What's 10 feet tall and made of brick? And...Olympics

Sydney's wall! Every night for about the past 2 weeks, we've begun to die down at about 5:30. By 6 pm, we're struggling to keep him entertained for more than 5 minutes at a time until it is bathtime. We take our nightly bath, and then nurse and he's down for the night. Even though it can be difficult to find what will distract him for the next hour, it is rather nice to know, for now, his schedule. It makes it easy to keep him from getting so upset, he can't calm down. And even when he does get uncontrollably upset, the running of bath water has, up to this point, been magical. He is a water baby. I included this photo because, like his mommy, Sydney is NOT a morning person. We bought the Grumpy doll for him merely to show that they have similar facial expressions. I hate getting up. Especially after a really nice nap, or in the morning. Apparently, he feels the same way...

We started 'solid food' this weekend. As of now, his eczema is under control enough to attempt this, and boy, was he ready! It took perhaps 2 spoonfuls before he was trying to force me to get it in to his mouth more quickly. I say 'solid food' oxymoronically because the rice cereal was more like a gruel. Have you ever looked at the first steps baby food in the stores? It is less viscous than my homemade soups and stews! Not very solid, but I guess it's a different texture than formula or breastmilk.

After feeding him today, I went ahead and made homemade carrots. Will I be doing this often? Goodness, no. But for today, it was nice to give myself a reason to get out my cutting board, my knives, and my tiny food processor that I got for Christmas (2?) years ago and have never used. I miss my days when I would lose myself in the kitchen, and Steve would walk in hours later with loaves of banana bread, biscotti, and homemade stew all sitting there. It will come, again, but I haven't been able to do this in over a year. Ergo, I felt a slight bit of accomplishment by simply making extremely mushy carrots and freezing them in portion sizes in my ice cube trays. In the meantime, even though I think it will be awhile before we transition to other 'solid foods,' I've been thinking we'll try yogurt and peas next...

As promised, here's a photo of my 6 month bouncing baby boy. Sure has grown, hasn't he? I try to take all these photos in his bouncy seat, since that is where most of the early pictures were staged. This way, we can see his growth measured against the same backdrop.

And, before I go for the evening...The Olympics are over. I'm not the type to stay up exhorbitantly late and watch every single event. I like the opening ceremonies. I sometimes watch the closing, as well. I don't have particular things that I look for (other than the 4x4 during the Summer Olympics). I think I enjoy watching these only because they bring cultures together. I get to experience so much more than what is 'normal' in my every day life. But I can't help feel a little bittersweet, this year. Bitter because I didn't get a chance to watch as much (nor would I have stayed awake for much...) and sweet because I also cut ties with the "It's the Olympics...how can you NOT watch them?" mentality that we so often encounter. It boils down to this...my life has changed this year, and I'm still adapting to those changes. I won't think of the Olympics again for 2 years, and when 2012 comes around, I'll be absolutely startled to realize that it is time for the next round. They don't change my life; they simply offer a different diversion, and I've got that covered for at least the next 18 years.

SOLs this week. Wish my colleagues, my students, and me luck.

6 Months

I can't believe that much time has passed, already. Sydney is 6 months today. He's grown so much in such a short span of time. He's smiling, giggling, and this week, he started 'crow'ing, just to hear himself. I cannot believe how much my thoughts turn to him on a regular basis throughout the day, or how, when I get home and hug that tiny, warm body to me, it just feels so comforting. The day melts away.

I didn't get a chance to take 6 month photos today, but Daddy's homework for tomorrow is to take some, and I'll be sure to post them this weekend. My little Snickerdoodle is growing too quickly!

The Futility of Planning

I have planning right now at school. I have 60+ essays to grade, SOL prep work to do for tomorrow, close-reading journals from my 12 AP students to grade, and the list goes on. Basically, we've hit 'the wall.' Between now and spring break, there are no breaks. Between now and June 12th, there is no reprieve. We have tests, exams, more tests, more exams, SOLs, more SOLs, and then the final exam.

