11 August 2007

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.




5 comments:

jenni said...

I was hoping for a Kierstin-blog soon!

And I love the painting.

jenni said...

Is it OK if your painting reminds me of a modern-day quilt? This is a compliment.

:)

Amy Alexander said...

I can relate to this post in so many ways! I am so proud of you for finding the time to remain creative and for prioritizing that part of yourself!

Christine said...

Oooooh, I love it. Beautiful, Kierst.

www.clairestrebeck.com said...

yes, i was excited to see your new post. i can relate, also with so much of what you said. his new found freedom is exciting. knox is learning to walk, and it scares me. he already crawls so fast, it'll be interesting to see how fast he runs! :)