Thursday, August 30, 2007

Stay at Home Dad

These past few weeks have been interesting to say the least. While Becca is working hard during the day, barely finding time to break for lunch, I'm wandering around our tiny apartment picking up toys and puree-ing food for Simon eating my lunch anytime in between 11:00 and 2:00. The role reversal was quite of abrupt even though we had months to prepare for the inevitable. One day, Becca was at home sewing curtains and feeding Simon whenever he was hungry, and then the next she was dressed in a pant suit and dashing out the door briefcase in hand. (Actually, it was a a discreetly packaged breastpump)
I don't really have a lot of free time. At least not a lot of time to myself. Simon takes naps two or three times a day, but I'm usually washing dishes or laundry, making the bed, or other domestic duties. When he's awake, we enjoy playing with blocks, stuffed bears, Maggie, etc. We go for walks in Wash Park or on campus occasionally too. It's great to be able to stay at home rather than have someone else watch him. Becca already feels like she's missing most of his life, but at least she has me to tell her what Simon did during the day.
My school will be starting very soon, less than a week and a half. I was able to sign up for 3 classes which I believe will be a big enough load. DU works on the quarter system which is 10 weeks of class, 1 week of exams. I went by the bookstore to pick up my textbooks and walked out the door with a stack of ten books. I don't know that I've ever read a book a week. Actually, there was one summer when I joined the book club at my library at the age of 13. I think I read every Hardy Boy book available during that summer. That must have been more than a book a week.
I am looking forward to having some academic motivation and mental work. I don't want to atrophy! It will be interesting to find out how much work I will have and when I'll find the time to do it.

Monday, August 27, 2007

9 months later

Simon is 9 months old! Remembering his very humble beginning, it's amazing to see how far he has come. He is now sitting up on his own and plays vigorously with his toys. He's eating solids three times a day and loves everything he's tried so far (except for the first time he had peas). We are expecting him to crawl any day and his limited mobility is beginning to annoy him. He sees something just out of reach and stretches out until it seems he might fall forward. Just before he does, he leans back into his sitting pose, observes the situation, and tries again. He loves paying attention to small details. Yesterday, I watched him pinch at a french knot on a baby blanket about the size of a lentil for about 10 minutes. That is the stay at home dad equivilant to watching paint dry, but I think he was entertained. Also, Simon woke up from a nap the other day with his second tooth. I don't know how he can be so productive during sleep!

Saturday, August 4, 2007

It's About Time!

I know, I know. It's about time that we updated our blog. We have been so busy with moving and unpacking that we just haven't had the time. Besides, I think you wouldn't like to see pictures of us elbow deep in the cardboard liquor boxes we used for moving. I think our new neighbors suspect that we might have a drinking problem. Actually our neighbors are very nice. Two of them are nurses and one of them works for the archdiocese of Denver.
Our apartment is set off of the street and has a feeling of being completely separate from the rest of the neighborhood. We have a small backyard and great landscaping, although it looks a bit overgrown. We are very lucky not to have to mow the lawn or do any of the landscaping. It's all taken care of by the property management!
Becca has been busy with the job search while I gear up for school on Sept. 10th. She has had several good leads that have led to interviews and is anxiously waiting for this part of her summer to be finished. I received a letter from DU this week with information on orientation and registration. I had been planning on taking 3 classes a quarter and finishing the degree in 1.5 years. Now that I look at the classes offered and the money I'll be spending for school, it's tempting to take more classes since it'll be cheaper. It's really hard to fight the temptation to take a FULL load of six classes because in the end I would be able to save $16,000. But with Simon under my care, I feel that 4 classes may be a more attainable goal. This will allow me to continue directing the Mile High Community Band, which is a lot of fun and also pays decent.
The next several days, we'll put some pictures of our new apartment, our camping trip to Kenosha Pass, and OF COURSE new pictures of our adorable little Simon. Here's a recent one of that cute guy!