The Whole House

I realized that Scott House Almanac hasn't been about anybody else in the Scott House but me, lately. So here's an update. First, Dave is still in Delhi. He couldn't go to Agra to see the Taj Mahal -- there are protesters and ex-protesters (in the form of several dead bodies) on the road between Delhi and Agra. So, he spent Saturday touring Delhi instead. He saw interesting mosques, temples, and shopping markets -- and he liked it enough to suggest that if he returns to Delhi, I might want to accompany him (as opposed to Bombay/Mumbai, which he says is a dump). In general, he seems to be doing pretty well on his long trip, handling the jet lag well and even eating lots of Indian food. He even said he bought me a present . . . but that's about me again. :)

Ryan is going through a very . . . active phase. :) He has so much ENERGY -- one of his favorite things to do is simply run as fast as his increasingly long legs can carry him, pell-mell across the room and headfirst into whoever is around (not allowed). He also likes doing gymnastics on the furniture (not allowed) and playing with his Spider-Man umbrella in a small indoor space with his sister's eyes nearby (also not allowed). Outdoors, he loves running through the sprinklers and playing on Slip 'N Slides -- but what kid doesn't? These things are allowed; problem there is he doesn't want to come inside when he's supposed to, and disobeying is definitely not allowed. No wonder he sometimes bellows or screeches at the top of his voice sometimes for no apparent reason -- it's the barbaric yawp!

Today was Shannon's "ballet" recital. In quotes, because her class of 5-year-olds performed "So Long, Farewell" from the Sound of Music and there's really nothing ballet about it. Anyway, Dave wasn't there, of course, and he felt really sorry about it, so we sent some pink roses to her with a card saying "Break a Leg" (she learned this saying recently and is fascinated by it). Shannon is growing so fast -- she looks so big, so slender and beautiful, and she is so curious and clever. She's also bossy, and sometimes very whiny and rebellious. What's surprising to me is her compassion -- she is not only kind to me because I don't feel well, but she also understands that my being sick makes her daddy sad and upset, and she calls him sometimes just to make him feel better. That, I think, is remarkable.

Both kids seem relatively enthused about the new baby. Their mother had another baby with her new husband in October, and I thought maybe this news might not be the most welcome. Shannon said, "Now I'm going to have THREE little ones to take care of!" but she said it in good humor and she seems excited about it. Ryan worried me more -- he probably felt more strongly his mommy's need to shift her focus to the new baby. He didn't say much at first when we told him, but in that way kids have, he synthesized some information we mentioned in passing and used it to help himself process the change. We mentioned that the current guest bedroom, next door to Ryan's room, was going to become the baby's room. So a week or so later, he came out into the doorway of his room and announced: "This is my room. That is the baby's room, and my room is next door because I am the big brother!"

I was not at Shannon's recital today either, because I'm now ensconced in Ligonier, PA, in the heart of the beautiful Laurel Mountains, with my brother and his family. I spent the afternoon on the huge, wraparound front porch in the shade with a glass of (decaf) sweet tea and the one-eyed cat, which is exactly what I wanted. I'll be here for the rest of Dave's trip. He gets back late on Thursday and I'll meet up with him on Friday. I can't wait -- I really miss him.