Barack Obama was sworn in as the 44th President of the United States this morning.
It's also 75' outside without a cloud in the sky.
I think the two are related, don't you?
iloveyoumadly.
mama
Tuesday, January 20, 2009
Thursday, January 8, 2009
Twenty Three Months
Well look at that....I completely skipped Twenty Two Months.
A lot sure has happened in the last two months!! Your vocab shot through the roof! We took a trip out to San Diego to visit Gramps, Grammy and Uncle C Bones for Thanksgiving and that's when we first started to notice all the new words. And it just grew from there. My favorites? "Ma Poon!" (translation: my spoon - a very important item to you right now)' "lalellow" (translation: yellow); and "lahve lu" (translation: I love you) You even said the last one without being prompted to Ba the other day. I almost died.
We started potty-training you last weekend. It was.....interesting. We had to put our plans on hold, however, as the Tod 1 classroom doesn't have a toilet, and therefore our efforts weren't being reinforced at school. You're moving up to the Tod 2 rooms in two weeks, so we'll start up again. But you spent the last weekend running around in your Elmo underwear (you love Elmo so much it's hysterical), leg warmers, fleece slippers and a t-shirt. It's a look for the runways, for sure. I hope I took a picture..... Anyway, your Uncle Dero (which you've started pronouncing Diwi) and Aunt Mags came over. I thought for sure you'd end up peeing on one of them, but you didn't. You did, however, poop all over yourself and your bedroom carpet which you didn't care for. Me either - daddy was out on a ride and I was all by myself trying not to get poop on me or the walls! It still smells like poop in your room. Thank God we're getting new carpet soon.
You've also become more interested and affectionate with your soon-to-be-baby sister. You kiss my belly, and smile whenever we mention her name. Which, incidentally, is Berit. We haven't decided on a middle name yet, so we'll see what happens there.
You're so precious, baby girl. I treasure everyday. Even the crabby difficult ones (they're more frequent these days). Because you know what? I am completely in love with you. And at the end of the day, I am so proud to be your mama. You are a complete and total gift.
iloveyoumadly.
mama
Tuesday, December 23, 2008
Tuesday, November 18, 2008
TWENTY ONE MONTHS - Craziest month yet!
WOW! So clearly I once again missed the official date. But read on - you may just forgive me after you see what this month has been like.
So today was the big day. We all work up early, had a nice leisurely breakfast, got you to school just before 8, and daddy and I drove down to Denver for our half-way ultrasound. Guess what my love..... you are going to be blessed with a BEAUTIFUL BABY SISTER! As an older sister myself, I cannot tell you how special this is. I don't have any "major" expectations that you will adore your baby sister the way I adored (and still adore) your Aunt Ba. But I have hopes that you see in her the best friend little sisters can be. I expect you to be frustrated with her, annoyed that she gets some of the attention you once got, but I also expect that my sweet and affectionate Hadley will immediately understand how your life is changed forever with the arrival of this special package. I know you will understand how precious she is, and I know you will love her with all your heart. Now you just need to help us decide on a name!
I also wanted to talk to you about what happened two weeks ago, how your father and I and millions of other people across the country helped elect the first African American president. I have never been more proud to be an American than I am today, and when you are old enough to understand the significance of this election, when years from now you ask me where I was when I found out that Barack Obama had won, I'll tell you that while there were millions of people dancing in the streets and gathered at parties (like your Aunt Sonja and Uncle Matt in Manhattan!), I was sitting on the couch next to daddy, holding hands, tears streaming down my face, the two of us alone with the cats asleep at our sides. The television showed complete and utter chaos, but we sat there quietly absorbing the moment, worried that if we blinked we'd realize it was all a mistake. I finally feel like we may have the momentum to change and fix so much of what has gone wrong — from economics to the environment, to health care and raging wars — that instead of leaving your generation with a burden almost impossible to climb, there is hope that we may in fact leave you with a world that is better than the one you were born into. I know I am not alone when I say that my vote in this election was as much for his vision as it was for you and your sister's future.
iloveyoumadly.
mama
Tuesday, October 7, 2008
Twenty Months
So you're twenty months old. That's ALMOST TWO! Almost two. Wow. And yet you're still not really talking..... hmmmm.
You're very communicative though. Daddy and I know pretty much what you are saying, even though it doesn't always sound like English. I think that may be why you're not actively increasing your vocabulary at the rate at which we wish you would. We enable you by giving you what you want when you grunt. ENABLE. This is a dirty word in many respects. And by mentioning it here, I can already see the therapist's office 15 years from now. "Ginna and Nels, you are ENABLING Hadley."
