treading water

Hi There.
I'm sure you've been wondering where I've been.  I have, too.  We have two very active 14 month old guys here, two dogs, and two adults who are incredibly tired.  It turns out Manitoba is having a baby boom.  It is very hard to find child care -- and as a result, very hard for new moms to return to work.  Finding two day care spots or one person who can care for two babies has been mission impossible.  As a result, I am still unable to get back to writing or to much else. With the assistance of a mother's helper, I can take care of both babies and even sometimes find time to eat, go to the bathroom, or cook. In fact, the babies still don't sleep through the night with any reliability, so 5 out of 7 nights, I am also up with a baby every 3 hours or less.  We are still also dealing with some health problems--nothing life threatening--but still requiring lots of medical appointments and other details.

I'm not saying this to get attention or pity and I'm not asking for well-intentioned advice.  Just dropping by to explain that this long absence has been unexpected and is likely to continue. (everyone said things would improve by 6 months or a year---I'm still waiting)  I'm probably much more disappointed by it than you are!

I very much miss the blog--and getting a chance to write, knit/design, or even just sit down for any length of time.  I know this is a phase and I'm just getting through the days and waiting until things improve a bit.  In the meanwhile, please know that we are all waving to you (a new skill here is waving) and saying "Hi there" and smiling.