I'm feeling very accomplished lately.

What have I done? Well, I've had a couple of articles published, and I turned in a third one to my editor this morning. I've finished knitting a few new things, and I'm working on another hat in the evenings. Eric and I rearranged the bedroom a little bit, unblocking a few vents, and as a result, our room is much cooler and more comfortable at night. Finally, I'm in the middle of making arrangements for Sam and I to start making regular volunteer visits to the residents of a local nursing home.

     That's not just you, though, Mama.

Beg pardon?

     That's going to be an accomplishment of mine, too. I'm going to be the one they love to see; the lady at the nursing home said so.

Well, that's right, I suppose. You're going to be the star of the show.

     Tell them what else I can do now.

Show-off. Let's see; you're taking two and three steps on your own now without falling down. You just learned how to climb down off the bed all by yourself, as long as somebody is there to make sure you have your balance for the final drop. You got your top two teeth in, and you've been using the on all kinds of new foods.

     Like apple pie!

Yes, apple pie. You certainly did enjoy that one.

     I 'specially liked the crust that had ice cream on it. Mama, can we have some more apple pie today?

Maybe later. Now where was I? You've been busy making friends lately. You play in the church nursery and are the only one who never needs to have his parents called because he's crying. Yesterday you looked out the window and called the name of the little girl who lives next-door. I'm sure she would have been impressed.

     Yeah. She didn't come and play with me, though.

She wasn't home.

     Oh.

Yes, everybody's been busy around these parts. My brother came to visit for the Fourth of July, and we did the fireworks thing with the baby. Sam was really tired by the time we went, but he didn't fuss much at all; at first he was uncertain about all the bright lights, but he was fine as long as I held him. Eventually, he let me hold him like a newborn in my arms while his eyelids dropped lower and lower, and he dropped off to sleep in the middle of the loud booming and cracking. He didn't wake up when I put him in the car, and he even stayed asleep while I undressed him, changed his diaper, and put him in bed. Long day, I suppose.

Even with all the industriousness, though, it's been pretty quiet around here while Sam and I have been housebound without a car. The poor boy was suffering deeply without being able to see his best friends, so I've been compensating by taking him for walks in the sling. When he does get to see other kids, his whole face lights up with joy as he engages them in play almost immediately. How I birthed such an extrovert, I'll never know.

Trying to decide what to do this weekend. Last night, I suggested to Eric that we could either go to a local medieval fair (yes, it's a cheesy one) or to a butterfly house in a neighboring town. Sam would get a huge kick out of either one, so I'm game for whatever we do. Eric seemed amenable, too.

We noticed last weekend that when we have a project on which we can work together, we are much less prone to argue. Simply rearranging the bedroom made for a more peaceful day. Maybe if we plan our weekends better - and I avoid Eric's hot-button of trying to do trips without fore-planning or pre-made arrangements - we can start to heal some of our rifts.

It's a nice day, so I'm going to take Sam on a walk to the convenience store for sandwiches for lunch. See you later!