Paris 11/13/2015

On Friday, many people died due to ISIS-linked terrorist attacks in cafes, a stadium, and the Bataclan concert venue in Paris.

It is so sad.

But does the media make it worse?

I read a blog post from a blog called A Separate State of Mind. It talked about how, yes, the events in Paris are bad, but how these things happen every day lately in Lebanon and other countries where ISIS has a regular presence. It talked about how even Arabs in Middle East countries seem to care more about the events in Paris then they do in their own back yard.

It's a great read:
http://stateofmind13.com/2015/11/14/from-beirut-this-is-paris-in-a-world-that-doesnt-care-about-arab-lives/

I don't doubt that something bad will happen again. But I told my students that, even though it does not seem like our own actions can have an affect on, say, these horrific events, we can control how we treat each other.

We should treat each other with kindness, with patience, and with love. We can't expect these terrible things to change if we do not treat each other with respect.

First post of the 2015-2016 school year!

Wow, so I'm a bit behind in my blogging of late. As ever, I better write down observations of my son because he's growing so fast, and I'm sure I'll forget what he did when he was two.

So...Jackson update 11/3/2015:
- currently weights 35 pounds
- sleeps through the night (mostly) in his TODDLER bed
- loves Thomas and Friends, watching "movies" [on Netflix], Minnie Mouse (i.e. anything Disney)
- just sat through his first movie: Frozen on Halloween
- is obsessed with apples, cheese sticks, yogurt (but only if he can feed himself), toast, and sweets
- is Size 3T/4T in clothes
- loves reading books, specifically Battle Bunny, anything Bubble Guppies, and Good Night, Beach.

- does a stellar job kicking a "tah-ter" ball (with his left foot)

Malcolm X

I saw a really fantastic play on Saturday night called One Night in Miami. It is about Jim Brown, Sam Cooke, Cassius Clay/Muhammad Ali, and Malcom X and an evening spent they spent in a Miami hotel room after Cassius Clay became the Heavyweight Champion of the World.

Part of the plot involves Sam Cooke and his transformation from seemingly "simple" songwriter and performer to the inspiring contributor to the Civil Rights Movment thanks to his song, "A Change is Gonna Come." Song below.

Note to self: read more about Malcolm X. I know surprising little about this very complex man.

Mad updates here...

I am embarrassed that I have not blogged since before Jackson's birthday - so much to share about his growth over the past seven months!

He started to really walk the weekend after Thanksgiving when we were in Rehobeth. It's been so exciting to see him become more and more mobile over the past eight weeks!

Over the holiday break, his vocabulary really blew up - we are now up to the following words:
- mama/dada
- bah-ball (basketball)
- Deedee (Brendan)
- nana (banana)
- uh-oh (for everything ranging from "I'm hurt" to "I dropped something" to "I heard something fall")
- hot
- hat
- Pop
- Tash (my cousin's girlfriend)

...okay, maybe not that many, but the sounds he makes are words, and I can understand them.

He makes this really funny sound when he wants something - kind of like "uh-huh" but cuter.

Right now, he LOVES basketball. He loves watching it, "shooting hoops" with his grandpa (my dad: we call him "G-Rex"), and dunking on his Little Tikes basketball hoop.

Another funny thing: he loves watching figure skating. He tries to jump when he sees the skaters do it. Hysterical.

We found out in December that he has a peanut allergy, which is unfortunate, but he could grow out of it, right?

Picture attached. He's the best.

Almost 1 Year old!

My son will be one year old in about two weeks!

Currently, Jackson...

- is crawling (no longer army-crawling on his belly...last week, he just sort of got up on his knees and went for it) all around the house

- is in Size 5 diapers and 18 month clothing

- has (at least) six teeth

- is starting to pull himself up, but he has yet to master standing (soon enough)

- says "da da da da da da" a lot, along with cooing and "whispering"

- loves to eat food by himself, specifically macaroni & cheese and blueberries

- is fascinated with Brewski, our dog

- loves to smile and laugh

- enjoys books at bedtime

- went to the beach for the first time last week

- had his first double-ear infection last week

So...lots going on. We continue to fall deeper in love with out wee Jacks!

May and 10 month olds

Happy May!

The weather is warm, the flowers are blooming, and my son just turned 10 months old. He is seriously the most fun, most charming, most joyful thing in my life. 

Currently, Jackson...

- weighs upwards of 25 pounds

- wears Size 5 diapers and 18 month clothes

- has both bottom teeth and his top teeth have broken through

- sleeps through the night (usually goes to bed between 7:30 and 9pm and wakes up between 6:30 and 8am)

- loves to eat Cheerios (which he feeds himself), carrot & sweet potato mash, avocados, apples & lentils, and whatever we eat...we have had success with feeding him at the table. Tonight he tried mashed banana with berry sauce (homemade...wonder how much longer I'll feel like making food for him? Probably always.)

- army-crawls on the floor

- rolls over in a deceptively fast way

- sucks his thumb

- loves to have "The Itsy, Bitsy Spider" sung to him...it's the key to his relaxation.

Being his mom is the thrill of my life.

We are gearing up for Liz's wedding: her shower is in 2 weeks, followed immediately by her Bachelorette Party in Charlottesville, which should be a blast. I am so excited for her.

The end of the school year is fast-approaching...the poor seniors are so ready to be done. Soon enough. Am teaching WUTHERING HEIGHTS right now to the sophomores, and we are watching THE GODFATHER in my film class. Good times.

Off to make some Thai chicken lettuce wraps!

Snow days and 8-month olds

Today is--I think--our 6th or 7th snow day of this year. I'm not complaining...it is GREAT to stay at home and be with my family!

I give my childcare provide a LOT of credit: how does she manage 6-7 kids all day long?

Let me be clear: I love being home with Jackson, but it is hard work! Move around, get distracted for 10 minutes, feed food, feed bottle, change diaper, change clothes, spit up, change clothes, nap for 10 minutes, wake up, walk around, feed bottle, play on the ground, roll over...and over...and over..., cry, laugh, poop. Change diaper. Nap. Being a mom is so fun, but being a mom is work. I cannot in my right mind imagine having a child before now. This job leaves very little room for me time, but that's my point: before my 30th year, I'm not sure I would have wanted to give up the "me" time. Now, everything I do for myself comes last in my routine (Pluck my eyebrows? What is that?), and that is okay. I care a lot less about what people think of me and how I look and care EVERYTHING about what's going on with my kid and my husband. How do people do this with more than one kid?!

By the time my grandmother was my age, she had four kids under the age of 10. FOUR. That's insane--cool, but insane. And she and my pop did not have a ton of money! AND all five of their kids turned out to be really awesome humans whom I deeply love and respect. How did my grandmother do it? (N.B. Kid #5 came two years later.)

I'm going to Italy in less than two weeks. I am both excited and dreading the trip. The only reason I'm not looking forward to this is because I will not see my son for nine days. So far, the longest I've been away from him is sixteen hours. It'll be hard, but I know it will be good for me and make coming home all the more sweet.

Jackson is eight months old today! I'll admit I had to look up the time he was born (9:34am).
- he currently weighs 22 pounds (more than Brewski)
- he wears Size 4 diapers and 12 Month clothing
- he eats three meals a day (applesauce, cereal, yogurt, avocado, veggies) and has six 7-oz bottles of formula
- he loves to turn over...I feel that crawling is sure to come soon
- he is happy, loves to smile, enjoys snorting, laughs when he gives raspberries, and makes great eye contact with people

Jamie and I absolutely adore him - we still look at him and reflect upon how crazy it is that we have a son and how much we could not imagine our life without him.

#crazyblessed