Falling into routine

October first!

I can hardly believe it. We experienced our first truly cold morning and blustery chilly day today on the first of October. Luke and Jules came in from playing with runny noses and pink cheeks and smelling like crisp air and woodsmoke. Fall is really upon us.

Life is settling into a lovely rhythm. Luke is in school Tuesday and Thursday mornings. I drop him off a bit before 9 and head straight to the gym with Jules. A workout and some relaxing in the cafe, then my girl and I go on one errand running date. Doing ANYTHING with just one child vs. two toddlers is so much easier, and so much fun. She is a delight, and I think that the one on one time is really good for her. I don't know exactly when Julia became so much easier ~ but she did and I feel the need to sing her praises. After being in a bit of a clingy/demanding place this spring she has completely come into her own. Her sense of humor has really developed and she loves to copy anything that any one of us is doing at any time. She has a tenderness that I love, and just melts into my arms when I pick her up. I'm loving my time alone with my girl. We pick Luke up at 12 ~ the kids are out on the playground so Jules get to play some while I talk with the teachers and the other Moms. I get excited to pick up the infamous bucket, which is always crammed with some sort of artistic creation. The teachers tell me that Luke asks to make two of every picture ("One for my Julia").....so he frequently comes home with two creations. To say that he has made the adjustment to preschool easily would be an understatement. One day when I got there he looked at me, his face lit up, then fell, as he instantly said "I don't want to go home yeeeeeet Mama!". I felt hurt, and proud (and hurt) all at the same time. Tuesday when I picked him up he also had a Scholastic book order form in his bucket. I was hit with a visceral physical reaction of shock and awe ~ I had completely forgotten about those things! I instantly remembered bringing them home from school and spending hours agonizing over them, reading each description over and over, and circling and starring the books that I most fervently hoped that I might be allowed to order. How it is possible that I went from there to being the MOM of a child ordering those books so quickly is beyond me. I can't wait to place his first order (after spending hours reading all of the descriptions and circling and starring my favorites, of course).

Wednesday is play group, which has been a happy staple in our lives for almost 3 years now. That leaves Mondays and Fridays to go the the PTM, Zoo, moon bounce, or to get together with friends. The kids sleep so long in the afternoon that we have to keep it to short adventures when they wake up, a trip to the library or to visit family or a walk around the borough. Somedays it is just fort building and lots of book reading while cuddled under blankets in the living room. Today that time was spent exploring outside with Daddy and climbing all over a huge tree that fell down in Buddy's yard. Then it is home for the eat dinner/bath/bed routine. Jules is in bed by 7, and Luke between 7.30 and 8, depending on how long he slept at nap time. Sometime around 7 or 7.30 am the whole routine begins again.

We have escaped illness thus far, but I am sure that it is lurking right around the corner. Between school, and the gym, and the million other kids and people that we interact with on a weekly basis, there are simply too many germs to avoid them all. You can't swing a dead cat these days without hitting a story about H1N1, and there is a ton of conflicting information and fear mongering going on in the media. We have been and will continue to follow common sense procedures like tons of hand washing and good nutrition and lots of sleep and we hope to avoid serious illness this winter. Happy fall and may EVERYONE who reads this stay healthy this winter!