tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-59892408086368659932012-02-16T03:30:11.226-05:00one boy, two cats, two folks, one blog-machinetakahashihttp://www.blogger.com/profile/18406683281353704845noreply@blogger.comBlogger1241100tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5989240808636865993.post-12372963101222914882009-07-25T18:33:00.005-04:002009-07-25T18:59:15.930-04:00

We know...WE KNOW!!! Oh well,We've been "off" here since we got fambly-married down in GA at the end of May. We are the most untimely of persons, and...well, we just can't do things on time...here's some pix (some of you, if you're there, assuming you WERE there, may not remember how we look) "Oh dancing!""Okay, okay. That's enough. I'm chugging a water and taking a nap."MORE TO COME...

takahashihttp://www.blogger.com/profile/18406683281353704845noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5989240808636865993.post-9575991868598337282009-05-18T23:38:00.009-04:002009-05-19T00:12:02.012-04:00

There was dancing in the closed-to-traffic streets last weekend as neighbors and neighbor's babies headed out to Glenfest, our neighborhood goodtime.Ms. A was there, and was insistent on twirling this man all around. You might notice his hype Carolina Air Jordans, maybe?R ran back and forth between a stage that was set up in the parking and the "kids corner" that was behind the taco, bakery, and

takahashihttp://www.blogger.com/profile/18406683281353704845noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5989240808636865993.post-88307414350087229752009-05-14T09:06:00.004-04:002009-05-14T09:33:03.490-04:00

we set up the purple-dinosaur sandbox a few weeks ago, and it has been a hit, esp. as r spends more time in the big big sandbox at the park. he's also learning to throw things, for example...rocks into buckets. or orangeball down the hall.here he is taking a break from the bullpen.our garden is coming along. the lettuce is up and the broccoli plants have sprouted. we've hade garden salads a

takahashihttp://www.blogger.com/profile/18406683281353704845noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5989240808636865993.post-13654900385418881942009-05-10T21:45:00.002-04:002009-05-10T21:49:14.540-04:00

The upcoming week is a week of many milestones. Happy fourth decade to the ladies who brighten my day, every day, just by virtue of their existence.And happy Mother's Day to all the mamas out there!

esshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02104978343007165037noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5989240808636865993.post-74989125523131320252009-05-10T21:18:00.003-04:002009-05-10T21:45:02.376-04:00

Up-front promise: this post will not even mention bowel movements, even those of babies! Except just then. That was the only mention. The S-B household is just now wrapping up a very successful set of hours known collectively to many of those in North American as el fin de semana, the weekend, and whatever they call weekends in Canada. I worked Thursday and Friday evenings but took the days

esshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02104978343007165037noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5989240808636865993.post-33672626479281587912009-05-04T19:06:00.005-04:002009-05-04T23:04:34.794-04:00

Exito! Success! You-know-what! That's right, we're the kind of parents who tell you all about our kid's poop.Yesterday, L brought a tiny potty home for the Ro. Today, he used it for the first time! Over the last couple of days, he's been pulling his diaper off when it is HW (heavy-wetty) or T-I-P ("there is poop"). We thought he might be telling us something. Not to jinx it, but the message seems

takahashihttp://www.blogger.com/profile/18406683281353704845noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5989240808636865993.post-62355807676486140922009-05-03T09:59:00.003-04:002009-05-03T10:10:10.991-04:00

No parents should ever have to hear a little grunt from the vicinity of the hall, and look over and see a recently-shucked diaper on the floor, and have to utter the words "you clean his bottom, and I'll get the floor" on a Sunday morning before a single sip of coffee has been consumed.

esshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02104978343007165037noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5989240808636865993.post-43819638853383361712009-04-29T20:35:00.006-04:002009-04-29T21:11:51.310-04:00

We're in the midst of a loooong week here, and Ro is blissfully (and filthily) asleep, having crashed out way way early on an evening stroll. Of course, he went to bed without having much in the way of an evening meal (except for about two mini loaves of pumpkin bread, which he calls bop and inexplicably devours at every opportunity). He is also, as mentioned previously, utterly filty, having

esshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02104978343007165037noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5989240808636865993.post-65642589405792769882009-04-26T19:22:00.004-04:002009-04-26T19:57:16.577-04:00

This man is out of his backwards-facing infant seat and into a forward-facing kid seat for babies. Also, it is now, like 90 here in the Souf, so R is currently wearing far fewer clothes than pictured....to be exact, he'd wearing a green American Apparel wifebeater and socks. That is all. It's almost tubby time, and the buns are free!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!We went to the Science Center today and saw a

takahashihttp://www.blogger.com/profile/18406683281353704845noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5989240808636865993.post-57776777017137622042009-04-24T23:20:00.008-04:002009-04-25T00:00:26.769-04:00

We S-Bs spent Easter up on the mountain with my folks, GG, and GreatUncle J and GreatAunt L (who R was meeting for the first time!).You can see a big dog at the right...R now imitates both DOGS and DUCKS: ooh-ooh-ooh (woof-woof-woof) and ack-ack-ack (quack-quack-quack). He went to a playgroup with his daycare provider Ms. B a week or so ago, and there was a tiny toy-something puppy-dog, just his

takahashihttp://www.blogger.com/profile/18406683281353704845noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5989240808636865993.post-88985657790224787022009-04-23T08:59:00.003-04:002009-04-23T09:14:28.820-04:00

well, I can't find the g*d* camera, so we are without fresh pictures yet again...an old one for the memories...but speaking of &*#%$, it seems that we in the pillowfort now need to watch our cussin'. the other weekend, at a friend's *%&$ bday party in #@$@@ raleigh, mama's ears perked up from a rollicking conversation to hear rowan stomping around saying "s***!" "s***!" of course, everything he

takahashihttp://www.blogger.com/profile/18406683281353704845noreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5989240808636865993.post-77985178728406108472009-04-19T21:21:00.002-04:002009-04-19T21:57:03.898-04:00

So what's up? Ro turns one and the pillow fort gets disassembled? There's really too much to cover to make an easy transition back into the blogosphere, so I just figured I'd do a quickie post to break the seal.For this inaugural post, I'm going to break from all things baby-related to get a little political. North Carolina teens have, for the past decade-ish, received abstinence-only sexuality

esshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02104978343007165037noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5989240808636865993.post-41098522832903150962009-03-16T20:45:00.004-04:002009-03-16T21:16:50.066-04:00

