Nobody Panic

I feel very lucky right now. Our house is fine. Other than a large branch from the tree in our yard and little water that came in the house, we have no damage. None. Despite the 110 mile per hour winds that we know must have come through our neighborhood and the fact that the eye passed over our little house, everything is fine. M went to Clear Lake today with our fellow evacuee, Tom, and assessed the damage. This was the first thing M saw as he walked in the back yard:




The chimney was there. We were expecting to see it in the yard.



We were very worried about our large maple tree and it did suffer some damage. A large branch on the top snapped off and fell down through the tree. Luckily, it fell in between the back of our house and the back of our neighbor's house. This was is a really large branch and would have done substantial damage if it hit the roof.





My office is ok:



The favorite hangout of many space center employees is ok:



M even found a really pissed off cicada who was probably wondering what the hell happened.



Others we know were not as lucky. One friend, who was not in an evacuation zone, had part of his roof collapse while he was in the house with his family. My friend Dom, who is my cooking blog partner, stayed behind. He is a volunteer fireman on the side and stayed in Seabrook, which you probably saw on the news. His house has two or three feet of water in it, but he hasn't even been there yet because he is rescuing people who are trapped. He always puts others first.

People have started going home, but there is no gas, no power, and the temperature is not forgiving. The aftermath is the real misery. My deepest sympathies go out to the people who have had damage in their homes, or who have to return to their homes because they don't have a long-term evacuation possibility. I want to go back, but without a/c I can't possibly bring Luke. It's fine here at my parents, though. Since we are on the same grid as the space center, I am hoping that we will have power again soon. I have a feeling we will be helping our less fortunate friends with their clean-up.

Obviously, the Houston walkers for the Liz Goodman Logelin 5k are going to change their location. Kemah is under water and will likely stay that way for a while. If you have power and can read this, please gather who you can and walk where you are. There has been a paypal account set up for optional donations, so check Matt's blog in the next few days for the details.

Thank you so much for all of your kind comments. Please keep your good thoughts and prayers coming for those who will be rebuilding. Now I am going to think about how lucky I am.

Hell is Chrome

When the devil came
He was not red
He was chrome and he said

Come with me
You must go
So I went

Where everything was clean
So precise and towering
I was welcomed
With open arms

I received so much help in every way
I felt no fear
I felt no fear

As I said good bye to my house, Wilco was playing and I've had this song stuck in my head ever since. We're fine. We're in a small town called Bastrop, just outside of Austin. Luke is here, M is here and so I really don't care what happens to anything else. As we resume our constant watching of the Weather Channel, I try to read through the dramatic, Lord of the Rings type music and interpret what's really going on. Basically, it doesn't look too good. Here's the thing: Houston is very large. My house is technically in Houston, but we are only thirty minutes away from Galveston. My house is less than a mile away from a large lake that opens up into Galveston Bay. That's why you keep hearing them talk about the fact that most Houstonians are "staring down the storm". Most people in Houston Proper are not in immediate danger. Well, this Houstonian is getting the hell out of the way.

Luke and I arrived Thursday morning and M came later in the day after some last minute preparations at the house. We went to our favorite spot so that M could have his mojito.



It's not all bad. There's a pool:




There's Luke:





There's M:




...and there's gin and tonic.





The rest is just stuff. Thanks for the e-mails and comments. It means a lot that we have people thinking about our community.

Speaking of important things, don't forget that the Liz Goodman Logelin 5K is September 21st. You can walk or run wherever you are! Go here for details! Also, buy a t-shirt. You'll feel better.

Liz Goodman Logelin 5K

We interrupt hurricane preparations for this Public Service Announcement.....

Many of you are already readers of Matt Logelin's blog. If you aren't, you should be. Matt lost his wife, Liz, the day after their beautiful daughter was born. He shares his feelings about raising Madeline as a single parent and his grief over the loss of Liz in his own unique voice. He also has a really kick ass Robot. I have had the privilege of being connected with a group of amazing women who have been helping Matt and others like Matt, and now I am pleased to announce a wonderful event......

