Daley Ponderings

This is what makes it all worth while

joyful — Sat, 08 Jun 2013 10:59:32 -0400

So last week I was worn out with the extra work that unexpected messes bring. Today I'm tired but happy about it.

Yesterday, Jon left very early to go on the church men's retreat. Our morning at home started out pretty badly (bickering/fighting) and the boys had to go run around the house in the rain (10 times for Noah, 20 for Jonathan). But that did its job and the morning chores got done well after that. Then was lunch, afternoon chores, special times, not too eventful (which is good!).

Then, the really good parts started! Jonathan had been wanting to make some French bread, and I suggested he make some for his youth group mock sleepover that night. So, Jonathan got out my Laurel's Kitchen Bread Book. This was his first attempt at making bread by hand, but he had read the directions thoroughly. His kneading was pretty vigorous ("What's that banging?" I thought from the other room.) but he did a great job. He started the first rise at 3pm. I was surprised that he put the dough to rise in a cool place, but he insisted that's what the directions said. He was right. Then as I read through, I realized there was no way it was going to be done before his 6:30 start time. French bread takes a VERY LONG TIME! So he made graham cracker, chocolate, marshmallow treats.

While Jonathan was waiting for his dough to rise, he composed a piano piece and Noah transcribed it. Yes, you read that right. The boy who had been complaining that very day about having to take piano lessons next year was happily composing. Noah taught Jonathan lots of things about musical notation, and they worked together so nicely. It was such a breath of fresh air (especially after the early part of the morning!) to observe. They came to me with a few questions, but mostly worked on it themselves. When they had finished, they asked me to play it from the paper.

We discovered the areas that Noah has not yet learned in music theory, and I offered to write it down completely so that someone else would be able to play it the way Jonathan wanted it. Jonathan actually had to run to his event before I was finished, but Noah helped me because he had a very good idea of how Jonathan had played it.

Noah did a really good job of transcription, considering he's six years old and has had one year of piano lessons:

2013-06-08_composition_transcription.pdf

Here is my transcription, approved by Jonathan:

2013-06-08_jdd_singing_lampreys.pdf

A video of me playing it will be found in our pictures page as soon as we figure out how to get videos off our new camera.

During the course of the evening, I followed the steps for the bread dough preparation. I realized soon enough that it would not be done until after midnight. (At least Grammy was bringing Jonathan home so I didn't have to run down there when everyone else was in bed and Daddy wasn't home.)

But I think I got a taste of what people have talked about for the teen years. Jonathan came home psyched from his time with his friends. Since I had to wait for the dough anyway, and everyone else was asleep, I was in a place where I could just relax and listen. It was such a blessing! I had the time to wait through the movie summary, and then we got to more meaty stuff after that. I'm so glad I get to be his mom, as challenging as some times are. This is the kind of thing that keeps me going.

And the bread was so delicious! We ate half of one of the loaves at midnight, fresh from the oven. Lightly browned, chewy, crispy crust, even a slightly fruity flavor. I have a baking artisan in my house! And the minor detail about having to brush our teeth again afterwards was worth it, by far.

We even looked up the rules on homestead bakery licenses in New Hampshire. He doesn't have to get one until he has $10k yearly in sales. We did a lot of midnight math and after determining that he'd have to bake 54 dinner rolls each weekday for a year to make that much, we concluded that he'd be all right in not getting the license. (:

So yes, I'm tired today. I stayed up until past midnight with my oldest, and of course my youngest still woke me up earlier than everyone else (but really, 8am is completely reasonable!) But I'm happy.

Strike Three, I'm Ready To Be Out

joyful — Sat, 01 Jun 2013 10:55:59 -0400

Thursday morning, we wake up to find mouse droppings and other evidence all over the kitchen. Result: big kitchen scrubdown.

Friday morning, Noah wakes up to find that the silly putty he fell asleep with is now melted into his pants, sheets, and blanket. Result: big fabric scrubdown.

