Learning to crawl.

today, so far, is feeling a lot less like a saturday than i'd hoped. we did sleep in till 9:30 which i guess is saturdayish, but then there are always tasks to be done. lately, i find myself looking forward to weekends even more than i did when i was "working" full time. the craving for family-time and a break from routine has intensified now that we have eli, and jeremy is tied to his computer weekdays from eight to six.

this morning, jeremy is cleaning the garage, and i paused from simultaneously writing a grocery list, emptying the dishwasher, and brewing iced tea to sit down and compose a blog while eli naps. the forks reminded me that it's been too many days since i've written.

eli has his first two bottom teeth emerging, and has begun scoot-creep-crawling, which i find both exciting and worrisome. now he is at eye (and hand) level with the dog, cat, my not always clean kitchen floor, and a variety of cords, water dishes, and various other hazards soon to be baby-proofed. i will admit that it is very nice to be able to put him down now, to let him scootch across the floor on his belly, feet tromping the tiles in a mermaid-like motion to get where he wants to go. this buys me a little more time to prepare dinner or fold a load of laundry while he's captivated by the toy-buffet of colorful plastic spoons and lids within his reach.

last night i dreamt that jeremy and i went to Europe, twice. we packed, flew across the seas to look at ruins and cathedrals, then came home, re-packed, and flew to Europe again. the second time, eli was with us. awake now, i can see that my quest for adventure and creative inspiration has been redefined. this side of pregnancy, adventure looks a bit more like chasing a curious six month old as he scuttles across the house. it means finding mystery through his perspective, as i squeeze the upright shampoo bottle during his bath and watch his eyes widen at the tiny bubbles that float into the air.

i completed a painting last week (after eli's bedtime) using many shades of intersecting blues and greens. honestly, i hadn't thought much about any meaning behind it until jeremy noticed that the design seems much less simple than paintings i've done in the past. usually i paint a singular object: dog, tree, olive. i'm not sure if his interpretation is what i subconsciously intended, but i can agree that life has become a good bit more multi-focused. definitely less simple. still, we are navigating our way through it happily and steadily, scooting along on our stomachs to get where we want to go.