On September 21st at 1pm people all over the world are going to participate in the first annual Liz Goodman Logelin 5K. Matt will be meeting up with people at Lake Calhoun in the Minneapolis area that day, but has asked everyone to stop and take a walk (or run) in memory of Liz.

You don't have to be in shape and you don't have to get organized (unless you want to). Just get outside, enjoy the day, and think about the good things that you have in your life.

If you would like the details, go here. (Make sure you check the comments to see if anyone else is walking in your area.)

If you would like to find out about submitting photos from your walk, please go here. (We would love to see your pictures!)

If you would like to buy a special shirt, go here.

If you are in the Houston area, please leave a comment or e-mail me for details.

I hope that everyone can participate and help The Garden of Awesome grow!

Improvements

I loved all of the stories of useless stuff! Unfortunately, thanks to the brownie suggestion, I cannot give the pan away. M is now expecting small triangle brownies. So, for that suggestion, Marissa will receive a prize. The other prize goes to Amanda at Learning to Breathe for her wealth of un-asked for gifts, including a salad bag. Thanks for playing and I will be in touch!

Just for a change of pace, I will talk about how nice the weather was this weekend. It was dry and not horribly hot and we actually spent some time outside.






With the slightly better weather comes a slightly better attitude on my part. Fall, such that it is in Houston, is my favorite time of year. Fall brings a transition into winter, my birthday, and the gateway to the holiday season. I am back in school and trying to finish this damn masters degree. It's a little discouraging when you see signs like this outside of your classroom:



(Actually, these signs are a result of a very unfortunate incident involving a golden retriever and an alligator.)

On Sunday we got up early and went to the Kemah Boardwalk. Kemah is a small community on the water. It has not escaped the rampant commercialization of Houston and has grown over the years to include a sort of fairground. You can eat all of the trans fats your heart desires and then throw it all up on a big, wooden roller coaster.




We don't dare go during the day on a weekend, but in the morning we like to buy our coffee and take a walk. It was the first time in months that I have spent any time outside without sweating profusely.




I wouldn't call myself a "morning person" but I do enjoy the quiet. It's a peaceful place without the chaos of families and noise.






I felt refreshed from our outing and have decided that if I am going to be stuck in a swamp, then I should try to find the beauty in what surrounds me.

Just Stuff

As I was unpacking from our almost evacuation, I thought more about the issue of stuff. It's everywhere, it takes up space, and we are constantly trying to figure out ways to organize and store it so that it doesn't look like we have as much as we do. Some of our stuff will never be given away. I have a quilt that my grandmother made, old family photos and even some jewelry. We saved the little shirt that Luke wore his first few days in the hospital and his little ankle bracelet. Some sentiment I just can't think about parting with. I have a tendency to save bits and pieces from my life with the thought that I will someday become a master scrapbooker, but I have yet to glue even one photo in any sort of photo album. We have been married for three years and I still haven't seen all of the wedding photos. (In my defense, there are 800 of them.) Do I really need ticket stubs from every train we took in Sweden? Why am I saving this British Airways toiletry kit? This is just the sentimental stuff. Then there is the stuff that is just, well, stuff. Things you buy because they are on sale or because you might need them one day....maybe.

This morning I was looking under a kitchen cabinet and there it was. The mini-scone pan. When we got married we registered at Target and William-Sonoma. I love to cook and I really love kitchen gadgets. We have a very small kitchen at the moment, so I am pretty restrained in that area. I have my stand mixer and a few other essentials, but nothing that would be considered unnecessary. Except this mini-scone pan.




