200th Post!

I am surfacing from the vast and various alternate universes of my students' papers to try to write a bit. I am graded 7--yes, that's SEVEN--papers so far today, and Amelia is about to finish out hour 3--yes, that's THREE--of her nap, so I figure I have about 15 minutes to write.

The 200th post is a milestone, or it seems like it should be. But this will be rushed. I feel like I have a lot to say and not much time, so here are ten facts about our lives lately, in no particular order:

1. We are still tired. Last week Amelia gave us 2 glorious nights of a full 8 hours of sleep, then went back to her old pattern of waking up 2-3 times a night. Sometimes she will go back to sleep on her own, sometimes not. Is she teething? Lonely? In some sort of new developmental leap? I don't know. I have grown weary of speculating about it. All that gives me hope is how many people promise that eventually she will sleep more. Today I was looking at the pear trees that have bloomed behind our house, whose white blossoms somehow reminded me that last year at this time I was throwing up every morning. So next year, maybe I will the pear trees blooming will remind me that last year at this time, I was so, so tired, and it will have passed.

2. Amelia is sitting up on her own! Sort of. If you're not right there with her she'll wilt or flop down and bang her head on the ground. Still, it's fun to be able to read to her or play with her without always also holding her.

3. Amelia has become more interested in rice cereal, especially since 2 days ago when we mixed in a mushed up slice of banana. We are going to try applesauce and green beans this weekend.

4. It occurred to me yesterday that teaching part time and staying with Amelia the rest of the time is the hardest thing I have ever done. Although it's great to have all the help we have, when I am alone with A during the days, I feel like a just do a rather bad job at both preparing for school and caring for her. However, I suspect that any combination of working and having a baby--working full time and leaving her with someone else for most of the week, or staying home with her exclusively-- would still be the hardest thing I have ever done. So I am reminding myself to enjoy all the benefits of the situation I am in, particularly all the wonderful grandmother time A enjoys.

5. I have written exactly zero poems or poem-like things since I began grading these
godforsaken papers. I got a little note from the American Poetry Review yesterday; shockingly, they did not accept the poem I submitted for publication. I have had lots of ideas for poems, though, and have scribbled some of them on scraps of paper. So that's something, I guess.

6. Amelia is waking up. So only 6 things about our lives. I am posting this without rereading it. Wish me luck on the papers, and I'll try to post more pictures soon.