Travels

We've been on the go for the past two weekends. Last weekend we attended the Yale Glee Club's 145th anniversary reunion. Someone asked me why the Glee Club reunites in February. I couldn't say. The season became especially relevant this time, when our return home was delayed a day, and then overnight, waiting out the region's biggest blizzard on record. But before the blizzard, we had a good time at the reunion catching up with old friends and making music. I appreciated the chance to work through a few pieces in close detail with a large choir for the first time in years. And according to Tom, Edith loved the music workshop for children. She was the youngest there by four years, but it didn't stop her from crawling up to the teacher, pulling up, and demanding attention. Or more appropriately, watching the older children sing rounds.

Gretchen introduces Edith to the Glee Club room (and Marshall Bartholomew)

This weekend we were in Boston, feting the anticipated springtime arrival of a good friend's baby. There were two other babies a few months younger than Edith in attendance at the shower--more buddies! It was helpful for me to see another child close to her age for an extended period (as opposed to the few minutes when I pick her up or drop her off at school). It made me realize that there are some fundamental temperamental differences between even babies. It's something I know at one level, of course, but can forget when parents start talking developmental milestones, making it seem like all children go through identical phases. So when other women with children Edith's age talk about loving this age because it's so interesting and so much easier than dealing with a newborn, and my mouth falls open--it may not be that I am nuts and a poor mother (at least, not only that) but perhaps also that their babies of the same age simply move around less and have longer attention spans for stationary activities than Edith does.

Dressed up for the baby shower--and the cold Boston weather

There were no stationary activities at our next stop, though. We visited Tom's former boss, who has acquired two toddlers since we last saw him. The household was in constant motion from the time we got there until the time we left. Edith held her own with two energetic older boys. She was only temporarily fazed by taking a remote control to the face. And she got her own back during dinner: The adults were at the table eating, along with the two year old in his high chair, while the two younger ones played on the floor. Suddenly the two year old started wailing, "I'm too far from the table!" We turned to see that--you guessed it--Little Miss Furniture Mover had been steadily pushing him backwards from the table across the kitchen.

After all that activity, my college roommate Lina's six-week-old son was a breeze. And so strong--lifting his torso and looking around at faces. He was a sweetheart, and his parents seemed very happy.

We rounded out our lightning trip by introducing Edith to her Great Uncle Ken and Great Aunt Robin over a delicious breakfast this morning. She took to them immediately, as you can see:






And then Edith climbed aboard her chariot, took the reins, and turned the team for home. We miss having close friends nearby. Weekends like these do the heart good.