I have never been so grateful to have to pump breastmilk in my life.

Dear readers,

I am very pleased to say that I survived my training day at our cooperative preschool. And so did all the kids, even. But I am totally wiped. I'm actually an introvert.

I'll wait for you to stop laughing.

Ready?  Okay. So, introverts are not necessarily shy. We can be quite outgoing. Evidence me. What we are, in fact, is people who rebuild our energy via solitude. Ahhh. So we get tired and overwhelmed and grumpy when we are around too many people for too long. I first started to realize this waaaaay later than ideal. See, it would be great if parents sniffed out what their children's flavor was on this scale and subsequently taught the kiddos how to take care of their own needs for solitude or company, but come on, which of us has time to Meyers Briggs the kids? We're trying to keep them fed and alive, here. Maybe even clean, on a good day. So by the time I started to noticed that I need quiet me time, preferably alone in my own home, every day, or I get grumpy, I was well into my 20's. Maybe even 30 something. I really clued in when I was on a company offsite, which had been designed as WE MUST ALL BE TOGETHER HAVING FUN ALL THE TIME BECAUSE WE ARE TEAM BUILDING!!!! Fail. I grumped off to my hotel room after lunch on day 2 and fell dead asleep. Then I worked out and then by dinner I was a nice person again. It was miraculous.

So, for someone like me, being one of five grownups in a group of 17 preschoolers for 4+ hours is even more freaking exhausting than it already is just by virtue of being one of five grownups in a group of 17 preschoolers. So by the time Snack rolled around and I closed myself into the Art Room to pump, I was so, so, so in need of that quiet break. I just breathed and sat and enjoyed the much closer to quiet environment. I was so sad to see the timer on my PJ hit 17 minutes (I probably only needed like 12 to pump). But I was refreshed enough to go play "Monsters Chase Mommy Suzi, Mommy Suzi Falls Down, Monsters Say They Will Eat Her and Bury Her in Woodchips." It was fun. It was a beautiful morning and I got to both run around and lie down. It was worth every wood chip I had to pick out of my hair and pants.

I think I'll send our preschool teachers chocolates. Like, every day. Forever.

Much love,
Suzi

PS - Hubby, Please, please please, don't get sick on our shift day...