J'Espere

I have no idea when Mercutio spoke that line, or if he even did. And I would definitely fact check it, but I am actually physically so worn out that I don't even care. We have a plague upon our house. It started a couple of weeks ago when things were going really, really well . Like suspiciously well. I was getting coffee every morning, the days were the perfect weather/daylight balance for running, and I had just discovered this new workout called barre3 (more on that in a later blog). Meals were being eaten at a reasonable time by adults and SL was finally saying "Mama". Did I mention laundry was also folded and in drawers? Because this seems to be an important detail. Next thing I know I am getting one of those urgent calls from our sweet babysitter that SL has a fever and isn't feeling well. There are very few things that are sadder than a sick toddler, and our sweet baby proved it. She was miserable and her nose was an unstoppable faucet. She also still...

 Over the last few weeks, I have heard the term "misogyny" more than any other specialized word in the English language. It has been all over the news, the internet , and of course Facebook. Misogyny: the hatred or dislike of women or girls. The word has come up more and more in the last few weeks because of a terrible crime in the US, but also the world. In the last month, there has been the kidnapping of hundreds of Nigerian girls, the stoning death of a pregnant Pakistani woman fighting for her right to marry for love, and the shooting of seven people in Santa Barbara by the now known Elliot Rodgers. What did all of these have in common? Hatred of women.     I hate the word hate. It's so strong and sounds so final. But I also think it perfectly describes all three incidents. Originally I didn't think much about the connection. They were so horrific individually that it was hard to fathom that there was a connection. But there is, and since I now have a sweet, prec...

                Good news, y’all. Our social calendar is finally filling up again. After months of wondering what we would do with the death of our social lives, we are finally being reintroduced to society. But if you’re thinking it involves margaritas and a late hour, you are mistaken. It now involves high chairs and sippy cups. We are finally being welcomed into the world of baby socialdom.  For you who think it’s a joking matter, think again.                 For a while I worried that SL would not get enough social interaction, since she is at home with a sitter during the day and not with me. I was concerned about the detrimental effect on her long term development and every time she kissed a photograph of a baby worried that she wouldn’t know what to do with the real thing. This is why we started going to Baby Story Time. Baby Story Time is, to put it lig...

Mothers Beget Mothers It’s a biological fact that we are designed to oppose our parents. Don’t believe me? I challenge you to meet up with an eighth grade girl and ask her how much her parents know. It’s not about the love, it’s about the brain. And the brain says, “No! Don’t let them be right!” Until you have a baby. I spent my middle and high school years scoffing at 98% of what my mother told me about everything. Then I spent college just not telling her about anything. After college I no longer needed advice (fortunately I knew everything) and went to NYC. Then I spent the majority of my twenties listening to her and doing what I wanted to anyway. Then I had a baby. The realization that your sole purpose in life is to keep another human alive is a daunting task. But keeping another human alive and content is much, much harder. Ask anyone with a newborn at 3 a.m. how they are faring. If they were like me, they were probably curled up on the couch watching a small being in a s...