check it out!

Tuesday, nov. 17, 2009   |   0 comments

Our new house is just a few blocks from the El Cerrito library, but I’ve been too busy birthing babies to get my card…until today!

When I asked the librarian to take a picture of me to commemorate the moment, she said, “Well this is a first,” all gruff, but then she smiled a small smile and I knew she knew what I know: There’s something extra super special about a new library card!

pieces of me

Tuesday, nov. 17, 2009   |   0 comments

Happy Kirtsy Takes a Bow publishing release day, everybody! Can I tell you how happy-making it is to have some of my very own thinks nestled alongside the wonder words and photographs of so many talented lady internetsters? It appears I just did.

One hundred American thank yous to editor and friend Laura Mayes for pulling together such a smart and beautiful must-read, and for taking care of business oh so flashily, Elvis style. You sure did it!

Meanwhile, fine Mike from Red Choo Choo has wondered up a sleep position tee using Amelia Bauer‘s glorious illustrations from the good old Sleep book.

Here how good it looks like in action:

Read it, wear it, live it, my lovely manatees!

mercurial poisoning

Monday, nov. 16, 2009   |   0 comments

One of the freaky things about baby caring is that whatever magical thing seems to work one day — singing the “I’d Like to Buy the World a Coke” jingle at him makes him stop crying, tapping his forehead while making a “pwt-ting” sound like his head is a spittoon makes him start laughing — doesn’t always work the next day.

Tough room.

Just when you starting to get that “I can do this!” feeling, his interface shifts, and it’s back to the drawing board. Maybe he’ll stop crying if I turn up the heat? Turn down the heat? Turn him upside down? Right side up? Jostle his stomach while yelling “washing machine, washing machine”? Pudding? You want mommy to put you down in your crib and go get herself some pudding?

I know people in corporate USA like to say they prefer a job where they’re always tackling new problems and learning new skillsets, but now that I’m actually living that particular American dream, I say: Bring back the monotony and predictability! I want the parenting equivalent of stuffing envelopes, please. Not for all time, of course. Just long enough to give me the delusion that I know what I’m doing.

unwanted guests

Sunday, nov. 15, 2009   |   0 comments

Oh my god, this is almost too awful to type, but in the interest of posterity, I have to come clean. Or come unclean, more like…

We have fleas! Or at least Desi does. I caught one crawling around on his foot, and our friend Marilyn spotted one hopping around on his FACE! We are awesome parents.

I’m not entirely sure what to do about this dirty, dirty problem? We’re not thrilled about the idea of setting off a flea bomb — while we’re lame enough to turn our baby into flea food, we’re not quite lame enough to coat his environs in a toxic cloud. Marco dosed the dog with a round of Advantix tonight, so hopefully that will put a dent in the vermin population. Not sure what else we can do, though…wrap the dog in plastic? Dig a moat around the baby? Move to a new house? Town? State? Or maybe we should just hand the baby over to the Child Protection Agency right now.

a piece of pie on a cake-festooned plate!

Saturday, nov. 14, 2009   |   0 comments

That’s one party-sized piece of Fat Apple’s tip-top-notch olallieberry pie (courtesy of the wonderful Adrienne), sitting atop one of my cake plates (courtesy of the inimitable Liz Dunn). Take that, mouth!