I'm Thankful For My Long Maternity Leave

After Georgia was born, I took 5 months off. After June was born, I took 6. This time around I'm taking 6 again. I know that if I only got 3 months off like a lot of people do, (which sadly, is actually more than some employees get), I would deal with it and the babies and I would be fine, because, well, that's what everyone else does, right? Just deals. (Quite well in most cases, I might add.) Given that I have the luxury of taking 6 months off, though, I have to pause and say how immensely grateful I am for it. I seriously cannot imagine being back at work right now. Blech. What a mess it would be for everyone in our family and our so-called schedule, or more accurately, lack thereof. Not to mention my ill-fitting pants.

My hat's off to those of you who have gone back to work with far less leave. I know there are some women chomping at the bit to get back to work after having a baby, but either I just have a less exciting job or else that's just not me. Hopefully I'll be ready to go back by the time my 6 months are up, but right now it feels like everything's moving too quickly.

Well, that's all really. I'm extremely thankful for my maternity leave and felt like I should mention it.

The Real Story of Thanksgiving

Joe:  "Nice drawings.  It's just like the first Thanksgiving."

Georgia (exasperated in a "duh, Dad" kind of way):  "I know, Dad.  We read a book about it.  Noah built a boat to carry the Indians and pomegranates across things."

Wow.  Just wow.  I had no idea.  Also, what are they teaching my child at this school? 


Apparently at our house, P is for pomegranate.

What is Art, Anyway?

Here it is, the overdue Georgia preschool update:  she loves it!  The nervous puking episode was short lived, she has made lots of friends and says things like, "I wish I had school every day."  Awesome! (The good news is that her separation anxiety has nothing to do with the academic setting specifically.  The bad news is that it extends pretty much everywhere. She's making progress but has a ways to go.)  Anyway, school is great.  Yea!     

The stuff coming home with the girls cracks me up.  At June's co-op they do traditional art projects, and since the room is full of two year olds, the kids get quite a bit of help.  At Georgia's Montessori preschool, I gather that they either aren't doing traditional art projects, or else she's electing not to do them.  So she comes home with things like envelopes full of cut up scraps of paper.  (Um, great work, honey. Way to practice your fine motor skills?)  The funny thing is that for every project that June brings home, Georgia wants to re-create one of her own.  It's a win-win:  I love that I don't have to think of these ideas, and I'm hoping that June's getting a boost from seeing her big sister want to copy her work.   

Check it out - Montessori "art" vs. co-op "art":


(Pay no attention to the crazy running girl in the background.)



Georgia's imitation:

(Pay no attention to the crazy goggled girl in the background.)