Learning to Walk Humbly - 12

• Mr. Squire brought Junior to the office and she got to meet a bunch of my friends.  Fun to be able to share the joy that is Bathands with others.

• Was able to leave work early and attend the 8th grade graduation for Mr. Squire's former students out in Bed-Stuy.  As we walked through Times Square, Junior's eyes were wide with wonder.  She's much bigger now in the ergo, and she craned her body to the side and had one arm hanging out so she could see everything.  It was ridiculously cute.  She also rode the subway for the first time! It was special to be able to participate in these little milestones with her.

• We three went to Mr. Squire's old school together.  I remember the first time I went was when we were engaged; now we went back as a family of three.  I love my family!

• It was really heartwarming to see Mr. Squire interact with his former students, their parents, and other teachers.  The relationships there run deep, even though he wasn't there for a very long time.  And it's clear that the parents held Mr. Squire in very high regard; many of them came up to me and commented about how he really cared deeply about the kids and had an impact on their learning and lives.  ("My dad just retired from teaching for 40 years and your husband reminds me of him -- really cares about leaving no child behind."  "Mr. Chang, I passed the regents math test!"  "Him passing that math test all started with you teaching him math." "You could tell he really cared about the kids at a deep level; I remember he'd call us at night to follow up with how Isaiah was doing -- and one time he even called to let us know something about his eye!")  I do hope he returns to teaching one day.

• I held Junior in the ergo the whole time (after the subway) and she was sooooo snuggly.  We haven't ergoed her in several months, and I miss having her so close to me, just hanging against my body.  On the walk back to the subway after graduation, she was really tired and she just fell asleep as I was walking.  The whole way home, she just slept against my chest in the ergo and I was in Mommy Heaven.  (I've been getting a little jealous of other babies who sleep on their moms, because Junior doesn't usually.)

• When we put her to bed tonight, she kept making noises, so I kept going in to check in on her.  And every single time, there she was, in the dark, on her tummy, grinning up a storm.  Time to SLEEP, my child!  But ... big grins from Junior -- who can resist?? Certainly not Mommy. I love my precious girl, and treasure all these sweet moments with her, and the time to be aware of these sweet moments with her.

• Good text conversation with my closest friend from college yesterday; she was asking about the interview.  We've had our ups and downs post-college, but I think our friendship is finally at a great level for the long-term.  I'm very thankful for her.