avablog

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 was catching five winks on the couch the other day after returning home from Chicago, and Ava came over and hopped on my chest. It my appear in this photo that Ava is sleeping, but I assure you she is not. Photo by Leah.

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Had a nice time in Chicago with Leah over the weekend. Short. Crappy weather. But she got some shopping done, and we had a pretty amazing meal Saturday night at Restaurant Naha. Here’s what I had:

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Gramary took Ava for the afternoon yesterday, as Ava’s school was having parent conferences (AGAIN). And, as usual, Gramary took some cute pics of our first born. To whit:

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We’re presently experiencing a phase with our beloved daughter in which she’ll only eat the following three items: Pizza Macaroni and cheese Cookies Well, it’s not really that bad, but it’s pretty close. And if she doesn’t get one of those items when she wants it, look out. She gets ornery.

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Guess what’s back at Ava’s preschool? That’s right. Lice. Dunno who has it, of course, but there’s a report that someone in Ava’s room has a case of the creepy crawlies. I feel bad for whichever family is dealing with this now, but I feel even worse trying to explain to Ava why she shouldn’t […]

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My dad was over for dinner last night. Just pizza, nothing fancy. Ava was running around, doing her own thing, while my dad and I sat and talked in the living room.

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embark on a blog post if you don’t know what you’re going to write. That’s my advice to you, should you ever happen to find yourself with a blog.

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Ava was off school today for conferences. Fortunately, Gramary freed up some time and was able to spend the day with Ava. Their activities included planning a party for us after work, which Ava hosted. Here she is opening the door for us upon our arrival: A good time was had by all. And especially […]

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Ava got all dressed up for Leah’s birthday yesterday. She was particularly pleased with her little red belt, which she’s been wearing a lot lately. I don’t recall what that thing is she’s holding in her hand, but there’s a name for it. It’s some piece of paper she cut up with scissors and then […]

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Depending on how long you’ve been on the Internet, this could be either the first or the 40th time you’ve read a story just like this. In any case, I’ll keep it short.

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So Ava’s lying in our bed this morning with Leah, feeling the baby move. Talk at one point turns to breastfeeding, as it often does in these situations, and I’m standing at the closet door when Ava lifts up Leah’s shirt — revealing her breasts — and exclaims, “Wowza!” That is all.

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It stands for Ear, Nose, Throat. Ava and I visited one today to see if he could give us any information on why Ava’s getting so many strep infections. As frustrating as her recurring bouts of the virus have been, dealing with them sure beats obsessing about whether to circumcise our next child, should it […]

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We’re thinking we’re on the downward slope of this whole lice business. At least until some parent at school sends his kid back with more bugs. It’s bittersweet. Sweet that we don’t have to lug every blanket, pillow, and stuffed animal in the house to the laundry every other day. Bitter that I won’t get […]

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Ava and I walked downtown yesterday afternoon to give Leah some time to rest. The trip down was nice. Ava insisted on bringing her dog along for the walk, and so we tripped along through the puddles with Spot in tow. It started raining when we arrived at the Co-op, but our friend Kerry was […]

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Rachel and Kevin were in town over the weekend. It may be their last visit. Not only did they help us scour the whole house to eradicate the lice that Ava brought home from school, but Rachel left with a terrible case of strep (probably; she hasn’t been tested yet, but Leah got a positive […]

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I was home with Ava today, as she was feverish and complaining of stomach pain at school yesterday. When I went to pick her up, she was really lethargic and was crying. Leah and I were thinking appendicitis, but a quick trip to the pediatrician assuaged our fears. As a matter of fact, Ava achieved […]

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