Wednesday, September 29, 2010

Unstoppable forces o' nature mi'lads and mi'ladies



So thanks to the supportive comments of my aunt on that last depressed post. Low really feels low when it happens, but I'm not always there. It's a real roller coaster ride. Lately, I've been managing better. My therapist gave me a list of negative thinking patterns associated with depression and out of 13, I do every single one of them every single day. Just having them pointed out helped. I'm more aware when I'm saying or doing something that it's the negative way of seeing things and not the only way of seeing things.

Therapy talk aside...

The season sure is changing quick. The leaves have nearly all turned colour. And just tonight, I was looking out the kitchen window for a bit of head space, when I noticed the geese flying in formation. At our last place, in our little shack on the river, I was very attuned to season changes from the earliest moments. Autumn was cemented and fully in force when the geese all took leave from the river. It was a front row seat from our living room with the patio doors out onto the water. I miss that view. It caught me off guard when I looked out tonight, in the middle of the city, with the apartment buildings and cars and traffic lights, to be reminded of the signs of nature as a flock of geese flew high up in the pink and red sunset. I don't notice the natural world now, like I did back at the old place.

What I do notice is Leon. He has two teeth jauntily jutting forth from his bottom gums. He officially went from commando style dragging to full fledged, cruising around crawling about a week ago. His obsession now is standing. He jams his head into either T or I and uses us as a cushy ledge to push against to raise himself up to standing. Once up, he exclaims triumphantly, twists around, crouches down and starts all over again. We went from playing in one place on a mat, to needing some serious baby-proofing, in the blink of an eye.

He's eating 3 solid meals a day now too, in addition to nursing. Today he had lentils, hummus, squash, zucchini, yam and some omelet. He's eating better than I am! Our freezer is full of little cubes of vegetables for him. I personally can't wait till he can chew anything and eat all sorts of new stuff.

Thanksgiving is nearly here... I can't believe how each day seems to go by slowly, yet the months are hurtling past somehow. Before I know it, Christmas will be here and then in January, L will be a year old. Too insane. This time last year, I was glowing skinned and shiny haired, with L doing karate kicks into my ribs inside me. I was wondering how it would all turn out. I played mahjong and dominoes and scrabble with T every night and watched movies and read during the day and knew my life was going to change, but I just couldn't comprehend how. I tried to know, but now I know for real and I know there's sooo much more to know ahead of me too. One year later, everything is different than it ever was my whole life before L and it will always be this new way. The new way of having a child and ALWAYS thinking of them, always always, always.

Seasons, cycles, growth and change: Unstoppable forces of nature y'all. Whether witnessed first hand, or through a window, it's a roller coaster round and round, up and down.

2 comments:

sarah scott said...

dear melissa,
i miss your calls.
i will send you my new phone number via email.
sarah xx

Anonymous said...

Hi my sweet niece:
The seasons surely are achanging and us with them. You sound better than on your last blog. I hope things are going better for you. I think about you every day and wish I could be near to talk with you. I am impressed with the progress L is making. I can hardly wait to see him again. He is soooooo cute. Nan and I look forward to your monthly pics of him (and you and T of course). Almost every day she says "Have you heard from M today. She loves the pics of L too. The colour here is so lovely just now. I went to Parry Sound with a friend last Monday and the colour was at ninety percent. Today we had the most glorious sunset over the lake Nan and I couldn't take our eyes away. Hannah turned thirteen on Friday (Oct 1) and Lori is trying to figure out where the years went. She can't believe she is the mother of a teen. I guess you are realizing how fast time goes. I am going to a Saunders' family reunion this weekend and Nan is going to Cindy's for Thanksgiving. I guess I will close my book for now, sorry I get so long winded I just don't know when to stop. Hope to see you soon. Your loving Aunt.
(You know who)