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| Saturday, February 6th, 2010 | | 10:50 pm |
BDE
I got the call right before Shabbat that my friend's mom died. They were abl to spend the past 2 weeks going to the hospice everyday to see her. My friend, her brother, and their families were all there when she passed away. Life is incredibly unfair sometimes. Current Mood:  sad | | Tuesday, February 2nd, 2010 | | 2:55 pm |
plague
I have a mild form of the plague- sinus infection, general malaise (he's awful!), and a perforated eardrum. Yikes! I thought I had an ear infection because I am in crazy amounts of pain, but it turns out it's my drum. Eek. Lots of meds for me over the next few days. Current Mood:  sick | | Monday, January 25th, 2010 | | 6:18 pm |
such nachas!
Reason #972 why I love Ben: a huge gust of wind blew his hood off his head, causing him to get all wind-blown and pelted by rain. His resons was to laugh uncontrollable and shriek "mo-ah!" ('more' in his language) excuse me while I die from cuteness. Current Mood:  amused | | Tuesday, January 19th, 2010 | | 11:20 pm |
| | 6:52 pm |
wow!
have you seen the mobile hospitals that the Israelis have set up in Haiti? Amazing! Current Mood: impressed | | Monday, January 18th, 2010 | | 7:29 pm |
I'm writing in lucretia_borgia yet again. Jen, hope you don't mind. You can spend all day researching the crap coming outof these negative ads. I found this one the most interesting. Will Obama Repudiate Smear Campaign?Posted using ShareThis | | Sunday, January 17th, 2010 | | 8:45 pm |
footage
just finished watching Dr. King's "I Have a Dream" speech online. Every time I see it, or read the text, I get moved to tears. I can't even imagine being alive at that time, seeing what my parents saw, watching the course of history change before their very eyes. It amazes me. To have such courage, such strong convictions, knowing that his life could very well be ended as a result....it's astounding. Take a minute if you can and watch the footage. The message is timeless. | | Saturday, January 16th, 2010 | | 7:02 pm |
open letter to Martha Coakley
DEar Martha Coakley campaign staff: For the love of all things holy, STOP sending me obscene amounts of emails and voicemails. I got 12 emails and 6 voicemails over shabbat. I don't care who it is who's callis, whether it be Obama, Clinton, or the standard "lifelong resident of the Commonwealth" who leaves us messages. I wasn't going to vote for her anyway, and this certainly doesn't help. Anyone want to bet how long it takes Il Presidente to quote MLK tomorrow as he rallies for Martha? He's going to invoke the name of one of the greatest human beings of all time, a true humanatarian, someone who died so that his message of acceptance of all people, to further his cause of getting her into Senate. Shameful. | | Wednesday, January 13th, 2010 | | 9:16 pm |
request for tehillim, prayers, whatever you choose
2 years ago, my friend donated her kidney to her mother. It was a success! Months later, mother was diagnosed with pancreatic cancer. Isn't that a kick in the ass? She's been in treatment and doing quite well, until last week. Friend gave birth last week, after fertility issues, IUI, and finally in-vitro. A healthy baby girl was born last week. 4 days later, her mother was rushed to the hospital, unable to breathe. Edema in her lungs and was retaining massive amounts of fluid. She's out of the ICU, on lasix, and is continuing her oncology treatment at The Brigham. Long story short, mom is not well. I'm leaving work early the next 2 Wednesdays to watch baby, while friend and her husband go visit her mom in the hospital. How much does this suck? Honestly. At least she gets to meet her granddaughter, but is clearly on borrowed time. Plus, being a week postpartum and trying to heal isn't helping. I so desperately want to help, but I don't know what else I can do. I can watch baby girl, bring food, and be a good friend to her. I wish I could do more. Mom's name is Gittel bat Tzipporah. Please keep her in mind. | | Monday, January 11th, 2010 | | 9:46 pm |
date night
we wound up going for karaoke and drinks. We had a blast!!! I sang "Synchronocity" and "Down in the Corner," and Richie sang "Hound Dog" and "Love Remover Machine." I can't sing worth a damn but it doesn't really matter. There were people FAR worse than me, that's for sure!! We stayed out much later than we anticipated, and Ben was asleep before the babysitter even arrived, so we basically paid for her to sit on our couch and chill out. Not a bad gig. At the bar, people were theri usual freindly selves. The table next to us was a young couple. The guy sang, and sounded hoarse. When he got back to the table, he said to us "I was screaming too loud at the BU game last night and I lost my voice." He then went on to say that he got to hold the American flag at Fenway and had all-access because he's military. After describing how cold he was out there in uniform, and some of the pre-game hijinx, I asked him if he had been deployed. He told me he was being deployed to Afghanistan in 6 months. Oy. His fiance looked upset when he told us. He then says that it's part of his responsibility, he's been training and feels ready, and he knows he'll be okay. "Plus, when I get anxious, I just say 'fuck it' to myself and carry on. He then lowers his colar to show us a 'fuck it' tattoo on his chest. I thanked him for his service and remarked how brave he was, and he made some remark about how he was just doing his job and is proud to do so. I could never be that brave in a illion years. I hope he comes back. Current Mood:  thoughtful | | Wednesday, January 6th, 2010 | | 3:39 pm |
package
