Christmas Wagon

 This is the best wagon ever.  Not just a little red wagon, but an all-terrain, steel-based, wooden-sided riding and pulling machine.  It was delivered to our house from Grammy and Grandpa Wilson right before we left for NY, and it was all put together under the tree when we got home.  A friend who was staying at the house put it together for us--what a treat!





One of the many new things Benjamin has learned in the last month is how to talk on the phone.  He holds the phone up, as in the picture above, and makes human-like inflections into the phone.  He carries around our old cell phones and talks all the time.  I think this is one of those things I wouldn't have approved of before I had a baby.  But it's either let him have his own or deal with the screams when he sees me with mine.   We do make compromises.

JB took him on a walk around the block in his wagon this morning.  He is a proud little boy.

Today we are recovering from our Northern journey.  More to come...

Christmas in October

What a truly strange year when the Christmas tree is up and the fall foliage is in full array.  In NY this would be mid-October and here it is mid-December.  And so warm we're wearing our spring clothes.  

B has enjoyed the christmas tree, especially, as you can see in the picture below, Eggbert the talking egg who figured large in our childhood Christmases.  Benjamin will get to meet Eggbert this year in NY.   I remember loving the Christmas display with Eggbert at Devitt's.  A giant talking Christmas egg may be a little scary for B.  Maybe it should be scary for all of us.  

To back track just a bit, I don't think I posted any thanksgiving pictures.  Have I said how much I enjoyed hosting our first Thanksgiving at home?  I loved it.  Friends came over and contributed much, and we ate and hung out at the house ALL DAY.  We had live music in the house all afternoon.  And a rousing game of Settlers later in the night.  We have enjoyed our other Thanksgivings with family, but there is something special about hosting the meal at our house and cooking in preparation for our own feast.  Loved it.  

And the fool-proof pie recipe (secret ingredient: vodka) was excellent.  I will be using it from now on.  

After such a brilliant day, you can imagine the let-down when both JB and Benjamin sick (like days of throwing up sick) in overlapping succession the week after Thanksgiving.  It was bad.  Took Benjamin-to-the-doctor bad. Once Benjamin was on the mend, I realized how emotionally exhausting it is to have a sick child.  Even though I was not sick myself, I did not have capacity to teach Sunday school for the pre-schoolers like I was supposed to that week.  I prepared for it, and had it all planned out, and then Sunday came along and I just couldn't do it.  I am very thankful for the people who were ready to take over for me on a moment's notice.  

Ah nap time.  Let's hope B sleeps just a few more minutes.  The pictures in this post have nothing to do with the post itself.  They are just a few I took of Benjamin on our trip to San Francisco, a month ago now:  arriving at the SF airport, "drinking coffee" at Philz, posing with "our" mural in Balmy alley, and walking the soggy grass at Golden Gate park.  

But that is ancient history.  I am thankful this week for getting to work for two whole days on my own writing and research.  JB's mom came down for a few days to watch Benjamin so I could meet a journal deadline.  I cannot express in words how much I appreciate her ability and willingness to do that!  The best way to get to know someone is to spend a few solid days in his or her company; I think Sarah and Benjamin certainly got better acquainted.      

At this time last year, I don't think I was ready to get back into my own writing/research work again.  I don't know if it was dissertation burnout or my inability to multi-task (i.e. watch a baby and do anything else), but I was not ready and I did not know if I would ever be ready again.  This week I was excited to be editing part of my dissertation to send out to a journal for publication.  I am relieved that I haven't lost the desire to write about literature.  Which is good because I have also committed to presenting a paper at a conference in March, so I have to keep working (hi Stephanie!).  

So today, B and I are getting re-acquainted.  After doing my own work, whether it be teaching, lesson planning, writing, putting together a newsletter (which I need to be doing this week...), I always feel more energized to do the other work this life demands:  grocery shopping, menu planning, yogurt making, laundry, baby minding.  All of which I did this morning.  I kind of feel like patting myself on the back.