Fast times and wild living with (the former) Baby Whozit…
Posted in Jessica on May 25th, 2009
From a NYT article about the creation of Rebecca, the new American Girl doll, who is a Russian-Jewish immigrant living in New York City’s Lower East Side in 1914: “Hair color was a big issue, debated for years. At first it was a dark auburn, but it was thought that might be too untypical. Ms. […]
Posted in Jessica, Simon says..., Toddler! on May 23rd, 2009
In the summer of 1995, I volunteered on an excavation at Tel Miqne/Ekron in Israel. It was, in most respects, an awful experience. My first square turned up nothing but mud. The students in my second square spent all their time complaining and/or sick. The food was unimaginably horrible (hot dog and French fry casserole, […]
Certain sayings are trops of motherhood. Especially of mothers who end up getting quoted. For example: When you become a mother, you are supposed to love your child more than you have loved anyone ever in your life. That was true enough for me. You are supposed to feel immensely protective of your child, preferring […]
Posted in Jessica, KIP (Preschool), Toddler! on May 19th, 2009
One Thursday, about a month ago, I happened to catch a glimpse of Simon on the couch at his grandparents’ house while he was watching “Racecars” on their TV at the end of a very busy spring day. He was leaning back, eyes fixed on the screen, a slight slouch to his posture, with one […]
Posted in Jessica, KIP (Preschool), Toddler! on May 16th, 2009
Thursday night, Keneseth Israel Preschool held its annual spring program. I, alas, was scheduled to be in Indianapolis for businesses through Friday morning. When I first realized this, I was just a little bummed. These things happen sometimes. Then, as I learned more about the program, I became more bummed. I was missing the big […]
A new season of shopping has dawned, and I’m finding my approach much changed from seasons past. When Simon was a baby, and even more so when he was a baby-on-the-way, I was a retailer’s dream. Nothing was too good for my baby. I shopped long and hard for his crib, and I splurged on […]
The boy understands the importance of timing. Three years ago Simon gave me his first real kick in utero on Mother’s Day. Two and a half years ago, he held his head up for the first time on Thanksgiving. Last year he took his first steps on Father’s Day. He called Evie “Grandma” for the […]
When I was pregnant and my head filled with dreams of overly simplified Mendelian genetics, I assumed a child of mine would look like me or, if he were a boy, my brother Steve. After all, my skin and hair color are dominant, and Matt’s are recessive. The universe had other plans: Seeing that my […]
Today was our slightly delayed 2 1/2 year check-up at the pediatrician’s office. The vital stats are: Height: 37 1/2 inches. 75th percentile. Weight: 29 1/2 pounds (in heavy diaper). 40th percentile. No head measurement! (but struggling to get a size 3T polo over his head is telling) All parts present and accounted for. Speech […]
When I was about six months pregnant with Simon, I started thinking about what his nursery would look like. I had, as no one who knows me will be surprised to learn, some ideas on the matter. The nursery had to be gender neutral. I wanted real, solid furniture the baby could grow up with. […]