shopping with Isaac

Isaac is quite the little boy now! For the last 4 times we've gone shopping, he's been riding in the cart! It's very exciting. He absolutely loves it. He looks around and around and we talk about all the tantalizing things on the store shelves.

(Now, yes, those of you germ-a-phobes WILL notice, he doesn't have a THINGIE. A shopping cart cover THINGIE. Yes, money is TIGHT! Law school is expensive! But, mommy always wipes down the cart with the anti-bacterial wipes first, so don't you worry now. We won't even start to discuss the doggie situation at home, because I know there's only so much you can take. Just know that the entire line of Lysol cleaners has become my new best friend.)

And, on the eve of turning 40, I think I've finally figured out how to keep the house continuously clean and straightened, the bills up to date, and the laundry and food coming. How sad that it took me this long. But, I guess when you're a working girl, you aren't just focused on the homestead. How freeing it is though! How much more able I am to enjoy time with Isaac, and how much more I'm able to be present with my mom and the dogs.

Today Dave and I are off to the asian market. Oh, how we miss the Uwajimaya. The asian markets around here are a little more 'authentic' then Dave and I are truly comfortable venturing into. Yes, we like pretty branding, and businesses that invest in marketing, interior decor, lighting and cleanliness. We are like Meg and Hamilton Swan from Best in Show--*so* lucky to have been raised amongst catalogs.

We are making delicious Thai and Malaysian food because we live in the MOUNTAINS and there is only Chinese out here.

no sleep til brooklyn

OMG.

Isaac stopped sleeping through the night around the first of the month. I am having trouble doing ordinary things.

And Dave's school is in high gear. Many weekends he wakes up, goes to the computer and doesn't leave except for bathroom breaks. He stays there until 2 am.

During the week, we drive him to the subway station at 8 am and then pick him up at 9 pm in downtown DC. And he studies until midnight.

So--it's like having 3 kids and two dogs--and no help. And no REM sleep.

My house is pretty clean and straightened--and I do a fair job keeping the food and laundry coming. But if I step away from any of the routines for a moment, things degrade rapidly to chaos.

There are tons of doctor's appointments--and non-stop errands and shopping, and running hither and tither to fetch things for my mom. So there's not a real feeling of accomplishing any kind of projects--like writing thank you notes for example. That stuff just gets delayed indefinitely.

There is definitely no planning--or being READY for what's coming next. There is just THIS CONTINUOUS MOMENT.

It's very different from the satisfaction of working and getting paid. I describe it to Dave as being like 200,000 leagues under the sea. And being interrupted constantly.

It's our life during school. I can't wait until early May. Dave will be 25% done with law school.

Ciao for now.

valentine's kisses

For Valentine's Day, Dave and I went to a couple of wineries in the area. We planned on going to 6 right around our house, but we didn't realize they give you the equivalent of a glass of wine at each one. I thought you tasted one or two wines, but it's closer to 10! YIKES!

We could visit 2 wineries every weekend, for several years and still not visit them all because there are so many in this area. It's cool!

It was an absolutely beautiful day. I haven't gotten to spend that much time with Dave having a fun day since his Christmas break, and then before that it was early August! So--it was really nice.

The landscape in the Virginia mountains is breathtaking. It reminds me of my trips to the United Kingdom. The rolling hills, the little historic towns, the boutique farmlands. It's captivating. It was exactly what the doctor ordered to boost my spirits and remind me of why I wanted to live here so much.

Dave often says that as soon as we can afford it, he wants 200 acres in Montana. We absolutely love Montana, but as I've said before, we would be (almost) THE ONLY ONES in our respective families that would be away from this area. Unpopular. And, doubtful that it would ever come to pass. But, over the weekend, Dave started saying perhaps we could just have a farm around here. That works! And we came home and decided this would do nicely: http://www.thomasandtalbot.com/welbourne/index.htm

He took lots of pictures of cows, grape vines, sheep and barns. He is quite the amateur photographer.



In Isaac news, he was so excited to visit with Grama Carolyn & Grampa Fred earlier this month. We were so lucky, they came to stay with us for a weekend. They brought fun books and toys for Isaac, and Isaac showed them all the fun new things he can do now, including, of course the raspberry noise, standing up for several seconds unassisted, almost crawling, and laughing a lot at games like peek-a-boo. Everyone really enjoyed visiting.

Then, the next Monday, we went to Isaac's 6 month check-up. He is still in the 90th percentile for everything. The doctor noticed several of his new skills and said that he's about 3 months early for many of those things. That was reassuring. He said he thought Isaac was thriving, so mommy was very happy and relieved.

He really is like a little boy now. He wants to reach out and grab everything and he wants so badly to crawl and walk. We just started feeding him vegetables. He has already had all of the grains. So far, no allergies.

And, possibly the cutest news...two days ago when he was getting his daily bath, he discovered his winkie. It was sooooo funny. I had to call Dave at work.

Speaking of Dave, he is all excited to be 3/4 through is first year of law school. So far, he is finding it to be a lot of work, but nothing like the severe warnings he received from just about everyone we know about how impossible law school is, especially the first year. Either he's really really smart, or everyone is overly dramatic.

His professors can be heard on NPR. They know Eric Holder and other (lesser known) presidential advisors. They routinely testify at congressional hearings and they share their experiences in class with students. It's a very inspiring place to study the law.

He's planning on taking a special bar exam this summer to become a patent officer. He's really excited about his new vocation and all the possibilities.

