Wednesday, April 6, 2011

Artist, Artist, M'Bay Bay Artist


Liam has been looking at the atlas lately (after seeing a  Wonder Pets episode about Tibet) and is influenced by both the ideas and the visuals.  He explained to me that all these colors were places and what the places were called as he painted them, and I wrote a few down in order of appearance.

1.  Yellow = Olympia (home)
2.  Purple = Artist M'Bay (I have no idea)
3.  Blue = Artist, Artist M'Bay, Bay Artist
4.  Red = Olympia, Olympia, Wash, Wash, State
5.  Brown = Artist, Artist M'Bay, Bay Artist Washington DC, Wash
6.  White = Wash, Wash, Flower, State, State, Flower
7.  Orange = California
8.  Light blue = Artist, Artist M'Bay, Bay, Flower, Rain

I didn't write down the green or the pink.  He covers the entire paper.  He carefully puts each color down all by itself one at a time and he doesn't confuse the names.

A hard night tonight.  Liam is not good at falling to sleep, especially if he's had a nap.  He started a third day at school (daycare) this week, for a lot of reasons, and I know it will be good; but, at school he naps.  He won't nap for love or money at home, but at school, if I don't beg and beg and remind them every morning they will let him sleep for two hours.  And then he lies in bed and wiggles and squirms and complains and whines about not wanting to go to sleep for at least 90 minutes while I lie their and try to think peaceful thoughts and not about all the things I still have to do downstairs before I can go to sleep. 

So, now it's 10:02, I've been downstairs from epic bedtime for about 15 minutes, and it turns out these are going to be the only 15-30 minutes I get to myself today, because I had a long day at work and a long stressful drive home in hail and rain, and I can't stay awake myself much longer.  Another long day looms tomorrow, complete with another nap-induced bad bedtime to cap it off.  I know I have to come up with a better way, but so far, nothing I've tried has worked and I'm out of ideas for now.

Liam has been in mood to ask me lots of questions about Will's death again lately.  This is good, we were worried he wasn't talking about it; wouldn't talk about it.  Still, 9:15 at night mid-way through Long Bedtime is not when I want to field questions like "But, Mommy -- did the doctors hurt Daddy?" and "But, why, why, why did Daddy have the big sickness."  I would rather be on vacation in Artist, Artist M'Bay Bay Artist, wherever the hell that is.  I hope it's near the ocean.

Tiny sliver of a moon tonight when I let the dog out for the last time.  Tiny, far, bright, bright moon and breath that steamed the air.  I thought those days were done for the year -- but tonight, cold, cold again and almost clear.  Thinking warm thought about the fava beans, just four leaves each.  Stay with us small plants.

2 comments:

Kate said...

I'd like to be on a beach chair on the water there by Artist Artist M'bay Artist
with a tall cold drink (iced tea/lemonade maybe)
and a cool breeze, warm sun and time to breathe.

I hope you are finding time to breathe, sweet E.
your version of busy sounds exhausting, so please take care.

xo
Kate

Mad Hatter said...

Hi Elizabeth...Liam paints such lovely colours, and you paint pictures with your words...Sorry to hear about the 2-hour nap in the day interfering with the bedtime routine, not to mention the stressful commute and long workdays. I hope your garden and your sanity have both survived the inclement weather.
Love,
Maddy