Things Seattleites Like

1) Obama
2) Owning chickens
3) The Big Lebowski
4) Ultimate Frisbee
5) Raised planter boxes
6) Fancy salts
7) $4.00/scoop ice cream
8) Pho

Ten Months Ago...

...today, Tilia came into the world, kicking and screaming and wide-eyed and bewildered. She has turned our world upside down in the very best way imaginable and made us gooey practically all the time. Although, to be fair, sometimes tired just feels like gooey.

This week she has been taking her first tentative crawling steps. Her world is about to burst wide open and we are along for the ride. She starts by sitting up and then dramatically throws herself forward onto her hands, just hard enough that she can kick both legs out behind her. That's where she had been stuck for the last few weeks -- the one leg was just stuck below her and she couldn't pull it out -- but as of a day or two ago, she got it figured out. Momentum.


She says "hi" and "hey," "adda" (which is dad) and "mama" and "night-night." She claps, she does sign language for "more" and "all done" and she dances....oh! the dance! It is the most precious, heartbreakingly adorable thing you have ever seen. I am working on getting video. Think Sammy Davis Jr. barefoot and in a diaper. Today, she also blew her dad a kiss goodbye as he left for work -- that's been another work in progress until now.

Ten months for her is when everything seems to be coming together. She gets it. She gets more than we can even imagine.

As for her dad and me, we are reveling in the little details (i.e. yesterday Jon witnessed her picking up one block off the top of the tower of blocks without toppling the tower. He called her accomplishment out to me as I made dinner and we all three clapped. Tillie wasn't sure what she did, but loves clapping anyway.) We're trying to do our best. Get her outside, take her places where she can see other kids and wave and clap and dance for them. Fill her up with things that are true and make sure she's safe and warm and fed and has some sunscreen on now that spring has made its presence known, and try to sleep when we can. We're still working on the sleep thing, but happily, sleepily, see it as another work in progress.

In the car with Justin on the way home...UPDATE!

"I am going to blog about this," I told him. "The title will be, 'Musings of a sleep deprived new mother:' or something like that. I realized as I was playing "patty cake" with my daughter that I really don't know the words. Is it two words, like 'Patty Cake?' Is that someone's name? Baker's man? Why does the baker have a man? What kind of man? Is Pattycake like a slave name? Is the song racist? Or is it like the baker's special manfriend?"

"No, Alex, I think it's 'baker-man.' Like Pattycake is the baker's nickname or that's just what he does, he pats cakes."

"So there's not a 'baker's man'?"

"No."

I've been singing it wrong. He sounds like he knows, but I am still not sure.

"So if it's a name, is it Patty Cake or Paddy Cake, like he's Irish? And why are we in such a hurry for the cake?"

"Oh Christ, Alex. I don't know."

*********UPDATE**********
I found this from 1901, perhaps confirming that the origins of "pat-a-cake" are racist:

Hallelujah

Obama's first press conference was on the 9th and what a treat it was. My dad, who I called to wish, "Happy birthday," said that he was sitting and watching it feeling like it was a birthday present in itself to hear our President make sense, talk logically and respectfully about doing his job.

My favorite part: he uses three syllable words (i.e. bellicose)! He uses them correctly, doesn't mispronounce them and doesn't feel the need to say what they mean as if we are stupid.

Can I get an AMEN?!

10 Ten Movies I Saw in 2008

I just put my 2008 Movie list up on my movie blog...the top ten from last year are as follows:

Synecdoche
Burn After Reading
Encounters at the End of the World
Man on Wire
The Fall
Mister Lonely
The Year my Parents Went on Vacation
Be Kind Rewind
Persepolois
There Will be Blood

...and disappointment sets in

When it comes to politicians, I should learn to never get my hopes up. See previous post about the promise of a feminist president and his amazing words about helping to create a healthy America (and world) for women...but it turns out, they are just words and he is still a politician first and a feminist...oh, say tenth or eleventh.

