A girl walks into a blog...

Broccoli with Cashew Butter Sauce

2011-01-09T19:20:00.000-06:00

I adapted this recipe from AllRecipes.com. I reduced the amount of butter and substituted Worcestershire sauce for the soy sauce (as I’m allergic to soy). I actually don’t like broccoli very much, but I really liked this recipe, and we will be sure to repeat this in the future.

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Goals for 2011

2011-01-01T13:51:00.000-06:00

I’ve just finished a yummy lunch of black eyed peas for good luck. I hope you are having a Happy New Year’s Day.

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The value of stuff

2010-12-12T15:50:00.000-06:00

I was only a block away when I noticed it. My hand was bare. I frantically searched all of my pockets. Then I turned around and retraced my path. My ring was gone and I had only lost it sometime between the dentist chair and a block away.

The ring did not have any precious stones, nor was it gold. It only held sentimental value for me. This ring was the only thing that I wore all the time, even when bathing, even when swimming, even when sleeping. It was a gift from my mother.

I am actually surprised that I had not lost it earlier. Having lost over 40 pounds in the last few years, the ring was loose on my hand.

Back at the dentist’s office, the staff was so kind to let me interrupt the new occupant in the chair and even helped me look for the ring. But I never found it.

I was a bit melancholic the day I lost my ring. Afterwards, I started thinking about the value of stuff. I valued this little ring highly and am now sad that it is gone. And I have stuff in boxes and on shelves that I know I would not miss were I to lose them.

I still subconsciously check that the ring is still there on my hand, when it no longer is. Now I am more determined now to free myself of stuff I don’t value anymore.

Do or do not. There is no try.

2010-12-08T18:47:00.001-06:00

Sunday night, my family and I went to the Zilker Tree Lighting Celebration here in Austin. It was also a chance to chat with Randy, from Yearlyglot, who happened to be visiting the capitol city this weekend. As we chatted, he asked me, so you’re learning Spanish? I answered, Yes, I’m trying to learn Spanish. He quickly pointed out that I shouldn’t say “try”. And I agree.

This is something that I have been trying to get out of my everyday vocabulary, here in my writing, as well as my everyday speech. I made the conscience decision to do this a few months ago. I find it creeps in to my speech in other ways. “I’d like to do that.” “We plan to do that.” etc.

Thanks Randy for pointing out one of my own pet peeves about myself. I am not just trying to get it out of my lexicon, I am doing it right now!

Why do kids learn language so easily?

2010-12-03T18:45:00.001-06:00

I’ve been observing the growing language skills of my 2-going-on-3 year old. I’ve been taking notice of how he has moved from one and two word sentences to expressing more complex ideas like supposed events that will take place in the future.

Watching him acquire the English language has made me reflect on my own second language acquisition of Spanish. Not only is he quite talkative around people he knows well, he also experiments with sounds and sentence structure. He freely talks to me. When he makes a grammatical or pronunciation error, I correct him, and he enthusiastically will repeat the correction.

What my son has is a lack of fear in learning English. He knows that I will not ridicule him for saying something incorrectly. He has confidence in his current abilities, too. This is the key, so I will repeat: he is confident and lacks fear about learning English. We should all be this way when we learn a second language.

It’s interesting to note that my son is resistant to me speaking to him in Spanish. He’ll say, "Oh, mama, don’t say that." or "I don’t like that." He has a basic need to learn English because of his environment. He doesn’t need to know Spanish, and is not really motivated to learn. I can get him to watch Plaza Sésamo with me. But, I think, for my son, that is really the motivation of seeing Elmo, not learning Spanish.

I personally don’t buy into the common notion that as we age, our ability to learn a second language decreases. I have read recommendations on parenting websites that you should start exposing your child to foreign language learning and experiences before age 2 or else the brain will not be capable of acquiring a second language as easily.

One person who has learned multiple languages as an adult, and debunks this theory, is Benny Lewis. He has a wonderful website, Fluent in Three Months, where he tracks his 3 month language missions and travels around the world. If you are interested in learning a second language, or need a confidence boost, Benny is the man to read. I have just downloaded his Language Hacking Guide, and I’m looking forward to reading it this weekend.