Even though you don't use specific words all the time, you are very expressive and make it pretty clear what you want. I've mentioned many times what an easy baby you are - you sleep well (most of the time), you eat well, you share well - you are a wonderful child. You even tell me when it's time for a bath and when you're ready to stop playing and crawl in your crib to go to sleep. Just the other night we were rocking in the chair, speaking quietly about the day, about your new pajamas, about Peef - and nothing in particular. All of a sudden you sat up, pointed at your crib and looked at me as if to say, "I am tired woman. Put me to bed and leave." It was pretty funny. So I put you down, kissed you good night and told you I loved you (very important steps that if skipped, you tell us we didn't do it right). As I shut the door behind me I realized that even though you don't use your words very often, you have never failed to communicate to us what you're thinking. There isn't a doubt in my mind that you are brilliant.
iloveyoumadly.
mama
You're very communicative though. Daddy and I know pretty much what you are saying, even though it doesn't always sound like English. I think that may be why you're not actively increasing your vocabulary at the rate at which we wish you would. We enable you by giving you what you want when you grunt. ENABLE. This is a dirty word in many respects. And by mentioning it here, I can already see the therapist's office 15 years from now. "Ginna and Nels, you are ENABLING Hadley."
Even though you don't use specific words all the time, you are very expressive and make it pretty clear what you want. I've mentioned many times what an easy baby you are - you sleep well (most of the time), you eat well, you share well - you are a wonderful child. You even tell me when it's time for a bath and when you're ready to stop playing and crawl in your crib to go to sleep. Just the other night we were rocking in the chair, speaking quietly about the day, about your new pajamas, about Peef - and nothing in particular. All of a sudden you sat up, pointed at your crib and looked at me as if to say, "I am tired woman. Put me to bed and leave." It was pretty funny. So I put you down, kissed you good night and told you I loved you (very important steps that if skipped, you tell us we didn't do it right). As I shut the door behind me I realized that even though you don't use your words very often, you have never failed to communicate to us what you're thinking. There isn't a doubt in my mind that you are brilliant.
iloveyoumadly.
mama
Monday, September 15, 2008
So grown up!
GROWN UP OBSERVATION #1:
We were sitting on the patio with daddy and Aunt Ba on Friday afternoon. It was a beautiful day, and you wanted to ride your tricycle on the patio. It had been raining so your trike was leaking water all over the place. You're not a fan of messes - dirt on the ground, sticky fingers, dirty feet - all of these things bother you. So all of a sudden you stand up, open the patio door (by yourself), and walk inside. The three of us stop what we're talking about and look at the door trying to figure out what you were doing. All of a sudden we hear the cabinet door shut and it dawned on us - you were getting a paper towel to clean up the spilled water. And out you waddled, paper towel in hand. I have never shown you how to open the cabinet, where the paper towels are or when to use them. But apparently you're very observant.
GROWN UP OBSERVATION #2:
You were sitting at your craft table yesterday coloring with your crayons with daddy. I was making dinner watching you both play - one of my favorite things to do. You started coloring on the table - not the paper - and daddy gently said, "No No Hadly - paper only." To which you stood up from the table and walked to the corner and gave yourself a time-out. We didn't know whether to laugh or cry. I did a little of both.
iloveyoumadly.
mama
We were sitting on the patio with daddy and Aunt Ba on Friday afternoon. It was a beautiful day, and you wanted to ride your tricycle on the patio. It had been raining so your trike was leaking water all over the place. You're not a fan of messes - dirt on the ground, sticky fingers, dirty feet - all of these things bother you. So all of a sudden you stand up, open the patio door (by yourself), and walk inside. The three of us stop what we're talking about and look at the door trying to figure out what you were doing. All of a sudden we hear the cabinet door shut and it dawned on us - you were getting a paper towel to clean up the spilled water. And out you waddled, paper towel in hand. I have never shown you how to open the cabinet, where the paper towels are or when to use them. But apparently you're very observant.
GROWN UP OBSERVATION #2:
You were sitting at your craft table yesterday coloring with your crayons with daddy. I was making dinner watching you both play - one of my favorite things to do. You started coloring on the table - not the paper - and daddy gently said, "No No Hadly - paper only." To which you stood up from the table and walked to the corner and gave yourself a time-out. We didn't know whether to laugh or cry. I did a little of both.
iloveyoumadly.
mama
Friday, September 12, 2008
Nineteen Months
I am so late this month. It's almost comical. This is what happens when your monthly birthday falls on a weekend. And this past weekend was a whirlwind. Daddy decided he wanted to build the Pergola over the new patio himself. But he needed help - and he wanted the advice of Andpa who apparently is a "master carpenter". So Andpa drove out from Minnesota, and brought your great Uncle Dick with him. Who also is apparently a "master carpenter." Before I go much further, I will say that the end result is gorgeous. But it wasn't without a little pain. These Larson men...they do a lot of talking. And standing around. And analyzing each other's work. And re-measuring. And not cutting. As your daddy likes to say: "It's all about the process." Yep - but it's a process I don't understand.
