avablog

Burning Man festival loses its innocence I’m not the final authority on all things Burning Man, but nothing I’ve ever read about the proceedings out there in the desert evoked the word “innocence.”

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Another fun thing Ava did with her Gramary on Wednesday (who came up with the spelling of Wednesday, and can we change it?) was to visit the practice field used by the Iowa Marching Band. The band was there preparing for the big game at Soldier Field this weekend, and Ava rejoiced in marching along [...]

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I know that one of the things Leah finds frustrating about not getting pregnant — aside from all her friends who are pregnant or new mothers — is that there are lots of people out there who are pregnant or new mothers who should probably never have had sex in the first place, let alone [...]

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As of 4 p.m. Central Time yesterday afternoon, my sister-in-law Rachel passed the oral section of her Ph.D. comps with flying colors. I’m so proud I could spit, even though I had absolutely nothing to do with her success. Way to go, Rachel! I’m looking forward to celebrating her accomplishment in a couple weeks when [...]

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I guess I can imagine that some people would consider having kids as a key component of a successful marriage, but 65% of people thought this at one time? Seems high. Just four-in-ten (41%) Americans now say that children are very important to a successful marriage, compared with 65% of the public who felt this [...]

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This picture was taken on August 9th, 2004, just a little over a month before Ava was born. It was taken either right before or right after we got back from a brisk walk, a regular measure we took to help keep Leah’s blood sugar numbers down. What a pain that was. Measuring all her [...]

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Oh, Oprah. Bless your heart. She’s taken time from her busy schedule to propound on the 11 things a man should eat every day to stay healthy. They are: Fruits and vegetables Fiber Foods rich in folate (spinach, for example) Tomatoes Walnuts and almonds Aspirin (low dose) Fish (tilapia, salmon, flounder, cod and mahi-mahi) 64 [...]

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Via Sanjay Gupta (he’s no Quincy, but he’ll do in a pinch): Recent evidence suggests that older men are more likely to pass down genetic defects to their children. Scientists have found a gradual increase in DNA damage as men age. Bad news: I’m getting older. Good news: I’m a model of flawless DNA. I [...]

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All this back to school stuff is killing me: Fashion designers are ramping up their effort to capture the teen market with a slate of new perfumes. Marc Jacobs, whose new Daisy perfume has ruby-red-grapefruit notes, launched a social-networking site where fans can create a Daisy profile in a virtual flower field. Young Sexy Lovely [...]

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Our new house sports a dishwasher, a “convenience” Leah and I never knew at our old house. After living with it for a couple months, I’m not impressed. The problem seems to be finding that perfect schedule that will result in everything I need at any given moment being clean and ready to use. So [...]

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Panties emblazoned with “Buy it now! Tell dad later!” Now, I wouldn’t have Ava dressed for 6th grade in a burqa (probably), but the thought of her heading off to school wearing any of this stuff gives me the frights. Doesn’t Carhartt make underwear for little girls? Even more distressing is the thought of Ava [...]

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I just finished reading this on the WSJ’s parenting blog: But between work and family, I’m finding little time to keep in touch with popular culture. My iPod is mostly a mix of 80s tunes and bands that were popular when I was in high school and college in the mid-90s; I can’t remember the [...]

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Two ultrasound videos of Ava. This is back when Leah used to refer to her as our “bun.” Original, I know. Anyway, Leah ended up having at least three ultrasounds. She heard about a clinic in town that trains ultrasound technicians. Turns out the place also has a religious-based, pro-life mission, but Leah’s desire to [...]

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He’s at it again. Tormenting me. Consuming me. Contrary to what Mark might have said in his “que sera” post, I can’t seem to convince myself that “whatever will be, will be” when it comes to having another baby. I fervently, desperately want another child. We’ve been trying for eight months, with no luck, and [...]

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Grandma Georgie has decreed that posts on this blog featuring Ava (as well as pictures of Ava on my Flickr account) should be password protected. I aim to please; and if you’re not registered here, now’s a good time). But I’m posting this video out in the bright light of day because, firstly, it’s so [...]

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Has it been 24 hours yet since I mentioned the Planet Earth DVDs? Once again, Ava was sitting on the couch this morning in front of the TV, slippers on(?), eating her eggs while she watched her new favorite portion of the program. It’s on the Ice Worlds section, which contains many, many super cute [...]

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I know it’s too early to start talking like we’re going to have only one child, but there’s some interesting research out there lately that suggests only kids aren’t the hyper-entitled terrors they were once thought to be. I’m a member of the “que sera sera” camp; If we have another child, great. If not, [...]

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First the big face, now this. Don’t make me get out that unicorn again.

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Ava woke up last night just as Leah and I were getting to bed. She was crying and calling for me, and I could tell by the sound of her little sobs that she was probably just having a bad dream (we’re told it’s normal for kids to start having “night terrors” at Ava’s age). [...]

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