I know, I sort of did seven quick takes on Monday, but that counted for last Friday instead of today, right?
I
It finally stopped snowing yesterday afternoon! The sparkly white
wonderland out my window looks so much less depressing under a bright
blue sky with the sun shining down. I have not quite reconciled myself
to its being winter yet, but I am certainly much less miserable about
it. The snow outside even makes the room brighter, as it reflects the
natural light in to us.
II
I can hear some people thinking "Oh, the
sun is shining. What is she complaining about? The snow will be gone
soon." Sorry to disappoint, but that isn't how it works here... Since
Alaska is so much closer to the Pole, the angle of the earth has a much
greater impact on our climate. In the summer, this means that the sun is
hot and high in the sky, but in winter the sun is lower on the horizon,
eventually so low that we will barely see it. The low angle, and the
brief period of exposure each day, mean that the sun doesn't provide
enough heat to melt the snow. Even though the sun was shining brightly
at 2 pm yesterday, it was still only 25* F outside.
III
"Be not
afraid..." All of my dire fears of what could go wrong on our trip were
completely unnecessary; so far from spitting curdled milk at the
passenger behind us or all over the rental car, Little Bear didn't throw
up a single time, the whole trip! (He waited until we were at the
library yesterday, far from a change of clothes for mommy... but that
doesn't make me any less grateful!) Yet another reminder not to worry...
I know that it never does me any good, and that a problem won't be any
worse for my not having worried myself sick over it, but it can be so
difficult to just let go and say "Whatever You will," taking things as
they come.
IV
Little Bear seems to have taken his entire week's
worth of naps while we were traveling... He hasn't taken a nap longer
than 45 minutes since we got home. One sleep habit he does seem to have
retained from our trip, though, has been so welcome: falling back to
sleep at night. Before we left, he would usually need to be held and
walked at least once in the middle of the night. Since the trip, though,
he has been willing to eat and doze off quickly whenever he wakes up at
night.
V
Today was my second chiropractor appointment. Toward the
end of the first trimester with Little Bear, I developed problems with
my hips, often with pain to the point that I couldn't walk. I saw a
couple of physicians, and the consensus was that it was probably being
caused by pregnancy hormones and would go away after birth. Six weeks
postpartum it still hadn't cleared up, and my midwife suggested that the
offending hormones (if it was hormone-related) might be present until
Little Bear stopped nursing. A few weeks ago, I finally gave in and
booked an appointment with a chiropractor to find some relief in the
meantime. So far, so good... I can't feel much difference in my hips
yet, but the related pain at the base of my spine has decreased
dramatically.
VI
We're all fortunate that Little Bear isn't old
enough to realize that the pictures on the pages have something to do
with what mommy is saying. Years of reading the same stories over and
over to my siblings mean that now, I can recite Goodnight Moon while
paging through Field & Stream, and the baby doesn't know the
difference!
VII
There's one particular story which, even though I
have it memorized, I could never do that to: The Little Mouse, The Red
Ripe Strawberry, and The Big Hungry Bear, by Don and Audrey Wood. The
illustrations are too much fun. We read that book so frequently, Little
Bear may have it memorized by the time he can talk!Done for this week... check out more Quick Takes at ConversionDiary.com!
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