There's been so much going on in the world the last few weeks. I am worried about your future. I am worried about my future. Will we have enough money to retire? Will have enough money to send you to school? Will we always have health insurance? Will you have access to the best jobs when you're ready? Will the state of our environment cause you irreparable harm in any way? Hadley - it is of VITAL IMPORTANCE that the moment you turn 18 you register to vote. Your daddy and I sit here in agony waiting for the next 8 weeks to pass so we know if we need to move to Canada or not. I wish I were kidding. If John McCain and crazy Sarah Palin move into that White House instead of Barack Obama, I am terrified for what it means to our future. Gramps sent me an email today that summarizes the COMPLETE AND TOTAL INSANITY of this campaign and how completely crazy many of the residents of the US are - here it is:
I'm a little confused. Let me see if I have this straight.....
If you grow up in Hawaii , raised by your grandparents, you're 'exotic, different.' (Obama)
Grow up in Alaska eating mooseburgers, a quintessential American story. (Palin)
If your name is Barack you're a radical, unpatriotic Muslim. (Obama)
Name your kids Willow , Trig and Track, you're a maverick. (Palin)
Graduate from Harvard law School and you are unstable. (Obama)
Attend 5 different small colleges before graduating, you're well grounded. (Palin)
If you spend 3 years as a brilliant community organizer, become the first black President of the Harvard Law Review, create a voter registration drive that registers 150,000 new voters, spend 12 years as a Constitutional Law professor, spend 8 years as a State Senator representing a district with over 750,000 people, become chairman of the state Senate's Health and Human Services committee, spend 4 years in the United States Senaterepresenting a state of 13 million people while sponsoring 131 bills and serving on the Foreign Affairs, Environment and Public Works and Veteran's Affairs committees, you don't have any real leadership experience. (Obama)
If your total resume is: local weather girl, 4 years on the city council and 6 years as the mayor of a town with less than 7,000 people, 20 months as the governor of a state with only 650,000 people, then you're qualified to become the country's second highest ranking executive. (Palin)
If you have been married to the same woman for 19 years while raising 2 beautiful daughters, all within Protestant churches, you're not a real Christian. (Obama)
If you cheated on your first wife with a rich heiress, and left your disfigured wife and married the heiress the next month, you're a Christian. (McCain)
If you teach responsible, age appropriate sex education, including the proper use of birth control, you are eroding the fiber of society. (Obama and any other reasonable Democrat)
If , while governor, you staunchly advocate abstinence only, with no other option in sex education in your state's school system while your unwed teen daughter ends up pregnant , you're very responsible. (Palin)
If your wife is a Harvard graduate laywer who gave up a position in a prestigious law firm to work for the betterment of her inner city community, then gave that up to raise a family, your family's values don't represent America's. (Obama)
If you're husband is nicknamed 'First Dude', with at least one DWI conviction and no college education, who didn't register to vote until age 25 and once was a member of a group that advocated the secession of Alaska from the USA , your family is extremely admirable. (Palin)
OK, much clearer now.
You see, my beautiful, brilliant, independent, strong daughter - there are people out there (Republicans) who want to leave the future of this country in the hands of billionaire oil moguls. Men who could care less about the condition of the environment, the cost of health insurance, the cost of education, the lack of education actually taking place in US public schools, religious freedom...men who only care about tax breaks for the rich, religious freedom for radical Christians only, sending your future job overseas to save money, the right to arm convicted drug dealers with war-grade weapons on city streets, and reminding us just how little "freedom" Americans really have. As your mother, it is my complete and total responsibilty to raise a responsible, well educated and well informed child. I promise to try to not influence your personal political beliefs with mine (but you will have to listen to me for the rest of your life whether or not you agree with me). But I will require this of you: be informed. Make your decisions based on all the facts available to you. Don't follow a path because it is the easiest to follow. And don't be afraid to stand up for what you believe in. Sometimes in life it will seem like you are standing alone in the dark. And sometimes you will be. And it's OK to be afraid in those moments. But my hope for you is that we raise you to know when to be strong and when to tolerate the dark long enough to know there's a light at the end of the tunnel.
