Winding Down

If summer for a school teacher had a shape, I think it'd have to be like one of those funnels for coins. (You know, the kind they always have at the doorway of a sciency museum, the ones you always end up emptying your pockets for because of how fun the kids think it is to watch the money go around and around into the abyss.) When you finally drop in, after an extra few days cleaning up -- or, heaven forbid, having to move -- your classroom, the days feel kind of wobbly, long and slow even if you're moving rather fast. But then by the time it's almost over, it's like the days themselves are speeding up and shrinking in size to the point where you feel like you can actually see them physically come to an end right before your eyes.

I really can't speak for anyone else, but I find the whole thing a little unsettling. And yet, believe it or not, I also find having 9-10 consecutive weeks off of work isn't always as easy as it sounds. However, I'm not about to spend my last few precious moments of it trying to explain why.

Instead, let me just focus on the positive and tell you how great it's been to be in our pajamas till 10a, and roaming the streets for as long or far as we like in the day, not worried in the slightest if bath time started at 9p or simply didn't happen.

And Django is such a different creature than he was back in early June -- no longer nursing, no longer fussing when I have to be away (whether that "away" is to the bathroom or to the dentist,) no longer asking for a hand over every threshold and up every curb or ladder. He now recognizes all letters and numerals with near

100% accuracy, counts from 0-20 with ease, sings songs from memory (see earlier video proof) and recites lines from story books throughout the day. He cooks imaginary food and spends imaginary money, and if your especially fluent in Djanguage you might even catch him telling a joke. I tried to teach him to change his own diapers, but...that didn't go so well. Kidding.


In another two weeks, we'll be back to the old routine (slightly modified) -- up at 6a, out of the house by 7:15a, at school till 1p, home with Max in tow from then till 6p, on to dinner, bath and bed, repeat...Hard to imagine from here.