And it's not even technically summer yet!

So far: go to Maine have a Frappuccino walk by the water almost every day drink (most of) our wine read "The Girl Who Kicked the Hornet's Nest" reread "Wuthering Heights" make mint iced tea with my mint plant run a road race grow and eat our own tomatoes see the coffee exhibit at the Peabody publish another first person essay eat at Lenny's (again) go to Poland see some fireworks take Nora to the beach take a walking tour of Yale read "For Whom the Bell Tolls" show my parents how to video chat publish another first person essay buy some new bookcases read a non-fiction book read another non-fiction book take a class, any class organize the basement go to Scranton bake my own bread steam my own mussels see a live concert have a picnic in Prospet Park have coffee on the patio

There's nothing I'd trade

I know that in my last post I complained about a certain neediness inherent in our day to day life at the present, but I want to point out that just as many moments, if not more, are like the below, and for that, I am very grateful. As a mother, there are a litany of things I am grateful for...things I didn't really think about so much prior to having children. I am grateful for coloring. I am grateful for grapes. I wrote about the song playing in the background - "I Got Two Dogs" by John Lithgow - on the Motherland blog. We've listened to the CD (it's a book, too) about 87 times today. In the most shocking development of my life over the past 20 months, I am not sick of it yet.

Please note how Nora - contrary to the usual state of affairs as of late - does not pay any attention to me, yet seems to have the end of the song memorized, down to the second, so that she can make the appropriate demand the instant it's over.