With inspirations like Benny, I know it is possible for me to become fluent in Spanish. And I will continue to watch and admire my son as his English proficiency grows, and will model his enthusiasm and confidence as I work towards my own fluency in Spanish..

Two steps forward, one step back

2010-11-30T18:50:00.003-06:00

Yes, I know the saying is the other way, but my way is much more optimistic. Often when we have setbacks, we feel that we have slipped immensely and have failed. But we should realize that a setback is only a setback. We can continue on past a temporary failure or glitch and still enjoy the road, and realize our end goal.

Given that I’ve been ill for the last few weeks, I will be restarting my pushup challenge from the beginning again. Hopefully my energy levels will be up enough to start again this next Monday. I don’t feel like this is a major setback in any way. The pushups will still be waiting for me when I feel better.

The time away from the gym has given me opportunity to formulate other goals. One thing that I have started working on is brushing up on my Spanish.

About 6 years ago, I took 3 out of the 4 Spanish classes offered at my local community college. My abilities have been languishing since my son was born, and I wanted to refresh what I knew and improve beyond that. I hired a tutor to help me review and I quickly went through all 18 chapters of my Spanish textbook. I signed up to take the B1 level exam in Los Angeles last week.

In hindsight (because that is always 20/20), I think that my review was a little rushed. I had about 6 weeks to prepare. When I got to the exam, I was fatigued from illness, and lacked the conversational confidence I had even a week prior. So, I’m not really sure how I did on this exam. I hope I passed, but if I didn’t, it will give me a diagnostic on my abilities.

Now I’m trying to formulate my Spanish related goal for next year. Even if I didn’t pass the B1 exam, I may try a higher level exam next year, like the C1. Or I may set other goals, like being able to hold a conversation for X number of minutes, or being able to watch a movie with captions turned off, etc. My ultimate goal is fluency, but how I will measure this is still to be determined.

So, proposing un brindis, here's to temporary road blocks and set backs, and the journey ahead.

Look for an opportunity to be remarkable

2010-11-18T16:50:00.000-06:00

Inspired by Srini Rao’s talk, Don’t Look for a Job: Look for An Opportunity to Be Remarkable, I reflected on the many opportunities to be remarkable. If you haven’t seen this video, I recommend you take a listen to what Srini says. His remarks are valid for both college students as well as seasoned professionals.

I’ve thought about ways I’ve tried to be remarkable in my own life, and what might apply for other situations as well.

Work life:

Look for ways to stream line processes. Oftentimes, a certain process exists in a company, because “that’s the way we have always done this.” Be an innovator and a problem solver and look for ways to automate tasks, or cut out the fluff. I’m a software tester by profession, and I really try to automate 80% of my tasks. This lets me focus on the remaining 20%, which is usually the really hard stuff.
Question whether you really need to be at that meeting. Unfortunately, some companies have many meetings, and there exists the culture of having pre-meeting meetings. If you don’t really think you need to be there, say so. Ask if you can just get the summary of decisions made. This way, you will have more time to...
Focus on your most important project. If you don’t know what this is, ask your manager or boss. Find out what the most important thing is that you need to be working on today, and work on fulfilling that. When I arrive at work each morning, I ask myself this question. I periodically will discuss this with my manager to make sure that our goals are synchronized.

Now I realize that these tips are probably not what Srini had in mind. I assume that you already have a job, and are looking for ways to be remarkable there. I also believe that there are ways to be remarkable beyond the 9 to 5.

Life in general:

Give your stuff away. This last weekend, I was gathering up our old baby gear, and was planning on taking it to a local resale shop to see if they needed any of it. Some things, like portacribs, are not accepted at Goodwill, so, I might as well try to make a buck if I can. I have also asked other expectant parents if they needed any of this, but hadn’t found a good home for everything. But, then my partner, D, asked an expectant co-worker if they needed anything. She said yes, and was so grateful for the offer. Her husband has been out of work, and they only had bought a crib. I feel so helpful that I can give them our old car seat/stroller combo, as you need a car seat to leave the hospital with your newborn.
Invite people over. Whether for a meal, or to stay the night, people thrive on human interaction. Make memories for your family, and have a great time.
Learn a foreign language. You will not only gain the ability to speak to more people on planet Earth, you will also expose yourself to new cultures and new ideas. And this makes it more fun to...
Travel. Everyone loves to travel, right? The best way to do it, though, is to avoid packaged tours and cruises, and get into the daily lifestyle of your destination. This, again, expands your mind as you learn how other people live and think. You will find that this exposure will change you on the inside. After living in Germany for three months, I again yearn for another opportunity to submerse myself in another culture.

