This Is Your Brain On Motherhood.

We had a great time yesterday and today, visiting Grandmommy last night and going to two very different birthday parties today.

The first was a kid's party - my niece turned 2. It was cuteness and sweetness and light-hearted adult conversation. It was pink cupcakes and mini quiches. It was... restful.

The second was a grown-up's party - an old co-worker friend of mine. It was raucous and sometimes loud (as people kept playing with the volume on the iPod) and I had a chance to catch up with a lot of people I worked with in another lifetime. It was strange, and made me a bit nostalgic for that old life - the life where I worked and laughed and had working lunches and inside-office-jokes. I was called "Bubbles" (An old office nickname. after Bubbles the Power Puff Girl. It's a long story) for the first time in nearly 6 years. People who knew me when I was single and carefree and putting toys all over my cubicle got to see me again -- married and chasing after the boys and generally being responsible and grown-up and whatnot.

One of the young office guys (one I would not have expected) has grown up nicely, married a lovely woman, and now has a spectacularly gorgeous 5-month-old baby boy who I very nearly smuggled out to my minivan to take home. He was THAT cute, people.

And, in case you can't tell from the rambling, half-coherent nature of this posting, I have driven somewhere between 250 and 300 miles in the past 30 hours. 6 hours of driving since yesterday afternoon. My leg is killing me and my head is swimming.

Add to this the fact that the boys took turns not sleeping last night (alternately taking the opportunity to scream bloody murder as I trudged up and down the stairs from guest room to downstairs recliner) and I am fried. I am literally oozing around my house, staring vacantly at chores I will need to do tomorrow. Realizing the dog will have to be picked up from the kennel in the morning. Bargaining Jack into his bed with promises of a special breakfast tomorrow.

Cheerios are "special"... Right?