end of 2009

The rest of Christmas was lovely: gifts under the tree on Christmas Eve, paella, gingerbread cookie decorating, sledding (Sam and Opa), swimming (Sam and Omi and Opa), fewer sleep interruptions (Frida and Sam), and roast goose on Christmas Day. Sam had a few solfege/ear training lessons with Omi and was picking out Do, Re, Mi on the piano before we left (and I loaded up a suitcase with a bunch of my old piano music to start playing again, gradually, on our brand-new (old, but nice) upright piano). On the day before we left, we met my friend Denean and her two younger kids (one Sam's age, the other almost 2) at the Como Conservatory for some nice warm humidity. Sam was briefly excited to see a real live sloth, having learned about sloths in a preschool unit on the rainforest. The trip back to MA was blissfully uneventful, and though it was sad to leave Omi and Opa, it was good to arrive home.

No more pics from MN, though, because I didn't bring the good digital camera, and the batteries were dead in the little one I did bring (and since there was plenty of general picture-taking I was too lazy to replace them). I did bring the videocamera, and when I'm done downloading video I'll post some clips.

Our new nanny started with us on the day after we got back, and she seems great: Beanie is regularly taking an ounce and a half (but not ever more) from bottles, and she (the nanny, that is) is very comfortable carrying her both in a sling and in the ergo, and has easily rocked her to sleep a couple of times. We'll see how she juggles both kids without me there... but I'm sure she'll get the hang of it.

Here's a map Sam drew of a race track he constructed yesterday evening, through the dining room and into the kitchen:



The dots are the race cars:



As they start out, they pass, on their left, a construction site. Then, rounding a corner, they encounter the Forest of Stools (all names, btw, are his):



and just as they make it out of that-- if they do!-- they have to navigate the Garden of Baby Toys:



after which it's a short shot to the Finish Line, designated by not exactly a checkered flag but instead a panda because it was the closest thing (black and white!) Sam could find.

Tonight we had a quiet New Year's Eve just the four of us, with a fabulous cheese fondue for the solid-food-eating among us (and a nice little snowfall, as well).



J's now reading Sam a great newly-borrowed library book on evolutionary transitions, including Tiktaalik, which Sam is excited about because, really, how could you not be, and Josh is excited about because he and I just read a fascinating book on similar topics this summer. And then, I think, we'll do the dishes and go to bed, maybe play a little Scrabble and drink some herbal tea. And, frankly, not feel like we're missing any excitement at all.

I've been reading The Happiness Project (both the blog and the newly-released book) and have been inspired to make a similar series of resolutions for myself this year. I won't be blogging about them except for this one: the author writes about her realization (or rather acceptance) of her love for children's literature, and her decision to start a book group devoted to it. A lightbulb went off for me: I would love to do the same-- I love to read children's and young-adult novels, and would love to chat about them with friends, both connecting with current friends/acquaintances over this hithertofore unknown mutual interest, and meeting new people with whom to do the same. But I don't want to post fliers in the children's floor of the public library and hear from random strangers. So: anyone know anyone fun and interesting in the area who'd like to read (or re-read) young adult novels and chat about them on a monthly-or-thereabouts basis? I should be clear that I am not interested in doing this in order to choose books for my kids, but simply because I enjoy them myself.

Happy New Year!