Speaking of inspiring places, I read in the Washington Parent magazine how diverse the public school classrooms are here. Parents commented on how impressive it is that 87 countries are represented in their child's primary school, for example, and how often they have cultural exchanges and celebrations. Many of the parents work for the UN or the IMF, so it's pretty common for kids in the local school districts to be from all over the world.

And field trips are to places like The Smithsonian. So there you have it.

If I had gotten to design my ideal childhood, my parents would have been diplomats for the UN and I would have gotten to travel the world and become fluent in 8 languages. I actually have 3 friends who had that childhood and they have the coolest stories of things like dinner at Imelda Marco's house for example. They spend their family's Christmastime skiing in the Alps.

So, even though Dave and I are not currently diplomats, and we don't how Isaac defines his ideal childhood, I personally think it's cool that we can offer him the next best thing: the chance to go to school with children of actual diplomats, and the opportunity to learn about the world at a very early age.

So--my sadness for the West Coast is still very strong, but my appreciation for this area is growing. Thank God, because, we are going to live here for the forseeable future.

Speaking of the forseeable future, we are very much looking forward to a visit from my Aunt Susan and Uncle Andy. Andy LOOOOOOOOOOOOOVES to golf, as does Dave, and there are a million places around here. Maybe Dave can make some time!

Miss you. Love you! Email us at schleiferkin@gmail.com.

soooooooooo tired

Hi! I haven't been posting much because Isaac has gone back to not sleeping again! January was so blissful. He would sleep for like 12 hours at a time at night.

Now he's been up starting at 1:00 am many nights, or 3:00 am. If I can't settle him down with his pacifier, I bring him into bed with me, hoping at least he will be quiet. But he KICKS and KICKS and squirms and makes frustrated sounds. All night. At least when he used to be in our bed, he would at least sleep. Now, no.

So--I am like a zombie. I look awake, and it looks like I'm cooking and cleaning, and playing with Isaac and walking dogs, but truly, I am sleeping while I walk and drive.

Sad.

OH--and no one believes me because Dave's mom and dad were here over the weekend and the baby slept through the night and took several long naps during the day. I managed to convince them that my house is clean and there's food and things are just rolling along like normal. So--no one is sympathetic to my pleas for REM sleep.

Must vegetate now.

raspberries and bananas

Today Isaac learned how to make the raspberry noise. He's been doing it all day. It's very cute!

And, today we also learned that he doesn't like bananas. (How could anyone NOT like bananas?!!) You should see the look on his face. It's pretty funny. He spits them out.

And, he's become quite the KICKER. He just kicks and kicks. If I set him somewhere far away from me, he finds his way back so he can kick me. No fun!

He likes to hold things in his hands. It's fascinating.

consolidations

Hi! We're feeling more and more settled. And it's a great feeling. I was performing at a high level before Isaac came along---clean house, cooked meals, house & affairs completely organized and the dogs got 4-5 mile walks every day 5 times a week. I thought, I can do this stay-at-home thing with my eyes closed! HA!

Then Isaac came along, we moved, Dave started school, and my caregiving role with my mom kicked into high gear.

Things kind of fell apart while I was recovering from childbirth and adjusting to all the changes.

So, even though I've boasted about how 'together' I've been able to be, it's been on an 'event'-type basis. Hosting guests, entertaining for Christmas, and what not.

Everything has been very ad-hoc otherwise. Sometimes I'm great at keeping the food coming, the laundry done, OR the house clean, but not all everything at the same time. This has been really annoying to me, and I'm sure it's been less than comfortable for Dave and my mom. It's like it was the same as when I worked all the time. For me to be a stay-at-home person, it's been really frustrating.

HOWEVER, I am happy to report, that since the end of the holiday season, things have gotten much much better. That happens to coincide with when Isaac started sleeping through the night...could there be a link? Possibly.

Another contributing factor is that Dave's stress level is palpable. I can just look at him and see how tired he is. I feel SOOOOOOOOOOOO bad that he's got such a heavy load. He always is reminding me that this is what he has wanted to do ever since he graduated college--to get an advanced degree and a professional career of some sort.

And that is true, it just happens to be that it was now or never for us to have a family that would be genetically related to us. And, it just happens to be the time that my mom's health is faltering. So--those were real life considerations that weren't always factors, but now they are.

None-the-less, Dave's stress is painful to witness. So--I'm uber-motivated to make life here as smooth, easy, comfortable and beautiful as possible for Dave. So--when he is home and has one minute to relax, there's food, clean laundry, and freshly clean, sweet-smelling rooms.

I've kept our 3rd floor spotless and immaculate since New Years. Like a photographer could come over and take pictures for a magazine. With, clean laundry every day and home cooked meals. This weekend I was able to get the 2nd floor to be that way! And, I know I can keep it together from my experience.

It sounds so stupid and ordinary--but just remember, I'm the only one who can work on it. Dave literally studies or works 100% of his time, and so I do EVERYTHING else. Everything. Those of you who know me well know that I struggle with consistency and following through on new habits.

I even started getting photo albums together on Facebook! I can email links to anyone who wants to see more than what we have here on the blog. You don't have to join Facebook to see them. Just let me know.

I'm not quite back to the level of pre-baby--but things are soooo much better than they were. It feels really good. Maybe we could handle a second child after all?!

Love you and miss you. Email us at schleiferkin@gmail.com. OR--better yet, JOIN FACEBOOK!