I’m sure there are lots of other ways to be remarkable in your life. I’ve only scratched the surface.

Training while sick?

2010-11-15T13:24:00.001-06:00

Now that cold and flu season is upon us, many of us that are active in sports and fitness will face a time where we need to decide: when am I too sick to train/exercise/play?

My general rule is this: if the symptoms are above the neck, then I’ll work out. If the symptoms are the neck or below, it’s time for me to rest and recover.

For example, if I have only nasal or eye allergies, I’ll usually do an indoor activity, so I’m not exposing myself to outdoor pollens. I’ll swim or lift weights or hit the treadmill. I find that usually after about 20 or 30 minutes, my symptoms actually improve. The natural dilation of the airways from exercise are quite beneficial to nasal congestion.

However, if I’ve got a sore throat or cough, I will stay home. I usually will feel a bit fatigued as well. This is my body telling me it is time to rest and recuperate from a bug.

You may ask: but what about that race I’m training for? Or that 100 pushup challenge? Or what about the gains I’ve made, won’t they be lost? Relax. If your race is still a ways out in the future, you will have plenty of time to regain your momentum. If it’s the day of the race, well, it is really up to you and your previous experience as to whether or not you can truly perform.

I personally have had to drop out of a 10K race that I was training for because of a knee injury. I gave the t-shirt away, too, because I couldn’t see myself wearing it. But I consoled myself that it was just one race, and others will come. I’m not an elite athlete by any stretch. I know that when I’m ready, I’ll participate in another race.

So, this week, I will be following my own advice. I have a cold now, and I will not be doing any pushups, or swimming any laps, but only resting, until I am feeling better. I figure it is better to rest now rather than make myself worse and prolong the illness. Hopefully by resting earlier, the body will recover sooner, than later.

Pushup challenge week 2

2010-11-12T15:35:00.001-06:00

This week went better for me. I still have the same neck stiffness and knot in my shoulder muscle from last week, and will probably need to see a masseuse, but the pain was much better thanks to the jacuzzi, Salon Pas, and my partner’s elbow massaging that knot.

Anyways, I completed week 1 of the pushup challenge. The last set of 13 was difficult, and I struggled with the very last pushup, but I’m glad I persevered. For today’s workout, I tried something new: I did 5 minutes of cardio to warm up and get the blood flowing. I’ve also tried to mentally pump myself up the last few days, and the mental attitude is also a great contributing factor to my success this week. I visualized myself doing pushups with great ease, and repeated the following mantra to myself: You are strong.

Next week I’ll move on to week 2 of pushups, week 2 of situps and week 3 of squats. This weekend I’ll do the week 2 challenge for squats to determine if I’m really ready for week 3.

How did you do? Please comment here or on my facebook.

The Responsibility of Stuff

2010-11-09T17:03:00.001-06:00

I have been inspired lately by several blogs dedicated to simplicity and minimalism. A few blogs that are my favorites are Zen Habits, Becoming Minimalist, and Minimalist Moms. Of course, there are many other blogs in similar vein, but these stand out to me as the most meaningful for my personal situation, probably because each author strives for minimalism, while finding balance in their family life.

For the last few weeks, I’ve been wanting to clean out some clutter in my closet. Finally this week, I filled a few shopping bags of clothing that no longer fits. Minimalism is about finding purpose in the things you have, and getting rid of unnecessary things. I have a long way to go on this, but my wardrobe is a good place to start, because the closet is a small space. It’s amazing what you can find, though, stashed in cramped areas. I found some old maternity clothes in the back of the closet. Into the charity pile. I also found shirts with company emblems from up to four jobs ago. Into the charity pile. And as for the jeans that I had been saving for when I finally lost weight, they do fit me now, but I don’t really like them anymore, as, alas, styles change. Into the charity pile.

My 2 year old son actually helped me in this project. He cheered me on while I tried on some old clothes, and then put the ill-fitting clothes in the bags for me. I included him in this because I want him to start getting a sense of the responsibility that stuff requires, and that sometimes, other people may get better use out of something that I’m not using. And, after all, I can’t justify a toy purge until he sees me purging some of my own stuff.

