Dining, discussing, reading, reflecting. The usual rigmarole*

by chuckofish

My mother kindly sent me her copy of Amor Towles’s A Gentleman in Moscow, which I am reading a few pages at a time when I can. I am here to reiterate that reading Towles is a true pleasure, and that this novel feels particularly relevant at this moment:

Having acknowledged that a man must master his circumstances or otherwise be mastered by them, the Count thought it worth considering how one was most likely to achieve this aim when one had been sentenced to a life of confinement.

Well, we continue to search for ways to master our current circumstances. It is not easy, and in the case of my academic workplace, I don’t even know what the circumstances are going to be when I return to work. It is driving me quite nuts as my leave draws to a close.

But that’s enough of that — who can complain when they get to stare at their darling daughter day in and day out? Lately, she has been staring back, which obviously turns me into a puddle of love:

Katie is now 8 weeks old! She is much more engaged with the world, paying more attention to sights and sounds. We know she is a Compton lady because she loves, in particular, to study brown furniture. (The secretary is her number one object of fascination!) While she is a champion sleeper at night, now only needing one feeding between bedtime and morning (!!!), naps are getting harder because she just wants to hang out with her mom. (I don’t blame her.)

She is getting lots of exercise on the play mat and brief stints of tummy time when she can bear it. Next week she will have her 2-month pediatrician appointment, and we’ll be able to report back with her new “stats.” In my mind, she’s bigger just about every time I pick her up!

So if you had a hard week, just remember…

Baby smiles are a thing!!

*Amor Towles. Katie’s usual is: dining, burping, kicking, sleeping. A good life!