Thanks to some very generous gift certificates to Amazon.com, I was able to get Ben a ton of books and CDs. And I even bought something for myself. I never do that. The package arrived yesterday: 4 Boynton books with Cds, 2 Peter, Paul, and Mary CDs, TMBG children's CD, Raffi, Free to be You and Me, The Monster at the End of This Book, and a few other books. So far, I am enjoying these more than Ben, especially Pigorian Chants. He was dancing along and singing "la la la" at one point. I put on "If I had a hammer" and started singing along. Ben looked at me, amazed that I was singing along to a song. How does Mommy know to sing the same words as the people on the radio? Amazing. When I was little, I thought certain folk songs were made up by my mother, just because they were really cute and fun. It was only when I was older did I realize they were actual songs that other people knew. I had a quasi-flashback to my childhood yesterday. I think ![[info]](http://l-stat.livejournal.com/img/userinfo.gif) sethg_prime 's aunt would have been impressed with my talents :) | | 3:25 pm |
I need some parenting advice. Feel free to share your wisdom
I picked up Ben at daycare yesterday. One of the teachers told me that he's been pulling hair. A lot. He's not doing it when he's angry or frustrated. it's more of he'll be playing with other kids, starts feeling their hair (he likes to feel hair) and then grabs and doesn't let go. He hasn't hurt anyone, but it still upsets the other kids. They say no!, remove his hands, and then he's off doing other things. they also tell him to be gentle. We do the same thing at home. I asked my mom what to do (30+ years as a nursery school teacher) and she told me that if he were dojng this at 3 years of age, we'd have a different issue, but for a 16 month old, it's pretty typical. She told me to be consistent with Ben, and he'll eventually learn. My dad's solution was to rip out his fingernails. Thanks, Dad! So how have you dealth with this? he sometimes grabs my hair and laughs, and then after I sternly remove his hands, I disregard him for a few seconds. That upsets him, but that's the point I think. Thanks in advance. Current Mood:  curious | | Monday, January 4th, 2010 | | 6:06 pm |
what a beautiful day for science!
In honor of Isaa Newton's birthday, Ben has done an extensive series of gravity tests. He has now learned that toys will make louder crash when held up high before dropping them, that waffles will in fact drop after he chucks them across the room, and that Mommy doesn't fall for his "uh-oh" routine, no matter how cute he makes himself look. Current Mood: amused | | Sunday, December 27th, 2009 | | 4:13 pm |
got me thinking......
I was reading a Chofetz Chaim magazine over Shabbat. In it, was an appeal for tzedakah- a young father, age 33, recently died after being stricken with a fatal neurological disease. The children, all 9 of them, have significant trauma as a result of neglect from mother, who was trying to physicaly take care of husband, make ends meet, and run the househols. It was too much for one person, and as a result, several of the children are with other families who can properly take care of them. The Rabbeim of Bnei Brak and other places were asking for financial help for this family in crisis. They emphasized how there are 11 children, ages 12-1 year old. This is where I have a problem....
there was a grop picture of the children, but only the boys. Mixed into the picture were the words "girl, age 12 Girl age 19" and so on. The youngest girl, who was 3, had her face blurred out. And that's where my anger is. If you want anonymity, blur out all the faces, or better yet, don't have a picture of the kids. But to intentionally leave ou the older girls and blur the sweet face of an innocent toddler? What kind of message does this send? How on earth can a face of a toddler be sen as sexual in any way? Honestly, all it made me want to do is NOT give tzedakah to this family. It reminds me of the crazy burka Haredi woman in RBS.
And in a similar situation, the website for frum bathing suits has a woman's face blurred out, even though the catalog that I've seen at the mikvah, as well as online, has a woman modeling these suits. Because they're modest and you could wear them in the supermarket if you were so inclined.
Current Mood:  okay | | Wednesday, December 23rd, 2009 | | 2:27 pm |
I almost forgot....
Happy Festivus!!!!
whip out the Festivus pole, start airing grievances, and show us your amazing feats of strength!!!!! Current Mood: amused | | 1:44 pm |
everyone's okay
Ben didn't get the memo about staying out of Children's Hospital unless it was a scheduled visit. He woke up this morning with 105 fever. Holy mother of Gd! We paged the on-call doc and high-tailed it to Children's Hospital. Turns out he has an ear infection and a slight chest cold, and sometimes kids this young can get freakishly high fevers in conjunction with these ailments. Ben's on amoxy and by the time I left him at home with Richie, he was back to smiling and giggling. The motrin kicked in and he seemed to be just fine. I am a complete wreck. Yes, he's fine. But let me tell you, seeing him that scalding hot, shaking, and throwing up mucus (from the chest cold) was enough to send me into a tailspin. I'll be taking ativan when I get home from work. And maybe a strong drink or 7. Current Mood: worried | | Monday, December 21st, 2009 | | 1:34 pm |
nachas shepper
okay, so Ben is in full-blown toddlerhood. Yes, it took us almost an hour to get out the door today: he was too busy being fascinated with the ceiling (makes it hard to eat if all you want to do is look up). He tried his new kung-fu/gymnast moves while Richie and I tried to dress him. Hey, lucretia_borgia , duct tape is looking better and better these days! Then Ben decided that us putting his hat and coat on was a violation of the Geneva Convention and faught us with ALL HIS MIGHT. Phew. Amazingly (no font for sarcasm), he was all smiles and innocence as soon as we finished getting him ready. And yes, he is non-stop from the moment he gets up until bedtime.
