Sunday morning
I’m up early, hanging with the three youngest. Huck’s tummy is a bit off today. He climbed into bed with us before dawn and slept snuggled against me in a way that hardly ever happens anymore; he’s getting so big and busy. He was restless, and after a while I reached for my phone and read mail with his arm flung half across my face. It’s not that I ever want my kids to be sick—honestly, I’ve dealt with enough childhood illness for three lifetimes—but there’s something very sweet in the moment, when you’re cuddled up with a heavy-limbed child who just wants to curl into you as close as possible. My baby will be six in a few months (the mind boggles) and these moments don’t happen very often anymore. I enjoyed this one, while it lasted. Then suddenly he clapped a hand over his mouth, ran to the bathroom, and threw up into the tub.
I’m just impressed that he made it that far.
He’s getting the Gatorade treatment now, watching cartoons. (A few sips of Gatorade every ten minutes for an hour, a trick gleaned from the Dr. Sears Baby Book* a million years ago.) I brought my laptop out to the couch to be near him and am trying not to listen to the squeakings of Curious George. At least it’s not Caillou.
*ETA: Scott has chimed in to say he thinks it was The Portable Pediatrician, not Dr. Sears. We gave ’em both away ages ago, so I can’t check. I’m sure he’s right—he’s been the one handling the timing of this absolutely tried-and-true method for, yikes, almost 20 years now.
***
I’m still getting requests for those notes I promised to share from my habits talk way back in August (gulp). I’ve realized I’ll have to post them in notes fashion, for sure, because writing up the talk essay-style makes it all seem too formal, too authoritative. The idea of coming across as authoritative about parenting gives me the willies—it’s far too subjective and individual an endeavor for me to ever feel comfortable making pronouncements about the ‘right’ or ‘best’ way to do things. All I can do is say ‘here’s what’s worked great for us’—after the fact, you know, speaking from personal experience, same as I do with homeschooling. There’s a reason my whole Tidal Homeschooling thing is a description, not a method.
So maybe I can just take my habits-and-behavior talk notes and spit them out just like that, as notes, not, you know, entire sentences. Sentences are hard. They need verbs. I’m okay with past-tense verbs (did, tried, practiced, worked, laughed)—it’s the imperative ones that spook me, the kind with the implied “you.”
***
For my memories file: Several times over the past couple of weeks, after the boys were in bed, while Scott watched S.H.I.E.L.D. or a movie with Bean and Rose, Rilla and I sat on my bed with our art journals and listened to The BFG on audiobook. Colored pencils and markers all over the quilt. (Imprudent but comfy.) Natasha Richardson doing a bang-up job with the voices.
There you go, a bit of parenting advice I can pronounce in the imperative: Do that. It was delightful and you should totally try it. 🙂
Kristina says:
My middles are all about the audio books these days. I will have to find the BFG on audio. We listened to James and The Giant Peach a few months back, but no Dahl since.
Pray your littlest is well again promptly. I hear you on the Curious George. I tolerate George as long as I need not listen. Just listening to his naughty antics stresses me out. Just never to Whiny Caillou.
On October 19, 2014 at 8:48 am
sarah says:
Sorry Huck is unwell, poor thing, but I know what you mean about the sweetness.
Notes would be wonderful. Please don’t go to any effort writing up an essay. Notes would be so much easier to read and digest, anyway.
As for Caillou – that kid is just creepy if you ask me.
On October 19, 2014 at 12:31 pm
Ellie says:
Poor Huck! My Joshua is ill too, ergh.
{{hugs}}
On October 19, 2014 at 2:00 pm
kortney says:
yes yes yes to those past tense verbs! and love the peek at your notebooks…the hand lettering, the doodles, the drawing, the date. perfect.
i mentioned to M that you + Rilla had been drawing together on your bed. she nodded seriously, “We should do that.”
planning to link to you on Wednesday as part of my women who inspire series…maybe habit notes will available to link to…if not, i’m pleased as punch to link to art journal pages : )
On October 19, 2014 at 5:35 pm
Karen Edmisten says:
Never Caillou.
Poor Huck! I hope he’s all better by the time you read this, and that no one else catches the bug.
On October 19, 2014 at 6:14 pm
Melanie Bettinelli says:
Oh what I love about your homeschooling posts is definitely the past tense verbs and the lack of imperative. I’ve gotten so that imperative makes me run away fast. But description… oh yes, please. I like the idea of notes. Notes are lovely and informal.
I do hope Huck is better. It’s hard to believe he’s almost six. Six!
On October 19, 2014 at 7:06 pm
Mama Squirrel says:
Funny–this week we were watching Natasha Richardson in an episode of Sherlock Holmes (The Copper Beeches). Kind of a Jane Eyre, gothic story about a new nanny who is told to cut off her hair and sit in the window wearing a blue dress, if she doesn’t want to lose her job. She did a good job at being terrified.
On October 20, 2014 at 2:56 am