avablog

Well hello, born baby! We’re this close to a name, so stay tuned. Meet Emmett Charles Palmberg.

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We’re in the hospital right now. You decided you wanted to start coming about 8:20 this evening, right after your big sister went to bed. Your mom had a couple pieces of veggie pizza (hold onions) from Pagliai’s, and the next thing you know, it’s contraction city. We’re at the hospital as I type this, [...]

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Our due date came and went with no baby. I think we were both expecting this scenario, but it does ratchet up the anxiety a bit. At our last appt., Leah’s doctor offered to have Leah come by the hospital today to “get checked,” and I think Leah might avail herself of that opportunity. For [...]

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I took a couple pictures of Leah on her due date yesterday, and Ava insisted on getting in on the action. I never dissuade her from having her picture taken. I really like how this one turned out, even if it’s miles away from the shot Leah would’ve preferred I take of our lovely little [...]

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And it’s been quiet, so far. Contractions, sure, but nothing “emergent,” as they say in the baby biz. So, we wait. Surely this child won’t break Ava’s record for tardiness, presently set at six days? I hope not. The good news in all this is that Leah doesn’t have to worry about an early arrival [...]

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There’s not much I enjoy more than taking a stroll through the yard this time of year to see what’s going on with the garden. I try to include Ava as much as possible; watering plants, pulling weeds, dead heading. The usual. So I was eager to grab the video camera today as I ran [...]

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Hello, unborn baby. You get to hear this noise all the time, I guess, but it’s a real treat for your mom and me to hear it: Oh, and in case you’re wondering, the doc says this is 145 beats per minute. That means you’re a girl. Congratulations, Demi Jolie Palmberg. We’ll see you soon!

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Ava and I were sitting together on the porch yesterday, watching the rain and listening to birds while she munched on a popsicle (no, Firefox, I’m not going to capitalize “popsicle.” Grab a kleenex to wipe your tears).

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Her balled-up little hand pressed against my black shirt in the dark of her bedroom. She whispered urgently, “Mama, you are my dark sky, and I am your bright, white moon.” My heart cracked open and flooded my body with all the light in the universe. I said, “Yes, you are, little one. Yes, you [...]

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It was a great day for running through the sprinkler and then cuddling in a warm, dry towel on the porch and eating a lime popsicle. Here’s what that last part looks like:

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Leah has an ingrown toenail. Rachel recommended a good soak in warm, soapy water to help with the infection and swelling. You’ll never guess who absolutely loved the idea of soaking her feet in warm, soapy water:

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I took this shot a while ago and just got around to posting it. I planted this tree when we moved into our house, the thinking being that Ava and the tree could grow up together. Anyway, unlike Ava, the tree is planted in violation of city ordinances, so mum’s the word, OK? Thanks.

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…with a bang, it turns out. Unborn baby, that big jolt you felt this morning was your mother falling on her butt in our bedroom while she was getting dressed. As usual, she was tottering around on her high heels in front the the mirror. When she went to do her little model-turn, she caught [...]

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Cynthia posted on her blog today about our mutual hair stylist Katie (and I’m using the royal “our” here; all my “styling” is done standing up in the laundry room with hair clippers). Katie’s great. Ava lights up for her like she does for few others. I had my videocam along this evening at the [...]

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Out typical Sunday lately usually involves a trip — ordinarily on foot — to Lou Henri for breakfast. Their huevos diablo is really everything a man could want in a breakfast, particularly when ordered with a side of their insanely golden hash browns and a cup of joe. Ava orders the Mickey cakes, seen here:

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Hey, unborn baby. According to your mom’s doctor this morning, your window on the world has just started to open a little bit. This is pretty exciting news, for a couple reasons. One, it means we’re nearing the end of this pregnancy. This means you’re almost here. It also means it’s the end of your [...]

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Recently Ava uttered her first words of ill will towards her unborn sibling. “Here we go,” I thought. I’d been expecting this, if only because it makes sense to me that a young child with direct and uninterrupted access to her parents’ time and love might well find the introduction of a competitor for those [...]

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Hi, unborn baby. I wanted to show you a picture of what your mom looks like right now: It’s kinda funny, huh? It looks like a basketball under there! Unfortunately for your mom, that belly is a lot heavier than a basketball. You haven’t been moving around as much lately, but it’s probably just because [...]

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This is not a political blog. I’m not talking about that most fragile of all kinds of hope, the kind that you put in a man to end the appalling policies of his predecessor on unlawful detention and torture. I’m talking about that larger hope, that hope that the next generation — and all generations [...]

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You’ve been an idea . . . a dream . . . a secret desire for so long that I almost don’t know what to make of you now. Your tiny fingers brush my insides; your limbs ripple my skin. And still I can’t believe you’re real. You came from one of the eggs that [...]

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