Long week after a big weekend

I meant to write at the beginning of this week because we finally got Vanya baptized, but lectures and papers got in the way. I fully expected to comment on papers today, but this afternoon finds me instead looking up former friends on the web. Found out that one is now a professor in UCLA, and two are at King's College, London. It's so heartening to find people who are still in academia. I'm not jealous at all - I love my job and knew a while ago my heart isn't in research - but I wouldn't mind being in London!

Anyway, to start from the beginning (and before this weekend starts)...Vanya was baptized at a Russian Orthodox church last Saturday. It only took us 10 months to get it done; I was glad he still fit into the Christening gown that my Nana (or was it my dad?) made for Nikita. The ceremony went well, but he cried hysterically when he was dunked into the baptismal font (at least the water was warm). It was heart-breaking to listen to him, and I couldn't do anything to calm him down; the godparents are supposed to hold him during the ceremony. He was fine, however, and had a fantastic time at Sel de la Terre, where we had lunch: steak, salmon, French fries, and spinach sauteed with butter. Nikita, of course, barely ate anything, but a waitress treated him to a trip to the kitchen, where he received chocolate chip cookies.

On Sunday, we took Vanya to church again to receive his first communion. He behaved better this time (no water involved), and it was good to see people we hadn't seen in a long time (it's been quite a while since we've gone to church!). The liturgy was on "The Prodigal Son", which was oddly appropriate. Then we went cross-country skiing because of the snow storm on Friday. The snow was powdery and the weather was warm. It was Nikita's third time on skis, and he gets better every time. He even glided a little bit while holding onto me and Igor. Vanya, in the meantime, fell asleep in the pulk. We've been going cross-country skiing almost every week since we got back from the Bahamas, and it's great.

Somehow, after such a packed weekend, I survived the first half of the week (included one lecture), but stayed at home Wednesday to slightly recover (but I still got work done!). And yesterday, I swam for the first time since the summer; I think cross-country skiing kept me from sinking. It certainly was a novelty to be alert on the bus ride home instead of sleeping. I've been reading The Feast of Love, but I'm reading it just for the sake of reading something. I'm itching to start knitting again. Igor bought a copy of "Election Day" (the funny Russian movie), so now he and Nikita can watch the motorcycles endlessly and get the dialogue down (I'm wondering whether I should counter the effect with Monty Python). Vanya has started gesticulating, possibly because I started using sign language with him. I can't figure out, however, whether his fist movement means that he's hungry or whether he needs to potty. A problem, as you can imagine.