All I could think when I looked at it was, "What the fuck was I thinking when I registered for this?" When I was pregnant and registering for my baby shower I had a real feeling that I didn't belong in that baby section. It was surreal. When I was engaged, though, I was a mad woman with that gun. It was like a drug and I was high as a freaking kite! I have never made scones. I don't even really eat scones, although I think they are good. What was I thinking? Why did I register for that? It has never, I repeat, never, been used. Not even once.

Is it just me? Am I the only one who gets carried away when tempted with stuff? If you are married and if you had a registry I want to know what item you registered for, and got, that was, in hindsight, the most useless. Please, don't let me feel alone in this. If your answer is really good, I might send you this mini-scone pan. Or maybe something else from my registry......

(Maura, you are not eligible.)

Staying Put

I think it's safe to say that I have had more relaxing Labor Day weekends. We spent Saturday running errands and watching The Weather Channel. (I did manage to get the mall for my FREE STUFF, though.) M worked his ass off getting everything ready. He even painted the plywood so that it looked like a window, complete with shadowing for a 3-D effect.



The fun continued. I happened to be putting towels away in the bathroom when I heard a large crash. I realized that M was outside, on a ladder, trimming some tree branches. I ran outside with visions of broken legs or even worse. M came around the corner holding his back. He was ok, just bruised. It scared the hell out of me. Luke managed to catch a nap in the middle of all the commotion, but he held on, just in case.



We fell into bed at 11pm with plans to wake up early to hit the road. The highway we take my parents house (I-10) is also the highway that everyone uses to get out of Louisiana and Mississippi. I don't know if he was not feeling well or if it was teething, but Luke got up four times. He has been sleeping through the night for several weeks. When we got up at 5am we turned on TWC and discovered that we dodged yet another bullet.

It's an interesting exercise to look around your house and think about what you would be willing to sacrifice. Obviously you can't take everything, but what would you be unwilling to live without? Besides insurance papers and things like birth certificates and passports, do you really need it all? What makes something worth saving?

Whatever the answer to that question is, my thoughts are with the people who are in the path of this hurricane. I hope everyone stays safe.

I Don't Wanna!!

As I watch the weather channel and stalk the National Hurricane Center website I feel like a little kid having a tantrum. I don't wanna evacuate!!!! We are on alert and the space center is preparing to shut down with everyone instructed to wrap their computers before they leave for the long weekend. M wants me to leave for my parents house in the Austin area on Saturday. He is going to board everything up and join us on Sunday. I think that we need to wait and see what this thing does. That's a lot of work for something that probably won't hit us.

I actually have a decent weekend planned. Saturday I plan on working around the house and Sunday they are opening a new Lush store at the mall!! I love their stuff, but I usually have to get it through the mail (expensive since it ships from Canada) and I can't order it in the summer because it will melt. So, this is a good thing. Plus, there will be free stuff. FREE STUFF. Why do we need to leave???



Oh, right.

I joke about it, but I really hope it loses some steam. I would hate to see any loss of life or property. It's just one more reason why I want to get out of this area.

Six Months Ago

*Children mentioned with pictures.*

Six months ago I got up, took a long shower, fixed my hair and met my son. The whole day is a blur. I remember being very hungry and very afraid I was going to get sick from the pain meds. I remember the sound of Luke's first cries (he was so pissed off) and how the doctor laughed because as soon as they pulled him out (butt first) he peed all over Dr. T.






It's only been six months, although sometimes it seems like a lifetime. So much has changed. Luke sleeps through the night. He sits up and babbles. He smiles when M walks in the room and he loves to eat zucchini. Well, he loves to eat, period.



I spent most of the first few months worried, worried, worried. Breastfeeding was difficult, hormones were raging, and life was turned upside down. I know that I did not appreciate the small moments as I should have. Everyone told me that this time would go by so quickly and they were right. I worry that I don't appreciate this time enough. Every day is full of work, school, dishes,laundry,and a million other things. All I really want to to is spend time with my baby. Soon, Luke's gummy smile will be full of teeth and then he'll be walking and talking. When I look at those first pictures of him I wonder what it will feel like to watch him go to college or get married. Will I still remember what it felt like to rock him to sleep?





