Freedom
Freedom is saying what you feel when you feel it.Freedom is going outside when you're afraid to leave the house.Freedom is the ability to say"no."Freedom is leaping when you can't see what's directly in front of you.Freedom is letting yourself be.Freedom is going for what you want.Freedom is what I want.*This is part of Mama Kat's Weekly Writing Prompts! Click here for more information or below:
Pregnancy Stupids
I used to be an articulate person. I used to be able to spell words and form coherent sentences. Unfortunately, that is no longer the case. I find myself unable to express myself...see! I did it again! I was trying to complete a thought and I completely spaced and forgot where I was going.I have what my dear friend Alana refers to as "the pregnancy stupids." Yes friends, I am no longer intelligent. Not only am I stupid, but I'm clumsy. When I attempt to pour a beverage of any kind I miss the cup by a long shot and all of the liquid involved ends up on the floor. It's quite fascinating, actually, to watch this occur.Now, this is not to say that I'm the most graceful person in "real life." I am a total klutz and...sorry I just got distracted by the fact that "klutz" is a Yiddish word. I had no idea! It happened again! I can't focus for more than three seconds at a time on a given task.GRRRR!Anyway, the point is, I hope one day to have my brain back. If you notice any typos in my posts, now you know why.Here's the trouble though, [...]
Mystery Baby: Reveal Yourself!
Today was my 20 week ultrasound. Despite the fact that I was exhausted from my friend Leigh's wedding last night (Orthodox Jewish weddings are fun but oy! The food, the dancing!) I had a hard time getting to sleep. I was excited, because today was the day that I would find out the gender of my mystery baby.When I into the exam room, I immediately informed the ultrasound technician that I wanted to know the gender. It seemed like forever until we got to that part of the exam. She was measuring every single part of the baby. I kept saying:"Is every thing normal?""Yes...so far." She repeated every time I asked. "So far" (by the way) is an infuriating and nerve racking response. Like there could be something wrong at any moment?I have to admit I was bored. As long as every thing was fine, there were no toes or a femur missing I wanted to peer in between this baby's legs and get to the real reason why I was here.WHAT ARE YOU BABY?During the course of the exam, the mystery baby yawned and pointed an accusatory finger at myself and Susan, the technician. Yes, Susan is her real [...]
A Shout Out to My “House Boyfriend”
Last night, as Ari and I went downstairs to spend some time with my parents, Wil stayed upstairs claiming that he was going to "clean." When he said "clean," I assumed that the word "clean" was code code for "playing video games." I'm merely basing this on my past experiences.I am happy to report that I was wrong! When I arrived upstairs two hours later I found thisAnd this:And this: this:and finally, the kitchen floor looked like this up close: Two of our permanent residents are still very happy with the results:These "clean" pictures were taken this morning. I was so shocked when I saw the results of his "playing video games" that I passed out last night.
DC Urban Dad: An Interview
In the spirit of celebrating dads, I had the opportunity to chat with DC Urban Dad.He's a fantastic dad blogger, and I can't thank him enough, if only for this post.During the blizzard of February 2010, I was at my wits end with Ari. Because we were trapped inside, we watched so much Blue's Clues and Yo Gabba Gabba, I wanted to throw the TV out the window!DC Urban Dad was also feeling the cabin fever, but he had an alternative solution to the TV.He wrote a post about a child friendly game website for toddlers: Kneebouncers. With the help of this site, I was able to tear my kid away from the boob tube.DC Urban Dad inspired me to write my own post about it here. To this day, Ari loves Kneebouncers, and I have DC Urban Dad to thank for this!Other than his introduction to Kneebouncers, DC Urban Dad's blog is a delight to read. He's thoughtful, has a dry sense of humor, and writes letters to his little daughter Mini-Kamp. Without further ado, here he is, for your reading pleasure, DC Urban Dad.1. What prompted you to start a dad blog?I started the blog thinking it would [...]
Birthdays and Sugar Highs
Yesterday my niece, Francesca, had her 9th birthday party at the Children's Museum of Art.Ari had a great time, since he is in love with her.I convinced him that it was, in fact, Francesca's Birthday. But it took this exchange to do so:Ari: Uncle Jonathan's birthday?Me: No. Francesca's birthday.Ari: Aunt Rosa's birthday?Me: No. Francesca's Birthday.Ari:Lucky's Birthday? (Lucky is a dog) Me: No. Francesca's Birthday.Ari: Oh! Ches-ca's birthday! (Because he calls her "Ches-ca")All the kids made sculptures out of clay and painted them. After the sculptures were created, pizza was served, but Ari was completely uninterested in eating. He just wanted to continue painting. When I asked if he wanted pizza, he gave me this face:He cheered up when he got to play in the ball pit.And so did Wil!Since I'm tired and pregnant, I made Wil drive to the museum, which in hindsight was a dumb idea. We couldn't find parking and he was cranky because he refused to eat anything before we left. So he was grumbling about how we should have taken the subway.I replied "You seem cranky. Maybe you should eat something?"To which he replied "I don't want to eat anything! I want to park the car!"For [...]