This is the time of year when everyone looks back at the snow days and wonders if it was worth it. On a personal level, yes. Sydney was ill about half the time I was home, so it worked out that I was there to comfort him, take him to the doctor, etc. However, on a professional level, I could have used a few days where he goes to the sitter and I have at least a few hours where I can catch up on grading and planning.

In the meantime, my lack of volition, motivation, drive to do anything other than sit back and read a good book with a hot cup of tea starts to eat at me. I don't really care to grade essays right now. We're at midpoint, and I don't have grades updated. I have the SOL next week, and figuring out who is failing after only 2-3 assignments (snow days, remember?) is, to me, ludicrous. But if I don't buckle down and do it soon...when will it get done? It will just keep piling up.

My goal is to finish the essays by this weekend. That way, I can relax, enter in to the novel unit that we started with a fresh mindset, and focus on clearing up loose ends...for now. Truth be told, Steve asks me on a regular basis if I want to (fill in the blank - watch a movie, go for a walk, run to the store with him, etc.) and I say 'Yes!' Then, he asks me if I have work to do. I respond that, until graduation, I will ALWAYS have work to do. There is no such thing as catching up in the teaching profession. Either you are in the midst of summer break, or you are in the midst of a headache.

A Breath of Fresh Air

Steve and I went to the 'Meet and Greet' for the University of Virginia's newest coaching staff this evening. Now, regardless of your athletic affiliations, or academic affiliations if you don't follow athletics, I can truly say I enjoyed this evening for a completely different reason, and I only hope that after hearing what I reiterate from this meeting, you agree with me.

The main subject of the evening was, of course, UVA football. But new Head Coach Mike London had me won over before we even got to the football. He asserted that before any change could be made to the coaching of Virginia's young men, the first change that had to be made was to their character. London reinforced the idea that his goal was to shape the character of his players on and off the field. That they needed to realize they weren't any more special than anyone else just because they were athletes, and that they were to be held to the same high standards as anyone should be at their age, regardless of career, occupation, or collegiate affiliation.

As an educator, I appreciated this comment. I saw someone who was making an effort to mold our youth the way I and my colleagues do. But the difference is that he will have his athletes more than we will have our students; we try, relentlessly, to shape who our students become. But the truth of the matter is that we have our students in class for 90 minutes 2-3 times a week, depending on the week, for the 25 or so weeks we're in session. We can only do so much. Frequently, we see our students leading their parents instead of the other way around. Instruction and character start at home and should only be supplemented by the teaching and coaching staff. But it often turns out that the teachers and coaches (sometimes both at the same time) are the ones who provide the majority of the character checks and balances. As it stands, knowing that someone is out there who is looking out for the young adults as they enter a new environment that is, for the most part, without supervision, is comforting. He is not a babysitter, but a mentor and a guide as these young adults learn to be completely accountable for their own decisions. Accountability is key - so few of our students seem to exhibit knowledge of this novel trait.

Regardless of where the evening went, the conversations, the questions, the answers, Coach Mike London repeatedly stressed the importance of his '3 rules': go to class (SO important! Going pro is all good, but it won't last and then what? Never waste your time getting to the pros without finishing your degree. I feel VERY strongly about this.), show class (on and off the field - how someone handles minor situations will show so much about a person), and treat others with respect. The football program and its future were put on the back burner to London's concern for the character of his team. What a beautiful sentiment.

Computer Woes

Our computer caught the flu. It is a BAD flu, too. The Geeksquad representative said that the only way to prevent the 'Security Tool' virus from taking over your computer is to immediately hit 'Alt-F4' and then manually shut off the computer. If you click the mouse or any other keys, it will start eating your information like a little Pac-Man. So, my blogging will be on a break unless I am able to get time before/after school to do it until we get the computer fixed. My apologies to my readers!

