete my next long run: 9 miles. The weather is supposed to be sucky here, so I will be reduced to running it on a treadmill. Sigh.
• Gavin was supposed to have a vaccination shot yesterday. Only the insurance company requested the wrong dosage, so the pediatrician’s office didn’t have enough medicine. We walked away without a shot.
• Next weekend, Sweets and I will take our first road trip with Gavin. We are driving about 3 hours to Madison to see a friend. SoMi may come, too. It’s a good introduction to road trips, because …
• Sweets and I are road-tripping with Gavin to St. Louis in May for a wedding. Weirdly, this year is becoming the year of the wedding. We also have a local wedding this fall. Yet another friend just got engaged, so there’s a chance there will be a third wedding before the year is out. And here I thought we’d moved out of the wedding phase and into the everyone is having babies phase.
• It’s a good thing we have these short road trips planned, because we need practice. This summer, we’ll be driving from Chicago to Cape Cod to spend two weeks with my family. Did I mention we’ll be gone for TWO WEEKS? We decided it is going to take a lot of effort to get the whole family (dog, too) out the door for this trip, so we might as well make the most of it!
• It’s been a while since I posted photos of Gavin in this space. I owe you.
• This weekend is packed full of fun! I get to see a childhood friend tomorrow (she’s in town for her bachelorette party). We walk the March for Babies on Sunday morning (and dude, I have major gratitude to many of you for supporting me – it’s not too late to donate if anyone else would like to support a very worthy cause). As if that’s  not enough, Gavin gets to finally meet his other cousins and a good family friend’s child. This poor child is already over-scheduled. ha.

What’s some of the miscellany running through your mind on this fine Friday? Got any worthy plans to speak of this weekend???

It was Poop Fest in our house. It started with me on Monday night into Tuesday. I was up with the worst stomach (not PMS) cramps I’ve ever had. I felt so incapacitated by Tuesday that Sweets stayed home from work to help with Gavin. Good thing he did, because Gavin threw up all his feeds (and followed up each spit-up session with a huge smile – nothing gets that kid down for long). I was better on Wednesday, so I was able to work and care for Gavin (who was still sick). And by Thursday, Sweets was hit so hard, he stayed in bed until 3 in the afternoon. He also stayed home from work on Friday. Did I mention that, for as long as I’ve known him, this is the first time Sweets has ever taken a sick day???

It wasn’t pretty in our house, but we were mostly on the mend by the start of the weekend. Good thing, because we had Reptile Fest to attend. But, not before a very important meeting with Gavin’s preemie twin. Our friends whose due date was 2 days before us and who had their baby two weeks before Gavin was born. Our boys have been on parallel lock-down this winter and they finally got to meet over the weekend. We met them for brunch. And though the boys only took momentary glances at one another, we adults won’t soon forget this first meeting.

Next up? Reptile Fest where Gavin’s pediatrician had his snake collection on display. We met up with friends with a child who was at the right age to appreciate the snakes, lizards, turtles and such. She got to touch all the creepy crawly things while we walked around. Gavin took in the sites, including a 25-30 foot python – wowzer! After walking through the exhibition hall, we found some couches where our friends could give their girls something to drink and we could feed Gavin … who proceeded to throw up his entire feed. Drat, and here we thought he was on the mend. Sigh.

On our way home, we discussed strategies for Gavin’s road to improvement. We had taken him to the pediatrician during the previous week, where we learned we were doing a great job keeping him hydrated. Now, we just needed to figure out a way to keep down his feeds. So, at their suggestion, we have switched temporarily to a soy-based formula. We’re also feeding him yogurt (not so successful the first time around, though Gavin is warming up to the taste) to replenish the good bacteria in his system. And we’re hoping he’ll continue to keep down his feeds (so far, so good since over the weekend).

Gavin’s minor step-back didn’t stop us from our Saturday night plans. Our nieces’ mama offered to watch Gavin while we went out to dinner with friends. We dropped him off with Auntie and cousins and off we went. Thanks to a generous gift certificate from this lady (a thank you for letting her and her manfriend stay with us last fall), we went to Antiprima with another couple. It was loud and the energy there was great. We ordered far too many starters, main dishes, desserts and drinks … but, it was so much fun. They commented that unlike other friends who have kids, we didn’t talk about ours until they brought him up. This is probably a post in itself, but for now, I’ll just say it’s important to have diversity in your life, regardless of what stage you’re in. And while we love our son to pieces, we also love talking about other things, people, places and dreams, too.

Sunday turned into Errand Fest. When Gavin was on lock-down, I did all the errands alone (and reveled in that time to myself). But, this weekend, I was sad I’d be leaving my boys. So, Sweets suggested we all go out together. We went to Target and Whole Foods and Jewel (the local grocery store) before racing home to feed Gavin. I was on top of the world to do the most mundane thing with the people I love. Because the weather was so fabulous, we fired up the grill to make our first steaks of the season. Oh, and in case you’re still gearing up for your first steak of the season, may I suggest the Texas Steakhouse marinade from Stubbs. Consumer Reports says it’s one of the best BBQ sauces … and their steak marinade was pretty darn amazing! Can’t wait to try their other concoctions.

So, here we are at the end of a Festival week and weekend. One thing I failed to attend was Running Fest … I’ll be making up for lost time this week. Has spring fever struck you yet? If so, what are you doing to embrace it?

Oh, wait, that’s not exactly what I meant. Especially since 98.9% of my readers are female. I meant, who’s got some WOOD FURNITURE they’d like to clean?

I know I do. When I think of wood furniture in my house that needs to be cleaned, polished, kept looking shiny and new, I think first of the console table in our living room.It’s probably my favorite piece of furniture we own. But, we also have our coffee table, a dresser and the furniture in Gavin’s nursery, also made out of wood.

Speaking of Gavin, we’ve become pretty conscientious about the cleaners we bring into our home. They must be non-toxic and baby-friendly. These days, many of the cleaners we buy are from Method. We’ve been using Method GOOD FOR WOOD for a few months now and it definitely does the task. It even passes muster with our cleaning lady.

Why would you care? Well, because I have not one, not two, but THREE bottles of GOOD FOR WOOD to share with you! Well, three bottles to share with three winners, that is. And entry to this giveaway is easy…

1) Leave a comment here telling me about your favorite wood item – could be a piece of furniture or not, just something that could be cleaned with GOOD FOR WOOD.

2) Blog about this giveaway. Come back here and leave the link in my comments.

3) Tweet about this giveaway. Come back here and leave the link in my comments (you can do that, right?).

The giveaway is open until noon (central daylight time) on Thursday, April 14.

*Method sent me four complimentary bottles of Good for Wood. One to keep for myself. And three to pass along. However, I was not paid for my opinions in this post nor was I paid to write positive comments. All opinions are my own and were not influenced in any way.