avablog

…on such a beautiful day. One of the first things I read this morning was an article in The Wall Street Journal about preparing children to grow up in a country that’s so reviled in some parts of the world. From the story: On the long list of troubling things that parents need to discuss […]

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When I read things like this, I feel like I should apologize to my young daughter for ever bringing her into the world. Ava, you’ll learn that this world is absolutely overflowing with beauty and generosity and caring and good.  But it would be untrue to say that there are no bad people. I don’t […]

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Dear Ava, I want to write you a quick note to tell you that, unfortunately, you’ve been born to a father who is almost certainly going to embarrass you dozens and dozens of times before you leave home.  Bad jokes.  Bad clothes.  Bad singing.  You name it.

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Tonight was the night.  Ava spontaneously used her little potty a number of weeks ago, and Leah and I immediately began to suffer under the delusion that this whole potty training thing was going to be a cinch.  Of course, Ava promptly lost all interest in using her potty the minute her tiny butt came […]

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Miles Davis died on this day in 1991.  It’s not a fact I have in memory; I heard it on the local Jazz station today at noon as I was driving downtown for lunch. By 1991, I was aware of Miles only as an image on a stage blowing long (by that time, high, often […]

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As I write this, it’s 6:08 a.m. and pretty much pitch black outside.  The darkness, combined with the cool temperatures at night, is making it fairly impossible lately to get out of bed in the morning with any sort of conviction.   Compounding the problem is that Ava’s been sleeping soundly through the night for the […]

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Else we might have had to resort to something like this. *shudder*

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Pretty much the day after her second birthday, Ava started in with the “why?” to everything we said. “It’s time to go inside, Ava.” “Why?” “Because we have to eat supper.” “Why?” “Because food gives us energy.” “Why?” “Because it has vitamins in it.” “Why?” And on and on.  It’s great to see her be […]

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Leah and I have been somewhat dismayed recently to run into so many parents who have little girls named Ava.  Leah even met someone the other day who had an Ava Grace.  It’s like these people were thinking the exact same thing we were three years ago, which went something like, “Ava’s a nice name.  […]

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My brother always creates handmade cards for birthdays, Christmas, etc. I love them. He’s really followed in my dad’s footsteps, artistic-wise, which is great. This is the card he made for Ava’s birthday this year. The design and colors are great; it’s downright Egyptian.

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We’re just back.  The big stats: 32″ tall (long) 22 lbs. Ten and 5% of “the norm,” respectively.  Although she’s tiny, our doctor did comment that Ava’s probably the only two-year-old she’s ever heard say “stethoscope.”  So, we’ve got that going for us.  Which is nice.

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Well, maybe that’s too strong a word.  “Frustrating” isn’t quite right, either.  “Disheartening?”  Maybe. I love taking pictures of Ava, if you hadn’t noticed.  But I’m not a great photographer and I don’t have very flexible equipment.  So I keep telling myself that comparisons of my shots to shots by people like this isn’t really […]

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It’s very, very cool to see how excited Ava is getting about her birthday this year.  I think what’s neatest about it is that she’s not excited at all about any presents she might get (I’m not entirely sure she really understands the whole present thing yet), but that she can’t wait for her (not […]

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Sometimes I think Ava must be one of the most-photographed kids in the world.  An exaggeration, sure, but it seems I’m just as used to seeing her displayed on a small LCD as not. Even with all the shots I’m taking at home, Leah still likes to have “professional” shots taken on milestones like birthdays […]

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This morning, Ava was lying in bed with us after she woke up.  She started tickling Leah and me, and then we started tickling her back.  I must’ve tickled her too hard, or something, because she said, “Stop, daddy!”  The she rolled towards me, pursed her lips, and said, “No, no, daddy!  You go on […]

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From one of our local papers today: In Tuesday’s meeting, the Iowa City City Council will consider raising the fines for littering from $35 to $70 – a move that would bring the city’s penalties in line with state fines. I hope this passes. I don’t hope it enough to go and represent my views […]

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Amazing news from the field of cancer research today.  From The Wall Street Journal: For the first time in the history of treating cancer, gene therapy has apparently succeeded in shrinking and even eradicating large, metastatic tumors. The therapy worked in only two of 17 patients who were treated. But many researchers are hailing the […]

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It’s a pretty interesting thing to undergo a life change so profound that it causes all the memories of your “old” life to wither and fade. I guess that’s an understatement. It’s safe to say, I think, that Leah and I have embraced our new life with Ava (well, relatively new, still, after two years) […]

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Leah’s taking Ava to the doctor’s office this afternoon to have her checked out. She’s had a very low-grade but persistent fever for the last couple days, and she has some little sores in her mouth. The sores, as you might guess, make her hesitant to eat some of the things she usually eats. Leah […]

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It can’t come as a surprise to any of our friends and family that Leah and I are planning on trying to have another kid. Just writing that sentence gives me the willies. Not because I’m dreading another three sleepless days in the hospital. I’m worried about what we’re going to tell Ava about her […]

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