Here's to the light in 8 weeks.
"Not only will we have to repent for the sins of bad people; but we also will have to repent for the appalling silence of good people"
-- Martin Luther King, Jr.
iloveyoumadly.
mama
There's been so much going on in the world the last few weeks. I am worried about your future. I am worried about my future. Will we have enough money to retire? Will have enough money to send you to school? Will we always have health insurance? Will you have access to the best jobs when you're ready? Will the state of our environment cause you irreparable harm in any way? Hadley - it is of VITAL IMPORTANCE that the moment you turn 18 you register to vote. Your daddy and I sit here in agony waiting for the next 8 weeks to pass so we know if we need to move to Canada or not. I wish I were kidding. If John McCain and crazy Sarah Palin move into that White House instead of Barack Obama, I am terrified for what it means to our future. Gramps sent me an email today that summarizes the COMPLETE AND TOTAL INSANITY of this campaign and how completely crazy many of the residents of the US are - here it is:
I'm a little confused. Let me see if I have this straight.....
If you grow up in Hawaii , raised by your grandparents, you're 'exotic, different.' (Obama)
Grow up in Alaska eating mooseburgers, a quintessential American story. (Palin)
If your name is Barack you're a radical, unpatriotic Muslim. (Obama)
Name your kids Willow , Trig and Track, you're a maverick. (Palin)
Graduate from Harvard law School and you are unstable. (Obama)
Attend 5 different small colleges before graduating, you're well grounded. (Palin)
If you spend 3 years as a brilliant community organizer, become the first black President of the Harvard Law Review, create a voter registration drive that registers 150,000 new voters, spend 12 years as a Constitutional Law professor, spend 8 years as a State Senator representing a district with over 750,000 people, become chairman of the state Senate's Health and Human Services committee, spend 4 years in the United States Senaterepresenting a state of 13 million people while sponsoring 131 bills and serving on the Foreign Affairs, Environment and Public Works and Veteran's Affairs committees, you don't have any real leadership experience. (Obama)
If your total resume is: local weather girl, 4 years on the city council and 6 years as the mayor of a town with less than 7,000 people, 20 months as the governor of a state with only 650,000 people, then you're qualified to become the country's second highest ranking executive. (Palin)
If you have been married to the same woman for 19 years while raising 2 beautiful daughters, all within Protestant churches, you're not a real Christian. (Obama)
If you cheated on your first wife with a rich heiress, and left your disfigured wife and married the heiress the next month, you're a Christian. (McCain)
If you teach responsible, age appropriate sex education, including the proper use of birth control, you are eroding the fiber of society. (Obama and any other reasonable Democrat)
If , while governor, you staunchly advocate abstinence only, with no other option in sex education in your state's school system while your unwed teen daughter ends up pregnant , you're very responsible. (Palin)
If your wife is a Harvard graduate laywer who gave up a position in a prestigious law firm to work for the betterment of her inner city community, then gave that up to raise a family, your family's values don't represent America's. (Obama)
If you're husband is nicknamed 'First Dude', with at least one DWI conviction and no college education, who didn't register to vote until age 25 and once was a member of a group that advocated the secession of Alaska from the USA , your family is extremely admirable. (Palin)
OK, much clearer now.
You see, my beautiful, brilliant, independent, strong daughter - there are people out there (Republicans) who want to leave the future of this country in the hands of billionaire oil moguls. Men who could care less about the condition of the environment, the cost of health insurance, the cost of education, the lack of education actually taking place in US public schools, religious freedom...men who only care about tax breaks for the rich, religious freedom for radical Christians only, sending your future job overseas to save money, the right to arm convicted drug dealers with war-grade weapons on city streets, and reminding us just how little "freedom" Americans really have. As your mother, it is my complete and total responsibilty to raise a responsible, well educated and well informed child. I promise to try to not influence your personal political beliefs with mine (but you will have to listen to me for the rest of your life whether or not you agree with me). But I will require this of you: be informed. Make your decisions based on all the facts available to you. Don't follow a path because it is the easiest to follow. And don't be afraid to stand up for what you believe in. Sometimes in life it will seem like you are standing alone in the dark. And sometimes you will be. And it's OK to be afraid in those moments. But my hope for you is that we raise you to know when to be strong and when to tolerate the dark long enough to know there's a light at the end of the tunnel.
Here's to the light in 8 weeks.
"Not only will we have to repent for the sins of bad people; but we also will have to repent for the appalling silence of good people"
-- Martin Luther King, Jr.
iloveyoumadly.
mama
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