A Tall Girl's Adventures in a Tiny World

This is the funniest thing I've seen or heard in a long, long time: http://video.yahoo.com/video/play?vid=1202370&cache=1

Today, in a week when another handful of toys has been recalled for containing lead paint, cold medicines for infants under 2yo have been pulled off the drugstore shelves. Hmm...this bothers me. I've slept on the sofa with a severely congested, feverish 9-month-old on my chest, praying that he continues breathing through the night. And I've felt the rush of relief that comes when a 106-degree fever comes down 2 degrees after a dose of Tylenol. While I understand the argument that some parents overdo it, in the words of this article "poisoning their children," I feel that we parents should be allowed to make the decision about whether to give the child a decongestant or watch as he sits lethargically on the floor because he can't catch his breath. Is this another case of the "save us from ourselves" epidemic that grips us these days? Ban McDonalds because my child is obese, don't put a goalie in the soccer net because it creates too much pressure, get...

OK, now that my beloved Phillies brought us all to the edge of euphoria then dropped us into the pit of baseball despair, I have been trying to figure out how to remain a part of post-season baseball (which I always like to watch, but this year just feel sad about). Stumbled across this blog post on NYTimes.com , and it's cleared everything up for me.

I did something new today: I went to a chiropractor appointment (just in time for National Chiropractic Month ...who knew?) Going to a chiropractor has always scared me -- you're gonna crack what? -- but I found it to be remarkably soothing while I was lying on the contortionist table-bed thingy, then totally exhilarating when I stood up and felt no more back pain. (Even more pain left my body when I learned that not only does my insurance cover this treatment, but it allows me 30 visits per year at only $20 a pop...literally.) I don't think she did much of anything I haven't tried already, other than two bendy-twisty sideways stretches, so maybe it's all mental. But, today I've had more energy and enthusiasm than I have in weeks. I enjoyed playing with my son more than I have in a while, and I was able to do the daily tasks that have been so overwhelming lately. I even had a more productive work day! All this after just one visit... I now know why people say they c...

We took a few Bachmania family photos for you, so you can remember how pretty we are. (Eek...look at all those chins!) Pitino needed to get in on the action, too...he's part of the family, after all. Too bad he refuses to smile for the camera. Mommy looks a little scary in this one, but darn, Hayden is cute, ain't he? Hayden wanted to play a little concert for you. Imagine he's plunking away on the piano, singing his Sesame Street medley of "Rubber Ducky," "Who Are the People in Your Neighborhood," and "Elmo's Song" all mashed together. Here's our little Mousekateer, modeling his favorite "hat." He doesn't get it when we call them ears, and he insists on wearing them backwards...

i have to tell you about the book i'm reading, a thousand splendid suns , by khaled hosseini . it's amazing. has completely opened my eyes to what's been happening in afghanistan over the last 30 years. i am feeling totally humbled, blessed, fortunate to have been born in this country -- for no other reason than dumb luck. and i am wondering if i would have the strength to endure what the women in that country have endured and endure every single moment of their lives. i feel small and insignificant and spoiled rotten. i feel embarrassed by my tendency to dwell on petty inconveniences such as tight budgeting and out-of-style blouses. and i feel really angry with myself for being so ignorant and naive about what has been happening in afghanistan while the world didn't really notice, and that i've been so trusting that just by watching the news every day, i'm in the know. (truth is, what appears on the news has already been happening for far too long to even be co...

I've said it before, but I'll say it again: My job rocks. The work is interesting, the people are friendly and intelligent, the flexibile schedule is amazing. Today I was reminded once more why I'm so fortunate. Because I work from home on Tuesdays, I can now attend the Elizabeth Circle meetings at my church. For those of you who aren't familiar with Presbyterian Women's Circles (as I was until this morning), Circles are intended for groups of women of similar interests, lifestyles, age, etc. to get together once a month to talk, work for the community, pray, support one another. I have always been a tentative joiner of all things churchy -- it took us almost 5 years just to join this church, even though I attended fairly regularly -- and now that I'm a deacon, I'm counting the days until that particular service is over. So, I was skeptical about getting involved in the Elizabeth Circle: Are they going to be asking me to devote time every week to one cause o...

Hayden's test-driving Aunt Kathie's (aka AnKhaki) sports car

10. He calls to ask if he should pick anything up at the store on his way home. 9. He rubs my feet or shoulders, if I ask nicely. 8. He does all the laundry -- including folding and ironing. 7. He makes me laugh without really trying. 6. He buys me little presents for no reason at all, except to let me know he was thinking of me. 5. He plays cars or reads books with Sweet Boy whenever possible. And he lives for tickle-time. 4. He encourages my girls' nites out, and makes extra effort to get home early to be with the boy while Mommy gets ready. 3. He has a gift for settling Sweet Boy down to sleep at night, and even more importantly, he can quietly get Sweet Boy to go back to sleep on a Saturday morning (like pushing the snooze button on the toddler). 2. He reminds me not to worry about things I can't control. 1. When he kisses me, I know he means it.

This weekend my dad did the bravest thing I've ever imagined a parent doing: He took my younger sister, Robyn, to the airport and kissed her goodbye, then drove off while she boarded a plane for Sierra Leone . She'll be there for 5 months, working with a migration organization . She's done so much legwork up to this point, informing us all as she goes, to reassure each of us that she'll be safe. Dad has been dreading the day for months, but when it finally came, he bravely let her fly. Robyn's only 20 -- old enough to make her own decisions, young enough to take on the world without trepidation. She's the baby in our family, and Dad has raised her on his own for the last 10 years. Their relationship is much stronger and deeper, I think, than the one my brother and I share with Dad; their battles are much more intense, of course, but their rapport is remarkable. Truth be told, I think they're best friends, which is why this had to be the most difficult thing ...

...how to get to Sesame Street ? A new season of Sesame Street started this week. This is very exciting in my house, especially for my son, who is 100% in love with "Sessee." The first thing out of his mouth in the morning is "Big Bird?" and he can spot a likeness of Elmo from at least a 1/2-mile away. When he walks past a black, turned-off TV set, he stops and tilts his head to the side, and says "Ernie? Bert?" as if they live inside that box, and they've just been waiting all day for him to come and play. When the show is on, Hayden sits rapt, eyes glazed, lower lip slightly drooped --- and now he even mouths along trying to copy what the characters are speaking or saying. I never imagined a 2-year-old could have this kind of attention span; he will sit for 2 hours straight watching Sesame, if we let him (which I try to avoid, of course). Recently we discovered the 1985 movie, Follow That Bird , and "Follow Big Bird!" has become the rallyin...

So here I am. Blogging. On the blogosphere. I blog . Does anyone else have a problem with this word? I realize I'm like 3 years behind the trend, because that's usually how long it takes me to jump into any new techno-thingy; I'm usually just getting started when everyone else has very much moved on. I s'pose I'm old-school. (And someday, remind me to return to the point raised on page 4 of the Britannica article linked above, about whether blogging will replace traditional forms of media. God, I hope not!) But I've put off jumping on the blogwagon because, frankly, the word blog is just ugly and I don't really like it. However, I was thinking about it today -- I often think about words; it's my job, really -- and it's starting to grow on me. In fact, it's starting to crack me up. For instance, when I told my husband, Chris, that I was going to start blogging, without missing a beat, he said "oh, you're full of blog, all right." It...