We went to mass as a family for the first time since Luke was born. As I paused in prayer before the service began, the only words I could come up with were thank you, thank you, thank you.

You Will Be Assimilated

I know how to take a hint and after two people in one day told me to get a Facebook account I decided to see what all of the fuss was about. I have nothing against social networking sites, but I must admit that I always thought these things were for 13 year olds, people posing as 13 year olds, and college girls with poor judgment. Little did I know that an entire world of people I knew and people I should know were out there. Within thirty minutes of signing up I found two very good friends from college and my 65 year old Aunt. It seems that half of my long lost friends are on their second marriage and the other half have come out of the closet. I have even found some blogger buddies! It's also forced me to go through some old photos and post them to my account - just for grins. It's very addictive.

In the months after I talked about feeling disconnected I have made an effort to re-connect. I organize a parents group, I have made an effort to get out of the house and I read more blogs and try to comment more often. Facebook seems like a natural progression. This kind of connecting is so easy, though, isn't it? They find the people you know by scanning your address book and you can have complete control over what part of yourself you present to the world, much like blogging. Unlike blogging, though, it is not anonymous. It's not a place for raw emotion or deep thoughts. You can put logos on your page that tell people what team you root for, who your candidate is and what kind of day you're having, but a fight with your husband? Probably not.

Is that really connecting? I don't have an answer. It's just something that I was thinking about as I added my Cubs and Obama logo to my page.

Do you want to be my friend? Pretty please?

(A photo from days gone by. I'm the pale one on the left.)

It's A Living

This weekend I attended a party with an East Coast theme. Because of the space center, most of the people in this part of Houston are transplants. Many of my friends come from New England and spend a lot of their time being homesick. My friend V opened up his house, so I left Luke with M, put on my Red Sox jersey and headed out. It was fun, although I could only drink water since I had to drive myself.

Here is the obligatory alcohol shot. Yes, that big bottle of JD was empty by 9:30pm.



Fudgie the Whale and Cookie Puss made an appearance. I have no clue where V got them in this area. Knowing him, he paid an obscene amount of money to have them shipped, although I do not appreciate the writing on Cookie Puss. Considering the season that the Yankees are having, I'll let it go.



A few months ago my company was awarded a very prestigious contract to built the next suit. We unseated a very large and powerful company in the process. As we expected, they filed a protest. We were issued a stop work order and have been waiting for the whole issue to be resolved. It has been, sort of. You can read about it here.

As a result, things at work have been very slow. Right after we won everything was insane. We were reading resumes, interviewing and trying to talk people into moving to Houston, which is no easy feat in the middle of summer. It's all come to a complete halt and while there are some housekeeping type things that I am glad to have time to take care of, I feel a little under stimulated. I always wanted to be the type of person that had a job that was more than just a paycheck. I wanted to really like what I did for a living. I do like HR. It's not always very exciting, but there are some aspects that I find interesting. It's not my dream job, though. My dream jobs are jobs that I would do if I was independently wealthy and did not have to worry about steady income or job security.

Ethnomusicologist - Collecting folk songs and spending hours in libraries - heaven!!

Lounge Singer - I would get to sing all of the standards and wear slinky dresses. Hopefully the lounge would be smoke free.

Talent Scout for an Independent Record Label - Find new bands and go to lots of concerts!

I struggle with the feeling that I am a big sell out, but the practicalities of life make it hard not to be. Being a lounge singer would be great, but the hours and pay don't really do much to provide a stable home for your child. Maybe this is a good lesson for me. For too long I was my job. I lost sleep over the days events and part of my mind was always in the classroom. I'm not sure that's the healthiest way to live. I think that finding an identity that is different than what you do from 8-5 everyday is a good thing. Maybe I'll be a lounge singer on the side. As long as we're daydreaming, what is your dream job(s)?