Ro has been with us for a year now! We celebrated his first birthday with family and ice cream cake. What a year it has been . . . tonight, just for old times' sake, Mercer & I put on Thriller and reminisced about times spent gently bouncing a screaming, tiny Ro to the beat, 5:20am, before sunrise, staring out the window, seeing nothing. Thinking back to those days, it's hard to recognize the

esshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02104978343007165037noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5989240808636865993.post-36132621446009455202009-03-02T10:41:00.008-05:002009-03-02T14:19:23.180-05:00

Today was a snowday, so we doubled up on socks, fashioned a crude sled out of cardboard and duct tape, packed up one boy, and went to the park.As you can see, Mama was a great puller. Unfortunately, R has been one sad man today. He's cutting his 8th tooth (!) and has been a tired crank. He didn't sleep well last night, and that means no one did.Here's the man in motion. You can see the smooth

takahashihttp://www.blogger.com/profile/18406683281353704845noreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5989240808636865993.post-23427094362202067192009-02-27T17:07:00.007-05:002009-02-27T17:34:18.563-05:00

I TOO FAST!So, what's the deal? A guy doesn't post to his blog for five or six months and suddenly his wife takes the pictures HE wanted to write witty comments on (skeleton sweats! oh, skeleton sweats!) and beats him to it! I think I have an idea of what went down...Mama: Okay R, while Dada is busy thinking about the waffles we APPEAR to be making, you go post!R: Okay, I'll do it. No one wearing

takahashihttp://www.blogger.com/profile/18406683281353704845noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5989240808636865993.post-63136632798099282062009-02-25T20:52:00.005-05:002009-02-25T21:36:21.475-05:00

R & Auntie QuicheA tiny, pre-mohawk skeleton (he woke up with this 'do--no stylin' necessary) wishing to read Five Little Monkies.R con Tio y TiaR & some (apparently) delicious grub.R & his bff potato masher. Oh, and dada too. Ro's in bed, Mercer's en classe, so I am taking the opportunity to update. Mercer actually tried to post the other night, but technology did not agree with him, so the

esshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02104978343007165037noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5989240808636865993.post-64794356191749582292009-02-15T20:13:00.002-05:002009-02-15T20:37:37.524-05:00

Okay, * wince, wince*. It's just me again, no Mercer, and worse, no pictures. On the upside, the weekend was prettier than it was forecast to be (at least for those of us residing in the Southeastern quadrant of this fair nation). Mercer had a blessedly shortlived bout with a very mild stomach bug yesterday (it did not have anything to do with love). So our day was pretty calm (at least

esshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02104978343007165037noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5989240808636865993.post-15094701542587912062009-02-10T19:44:00.002-05:002009-02-10T20:14:54.151-05:00

I need to upload pix something fierce (story of my life . . . or at least of this blog), but just a post to let anyone who still checks this blog from time to time that we have not all perished of carbon monoxide poisoning. No, but seriously, I am scared of carbon monoxide poisoning. What's the deal? Isn't there some sort of alarm you can purchase? Note to self: check into carbon monoxide

esshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02104978343007165037noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5989240808636865993.post-52166414522519625012009-01-22T21:05:00.004-05:002009-01-22T21:50:00.240-05:00

Well, to begin, here's a picture of our hike from a couple weeks ago. I haven't been able to convince Merc to take a walk since. Well, that's not true. It has been too daggone cold for me to go anyplace other than a couple inches from the heating vents in my own home. Here are a few pictures from T and Amy's visit. I miss them--it was so awesome having them around and now their visit seems

esshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02104978343007165037noreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5989240808636865993.post-66121256540190505362009-01-19T21:57:00.009-05:002009-01-19T23:18:51.672-05:00

It's true, we do have a new camera on the SB ranch, but for tonight, we still only have old pictures. So even though we went up to visit Maw-maw and Grandaddy B this past weekend and took a ton of pics and had a great time, there is, as of yet, no way for us to prove it. Instead, I'm posting some older holiday roundup type photos...blahblahblah...Here's Ro with wheelyBee, plucking out his souless

takahashihttp://www.blogger.com/profile/18406683281353704845noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5989240808636865993.post-84539991397518502652009-01-14T21:19:00.002-05:002009-01-14T22:03:03.451-05:00

So much has gone down in the last week-ish! It would be so much easier if I could get up the motivation to post more frequently, but that never seems to happen. Plus, my folks gave the S-B household a new camera for Christmas (thanks, guys!) but I have not yet downloaded the software and am too tired to do so right now. So this is going to be one of them boring will-post-pix-later posts. Yawn!

esshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02104978343007165037noreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5989240808636865993.post-23297124759338984832009-01-06T20:47:00.003-05:002009-01-06T21:24:44.707-05:00

I got so very excited about talking about Christmas in that last post that I totally neglected to do any bragging--er, updating--on the baby developments front. In the last few weeks, Ro has developed from a crawler to a communicating walker (okay, kinda). A few weeks ago, he took a few first halting steps, all of which Mercer missed and thus doubted ever happened. Every day, though, Ro adds

esshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02104978343007165037noreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5989240808636865993.post-74426514521549353152009-01-04T20:27:00.004-05:002009-01-04T21:19:23.934-05:00

Oh my, so how can I even begin to cover the events of the past several weeks, especially with a thumbed tabby kitten nibbling at my hand? Poor kittens--they're so attention-starved. I still love 'em, but they get their pats between baby care and dishwashing.ANYWAYS, where to begin? Well, to sum it all up, we hit Georgia, came back, got sick, saw some amazing aunties, and now it's back to life

esshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02104978343007165037noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5989240808636865993.post-23433811335927374752008-12-15T20:36:00.005-05:002008-12-15T21:18:56.088-05:00

So Mercer blogged about rejection and I guess I'm here to fill in the rest of our activities. Mercer may not have scored big with the editors of Orange Brains and the Writing Bunch (or whatever they're called), but he has been cooking up a storm. Mmmm! Food never really translates well onto camera nless you got a bunch of nice filters for your camera and spray-on shellac for your food, but the

esshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02104978343007165037noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5989240808636865993.post-11860489737206410622008-12-15T12:19:00.003-05:002008-12-15T12:29:10.295-05:00

