Lately

I am sitting on the couch drinking peppermint tea. A woolen blanket is draped around my shoulders to keep me warm on a wet and chilly spring night. A little while ago I stumbled into the kitchen feeling stiff from spending two hours curled up on the couch unwinding from another day of Parenting. It took some serious inner coaxing to get started on reigning the chaos of the kitchen. Once the mess was cleared I took some time to stretch. My body feels creaky, letting me know that the past four years of pregnancy, child rearing and breastfeeding, along with neglecting all things diet and exercise, are catching up with me. Changes need to be made.

My daughters are delighting me and driving me crazy. Family ties have been strong in some directions and frayed in others. The strong leave me thankful. The frayed leave me anxious.

G has a passion for words which amazes us all. She will be four in March and right now she is learning to write, writing random letters and asking me what her words say, and learning to read. She spends hours daily crafting. Yesterday she made herself a cello, bow and music stand, all out of paper and sticky-tape. Then she shut herself in the living room and practiced.

E has been crawling since she was five months. Now at thirteen months she is teasing me with her occasional unsupported standing, but prefers to crawl everywhere at high speed and to climb. Her teeth are slow, her eighth tooth is still making it's way through her poor gums a month after first peeking out.