From the yearly archives:

2006

The Gratitude Project

August 1, 2006

Gratefully taken from : says, “Begun by a couple of years ago, and participated in by many on my friends list, the Gratitude Project runs from Lammas to Mabon and is a critical reminder that every day is a blessing and there is always something to be grateful for in my life.” 1. I’m grateful [...]

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baby dreams

July 25, 2006

The past few days, when Rio has opened her eyes in the morning, she’s immediately said something odd to me. This morning was both the strangest and most coherent: “I feed bunnies! I feed bunnies, Mama!” I am convinced that she is dreaming, and beginning to recall her dreams. My beautiful, brilliant girl. She sleeps [...]

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Rio!!!!!!!!!

July 3, 2006

Last night, Rio slept in her own bed until 3 a.m. (not quite a record, but a nice surprise), came to my bed for a few minutes and then got out of bed on her own, as if heading back to her bed (where she knows she’ll be taken if she’s fussy in mama’s bed). [...]

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To you we sing, and happiness we bring!

May 25, 2006

Yesterday was the second anniversary of my lovely and amazing child’s introduction to this world. For educational value, here’s my birthday reflections from her first birthday. It’s amazing to me that two years have passed since she was born. It seems like a heartbeat ago I was holding her to my chest for the first [...]

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Rio’s 2nd Birthday

May 9, 2006

Is approaching like a speeding train of social obligation and confusing expectations. I think I will host a small gathering for her on her birthday, Wednesday, May 24, at our home. Treats, gifts, etc. Between now and then: the famous piano moving project. For nefarious reasons of my own, I now want to do this [...]

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the moon is a circle

May 4, 2006

Rio, in the bath, suddenly moves her hand in a circular motion, one finger extended as if drawing in sand. “Circle. Circle. Circle,” she says. My delight cannot be overestimated. She knows a shape! and such a beautiful shape! a circle. she is holding, in her other hand, a circular cup full of water. We [...]

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Further adventures in learning to talk

April 27, 2006

1. Rio and Mama in the bathtub, Rio lying on my chest with her head snuggled under my chin. She suddenly looks up, puts both hands very tenderly on either side of my face and kisses me o-so-gently on the mouth, and says, “I miss you, Mama.” Well of course I told her I miss [...]

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echolalia

April 24, 2006

Driving home from dinner with M, chatting about his rebuttal of a friend’s crazy rant about global warming: M: I really respect his position about wanting a balanced debate. He was just unclear about the science. Me: You were so restrained. You could have been like, “Here is my massive intellectual cock, adorned with a [...]

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how did she do that?

April 6, 2006

i set rio up with a plate of soy nuggets while I cooked our real dinner. she’s been quietly sitting at the kitchen island eating for about 20 minutes, and she just equally calmly handed me half her dinner plate and said, “Surprise! Broken! bye-bye plate!”

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Nurse! Nurse!

February 22, 2006

the scene: me reclining in the tub, covered with warm water and bubbles. my breasts breaking the surface of the water because, you know, they float. Rio comes walking over from the other end of the tub, a plastic penguin in one hand, singing “Twinkle, Twinkle, Little Star!” She spots a nipple floating, apparently unattended, [...]