Granny diaries

Zeb Coop - 03
Originally uploaded by Three Seas

Grandmomma put up a sampling of photos from her visit.

inspired by andy goldsworthy

inspired by andy goldsworthy
Originally uploaded by anneke boudreau

Before dinner the other night we watched "rivers and tides" - a documentary about Andy Goldsworthy. As I cooked, Z created this - a line of animal magnets on the fridge that bend and curve in a meandering, river-like line. Whoa.

photo-o-rama

My mom is in town visiting for a few weeks and has been documenting "a week in the life of ZGB." LOTS of photos available from last week's co-op and hanging out around home and the beach.

I've picked up more work (including co-authoring a book), so we hired a nanny for Fridays. She is wonderful and fun and speaks Spanish! She's been here for 3 days and last week as she said goodbye, Z said, "Adios!" We were all amazed and tickled.

Yesterday, we watched the Andy Goldsworthy DVD that Mima left and as I cooked dinner, Z created an Andy Goldsworthy-esque creation on the fridge with magnets! Again, we were amazed. Photos on their way.

Ok. Back to work! Thanks for all of the photos grandmomma!

Unexpected benefits: part 2

On August 26, 2005, when I was 4 months pregnant I wrote "Unexpected benefits" which included the following:

Before getting pregnant I was afraid that being pregnant and having a child would take me away from the creative direction I wanted to head; instead, I've been pushed in that direction.
...
Who would have thunk that heading in the direction that felt least likely to open up these avenues is exactly the road to take? That instead of limiting opportunities, there is a world of new ones waiting for me?

Here I am again, amazed at the profound effect Z has had on my life and my person. As his vocabulary slowly blossoms while his physicality zooms ahead, we are challenged by his physical expressions - hitting and pushing. In our parent education class we've been learning about temperament and emotions. We were asked to list as many emotions as we could come up with. Before that class, I thought there was happy, sad, and angry. I got curious and bought or borrowed several children's books on emotions - amazed by the stories that other parents told about their children hearing these stories enough times until one day it sinks in and they "shake off" anger or demonstrate some other "tool" described in the books.

With them, I'm learning about the variety of emotions that I experience on a daily basis. I can better express my emotions to my husband when he asks to go snowboarding and I'm not particularly thrilled. Before, I would have chalked it up as "angry" but today I realize it's jealous (that I don't get to go) and shame (for being jealous).

How exciting! I have a whole new vocabulary.

I have struggled with emotions - expressing them, listening to them - and have always wanted to "do better." To be a grounded, intuitive person. One of my friends who is an energy worker says that I "somatize" emotions. Until today, I didn't understand what she meant. Now, I realize that I feel emotions physically but I don't allow them into my brain; don't acknowledge and name them; don't listen to them.

Well, I'm listening now and I'll be teaching Z to listen, too.

Thank you, Z.