The Number Field

This week Jenny goes back to work. Luckily for us, it's also the last week of my semester. Jenny returns to work on Wednesday, but I have classes to teach on Thursday. If we don't find a sitter, Elena will help me teach on my last day. Maybe I can put her in the tummy pack and hope that she's not allergic to chalk. Or I can use the doc-cam and rock her in her car seat. After that, I'll be home for most of the summer, bonding with Elena and doing research while she naps.

Last week, I stayed home as much as possible to get a feel for the routine that Jenny and Elena have developed. All in all, we have lucked out with how easygoing Elena is. She wakes up ready to eat in the morning, then has some awake time. Before each nap, we read her a story and sing her a song, which relaxes her and helps her to lie down peacefully. Sometimes she'll lie quietly for some time before she falls asleep. She often wakes up calmly and is ready for another meal around 10:00. This cycle repeats itself several times, until she's ready for her big nighttime meal and bedtime. Even though she's not yet three months old, she sleeps through the night. Her happiest times are in the morning and the evening; just this evening she had some happy and very vocal conversations with us (video to come). We're still not certain whether she'll eat two or three times while Jenny is at work; that's one thing we'll have to sort out as we begin this new phase of our lives.

Of course Jenny is worried about returning to work, but I'm going to do my best on the home front to keep her stress-free. I'll try to take care of as many chores as possible, and have dinner ready when she gets home. Then she can focus on adjusting back to the workplace, and not have to worry about Elena and me and Jewel.

In addition, we've discussed ways that I can work on personal goals, like fitness, in addition to my math. If I take Elena to the boathouse during her nap time, maybe the sound of the ergometer flywheel will be a good white noise * . When she gets a little bit older, we'll pick up a jogging stroller. Both of us will use that one, as Jenny took advantage of my presence at home last week, and went out running a couple of times. I want to get a trailer that hooks onto my bike, but Jenny thinks that would be too dangerous, and we don't have enough room for it in the apartment.

Our summer mission: to boldly go where no baby has gone before

There will always be challenges and issues different than the ones we plan for, but we're as ready as we can be. This past week, we got a visit from several of Jenny's friends. One of them brought a gift that she purchased a long time ago--probably one of the first that was bought for Elena, but the last to arrive. It's a Bumbo chair, which we wouldn't have been able to use before now anyway, and we're glad to have it. I think that while she was in it, I was able to capture her expression of the optimism and hope that we have moving forward .

* Last year they added an air-conditioned locker room to the boathouse; this will come in handy, as the boathouse itself gets unbearably hot during the summertime.