I took my son with me to Goodwill to drop off the old clothing and shoes. On the way there and back, I reminded him that other people might want my old clothing more than I do. When we got home, on his own, he started to put a few toys in a box, for our next Goodwill drop off.

Lessons learned:

Start with a small space, like a closet, or even a drawer. This makes the task doable and less overwhelming.
If you have gained weight, don’t hang on to those clothes you might fit into one day. Even if you do lose the weight, fashions change and so may your mind.
If you have kids, get them involved as much as possible and remind them why you are doing this.

Week 1 of 100 Pushup Challenge

2010-11-05T15:19:00.003-05:00

This first week of the 100 pushup challenge was definitely as challenging for me as I originally suspected. I started on week 3 with pushups and situps and on week 1 with squats.

On Wednesday, my day two, I had to go back to week 1 for both pushups and situps for a couple of reasons. First, delayed onset muscle soreness (DOMS) had set in by Tuesday evening. My triceps and pecs were sore. Second, I woke up Wednesday morning with a bad catch in my neck and shoulders, and I really didn’t think I could continue with the same level of pushups and situps without causing more strain on my neck.

I don’t think the pushups caused the neck strain, because I’ve had this problem before, and I know it is due to working in front of a computer all day, and then not being relaxed enough when I sleep.

By Friday, my day three, I was still struggling with the pushups, and was one pushup short from the recommended number for the third set. I am undecided if I will be redoing week 1 again next week.

All in all, though, I think it was a great success for me. Even though I may repeat week 1, I don’t count that as a failure at all. I definitely feel stronger today than I did on Monday. I already can tell a great difference.

And if you were struggling like me, I think you should commend yourself for giving this a shot, and making it through the first week. Next week we will be that much stronger.

For those who are doing pushups with me, how did you do? Let me know here in the comments or on my Facebook page.

My son likes pink

2010-11-04T16:00:00.001-05:00

The blog post, My son is gay, by Cop's Wife at Nerdy Apple Bottom, is about a boy who wanted to dress like Daphne from Scooby Doo, and how his mother stood up to other disapproving mothers at his Christian school. I liked it for several reasons. First, kudos to the son who knew exactly what he wanted to dress up as for Halloween. This holiday is exactly about dressing up as whoever you want to be. And, second, kudos to the mother for telling others that just because he dressed up as Daphne doesn’t mean he is gay. But if he were gay, it wouldn’t matter anyways.

As parents, we have not taught our son very much about girl things versus boy things. He is very interested in cars and trucks and trains, which are typically boyish interests. However, he has a stuffed pink poodle as part of his stuffed animal menagerie. And he still enjoys grooming with the pink Barbie comb and mirror that he got with a McDonalds Happy Meal when they were out of boy toys. His favorite drinking cup at home is the pink cup from a multi-color set we have.

In fact, my son really likes pink, and we have told him, it's okay to like pink. It's a nice, happy color!

The only time I’ve ever discouraged him from something gender specific was when we were shopping for a new swim suit this last summer. We were at Costco, probably buying diapers in bulk, when we passed a table with swim suits for young children. There were two choices:

Pink and yellow girls’ swimsuit with big fish on the top, smaller fish design on the bottom.
Blue and green boys’ swimsuit with big surfboards on the shirt and smaller surfboard design on the trunks.

Which one do you think my son preferred? It was the girls’ swimsuit. He was drawn to it because of the fish motif. He enjoys looking at pictures of fish, and singing the Slippery Fish song. He’s never even seen a surfboard before, so why would he want that?

I talked him out of the girls swimsuit by telling him it was, in fact, a girls’ swimsuit, and it might not fit him right. He went with the boys' swimsuit without much fuss.

Did I feel guilty about it? Just a little. I wasn’t sure if the girls’ swimsuit would fit him, but I also had the fear of what other people, particularly parents, would say. Yes, I felt guilty about the fear I had.

This Halloween, I marveled at the girls dressed up as Woody and Buzz Lightyear. But I didn’t see any boys dressed up in girl costumes. I aspire to be fearless like Cop’s Wife and let my son be a kid and have fun no matter how he is dressed, or what color he prefers.

