My Day, Sort Of

I'm more or less copying Bells and Donna Lee here, but I don't think I'm as orderly. A bit long-winded though, just to warn you. Also, I'm starting with last night. Since I handled the bedtime routine by myself Wednesday (while Chris cut the grass, sneezing the whole time, poor guy) and Thursday (while he went out after work with colleagues; much more fun), I asked if he'd read stories last night. I took the time to finish mapping out our first "block" for the fall--well, really August into September. Normally I wouldn't be doing this in June, I don't think, except I have a very strong urge to get my ducks in a row. There was a lot of that going on today.

This morning Nicholas woke me sometime between five and six, I think much closer to the five side. He'd climbed into our bed long before that, crimping me into a tiny spot that left me unable to look over my left shoulder most of the day. I held him off as long as I could this morning, but I was out of bed at 6:30 to get him breakfast. Any Saturday morning that has me showered before 8 am isn't all that wonderful in my book. Chris had a couple trips to the dump to make--one regular, one in the ongoing effort to clean out the basement--and he planned to clean the gutters, so Nicholas and I took Vaughan to his last pottery class of the spring.

After we walked him inside, Nicholas and I walked through the playground and across the street to the library, where a copy of Adorable Knits for Tots was waiting for me. Then back across the street to the playground, where Nicholas and I played for the rest of the hour. Except I kept wanting to take a nap, because he had me up so early. By the time we got home with Vaughan, Chris was working on the last gutter. The mail arrived as I was getting the kids out of the car, and hurrah! My Magic Cabin order came, too. It contained some baby gifts, which I can now package up and send on to the recipient on Monday, as well as some more play silks and some tree blocks. I love these blocks.

The boys had the pirates get in on the action, too.

I'm trying to figure out where we can get our hands on some nice branches to make some more. We have lots of trees; it's just getting to the branches that's the problem. I'd already gotten a perfectly sized basket to store the blocks in, so they're out in the open and inviting. This is part of my master plan to overhaul the toy situation around here. It's not so much I want to replace everything, I just want to bring the good stuff front and center and add in a few choice items.

I was given some of the economic stimulus check to play with, and I've got a list of items to get for "school" for the fall. It's not actually a terribly long list, and much of it is art supplies--twist my arm to get me into the art store, after all--but I feel I've got a little bit of freedom to get some nicer playthings, too. These blocks were first on the list. (I sat and played with them, too. I love them. But I want to put these little gnomes on them. Check out the baby in the sling.)

After lunch, Chris continued working his way down the chore list. He vacuumed, which I usually do, but it's just too heavy for me right now so I'm on hiatus until November, at which point I'll be vacuuming with a baby in the sling. I used to do that with Nicholas. Quite a workout. He fixed a very clogged sink by taking the pipes apart and removing some disgusting gelatinous thing that filled the whole pipe. The boys "helped" by wearing their headlamps and shining them under the sink and fighting about who got the best view, regardless of whether Chris could actually move with an eager, shoving boy on either side of him. He put up a shelf in the boys' closet, which doesn't get used much for clothes right now. That has to change, because Nicholas's clothes are still in my bureau, because I never switched them over after he (theoretically) stopped sleeping in our room. But that's where the next baby's clothes have to go, so we put a lower shelf in the boys' closet to we can move some clothes in there and see if between one bureau and one closet they're all set, or whether we need to find room in there for a second bureau.

And what did I do while he was so productive? I practiced the songs and movement I'm going to start doing with the boys Monday morning. This is part of the Enki day, and I'm introducing it over the summer. I picked out some movement activities I think they'll really like, but it's not so easy to jump from foot to foot, touching each foot with the opposite hand, while 4 1/2 months pregnant. I was winded. I'm not sure how I'm going to show them the movement and chant the verse at the same time. I picked out another one that calls for rolling onto your tummy. Hmm, maybe not. I have some manipulatives I want to make before fall--fancy way of saying things to touch and play with--but I don't have the right materials. It looks like the weather might be spotty on Tuesday, so maybe we'll head to the art supply store then. They aren't complicated and the materials aren't expensive, and they should take far less time to make than those sandpaper letters. I'll just be cutting straight lines this time.

I'm really excited about the stuff I'm planning, which is good, because I want to have everything organized for both school and baby by the end of August. I have utmost confidence that I'll go straight to the 39-week c-section date with no problems, but I want everything set by 32 weeks. Nicholas came at 34, and the day before, I insisted we go to Target to pick up just a few more things (even though Chris had just gotten off an international flight a few hours earlier), and I did a load of baby laundry that night. Good thing, too, or Nicholas might have been going home naked. At any rate, our collective list is a mile long and getting longer by the day. Good thing two Virgos are in charge of it.

While Chris banged a mallet against a closet wall just a few feet away, I lay down on Nicholas's bed and fell asleep. That's how tired I was. Later on, I managed to do a little bit of knitting while watching the very beginning of the Red Sox game before I had to start dinner.

This is the back of a baby cardigan. No baby needs as many sweaters as this baby is going to have. I started this three times because even though I knit a swatch, the swatch was a lying tramp. Chris grilled chicken and I made risotto to go with it, and after dinner, for the second weekend in a row, we had angel food cake (baked by Whole Foods and delicious) with whipped cream and fresh fruit. It seems like an extravagance, but we don't typically have dessert--if we do, it's on a weekend--and it's so good. I whip the cream myself, and it's excellent, if I do say so myself. Last week the boys wanted blueberries, this week, raspberries. I don't like either of those, so I buy strawberries, too. I feel almost obligated to eat this, for the baby's sake. Vitamin C and calcium! I'm just being a good mama. I think I'll have another piece later on.

And that pretty much covers the last twenty-four hours. When I'm done here I'll go sit and knit some more, if I can stay awake, while I wait for the laundry to dry so I can fold it. Tomorrow is Father's Day. The boys made cards yesterday, Vaughan made some pottery for Daddy, and we have the book Chris wanted. I've told him repeatedly we'll do whatever he wants, but he hasn't told me what that might be. He certainly did enough around the house for one weekend already. Last Father's Day weekend he painted the deck. He has bad timing, but these things sort of have to get done when the weather cooperates. He's the best dad I know, so I hope he enjoys his day.

PS Check out this political spot by John Cusack. I love John Cusack. I considered marrying him, but Chris was just too good to pass up. Still, I'd eat Cheetos in Albuquerque with him anytime.