A Quiet House

Ah...Friday evening. Sydney has worn himself out today with his 'Daddy Friday.' He played in his exersaucer while Mommy washed the dishes (bottles), then we had our nightly eczema bath, nursed, and went straight to bed with no fuss whatsoever.

Daddy was home all day and got almost all the laundry done. He managed to fit in his run on the treadmill, then went to visit a friend in the hospital. Mommy, after Sydney went down, had the house to herself.

Not a bad thing after this week - the first full week of school since...winter break? It was rather exhausting to go all day, and all week, with kids who are still recuperating from cabin fever. The house is nice and quiet. So comforting at the moment. The static from the baby monitor acts as soft white noise to drown the hum of anything - cars outside, the hum of the furnace, even the buzz from the computer. Such a difference from the kids today.

You could tell it was a Friday, and if I didn't know any better, I would venture to guess it was either a new moon or a full moon. Anyone who says the face of moon doesn't affect human behavior never worked in a hospital or a school. It does. There is a marked difference in the kids.

But for now, the house is quiet. Steve is on his way home, is stopping to pick up whipped cream for our hot cocoa, and then we're going to watch a movie. I don't think I could have asked for more for a Friday evening. Hmm...might need to make some popcorn.

Last thought of the night - check out my rockin' high chair! Isn't it awesome! It has toys that are attached to the tray, too, so when Sydney gets in the mood to throw things, they don't go too far! If nothing else, it has ocean animals on it. Steve is trying hard to encourage Sydney's passion for the water! Oh, yeah - and it reclines! If he falls asleep in it while eating, which I know will happen, he can just nap in it safely with no need to waken him. I'm so proud of it...

Panglossian

Adjective - excessively optimistic (or, in my own interpretation, annoyingly optimistic)

I recently signed up for the word-of-the-day email from Merriam-Webster. I love it! I delete the emails with the words with which I am familiar, and keep the others in a folder on my email account to remind me not only of what they are and their definitions, but also to try to use them. I started talking about these in my classes, and I have students who beg to write "the word of the day on the board." By all means! Nothing better than increasing the lexicon of our youth so we move away from, like, the way we, like, talk!

Panglossian is one I had never heard of before.

Excessively optimistic. At what point is someone optimistic to excess? Or is that a subjective level - more personal - the level at which we think to ourselves "If this person cries in joy at one more snowflake falling down, I'm going to scratch his/her eyes out!"

What's sad is that we have a particular term for someone who chooses to see the good in all situations, and get to use it so seldom. What's sad is that we, as a society, find those who choose to see the good as fingernails on a chalkboard, get out of my face annoying.

Let's be honest with ourselves. We don't have an actual term for the antonym. There are the episodes of Rachel Dratch on Saturday Night Live playing the role of Debbie Downer (bwah, bwah...), but no actual vocabulary term for these people. And, we all know people like this, don't we? Don't we all have someone who we can only handle in small doses because they are, in fact, annoyingly pessimistic? Do you ever worry that you are sometimes coming across this way? I do.

What it boils down to is this. Right now, things really suck in the world. The economy is in the toilet. People are homeless, starving. Haitians are suffering tremendously. And yet, I have a roof. I have a job that I love, even if I could do without certain aspects of it. I have a loving, caring family. Who am I to force my own problems, imagined or otherwise, on other people? Why am I so important that I have to find it necessary to bring other people down?

I'm not.

So, here is my promise, my pledge, my goal. I swear I will try to be more panglossian. I will strive to answer the ubiquitous "Good morning! How are you!" that we hear going down the hall with a cheerful (though sometimes contrived) "Excellent! And how are you?" No one really needs to know when I am struggling to think straight after only 4 hours of sleep, or when I am drowning under the weight of grading. I will do my best to bring an effulgent light to others (and yes, I have now used effulgent 2x - it was another word I'd never heard of before...aren't you proud of me for managing to use it consistently in my monologues??)