Sundays in the Park with Gabe

Sundays are my favorite day of the week. They are the only days when I am guaranteed to have Gabe at home all day. We spend the mornings at church and then cook, nap, and read together. The highlight of the day is usually a Sunday evening walk in the park near our home. The park looked gorgeous this week and the trees were festooned in all their fall splendor! Whenever I lament the lack of space in our current apartment, I remember how lucky we are to live near such wonderful public parks. It is one of the reasons we enjoy living in the city. I hope all of you are enjoying this prolonged Autumn season as much as us!

Culinary Adventures

Persy had her first taste of "real food" this week. She seems to be enjoying the new sensation, (despite looked very concerned in this picture!)

So Long, Library "Anne"

For reasons far too boring to name, I have decided to leave my job at the library and stay at home with Persephone. My last day will be the 24th of this month. I wish the situation had worked out, because I've really enjoyed my job. It was a difficult choice to make, but I'm grateful that Gabe's job situation makes this option possible for our family. Here are a few things I'll miss about being Library "Anne."

1. Being able to peruse an endless selection of titles as I check-in books.
2. Having literary conversations with random strangers throughout the day.
3. Having "back stage" access to the awesome downtown library.
4. No library fines.
5. My fun and quirky co-workers.
6. Rainy and snowy days spent in a library.
7. Doing the children's story time and book baby programs.
8. My fun responsibility of picking art work for display in the library's gallery.
9. Staff Development Day
10. Being proud to work for such an awesome organization.

Notable

I'm the type of person that has notebooks throughout my house with lists of goals, thoughts, phone numbers etc. Yesterday, I came across a funny list that I had written about one of our symphony performances last year. The symphony had chosen to play a more experimental piece. Here is what Gabe had to say about the number:

* "I'd rather be vomiting!"
* "It killed my love of symphony!"
* "It was like squashing bunnies!"
* "It was worse than the Bar Exam!"
* "It was the enemy of fun!"

And my personal favorite . . .
* "They should play this piece for Al-Qaeda detainees."

Reading that little list had me chuckling all over again. Gabe can be so passionate and funny sometimes!

Transitions

We are going through a rather traumatic transition this week as we are weening Persy away from swaddling and sleeping in her car seat to sleeping in a play pen with her arms free. In sounds like such a minor change, but 4 month babies really lack life perspective, (and new mothers sometimes too!) We decided it was necessary to stop swaddling because she is close to rolling over and we felt concerned about both the way that she was starting to inch out of the car seat and the danger of her rolling over and not having her arms free to push up and breathe in the middle of the night. I know that this is necessary, but it takes some serious conviction and stamina to keep calming Persy for hours on end as she makes this transition. Last night, I had to get up with her no less than 7 times in order to comfort her and put her Binky back in her mouth.

Seeing her so distressed also makes me feel like I'm doing something wrong. I constantly read, research, and question: Should I let her "cry it out" so she can learn to "self soothe"? How long should I let her cry before I comfort her and intervene? Will this be damaging to her emotionally? Should I ween her from the Binky as well? Should I let her go to bed with her silky blanket or will this pose a suffocation hazard in her crib? On, and on, and on. I realize that there is no "right" answer here, but I can't help but search in hopes of a solution. (I'd also LOVE to hear from any of you if you have good advice to give!)

It's interesting the Persy's transition should coincide with some of my own transitions. I can't help but think that I have a loving Heavenly Father who tries to ween me away from my own personal crutches and shakes His head to see me fuss over such minor changes. Being a parent has me constantly thinking of my own childish behaviors and tendencies and how the Lord is tirelessly trying to teach me and help me to refine myself. My daughter and I are growing together and I only hope that I can become the type of person that I want her to become.