As far as I can tell, this will be my last summer of freedom for the foreseeable future. My second baby is due in October, and we have a patchwork parental leave plan that will keep him/her home until August 2026: I will take a leave from October until mid-February, my husband will take a leave from mid-February until mid-May, our parents and siblings will help from mid-May until school lets out the second week of June. Then, I will provide full-time care until August, when we will enroll him/her in daycare. My firstborn will have his last summer of pre-school, and then in summer 2027 he will be home with me (with a week or two of camp). It feels absolutely nuts to type all of this out. TL;DR: I am currently pregnant with full-time summer childcare. This will end next summer. I am doing my best to enjoy every minute of my current reality.
I have not made a proper summer bucket list, but we are taking a family trip to Dallas to visit our friends. I am going blueberry picking. I am going to the clothing-optional beach at Sauvie Island. I am eating pounds and pounds of Rainier cherries, even if it forces bankruptcy (they are outstanding this year). I am purging my house within an inch of its life to make space for this new little creature. I am making a definitive list of the best NA drinks in Portland. I am growing out my bangs. I am going to all the group exercise classes at my gym. I am doing a no-spend July because nothing fits right anyway. I am having a real life baby shower (shout out to anyone who had a rite of passage via zoom or drive-thru in 2020!).
What are you doing this summer?
Reading
Absolution by Alice McDermott
This was our historical fiction pick for book club, as we are trying to branch out beyond contemporary literary fiction this year. I’ll save my full review until after we meet as my opinion is often swayed by our group’s conversation. There is one storyline I am dying to get clarification on and I hope one of our guests can help me!
Deep Cuts by Holly Brickley
I am about 70 pages shy of finishing this book, and I am having a great time reading it. The characters are a little older than I was in the early 2000s/2010s, but I remember the indie scene so clearly — I like the interspersed music essays as much as I like the romance and drama. I am a bit surprised by the casting choices, but I am fully seated for this movie when it comes out.
Watching
Pee-Wee as Himself (HBO Max)
I did not grow up a Pee-Wee fan — I often mixed him up with Mr. Bean, to be honest. I have vague memories of his arrest and my family’s reaction to it. I’ve been averse to most celebrity-subject documentaries lately because they feel like vanity PR projects rather than an actual exploration of an interesting person. For these reasons, I was resistant to watching this, but it completely held my interest. The real Paul Reubens shines, but it does not attempt to glorify him, even though he passed before the project was finished. I highly recommend it, and I sincerely hope it gets award recognition when the time comes.
The Four Seasons (Netflix)
I remember reading years ago that one benefit to watching romantic comedies is that they promote deeper communication and empathy in couples because they prompt conversation about the relationship problems depicted on screen. This show is somewhat predictable, but the actors are funny and lively and I do see how it could potentially encourage some interesting self-interrogation for midlife couples. Every time it got a little too cheesy, there would be some shocking comedic bit that sucked me back in.
The Materialists (theaters)
I wanted to like this movie so bad! I loved Past Lives so much, and I like the premise of the movie and the fact that it’s not a franchise or re-make. It just missed the mark for me. I don’t think Dakota Johnson has any of the sparkle or charisma of the 90s/00s movie stars (Julia Roberts, Meg Ryan, Sandra Bullock, etc.), and I think the movie had a hard time hitting the right tone. On a personal but relevant note, I met my husband on OkCupid, and on our first date he told me that he filtered out all girls over 5’6’’ so as not to disappoint them. I was truly shocked by this revelation and told him that it would have *never* occurred to me to filter by height (I’m 5’3’’). I guess I am the kind of person who finds most everyone attractive or promising until proven otherwise. This movie made me feel extremely lucky I met my husband in my twenties and do not have to endure dating in my thirties (God-willing).
The Bear (Hulu)
It is my strong (though likely unoriginal) opinion that The Bear was originally meant to have a three season arc, but once it garnered so much success, the studio prompted an extra season, which is why season three felt so weak and off-pace. We are six episodes into season four now, and I already see how much better it would have been if they had condensed the two. I’m a bit fatigued of Carmy and Sydney, but I still really enjoy the supporting characters’ story lines. My other gripe is that there hasn’t been enough kissing these last two seasons. This is a workplace drama. There should be more kissing.
I’ll be back soon with my favorite second trimester outfits and a short list of humble wisdom I have gleaned over the last four-and-a-half years as a parent.
With love,
Lexie
Ok, I’m about to drop a comment that will make someone think “Damn, feels like this should have been a DM.”
1–How jealous am I at your “patchwork parental leave plan” (PPLP)? I’m sure it will have its challenges, but it also sounds like a group of people pulling in the same direction. Lucky baby.
2–Looking up Deep Cuts and probably adding it to my embarrassingly long TBR.
3–Dang it, I only keep hearing good things about the Pee-Wee doc! (I’m also a PWH neutral, no nostalgia inducing me here, mostly just curiosity.) I refuse to kowtow to the streaming services though (unless it’s sports-related, in which case I will pay but complain about it a lot), so I guess I’ll just wait and see if it comes to Kanopy or something someday.
4–I never really watch stuff because of who’s in it, so Materialists didn’t tempt me, but I did love love love Past Lives (found it very moving from a third culture kid POV) so I’m kinda bummed that Celine Song’s sophomore effort sounds like a departure from her first.
I think I’m done. I wish I had questions for you, but all I had was statements. The cherries sound amazing. You remind me of a friend who moved away to the PNW.
Re: The Materialists -- I've been on the fence about watching it because I find Dakota Johnson off-putting for some reason; she always seems to be playing herself. I guess I'm gonna pass on this one even though I loved Past Lives. I'm excited about The Bear and agree last season was so hard to watch, especially the self-congratulatory episode with all the real-life chefs patting themselves on the back. Hopefully they can wrap on a high note.
Good luck with the PPLP!