Could I Do That?

I just realized that this is my 100th post! Wow. Thank you to everyone who reads and comments. I always appreciate hearing from you. By the way, the drink that was pictured in the last post was a G&T, my favorite summer drink. We couldn't have mojitos because they were out of fresh mint. Not great planning on their part!

Lately I have added a lot of single parent blogs to my reader. Some of them are single because of tragic circumstances, some are single because they decided to go it alone from the beginning. Whatever the reason, I don't think that anyone out there would say that it's easy. As I read these blogs and quietly root for them from my little corner of the world, I wonder what I would do if faced with the same circumstances? Would I rise to the occasion as well as they have? I would like to think so. I think that if I had to raise Luke by myself, I could, but it would be hard. It would be very hard. If I am tired or busy or stressed, I can turn to M. If he needs to go run and errand or work late, I can take the parenting duty for the night. Our support system is right there within the walls of our home. I respect and admire anyone who goes down that road and I hope that I can remain thankful for the support system that I have in my life.

Are you a single parent? Were you raised by a single parent? What have your experiences been either as a single parent or the child of a single parent?



My Buddy

Wandering

Despite the sad news about my cousin the rest of the weekend was ok. My parents have a pool and we have been introducing Luke to the water. (I’ll spare you a picture of me in a bathing suit). It was 102 degrees on Saturday, so the swim was very welcome. M and I went to our favorite lunch spot and I had my favorite summer drink:



I post a lot of pictures of alcohol, don’t I?

My dad and I went to the farmer’s market and purchased some free-range, grass fed, no-hormone steaks. I call it left-wing beef, which is fine with me, because that’s how I roll. I also had to get a picture of the house next door to my parents. He’s ready for the election, I think.



That’s a political yard sign, Texas style.

Almost every Sunday we have dinner with our friend DD. He and I love to cook and M loves to eat, so it works out well. I brought the left-wing beef and we had some surf and turf. It was awesome.



As I start another work week, my mind is wandering. In fact, this song keeps going through my head. I think that as a result of not having a summer vacation my focus has decided to go on a trip without me. I hope it went somewhere fun . In the meantime, I will keep daydreaming until its return.

If Only

If Only It Really Worked
Originally uploaded by KateSowa

We barreled into my parents house this weekend with the 10,000 essential things you simply must bring with you for the baby and I heard the words that I dread. We have some bad news. A cousin of mine took her own life.

My father’s family is large. He is one of seven brothers and sisters and so the cousins are numerous. She wasn’t one that I knew very well, but my memories of her are fond. She was bright and energetic, loved to talk and loved to dote on the barn kittens that lived on my uncle’s farm in rural Iowa. Her immediate family is devastated, obviously, and the rest of us are left wondering what could have gone so terribly wrong?

I feel so badly for her mother. The sheer powerlessness she must feel after discovering that her daughter’s frequent calls home were leaving out what must have been a lot of pain. As a parent your biggest fear and ultimate goal are the same thing: to prepare your child for a life that is independent from yours. I don’t expect to always be able to be there to comfort Luke. I know that there will be times when he doesn’t share everything with me and may bear certain burdens alone; we have all done that from time to time. As I look at him now, smiling his gummy smile and chewing on his fingers, it’s hard to imagine that there will be a time when I will have to let him go. News like this makes me want to hold on a little tighter.

Now her family is left with the “if only’s”. They are left behind to replay every conversation and every day, looking for clues that are too late to discover now. There is no crystal ball to look into and no way of knowing what our future will hold. One thing I do know is that she deserved better than to end up alone, in a room, far from home. I hope she found the peace she was looking for.

T.S., I Love You

This was my desk on Monday afternoon. With Tropical Storm (T.S.) Eduardo moving in, they closed down the space center and we were ordered to wrap everything and go home. It was a nice day, despite the raging heat, so we went and had some of these.




