No News Is Good News

Things have been busy but relatively quiet over at the Fitch-Jenett household. We like this.  No medical drama, no children in our social circles dying, routine sniffles coming and going.  It's a pretty sweet life these days.

Simon is changing every day-even the staff at his preschool comments on it!  As is pretty typical, there seems to be a direct correlation between him doing new things and how mad/frustrated/maddening he is.  Laura and I are practicing daily "step away from the child" and doing LOTS of time outs.  It's all so very...typical in the best and the worst ways. And we're kinda ready for the hitting/throwing things phase to be over.  Like, actually, really ready.

I'm not sure I can safely say we're making progress in potty training but we've had a few spotty successes with going diaper free for a few hours.  We suspect that he will do potty training like he's doing everything else so far- on his timeline and in his own way.  We both keep imagining that one day he will just decide he wants to be done with diapers and that will be it.  Hopefully that will be before he's 8.

He got his school photos from Temple Sinai and...well...they're gorgeous.

We're gearing up for all the holidays and hoping our heads don't explode from the ever growing list of social commitments with all our loved ones.

And, saving the biggest news for last, last week Laura was accepted at a Clinical Pastoral Education program at Alta Bates Summit Medical Center!  Starting January 15th, she will spend 20 hours a week learning how to become a chaplain. She's a little terrified and we're not sure how this will all work out logistically, but honestly I can't think of a more right path for my magnificent wife.  She will get to merge her Jewish education (8+ years of Yeshiva) with her Social Work skills plus all the things she has learned on her own via motorcycle accidents and horse-throwing and kid-almost-dying to usher people through the hardest times of their lives. 

Every time Laura freaks out about this career change and starting something outside the home, something  that is NOT about Simon and his care, I just keep saying, "Let's try it.  Let's just try it".  It's a little like when we first became romantically involved. As we moved, a little uncertainly, from being friends to being more, we kept saying, "let's just keep doing this for as long as it works and if it doesn't work anymore, we'll just go back to what we were doing before".  That worked out pretty well, so I think we'll approach this the same way.

She can always postpone it if it's too crazy, but we both think it's worth at least trying. If this goes well, next year she could apply for the more involved program which would be 40 hours a week and include a salary!  She could be a chaplain in a few years if this all goes as planned. 

 I do so love the idea of being the Rebbi's wife :-)