This was the first weekend.
Two days of consecutive hours where time with the kids could weave in and out of concentrated work on the house, productive time on the land and an actual visible, tangible, dent in the to-do list that could easily wallpaper our entire home.
It’s been six weeks since we brought Maximus home. Six weeks, though the first two were spent in town re-learning all the in’s and out’s of newborn-ness. All while juggling (chasing, wrangling, negotiating with) our gloriously willful, intelligent almost two year old.
So, let’s say four weeks. Four weeks of (mostly) living at the farm. On our land. In our tent.
It’s not easy, but it’s perfect. Perfectly imperfect and ever changing and improving as we find spare minutes to do more than just survive the day triaging everyone’s needs (trying to never forget to whisper a quick “I love you” “I love you too” at least once every twenty four hours).
Thinking back to the timeline and goals we had back in July…it feels both like a blink and a lifetime ago. Even if everything had fallen into place perfectly – and to be fair, far more has worked out then gone awry – my idyllic picture of the last couple weeks before month nine spent getting to know our new home was just that…idyllic.
Isla, you’re moving faster, considering more and pushing yourself farther than ever before. You are one determined, methodical little baby.
It’s fascinating to see you observe and interact with the animals. Select specific toys you favour over so many others. The books – the many, many books you just want to hold and turn and play with for hours. Well, maybe not hours but something more like fifteen minutes which I’m pretty sure is the adult attention span equivalent of hours for a baby your size.
This pretty much describes my life. Somehow this kid has sprouted up into a chatterbox always on the move, seemingly overnight.
It’s not just because of her.
We were here long before – well, a little less than two years before – she appeared before us.
But she’s a big reason why we tough it out. Why this is worth it. How we set our goals and what we’re looking for.
I want to give this girl an appreciation for animals. Hard work. The outdoors.
A pony.
(if she wants a pony.)