A Little Girl's First Year

Dear Aria,

You completed your first year of life today. A year of figuring out the world.

Realizing it's better to crawl on Grandma's hardwood floor by the door than walk with slippery socks. Better to fall asleep in the highchair rather than fight it. Better to watch big brother and his antics than to protest or scowl. Sometimes your gaze freezes your stocky little body until you decide to join in full force.
 
You're such a friendly baby. PaPaw says little old ladies in the grocery store stop and talk to you. It's that hair piece your momma puts on you. Feminizes you. But as you age, I think you'll know how to rough it up with brother Jack, because as a newborn, your little hands were in fists as if to say, "I'm ready to rumble!" As you aged, your face began to match it.

Ready to Rumble!

When disagreements come, I think you'll be the one who'll win. Not that Jack's a wimp or anything. You just seem extra tough. Not mean. Tenacious. Not out of control emotionally. Firm. Maybe it's those gymnast thighs you already have. I picture you performing a back handspring, spinning in the air, and nailing the vault like Mary Lou Retton. Spunky.

When Jack does weird stuff (like crawling in a narrow box or wearing a weird wig), you just observe. No furrowed brow. No scowl. No hands on the hips. No eye rolling. I'm sure that'll come in time.

The Bad Guys Picture

I have a photo of you two sitting on my couch last winter. In it, I can see what you two will look like as senior citizens. There's something about your countenances that takes me decades ahead to a time when I'm not here. Jack refers to the picture as "the one where Aria and I are the bad guys." He can't explain to me why he thinks you guys look so tough, but he must see it too. Two people who have weathered life together.

And those times will come. It's part of being human. In the meantime, I age right along with you and sometimes find it easier to crawl than walk on sore feet. Easier to nod off for a few minutes instead of getting ready for bed. Easier to just to watch rather than join in.

But I promise, baby Aria, I'll do my best to keep moving, exercising, and eating right, so I can experience more of you learning about how to live in this big beautiful world God has us in.

Happy first birthday, my precious granddaughter.

What I Managed to Read in the Past Two Years

No one probably cares what I read, but I can archive it here for reference. I'm an odd reader anyway by the looks of this list. Not a typical English teacher's library.

Seems I focused on self-help books recently. Due to my aging body, no doubt. I could look and feel worse, but my feet hurt and my tummy now houses a bulge. My Hofer-butt is bigger, hips wider, and clothes don't fit. I blame my German heritage. Thanks Mom and Dad.

But this spring, I survived my third colonoscopy and got a clean report; however, I need to go back in three years now instead of five due to the presence of a certain type of polyp. They removed 8 this time. Yikes! So those of you out there scared of getting your pooper checked out, consider this your nudge to do it. Don't wait until your 50 if you're having issues.

The procedure gave me a chance to start afresh on eating better. Family, friends, and colleagues say I mix-up a tasty and good looking salad, but what they don't know is I have a sweet tooth, so the junk has been part of my regime too. I've told myself only fish and chicken for the next two weeks. Veggies and fruits, not a problem. I like most of them. I'm at the end of week one now.

I miss beef! I miss pork! I miss ketchup. I miss chips. And I really miss chocolate! Breaking my streak. Gonna have pork chops. Does that count as white meat? I say so.

My body has an extra bone too. It's called an accessory navicular. Here's the medical explanation. Found out last fall I have one on my right foot, along with plantar fasciitis in both, but that's a lot better now. Here's an article explaining that condition.

We all have a navicular bone, but I was born with this extra one that has cartilage between it and the regular bone. Somehow last July 5, 2017, mine experienced trauma, thus all my pain. So most of the fall and winter, I used our elliptical instead of doing my outdoor walking. And I'd been a walker since 1990, and I had done it religiously. Students who'd see me would say, "You looked like a homeless lady all bundled up walking your dog!" Read about that dog Lexy here.

I'm certain my 20-minutes a day indoor workout didn't equal what the walking did. So why only 20? Because if I'd go a minute more, I wouldn't want to do it the next day. Twenty minutes is just enough time to watch a DVRed episode of "Bold and the Beautiful." Yes, I watch the soaps.

This accessory navicular syndrome, what they call it when you have problems with the extra bone, is supposedly rare, but I know three students who have it. One has had surgery. Two just cope.

In late April 2018, I was able to walk again without much pain. And I mean walk. All across town. I have to make sure I am not on my feet constantly though.  I watch for uneven surfaces. I remind my pedicurist not to perform her karate chop massage moves.

And you don't wanna know how much money I've spent on trying to find good shoes. Ecco and Romika work for me. Asics sneakers too. Brooks brand hurt my knees, so I made my first Facebook marketplace sale last summer. When you see older folk wearing dress pants with weird shoes, this is why. Their feet hurt!

Anyway, that's why I've been in the shadows with this blog. That's my excuse.

Plus developing a college-credit public speaking class I was assigned to teach two years ago. Plus taking 20 graduate hours in 12 calendar months to move to the last column on the teaching salary scale (earned my masters decades ago). Plus having two grandkids in town. Plus just being lazy. I admit, it's nice to say, "I'm over 50. I'm not doing that anymore."

So, here's my hodgepodge of nearly two dozen books I've read over the last two years, from July 2016 to May 2018. Maybe there's a couple worthy of your investigation.

If you want to see my previous lists, click here, here, and here.

1. The End of the World by Amy Matayo. 
2. Cold River by Liz Adair
3. Ivy & Bean, book one by Annie Burrows
4. Christmas for Lucy, book two by Saundra Staats McLemore
5. Jake & Lily by Jerry Spinelli
6. Oh Valentine, We've Lost Our Minds by Dan Gutman
7. Confessions of a Serial Killer: The Untold Story of Dennis Rader, the BTK Killer by Katherine Rarnsland, PhD
8. The Chunky Method by Allie Pleiter
9. Ripple Maker: Teaching Effectively & Loving It! by Davis Laughlin
10. Christmas at Harrington's by Melody Carlson
11. The Big Picture by Jenny B. Jones
12. The Growth Mindset Coach by Annie Brock
13. Jasper John Dooley: Star of the Week by Caroline Adderson
14. The Clueless Girls Guide to Being a Genius by Jania Repka
15. The Frogs Wore Red Suspenders by Jack Prelutsky
16. Wonder by RJ Palacio
17. Augie & Me by RJ Palacio
18. Fish in a Tree by Lynda Mullaly Hunt
19. Can't Let You Go by Jenny B. Jones
20. Thyroid Disorders & What to do About Them by Pamela Wartian Smith, MD
21. Why You can't Lose Weight by Pamela Wartian Smith, MD
22. Mayo Clinic Diet: Rapid Weight Loss Solution by Paula Sawyer
23. Mayo Clinic Diet: Eat What You were Meant To by Storm Wayne