lovin' from the oven

Well, I have been trying to keep abreast of worldly happenings, despite being able to get my news in 27-second bursts between feedings and meltdowns, courtesy of Big Ro. Apparently given last night's events in Pennsylvania the show goes on for the Dems, and political eyes turn to NC, which Obama is expected to win handily. And--my dad put this one on my radar--does anyone else find this story a little unsettling? Wait, let me get this straight: well over 400 kids are removed from the only families and community they've ever known because of the suspicion that underage girls could be pushed into marriage? The entire thing stemmed from a 911 call--the caller was never identified. Of course I find the whole idea of forced marriages deplorable, particularly when they could precipitate power imbalances that could lead to rape &/or domestic abuse, but to my knowledge none of these allegations have even been substantiated. When I worked with the foster care system, a lengthy process preceded removal of kids from their families: a claim would have been made, investigated, substantiated, and then the whole thing would've gone to court. Instead, all these kids were removed at gunpoint by cops--without an examination of individual cases. I think this is yet another example of the state acting on its rigidly-drawn, relatively intolerant, middle-class assumptions and discriminating against people society deems weird.

Anyhoo, sorry for the diatribe--I am mildly delirious from fractured sleep. In the last week, Rowie's digestive system has decided to rebel. We were in Farmville visiting Grandma & Grandpa and Aunt Hannah when the worst of it struck, so I figured it could be the well water, or perhaps the fact that I accidentally guzzled some water from the basement dehumidifier (long story). But back in Greensboro, the trouble shows no sign of waning. I have given up dairy, which sucks. Is Rowie colicky? I didn't really know how he compared to other babies fussiness-wise, but folks have assured me that this isn't standard baby fare. Mercer and I both gave our poor parents a run for their collective monies, so I guess it's just payback.

I feel like a negligent mom just noting the negative, so I'll add that Farmville was very fun, and in his non-upset times Row was super interactive and smiley. Auntie Quiche came down all the way from Baltimore for the weekend! It was great to see her and give her the grand 8-minute tour of Farmville. She was dually impressed by the fact that all the count schools are clustered together, as well as the SUPER--nay, not regular--WalMart. We had a little get-together for my parent's friends, former colleagues, etc. on Sunday. It was supposed to be a drop-in type thing from 2 to 4. I made neighbor Ann's awesome pound cake and mama and Kesha collaborated on the latest million dollar Pillsbury winner. At 2:30, not a soul had arrived, and I started formulating explanations to Kesha about how we are actually community pariahs, when cars started pulling into the driveway. Phew! My dad grabbed a bottle o vino and quickly wrangled all the men in the room into one section of the room. I'm not sure what they were discussing, but I did hear mention of millipedes. How masculine! Sadly, we missed Papi, who had to stay in Greensboro to work. I returned to find him clad in pajama pants, the house singularly foodless.

We have an exciting spate of visitation ahead--I'm off to the airport to pick up Carrie in a couple hours, and Sam is coming tomorrow. I hope Baby Ro dons his happy pantaloons.

Like a chump, I forgot my camera in GBO when I was in the 'Ville, so Grandpa is gonna email me some pix fro the weekend, which I vow to post posthaste. 'Cause don't nobody like a post without pictures!

New and improved, a post with pictures! Grandpa S. & Aunt Hannah, four wise women, Aunt Quiche and me, and Grandma S., all with the cutest accessory around.