August

Jem, four months!


With Safta and Sabi.

Contradancing at the VFW.

Summer at last

Well, we had to wade (literally) through July, but August is now here and it's a doozy. Ocean breezes! Country fairs! Blueberries! Above is Willa on a ride at the Rockland Lobster Fest. Somehow lobster prepared in the middle of a hot day on a fairgrounds doesn't seem so smart to us, but thousands of fair-goers can't be wrong.

Here's Willa at the beach when we went to visit Josh and Rachel and co., who were staying on Cape Elizabeth.
This shot of Willa and Rob at a sheep farm in Union on Open Farm Day in late July gives a sense of our mostly gray, chilly summer. Still beautiful, though.

As is this guy, now 3 1/2 months, smiling and cooing and snuggly...

And then also often quite serious and thoughtful (I would not call him a jolly baby. Certainly calm, but not jolly.).


Family is coming soon to visit (yay, guests! finally!) and I feel very excited to show off our little bit of seaside paradise.

When are you coming?

July thus far

Rob and Willa canoeing on an ultimately stormy July 4th at the Sanborn Pond camp of our dear friends Donna and Ellie.

Willa picking strawberries from our own backyard by the bay! I made a strawberry rhubarb crisp for the 4th.

Jem has really been practicing this whole smiling thing and getting it down pretty well now. Here's the first time it was captured on film, sort of mid-grin.

I know I'm biased, but is this kid a looker or what?! Age 10 weeks.

A few things I love about living in Maine

Barely any time to post lately, with the adjustment to two kids and Willa going through some hard older-sister/four-year-old stuff, but I wanted to catch a second to post a few things I've been grateful for in our lives here these days:

1) Small town living. I love that we know people wherever we go, that we always run into a friend at the co-op or library, that everyone is so interconnected. It is profoundly reassuring. Gossipy, and I can imagine it becoming claustrophobic, but it also really feels like people in this area matter to one another in a deep way.

2) My waffle iron. I got a waffle iron, because Willa has been eating a lot of frozen waffles for breakfast lately--at her own request, and the health store kind, but still, too much frozen food! So I got a waffle iron, and today made my own waffles. With local eggs, milk, and flour, of course. And they came out really well, too. I'm very excited to make waffles for our upcoming visits from family!

3) The view. I take it for granted sometimes, but it's pretty incredible to be able to watch sailboats, kayaks and tugboats go by in our "backyard," the harbor.

4) Our CSF (community-supported fishery). We pick up a share of delicious, just-off-the-boat fish every week from a lovely cooperative of friendly fishermen and their families. The price is great, it supports a true Maine economy and sustainable fishing practices, and we eat so well and so healthy.

5) Constantly meeting new, cool, like-minded young families in Waldo County. Where do they all come from?!

6) The fact that a new, hip arts space and music venue selling locally-made crafts and a new independent record store (do we still say "record store"? Well, I guess I do!) just opened up in town! Yay!

There is much more, but I'll stop there for now. And I will quickly say what I do not love, which is the constant rain of late--I was cheerful about it for a long time, but now I'm over it. Luckily, today was partly sunny, and I think we're getting more sunny days this week. Hurray!

And tomorrow, I hope, I will post my new photo of The Boy, who is cuter every day, and now officially smiling.

summer begins

Our life is a bit too crazy and exhausting right now for me to post much, but I did see something the other day I wanted to blog about: a guy, in his 20s, barefoot, sitting on a picnic table in the park that overlooks the harbor, masterfully flying a kite high above him. Pretty cool.

Last night we had a ritual to turn our friend and doula Ava into Jem's "fairy godmother." We crowned her with a wreath of wildflowers Willa and I picked in the backyard in the rain, presented her a fairy wand we made from a piece of driftwood, and gave her wings (which we bought from a Hollywood costume company online--nothing too idyllic there!). The midwives were there as witnesses.

Here's photos from this and other recent events, including Jem at 8 weeks. (At his six week postpartum visit he weighed almost 12 lbs.--he's huge, and starting to hold his head up really well. But no smiles-on-purpose yet...we're waiting and hoping maybe the first one will come on Father's Day tomorrow.)

June pics

more Jem

This is what Jem looks like awake, which he is more and more often lately. Five weeks old!