Coffee in a Covid World

Coffee. That's my sanity. The work-from-home establishment of control in this out-of-mind time, where jobs security is barely a concept, Zoom is now a noun, verb, and way of life, and bars are closed so the only drinking option is alone, where nobody knows your name. My 3-times a day trips to the coffeepot at …

And Again

Two years. The sort of time frame that might feel like forever as you go through it, then in retrospect, seem like a blink of an eye. Not this time. It's been a long time, no matter which way you look at it. Our daughter, despite her attempts to never eat any protein with dinner, …

Monsters Inc.

I wish this was a post about toddlers as God's tiny monsters. It would be funny, insightful, and honest. Exactly what I  tell myself I signed up for when I started this blog. But, as jokes go, it's also obvious; a bit of a cliche. We all know the score early in parenthood: your baby …

Day By Day, By Wonder, By Dreams

I want to say that the days blend together, that all these months in, we are in the great slog of parenthood, of diapers and cereal and naps and tantrums and crawling, standing, baby-proofing. But the fact is, every single day is different. Every day is new, and the tiny little girl I left this …

Great Expectations

**and other novels I never read No, just like most of you, I've never read Great Expectations. Despite a degree in literature, I just never had any reason to read a Dickens novel. If the unremitting drear of "A Christmas Carol" is any indication, it's probably a good choice, too.** **Note: I may not be …

Present Tense

Grief is vicious, not because we shouldn't grieve, but because we grieve in the present, and remember in the past. We're torn between what was--and therefore can no longer be--and what so incontrovertibly IS right now. And now always wins. I don't know how you bring those good memories up to the fore, to maybe …

The Real Zombie Nation

We Are Tired There are no other words for it. Just tired. You could add in cranky and short-tempered if you want, but I think that first simple, declarative sentence covers it. So tired. If you have kids at home, I know I'm preaching to the choir. If you don't--or you've forgot--you may need an …

Bending, Not Breaking

Not a shock: babies are all-consuming. Also not a shock: marriage is all-consuming. Still not shocking: the rest of our lives don't stop or halt. All three add up to much more than 100%. The question becomes, what gives? Who gives? Which part of your life bends so another part won't break. For me, it's …

She’s Getting So Big

 

Love In The Time Of Colic

   Everything changes, every day. We're pushing six months into this new adventure, and the most concise way to put is this: It never disappoints. Our girl grows and learns. She laughs and sits and rolls. She hurts and cries, too. Her mother and I--my wife and I--work to remember that both titles apply, Mom …