Family planning is not a dirty word! Family planning is something that people of privilege (read: politicians) take completely for granted, but could mean the difference between literally life and death for some. Or the difference between a young woman continuing college instead of embarking into motherhood in her early 20s. It could mean the difference between a high school girl getting a safe abortion instead of giving birth to an unwanted baby at home, alone. It could mean the difference between a family of four ending up on the street because they don't have health care and can't afford their medical bills. Or teens learning the truth about their bodies and their choices for contraception.

It means all these things and so much more, but a chunk of change called, "The Medicaid Family Planning State Option" was cut from the economic stimulus package by Obama's request. The Republicans were calling the money for women's health care and family planning "pork." Nice. And so he caved. And the Democrats caved. So it was cut from the bill and not one Republican voted for it anyway. Great commentary by Ruth Rosen over at Religion Dispatches:

So, poor women who want reproductive health care and contraception are both “pork” and a “distraction.” Is this the change we have dreamed about?

This is What a Feminist (President) Looks Like

Can I even say how happy this made me? Before the election, my friend Amie asked me what I wanted or expected out of a Democratic Presidential candidate in terms of women's healthcare and reproductive rights. I said all I wanted was them to acknowledge that these are issues to be addressed. That was it. Never in a million years did I think that I would hear that my health, my access to contrception and abortion, my daughter's right to make choices about her own body were important to the President. But here it is, loud and clear.

"On the 36th anniversary of Roe v. Wade, we are reminded that this decision not only protects women’s health and reproductive freedom, but stands for a broader principle: that government should not intrude on our most private family matters. I remain committed to protecting a woman’s right to choose.

While this is a sensitive and often divisive issue, no matter what our views, we are united in our determination to prevent unintended pregnancies, reduce the need for abortion, and support women and families in the choices they make. To accomplish these goals, we must work to find common ground to expand access to affordable contraception, accurate health information, and preventative services.

On this anniversary, we must also recommit ourselves more broadly to ensuring that our daughters have the same rights and opportunities as our sons: the chance to attain a world-class education; to have fulfilling careers in any industry; to be treated fairly and paid equally for their work; and to have no limits on their dreams. That is what I want for women everywhere."

--President Barack Obama

Effin' Awesome Stamps

New Poestage stamps available now!

Dear Miss Ford,

Perhaps you should take up being a princess or a damsel in distress or a mermaid that gives up her voice for her knight in shinning armor. -Walt(found on B3TA)

Snow Day 2008

It seems like it's been snowing for close to a week straight now. Just when you think the deep freeze is over, we have an overnight snowfall and freezing rain storm that leaves us with 8 inches or so of crispy, cold snow and icicles dangling off our house. That said, Tilia spent the day playing with papa, eating her first frozen bagel (not a huge success) and relaxing in the easy chair while the snow continued to fall outside. Not a bad day, all in all.

Department of Headlines That Tell the Whole Story

Politician Who Peed on Crowd Swears Off Booze

Oh for fuck's sake...

This makes me want to tear out my eyes with dull sticks..

"This is not a man who sees America as you see it and how I see America. We see America as the greatest force for good in this world....Our opponent though, is someone who sees America it seems as being so imperfect that he’s palling around with terrorists who would target their own country."

-- Sarah Palin criticizing Barack Obama in the New York Times political blog, "The Caucus."

Do people really believe this shit? Who are we fucking kidding? I want to move to France...

Jiggy-GAH!

A scene from 826 Seattle:
Justin and Alex are working away in the back office. The bathroom venting system allows us to hear pretty much anything that happens in the bathroom. Today,we hear this:
"Jiggy GAH! Jig-Jiggy GAH! Gaaaaaaah!" Loud.
We look at each other and shrug.
We hear Toffer knock on the bathroom door and ask his customary,"Is everything OK in there?"
We don't hear a reply.
A few moments later, Toffer comes to the back office and asks if we heard the commotion. We affirmed that we heard the weird noises.
I asked if he knew what it was and he replied, "I think it was someone pooping."

...

Wow. Kids are weird.

