Documentation

Earlier today I had a question about something that happened shortly after we moved to Denver, so I went to look it up on my blog - found the archives for March 2009, scrolled a bit, found the answer to my question, done. Except not done, because I ended up reading back through a few weeks' worth of posts about our move to Denver, and wow, it was such a trip to be able to get a glimpse into my own head, six years ago, and to have a record of our lives with that level of detail.

This is, of course, not a new or unique sentiment, but wow, if I had a question about something that happened last year, or pretty much any time since we had kids, it would be pretty unlikely that I'd find it in the blog, and that's kinda sad. I have no interest in returning to the heyday, so to speak, of my blog, with 50+ comments and hundreds of page views daily (as you can see, I was hardly a big-time blogger to begin with...) not to mention that blogging has, I don't know, changed in the last few years? A lot more stuff happens on Twitter (though I'm hardly on Twitter anymore these days, either), but Twitter is not so helpful with the archives, and also, just generally not the same. Much more about the interaction and less about the documentation.

I do keep a five-year journal, started in January of this year, where I jot down a few lines each night, and that feels really nice, and also satiates my need to write about things quietly, invisibly, for myself. But it's not like a blog post, it doesn't come together the same way, it's not as detailed. They can complement each other.

So let's see if I can blog a bit more than I have been. Daily posts, definitely not, but more than a couple times a year, yes, that seems reasonable. It's nice that I have a blogging and Twitter community and it's helpful to be able to link to tidbits, but really, at this point, I just want it documented. Words and photos, for me and for my family. Nothing earth-shattering, just minutia, truly, the little stuff that makes up the bulk of our lives.

Let's start with some good old fallback bullet points, most of which really need to be fleshed out in their own posts.

• Torsten and I went to Mexico in April, just the two of us, while my parents stayed with our kids. It was amazing in every way.
• Callum is going to a different school next year, his last year of pre-k (he will be going public instead of private). This was a long, drawn-out decision and we went back and forth and felt very torn about it and ultimately, I feel comfortable that we did make the right decision, but it's going to be tough to transition out of that tiny little community where we have been very comfortable. This also deserves its own blog post, but I need to see if that's something that I feel comfortable writing in a way that respects his privacy and security (not that I have a blog-stalker or anything, but generally I try to stay away from providing identifying details about schools or other places where my kids spend a large chunk of their time).
• We are going to be facing a different school/daycare decision for Annika in another year, and after the pain we went through on the school decision for Callum, I am dreading it already.
• We've been doing a bunch of (mostly small) improvements to the house and yard, and it is amazing how good it makes me feel about life to feel like our nest is in order, so to speak.
• For more than the past year, Torsten and I have had a childcare setup that includes a weekly date night, and oh, it has been so good for us. A weekly night out might not be for everyone, but it turns out that for us, date nights: totally our thing!
• We are planning a big, two-week trip to Germany this summer, fun but also yikes. Just the car seat aspect alone gives me a headache (although I think I've finally figured out our approach).
• I had an amazing girls' boozy spa day with Liz this past weekend, and it was so perfectly rejuvenating and lovely. Friends, man. I am so lucky.
• Kid stuff: Annika is 18 months now and Callum is well past four and it feels like things are clicking, mostly. There's definitely still a lot of stuff about my own parenting and patience that I'd like to improve, but we're in a groove. Everyone is sleeping, everyone is ambulatory, everyone can feed themselves, things are just simpler. And the kids play together, not always, not for hours on end, but happily and lovingly, and it is amazing to watch.
• Callum: Age three was not as challenging as I was expecting but age four is making up for it a little bit. He is learning to test limits, to argue and negotiate, and oh, he is definitely testing out those skills. But he is also so happy, so loving, so affectionate. He loves numbers and math and he is constantly asking questions about them. He is so, so sweet and gentle with Annika, even when he gets frustrated or angry. He is just a fundamentally kind person, which isn't something I would have necessarily thought a four-year-old could be, or at least that it could be so obvious, but there we have it.
• Annika: 18 months old and she is so happy, so opinionated, so chatty. She is talking a ton, putting two and three words together with combos like "no wash hands," "me down," and "mommy where are you?" She adores Callum and runs after him wherever she goes. She always wants to be outside. She loves her daycare and also her nanny. She is incredibly cheerful almost all of the time (unless her will is being thwarted). Also it's looking more and more like her hair might turn out curly.
• Work remains very good. I shifted into a different role when I returned from my maternity leave with Annika a little over a year ago, and it's been really, really great. I feel engaged and fulfilled and just generally pleased.
• I would share a family photo, but the last one I have is from our professional photos that we did last fall. We need to be better about taking photos of us with the kids, and photos of everyone with the real camera instead of just our phones. Something to work on!