December 2011

Christmas highlights.

December 31, 2011

To be honest, I was a bit of a Christmas dropout this year. Did just the obligatory stuff, and that was it. But despite being tired and overwhelmed, this was a really good Christmas. It was such a joy to watch Meret have her first taste of the season. It was wonderful to see family [...]

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8 months.

December 30, 2011

Yesterday was Meret’s 0.75 year birthday. It feels like she is hurdling toward toddlerhood. The beginning of this month was a little difficult, due to a combination of teething and frustration over her limited mobility, and a sleep regression that left her mama feeling very tired. But after what seemed like weeks of her backing [...]

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The plastic-free kitchen: update

December 21, 2011

Last year I wrote about trying to rid my kitchen of plastic. Just to bore you, I’m going to chime in with an update on how things are going. Wondering why I don’t like plastic? This story about how plastic releases estrogenic chemicals is a good starting point. (Hello, breast cancer?) Plus, plastic is made from non-renewable oil, [...]

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Baby faces, redux.

December 19, 2011

Way back when, I was wondering who baby would look like. Well, at 7.5 months I can conclusively say that she looks like… both of us! I put some photos together for comparison. Some days I am sure she is the image of her daddy, but there are bits of me in there too. That [...]

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California road trip, part 3.

December 13, 2011

Remember that road trip we went on, way back in September? I got a little side-tracked sorting out all the photos, but I’m going to pick it back up now and will attempt to finish my little travelogue posthaste. And in case you (like me) need a refresher, the beginning of the trip is here and [...]

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Some random thoughts on motherhood.

December 12, 2011

I think I’ve been pretty honest about my reluctance to have a child. (As if the whole waiting 11 years thing didn’t give it away.) So I figured I should stop back in with an update on being a mama, 7 months in. Motherhood is often referred to as “the hardest job in the world.” [...]

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Birth.

December 7, 2011

I’ve had this post in my drafts folder for months as I struggled with how and whether to share the story of Meret’s birth. I spent so much time and energy preparing for birth, but now that our baby has arrived, the way she arrived seems unimportant. But I had a unique experience, and I’m already [...]

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Succulent wreath, one year later.

December 6, 2011

I got this lovely succulent wreath for our front door last year. After a year of spotty watering and general neglect, it was looking sad. So I finally grabbed a bunch of little plants at the farmers’s market and spent an evening poking them into the wreath. before:     after: I think I need [...]

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34.

December 5, 2011

When it comes to birthdays, I like to keep things low-key. Didn’t make any special plans, just waited to see what would come up. Somehow we managed to squeeze an amazing amount of fun out of a completely unplanned weekend. The highlights: I took Meret to mom’s night out on Friday evening at a local [...]

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Thanksgiving in Mexico.

December 2, 2011

We returned on Monday from our sixth annual Baja Thankgiving camping trip. My idea of a holiday: camping in our van on the Sea of Cortez. No electricity, no phone, no internet. Rudimentary running water and a tiny kitchen so we can shower and eat well (my aunt and uncle have a small travel trailer [...]

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