This morning, the boys wake up with pink, swollen, itchy faces. It turns out they have been making Indian bows and arrows with poison ivy vines for the bowstrings. Result: big boy scrubdown.

(We're still in the middle of that. I haven't yet gone out to spray the loads of poison ivy that turns out to be in their fort area. And who knows how much poison oil they've tracked all over the house...)

I really hope that tomorrow is a day of rest.

Pocket Notes

joyful — Tue, 14 May 2013 17:43:25 -0400

Joy says "lellow" for yellow, which appears to be her favorite color.

4/24 - Jeremiah figured out his thumb! It's the left one he sucks. Does this mean I'll finally get a left-hander?

4/26 - Sometimes when school runs past noon, Joy decides to get lunch for herself. Usually, she doesn't do too badly of a job - cheese and crackers, cereal, an apple or banana. This day, however, she got into Jonathan's chocolate stash and ate half a milk chocolate ovomaltine bar!

4/29 - Faith came up to me and said, "Mom, say, 'little boat' ten times fast."

4/29 - Jeremiah likes to watch his fist, moving his hand and wrist. I like this stage. I like lots of stages. (:

5/7 - Joy can say the /k/ sound now! She doesn't yet use it in all the words that have it, but is increasing her use.

5/7 - This was the day Joy got out a nice lunch. Leftover soup, poured into her own bowl, cheese, which she sliced with the cheese cutter, and a box of oatmeal packets which she opened but didn't prepare.

5/11 - Joy was sleepy, lying on the couch, singing to herself, "Mommy love you, Thay love you, Miah love you, Dad-o love you, Daddy love you, Papa love you, Don love you, Noah love you, Damma love you, etc."

I've noticed I don't have much on Jonathan and Noah lately, so I'll try to think of some of their accomplishments. But right now I'll write just one becuase it's dinner time - prepared by them!

Pocket Notes

joyful — Tue, 23 Apr 2013 07:10:26 -0400

3/30 - Jeremiah started cooing. He also can make minimal forward progress along the bed when waking up.

Joy says "my do it" for many things. She also pronounces "water" correctly now instead of saying "wow". She's also really good at remembering to say thank you. (Sounds like "dankt you")

4/7 - Jonathan, as we were walking to church: "The air tastes fresh and crisp like a Cortland apple." (This is from the boy who during school time says he can't write poetry. I think what he really means is he doesn't like to write poetry when constrained by meter and rhyme.)

4/17 - Joy, starting to progress to full sentences, "Uh-oh, where my coat?"

That same evening, Joy put away the pasta sauce from dinner, scooping it out of the pot into a container all by herself. Yes, there were drips on the table, but not too bad, really.

4/22 - We had a young friend over for lunch, and she wondered if Mr. Daley was going to come have lunch. Here is Noah's response, summarizing Daddy's life: "He sleeps, then he eats breakfast, then he works, works, works, then he eats dinner, then he sleeps, then he eats breakfast, then he works, works, works, ..."

I might add, on some days, some more "works, works, works" after dinner and before sleep. I hope his customers are thankful for him! (We are thankful for them - and him!)

4/22 - Me, to Joy, "Why is your hair all wet?" Joy, "Um . . . water?"

A picture of Jonathan at about 3-4 months came up on our computer - it has been confirmed: Jeremiah looks like Jonathan! Joy was convinced it was "Miah".

That reminds me. Joy says all of our names now: "Daddy, Mommy, Djon, Noah, Thae, Me, Miah"

Pocket Notes

joyful — Fri, 29 Mar 2013 17:43:28 -0400

3/24 - Faith counts to 100 by ones.

3/25 - Joy says "Miah" for Jeremiah. She started this before that day, but that's the
first day I realized that was what she was saying.

3/25 - Joy sorts the Peanut Butter and Jelly cards by type, all on her own initiative, and
correctly.

3/26 - Noah read Faith's handwriting scripture upside-down. He only had trouble on the
longest words (like "Scripture").

3/28 - Joy counts, "3, 2, 3, 2, 5, 2, 3..."

Joy now consistently calls Jonathan "Jon".

She also says "God Bless You" when someone sneezes, and it sounds like "Blebt, bloo"

Pocket Notes

joyful — Tue, 19 Mar 2013 17:16:54 -0400

Oh, yes. It has been half a year since my last pocket notes post...

9/6 - Joy says "yum" and "yummy", "all done/gone" (sounds like ah-doh), "where shoe?", and "mine" (sounds like my)

9/25 - Faith reading the Bible to Joy: "When you want Mommy to cuddle with you but she can't, you aren't alone because God is with you."

Faith also reminded herself of this as she went down to put tools away in the basement.

9/28 - Noah let me listen to his piano practice and I was impressed with his progress: both hands, dynamics, steady rythmn

10/2 - Noah lost his upper left second incisor. It had to come out to make room for the new first incisor. That is, he lost three baby teeth to make room for two adult teeth. As of March, he has not lost any more.

10/12 - Jon felt the baby move

~10/12 - Joy says, "'kay" for ok

10/14 - Faith felt the baby move

10/14 - Joy says, "two, three" sounds like "do, wee"

10/17 - Joy says, "hot" sounds like a breathy "ha"

10/21 - I turn 33.

10/24 - Joy says, "thank you" sounds like "tha tchoo"

10/31 - The almost-went-to-the-doctor day. Joy put a bead up Faith's nose (I think she was lying down). After much distress in attempting extraction, I finally got it with a toothpick. Later that same day, Jonathan cut his ankle on a piece of broken tile. He was very dramatic about it, which we have started to treat as the boy crying wolf, but when I actually saw it, I agreed that it was pretty impressive. But a butterfly closure did the trick and we did not need to go get stitches.

11/1 - Joy put on Faith's shirt, underwear, and shorts - she wants to be just like big sister!

11/1 - Joy said, "Faith" sounds like Thay.

11/18 - Jonathan turns 9

11/21 - Isaac would be 10. Wow.

12/8 - We move into our own house!

1/18 - Joy poured her own milk by herself (with the last of the gallon).

1/9 - I was looking for electrical caps. Joy said, "dap!" and handed me the jar of caps.

1/26 - To Joy, every animal says "roar"

1/28 - Jonathan had a bad math day. The worksheet would say "what's the difference..." and Jonathan's answer was "one's longer".

2/2 - Jon's birthday party/Housewarming party

2/8 - I was using a measuring cup to scoop batter out, and Joy said, "me do cup please"

2/9 - Jonathan: "Nobody can argue that Mrs.Lull is a good teacher." Faith: "'Cause she is!"

Joy likes giving high fives. She'll say "fie!" and hold her palm up.

2/11 - Jon turns 36.

2/13 - Jeremiah is born.

2/15 - Joy, heading down the stairs, said, "Bye. Love you, Mommy."

Three of Joy's two year molars came in after I last brushed her teeth before Jeremiah was born and before I first brushed her teeth a week later. The slow one is the top left.

2/23 - Joy turns two.

3/10 - Joy sees Jeremiah spit up on my shoulder. She says, "Spill." and then goes and gets me a sponge.

3/16 - Faith reads! She reads the first several stories in I Can Read It! Book 1.

Pocket Notes

joyful — Sat, 29 Sep 2012 08:24:35 -0400

9/19 - Joy has been telling me when she needs a new diaper (patting her bottom) but this day, she got out the changing pad and wipes, set up the pad on the bathroom floor, put a new diaper on top of the wipes box, lay down on the pad, and called for me.

9/20 - Noah is definitely our hands-on guy. He asks for crafts related to what we do in school. When we read a book about archaeology, he immediately wanted to go dig in the back yard. He got a trowel and a sieve and a container to hold his treasures and happily dug and sifted for a long time.

~9/20 - Joy can say, "ow".

9/25 - Joy put on her own socks all by herself. Before this, she had successfully put on mine.

9/27 - Joy says "please" to go with her sign. It sounds like "wee".

