Sunrise, Sunset

Not long ago I posted about going to court to see opening arguments for "my" case.

Last Thursday morning, the OAG announced a settlement in that case of $158 million dollars. :)

It's strange to me, because even though I hadn't been working, this case was still in litigation and thus I still felt like I had my finger in the legal profession.  While I plan to keep my law license up-to-date, this case settling closed the door to that world just a little farther.

This settlement was long since coming.  My old boss told me that she spent SIX AND A HALF YEARS working on nothing but this case.  Makes my 3 years of service to the case seem like nothing.

I am proud of my work on this case.  I think there were aspects of the pharmaceutical world that the general population needed to know.  And the way this settlement played out, the OAG was able to deliver almost their entire case to the jury (and thus to the media) before the settlement.  As I caught up with the media on the trial, I saw the outrage in reporters and readers that we felt all along.  So the story is out there AND the State of Texas will recover money they spent unnecessarily on a drug that was not as great as advertised.

I know at least one, if not two, books will be written about this trial.  They will never become best sellers, but I am so glad I was able to contribute to (hopefully) making this world a more transparent place to live.

And so closes the door on a huge chapter of my life.

Blue plate special, please.

Apparently my body clock has changed to the "80 years plus" mode. I have to eat dinner in the middle of the afternoon so I don't sit up with reflux all night. Then I fall asleep at 8:30PM and wake up at 4:30AM.

Hopefully I fall out of this super senior citizen plan soon.

Jealousy

I think we are having a little issue with jealousy around here. With our first baby. Sophie.

She does not love the attention Drew gets. She does not like the fact that he walks out the door with us each time we go some place. And she does NOT like him taking up valuable real estate in our laps.

Usually she sleeps in the living room on her bed. Last night at 4AM I heard her continually head butt our door, which was closed. Then she sat out side and whined for 30 minutes. I finally let her in so I could get some sleep, and she curled up quite happily by the bed and sacked out.

I have no idea what will happen when Ellie gets here....

Toddler Dictionary

Word: Uh oh.

Meaning: "Look at me! I am about to purposefully do something that I am not supposed to do."

Perspective

I have had some interesting experiences and conversations over the last week that have really showed me how much my life has changed in the last 14 months.

On Tuesday morning I woke up at 6AM, got in the shower, got dressed, left the house before my son and husband were even up, and headed downtown. I hadn't done that since I left for work the Friday before Drew's surprise arrival on Monday.

I went downtown to watch opening arguments in a trial-- MY trial. The one I focused on every work day for 3 years. This case has been 7 years coming to trial, and I have to admit, it was strange not being part of it when it happened.

In the days after Drew was born, I checked my work email on my work blackberry multiple times per day. For one, he came so early that I hadn't told anyone what I was working on, where my stuff was, or what anyone needed to take over for me. Two, I was anxious to have a taste of my previously "normal" world. I didn't get that. My boss, to her credit, told everyone they were NOT to email while I was on maternity leave.

As much as I loved Drew, several months into being a stay-at-home mom I probably would have gone back to work. I couldn't get out much. I wasn't sleeping much. I missed adult conversation and the ability to get lunch from any place I chose. I just recently spoke to another recent SAHM convert, and she echoed the same thing. Maybe this feeling isn't crazy or unusual.

But slowly, things changed. I officially quit and they took my blackberry back. I eventually stopped the google alerts on all the important case terms. While Drew and I see my old co-workers every 3-4 weeks for lunch, I stopped emailing them every day for an update.

But Tuesday, 14.5 months after Drew, I realize I have finally made the complete switch in thinking. I LOVED sitting in on part of that trial. It was a huge part of my life. But I was happy to leave the courtroom and come home to a little man who had proudly donned my running socks. And I realized that have some new friends who don't know I was a lawyer in my previous life. For now, I have given up that part if my identity.

I actually credit Ellie with so much of that shift. I WAS thinking of returning to work before I knew she was joining us. But when I saw that sweet little heartbeat on the screen, I felt like it was God saying "you can't do it all. This precious little life and the life of her big brother are so important, and frankly, it won't be easy at first. Let it all go and focus on them."

So I am.

And I haven't felt more satisfied with my 9-5 life EVER.

Goodbye, Amazon Mom!

Note to mom blog friends-

Amazon is changing the program. Where I used to get 30% off, now I will only save 5%. Not the deal it used to be. I think I am moving to diapers.com.

I know, riveting blog post, huh?

Love

Things I love about this picture:

1. The fact that he reminds me of the ring master at the circus.
2. The GIANT smile behind the pacifier
3. The lack of pants.