Things everybody already knew

I'll never forget Fiona, one of my favorite students. She was sitting in my seventh grade English class, with her hand raised. I forget what I was teaching, but somewhere along the way, I had said the word "sitcom."

I called on her, expecting her usual thoughtful, insightful, and challenging question or comment. She asked, "What's a sitcom?"

Fiona had made it to the age of thirteen without watching any television. She instead wrote her own children's literature or played chess with her brother. Yet, despite this, she was not a nerd. She danced. She had a circle of wonderful friends. She laughed easily and often.

I think she's at Princeton now.

I'm saying this, because for the first time in my life, I feel a little bit like Fiona. I, too, am learning a new language and new customs. I'm discovering the world of formula.

Most people already know:
*Drinking real coffee makes the mornings so much more manageable. All my talk about coffee in this blog, up to this point, has been decaf.
*It's really nice to nudge your husband and say, "It's your turn."
*I could go somewhere and do something for as long as I want and Joel would still be fed and comfortable. Without me.
*I can feed Joel a bottle on my living room floor with music blaring and Owen singing a charming little ditty called, "Yeti Stomp." Joel would not even pause.
*I know, for the first time in my life, how much milk my kid is consuming. I can tell Paul how much Joel drank, to the ounce.
*I've learned that you've got to stay on top of cleaning those bottles.
*It's worth it to clip the formula coupons.
*I need to buy one of those Tupperware formula dispensers.
*Joel looks at me with wide, happy eyes and feels my presence as I feed him. It's nice to feed your kid a bottle.

I don't think any of this knowledge will get me into the Ivy League, but it will help me keep my kid fed and happy.

I don't really have a cool way to end this post, so I'll just stop right about....NOW!