Well, I finished with my final exams this morning and now I have some time off before Spring semester. I've been sending poems out again, so the Christmastime is already seasoned with invective and rejection. Here's a recent rejection email. I sent this place FIVE poems four days ago:Thanks for your interest in The Orange Room Review. We read the first THREE poems (as we accept 1 to 3 at a time)

takahashihttp://www.blogger.com/profile/18406683281353704845noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5989240808636865993.post-16388677607682341542008-12-06T20:09:00.005-05:002008-12-06T20:52:46.708-05:00

Yo, yo, yo!Since half this blog is a desperate attempt to get up to speed (I feel like we're constantly going 37mph in a 45 on this thing), below please find, in no particular order, photos of our Thanksgivingstravaganza. Below, Ann grins like a tourist posing in front of the Empire State Building. Man were those potatoes good. Sadly, none of the leftovers lasted long.More excitement, no doubt

esshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02104978343007165037noreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5989240808636865993.post-32227069883127009372008-12-01T20:11:00.005-05:002008-12-01T21:37:00.441-05:00

So here are some pictures from Maryland! Yeah, this trip was totally two weeks ago, but ehhh, nothing worth noting happened today anyhow. Above, Ro rides in his new wagon. He took a headfirst tumble about two minutes after this photo was taken. Nonetheless, the wagon was a hit.He met another baby who's about his age. Babies always love other babies. Ro is completely in awe of toddlers and their

esshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02104978343007165037noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5989240808636865993.post-50298397858332271782008-11-26T21:55:00.005-05:002008-11-26T22:54:22.688-05:00

There has been a dearth of postage as of late, mostly because Nick and Ann have landed in Greensboro and we have been otherwise occupied with fun-having. They came into town Friday night. I had to work that night, so off we all went to a local gay bar. It was pretty fun, but I always forget you can smoke indoors here, as I never go out here and I got really used to smoke-free bars in New York

esshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02104978343007165037noreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5989240808636865993.post-79399941584982096402008-11-17T20:57:00.004-05:002008-11-17T22:04:41.754-05:00

Okay, another boring post. The pix are a ncd (no can do) due to my inability to find my camera charger and my camera battery's inability to hold a charge for more than 3 minutes. Sucky. So for those who occasionally frequent this slice of the blogosphere and may be planning on purchasing a Christmas gift for the S-B household (Mama & Dad, here's lookin at you), a new camera would be pretty sweet.

esshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02104978343007165037noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5989240808636865993.post-42568471292770322262008-11-09T21:27:00.002-05:002008-11-09T21:37:29.020-05:00

Halloween has given way to what I'm sure will be a busy-busy November. I was indeed a zombie ghoul at the Gwood Halloween Scary-Walk. I jumped from bushes, wielded a severed head and chased screaming children. Groups were led through the park by "guides," who would try to slow the kids down and set them up for their final fright--a ghoul (called Barry) dressed as a bush, who jumped up and

takahashihttp://www.blogger.com/profile/18406683281353704845noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5989240808636865993.post-19030580147528090202008-11-08T21:11:00.003-05:002008-11-08T21:32:21.313-05:00

Mercer and I are failing at this whole being a grown up thing. We just sat down to have our first big budget talk (our spending is more than our incomes, what do we do?). The best solutions we could come up with involved me eating less prepared snack food at work and Mercer eating less Chik-Fil-A en route to pick up Ro at daycare. The whole conversation went down while we were eating the most

esshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02104978343007165037noreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5989240808636865993.post-79788903779519853812008-11-01T20:09:00.003-04:002008-11-01T20:26:26.199-04:00

It has been a long, tough week here in the S-B household, thus the whole no bloggage thing. Ro and I came down with the plague. Mercer was harried as ever. I had long work hours.But we're back with a bang! We celebrated Halloween in style (if by style you mean sweatpants) last night. I was tempted to take Ro trick or treating, but I figured such a blatant maternal ploy for candy would be too

esshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02104978343007165037noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5989240808636865993.post-65226884392537794452008-10-20T12:12:00.007-04:002008-10-20T12:28:33.282-04:00

well, i realize i'm basically only an honorary kitten now--liz busted me down to private, i've lost my stripes, there's no room in the pillow fort for me--a non-blogging roustabout barnacle who couldn't upload a picture to save his screen-name!!!!oh well, it should be evident to viewers that i've become a heinous caricature of the typical english graduate student. right now it's "fall break" and

takahashihttp://www.blogger.com/profile/18406683281353704845noreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5989240808636865993.post-51756365141526459962008-10-19T17:33:00.004-04:002008-10-19T18:02:52.558-04:00

Mercer's computer is pretty ornery about moving pix around in Blogger, so they'll remain tacked to the heading of the page, sans explanations.The S-B family just returned from a pumpkin-carving party. It was pretty cool--there was chili to be had, pumpkin carving apparati to be conquered, ex-neighbors to reminisce with. I for one am coasting along on a major sugar high, fueled by the deadly

esshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02104978343007165037noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5989240808636865993.post-52573884256935830762008-10-16T20:51:00.002-04:002008-10-16T21:35:28.230-04:00

So yeah, it was a pretty good week. Ro is teething something fierce, which has caused him to get up to all kinds of shenanigans, shenanigans like waking up at 3am thinking it is time for fun and play. He crashed a few minutes ago, but I already hear cranky stirrings emanating from his direction. Uh-oh. Mercer and I are seriously sleep deprived, and Ro goes about his day looking like he's wearing

esshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02104978343007165037noreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5989240808636865993.post-80683850976667627262008-10-06T21:13:00.006-04:002008-10-06T22:43:49.216-04:00

Coming atcha live from the S-B household. Mercer, who has dropped off the face of planet blogosphere, is diligently underlining stuff. He's reading a section called . . . ummm . . . "Vygotsky, Tutoring, and Learning." Since I don't have much to say about that, I'll move along to a status report on other residents of this abode.In the world of kittens, you're either in . . . or you're out.

esshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02104978343007165037noreply@blogger.com4tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5989240808636865993.post-1070363294606071182008-10-02T20:44:00.005-04:002008-10-02T21:07:36.341-04:00