The baby ate my blog

In the last 10 weeks I have been pushed over the cliff of pure enchantment and thrust deeper in love with a human than ever before in my life. Our little Tilia Cohen is the most magical, educational, hilarious and mind-blowing little creature! So much that I literally have no time for anything else in my world. Updating a blog seems ridiculous! But here I am...in an attempt to find normalcy...in an attempt to find that person I was before Tillie was born and bring some pieces of her back to this side.

To that effect: I bring you Good Bad. Found on the wall of a local elementary school.

So simple and strange, yet so true!

Tillie!

Since I can't seem to ind the time to write anything these days...here is a video of Tillie for the fam...enjoy!

Photos from the first week

Happy one week birthday, Tilia! Here are some photos of the adventure so far...Enjoy!

Baby!

Not sure what to call this post -- "Baby catching up" or "Baby misc." would both work.

Grandma Lolo was asking about more pictures from recent ultrasounds, so I'll start there. I went in for my last one on the 20th and she looked perfect. Five and a half pounds, with about six weeks to go. I am starting to see why the last few weeks are reportedly difficult: She will be half again as big as she is now (at least!) by the time she is born....wow.

This facial profile picture has her little fist up by her forehead. When the technician zoomed into her face, we saw her lower lip sweetly sucking in and out. This, like pretty much everything else in the universe these days, made me cry. These were happy tears, however, unlike when I found out the mattress we wanted for the crib was out of stock and we couldn't take it home that night; that time I cried pathetic, hormonal, sad tears. This pregnancy thing will mess you up!

Jon and I were officially showered last weekend. Thanks to the wonderful Newmans. It was super amazing. Everyone gave us the most wonderful things and we felt so supported and loved and happy to be surrounded by the folks that Tilia will know in her world. Krista and Grandpa Howie were sadly missed, but they will both be here to meet her when she is born...

We took mom (technically, she took us!) to Maneki and Sitka & Spruce, both of which were, as usual, amazing meals. Mom wrote my foodie Uncle Jay a 5 page hand-written letter about the latter. We also visited the farmer's market in the U-District and went rocking chair shopping. It was a huge weekend.

The SIFF is going on, and Jon and I have very little time for much more than the two blind picks that the Holubs will take us to in our annual "Movie Night with the Holubs Role Reversal" where they pick the films and tell us where to show up. However we are going to try to get "rush" tickets to one sold-out adventure tonight and maybe another tomorrow. We're trying to get all the movies we can see in before the bean arrives.

Pesach Cake

I was charged with the task of dessert for Passover with the Newmans this year. I found the recipe I wanted to try here and, being a cheesecake-virgin, I thought what better time to liberate myself from the bonds of fear of cheesecake making than on Passover (and when I'm making it for 12 people? Easy!)

I bought a spring-form pan and Kroger makes kosher-for-passover cream cheese and the matzo cake meal wasn't too hard to find at JewFC. The recipe doesn't call for a water-bath, but I know from my mom that that makes the best, moistest cheesecake. The toasted almonds that were leftover from the crust, I left whole and sprinkled under the crust and on top. The results were freaking amazing, if I do say so myself. Not bad for a shiksa.

She's got Legs...

Here is (finally! Sorry Grandma Lolo!) the picture of the beana's legs I mentioned in a previous post.


Her feet are on the left, ankles crossed and knees tucked up to her head, which is tilted down. The toes just slay me! So cute! In the middle of the picture, around the knee of her right leg (the one on top), you can see a little bump that is her little hand holding her leg. It makes me giggle with delight.

Lots of things are making me giggle with delight these days. Her hiccups. Her rhythmic kicking when we play loud music. When she kicked Jon in the stomach when we hugged goodbye before work the other morning.

It's so hard to image that we only have 13 weeks left (give or take...probably give). I want to savor every minute of this part.

Obama Abides?

Simply a pr move, but a good one in my eyes...I love the thought of ol' big ears saying, "Fuck it, Dude...let's go bowling."