Christopher Parkening masterclass

Last Friday I attended a masterclass at UGA with Christopher Parkening. I've always wanted to meet this amazing artist and having him this close, and free, it was too good an opportunity to turn down. Jeff took the day off and we packed up Benjamin and left early in the morning to get there at 9 a.m.

The students who played were college or grad school level. All of the playing was high-level and very inspiring. I came away from it wanting to practice! Parkening is a mild-mannered, gentle guy and you'd never guess he has such inner drive and discipline. He spoke matter-of-factly about his faith and said he meditates on certain verses before performances. His philosophy permeates his method books, which I still use and teach from. Parkening had great comments for each student and the first thing he did for each was compliment something they were doing well.

I wish we had been able to get a better picture, but just as we got to the front, he left!

Benjamin was pretty good, but fussy enough that Jeff had to stay outside with him for most of the class. I'm glad we got to go.

Chuck's blog

To all those who gave up checking, :D Charles has updated his blog...just to let you know. :)

Stats

At 6 weeks, Benjamin is:

23 inches long (75-90th percentile)
12 lbs. 14 oz (90th percentile)

That's great, but sad that he wore his newborn clothes so briefly! He's now in 3 month clothes...slightly big but fitting. The hernia will probably not need any attention until he reaches a year or so, so that's good news.

Today was a day of nonstop coos and smiles! Flirted with the pediatrician, cooed at his bouncy seat toys, smiled at daddy....and the cutest thing, he woke himself up laughing! He has never laughed when he was awake, only while he's dreaming.

Just love my little boy. :)

Busy life

Working part time has definitely made life busier! I teach three days, then catch up on chores the rest of the week. Benjamin has adjusted to the nursery well (after the first day when his chin was trembling from overstimulation...so sad!). Now, he seems to sleep better the more noise there is in there! Jeff picks him up early when he can, and takes care of him until I return in the evening. We have cut back on some church activities out of necessity. Wednesday night church is out of the question. I teach up until 6:30, and then I need to either pump or feed him. Sometime in there I have to eat dinner, and I don't feel right having Benjamin away from home from 1:00 to 8:30 or so. And then there's the problem of Jeff getting enough sleep, as he leaves for work at 5:45. Yes, it's a crazy life!!
I've also given up church choir for awhile. Sunday is already a stressful day for Benjamin, and coming to choir at 4:30 is just a little much. I have been signed up to play offertories in the next couple of months and am on the singing schedule. That's enough for me!
Benjamin is healthy and seems well. I am a little concerned about a tummy bulge that I think may be an infant hernia (pretty common.) We get it checked out tomorrow. It doesn't seem to cause him pain but will probably need minor surgery. We'll see. I think it may be hereditary, since Laurance, myself, and Charles all had them.
The weather is beautiful here! The fall colors seem more vivid than usual. We had our first freeze last night, and I'm afraid it killed the tomatoes. The zinnias were looking leggy and pathetic, so I'm not too worried about them.
I'm looking forward to Thanksgiving!