Back to Work

Things have gotten very busy this last week. I am ready to go back to teaching a class at UNL this next week and it has really been a scramble to put together lessons and prepare. Travis' new work schedule will keep him home on Tuesdays to watch the boys in the morning and maybe give me some office time on Wednesdays, while my mom will watch them on Thursdays. I am looking forward to having time out of the house, giving me time to teach and work on my thesis. It is hard to make that time on my own, so taking up the class has kind of forced me into it. Leaving the house is the most difficult part of the day, but once I start writing up lecture notes or editing papers I remember how important it is to me to have an intellectual life that gets me out of the house and distracts me from dirty diapers, laundry, and toddler temper tantrums.

Caleb is still focused on eating and sleeping, not doing much else yet. However, from time to time he smiles in his sleep and we look forward to the times in the day where he watches us walk around the room or gazes contentedly at the lights.

For his part, Noah has started to find that not everything happens as quickly when the baby is with mom or dad and has become frustrated at times. If he wants juice, he may have to wait for a couple of minutes while dad finishes changing Caleb's diaper. When he wants help setting up his train set, mom may need five minutes to finish feeding Caleb. For the most part he handles this with grace, but there are times when he feels he needs our undivided attention...NOW! Noah will point to the baby carrier or attempt to bring it to us, saying "rock" meaning "put the baby in here and rock him while you play with me." Of course, Caleb is not always okay with this plan. They already know how to pull us in two directions at once. If you call and we don't answer, it's probably because our house has become a noisy place...two children screaming at once drowns out the ringer on the phone.