Nighttime surprise

Timothy still wakes up once or twice a night, although not always at the same time. Usually, unless he's sick or teething, he settles right back down after I feed him, but last night he wasn't ready to fall back to sleep. I rocked him for a little bit, and went back to bed, thinking he would make some noise and then fall asleep. Well, he did make some noise, and finally I decided I needed to go back to his room and check on him. Well, picture his position from the photo above but only in his crib. He's learned a new trick--one I didn't think he was ready for--and can now pull himself up in his crib. You can probably already guess that Shawn and I will be lowering his mattress tonight...

It really scared me when I saw him standing there. I think it scared him, too, as he didn't seem to know how to let go of the rail and get back down. All I could picture was his losing his balance and falling over the side--not a good thing to imagine. I'm in awe of how fast he's growing and of all the things he's learning to do, but it is clear I can't count on the things that seem 'safe' now. As much as I try to guess what he might get into next, I bet there will be so many things I don't think of until he beats me to it. That is probably a true statement for the next, well, 50 years.

Big news

Our first bit of big news is that Timothy is simply off the growth charts! We had his sixth month visit on Monday and he has maintained his incredible spurts of growth since birth, weighing in at over 22 pounds (the weight of the average 1 year old) and 29 inches tall (the average 10 month old). This has provided us with the added benefit of pretty large muscles, 'cause our little tyke really likes to be held!

The second piece of news happened this morning--our local college just called me up and asked if I was interested in being an adjunct faculty for this coming semester and the fall. It works out great, as it's an evening class twice a week, between when Shawn gets home and Timothy goes to bed. It's pretty exciting news for me--just three hours of week in class, but the chance to maintain my career in a college setting is quite an opportunity. That they're willing to work with me and childcare is amazing.

It's a good lesson for me, too, this job falling into my lap. Even though I've been so happy with my decision to stay home with Timothy, there was certainly a sense of loss of not teaching any longer. The lesson for me is that things happen when the timing is right, and generally, they're worth waiting for. Funny, this is something that has happened to me time and time again (usually when I reach a place of peace with where ever I am), but it's difficult to remember at times. Anyway, it's exciting news for me.

Bartering

I've started to tutor a few days a week at the school where I used to teach. It is great to have a good reason to get out of the house and an added bonus to continue to have contact with so many of the teachers and students that were such a treat to work with.

It is a cool community and it is possible for me to bring Timothy and have a student watch him while I'm tutoring. What is also interesting about this place is that the students who go there all, pretty much, have everything they could ever ask for, so money isn't a huge draw for them. Really, there are a number of girls who would watch Timothy just for the fun of being around a baby, but I'm going to recompense them by baking. Some home cooking that they just don't get at a boarding school. It's nice for me, too, as I've kind of cut out some of the baking I normally do--better for the grocery budget and our waistlines! But, now I have an excuse to bake away! Anyway, I kind of like the fact that money isn't part of the equation here--I can do something for them and they can do something for me.

The biscotti above were just for fun, though. I'll have to make something else for Wednesday!

Imagination

Slowly but surely we're getting some decorations up for Christmas. It has been nice just doing a little here and there--no pressure, no stress. We're getting our tree on Saturday and I am looking forward to watching Timothy's expression as we bring it into the house and start to decorate it. I can only imagine he'll consider it a toy--hmmm. I'll have my work cut out for me now that he is scooting around.

Timothy's not going to get the whole holiday thing this year, although I'm sure he'll have a blast tearing paper off of boxes. He LOVES tearing up paper. Could be his favorite activity. Thinking ahead to next year, and the many Christmases to come, I'm really excited about establishing our family traditions and helping to make it a magical time for him. Truth be told though, I don't feel the need to do too much this year. So many of the ways we celebrate Christmas are really there for the children in our lives (and perhaps the child in all of us) and my own little one won't be able to appreciate any of my efforts. I'm so excited about next year, though.

I wish I could remember a time when I truly believed in something magical the way children do. To actually feel the kind of excitement of Santa Claus--reading the Night Before Christmas, leaving cookies out, straining your ears to see if perhaps, you might just hear him creeping down the chimney. My brother feels differently from me here. There is the desire to not lie to his children. But, I don't really see that a lie has to be part of the creation or mystery of Santa. It is pure imagination. And I think there is something to be said about the natural mental process of beginning to wonder and question and actually figure it out, whenever that might happen.

So, what do you think? Santa or no Santa?

Low crawl

Despite the fact that our little fellow doesn't sleep nearly as much as Shawn and I seem to think he needs, he is apparently still growing quite well. He has been scooting along the ground with a great deal of purpose, and has managed to inch forward for a few days, but today he moved six feet in order to reach a toy. Pretty amazing.

And we finally hung our own wreath--one of the wreaths I've managed to make this winter. And boy, is it winter! All those kids (and educators) who were hoping for that snow day got their wish. I don't think there's a school in Vermont that is open today!

Snow Days

When my brother and I were kids, we went to a small school with only 50 kids (K-8). It was small enough that when we missed the bus, the driver made a special trip to come get us after her regular pick-ups. It was also small enough that every child got a phone call when there was a snow day (we didn't have to listen to the radio and all the other cancellations, just in case).

Tonight, a big storm is forecast. Even a foot or more in the northern mountains. Although I am no longer in the school system, there is an excitement of the mere possibility of NO SCHOOL tomorrow. There is something about the potential the night before... as you do your homework, you can't help but think "mmm, maybe we don't even have to be doing this!". You don't think about staying later in June, just the sheer joy and the gift of having this free day TOMORROW! I remember when the phone would ring around 6:30, and Andrew and I would jump up and down with glee, knowing who was on the other end before we even got to the phone.

The real beauty of a snow day is that it is a completely free day. You're not sick. You have all your homework done. There's lots and lots of fresh, beautiful snow to play in. You can completely live in the moment.

I'll never forget the intense excitement my brother and I shared when that phone rang. Listening to the radio announcememts has its own qualities, too, though. So, here's to all the school age kids as they hope for a snow day tomorrow--so willing to trade a day in December for that warm day in June.

Stories

My parents used to read aloud to my brother and me when we were little. Especially in the days that we didn't have electricity, but it is an activity that stands out to me in my memory as something we did a lot. Two of the series that we seemed to read again and again were The Chronicles of Narnia and The Little House on the Prairie, both of which I am so excited to read to our child(ren).

Shawn's been recently reading Deep Economy by Bill McKibben, a book that urges people to simplify and points out that money does not make us happier (once all our needs are met). He cited an example of giving a stuffed animal to a young Chinese girl and her incredible joy at his gift. This stuffed animal became a very dear and cherished possession. He said that he could have given it to his daughter, but given the number of toys she already had, it wouldn't make much a difference to her.

I thought back to the stories of Laura Ingalls from the Little House books. Christmas time was so special--they might receive an orange, perhaps, or the special doll that they would love for the rest of their childhood. It seems like in our generation of excess, we have ceased to appreciate anything on that scale. In the piles and piles of stuff that we buy, wrap, open and cast aside to open the next disposible trinket, we forget what is so special about this time of year--something that might be different for me as it is for you, but special nonetheless.

Thinking back to my own childhood, my happiest memories are from when we were camped out in the living room, fire roaring, lanterns lit, reading books from a simpler time. For future Christmases in our family, I hope we remember to always appreciate the things that really matter and to share that with Timothy and any future children.