I've crammed a year into the last week, I'm pretty sure. And like all good time warp stories, when I slowed down, all the tired caught up, and I'm aging a year for the past week too. Last Thursday (not yesterday, but the week before), I facilitated the New Student Orientation that we do for … Continue reading Let’s Do the Time Warp Again
Kids
losing jasmine – 10 years later
Today is the 10th anniversary of Jasmine's death. I am not in the place to go into details for anyone who doesn't know them, not today, and not after the last 24 hours. It's a joyous kind of place, though, just too emotional for work. If you'd like to hear her story sometime, let me … Continue reading losing jasmine – 10 years later
And The Van Steenberg Family Resides…
Before we left for Arizona, I said to a few of my friends that I really didn't think we'd be moving back to Arizona, that the trip back would probably just be a confirmation of my feeling at the time that we would stay in Bloomington. I was wrong. And I don't know how, or … Continue reading And The Van Steenberg Family Resides…
If I Type Real Fast, I Won’t Have to Think
I remembered today that I feel like an uncoordinated dork in step aerobic classes. However, the cueing was good, even if I couldn't get some of the steps right, and all in all, I think I did pretty well. One of the people in the class asked if I had taken any other step classes. … Continue reading If I Type Real Fast, I Won’t Have to Think
Happy Birthday, Nina!
Today is Nina's 1st birthday. We're just doing a family thing for her and will have a cake and open the presents that have been sent. I'll take pictures and we'll either post them here or at Ofoto, and I'll post a link here. Last year on this day, at this time, they had just … Continue reading Happy Birthday, Nina!
night news
Just a quick entry. If you are not a parent, this will probably mean nothing to you, but last night Nina spent the entire night in her own bed -- woo hoo! She still woke up for about an hour from 2 - 3, but I just sat with her in her bedroom until she … Continue reading night news
Mother’s Day 2004
Mother's Day was very bittersweet, to use Marcy's phrase. I kept thinking back to last year, anticipating Nina's arrival, living in the apartment in St. Louis. I was extremely uncomfortable with Nina and spent a lot of time in bed, playing Neverwinter Nights on the laptop. After listening to me complain about my legs getting … Continue reading Mother’s Day 2004
The Reward for Attention
In "The Artist's Way," Julia Cameron says, "The quality of life is in proportion, always, to the capacity for delight. The capacity for delight is the gift of paying attention." She goes on to note, "The reward for attention is always healing." This is Nina's gift -- she gives me so much to pay attention … Continue reading The Reward for Attention
Show Me the Boo-Bah!
Nina is a riot these days. In addition to brushing up her walking skills, she is expanding her vocabulary. She has a sound for the cats and dogs that defies recording in text, but it's a sort of sibilant hissing noise. It's not random though -- she only makes it when they're around. But her … Continue reading Show Me the Boo-Bah!
Nina Walks!
Nina took her first steps today, in the living room just as the symphony at the end of "Mr. Holland's Opus" swelled in the background. Could she have chosen a better soundtrack? My girl! At 10 1/2 months old, she beat the pants off both her sisters, who were well over a year old before … Continue reading Nina Walks!
