Alfred Hitchcock Presents...

Baby E. 

Look-alike Meter

I realize that this is a completely geeky picture of me, but no one ever takes them so it's what you get. Another 50/50 huh? Just glad someone sees something of me in these cuties!

At least it's PBS

About 2 minutes ago as I was making cupcakes with G, he says out of nowhere:

"Robin Hood is made possible by contributions from people like you to PBS.org. Thank you. "

Umm, I think someone might be watching a little too much t.v. right now. 

Oh, and he means the Disney version of Robin Hood (which is obviously not associated with PBS in any way). 

Of Human Development

A couple of years back I had to take my graduate level childhood development class. One of the things that I remember most from this class was a comment that my professor made about human development. Apparently according to him (and the field of biology) humans are considered to be one of the slower developing organisms of the world, since it takes so long for us to develop into adults. At the time I took this class, I was pregnant with my first child and wondered at this assertion. And now as I've pondered it since, it seems to me both true and false.  

It is amazing to me to watch the progress of my boys. It seems like yesterday that we were bringing G home from the hospital, looking at each other and saying, "now what?" Yesterday he came home from church where he is now a Sunbeam. He used the toilet, buttoned his own shirt, and proceeded to tell us that he had learned that our bodies contained our spirits, but that his teachers neglected to discuss our skeletons. (I mean, come on!) 

Today, I watched as my 3 month old, E, teased me by catching onto clothes I was measuring against him and laughed when I pulled them away. I saw the wonder in his eyes when I was typing on the computer and he managed to grab onto my arm and secure my attention, and his delight when he found a toy and pushed it to his mouth. Their development seems constant and explosive. 

I look at myself, however, and note how slowly development seems to occur. What is the measure of a person? How long does it take to become who we would like to be? It seems as if the speed at which we develop as adults takes on the opposite qualities that I see in my sweet boys. Or perhaps our development is now so intertwined, their success is mine as well.

Thinking about all of these things, it felt very appropriate when the other day on campus I found an invitation to a lecture given by this same professor. The title? 

"Life is like giving a concert on the violin while learning to play the instrument."

Perfect.

A letter to my husband

Dear Honey, 

It was very sweet of you to think to save me some apple crisp, you are a sweetheart for thinking of me. Next time, though, you can just finish it off. 

(This photo was not doctored in any way)

Love,

Me

A day in the life (or more pictures without explanations)

Christmas: A photo essay