I didn't put a title on this entry because for some reason, when I type text into the "Title:" field, it replaces the characters with Hindi characters. I can't figure out how to fix it, so there you go.
It's hard to believe it's been 7 years since 9/11. It is also odd that as far as I recall, every 9/11 since then has been a beautiful, mild, clear sunny day just like the original one was.
That day is so bound up with memories of Hannah -- scrambling to change the channel once I saw the 2nd plane hit so that she wouldn't ask questions (Sesame Street had been abruptly pre-empted off CBC right after the first plane struck), listening to NPR with one ear and Hannah with the other, Jon coming home at noon and spending a very quiet somber day, playing outside, making a big batch of spaghetti sauce, and checking in with family members. The only person we knew who might have been directly affected was my brother-in-law Andy, who at the time worked at an office in Greenwich Village and rode a train which went through the WTC subway station en route. Luckily he was fine, although it took him a while to get home that day.
The accident was like our family's own personal 9/11, but I don't say that to people normally because I can see how it would come across as rather disrespectful, or as trivializing what the 9/11 victims went through.
9.11.2008
9.08.2008
Six
I can't believe the last time I posted was at the end of the school year, and now here we are in a new one. First grade.
I've never had a first-grader. Or a six-year-old, for that matter. I've never had two children at once who were over the ages of 18mo and 5yo. We're already getting into new territory, after what seems like five years of running in place, and it's nice, but I had not realized how comfortable (albeit burned out) I had gotten with the 5-and-under phases.
Now we're in a place where Emily is reading and has homework; where she has become more independent (at the fair this year she said she wanted to go on the Ferris wheel with "a friend" instead of me, which was astonishing); where Max is walking and babbling (not in English, yet) and he and Emily are starting to have their own relationship, which includes squabbles over sharing things, and his having a fit if she has something and he doesn't, etc. Just a few short months ago this wasn't happening.
I thought years ago that it would be weird and traumatic to have Emily grow past the stage where Hannah was, but on the whole it hasn't been. I suppose partly because it's a gradual process, and the daily routines and stresses keep me pretty focused on the present. It may hit harder when milestones are reached (like when she lost the first baby teeth), such as learning to ride a two-wheeler, getting crushes on boys (or girls, I guess you never know), going through puberty, high school, etc.
Max is a lot of fun. He is still very much attached (including at night, and no, we haven't weaned or done the Ferber thing, and I don't want to even bother discussing it), but he loves to run around and loves the outdoors and is OBSESSED with vehicles of all types, and loves to eat dirt/mulch/rocks/sand/grass.
Despite evidence to the contrary when Hannah started preschool, I still harbored the notion that you can shape behavior and that boys are not necessarily hard-wired for that kind of thing. Well, another parenting myth bites the dust. He is a BOY. Hannah and Emily played with cars, but cars were just another toy. Hannah and Emily tried eating the occasional piece of dirt or mulch, but after one taste would spit it out and move on to something more logical. Hannah and Emily liked to climb and get into things, but they could be distracted and if it didn't work, they'd give up and move on after a while. Max is completely NOT that way.
Anyway, one thing about him that is also different from the girls is that, while he is still a mommy's boy and likes to be attached, he is also capable of wandering off and finding stuff to do (usually something he shouldn't) on his own, where the girls always wanted me directly involved with and interacting in whatever chosen activity they found. It is nice, although I have learned that if he's quiet enough, disaster is soon to follow, so I still have to be on my toes.
Jon didn't get anything published this summer, but from what I understand he is on the verge of having something to submit, and seems confident about the whole tenure thing. I am not confident, but then again I think I still have a touch of PTSD from that whole job loss/accident phase we went through. I am just leaving it up to him. The one thing I am doing is getting some things done around the house. Either he won't get tenure, in which case we'll have to sell the house and so we definitely need to update stuff like landscaping, kitchen, etc. in the most minimal way, or he will get tenure, which means we'll stay here until we retire/die, and so we should plan to fix the house up the way we want it.
I am just treading water, keeping up with the kids, starting to get motivated to accomplish some home improvements, and sort of going with the flow. I seem to have lost my creative mojo for things like art and knitting, although I invented a completely new version of zucchini bread the other day which rawks (lots of lime zest, cardamom and almonds, and no nasty raisins or walnuts -- very Asian and spring-like).
We had a great vacation in August; rented a house up on the shore of Lake Michigan just south of Charlevoix for the second year in a row. I love that place so much. It was kind of stressful at first because Max had come down with hand-foot-mouth disease at the beginning of the trip, but it was still worth it. I'll post some pictures when I get around to it.
