Malia, Sasha and their Grandma

Nathaniel is back to his 2 naps a day, after a scary nap strike. Of course I am officially addicted to blogging now. We'll see how long this lasts - according to this therapist I saw recently (and have not gone back to since), I have trouble following through with things in my life. I told her I was struggling to finish my dissertation, so of course she generalized that inability to complete to my entire life. Sigh, enough about awful therapists.

Much has been written about Malia and Sasha - how much they will change the landscape of the White House, etc., but I just have to say that whenever I see pictures of these beautiful, adorable, sweet, seemingly incredibly well-adjusted little girls, my heart just about bursts with love and joy - almost the love I feel for Nathaniel. I can't really put it in words.

What heartens me even more is the thought of their maternal grandmother living with them - loving and nurturing them. How wonderful is that? While my relationship with my mother is complex and not always peachy keen, those feelings are often eclipsed by my knowledge of the love she has for her grandson. It breaks my heart to hear the yearning in her voice and all the hopes and dreams she has for Nathaniel from thousands of miles away. This article from the NYT brought a tear to my eyes Mother Moving In? Things with my mother-in-law aren't always hunky-dory, but I can't stress enough how helpful and great she is with Nathaniel. Living with your extended family is a pretty common practice in Asia which is not without tension and complication, but knowing that the girls are in that big ol' house under the watchful eye of Marian Robinson makes me sleep a little bit better, given how I worry about all the harm that could come to this beautiful, young First Family. Yay for love and family.