Essay on Camp
January 19th, 2013 | daily life parenting
No, this isn’t about Susan Sontag. It’s about how the kids change so gradually, even glacially, and suddenly something blindsides me and everything feels like it’s happening so fast.
Waiting
January 10th, 2013 | adoption waiting and wanting kids
In what seemed like the endless time between being approved as foster dads and getting matched with our kids, I yearned so much for the wait to be over. I thought, as I always do, that this “next thing” would be the beginning of a new life.
Head Cold Christmas
December 26th, 2012 | holidays and celebrations
Christmas was not the disaster I’d prepared for, it was a different disaster altogether. I was ready for emotional upset from the kids, remembering other homes and Christmases, big drama. They did fine.
“I decided I love you”
December 15th, 2012 | daily life
Our daughter was acting funny when we got home yesterday.
Getting to Yes
November 26th, 2012 | adoption parenting
Our angelic “terrible 2”-year-old had a big breakthrough this week. He learned to say yes!
I’ve Got the Music in Me
November 18th, 2012 | adoption holidays and celebrations
I grew up in Austin, Texas, live music capital of the country, so it was humbling to realize a few years ago that by far I’d seen local toddler band The Sippy Cups live more times than any other band my whole life. In fact, I had to admit they were perhaps my all time favorite. I might not win coolest taste in music, but I know what I like. The 6 or 7 times I took my godson to their shows were magical, and unlike adult music, I was never self conscious dancing to the beat. Being an adult in a mosh pit of 4-year-olds brings some advantages.
Interview with Adoption Blogger Meg
November 13th, 2012 | adoption
As part of the Open Adoption Interview project, this week bloggers who talk about adoption are interviewing each other. Here’s my interview of Meg, who writes FourWildBlueberries.com. She and her husband adopted two adorable kids at birth, and they maintain a relationship with the birth mom. Meg writes about adoption, family life, and amazing cooking and craft projects she gets up to (and takes fun photos of).
Fast, Fastly Forward
November 8th, 2012 | daily life holidays and celebrations
Halloween came and went, in a pumpkin-pulpy, sugary blur. The kids seemed stunned that we’d just knock on neighbors’ doors, asking for sweets. I guess it is strange. But so much of their new life mush seem strange to them!
Unappetizing Choices
October 13th, 2012 | daily life holidays and celebrations
I knew there was no winning this one: flu shot was not going to be popular. The sooner I told her what we were doing Saturday morning, the more the anxiety and upset could build. But the longer I waited, the worse the surprise would be.
In Praise of Doing Not So Much
October 12th, 2012 | daily life
I took a walk with a friend and fellow business owner this week. We encourage each other to be entrepreneurial, we have projects to discuss. You could say we had a good alibi.
These Clothes Don’t Fit
September 30th, 2012 | daily life
It’s a trivial problem that one could only have in an affluent society. At different times I’ve found myself staring at all the clean clothes in my closet thinking, there’s nothing to wear! Or packing for a trip, I get anxious that the “perfect outfit” for a particular day and a particular need will elude me. I’m a minor hoarder and purger, keeping clothes long past the time I actually wear them, whether they no longer fit, are out of style, or I’m just bored with them. Then I panic when I realize most of my clothes aren’t really “me” anymore. Suddenly that sweater I’ve always relied on seems definitively out of date.
Barfing Rhinestones and Other Miracles
September 23rd, 2012 | adoption
Until today when I found out how easy it was, I think in the back of my mind I always worried about the medical instruction “induce vomiting.” But it’s really simple. When the 2-year-old gobbled up a bunch of his sister’s big plastic gemstones, I started rooting around in his mouth to get all the crap out, and I found the magic spot that caused a quick resolution. Instant barf, sparkles included. Disaster avoided, again!
The God of Obstacles
September 11th, 2012 | daily life
A huge weight was lifted from us this week. Our daughter has a kindergarten class! A mere 10 minutes’ walk from here!
More on Kindergarten
September 2nd, 2012 | adoption gay dads
It’s becoming clear that our daughter not having a kindergarten assignment is pushing buttons I wasn’t fully aware of.
Our Kindergartener
August 29th, 2012 | adoption daily life
Dropping her off for her first day of kindergarten was a shock. It was sweet, but like a punch in the stomach too.
Appendix A: Vocabulary
August 17th, 2012 | daily life
As of today our two year old has the following words. Is he brilliant or what?
Triumph of the Toddler Bed
August 14th, 2012 | daily life
One lovely, fairly reliable thing about hitting a low spot is that things shift, often right away. (Writing about it helps too!)
But We Are, Blanche
August 11th, 2012 | daily life gay dads
The “no strollers” sign was a wake-up call. We’d managed to Yelp a family-friendly seafood restaurant and then Google Maps our way to it. (Why using simple tools that previously required absolutely no effort is nearly impossible with two kids is a mystery to me, but I swear it’s a real phenomenon.)
Foster Grandparents on the Scene!
August 4th, 2012 | daily life takes a village
My dad and stepmom are in town to meet the kids. It’s been wonderful to connect them to my new family. So primal! It feels strange that they’re “only now” meeting the kids, which shows how huge the last three months have been in my life—years worth of changes in a blink. No wonder I feel like I have whiplash!