Nothing much new going on around here. Have improved on the acquaintance/friendship with Jaci and family; Gretchen and I are reconnecting after a bit of a spell (I think having Max kind of threw things off); the boards/playgroups are pretty much as they were, but I just nod and smile where needed and ignore the rest.
Then there's the election, but there are several million other blogs out there that have far more intelligent, informed and relevant things to say. All I have to say is, GET OUT AND VOTE! AND VOTE FOR OBAMA OR I'LL HAVE TO KILL YOU SLOWLY AND PAINFULLY.
I'll try to check in more often. I'm about to fall asleep here, so that's enough for now.
I've never had a first-grader. Or a six-year-old, for that matter. I've never had two children at once who were over the ages of 18mo and 5yo. We're already getting into new territory, after what seems like five years of running in place, and it's nice, but I had not realized how comfortable (albeit burned out) I had gotten with the 5-and-under phases.
Now we're in a place where Emily is reading and has homework; where she has become more independent (at the fair this year she said she wanted to go on the Ferris wheel with "a friend" instead of me, which was astonishing); where Max is walking and babbling (not in English, yet) and he and Emily are starting to have their own relationship, which includes squabbles over sharing things, and his having a fit if she has something and he doesn't, etc. Just a few short months ago this wasn't happening.
I thought years ago that it would be weird and traumatic to have Emily grow past the stage where Hannah was, but on the whole it hasn't been. I suppose partly because it's a gradual process, and the daily routines and stresses keep me pretty focused on the present. It may hit harder when milestones are reached (like when she lost the first baby teeth), such as learning to ride a two-wheeler, getting crushes on boys (or girls, I guess you never know), going through puberty, high school, etc.
Max is a lot of fun. He is still very much attached (including at night, and no, we haven't weaned or done the Ferber thing, and I don't want to even bother discussing it), but he loves to run around and loves the outdoors and is OBSESSED with vehicles of all types, and loves to eat dirt/mulch/rocks/sand/grass.
Despite evidence to the contrary when Hannah started preschool, I still harbored the notion that you can shape behavior and that boys are not necessarily hard-wired for that kind of thing. Well, another parenting myth bites the dust. He is a BOY. Hannah and Emily played with cars, but cars were just another toy. Hannah and Emily tried eating the occasional piece of dirt or mulch, but after one taste would spit it out and move on to something more logical. Hannah and Emily liked to climb and get into things, but they could be distracted and if it didn't work, they'd give up and move on after a while. Max is completely NOT that way.
Anyway, one thing about him that is also different from the girls is that, while he is still a mommy's boy and likes to be attached, he is also capable of wandering off and finding stuff to do (usually something he shouldn't) on his own, where the girls always wanted me directly involved with and interacting in whatever chosen activity they found. It is nice, although I have learned that if he's quiet enough, disaster is soon to follow, so I still have to be on my toes.
Jon didn't get anything published this summer, but from what I understand he is on the verge of having something to submit, and seems confident about the whole tenure thing. I am not confident, but then again I think I still have a touch of PTSD from that whole job loss/accident phase we went through. I am just leaving it up to him. The one thing I am doing is getting some things done around the house. Either he won't get tenure, in which case we'll have to sell the house and so we definitely need to update stuff like landscaping, kitchen, etc. in the most minimal way, or he will get tenure, which means we'll stay here until we retire/die, and so we should plan to fix the house up the way we want it.
I am just treading water, keeping up with the kids, starting to get motivated to accomplish some home improvements, and sort of going with the flow. I seem to have lost my creative mojo for things like art and knitting, although I invented a completely new version of zucchini bread the other day which rawks (lots of lime zest, cardamom and almonds, and no nasty raisins or walnuts -- very Asian and spring-like).
We had a great vacation in August; rented a house up on the shore of Lake Michigan just south of Charlevoix for the second year in a row. I love that place so much. It was kind of stressful at first because Max had come down with hand-foot-mouth disease at the beginning of the trip, but it was still worth it. I'll post some pictures when I get around to it.
Nothing much new going on around here. Have improved on the acquaintance/friendship with Jaci and family; Gretchen and I are reconnecting after a bit of a spell (I think having Max kind of threw things off); the boards/playgroups are pretty much as they were, but I just nod and smile where needed and ignore the rest.
Then there's the election, but there are several million other blogs out there that have far more intelligent, informed and relevant things to say. All I have to say is, GET OUT AND VOTE! AND VOTE FOR OBAMA OR I'LL HAVE TO KILL YOU SLOWLY AND PAINFULLY.
I'll try to check in more often. I'm about to fall asleep here, so that's enough for now.
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)