Validation
I don't have something funny to say all the time. Remarkable events don't happen to me on a daily basis. Yet, I feel the need to write every day. If I don't write, I feel pent up inside. There are too many noises going on my head. Too many thoughts that need somewhere to go.Needless to say, I'm no Tanis Miller or Jason Mayo. I love these guys, but they can be spontaneously hilarious. I can't. I need to feel inspired.Yet, I check my blog constantly for comments. I love comments. When someone comments, I feel validated, heard. When I don't receive any comments on a post, I freak out a little inside. I second guess myself. Is it worth it? Should I keep writing? Does anyone care?This is by no means a cry for sympathy. I'm merely sharing my thought process when it comes to blogging.I love to read and comment on other people's blogs, but I'm egocentric, I admit it. I want people to read what I write. Not because I think I'm fantastic, but because it makes what I wrote seem real to me.I can't pretend I don't care. I can't play it cool. This has always [...]
Yo! I Got a Question For You: Why is Daddy Crying?
There is so much estrogen in the blogosphere, I was beginning to get a little cranky reading all these mom blogs. Now, don't get me wrong, I love the ladies, but I needed a change. Keep in mind that I am exceedingly pregnant and therefore need someone to make me laugh before I cry...or stab someone. But I digress. I found that laugh in my dear dad blogger friend, Why is Daddy Crying. He's hilarious, real and he's here to tell us the down low about being a dad. Are you ready for him? Here he is, Why is Daddy Crying!1. What is your real name or are you forbidden to tell us?I was pretty hardcore about hiding my name because I was worried about my professional career. Then I got laid off. Then I got hired again. And now…well, I’m a bit less paranoid. So, I’m comfortable enough now to tell you that I share the same first name as the man behind Bon Iver. And unfortunately I also share the same first name with some talentless musical douche whose last name rhymes with “beaver.”2.We know you've been crying...I mean blogging since 2002, how did you get started?The 2002 [...]
Shana Tova!
For those of you that live under a cultural rock, I'd like to clue you in on something: it's the Jewish New Year! Yes, that's right, it's Rosh Hashanah. Yes, that's the reason NYC public schools are closed for two whole days this weekIn honor of my heritage, I'd like to make some New Year's resolutions. To enjoy this momentTo focus on the positiveTo be a great Maid of Honor in Mint's WeddingTo be more understanding of othersTo speak the truthTo clean the house on a regular basisTo be supportive to WilTo teach Ari new thingsTo be good to myself and the mystery baby To my fellow Jews: What are your New Year's Resolutions?To my friends of other faiths: what do you want change/work on in your lives?
I’m Not Having Twins But…
I've gotta tell you, I've always wondered how the mothers of multiples do it. I'm not even talking about a freakish amount of children, I am impressed by the matriarchs who handle twins!Today, I had the privilege of watching Ari's best friend, Nelson, while his mama returned to work. And when I say the "privilege," it's because he is seriously the easiest kid to hang out with. I'm not just saying that, it's objectively true.So, effectively, today it was as if I had twins. Two boys, the same age with the same rambunctious energy.Wil offered to help with the changing of diapers. I was thrilled! He also said that if he was sleeping to "only wake him up if it was an emergency," and an "emergency" was not considered the following statement:"Ari pooped in his pants!"When Nelson arrived, Ari was still sleeping. So he made himself at home.Then Ari woke up, and the boys ate breakfast together, and (more importantly) had some milk. Ari, of course, had chocolate milk and Nelson settled on the old fashioned kind.Then Nelson's milk became one with the couch.This pleased Ari very much.They were so excited, they spontaneously decided to dance.In the process of this [...]
F#$$ You Hormones!
Today I got upset. I can't disclose the details of why I got upset, because they reveal events to come. But I was so upset that I started bawling. Wil got the brunt of this "upset-ness" because he was there.I happen to still be at his family's house, so I was lying there in his sister's bed crying. I called Mint. It went straight to voicemail. I called my dad.My dad was the rational brain I needed, since (at the moment) I have no brain. The fetus is sucking all life from me.He calmed me down. I laughed. I hung up. After I was done talking to my dad on the phone, Wil's sister continued to calm me down in person. Then it occurred to me, that my hormones had taken over. I had legitimate things to be upset about, but the level of upset that I got was disproportionate. It was then that I knew, It must be my hormones!When us women-folk get our periods, it lasts for approximately five days, and then we become human again. Pregnancy (on the other hand) is like a nine month long period equipped with erratic and uncontrollable mood swings.So, I would like [...]
The 6am Argument
Wil and I frequently get into stupid fights about nothing. This morning at 6am Texas time, Ari spontaneously woke up (after we'd both gone to sleep at 1am) and so began the 6am argument.I made Ari a bagel with peanut butter, and he proceeded to smear peanut butter all over my "sister-in-law's" bed. I pointed this out to Wil and he said:"Then clean it up! This is not our house!""Don't talk to me like that!" I snapped back."Maybe I should cut my vocal cords out, because you never like how I talk to you!"And then, everything went crazy. The last thing I said (before I fled the bedroom) was:"I want to go home!"I ended up locking myself in the bathroom and crying because I am a huge drama queen.He said sorry a million times, but I kept telling him that he didn't mean it and called him all sorts of horrible names.Then I made myself some coffee and dragged Ari and Ari's grandpa to the playground with me to get away from the 6am argument.Eventually, I decided to forgive Wil, because I'm too tired to care anymore.Now I wanna know, what's the stupidest argument you've ever had?