From Alabama

Well, here I am, back in Alabama for a week, hoping to be of some help to Ann. Scott's parents picked Ada up today, and they will keep her until Sunday afternoon, so my hands are free.

We arrived yesterday evening around 5 pm. I planned to arrive midday yesterday, but I had a last minute parent-teacher conference to attend for one of my tutoring students. It's the first time that I have been in the halls of a school since becoming a full time mom, and I wanted to soak it in. It's just a fact--no matter the school, I feel at home there. I love walking down the hall while all the students are in class, and you can see in the windows--all the various types of learning that are taking place. I LOVE IT.

I have picked up a new tutoring student--a ninth grade boy, and finally, finally I am tutoring English. Before now I have done History or study skills or test prep, but I have not had an official English student yet. I have only been with him for a week, but Wednesday night I finally arrived home at 9:00 pm (I had been gone since 3:30), and Scott and I both noticed that I was incredibly energized rather than the exhausted that I usually feel. And we both hypothesize that it was due to the 90 minutes spent discussing Great Expectations that put the spring in my step. I asked my student what he is reading next, and he told me, Romeo and Juliet. I practically started salivating. I said, "Oh, I love Shakespeare," with much gusto, and he looked at me as if I was a bit crazy. But I don't mind. I'll take Shakespeare with a side of Chaucer, please.

Back to the matter at hand, though.

So after a rather nerve racking drive home--Ada spent much of the three hours screaming rather shrilly, we got to Scottsboro, and all went fairly well. I held a crying, tummy hurting Andrew, while Ann bathed Ellie and Ada, and then we switched so Ann could nurse him. And I even got Ada down with barely a whimper. However, at 10 pm, Ada decided to wake up along with Andrew, and give him a run for his money in the crying department. She was practically in hysterics, and she started asking for Ellie and Luke. I was like, sweetie, Ellie and Luke are not going to do you much good right now. I finally let her cry it out for a while--and by cry, I mean loud, hiccupy, can barely breath crying, but she finally fell asleep, and promptly woke up again a few hours later, and again and again throughout the night, until finally at 6 am, I threw in the towel and took her up to the playroom. The first couple of times she woke up, I was worried about sending her off with Scott's parents, but by 6 am, I have to say I was rather eager to get rid of her. Really, I am kidding;) I will be anxious to see how she does.

But, on that note, I should get back to Ann's house to see how she is faring. Poor little Andrew and that upset tummy. Bless his little heart.