9/27 - Sounding the same, but in a different context. When she plays with the abacus, she says, "wee, wee, wee" as she movs the beads. 9/28 - She also "counted" "wee, wee, wee" when playing with the corners cards.

9/28 - Faith really wanted to play Corners with me, so I made up a version she can do. (The "real" game involves finding numbers that add up to 5, 10, 15, or 20.) We played where we had to match the color and the numeral. Faith loved it!

Now Joy's "please" has some gentle consonant in front, similar to "fwee".

I am now 19 weeks into the pregnancy, which means we are almost halfway there! I started feeling movement around 15 weeks, which is a little later than I have felt the couple of most recent others. But there is definitely no worry about that now - baby's moving plenty!

As with Joy's pregnancy, I'm experiencing extreme sensitivity with nursing. For a while, (likely due to transition and sleeping in someone else's house) Joy was nursing every two hours or so during the night. It was really wearing on me, and after one really horrible night, Jon took her for the whole next night and proved to us both (Joy and me) that she could get through the night without nursing. The next night, she slept next to me as usual, but I was as firm as Daddy and told her to wait until morning. That worked, too! And now she sleeps through the night barely even stirring (there was a transition period where she would cry when I said no, gradually decreasing) This is such a sanity saver for me. And now sometimes she doesn't even nurse in the mornings, but we just get up and go have breakfast.

I'm still debating within myself whether to wean her before she's two or not, since I think it's quite likely I'll be tandem nursing again if I do make it until she's two. But that, I think, we will take one day at a time and see what happens. She's only nursing one to three times in a 24 hour period, so I can manage to handle it for now.

Work on the house is progressing and it is encouraging. We have pictures in the camera, but I am so behind on uploading that it will be a while before they're posted.

The weather is definitely fall and the house is getting chilly. But the plumber is not coming to hook up the boiler until next week. That means cold water and only space heaters, but it's not really cold yet. It felt worse when it was two weeks, but now one of those has already gone by!

Jonathan continues to live at the library when he can. He's been reading multitudes of Animorphs and Warriors (about cats.) He LOVES writing in cursive and this is the motivation for writing now. He's going to participate in the Book-It program this year because he can write down the titles in cursive. (Last year he chose not to participate simply because he didn't want to write down the books he read!)

School is going well overall, but the definition of "going well" may mean differently to you than it does to me. And that is my next post.

Pocket Notes

joyful — Sun, 09 Sep 2012 19:47:00 -0400

These notes are really old, but not lost.

6/7 - Noah's first lost tooth. Bottom left front. It took a very long time for it to come out. He doesn't play with it at all..

Joy was sitting on the couch. Faith wanted to do a trick, so we asked Joy to get down. She did it willingly, waited for Faith to do her trick, and then climbed back up, without complaining.

6/20 - Noah's right bottom front tooth came out. He was eating a cookie. The tooth was chocolatey, so he went to wash it off, but then the tooth went down the drain.

~6/30 Joy steps down two stairs like a big person.

8/10 - Faith can pump a swing needing only one starter push.

8/14 - Joy was having a fun time in the bath, leaning back, nearly floating on her bath, then putting her face in, over and over.

8/20 - Noah's front right upper tooth is lost. He says, "I'm going to get money." Jon asks, "How do you know?" Faith pipes up, "Because Mommy is a fairy!"

All four of Joy's canines have appeared since the move. I did not pay enough attention to note dates for them.

8/24 - Noah did the monkey bars at the playground all by himself.

8/27 - We're at the playground. I can't hear the boys' conversation, but then I hear Noah shouting defensively, "I'm not a homo sapien!" You might imagine that until he finished the second word I was concerned that Jonathan was talking inappropriately. But I could not help but laugh when I heard what the accusation had been.

9/1 - We were visiting our next door neighbor's yard sale. The lady said "hi" to us and I said, "Say, 'hi'". Faith got all shy, and hid into me. But then I heard from the stroller, "Hi!" Joy said it several times!

