I am writing this while waiting for my grandmother to die.

My mom called just as I was tucking Vivian into bed. She is with her parents. She says grandma has had the last rights and is lying in bed with grandpa. That it's a miracle. That she looks so peaceful. They are in bed together and all the children - they have 11 - are slowly gathering ( Read more... )

Viv and Nora are just back from getting haircuts. Nora got a bob. It transformed her little face and I croned at her: "Oh, Nora, you look beautiful!"

Eleanor preened and Vivian said: "Do I look beautiful too?"

"Oh boy," said James.

"Of course you do!" I answered.  (I had already said so.  Everyone in the room had already said so.)

"Do I ( Read more... )

We struck out from Kitchener after Vivian's morning school on December 19, and spent three days on the road to Lincoln, Nebraska: 1500 kilometers and three states beginning with "I." Vivian and Eleanor were little traveling troopers, but I think these kilometers have somehow gotten longer since we had kids ( Read more... )

( self-indulgent pictures of the kids! )

James and I ventured from the home on Saturday, a rare thing:  we had a dinner out for our anniversary.  My other lungfish and I have been married 11 years.  Hurrah!  About our adventure, two things.

Vivian watched James putting on his tie and commented "President Obama wears one of those!"    She's got two writer parents who get news from the radio ( Read more... )

Yesterday (before we lost the entire kitchen) I was making coffee while Nora sat in her highchair destroying some toast.  She spotted the coffee grinder, the noise of which always scares her a little.  "Uh-oh," she remarked.  Then, seeing Vivi nearby, she caught her sister's attention, pointed to the coffee grinder and repeated, more urgently:  "Uh ( Read more... )

Nora woke up at 5AM yesterday.  It's not unusual to see her little sweet face at ungodly hours -- she likes her wee hour nurse, she does -- but yesterday she wasn't smiling.  She was cheesed.  Yelling, bucking, slapping at me.  Tummy ache?  Tooth ache?  I tried rubbing and humming; I tried everything ( Read more... )

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 Monday was your first birthday. How fast this year went, how big you’ve gotten - I can hardly believe it. You went to the doctor yesterday and weighed in at 20 pounds even, a tall and solid bundle of little girl, hardly a baby at all.

( Fond mommy stuff and pictures, and it's only part one! )

I would like to take this moment to wish a happy half birthday to Eleanor Grace, smiliest baby in the universe, who is six months old.  Love you, Nora.


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