And So It Begins

Last week, William & Mary had orientation week for the first year law students, so Patrick officially got acquainted with the law program, the law building, the law professors, his "law firm," and other law students. On Monday night there was a "partner program" for significant others to go to, so I went and we got to meet the other couples. There were about 10 couples who showed up I would say; four were LDS; three of the LDS couples had kids (none of the non-LDS couples had kids). Most of the other couples have been married quite recently. One was as recent as two weeks ago, one was two months ago, and one was a year; I'm not sure about the others. So we are in the funny situation of no longer being "the norm," as we were in Provo. The other couples all seem wonderfully nice. One woman took the initiative to get names and contact information and is planning a get-together soon.

As for me, I began my stay-at-homedness . . . or began it again since I have done it all along but haven't done it alone for quite awhile. Last week was a little difficult. And the reason why is sort of funny -- I read a parenting book and it made me feel like I was not a very good parent and Caleb was naturally a very good baby but had gone awry because of my bad training. This made for one particularly bad day. However, since I decided that was not useful for either of us, I have put the book aside. I think it has some good points, but if I measure myself against her (the author's) ideal parent, I will not feel good about myself. I may read it, but only in small doses so I don't get overwhelmed or down on myself and Caleb (who really is a wonderful kid). My thought is that I am too permisive sometimes and am not consistent enough. However, my mom gave me some wonderful counsel (which the author actually encouraged too) and that was to talk talk talk to my kid. At least if I explain what's going on in my mind all along he'll have good language skills and know that I'm trying, right?

So instead of reading parenting books, I am reading books on Williamsburg. Did you know that before it was established as a city, it was a settlement called "Middle Plantation"? And have you heard about the Bacon Rebelion where Nathaniel Bacon raised the people against a negligent governor (negligent because he wasn't protecting the people against the Native Americans)? And during the course of that rebellion, Jamestown was burned down and then later the new state house in Jamestown burned down again so Williamsburg was established as a more hopeful settlement (named for the king)? And just before that city was agreed upon, the king and queen granted a charter for the founding of a college to be named in their honor? And did you know that William & Mary is the second college in the English colonies (Harvard College being the first), and the first with royal support? And did you know that it was funded both by the crown and by pirates in prison hoping to get out (though the book didn't explain how contributing to the college would help them get out of prison in Britain)? And, furthermore, did you know that the plans for the college were made by Sir Christopher Wren who also drew the plans for St. Paul's Cathedral in London? I guess the real question probably is, do you even care? I do!

Besides playing with Caleb, and reading, I am also making plans with other wives and moms. We have a "play-date" planned with one other mom and her daughter on Thursday. Then I hope to invite an expecting mother over to hang out on Tuesday. There's another mom who I would like to spend more time with as well (her daughter being just about a month older than Caleb). It turns out that there is another little family in our complex who are LDS, the husband being an L2. Then besides all this socialization, I've made a commitment to write more, which is a wonderful commitment to make, and should be easier to do because I have a table that's all mine in the bedroom and I don't plan to hook up to the Internet there. Finally, there is also housework . . . of course. There are dishes (did I mention that I am actually not that fond of dishwashers in general though I am using this one?), and there are floors to clean, clothes to wash and put away, meals to make, groceries to buy, and all sorts of other wonderful things like that. Oh, and two other things on my list of things to do are 1.) make a precise budget and 2.) exercise more. Yes, I am thinking that in the course of all this trippin' and travelin' I have gotten out of shape. Besides which, with my baby approaching a year and complete weaning, I can no longer rely on nursing to keep my weight down (which it did beautifully). So, there is plenty to do and I should never be bored.