Even with all of the drama independent thinking and assertiveness that comes along with being Ben, we are just in awe. He makes us laugh constantly. He's a little devil sweet and curious boy who we thank Gd for every day. Eve though he has aged me 10 years in the past 6 months. Current Mood: thankful | | Thursday, December 17th, 2009 | | 10:08 am |
T is for toddler
we have a full blown toddler in our midst. Ben is growing in leaps and bounds. It's really amazing to watch him figure things out and negotiate with his surroundings. Something that has now fully emerged is his stubborness. Oy. He's always tended to be a bit independent-minded (nice reframe!), and when I was the only one dealing with it, that was fine. But now, Ben has made up his mind about certain things and it's affecting those around him.
Diaper and clothing changes are an Olympic event. He arches his back so he looks like a rainbow on the changing table. Ben's freakishly strong (even at 2 weeks when he was hospitalized, several of the nurses commented on his lower body strength.) and it is very hard to get him dressed or change his diaper. I was very close to letting him go outside yesterday naked, but then I decided that a call from DCF wasn't worth me trying to make a point with him. He'ss scream and shout, and as soon as we're done, he's back to his charming and giggly self. He's so full of baloney!!!!!
At daycare, they go outside quite frequently, weather depending. There's a playground that's part of the daycare's property, right next to the building. I'd say about a 30 feet walk from the front entrence. ~3 months ago, the teachers told me that Ben refused to walk to the playground, either holding hands with one of the teachers, or holding on to the rope that the kids use. Instead, he would try to break free and run, which is a huge no-no, as they need to cross a parking lot to get to the playground. Now, this is a kid who at 12 months was running *everywhere*. He hated to sit in his stroller and was always on the move. As a result, I had to bring in a stroller for them to keep at daycare, so they could get him safely to the playground. I insisted that he could in fact walk, and the teachers told me that they watch him run and walk all day and this wasn't an issue of being able to walk, but whether he was willing to walk with the group. "He's independent minded, we see it all the time. Don't worry" they told me then. Fast forward to earlier this week, when we had an unseasonably warm afternoon. They class was trying to go outside, and Ben decided that he had other things he wanted to do. So, he first threw himself onto the ground, taking all of the other kids who were holding onto the rope with him. The hard, concrete ground. Right. Then, he started yelling and kicking the teacher as they tried to hold his hand to walk to the playground. Back to the stroller it was!!
I know he's being a stubborn toddler, and as soon as they get to the playground, he's running with the big kids and having a ball. I'm a bit embarrassed by his behavior, and the teachers assured me that they see this with the toddlers, but usually when they're closer to 2, not at 15 months. They're certainly not angry, but they are concerned that when spring comes, and they take longer walks, that Ben may have to go into another class during walk time if he can't follow the instructions. That's a long way away, and I hope by that time he'll be stubborn about something completely different. Meanwhile, Ben has a ton of energy and will run non-stop all day if you let him. I used to be able to hold his hand and walk around the block with him, but he refuses to do that. He wants to RUN down the sidewalk, and I don't feel comfortable with that, since we're city folk and there are hidden driveways everywhere. He gets easily frustrated because he can't fully talk yet, instead having his own words for things. When we can't figure out immediately what he wants, he yells and gets PISSED. Perhaps this will motvate him to start speaking a language we understand.
On the flip side, his determination has allowed him to be quite the proficient climber, walker, and all around activity junkie. When we were at Children's Hospital earlier this week, he managed to get into the recpetion are on the urologist's office, and as soon as Richie went to get him, he took off down the hall, into one of the billing offices, shreiking and laughing as he visited some very understanding people in their cubicles. I was horrified, and the office manager told me that they appreciate whatever free labor they can get :) Thank goodness for their sense of humor. He made a lot of friends who allwaved and blew kisses when we were done with his appointment.
I guess I wasn't expecting this for another few months...... | | Monday, December 14th, 2009 | | 2:31 pm |
Yay!!!!
Just got back from Children's Hospital. After all the tests and appointments, the urologist was happy to tell us that Ben has a CLEAN bill of health!! No more reflux, no more daily antibiotics, worries about any fever being the sign of something really bad for Ben. I feel like I should say halle or something :) pls, we saw Joe Kennedy. WE were sitting right next to him in the lobby. | | Sunday, December 13th, 2009 | | 9:56 am |
day of tests
tomorrow, we're off to Children's Hospital. Ben needs to have repeats scans, VCUG, and meet with the urologist. Hopefully, they will tell us that his reflux is resolving. Hopefully. Then we can all move on with our lives. Wish us luck! |
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