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I have been wondering when we should start reading aloud to Robert. My guess was, when he's three or four months old? I wanted to start him on Harry Potter right away, get him good and indoctrinated when he's still young. (I actually considered starting Philosopher's Stone out loud while still pregnant, the way some people play Mozart to the womb, but decided that I was being crazy. Plus I wanted to re-read Half-Blood Prince before the movie came out, and didn't want to start Robert at the end of the story; he might have gotten confused.) Don bypassed me, though, and my careful considerations. I came into the living room the other night and found him reading My Side of the Mountain aloud to Robert, who seemed to be enjoying it. (He was staring off into space and not crying or fussing... that counts for a lot after eight at night.) Don explained that the baby seemed to like hearing him talk (all deep and rumbly!), but he ran out of things to talk about, so he grabbed the book instead.

Do all babies float? I am naturally bouyant; I can tread water or float on my back with very little effort. This was true for me even as a child, when my percentage of body fat was hovering around zero. Don is the opposite; he sinks like a stone. It takes all of his effort to just keep his head above water. I've noticed that Robert floats in the bathtub, and wonder whether he's taking after his mama already, or if it's just a baby thing. He is about 1,000% fat, after all-- all thigh rolls and neck folds.

Don and I spent some time this weekend reclaiming our garden. I planted it when he was in Illinois, and then... we did nothing. Didn't weed, didn't water, didn't fertilize, nada. The weeds overtook the space, but everything we planted took off, and we've actually been harvesting a decent number of tomatoes and etc. The fact that it's been such a rainy year probably helped; nobody's garden has needed watering. Now the space is mostly weed-free again. I've got some plans for fall crops, and bigger plans for next spring, that we'll need to get started this fall. My big issue is this: how long are we going to be in this house? I want to put in an asparagus bed, but it takes years for them to start producing. Worth it? Not worth it? I don't know. I think I'm going to do it, on the grounds that I'd hate to be here in ten years, still dithering over the asparagus, and wishing that I'd planted some at first opportunity.