Welcome 2024!
Reflecting on 2023
As I was reflecting on the past year, all I could really think was, “Really? Has it been a year? How?” And again I was reminded of the adage, “The days are long, but the years are short,” which must be the truest description of parenthood I have heard. So, I decided to look back in our blog to see what we were doing a year ago.
Although it feels like it was yesterday, as soon as I saw the photos from January 2023, I realized it most certainly was not yesterday. River still looks like a toddler, Eleanor is still a baby, chubby and immobile. Now we have a little boy sleeping in a big boy bed, using the potty, asking logical questions and helping around the house. We also have a little girl toddler, always on the move, always up to mischief, tough as nails, and always happy.
In January of 2023, we were still living in our tiny one bedroom apartment in Westport. River slept in the bedroom, Eleanor slept in a bassinet in the bathroom, and Bud and I slept on a shikifuton mattress on the floor of the living room. Now, we are in our own home in Mattapoisett. We love how close we are to the water and to our beloved bike trail. Most of all, we love that our kids will grow up in a safe, quiet town with good schools and a community feel.
I also notice how puffy I am from Prednisone and all the other drugs I was on. Now I am in “unmedicated remission” from Dermatomyositis, a reality I am so grateful for.
Bud spent the year becoming an amazing cook. He always talked about the meals his mom would prepare for his family, from the comfort foods to the traditional Dutch-Indo dishes. This year, Bud dedicated himself to becoming an amazing home cook. Some of his signature dishes are Bami Goreng (Indonesian noodles) , Nasi Goreng (Indonesian fried rice), the most amazing pancakes you have ever tasted, and Aglio e Oglio. He also continued his athletic pursuits, notably running a Half Marathon with my dad in May.
Most of the year was filled with day-to-day grind. Getting out the door in the morning, teaching, getting the kids fed, cleaned, and in bed on time, prep for the next day, exercise, rinse and repeat. But within that grind, there were so many little happy moments. They happen every day. River singing along to music in the car. Eleanor saying “cheese” and “Dada” and “hat.” Bud making us all laugh or filling our bowls with something delicious. Hugs, kisses, story-time snuggles, sharing french fries.
It may seem like the year went by in the blink of an eye, but in fact, there was an awful lot happening in our little family of four. I can’t wait to see what 2024 has in store for us.
Last night we were reading a Sandra Boynton book in which there is a party in the woods. All the animals are running toward the party except for the silly turkey who, like in all the Boynton books, is always doing the wrong thing. Usually we laugh at the turkey. But this time, River mused, “What if the turkey is actually going the right way, and all the other animals are wrong?” My sage little boy.
River is now allowed to read by himself before bed. After Bud and I finish the bedtime routine for both kiddos, River looks through his chosen books until he feels sleepy. Then he places his books on the floor, turns off his reading light, and lays himself down to sleep.
January 7-
The first real snow!
Yummy Crafts with Memere and Pepere!
January 14
Slowing Down for a Snuggle
A quick run in the snow after daycare
January 19
River, laying on his back and feeling his legs: “I’m trying to take the bones out of my legs.”
Me: “…Ok…”
River: “Do you want the bones out of your legs, too?”
At our local pizza shop, I tell Elles that the last M+M is for River. Without a word, River bites his M+M in half, and hands one half to Eleanor. And of course, my heart melted.
Me, lifting River to see our resident cardinal in our backyard: “He flew away again! Every time I try to show you the cardinal, he flies away before you can see him!”
River: “Maybe he wanted to go see his cardinal friends. Or maybe he had a doctor’s appointment.”
Happy Birthday, Mommy
January 26
For my birthday this year, I wanted to go our for lunch and for a walk with Bud. While River and Eleanor hung out with Nana and Pop Pop, we went for Thai food at a nearby restaurant. We then took a very chilly walk on the Mattapoisett bike trail. It was a perfect little date.
After the kids went to bed, we hung out with my Dad and Odile, chatting and laughing. My dad commented that it “felt like old times,” when Bud and I would spend weekends with them both, doing the same.
