I am Tired

 We've had grandparents visiting for the past week and a half.  The very best kind of grandparents--kind, thoughtful, adventurous, and able to set limits with kids.  It is amazing having them here.  And.  I AM AN INTROVERT.  

I think I need to make a shirt that says this, or maybe just scream it out every hour.  

Its so wonderful to be around people who love my kids and care about us.  And it almost doesn't matter who they are, part of the impact on me of being around people all the time is a slow but steady drain on my mental/emotional reserves.  

My partner doesn't understand this and I find this to be uniquely enraging/crazy-making.  How do I make him understand.  Just HOW.  

Isabel is entering a new phase where her company is (at times! not at other times!) rejuvenating.  Tonight, after a day that pushed me too my limit and beyond, I sat wasted on the shores of the evening as my body squeezed me and my head ached and she requested an evening walk.

As the sun sank, I tucked her into a fuzzy cocoon of stroller blanket and we set off into the fresh, pungent evening.  She shared her thoughts ("I'm just really enjoying seeing everything"), running commentary ("There's a cat.  Someone's going to come up and just scoop it up and carry it."), and questions ("Who lives here?  What's the dada's name?").   She's even starting to propose her own answers ("I guess the next time they're outside playing I'll just have to stop and ask him")

When we got home, I  left the stroller on the sidewalk and carried her into the house wrapped in the blanket; she informed me that we would need to make sure it didn't rain in the next few minutes before bringing the stroller onto the porch.