Before last year, fall was my least favorite season.  It’s always the busiest time of year for me, a crowded semester teaching and supervising student teachers, traveling for two conferences and Thanksgiving, and trying to get ready for the holidays. Plus, the nice long days begin to disappear and the weather turns cold. All of these things used to depress me. But last fall all of that changed. This time last year I was over twenty weeks pregnant, had just had a level II ultrasound showing that I was carrying a healthy baby, and felt for the first time that I might actually have a live baby.

This fall I have a seven-month-old who is energetic, eager to learn, and full of life. When I find myself getting caught up in the busyness and craziness of work and life, I try to find time to sink back down into the world of a small child. A child who lives in the moment, and a child who make me realize how lucky I am to be part of his life.