I called my mom this evening to get the latest from Charlottesville, and also to share the exciting news that Toby's brother and sister-in-law are expecting their first kid this September. I've only met Toby's family over video calls, but I'm still very excited about adding another nibling to the mix. I'll meet them all this summer, and then will ( Read more... )

I'm sending a birthday gift to a 3-year-old. I told her dad that it was coming and it won't have my name on it because it's from Amazon but he'll know it's from me. (It's the Eric Carle Seahorse book ( Read more... )

I left work a little early and came straight to Shanon's house to hang out with Jack so that Brian could go be with his laboring wife. Jack was a little worried and confused at first -- he knows that Sloane is on her way, but he doesn't really grasp why that means Mommy and Daddy aren't at home. But I gave him some cheese, turned on RescueBots, and ( Read more... )

Kerry, Jill, and Nina are visiting Portland this week. I wish the timing was such that I had more time to run around with them, but I did get to spend all day today with them. We started at Voodoo, moved on to Saturday Market, the fountains at Waterfront Park, and then a lovely food cart lunch. Tonight, I'm babysitting Nina while K&J have a date ( Read more... )

I'm pretty good with kids, it turns out. The neighborhood kids love me for no particular reason at all, and today when I was taking out the trash, they swarmed me to chat and ask questions. That's what kids do. And good for them. Asking questions is totally the way to figure out the world and your place in it, and if your kid isn't asking questions ( Read more... )