September

I looked up this week and realized, quite shockingly, that I have passed the imaginary line in the sand in terms of this pregnancy. For many people, 12 weeks is their “sigh of relief.” For those of us with more complicated histories, a little added breathing room sometimes feels, in our hearts, a bit safer. For me, it’s week 17.

And I made it. Without fuss or fanfare.

While I’m wise enough to know that the Lord’s gift of life is His to shepherd, and weeks checked off versus weeks remaining mean nothing in the bigger story He is writing, I suddenly feel a deeper peace and a desire to truly ready my heart. I might just hold a baby in a few short months, you all. How amazing is this?

Of course, as much celebration as I feel in my spirit, the day to day of life still marches forward. Fall didn’t so much creep in gently this year as descend one morning in a veil of fog and falling leaves. I am thrilled, as is nearly every member of my family. Simon is slightly less enthralled because he recognizes that soon enough he’ll be required to wear a shirt and shoes, two things he can barely abide. In better news for my adventurous little man, we are studying Lewis and Clark, Davy Crockett, and Westward Expansion in general this week. English just does sum up this boy’s rapture. He is entzückt, which is German for the kind of happiness that makes a second grader unable to sit still during a read-aloud or only able to sketch encounters with grizzlies in his nature journal.

 

The change in weather has coincided beautifully with my desire to knit. (I generally knit less in warmer weather, at least in part because I prefer wool yarn and the tactile feedback in the hottest weeks of the year is less than pleasant.) I’ve made a long list of knits to try for baby, and have completed two so far. The first is the classic Puerperium Cardigan, which turned out so beautifully…. and so painfully small. My best friend, Jenna, laughed hysterically when I told her I’d even attempted a sweater that says it’s for newborns “up to ten pounds.” Chances are good it will make it’s way to her own (9th) little one, who should make an appearance before November. I’m hopeful the garter bonnet with i-cord trim will be a keeper, though. I tend to birth babies with smallish heads, so there’s hope Decimus will get some use out of it. And yes, Decimus is a nickname for the baby in utero. It’s Latin for tenth. We nickname all of our babes. We’re strange.

Speaking of Latin, Birdie’s vocabulary in the language has exploded thanks to Logos Press’ Storybook Latin. Highly recommended. She and Christopher– who is learning Latin as part of the challenge of teaching, um, Challenge— had a lovely little translation exchange last night as we all sat quietly in our individual evening pursuits. I see glimmers of the future with teenage John Mark and Birdie, and it’s going to be every bit as lovely and engaging as the precious hours spent with our oldest kids after lights out for littles.

School has been going so well. We finish our first quarter this week, and will celebrate with our CC community with a pizza lunch and Patriot Day theme. I had every intention of being the fun mom who led the tie-dying of five red, white, and blue t-shirts last weekend, but alas… I didn’t. I suppose I might still squeak it out but it’s a fairly big undertaking for me, so I’m thinking likely no. It’s been enough to keep up with regular schooling and the joys and challenges therein. Phineas and Jude are both reading simple sentences like “That rat is mad,” from 100 EZ (affiliate link). Simon is learning to play the Davy Crockett theme on violin. John Mark’s IEW papers have taken on an amazing life of their own. And Birdie is terribly excited about Louis Pasteur right now.

Just like that, September is coming to a close. So much good packed into this month, so much unexpected joy and quiet wonder. I’m anticipating October with even more excitement that usual– and that’s saying a lot. What good things has autumn already brought to your home and heart?