Laughing

When's the last time I've sat there laughing out loud? Got some good belly laughs today reading a book I ordered because it looked like fun (and help) to read. It came in the mail this morning and I put my feet up during coffeetime and after. Lu's style of writing is honest and humorous and, in its way, quite philosophical! Though it is about parenting, it is not a lecture or a manual or an ideology, it is a testimony from a woman who is comfortable scrutinizing her own deeper motivations, and even more comfortable acknowledging that ambivalent and contradictory feelings co-exist together.

Where have I been going for laughs? I don't see myself as a humorous person so I have to look around outside myself. Jon Stewart and his Daily Show helpers make me laugh because W.'s administration and the cable news networks kindly provide plenteous material for a comedy show. Dwight and Andy and Stanley and the rest of the crowd in Scranton make me laugh, because those awful awkward moments between adults command giggles to break the ice.

But the laughing I did today was more healing than derisive or "cringe-ive" because I could laugh at myself as a new mom with Lu, find companionship in her insights about how fear, performance, identity, and anxiety can turn mommy life into a minefield, and feel validated in knowing that many new moms find themselves thinking if not saying contradictions like these to their husbands during that first year of baby-world: "Don't touch me!" "Why aren't you touching me?" and "I know what the baby needs, I'm with him all day." "What do you think the baby needs, you are his father!" and "Why don't you ask me about my day?" "What do you think I did today, market analysis?"

Loving the book. It is wise AND hilarious. Lu Hanessian's Let the Baby Drive

Spring is Here

Douwe and Steve love being outside. Steve had a great Saturday in Charlie and Everett's backyard.

Douwe enjoys sitting on the blanket and watching the outdoor sights.

Cousins

Here's a nice shot of Steve, Douwe, Chloe and Charlie near the lodge in Sun Valley.

Outdoor fun

A few highlights of the trip were skiing/snowboarding on Bogus Basin in Boise, and then ice-skating on the grounds of the Sun Valley Resort. Steve experienced great success for his first time strapped onto a snowboard and laced into ice skates. We had beautiful sunny snowy weather for both activities.

First Plane Ride

Today we took a plane to visit family in Boise, Idaho. A big first for Douwe and Steve!

The Aurelios photo

Locals in the south suburbs may be familiar with the baby wall at Glenwood Aurelios. Grandpa purchased Douwe the shirt so he can get on the wall also. Great pizza, and great family time with Mike and Jackie over the holiday weekend!

Sleeping Cheeks

Douwe's facial muscles relax when he sleeps, so cute because the cheeks sag even more chubbily than usual. Here are a few cute shots of the sleeping boy.