Luke came along, too, since his daycare closed early, as well.


We charged all of our phones, checked batteries, and waited for the rain to start. Sometime in the night the system moved east and we caught the "dry side" of the storm, meaning it was just another rainy day in Houston. I woke up at 8:00am since M let me sleep in (thank you, thank you) and realized I had not slept that late for almost 6 months! We spent the day puttering around the house and playing with Luke. I even got to play a little bit with the camera M brought home in case he was called into work. It is very nice and very, very out of my price range.

We were very lucky and it turned out to be a nice day off.

Over The Weather

For the last week the heat index has been over 100. With August comes some of the most miserable of all of the summer weather. It's especially hard since summer will sometimes last until September or October. Yuck. It doesn't look like we'll be moving anytime soon so I endure the special torture of looking out at a bright, sunny day knowing that it is in the high 90s and unsuitable for most forms of life. There is always music to pass the time, though, and I have created another iMix for your listening pleasure. You can click here or click the picture of my nano on the sidebar. It's got a melancholy quality to match my mood as of late, but sometimes you just need that kind of music.

Things haven't been all about the heat, though. We went out on Friday to my favorite pub and Luke helped me pick out some songs on the jukebox. They have quite a good collection, including a Belle and Sebastian album!

Luke also receive a toy that has become his favorite. Despite the hundreds of dollars that family and friends have spent on things that talk, light up and tell you your future, the plastic water bottle full of sparkles and jingle bells is the biggest hit so far. He loves it. He was happily playing away in his car seat (we keep it on the stroller in the kitchen) the other day when the noise abruptly stopped. I turned around and saw this:


Luckily I had my camera, because I knew that M would never believe me.

There's a Cubs game on. They're first place in their division. Maybe that's really the reason I feel so out of sorts. I'm not sure how to function in a world where my Cubbies are....dare I say it....contenders. I'll put that thought out of my head. I've known the disappointment of too many Octobers. I'll just enjoy this game and not think about the next. Yet.

Inspiration

I feel that things are finally, finally clicking into place in my life. Luke is growing (and growing) and becoming better able to entertain himself. This is better for us since he can play on a quilt or spend time in his ExerSaucer while I make dinner. There is a bitter sweetness to it when I realize this is just the beginning of the formation of his own Independence from me. I no longer drag to work in a zombie state of being since Luke now sleeps better, as well. With this new sense of semi-freedom, I now have time to think about then and now.

Then, I had time for my favorite things: reading, cooking, writing, going out or just staying in to watch a movie. Now, I can fit in some of these things, if M has time to watch Luke or in the event of a long nap. I am ok with that. I will always choose to spend time with my family before anything else. Lately, though, I have been feeling a lack of inspiration in the other parts of my life. The things that I used to find joy in doing don't seem to challenge me as they used to.

I feel very strongly that one of the ways that I can be a good parent to Luke is to be a person with her own interests outside of "mommyhood". Even though I wanted very badly to become a parent and am very grateful that I am one, it is not something that defines me 100%. I am not just a mother, I am also I mother. The interest in photography is one of the ways I am trying to branch out so that I can have something that I enjoy and benefits the family. I am getting used to always carrying a camera with me, which I never used to do. I think its going pretty well, although the subject matter is somewhat limited (but very cute).

Now that I have had to redefine myself I am looking for inspiration. I am looking for that spark that hits you when hear or see something that makes you stop and think. I am inspired by my son and my wonderful husband, absolutely, but I feel the need to find external challenges and meaning, as well.

Where do you find inspiration? Where do you go when you are feeling as if you need a boost to your inner self?

