Author: Doris

I got to hold a baby for a long time yesterday. My arm muscles are all out of practice – not very much baby carrying going on here. It’s so nice to hold a baby, it’s like holding a little ball of light and joy! This little baby has an older sister with Rett Syndrome who is just 2.5 years old and we chatted with his mother for a long time about our desires for our daughters and how having a severely disabled child shapes and forms our lives. There is so much to learn from each other.

Vince had his first set of mid-terms in his life this past week. It was a little stressful – they actually rearranged the class schedule so that they have 2 hour exam periods. I don’t really understand why an 11-year-old needs to have 2 hour exams, but whatever. They are over now and there is a four day weekend to reward him for his efforts.

Jeremy’s former coworker, Elizabeth, was back in town for some sort of transportation conference. She’s now a grad student at MIT and I got all dreamy talking to her about the MIT buildings and the chapel and hearing about all the development on Mass Ave between MIT and Harvard. None of it was there 20 years ago. Now it’s full of Whole-Food-Barnes&Noble-American-Apparel goodness. We had burgers – date night often means with another person and eating burgers.

Gene and Bette are moving and are going through a million old photos and dispersing them to interested parties. Saw photos of Bob as a 7 year old. Lots of photos of baby Jane and George. I think we are going to try to send them to a service to scan them.

Did a three mile old-house run today. Ran to the house I consider my “real” childhood home. Look! A Z4 parked in the driveway – certainly an upgrade from the Duster and Gremlin we had. I remember sock fights with my parents in this house. I remember climbing the trees in the front yard. I remember playing with all the neighborhood kids – hide and seek in the dark. And I remember the woods in the backyard.

I ducked into the woods in the middle and looks for our old trails – places where Donald (who apparently can now run 400m in 1:04. Not bad!) and I fished for minnows and crayfish with our kitchen strainers. I had to schooch over a log to cross a stream (and convince Maxi to come with me).

Finally emerged and ran past the house that we lived at when Donald was born. This house I have fewer memories – I remember playing on the swingset in the backyard and the neighbors two houses down. They’ve built an addition – I wish I could go inside and see it.

It’s hard to get out as a family these days on the weekends – often Vince has plans and Jeremy, Edda and I drift to our respective computers and work or watch TV or putter around the house. So it was with great effort that we all headed out this weekend in the pouring rain to the movies. We saw Frozen – recommended by friends – and Edda loved every minute of it. Laughed at all the jokes – had the best time ever.

Ate at a Korean chicken place right before the movie. Rainy days have the best light.

Our friend, Vidya, came from Philly to spend Sat. night with us. When he walked in the front door – he couldn’t recognize Jeremy without his goatee.  Vidya was a few years ahead of me in grad school – helped me out on my slightly disastrous research project. We stayed up late, late, late talking about Indian politics. Diplomats, conspiracy theories and LGBT rights. Reminded me that I should read Son of the Circus again.  Seems like just yesterday we were all sitting around grad student housing watching Friends and Seinfeld.