avablog

I really need to get more multi-generational pictures with the Klevar women. Editor’s note: No, Ava doesn’t live in that shirt.

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Sometimes I need to remind myself that this blog isn’t all about me. Or Leah. So I’ll try to put together a unicorn chaser here. Thanks to all those who commented on yesterday’s incendiary post; it’s always interesting to find the limits of acceptable public disclosure.

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Sometimes that little ol’ wife of mine sure does crack me up. Like today. She got a really nice glider rocker in excellent condition FOR FREE from friends of mine. She wanted it for the nursery, but only on the condition that she could get it reupholstered to match the wall color and the brown […]

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Applying Easter window decals at G.G.’s this weekend.

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At 31 weeks:

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Will Leah and I find Ava’s blog more titillating than she finds ours? When can I expect the tipping point at which the children of blog-age parents spend more time reading their parents’ blogs than the obverse?

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Leah informs me frequently that we’re dealing with a little girl who has a fragile ego, and that under no circumstances does she need to hear any discouraging words from her father. I see the validity of her argument. Like most parents, I’d love for my child to live a life free of negativity and […]

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My dearest Ava, Every night before bed, I lie with you, and you beg me to recount stories from my childhood. As I lie in the dark with you and cast my mind back to places and people long forgotten, I feel my heart breaking just a little bit. It’s breaking because my own childhood […]

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This is not a political blog. And maybe this post isn’t really political. I’ve been bugged mightily lately by our new President’s recent comment on Jay Leno’s show equating his bowling skills with something you’d see at the Special Olympics. I’ll make this brief: I know that people sometimes screw up and say things they […]

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We had a nice weekend at home. Dinner with friends on Saturday evening (Exotic India; go there), then Alex’s 4th birthday bash on Sunday afternoon. Once again, we failed to get any maternity shots of Leah this weekend. We have got to get that done. That baby’s going to be here before we know it. […]

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Leah and I went to the mall at noon to run some errands. Still spring break here, and the mall was mobbed with kids, mostly teens, some with their parents. Have you had occasion to take notice of teenagers recently? I superimposed Ava’s face on every girl who walked by, leaning evermore heavily on my […]

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My day at home with Ava yesterday was really nice. I do love spending QT with my big girl. After Leah returned home from work, she and Ava spent a little time watching wolf videos on YouTube. Ava’s in a major wolf phase right now. She seemed particularly taken with a video of wolves fishing. […]

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Hi, Ava. As you know, there’s some excitement in our house over this new baby we’re expecting. We’ve each been thinking in abstract terms, mostly, about how things will change when we go from three to four. Things that we’ll lose. Things that we’ll gain. And things we hope won’t change at all. Like the […]

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We walked downtown yesterday morning to get breakfast and go to the coffee shop. As Ava and I were out in the yard waiting for Leah, she grabbed a low-hanging branch from one of the maples in the yard and said, “Dad! Buds!”

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I’d be able to handle this world financial (etc.) meltdown if I didn’t have a family to worry about. Am I the only one who spends at least 30 minutes every day wondering how I’m going to keep three people alive without any money, any gas, electric, or water service, and no…gasp…Internet? I’m really not […]

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I’ve spent some time recently trying to imagine what it’s going to be like having another child in the house. I find myself envisioning a pinball machine, where the actions of one body in motion constantly puts into motion a body previously at rest. So this — finally — is that presumed mythological real-world application […]

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Photo by Gramary.

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Your savings could disappear in an instant despite your most earnest efforts to save it wisely. A semi could cross the center line. A train could derail. A gunman could enter the school. A bomb could go off. A disease could strike. A tornado could appear. A flood could flash. Some days, my only consolation […]

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I’m not going to address this directly to you, unborn baby, but you should certainly feel free to read along, if you like. I was talking with my virtual pal Danny today about the fact that I’ll be almost 40 when this new baby comes into my life. That means nearly 60 when s/he graduates […]

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