Making : Lesson plans for my French courses in the fall. I taught high school French I online this past year and loved it and I am adding French II in the fall. I want to get alllllllll my lessons plans for the semester done before baby girl shows up, as I expect/ absolutely know that my mind will be frazzled late summer. I’m also starting a new job in the fall and want to save bandwidth for that. And now back to short(er) answers after that brief professional update that none of you asked for but hey – if you have a high schooler who wants to learn French and recently found out they won’t have their regular school in the fall… hit me up.
Cooking : I’m back to hating cooking this pregnancy. Unfortunately, it still has to happen, though we have been grilling a lot lately to lessen my cooking load. I recently thought of how many meals I will have to prepare and plan the rest of my life… and promptly wanted to die. James and I did the math and it’s like making a meal for everyone at the Super Bowl. BUT, we have had some winning meals lately, like this favorite InstantPot dish, this easy chicken and tomato dish, and everything we can throw on the grill (brats! burgers! this parm-butter steak!)
Drinking : Iced lattes from my Mother’s Day gift of an espresso machine and these when I want to pretend like I’m enjoying a glass of rosé.
Reading: Still reading this book and loving it, but finding it hard to find time to read lately… a sad change from last year’s renewed focus on books!
Wanting: Some splash pad days this summer. I’m feeling it’s unlikely but I can’t give up the hope of those hot summer days around this city. In the meantime, we are wearing swimsuits when we hike and treating creeks like pools.
Playing: Trains, as Etta has just gotten into them, and a game Henry calls “Tent” which is basically where we haul stuff around the basement and prepare meals in the woods and discuss how to avoid getting eaten by bears.
Watching: We just finished all the seasons of The Walking Dead on Netflix and Y’ALL I love me some zombie apocalypses. But I learned that Rick Grimes is not returning and I’m so devastated that I’m not sure we will make it to season 10.
Wasting: Baby wipes. We potty trained Etta early during quarantine so we haven’t needed as many, and Etta lives to wipe down her baby dolls… and every other surface in our home/car. It’s totally worth it.
Wishing: That someone would find an amazing way to open schools as usual in the fall. There are so many things I miss, and my kids aren’t even in school, but the effects of school closures are just so hard for our communities.
Enjoying: All the AMAZING local and regional parks and nature reserves in the area. We have been hitting a couple a week, hiking, splashing in streams, chasing animals, and generally loving being outdoors. Pretty sure my children think the real danger at the moment is poison ivy instead of coronavirus, and in our day to day life – they aren’t wrong.
Waiting: For this baby to come. And I shouldn’t say waiting  very patiently either. In spite of having a lot to do before she gets here… I’d be fine if she showed up tomorrow because I am done.  My kids are pretty awesome sports about continuing to play when mom falls asleep on the floor in the middle of the playroom or has to suddenly lie down with ice packs on her head mid-play to avoid a fainting spell… but I would really love to be functioning better. And yes, newborns are hard and exhausting, but both times around it has been physically a relief to have the exhaustion of a newborn compared to the difficulty of the final stretch of pregnancy.
Liking: This pillow. It’s the only thing that has resulted in any quality sleep since early on in this pregnancy.
Wondering: What this summer will look like with a newborn. I only have one template for surviving those early months, and it is being out as much as possible, letting the heat lull my baby to sleep in the stroller, and surviving through the constant presence and support of our community. Not sure how much of that is possible this time, and I am grieving that in my own way as I wait for her to come.
Loving: Our backyard. Tomorrow marks one year since we moved into this house, and the backyard and covered patio has been such a haven and joy to our family. It’s usually cluttered with toys (and dishes- do your kids steal all your kitchen stuff too???), but we have put in some plants and mulch and hanging flowers and nothing makes me happier than time spent in that little space.
Hoping: That we get a new dishwasher this week. Ours died right before Easter and I’m ready to regain the time I spend washing dishes.
Marveling: At how my kids play. Yes, there are days when I want to pull my hair out over the bickering, whining, tattling, etc. But since quarantine started, we have had more time to concentrate on the skills of play and our treatment of each other, and I see the fruits of it in the relationship my kids have and the play they enjoy. As Henry proudly announced recently, “Etta is working on her imaginary!” Henry’s imagination and world shifting moves so fast that James and I can barely keep up, but Etta is learning to plunge in and join him.
Needing: To pick a name for this baby. It’s so hard! I am still shocked that we are having another girl because that never entered my mind and I have nothing.
Wearing: Gap maternity leggings all day, erry day.
Noticing: How I am no longer capable of getting out the door on time. Quarantine has given us wonderfully slow mornings… and I’m not really sure we remember how to hustle out the door anymore.
Knowing: That this time will pass, and I am so eager for it to go because I miss so much of normal life, but also knowing that I will think fondly on so many parts of this strange time – especially how much more we get to see James.
Thinking: About my babies turning 4 and 2 this week and how that makes me feel (weepy, giggly, terrified, excited… all the emotions for them growing and developing).
Feeling: Like everyone, the restless feeling of being ready for what’s next, even if we don’t quite know what that is.