Copasetic Flow

Today is No. 3’s second birthday!  All of our kids were homebirths.  No. 3 though, was our only solo delivery.  We called the midwives at the same time we always had, as contraction began, but No. 3 was ready to go.  She arrived five minutes before the midwives.  As I scooped her up, she was fascinated with chewing on her foot.  What I really needed her to do though was breathe.  She couldn’t have been less interested.  Consequently, I took her foot away from her mouth.  She very calmly, put it back in, and got back to work.  We did this two more times before she became frustrated enough that she let out a yell at the offending foot and dad.  Hence, No. 3 took her first breaths in the world! Since then, she’s been a little cuddle monkey.  Of our kids, No. 3 seems to emit the most endorphins/pheromones.  She nuzzled everyone she met when she was little.  They’d gasp, and then they’d start to cry; without fail. ...

As No. 1, our five year old, and I headed into town for a writing class yesterday, I presented her with her textbook for the class: Teacherless Writing by Peter Elbow.  She grinned from ear to ear, “I learned to write without a teacher!”  No. 1 recently found out that she’s ‘unschooled’. She continued to check out her new book, as we lurched along the BART line into town.  I thought she was just excited to receive a new book, she soon let me in on the real cause of her thrill though. “So, there’s a book I read called Calvin and Hobbes” “I know that book.” I said. “Right, well in the book, there’s a boy named Calvin, and he goes to school.  When he does, he usually has a piece of paper.  I have one of those.  He also has a pencil.  I have one of those.  He also sometimes has a book.  And now , I have a book!  And I'm going to a class!  I'm just like Calvin!!!” To No. 1, Calvin & Hobbes is a ringing endorsement of cl...

Mom-person bolted across the street for the train.  If she got her foot in the door, we'd all get in.  If not, we'd stand out in the cold for another 20 minutes or so.   No. 1, our five year old, bolted with her.  She's big enough to keep up now, and did so admirably.  Her more frequent strides matched her mom's; she stayed right beside her; she was safe.  I'd picked up No.3, our youngest.  She was OK with the development, more bemused than anything else, but also safe.  Then, there was No. 2.  At three years old, he couldn't quite keep up with Mom-person.  She was three quarters of the way across the street before he thought to move.  I cringed.  We'd done this before.  I knew from experience that a few seconds delay could radically change the traffic situation. Whereas there were no cars when mom-person leaped, there very well might be now.  For slow-twitch participants, like No. 2 and myself, the whole ...

In August, there will be a total eclipse of the sun visible over the United States.  No. 1 and her mom, our resident physics professor, turned out this diagram of starlight bending around the sun because the sun's mass curves space.  Can a general relativity experiment be far behind? In other news, metallic ink pens do interesting things under photo filters. The following day, this all inspired No. 1's derivative artwork :)

As No. 1 and I were walking down the sidewalk, I said, "So, if a noun is a thing, and a verb is a word about doing something, then what kind of word is run?" "A verb!" "OK, what kind of a word is boot?" "A noun!  It's a thing." "Cool, so what kind of a word is shoe?" I asked. "A verb!" "Really?" "Yes!" I thought perhaps No. 1 was confusing an action with the thing she did it with, so I asked, "Verbs are actions right, so how do you figure?" To which No 1 responded with a furrowed brow, in all seriousness, "Well, like when you want us to leave a room, you say, "Shoo!" and we leave.  So, shooing is doing something."

The kids' grandparents are visiting from TX.  On our bus ride back from downtown yesterday, No. 1 was excitedly detailing everything she wanted to do for the rest of the day with her grandparents.  As the list grew, her grandma suggested that she write it all down so she wouldn't forget anything.  No. 1, popped out her sketch book, a box of crayons, borrowed my pen, and voila!  My favorite part was all the bacon!

As our 'just under OSHA's safe hearing limits' subway hummed to a stop, I felt a gentle nudge at my left side.  Turning to find a kind but concerned looking fellow passenger, I raised my eyebrows quizzically.  She pointed at the kids.  "Ah," I thought, "she's about to comment on how awesome the kids are!"  It was the obvious answer, but why did she look so concerned? She leaned in conspiratorially. "Their shoes might be on the wrong feet," she whispered. "Hunh, would you look at that?  Cool!  Thanks!"  I replied with a big grin.  Off the train went roaring through the tunnels of San Francisco again. At the next station, the train doors slid open letting the bright platform lights flood in.  I felt another nudge.  This time my fellow passenger leaned back in contemplation, staring at the kids' shoes.  For fun, I leaned back with her.  We studied the footwear in question in some detail.  She nodded her head, then lea...