9/6 - Faith's 4th birthday! It was a really fun day. We went for a walk, we went to the playground, Grammy took her out for ice cream. They had a grand old time with balloons. We had a dinner of pizza, pasta, and salad. Then Faith opened her presents, and then we had cherry 'o cheese pie and ice cream with sprinkles. (Faith actually skipped the ice cream in the evening because she had had hers earlier with Grammy). Faith's review? "That did be the funnest birthday I ever had!"

The Big Move

joyful — Tue, 31 Jul 2012 20:00:24 -0400

How do I begin? Not really at the beginning.

June 15, we sold the house we were living in and drove to New Hampshire in two moving trucks and a minivan. (A very hearty and grateful "thank you!" to Ron and Ron for driving the trucks!)

The days preceding that day were extremely full, including two funerals for people from families dear enough that we felt it necessary to carve out the time to spend with them.

We did not technically buy our new house for another couple of days, but it did eventually work out.

We are staying at Jon's parents' house while renovating our new house. This is for the very most part a good thing. The only disadvantages we've found so far involve having things in two places.

Renovations are right now at the "rather overwhelming" stage. There's a lot of work to do and we wonder how it will all get done.

At the end of June, we took a break to spend a week at the Maggie P with lots of family, including the Swiss cousins, and Noah and Joseph had their birthday together.

After we got back, Jonathan, Noah and Faith had two weeks of swimming lessons at the lake. Jonathan started learning official strokes, and Noah got to the confidence level Jonathan had last summer. Faith made progress in being comfortable in the water as well, though she still wouldn't put her head under by the end of the sessions.

For the past week, Jon and Noah have been in Pittsburgh finishing the fixing up of Carroll St, and getting some work done for Lime Daley customers.

I've been meeting with a bunch of contractors - plumbing/heating, painter, plasterer, chimney guys. A local college student has been coming over nearly every day for a few hours to scrape wallpaper. It turns out when you start taking down wallpaper, it just goes and goes and soon you have two whole hallways including staircase of wallpaper to take off. About four layers of it, too, a hundred years' worth.

Speaking of a hundred years. Jon took off part of one wall in preparation for building a built-in bookcase, and he found a treasure! A Mother's Day postcard from 1912, from the Sunday School of Smith Church (Jon's parents' church). It is really neat. We're going to copy one side and then frame it with the copy so you can see both sides.

Time to start getting ready for bed. I will try to post updates more frequently, but it's hard to find the moments. Tonight, I found myself alone with the computer while all the kids were outside playing with the neighbors. After some grueling looking at curriculum stuff, I thought I'd have a nice little blog time. (:

Pocket Notes

joyful — Sun, 03 Jun 2012 15:25:11 -0400

Pictures from April till now are posted. (See link on the sidebar)

5/24 - I don't remember the context, but the quote from Jonathan is, "Well, the definition of 'Mom' is basically 'tired person'."

5/25 - Noah showed me his newfound skill of pumping a swing from standstill to as high as he wants. To me, it is one of those things that is an "all of a sudden". Just the week before, I was thinking it was about time he could do it but it just didn't seem like it was happening. Then it just clicked and he can do it.

5/25 - Faith has said this for a while but I thought I'd record it. "Company" has the "an" and "y" switched, plus the sub /c/ for /t/, so it sounds like "tumpyan." Very hard to understand if you don't get the context, but still kind of cute.

5/26 - Noah called the boat fender the "defender".

5/30 - I got up early to go to the bathroom. When I was washing my hands, I heard a clear, distinct, "Mommy!" coming from the bedroom. I thought it was strange for Faith to be up so early, but when I got in, I saw Faith sound asleep. It was Joy who was sitting up and waiting patiently for me to answer her call! Since then, she calls me by name a lot and it is so sweet.

Certain relatives might be interested in knowing that Jonathan's list of books he wanted to keep out until the last minute are D'Aulaires' Book of Greek Myths, his children's Dictionary, one Calvin and Hobbes book, and one Asterix book.