Knitting/Beth Update

Even through the summer, I've been knitting a lot. I still fantasize about chucking the traditional jobs and raising goats for milk to make cheese and sheep for the wool. However, on a 0.16 acre lot, I'll have to make do with the local yarn shops and farmers' market cheese. Work remains busy, sometimes in a good way and sometimes in a pull-my-hair-out way. I've always been a bit of a luddite, but I have found a very cool way to learn spanish. I am taking a class via Skype with a teacher in Ecuador. We both have video and audio capability; we IM during the class to correct mistakes and homework is sent by email. It is just what I needed to get my butt in gear and practice speaking and writing. Fall has arrived and I am reminded every day why I love living in New England.

Delia Update

Delia is now 13 months old. We had a little family party for her birthday at her grandparents' house in Connecticut. She started walking about a week later and is now getting into everything. She says "Mommy", which can mean 'mommy', 'daddy', 'mine' or 'milk'. She's now sleeping through the night, which makes us love her even more. She remains a very good natured kid, often open-mouth kissing all of her classmates as they arrive at daycare. She loves to read books, dance, and pet the neighborhood dogs.

Naked Time

...for Delia and the pets, that is. Naked time started out of necesity many months ago when a diaper rash just wouldn't heal. It's now become part of the well-established routine in the vanEagleGiessen household and, speaking for everyone, it is the best part of the day. Mornings and afternoons are equally chaotic with two working parents, a toddler and a dog. Dinner usually is often a tearful affair with the dog getting most of Delia's dinner. Bathtime is quick and efficient; moods improve as the layers of sand, snot, and food get scraped off. Then we all toddle down the hall to hang out in Delia's room (cat and dog included). We let the dishes sit dirty in the kitchen. Clinic notes and lectures wait in backpacks. The dog's bladder is about to burst, but no matter. It is the only time of the day where we are focused on eachother. We read stories, blow bubbles, terrorize the dog and decompress from our stressful days. Once Delia has nursed, we sing a lullaby and say goodnight. Then it's off to walk the dog, clean the kitchen, pack lunches, return phone calls, grade homework, do paperwork....