As most of you know, my dear friends Nancy and Myron adopted a baby two weeks ago. So, last week I went to help and had a fabulous time.

Caring for an infant

Caring for an infant is really really easy. I mean when you aren't recovering from child birth, not nursing, not sleep-deprived, not going through one of the biggest changes of your life, not the primary care giver, and not constantly questioning yourself--easy peasy. Oh, and she currently cries for easily met needs. Our darling girl only weighs around 6 pounds, so even bouncing her, which I did to amuse us both not because she insisted, was easy. I changed a few diapers, fed a few bottles, and introduced her to Dan Zanes and Elizabeth Mitchell. Mostly I snuggled her and gazed adoringly into her eyes. She learned to smile while I was there!

Staying with old friends

Nancy, Myron, and I didn't just go to college together. We actually lived together senior year. We have kept in pretty regular touch and gone on many vacations together since including one insane trip to Paris when David was 1.5. But, I was a little nervous about moving in for a week. Not a problem. I mean Nancy did get annoyed about my leaving my dirty spoons on the table, but we did not run out of things to talk about and we had lots of chocolate to eat. It was very very relaxing to be with them despite the new baby, the kitchen remodel, and the election.

the kitchen remodel

The thing about adopting a child is you never know when it will happen. You can't just put your life on hold for years hoping. And they really felt this remodel would benefit the new darling. So, the day I arrived I helped move kitchen stuff out of the kitchen, and then I spent the next few days helping to get it into the attic. I earned my exercise points those days. So, there we were with no kitchen, no refrigerator, water only upstairs, barely any table space, and much banging. You don't try to cook with a new baby anyway. We ate take out on paper plates and did I mention the lots of chocolate?

the election

Obama won! Obama won! Obama won! Thank you Myron. We were trying to figure out the best week for me to visit. This was it. Myron does major electoral work. He's going to take Family and Medical leave, but this week had to work 10 hours a day, including the week-end. We got in a rhythm where Nancy did the night shift, and I took the first morning shift. That way Nancy could get some approximation of the right amount of sleep. I also did lots of day shifts. I was really trying to earn my keep, and it was so much fun.

my big fish in a small pond moment

So, if bragging really grates on you, move on now. Before I went to Pittsburgh I researched where to go dancing. I found a place with just the right vibe-- a non-drinking, non-smoking east coast swing focused dance with a little lindy thrown in. On my way in to the pre-dance workshop, I got chatting with these three couples slightly older than me. They were all going dancing for the first time. I could tell they were a little nervous but determined. I told them I was a dance teacher, which is stretching the truth a little. I'm a T.A. We had a nice time joshing around.

When we got upstairs, music was playing and one guy, obviously the teacher, was solo dancing while everyone else milled around nervously. So, I asked him to dance. And we danced. We danced up a storm. He put me through my paces, and I did my teachers proud. I couldn't breathe much afterwards, but it was fun. Then when the class started I stood next to my new friends to help them with the footwork. The teacher had us pair up and because I was between these women and their husbands, I was left without a partner. The only one. So, the teacher called me over, and I co-taught the class with him. That's right. He taught, and I demonstrated the follow's part.

Eventually, there was an extra lead, so I went back and forth between dancing with people in the circle and demonstrating. Everything he wanted to show, I knew how to do. It was cool.

The dance itself was a magic two hours of alternating between being one of the best dancers at the gig, and therefore sought after by the other good dancers, and helping my new friends. In Seattle, I am an intermediate level dancer. We have many people of national and international caliber here. In Pittsburgh, I was a big fish. I actually loved helping the newbies just as much as I loved getting swung all over the floor. They were really game and kept asking me questions and asking me to dance. I feel like I welcomed them into a whole new world. And, I got to stay late until 11:30 because I was on vacation.

transportation

It took me 11 hours to get there and 13 to get home. Ugh. However, the transportation went very smoothly. I especially want to give a shout out to the bus/light rail combo that got me to the airport. I'm so glad our city has finally joined the modern era and put in a tiny bit of light rail.

reentry

Reentry has been going relatively smoothly. Rose was crashing hard today, and I told her part of the problem was she'd been holding it together until I came home. I've gotten back to doing what I do--planning play dates, deciding which plumber to use, sending invoices, tutoring, dropping off, picking up, writing poetry, working out, reading to Rose's class, fighting with David over wearing his coat, fighting with David over not watching t.v., fighting with Rose over trying on her new clothes, pacing myself on chocolate. I kept trying to explain to Nancy that I wasn't doing her the favor, playing with the baby was way easier than my real life.