life lately

It appears that we have fallen into a very comfortable school year routine. The boys' world revolves around school while mine revolves around after school pick-ups, and quite frankly, it's wearing me out -- in a good way, of course. But, with the exception of attending the occasional art class at the library or joining some friends at the playground, we don't seem to deviate from the newly set schedule very often, which translates to not very many thrilling things to write about. But I suppose it's worth mentioning what our lives, however unremarkable they may seem, are like now, so here's a little glimpse.

Blake now begins his days by taking Garrett and Caleb to school on his way to work. He recently invested in a kick scooter, which he rarely leaves home without. Church and work continue to keep him so busy that appearances at home are more rare than common, which means we treasure the moments that he is able to be at home. At work he was just asked to cover for a VP on a neighboring research team while she's out on maternity leave this winter, which we're crossing our fingers turns into a trial run that eventually leads to a promotion.

Lindsay, after getting everyone ready for school and out the door, buckles down and exercises (except on Tuesdays, when doing laundry is my form of daily exercise). I tried a bunch of different workout videos on YouTube, but have now settled on Leslie Sanson's 2-Mile Power Walk at Home. It's perfect for someone as uncoordinated as myself, and enjoyable enough for me to want to do it every day. Afterwards I have just enough time to get myself showered and ready for the day, the house picked up from the morning chaos, and to sit and recover from all of that before it's time to pick Caleb up from school. Together we maybe run a quick errand or two before coming home for lunch and quiet time/naps. And then it's time to leave again to get Garrett, after which begins the chaos that is the last half of the day, beginning with homework and ending with bedtime, with dinner and playing/fighting/mess-making in between. With the spare moments I manage to carve out, I've been devouring the newly-published Salinger biography. (Absolutely fascinating; read it or watch the accompanying documentary before your next reading of The Catcher in the Rye.)

Garrett is thriving in the first grade. His teachers are wonderful, and after attending the curriculum meeting last week, I feel even more pleased with where Garrett is at this year. He was just invited to do an extended day on Mondays and Tuesdays to stay after school for an hour and get extra academic help, which I think he'll only benefit from, even if his confidence levels this year have skyrocketed. After failing the eye exam at his annual well check-up, and recently complaining about his eyes hurting, we're finally getting our act together to take him to the eye doctor. He goes tomorrow, so even though it was only a matter of time, genetically speaking, before he was put in glasses, the clock really seems to be ticking now. It'll be interesting to see what the doctor has to say. Garrett has recently taken to getting up early to "surprise Mom" by setting the table for breakfast. He often corrals Caleb in this endeavor, and it is simultaneously so funny and endearing to listen to him from my bedroom as he goes about his work in the kitchen.

Caleb is also enjoying his first year of school. The pre-k class he attends is darling, centered on play, and completely perfect for him. He loves it and so do I, and it doesn't hurt that his two Primary friends, Lola and Jackson, are in his class. We're still waiting to hear from the Dept. of Ed regarding his schedule for speech and OT sessions this year, but I've been on the case and am hopeful that this week will be the one where everything finally gets nailed down. Every day after school, Caleb likes to unwind by playing "monkey games," which is Calebese for video games on our vintage Nintendo 64. Whereas just a few months ago he mostly watched while Garrett took the lead, he now knows how to deftly navigate his way through just about any game. On Saturdays he (as well as Garrett) plays community league soccer. His shy side comes out in full force during warm-up, but each week he eventually comes around and has a great time.

And Matthew. Mellow Matthew. We've been agonizing these last couple months over his inability to walk, hoping every day that he'll turn a corner before the pediatrician calls for medical interventions (which would likely come in just a few weeks, when he turns 18 months, if he doesn't get his act together). He just seems to be taking things at his own extremely cautious pace. He has proved to us many times that he knows how to walk, but something, whether it's fear or a determination not to do it until he's sure he can do it right, keeps him on all fours. Last night, though, he made some major progress, walking on a diagonal across our living room over and over and over between Blake and I. With each lap he got steadier and more confident. By the end we'd stopped having to beg him to keep going -- he just went, turning and pivoting on his own as he did so. The trick was to get him to keep it up the next day. As of this morning, so far so good:



Now if we can just convince him to always prefer that life on two legs. He's growing up in other ways, too. He has begun folding his arms on demand (which is absolutely adorable), and his tiny vocabulary now includes clearer versions of "hi," "mama," "dad," and "no."

So there you go: our life lately. It may not be terribly exciting, but it sure has a way of keeping us busy.