avablog

Leah tells me I’m impatient. And she doesn’t mean it as a compliment. I guess I know she’s probably right.  I actually think I’m pretty easygoing most of the time.  My crime, it seems, is that I’m a forecaster.  When I’m having a conversation with someone I know well, I can see where we both […]

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I heard from one of this blog’s silent readers last night that I’m too light on Ava content and too heavy on irrelevant, uninteresting content.  Other than Leah’s constant harping about tech-related posts, I think it’s the first feedback I’ve had on the site’s content.  I sure do appreciate it! In response, I guess I’d […]

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Well, there are two latest games, actually. The other day I was teaching her how to snore. I’d tell her I was going to sleep, and then I’d rest my head on the floor and start making a snoring noise. After one or two good rips, Ava would yell “DA!” My eyes pop open in […]

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I really have quite an exhaustive internal debate about posting anything of a political nature on this blog, mainly because my experience with politics is that getting anything constructive done usually involves a lot of gnashing of teeth and rending of garments. Leah and I caught the tail end of an interview last night in […]

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I’m really making an effort to enjoy every single moment with Ava as she is now.  It’s not so difficult.  She’s sweet and engaging and affectionate and funny.  But I know the odds are she’s on the verge of a difficult developmental stage that could see her become much more assertive and temperamental.  The assertive […]

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As magnicifent an experience as having a child is, the whole process really makes you appreciate your downtime. The couple hours between Ava’s bed time and our bed time are really exquisite little pieces of the day when Leah and I most often plop down in front of the tube to indulge in some trashy […]

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Ashley Judd doesn’t want to have any babies as long as there’s starvation, overcrowding, and childhood disease in the world.  I understand completely, Ashley.  And I’m not saying that because I believe attractive women can get away with saying whatever they want in public.  I really mean it. Actually, I’m like you, Ashley.  Children do […]

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Leah and I watched Ava’s little friend Mack this afternoon while his mom went on a short errand.  Mack spent most of his time at our house trying to keep his trucks and cars out of Ava’s greedy little mitts. When it was time for him to leave, I told Ava to say bye bye.  […]

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Ava came up with a new trick last evening.  My mom and brother came over for dinner, and while we were in the kitchen getting ready to eat, Ava was running around like a crazy person, yelling at the top of her lungs. Newness and cuteness trumped annoyance last night, but I can see this […]

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The family headed up to Madison this past weekend to visit Aunt Rachel (“Rashe”) and Uncle Kevin (we’re still working on that one). Aunt Rachel came up with some cool activities for Ava.  On Saturday we went to the Madison Children’s Museum and had a great time playing with the different musical instruments and watching […]

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when it hits, you feel no pain. I was waiting for Leah this morning while she fetched her morning joe from her favorite coffee shop.  I had the iPod plugged in and was flipping through my shuffle of 1,937 songs. It’s an amazing thing, music, the way it infuses meaning into whatever’s going on outside […]

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As I drove home from dodgeball last night (we won two of the five games against a team that had no girls), I started thinking about giant animals. Sharks in particular. When I was in elementary school I loved sharks and dinosaurs. More than anything else about them, I was impressed by their size. I […]

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I got my first real hug from Ava today. Just this evening, in fact. Thirty minutes ago. And then she gave me two more before she went off to bed. I think up until tonight she was giving what she thought were hugs. I’d pick her up and give her a squeeze, and she’d drape […]

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Drug addiction has always been a mystery to me, mainly because I could never wrap my head around the idea that a person can’t find any better sensation than what they’d get out of a line or a pipe or a pill. Which is not to say I don’t understand having a moment of weakness […]

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Parents have all sorts of aspirations for their kids. As far as Leah and I are concerned, our daughter is a genius. Ava’s aunt and grandparents concur. But it’s too early to even guess as to what kinds of aptitudes our little girl might have. I hope she’s good at everything I’m terrible at. Math. […]

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This morning I was sitting on the couch with Ava out by the Christmas tree before the sun had come up. We were admiring the sparkles and the lights together, and Ava was pointing at different ornaments and saying, “Baby, baby?” over and over. She has a thing for babies. After a bit I began […]

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“Tannenbaum?” Whatever. We got our Christmas tree up and decorated last weekend. I have to admit, it turned out much nicer than I thought it would. We showed up to our usual tree lot a bit late this year, I guess, because pickings were pretty slim. Frankly, it took some real vision to select the […]

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This morning I got up early to shovel snow so the high school kids would have a safe walk to classes, and we’d be able to get out of our driveway. Our shoveling tradition includes intermittent knocks on our bedroom window while I’m in the driveway; I then stop for a minute to look up […]

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My parents, and my mother, in particular, did a good job of instilling in my brother and me the importance of giving to those in need. The idea was never crammed down our throats, but it sunk in over the years as we watched them go about their various philanthropic pursuits. More than any time […]

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Leah and I have been doing a lot of talking lately about Christmas and tradition as we’ve ironed out the details of our holiday travel plans. My family really doesn’t have any well-established holiday plans right now, though I’m working to change that. My parents and brother and I used to travel down to Burlington, […]

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