The Last of its Kind

The Last of its Kind
Originally uploaded by Kate Sowa

Kodak is getting out of the film business. This isn't breaking news, but as I came across my mother's film camera yesterday, I thought about how much has changed in the world of capturing images. The Canon camera that my mother uses looks like the first cell phones: big, clunky, and without a lot of perks and instant gratification that we demand now. The camera that I use is also a Canon, but a digital one. It actually belonged to my parents. M used his expertise to pick out a well made workhorse type camera that could fit in your pocket and take a little video, if you wanted it to. After a few weeks and several attempts to help them become more comfortable with the process of digital photography, I became the new owner. It's a good little camera, though, and has served us well over the past few years.

I am not a visual person. I wish I was. I wish I could see things the way that M sees them. I wish I could look at something and see the textures and the light instead of just a whole object. I try to memorize the little tidbits he mentions to me about reflection and flashes, but I think that part of it is just instinctual. He has a sense of how to make something become a beautiful photo. I have to work at it. I don't expect to become a professional. After all, he has the benefit of a degree from one of the best photo schools in the country and years of experience as a professional. But I don't want to be put in the same category as that guy who always gets his finger in the picture.

Looking at my camera made me realize how behind the times I am. The only photo processing software we have on our computer is Photoshop. I have no idea how to use it. NO IDEA. I see M clicking buttons, brightening teeth, erasing wrinkles and performing all kinds of magic tricks. I can't even prepare a photo for an e-mail. I am completely dependant on him for my photos. This is all going to change. I have set a goal for myself: become a better photographer and take more pictures. I love looking at photos from my childhood and I want that for Luke. I want some of those photos to be from my perspective, even if it is a little blurry or slightly out of focus.

M brought home a new work camera the other night. It's a common occurrence since each new model requires some time to learn how to use it and doing that during a photo shoot is not a good idea. It's the very latest and has a very cool low light feature. I picked it up and took a few test shots.

"You know, that's $5000", said M as he walked into the living room. I slowly put the camera down. I'll stick with my little Canon......for now.

Baseball, Haircut, and a Baby

If I had to rank the people and things in my life that I love it might go something like this:

1. Family (Baby, Husband, etc..)

2. Baseball

That's right. I love baseball. More specifically, I love the C.ubs, but any baseball will do. Although I grew up in Texas my childhood was greatly influenced by my Iowan father's Midwestern sensibility and love for baseball. My memories of visiting Iowa as a child have a soundtrack of Harry Caray's voice and a television that was always playing a baseball game. Usually, it was a Cubs game. So, I suppose it is my sentimental side that is drawn to baseball, but it is a game that I love in its own right. There is just something about it.

The last three weeks before Luke was born I was on bed rest. I tried to be nonchalant about it all, but it was a little scary: low amniotic fluid, high blood pressure, weekly non-stress tests, a night in the hospital. I didn't really know what was going to happen and so my practical Midwestern side started thinking of things I needed to tell my husband, just in case. We spoke, of course, about the "what ifs" and for a moment I wondered if I should require that the baby become a Cubs fan. I settled for instructions that he become a baseball fan because I knew what his response would be if I brought up the C.ubs:

Why should I set him up for a lifetime of disappointment?

We haven't decided how we will raise him, in the baseball sense, but I hope he will follow me. There has been a lot of pain, I'll admit, but there is something to be said about the eternal optimism that goes along with it. On Sunday we headed to M.inute M.aid Park to see the A.stros (Lastros) take on the C.ubs. We did not take Luke, but his first game will be in September when the C.ubs come back to Houston.

It was a wonderful game (C.ubs 9-0) and, to make things better, we sat in club level seats with an excellent view of my favorite TV announcers, WGN's Bob and Len! Years of the C.ubs suckitude have made them both very good color commentators. I always enjoy hearing them call a game, no matter what the score is:

A few of you asked to see the new haircut. I asked my husband to take a quick picture, which turned into a little more of a photo shoot than I intended, so it's not a very candid shot. In weight loss news, I have lost 9 lbs so far and am very happy with WW. It seems to be working very well!

I am going to leave you with a picture that M took this weekend after Luke had his first swim. My dad was drying him off with a towel when he gave us one of his great smiles.