I think I may lose my mind.

I dropped Olivia off with Grandma and Grandpa this morning and bought myself a little library time so I could post. We've been without a computer now for eight days, and it feels like a million. I had no idea how dependent I was.

The good news is that we have ordered a new computer, and our computer expert friend is going to salvage our documents from our old and broken hard drive. The bad news is that this takes time. I'm expecting it to take another two weeks. It could be sooner, but I have to gear myself up for two more computerless weeks just in case it takes that long.

Many times a day, I think...I should blog about this. And I can't. Worse than that, I can't keep up with all of YOUR blogs. And did you all know that you are my community? When we are at home for several days in a row, you all keep me sane by letting me into your lives and making me feel like I've had some adult interaction.

Now this makes me realize that it must be really tough for Olivia when we are home for several days without any outings planned. She, after all, doesn't have the option to escape to the internet and discuss the finer points of Mommy-rearing, which is her daily occupation.

But seriously, do you ever think about how fortunate we are to be able to share our successes/frustrations/joys/experiences on a daily basis in this medium? I never realized how much I use this space just to keep track of how life is going, and how therapeutic it is to do that. I also never realized how therapeutic it is to read about your lives and realize I'm not the only one out there who goes through this stuff. I think I may know some of you better than I know some of my local friends. Perhaps that is because we can't finish a sentence without getting interrupted by an army of toddlers during our outings...

Now, onto other blogable things...

It has been really nice to have a verbally advanced toddler. Starting around her first birthday, she was able to tell us what she wanted most of the time by using one-word requests. She quickly advanced to full sentences. And it's really nice to hear her say, "I want some more milk, please." That is preferable to the pointing and grunting and confusion that comes with a preverbal child.

The downside, however, is that she picks up everything. Yesterday, there was a deer wandering through our backyard, and I opened the window to scare him off. (They eat my daylillies...deer are the enemy in our neighborhood.) I yelled at him..."Hey!" To which Olivia immediately responded in her yelling tone..."GET BACK HERE....NOW!" I wonder where she has heard that before...

Worse yet...Olivia was hanging out with Grandma the other day when she went tearing down the hall. My Mom went after her and caught her coming out of their room holding a bottle of lotion or something. When Olivia saw Grandma and knew she was caught, she said, "Dang it!" and tossed the lotion on the ground.

Yeah, gotta watch what you say.

So, it looks like weekends are my best shot for getting some computer time for awhile. I hope you all miss me a little...