Fall Holiday

I have never been very good at getting into the Halloween spirit -- probably because I put too much pressure on myself to come up with a really great costume and am also prone to procrastination. Pressure and procrastination. A terrible combo. For Halloween and dissertation writing, it turns out. So I'm trying to lighten up and just enjoy the day. Sam has been in costume most of the day. He's a fire chief. Complete with siren sounds and an occasional "boo!" It's adorable, really. Later we'll stop at a few houses where Sam will say, "Treat!" but not "Trick-or." Also adorable. And we'll end the evening by handing out candy but mostly eating it because we don't get that many visitors at our end of the street. So hallowed, so good.

Elegant and Useful

I've been loving my ECFE class. Sam struggles a bit with the separation and has that post-crying hiccup when I return for circle-time, but I do enjoy my time in the parent room with the other moms (yes, all moms) who have similar questions about sleeping, eating, behavior, and managing family. I'm learning a ton.

The best part, though, is the amazing parent educator. Not only is she smart as heck, but she's also super thoughtful about her pedagogy, which is really important to me. I've been taking mental notes on her teacherly moves to build community, engage everyone in the discussion, connect research to practice, and bring in perspectives that might not otherwise be present at the table.

Last week, for example, when a few moms were talking about the GI bug that had taken over their families (at least we know where we got it), she pointed out that we should be grateful for our washing machines and healthcare at moments like those. So true. And yesterday, when we talked about babies and toddlers as young scientists, she said that children want their theories to be "elegant and useful," and when we simply observe their approach to the world they teach us how to help them explore it.

I always leave with a new perspective on parenting and a new respect for the remarkable little person who lives in our house. I've come to know that parenting requires bravery, but there is joy in even the most difficult of moments. And I'm grateful for the opportunity to be reminded of that each week.

All the Leaves Are Brown

We're up at the cabin for the annual dock take-out weekend. It's been chilly but lovely. I used to offer to get in a wetsuit to help out with the dock tasks, but over the years I've become wiser. There's just no compelling reason to get into a lake this late in the fall. I stayed on shore and lent moral support instead.

Fall Walk

Wellstone!

Like many others, I have been thinking about Paul Wellstone today. He was a believer and a fighter and a good, good man. We lost a scrappy, hard-working visionary ten years ago, but I'm hanging on to his vision. Our politicians can (must!) make lives better for people who are suffering. And we can (must!) demand that they do. Let's ask ourselves this election season, What would Paul do?

Contagion

This is the fifth day of work I have missed due to the Great Stomach Virus of 2012. We are all feeling well here, but it seems we managed to get the nanny sick. I made a rash decision on Monday when I decided it was okay for her to watch Sam. I had an appointment to keep and needed to get some work done. Bad call. If I had a real job, I'd be pushier about Dave taking some days to hang with Sam too. Since human lives don't depend on my writing each day (also I'm not getting paid), it makes sense for me to stay home. I have about 30 more minutes before The World's Shortest Napper wakes up. Can I write a whole page? Probably not. But I'm about to try.

Vibrant

My left eye is twitching.
Usually this means I'm stressed out.
I probably am.
There.
It just did it again.

Ground Cover

The Pukies

One of the memorable events from Fall 2012 is going to be the time we took Sam to the ER to get him pumped up with fluids after puking every 30 minutes for seven hours until he was listless. We'll remember how he didn't even cry when they put an IV in his hand, drew blood from his arm, or took an ultrasound of his belly and X-ray of his chest. We'll laugh when we recall how, when he finally felt better, he drank an entire apple juice box in about 15 seconds even though we were trying to take it away so he wouldn't overwhelm his belly. And we'll keep laughing when we picture the projectile stream of apple juice that followed shortly thereafter. We won't forget how tired Sam was after a long, long night and how, when he had finally reached his limit, he cried and said, over and over, "Go. Go. Go." When we finally got him home, well after midnight, he slept in our bed. And we were glad for that.

Sam is still in recovery mode three days later, and I was not spared from the illness myself. But despite our unstable bellies, we feel pretty lucky today.

Hucking

Sam and I had a great little adventure in the yard today. We found a dead cardinal and a dead mouse. I was grossed out for a second, but then I remembered the circle of life and the importance of discovery. We didn't linger near the carcasses though. Then I archived the fall by taking pictures while Sam pretended to rake the lawn and water the hosta. He would do these things for real if he could master large tools and water spigots. I guess we're just different that way.

Harvest

El DeBarge

We had a rough night of it here. Sam was up every 40 minutes for seven of his sleeping hours. And I have a headache the size of this barge. This not how we planned to start our fall Saturday, but we're making it work.

Fall Visit 2012

We had a lovely visit with the Dockter Clan this past week. Sure, it's a little crazy with all eight of us in one space, but that's also what makes it so fun. We are especially missing Greysen, that adorable and ridiculously smart lad.

One of the highlights was cheering Dave on for his 13th Twin Cities Marathon. This was the first year that he ran without his dad because of a knee injury and surgery that Bob claimed had slowed his pace. And yet, as we clapped and shouted for Dave near the finish line, we looked just steps ahead to find Bob. They had been running about parallel without knowing it for who knows how long. This just goes to show that people who run marathons are basically out of their minds. Anyway, Dave caught up and they finished together. As usual.

Other highlights of the visit included a trip to the zoo, good meals, and, of course, raking with toddlers.

Bridge

Red

I had a frantic morning. I tried to get too much done with a toddler who just wanted some attention. He demonstrated this need by throwing things out of the cart at Target, biting right through a banana we hadn't even purchased (or peeled), dumping his tomato soup on his lap, and sticking his foot in some of his own poop. We made it through, thank goodness. But I owe him some hugs and books this afternoon. 

Steward

I'm enjoying this challenge because it's made me pay more attention to the season than I might otherwise. Take this knot in our front oak tree, for example. I'm not sure I would have looked so closely before. Dave's mom took great care of our yard while the house was hers, and she looked closely at every bit of nature here. She named this knot Mother Nature. I like that. It fits. I think I'll try to name a few things around here too.

Noticing

Sunset House