Tonight's menu featured sweet potatoes, acorn squash, rice cereal, and pickles. Ahhh, the pickles. Much footage was taken. Excuse the cripplingly depressing NPR footage in the background (why can't anything good happen to Haiti?). Okay, time to hunker down with my frozen pizza and focus on the VP debates. Yes, frozen pizza. Politics. Alone. Sad combo. At lease Gwen Ifill

esshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02104978343007165037noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5989240808636865993.post-15382405342033185622008-09-28T11:14:00.004-04:002008-09-28T12:17:05.056-04:00

The S-Bs have once again enjoyed a busy week, and I figured I'd catch up on bloggage whilst the wee one slumbers. In preparation, I went to pour myself a nice mug of coffee. I added my sugar and poured the milk . . . straight into my water glass. Below, Merc asks, and I quote, "what the hell is that?"Much has been afoot on the Rowan front. In top news, his daycare provider can no longer

esshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02104978343007165037noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5989240808636865993.post-6163711179584928222008-09-23T21:52:00.004-04:002008-09-23T22:26:24.579-04:00

I'm very tired, so this may be a sho'ty. Or better yet, a photo essay. Yesssssiree, a photo essay.As per usual, we have been doing a lot of running around lately. We have also had some guest appearances by some pretty rad individuals. Last last weekend, Jane and her friend Erin stopped by on their way back from gallivanting in Georgia. Below, she and Ro-baby, clearly zombies, conspire to

esshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02104978343007165037noreply@blogger.com4tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5989240808636865993.post-60270527472200242372008-09-16T23:31:00.002-04:002008-09-16T23:35:38.531-04:00

as you can see, the pillow fort is getting mighty dorked out. i've been stuffing my brains with rhet/comp theory, metaphysical poetry and latin flashcards.we were in babies r us tonight and noticed the halloween costumes are starting to appear. baby skeletons, pumpkins, peas in pods, etc. are all over america's superstores. so, we hope everyone will let us know how NOT to dress rowan on this, his

takahashihttp://www.blogger.com/profile/18406683281353704845noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5989240808636865993.post-32845041142736909392008-09-14T21:02:00.002-04:002008-09-14T21:51:48.635-04:00

Ugh, I'm getting that can't-believe-it's-Sunday-night feeling in the pit of my stomach again. The weekend has felt like one big stroll, punctuated by guests and yard sales and dead snakes and playgrounds. It was really good being able to spend some time with Ro--last week was a little rough and I eneded up working really late Friday and only getting my baby-time in in the dying gasps of the day

esshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02104978343007165037noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5989240808636865993.post-46600462141375254812008-09-09T21:25:00.006-04:002008-09-09T22:20:01.923-04:00

I am finding myself wracked with indecision about what brand of highchair to purchase. Parents these days are beset with myriad options. See, when I embarked on this highchair-finding quest I thought all I wanted was a chair, maybe one with a place to set food, and some sort of restraint device so the baby wouldn't squirm his way out. But then everyone out in web-land seems so adamant in their

esshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02104978343007165037noreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5989240808636865993.post-9251422778692260412008-09-07T00:22:00.001-04:002008-09-07T00:23:51.562-04:00

Has this happened to you? You're not alone.

takahashihttp://www.blogger.com/profile/18406683281353704845noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5989240808636865993.post-7913436134674548312008-09-02T20:40:00.005-04:002008-09-02T21:35:38.146-04:00

Our house (part one of a heretofore failed effort to blog about our new house. I can't quite ever seem to get it to the state it ought to be in to take pictures of it, and now we are experiencing additional not-quite-so-cosmetic issues, like some porch leaking, which sounds like a euphemism but isn't.):Soooo I had a really long, hard day at work. Okay, maybe not so hard. It was one of those

esshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02104978343007165037noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5989240808636865993.post-85575747980990248572008-08-27T19:20:00.006-04:002008-08-27T20:46:23.500-04:00

It's 7:23, I'm alone (except for a slumbering baby) and I have no idea what to do with myself. I haven't found myself with free time in . . . I don't even know how long, but it has been a while. So rather than mopping the floors, thereby preventing Rowan from chillin with a filthy shirtfront all day, I figured I'd post. I'm a little bummed out that Ro has gone to bed at 7, as a) I only got to

esshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02104978343007165037noreply@blogger.com6tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5989240808636865993.post-47722292952518600402008-08-25T18:06:00.004-04:002008-08-25T18:44:33.431-04:00

R: Do you see what I see?Mama: Yes, it's the birthday cake! It has chocolate drizzle! Drizzle!!!R: Yes, let's eat it!!!Mama: Way ahead of you!!!!!Well, Ro didn't eat any but me and L sure did a number on B-nizzle's Hershey Kiss cake. Like a resolution in the UN, that sucker never had a chance. Now it's gone.Moment of silence.We've begun the house maintenance and minor repairs portion of our lives

takahashihttp://www.blogger.com/profile/18406683281353704845noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5989240808636865993.post-37811101462038538132008-08-24T14:58:00.002-04:002008-08-24T15:50:55.213-04:00

Bonjour! The S-B family, having recently returned from a trip to Target (ostensibly to pick up some zinc lozenges and an alarm clock, in actuality to procure mountains of merchandise, including food, babyproofing supplies, and a rug) and the local used bookstore, is maxin' and relaxin'. On the babyproofing front (no, not proofing our house against an invasion of babies . . . ), I have spent the

esshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02104978343007165037noreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5989240808636865993.post-26969201874062414962008-08-17T23:06:00.013-04:002008-08-25T18:47:28.542-04:00

So, we need a damn montage to catch everything we've been doing here in the pillow fort. It's like we were real sucky at karate the last time we spoke, and now we're real, like, winning tournaments and stuff. Like Daniel-san good.But L helped catch us up (see "Solid!"). We moved! And the house is finally coming together. The clutter is gone, the mower is in the shed, the 5-yr-old neighbor girl

takahashihttp://www.blogger.com/profile/18406683281353704845noreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5989240808636865993.post-1581763391901586682008-08-16T20:28:00.007-04:002008-08-16T21:24:36.235-04:00

A great deal has happened since last we spoke, o several readers of this blog. In serious news, my family has recently experienced a major loss in the passing of an amazing man and a wonderful great-uncle. He will truly be missed.On to lighter fare, in keeping with the remainder of this blarg's content: the first thing that has happened is that I suck, as I can't seem to ever update, so each

esshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02104978343007165037noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5989240808636865993.post-66722370406873134822008-07-27T19:48:00.003-04:002008-07-27T20:18:41.935-04:00

Over the past three-four days, Rowan has been striking like a French civil servant (gratuitous use of hyerlink feature here). He doesn't want to nap during the day and he's also waking up a lot at night.Now they say that life changes a lot after you have a baby. In fact, for everything that once existed in your life, you will find a new corrolary. However, this is not the Neoplatonic universe

takahashihttp://www.blogger.com/profile/18406683281353704845noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5989240808636865993.post-34295808469602167632008-07-24T09:15:00.005-04:002008-07-24T13:13:13.316-04:00

L and I both remember lots of catalogs in our respective houses as we grew up. It seems buying clothes and things via catalog is something that married/family people do. I hadn't seen a catalog in about 10 yrs and had almost wiped LLBean and Land's End from my memory when an American Apparel catalog appeared at our door. Naturally times change, so now instead of New England themed flannels and

takahashihttp://www.blogger.com/profile/18406683281353704845noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5989240808636865993.post-79588424312808707122008-07-20T21:20:00.002-04:002008-07-20T22:04:04.841-04:00

We're busy wrapping up another weekend here in Greensboro (I still haven't discovered what the cool kids call Greensboro, so I'm resigned to calling it by its full and proper name. Sigh.). These past few days have been a good mixture of hassle and chillax. I had to work late Friday and part of the day yesterday, but that was okay. I have also started phlebotomy training, which is part of my

esshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02104978343007165037noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5989240808636865993.post-55353070260573546112008-07-16T22:29:00.010-04:002008-07-16T23:10:12.633-04:00

I was planning on posting about the first garden tomato of the summer. It was the size and shape of a miniature apple and flawlessly red. However, I went to the fridge to take a picture of it and discovered that L had eaten the aforementioned apple/tomato. Eep!Luckily, Janers recently dropped us some pictures from all the way back in January, when we went up to NYC for our BBQ and Brooklyn-brunch

takahashihttp://www.blogger.com/profile/18406683281353704845noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5989240808636865993.post-40230182408329291422008-07-13T13:02:00.005-04:002008-07-13T13:52:01.263-04:00

Our efforts at regular posting have become downright pathetic! It's like talking to old friends--the less you call, the more you have to catch up on so the harder it is to find the time to make that call. If you talk all the time, you can manage those shorter conversations. My goal, thus, is to post more and call my friends more. Below, Rowan enjoys a post-tub snuggle while a demon kitten

esshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02104978343007165037noreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5989240808636865993.post-80205658888525157732008-07-09T22:22:00.013-04:002008-07-09T23:16:23.708-04:00

The pillow fort has become a floating palace. S-Bs have been all up and down the road in the past week or so. Most recently, L and I went to MD and my folks came here (in reverse order, then correct order).Here Ro finds something new to chomp on. He's been going to town with some drool-a-tron action, so he just may be ready to start cutting teeth.My dad had to buy a new watch after this monsoon

takahashihttp://www.blogger.com/profile/18406683281353704845noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5989240808636865993.post-50708761231322138562008-06-30T21:09:00.007-04:002008-06-30T21:57:29.321-04:00

It's been mad rainy here recently, which is good b/c they say there's a drought and the water table is spread thin, etc. We had a nice storm Sunday night (a nice end to a nice lazy day) and afterwards there was a big rainbow (that you can't see in this picture).That morning, Ro and I got up and walked to the coffeeshop and got a paper and mama got to sleep in until 9!!Liz dressed like an Easter

takahashihttp://www.blogger.com/profile/18406683281353704845noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5989240808636865993.post-47595526988996548322008-06-23T22:22:00.003-04:002008-06-23T22:38:51.556-04:00

It has been a while since I posted (I feel like I start 93% of my posts with this very sentence . . . it has become reflexive). I'm too lazy to upload pictures, but I did want to give a shout-out to our wonderful recent guests. Andi, as always, was a champ. I subjected her to a work presentation during which she had to demonstrate an exercise move. She handled it like a pro. This

esshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02104978343007165037noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5989240808636865993.post-85802826898608305702008-06-18T15:51:00.006-04:002008-06-18T16:33:49.729-04:00

Now that R is growing up, getting a rudimentary grip on his nervous system and becoming interested in toys and the world around him, we have lots of new things to worry about as parents. For example, we recently learned that R is actually part of an international crime syndicate. Since citizenship starts at home, L and I have rounded up some local crooks and made some disturbing discoveries...

takahashihttp://www.blogger.com/profile/18406683281353704845noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5989240808636865993.post-62058039457522889342008-06-16T21:19:00.011-04:002008-06-16T21:59:04.512-04:00

As I mentioned last time, L and I are now solidly in the realm of family life. I listen for the air quality warnings in the morning before I listen to Morning Edition on Liberal Media. Today they had to invent a new one--Code Purple. It's worse than Code Red (which means "don't breathe"). I think Purple must mean "run for your life." There are wild fires to the east of us, and they are causing

takahashihttp://www.blogger.com/profile/18406683281353704845noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5989240808636865993.post-60211034287160456862008-06-12T10:52:00.007-04:002008-06-12T12:24:16.688-04:00

It's been a long time sequestered in this pillow fort. We've been busy. Luckily, we have a big white dry-erase board to keep track of the weeks. As grandpa S pointed out, this is a sure-fire sign of the merciless onset of family life. Pick up boots! Windshield repair! Pediatrician 9:45!In addition, we continue to entertain grandparents, friends, and now, great-aunts. Last night, spelled by

takahashihttp://www.blogger.com/profile/18406683281353704845noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5989240808636865993.post-18330857888267476032008-06-01T08:16:00.009-04:002008-06-01T08:55:47.510-04:00

We've had a fun week here in the pillowfort. It's getting hotter, so we've used the stroller a couple times. Rowie seems to like it. He likes seeing what's what.Liz is thinking about leaving public health behind for a career as a stroller model.This past week, R had his first babysitter experience. Ms. S from next door watched him for a few hours T/W while I was tutoring. He came through the

takahashihttp://www.blogger.com/profile/18406683281353704845noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5989240808636865993.post-63510321988260270572008-05-27T21:53:00.003-04:002008-05-27T22:26:42.387-04:00

So I'm sweating slash running on very little sleep, but I just wanted to post about our rad, rad weekend. It was action packed indeed. It all started when a shadowy figure cloaked in brown plunked a very large box containing odd warning messages onto our front stoop. Come to find out the shadowy figure was the UPS dude and the packaged warnings were on account of dry ice: said package

esshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02104978343007165037noreply@blogger.com4tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5989240808636865993.post-25435442200645605822008-05-22T07:26:00.007-04:002008-05-22T08:10:09.571-04:00

vs your favorite outmoded cultural signpost.We've actually met several stay-at-home dads at the park and around the neighborhood. Is it a trend? Is it just our neighborhood?Anyway, Liz went back to work last Monday so me and Rowan are flying solo. Being with Rowan all day makes me feel guilty about not donating to public radio during their most recent fund drive--it's all I listen to.More

takahashihttp://www.blogger.com/profile/18406683281353704845noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5989240808636865993.post-29299434982376438342008-05-17T13:59:00.009-04:002008-05-17T14:16:05.990-04:00

Some people say that not everyone is nice. But at the Greensboro Bicentennial Parade, most everyone was. Liz has a braid in her hair. That=nice.There were clowns...dalmatians...old tyme vehicles drawn by horses...and a number of marching bands / color guards...sometime during the parade, Liz gained the ability to make her thoughts come to life and a giant cake appeared. Thirty were injured in the

takahashihttp://www.blogger.com/profile/18406683281353704845noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5989240808636865993.post-3013639580158670112008-05-16T16:22:00.002-04:002008-05-16T16:23:35.728-04:00

takahashihttp://www.blogger.com/profile/18406683281353704845noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5989240808636865993.post-6567571684190245942008-05-15T11:35:00.009-04:002008-05-16T16:18:45.266-04:00

It's been exciting times at the pillow fort. It's basically summertime here in Gboro, and Liz and I have been taking advantage of the weather.We went downtown yesterday and saw an exhibition of portraits by NC artists. Lots of the work was pretty cool. As we were walking back to the car we noticed this stylish Obama sticker. Politics is pretty marketable these days. Exhibit 1We went to a

takahashihttp://www.blogger.com/profile/18406683281353704845noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5989240808636865993.post-812506316373046442008-05-14T20:58:00.004-04:002008-05-14T21:44:44.334-04:00

We have been graced as of late by many assorted and sundry visitors. Saturday brought Grandma and Grandpa S. and Aunt Hannah. While the rest of the crew took a stroll around the 'hood, Grandpa helped (and by helped I mean he did 100% of the work) us with the installation of a number of seeds and wee plants into the soil outside. Umm, what am I talking about? I am obviously a little sleepy. I

esshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02104978343007165037noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5989240808636865993.post-16219317011287451242008-05-08T08:37:00.004-04:002008-05-08T09:14:10.302-04:00

We have been spending increasing amounts of time outside of the pillow fort as of late, as weather has befitted a southern spring. Mercer grades his students' final papers at our outdoor table, pausing every once in a while to inspire laughter and lounge on the blanket with Ro and me. Despite the good times, Mercer is still a tough grader. I have to advocate for his students. No grade

esshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02104978343007165037noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5989240808636865993.post-10013234840649574822008-05-06T11:17:00.007-04:002008-05-06T12:00:15.617-04:00

Here we have a rare snapshot of the Southern redpants mama scooting among school buses. It's May 6, and we in the pillow fort are celebrating two events:the two month birthday of Rowan Emil (!!)and that glorious process properly revered in our republic, the NC Democratic primary.Our polling place is the local high school, and we went and voted on these machines. There's a touch screen and then a

takahashihttp://www.blogger.com/profile/18406683281353704845noreply@blogger.com5tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5989240808636865993.post-16800374372372961392008-05-02T16:23:00.006-04:002008-05-06T11:28:05.487-04:00

well, rowan and i are most of the way through our second ever boys of rock and roll, no-mamas allowed afternoon. yesterday was day 1 and i'll be honest--it was pretty rough. it was rowan's first time trying to use a bottle (liz has been pumping industriously) so there were some sad faces. sad faces and lots of screaming.however, today has been much easier. ro took a nap after mama left for her

takahashihttp://www.blogger.com/profile/18406683281353704845noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5989240808636865993.post-16520505713951341092008-04-29T22:36:00.009-04:002008-04-29T23:38:22.398-04:00

I've been regrettably absent from the pillow fort recently, and am pleased to be back. my semesters are ending soon. this week is it for guilford and i only have two weeks of classes left in durham. after that, i'll be what the mfa system was designed to produce: an unemployed writer. why did they design a system that leaves writers unprepared and unwilling to work in the gainful world? it is the

takahashihttp://www.blogger.com/profile/18406683281353704845noreply@blogger.com4tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5989240808636865993.post-74596268056105024952008-04-26T20:25:00.006-04:002008-04-26T20:54:51.913-04:00

Phew, those last posts were written when this here pillow fort was in the throes of a very tenuous situation of a stomach nature. Poor Rowie had a couple tough days there, the worst of which occurred in Farmville (sorry mama & dad!), but the past few days have been much easier going. I have several theories as to why:1. The well water in Farmville done him wrong.2. The homeopathic colic med we

esshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02104978343007165037noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5989240808636865993.post-8394127688835135572008-04-23T14:43:00.002-04:002008-04-23T14:45:52.681-04:00

Apparently, women who eat more are more likely to bear sons.

esshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02104978343007165037noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5989240808636865993.post-78432074807483534852008-04-23T13:46:00.003-04:002008-04-26T11:37:08.843-04:00

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

esshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02104978343007165037noreply@blogger.com5tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5989240808636865993.post-36493247523365365512008-04-16T14:45:00.004-04:002008-04-16T21:55:40.040-04:00

Well, we here in the Pillow Fort have enjoyed a busy couple of days. Rowie and the cats are cohabiting swimmingly. As evidenced by the pictures below, he seems to be starting to notice their presence. They have been noticing his presence for some time now. His presence can be pretty difficult not to notice, given the occasional volume of said presence. However, Rowan is currently so

esshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02104978343007165037noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5989240808636865993.post-42295594689691754602008-04-11T12:16:00.003-04:002008-04-11T12:54:12.770-04:00

Despite having been warned by Tokesha (who assures me that she is a fan of the KIPF brigade) that blogging is totally white of me, I figured I'd resume posting. Actually, reviewing that list, I realized just how white I have become. I mean, I totally like Netflix and farmer's markets! In high school, I was maybe 4 percent white, judging from the list. Now come to find out I could be fully 72-

esshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02104978343007165037noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5989240808636865993.post-41893112691188909592008-04-06T12:09:00.010-04:002008-04-06T13:33:56.236-04:00

It's been a long month for baby-angel, but he's made it to another milestone...Rowan E is 1 month old today! We made a coffee cake in celebration.Here he is, the binx (bibi) nearby, sacked out on the couch. One thing about Rowan...he makes any outing a special event, so spend a lot of time on the couch. Sometimes (like last night) we have lovely sushi-picnics in the front room.It's been rainy and

takahashihttp://www.blogger.com/profile/18406683281353704845noreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5989240808636865993.post-77625921545827867852008-04-02T14:30:00.005-04:002008-04-02T15:40:05.215-04:00

I got to feeling like I had been shirking in my blogging duties, so here's an obligatory update post. We've had some pretty exciting times lately here in Kittenland, aka Greensboro, and by exciting I mean lots of 4am barfing. 4am barfing ain't what it used to be. Now it involves a different kind of scene: an infant, a changing table (Rowie only pukes on the changing table--I have yet to figure

esshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02104978343007165037noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5989240808636865993.post-9808154932421384032008-03-27T13:36:00.002-04:002008-03-27T13:47:30.281-04:00

I found this whilst cruising the parenting blogosphere.The days are getting nice, and now that S(s)pring has officially started, my students have basically abdicated all responsibility for their educations. One of the hazards of teaching freshman comp seems to be that you begin to make the same errors that freshmen make. For example, I capitalized "spring" the first time through. Why? Because

takahashihttp://www.blogger.com/profile/18406683281353704845noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5989240808636865993.post-65230419229073808452008-03-26T11:13:00.004-04:002008-03-26T12:00:28.333-04:00

Salutations!It has been a challenging couple days, and by days I mean nights. The days have actually been relatively blissful and carefree (read: naptime galore), but the poor babe somehow gets gassier at night. My mama was in town and aside from cleaning the kitchen, preparing food, and doing the laundry, she taught me an important lesson: I can leave the house! I can and I will! We went

esshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02104978343007165037noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5989240808636865993.post-45791261196388321262008-03-22T21:29:00.007-04:002008-03-22T22:04:05.508-04:00

This is what Easter is all about...anthropomorphic food. Today, Liz, Granma S and I did lots of cooking. We made BunnyBread and FrenchOnionSoup. It was about 70 degrees F and now that spring has officially started, I had to mow the lawn for the first time. I looked up as I was mowing, saw Liz and Rowie watching from the screen-door to the kitchen and...wait a minute...I think I saw a movie about

takahashihttp://www.blogger.com/profile/18406683281353704845noreply@blogger.com7tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5989240808636865993.post-12571213711363108532008-03-19T14:07:00.003-04:002008-03-19T21:37:31.411-04:00

My last post was cut short by the wails of a ten-day-old. As I resume posting, I have a thirteen-day-old slumbering near my belly, making sweet but slightly disconcerting coos. Mister Ro had a trip to the pediatrician's office today. he continues to put on weight like gangbusters. He's 8 lbs now--ever so much more rugged and sturdy than a mere 7 pounder.What else is going on here in Greensboro

esshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02104978343007165037noreply@blogger.com4tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5989240808636865993.post-82033354924196402732008-03-18T08:09:00.002-04:002008-03-18T08:21:26.334-04:00

This link from the VQR blog appeared on my alumni listserv today. The writer set out to prove that "authors submit poetry to us covering clichéd topics that there’s just no way we’re going to print." Instead, he ended up proving the opposite. The most impressive and durable of poetic cliches--darkness--appeared in 3.9% of overall submissions and in 17% of published VQR poems!The blogger concludes

takahashihttp://www.blogger.com/profile/18406683281353704845noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5989240808636865993.post-59997442106727726762008-03-16T20:59:00.004-04:002008-03-16T21:12:51.851-04:00

Or at least the demand of one of the few people I know who is equally baby-obsessed.It has been a dreamy couple of days, sunshine punctuated by a brief but violent thunderstorm and lots of muted indoor time. We (who am I kidding--when I say "we" I mean "Rowan") have had two very special surprise guests.First, from the wilds of Pennsylvania (okay, Philly), the unstoppable shower-loving,

esshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02104978343007165037noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5989240808636865993.post-90512356544666520732008-03-14T14:28:00.003-04:002008-03-14T14:32:22.940-04:00

Dude, you're interrupting our regularly scheduled programming to link to current news and forgot about this one: http://www.foxnews.com/story/0,2933,337232,00.html? How could you? PS Dag, I can't believe I just linked to FOXNews.

esshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02104978343007165037noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5989240808636865993.post-15190435954691912112008-03-14T09:32:00.003-04:002008-03-14T10:10:44.363-04:00

Thanks, CS, for the pediatrician-related link. I love coming across quotes like the following: "I felt like my pediatrician was saying she knew more than I did." (That said, Liz and I kind of question medical wisdom from time to time.) Anyway, maybe I just haven't been paying attention to the news as much as I should, but it seems that cnn.com keeps scooping The Onion....in the "where's Doc Brown

takahashihttp://www.blogger.com/profile/18406683281353704845noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5989240808636865993.post-1726085885336346062008-03-12T21:19:00.009-04:002008-03-12T22:15:55.614-04:00

first off, we in the pillow fort want to thank taisuke, brenda and nayou for the "ups." both liz and i really liked reading their blog as we approached rowan's due date. it was like a sneak preview of what we were in for. plus, they are cool.we also realize that some of you may actually know our kittens lemmy and audie, and that those of you who know these kittens may be saying to yourselves "

takahashihttp://www.blogger.com/profile/18406683281353704845noreply@blogger.com4tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5989240808636865993.post-10857576288175442912008-03-12T12:21:00.002-04:002008-03-12T12:42:09.150-04:00

Yay! Yay! Yay! That's about as articulate as I get these days--my brain is suffering from some serious sleep deprivation, but I feel way too hepped up and excited to care. Mercer & I wrote a little about the birth experience. I feel somehow lacking in documentation of this whole time but too floaty and unfocused to write a ton. The birth was so amazing though--I can honestly say that now,

esshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02104978343007165037noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5989240808636865993.post-1312857771758837692008-03-11T20:36:00.004-04:002008-03-11T21:09:48.648-04:00

For the past few days I've typically woken up (frequently) in the nights and squinted over to see Liz sitting in a ramshackle lotus position, head nodding, feeding hungry Rowan. She has been an ace mama, and Rowan has been a demanding hotel guest. Last night he did a better job of sleeping (at one point, an hour and a half straight through!) and Liz got some semblance of rest. Today, the boy was

takahashihttp://www.blogger.com/profile/18406683281353704845noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5989240808636865993.post-3263221401613821362008-03-08T18:14:00.015-05:002008-03-10T16:08:41.250-04:00

We first met this little guy last Thursday at 10:58 a.m. after a night of expert laboring by his mama. Liz did an amazing job all the way through the labor. The labor itself was the most unbelievable thing I had ever seen and I was so glad that I had the chance to be a part of it. And then Rowan was born, and that became the most amazing thing I'd ever seen. Seeing our baby come out into the

takahashihttp://www.blogger.com/profile/18406683281353704845noreply@blogger.com4tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5989240808636865993.post-56814520145463636552008-03-05T07:48:00.002-05:002008-03-05T08:13:03.128-05:00

last night there was a big storm and a tornado warning in g-boro, so instead of tromping the halls of harris teeter, we stayed inside and watched 28 weeks later.what did this film add to the post-zombie/t-virus genre? not much. all the characters are there: the good-hearted doctor, the sassy g.i., the loved-one turned killer. it had some decent breaking-into-the-hideout moments, but did nothing

takahashihttp://www.blogger.com/profile/18406683281353704845noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5989240808636865993.post-82711562424070376302008-03-04T18:23:00.008-05:002008-03-04T18:45:07.467-05:00

Dag, this was a good read. I guess I'm not the only one who thought so--it dominated the top 10 lists for '07. Diaz blends Dominican history, macho swagger-talk, and dork culture references like it ain't no thing--and it all works (Trujillo! Boobs! Mordor!).Tonight's gonna be another exciting one for politicos out there. I'm gearing up for hit- reload- on- the- NYT- website- every- ten-

esshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02104978343007165037noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5989240808636865993.post-26626771608866166232008-03-03T10:49:00.002-05:002008-03-03T10:57:50.265-05:00

yesterday lizzie and i planted some tulips that she had bought. they started to bloom after sitting on our front steps for about a week. it seems like its getting warmer again. up to 70 (F) today. we got the trowel and shovel out and dug up a couple patches on either side of the walkway to our front door. we had a good crew helping us (two little boys, 6 and 4, who live next door and are quite

takahashihttp://www.blogger.com/profile/18406683281353704845noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5989240808636865993.post-49737335745580747242008-03-01T11:31:00.004-05:002008-03-01T12:02:04.114-05:00

. . . not really. I'm just sitting at the kitchen table pondering the pros and cons of mopping the house, but I figured I'd blog about it first.So we took these pictures the other night. Mercer has since shaved his head. Which is probably a good thing, because the baby might've got skeered if Mercer had hair and then suddenly didn't. But maybe tiny babies don't care so much about such things

esshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02104978343007165037noreply@blogger.com4tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5989240808636865993.post-78615952256623685042008-02-28T22:18:00.002-05:002008-02-28T22:35:23.436-05:00

Liz has suggested that we create a chart matching names to days and then we can name baby boy based on the day he is born. We have too many combos. In addition to the names currently polling, we have new faves and suggestions: Rand, Alban, and Thurston. We also like Jarvis. This thing is spiraling out of control.I let the news slip to my class earlier this week and they were very excited for

takahashihttp://www.blogger.com/profile/18406683281353704845noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5989240808636865993.post-60135907641692555742008-02-24T12:33:00.003-05:002008-02-24T12:42:19.034-05:00

Well, it took almost 500 pgs, but a dragon finally appeared in the pages I've been poring over. I breathed a deep sigh of relief.Today is baby boy Buftwick's "due date," but the little scoot is obviously going to be a bit late. Contractions have been haphazard and without pattern, so we're being patient and preparing for another biophysical at the midwife tomorrow.Our collection of clearly

takahashihttp://www.blogger.com/profile/18406683281353704845noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5989240808636865993.post-92058194523423890352008-02-23T10:59:00.004-05:002008-02-23T11:53:53.757-05:00

I have a new toy! Yesterday I schlumped in the door in my typical postwork stupor and prepared to lay on the couch for a few minutes before taking my evening constitutional. But these plans were thwarted by the arrival of a present (!!!) from Ann (!!!). Said present contained the pictured items (a DS lite and several of Ann's games). So instead of taking said evening constitutional and/or

esshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02104978343007165037noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5989240808636865993.post-53108041644054233052008-02-20T20:16:00.004-05:002008-02-20T20:48:23.442-05:00

I just finished up a project at work today and am feeling rather like a lame duck (I almost typed "male duck." That would make me a drake.). The docs recommended that I leave work this week, but I don't wanna use up my (very, very limited) time off before the baby's born. I wish I lived in Europe. All them nationz is losing population like mad, yo. Don't you get, like, free pickles,

esshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02104978343007165037noreply@blogger.com5tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5989240808636865993.post-38571471120982503652008-02-17T21:50:00.003-05:002008-02-17T22:14:32.920-05:00

i try to read too. but liz is way beating me. i'm still about 100-?? pages into Midnight's Children (where I've been for a while now). i spent today proofreading a fantasy saga (thanks to janers!) and tried to avoid using the computer. i feel like i'm on the computer all the time. i made it until about 8, b/c i had very important business.i've also attended a couple of shifts at the place with no

takahashihttp://www.blogger.com/profile/18406683281353704845noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5989240808636865993.post-42229791245536547142008-02-17T18:00:00.003-05:002008-02-19T18:33:41.422-05:00

I have been trying to plow through the pages of a number of books as of late, lest the denizens of Greensboro decide that they, too, would like to enjoy some of these books and decide to put a recall notice on my ass! Luckily, I was able to finish several (depicted here). God is JCO ever prolific. She must write 80 pages a day. The Gravedigger's Daughter is more of the same from JCO--gothic

esshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02104978343007165037noreply@blogger.com0