We are now mostly (mostly) settled in our new apartment. The boxes are all but unpacked, and this afternoon the workmen are coming to finish installing the oven (which sticks out three inches from the wall due to an inconveniently placed door frame) and put a doorknob on our bedroom door. We seem to have sorted out the massive communication problems with our landlords, and hopefully life can settle into a quiet routine.

The big uncertainty now is about what my husband will be doing this year. After having trouble finding work for the summer, we decided that the best use of his time would be to take a couple of summer classes so he could be finished with his course work as soon as possible.

And of course as soon as we made the decision, he was offered a job. Not just a summer job, but a permanent one. We are just waiting to hear whether the hours will permit him to continue with his core classes (one of the inconveniences of the UD phd program is the three-year Tuesday/Thursday 3:30-5 pm cycle of required courses) and he will probably take it.

It will slow down the speed with which Amos can finish his degree, but it will be good to have some steady income after living so precariously for the past few years.

Daniel is growing apace! He is now walking a little bit, and eating more and more solid food. I have to say that I have mixed feelings about the solid food. For someone who has found exclusive breastfeeding such a physical and emotional burden, I am surprised to find how sad it makes me to share feeding duties with my husband. I treasure more and more the time we spend together in the evening as I nurse him to sleep, and I find myself holding him for a few extra minutes for a snuggle before putting him into his crib.

"There is a special providence for fools, drunks, and Americans!"

Happy Independance Day!