- I like my new job. I have great students, coworkers, and administration. I have lots of freedom to develop my curriculum and follow my passions and the passions of my students. To a teacher, this is living the dream.
- I have not yet figured out how to work consistent exercise into my more sedentary working life, and I miss it a lot.
- Car commuting is the worst. Elsie and I are getting well acquainted with pop music these days.
- Elsie is thriving at her new school. It is amazing to be at the same school as my daughter. Next year, Lucia will come too, and we will be all three in the same place. Magic!
- My life is pure, unadulterated chaos most of the time. That's the drawback to this full time working mom stuff. Sometimes I wish I had the exact same job, but it less.
- On the other hand, I do like money.
- Marty, our au pair, is phenomenal. I love her deeply and appreciate her completely. A live-in nanny is exactly what we needed in our lives. She is, logistically speaking, Lucia's mom for the year, and I am totally okay with that. We got incredibly lucky to find someone who is such a natural fit for our family. She is artistic and patient and equal parts nerdy and punk. We are all thrilled with her, and she is happy with us, too. I am going to miss her so much next year!
- Every time Hub and I go somewhere with Marty and the girls, people interpret all three of them as our daughters.
- Hub is changing jobs (by choice). He is leaving one wonderful, stable job for another more intellectually interesting but less stable startup job that he has been eyeing for a long time. All his best friends work for the startup, so that's exciting. I'm excited for him.
- Hub and I have been taking French lessons together for a year. We're getting passable.
- I started voice lessons. That is equal parts lovely and uncomfortable. I'm so glad I'm doing it. Singing is like meditation for people who require a serious distraction to let the worries slip out the back door.
- We took a family trip to New Zealand, which was wonderful (SIL got married in a beautiful backyard wedding) and challenging (Lulu got a stomach bug that presented itself two hours into the trans-Pacific flight home. YUCK!)
- I continue to work to support women and families. I still help to lead a support group for women like me, and I am talking to reporters more and more openly, because I think that my story sharing is the most powerful thing that I can do with the limited time and energy that I have. Look out for me in The Guardian soon. It's scary and it's hard, but I can do hard things.
All is well.
So happy to hear from you! Glad all is well.
ReplyDeleteI'm happy to hear from you as well! : )
ReplyDeleteKate, I stumbled upon your blog after reading your story in The Guardian. It's been 18 days since my son died in my arms. He was 7 days old and given the severity of his condition, my husband and I were given the option of comfort care. We chose to take him off life support, a heart wrenching decision. This post, with it's mundane everyday updates about life gives me some comfort at a time when I think my pain will never subside.
ReplyDeleteOh honey, I am so sorry for what you are going through and so glad that you have found me.
DeleteI remember how precious and delicious all things boring were to me after my loss. The mundane becomes sacred space when you suffer so hard for so long.
I promise you, it does get better. So so so much benter. But not quickly, and not in a straight line. Grief is up, down, and back around again, but it is all important. So burn bright. There is no path but through the fire. As much as anybody can be with you in this lonely work, I am with you.
Go kindly on yourself, and email if you need me. I am so damn sorry that your baby was so sick and that you are missing him.
Thank you, Kate.
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