The Road goes ever on and on
Down from the door where it began.
Now far ahead the Road has gone,
And I must follow, if I can,
Pursuing it with eager feet,
Until it joins some larger way
Where many paths and errands meet.
And whither then? I cannot say.

-J. R. R. Tolkien

My husband and I have started this new adventure and our road has started taking many twists and turns. With that, I am a strong believer that it takes a village to raise a child. That village will look different for every family. For some it will be a network of blood relatives, for others it will be a network of friends. In the end, all of it is family. While my husband and I have developed a wonderful network of friends here on the East Coast, we have decided that our village needs to have more family involvement. Thus, we are moving back west to live near my family. How we are living out here is just not sustainable and, in the long run, we really need their help.

So how close are we moving to them? Well, we are moving into “the Compound” to start with. Now, I call it the Compound as a joke. Plus, calling it “the Commune” sounded too much like a cult. The house started as my mother’s home she built about twelve years ago. A few years back, my sister moved in with her kids during her divorce. It was a place both she and the kids felt safe and welcome. Plus, who doesn’t love Grandma? The house has since expanded to include a carriage house (the Casita) which is now my mom’s sanctuary. The big house is now occupied by sister + her two kids (ages 11 and 14), and her husband + his two kids (ages 6 and 3). For the first month or so, my little family will be joining them. My mom is moving back into the big house and my little unit will be living in the Casita. So, this property will now sound like a weird version of the Twelve Days of Christmas:

5 Adults

4 kids

3 dogs

In 2 “houses”

With one very special little Lyra

…….I am still working on 6-12. Suggestions?

After a few weeks, we are moving into a rental around the corner, but we have to wait for it to open up. I am actually looking forward to having all of the help right there when we first get to Colorado. Now, when we are so tiered we can’t finish a single task, someone is right there to help us. And the help does not stop there. My brother and my dad live just fifteen minutes away and are over at the house all of the time. Although my parents are divorced, there are now good friends. It’s very weird, but in a wonderful way. On top of having wonderful and incredibly supportive family in Colorado, we are going to be near yet another AMAZING Children’s Hospital. So, we will have comparable care for a little one.

At 2 months, Lyra has already figured out that Mommy and Daddy are weird

Now, getting everyone there is our next adventure, and one that I will have to write about in another posting. For now, it is 4 am, Lyra’s NG feeding is done, and it is time for Mommy to go back to bed.