Personal

Almost a month without a post...that may be a record. I will try not to make a habit of it.

Classes start Monday. I didn't get as much done this summer as I had hoped, but there's nothing I can do about that now. This semester I am teaching one graduate course (a composition pedagogy practicum) and, for the first time in two years, a first-year writing course. I finally feel like a credible composition scholar again. I know many may take offense to that; sorry. Of course it's not as if you're only as credible as the recentness of the last time you taught first-year writing. Many people have taught basic writing and first-year writing for decades, but haven't taught it in five or ten years, for example. It's just a personal point of view I have; I will have more confidence in my scholarship about pedagogy if I teach first-year writing regularly. I'm class-testing They Say, I Say and am interested to see how that will go.

In other news, Henry will be sixteen months old tomorrow!

A good friend of mine gave Henry some nesting cups for his birthday. He LOVES them, and his favorite thing to do with them is to wedge a smaller cup into a larger one, like so:

I can pick them all up and arrange them in nesting order, and he'll strew them out and wedge them together every time.

Maybe I will start posting about times I have glory on the battlefield of the bulge. Profiles in courage, if you will. Today I went to Subway to grab a sandwich for lunch. I got the meal deal and was torn between the baked Lays and the apple slices. I flipped them around and compared nutritional information. Chips: 130 calories. Apples: 30 calories. I got the apples -- with unsweetened tea and a six-inch steak & cheese sub on wheat. I know there are subs with less fat and fewer calories, but I requested half the usual amount of cheese, and mustard was the only condiment.

Perhaps next time I will get only the sandwich and not the *meal.*

Also, I'm going to eat a BIG salad for dinner so that the bag of greens I got won't end up cash-in-the-trash.

Henry started walking right around the end of thirteen months. He's been practicing, and at fourteen months and one week, here's what it looks like. Jonathan noted that he has a wide-legged gait; I imagine many toddlers start out that way.

(I think he became more motivated to walk when he figured out that he can suck his thumb and be mobile at the same time that way -- not so easy while crawling.)

Q.E.D.

Best year ever.

I have to believe experiences like the following will make me a better teacher.

Clancy: Henry, say Ma-Ma. Ma-Ma.

Henry: Da-Da.

Clancy: Henry, say Ma-Ma. Ma-Ma.

Henry: Da-Da.

Clancy: Henry, say Ma-Ma.

Henry: Pppbbbtt (sputters)

Clancy: Henry, say Ma-Ma.

Henry: Ah-Ya-Ya.

Henry's been practicing standing with no hands for a little while now, but I was able to get a picture this morning: