Mend

Kate turns eleven months old today. I'm in denial. Wasn't she just born? I have to start planning a first birthday party for my tiny baby? I don't believe it.



She's wicked sick with croup. Her fever is down to 101.3 now and I'm hoping it continues to decline overnight. We spent the night on the couch together last night because she was crouping and whooping. Her cough seemed to improve in the colder temperatures.

We figured fresh air would do us all good today so even though it was freezing outside we went hiking. Kate was overly bundled in three hats and a snowsuit and she mostly slept on Daddy as we walked, but Dylan kept falling in the snow and by the time we walked the mile and a half through the woods he was frozen and having the time of his life.



















We hiked on a nature trail and there were these little stops along the way to educate us on which trees we were looking at, what bugs inhabit them, how a forest decomposes, and the like. Dylan loved learning about everything in the woods. By the end of the hike we were really cold and wanted to skip past reading each paragraph and Dylan stopped at each one to attempt to read it.



A friend of mine passed away this weekend from complications of surgery. My grief has taken two paths and I have felt sad as often as I have been furious. This friend of mine lost both her mother and father within the last two months and she has been fighting through visits to the ICU and bile leaking from her stomach, surgeries, suffering. For months. I joked with her that 2014 will be her year, that things had to get better after watching her mother suffer from cancer, only to lose her dad two weeks later to a heart attack. I just talked to her on Thursday night and she was gone by Saturday morning. She's supposed to be hanging out with my cousin tomorrow. I am heartbroken.

So we're sick around here. I just now put down the blog for two hours and went up to the kids' room where I held Kate while she cried and cried until she no longer had a cry in her and she sounded like a baby sheep trying to make any sort of noise to let me know that she didn't feel well. And I want to sit down and pity myself because I've been miserably sick for two weeks with my thyroid stuff and now I'm coming down with the kids' cold or virus or whatever this is, and I haven't truly slept in as long as I can remember. But instead I'm feeling desperate. I want to hold my family close and never ever let them go. Love is fragile, you know. So I'll take baby steps. Tomorrow Kate will wake up feeling a bit better. Dylan will feel better. We will heal. But darned if I don't hold them tighter as I think about my sweet friend.

One Nation Under God, Divisible, With Liberty: Injustice For All

A dear friend of mine and educator was sexually harassed and called a faggot on the college campus where she works today. When she reported the incident the university decided to side with the harasser. I know we are not supposed to fight hatred with hatred but I am furious for my friend. This isn't the first amendment being exercised here, this is hate speech. If you know this friend of mine you are proud to know her. She's the kind of person who always stands up for what is right, even if that means getting arrested while peacefully protesting her beliefs. She is a hero, she will change history, and today this brave woman was called a faggot as she walked from her office to the library. I hope it lights a spark in her so fierce that she becomes the next Rosa Parks of the LGBT rights movement.



My brother posted a Facebook status recently about how glad he was that since Illinois had passed gay marriage he could now put Chicago on his list of places to move one day. I almost commented to my brother in a go-gettum tone that Hey, little brother, equality is on the rise and you'll be able to move anywhere you'd like soon! but I didn't. Making that promise almost felt like jinxing a baseball team by saying they will win before the game is over and I didn't want to put such an important ideal--equality--at risk.

In a few days my sister and her beautiful wife will be the proud parents to two tiny babies. Twins! And even though these two sweet little hearts will be born into a world where their mommies still have to live in a certain state to be considered legally married, I am hoping that in a few years same-sex couples will have the same rights as everyone else.



And I can't help but to believe that one day we can live in a country that embraces love and a world where hate speech is not tolerated, where bullying is no longer the norm. I have faith that one day my friends and family members will no longer be harassed for being true to themselves.

Fall friend fotos

I'm taking way too many photos this week. Eighteen hundred yesterday, fifteen hundred today... We set out to carve pumpkins but got as far as gutting them before the kids lost interest. We walked to the beach and the boys went for an impromptu swim, took a warm bubble bath, had lunch, and spent the rest of the day together.







I'm exhausted after being up so late watching that killer Red Sox game last night. Early to bed for this gal, another fun day planned tomorrow.

Are you a good witch or a bad witch?

Oh man. It's Saturday night, 7PM, we had a very long and very fun day and I've got to find the energy to stay up extremely late for the Red Sox game. Sean snuck in a two-hour nap when we came home from our excursions so he's raring to go. Me, on the other hand, well I might need to cat nap during the commercials. Sean is upstairs tucking Dylan into bed and Kate and I are hanging in the living room listening to Jimmy Durante in our pajamas. Gosh, I love weekends.

Dylan's school had a tag sale this morning and so we dropped by before making our coffee run to Dunkin Donuts. I told Dylan he could pick out one toy to support his school and he of course picked out the biggest car he could find; a cozy coupe to add to our ever-growing collection of vehicles.

After breakfast we went outside to take it for a spin. It's the 1980s version and Dylan thought it was so neat. I like that it doesn't have a doofy face on it like the new ones do. Good old fashioned toys without gimmicks and probably made of BPA and asbestos.




Kate was happier eating leaves.



In the afternoon we went to a pumpkin decorating party at our friends' lake.















And then there was this...



And Bernadette was all like...



I love these kids. Jovani is totally my adopted son.








Here's a video of Bernadette making the kids laugh hysterically on our walk home.



And after all of this fun we went back to the tag sale to help clean up and made tacos and watched a movie. A perfect day.

Let's go Red Sox! Clap, clap, clapclapclap!

Celebrating a sweet boy with family and friends!

Dylan asked me how many days were left until his birthday party all week and he was just so excited when yesterday finally arrived. The weather was more than perfect and the company was more than lovely.



Thank you to our family and friends for celebrating Dylan's special day with us! It is a day we will remember fondly always.

He was the pig

Grandpa, Kate, and I accompanied Dylan on his first preschool field trip this morning! We went to the farm. Grandpa actually has taken Dylan to this farm a few times and Dylan has made mention that if he ever gets to ride in the tractor cow chain--you'll have to see the photos to know what I'm talking about here--he would want to ride in the pig car caboose. Today those dreams came true.





We've had perfect weather (knock on wood) for the last bajillion days and today was no exception. Sean couldn't get off of work since it is the last day of the month when he is at his busiest and so Grandpa kindly volunteered to tag along. Any excuse to see his grandkids, he says.




The tractor pig that Dyl rode on is the namesake of the previous farm pig who has since been replaced with Daisy II, who--even though wears pink and lies on a pink bed--is actually a boy.





And has pug brothers.



Dylan had the best time. This farm is really the perfect place for a gaggle of three and four-year-olds.





And I think this little pumpkin had a fun time, too.