New House

Something about settling in feels literally like that, like slowly seeping our lives and stuff into all the cracks and corners of this house. The odd bits and awkward spaces have already become commonplace, and I'm trying to figure out a way to curate pretty little collections of clutter. Whenever I feel bad at that, I think of what grounds me. It used to be the baby wrapping lady with the long skirts and dream catchers. For now it's the Waltons and that green gingham tablecloth and all the bread and pie. I am obsessive and easily overwhelmed, especially by the esoteric rigors of modernity, but bread and pie I can do. Be a mother. Love my family. Stop worrying about being good at things I might not be good at.

Well, my grumpy girl woke up in the midst of this, so I'm typing with one hand now (the left, no less!), and that has its way of culling necessity. So as I rock her, prone on my stretched legs, with one foot over the other (a trick my cousin just taught me), I'll finish up with recent pictures.

Some final sleeps at Grandma's house.


Things to embarrass them by. Joah's face isn't lying, he loves the nights that Ammi participates in bath time.


Blue winter light. She's wearing a sweater I made for her. There's so much more to knit, but I can't find the time.


I love this clever smile.


Joash craves the division of attentions and demanded that Ammi join in story time. Today they invented a game called "Ammi's Gonna Get You!" during which Joash sees Ammi sitting on my lap, comes to wedge himself in between and gets gummed by his sister.


This bed thing is going over much better than the time we tried in Korea. He sits behind his rail, shouting, "Mama! Come get me!" and so far hasn't yet left his room of his own volition. I wasn't even going to start messing with all of this, as I was still suffering the trauma of the first attempt, but we had moved the bed into his room, and he kept asking to sleep in it.

 
Snuggles and faces with her Papa.


Making sure I'm still here, I guess.