The trick is to keep breathing

2010-11-02T16:29:00.001-05:00

I don’t meditate regularly, although it is something that I’d like to do eventually. I don’t have much practice at meditation, and have only read a little about it. The times I have meditated, I found it to be quite relaxing and energizing at the same time, and a good way to clear my head of the constant chatter.

One thing that I do regularly, however, is exercise. I do strengthening exercise, I walk, I run, and I swim. When I walk, run, and swim, I find I can get into the same mental state as a good meditative session. I think cardio exercise really lends itself to this. When I run or walk, especially outdoors, I find myself at first looking at my surroundings. This might be houses, cars, cats in driveways, etc. Then I start to think about my pace and my distance. Eventually, I find myself focusing on my breath.

The same thing happens when I swim. When I start out, my mind is usually skipping from one thought to the next, but quickly, I start to focus on my pace. I count laps, strokes per lap, and sets of laps. And, eventually, I find myself focusing on my breath, much more than in running. In running, you can breathe however and whenever you want. With swimming, you need to breathe much more regularly, synchronized to your strokes.

All of this mental focus on breath brings to me a relaxed, attentive state of mind. It could also be the endorphins created and the cortisol burned. But I believe that my mind and body are connected in more ways than chemical and hormonal reactions. And breath benefits both my mind and body in astounding ways.

100 push up challenge... who's with me?

2010-10-29T20:07:00.004-05:00

Next week, I will start the 100 push up challenge. This is a six week training program to train you to do, well, 100 push ups. I've also decided to do the 200 sit up challenge and 200 squat challenge, so I can balance out the training. I have already done the initial tests for these to see how many I could currently do. Here are my results.

Push ups: 22

Sit ups: 50

Squats: 110

I feel pretty good about the number of squats I can do, and the number of crunches I did is not bad. I did the push ups and sit ups after some pizza and beer, so, not sure if that was good for me or not. But I do know that, for me, the challenge will really be in the push ups.

I start working on this next Monday. I will do the suggested Monday/Wednesday/Friday schedule as is suggested, since Tuesdays and Thursdays are my usual swim days.

Why am I doing this? Increasing my upper body strength is the primary reason. But I also want to encourage as many other people as I can to do the same, or at least set some kind of fitness goal.

So, who's joining me in this challenge?

100 push up challenge

Elmo!

2010-10-29T09:25:00.002-05:00

Today is my son's Halloween party at school. He is quite excited to be Elmo.

Spending time wisely

2010-10-25T20:46:00.002-05:00

A few days ago, my partner and I were talking with a neighbor whose son is 18 months older than ours, and he revealed that his son is now enrolled in karate and soccer which takes up two evenings and Saturday morning each week. I came to the realization that this too could be happening for us very soon.

I’m not ready for my son’s activities to ramp up just yet. I love our evenings after work and school where we play together. Oftentimes, I am the one that cooks for my family. I really enjoy it when my son slides the step stool over to the kitchen counter and brings a couple of his cars to play with as I cook. I occasionally scold him for touching the food when I know he hasn’t yet washed his hands. I let him smell the spices I use. I ask him to help me count the number of cups or teaspoons of whatever it is I am measuring. These are all moments that I treasure.

I know that this age of 2-going-on-3 years old will not last forever. He will eventually not care to count teaspoons with me. He will gain other interests such as karate or soccer or quite possibly something else that might require a uniform, fees, and weekends free. I will not discourage such interests. But I hope that I can teach him to value his free time as well, and that sometimes too many activities can clutter your schedule as well as drain the wallet and leave you frazzled.

Before you conclude that I am against organized activities for my son or for kids in general, I will say that I was involved with the Girl Scouts as a young girl, and absolutely loved it. And when I was in junior high, I started playing in the band and absolutely loved that, too. I made the decision, however, to quit the Girl Scouts so that band was my only extra-curricular activity. I worry about kids these days that have so much to do that they don’t have time to do homework or to simply be kids with unstructured play time.

At this point in my life, I am saying ‘no’ to certain requests of my time because I think it is important to focus on the things you absolutely love and not spend time on the things that you might like just a little bit, or, even worse, things that you don’t like at all. Saying ‘no’ is hard, but it is getting easier for me. All I need to do is remember the things that I value the most and moments like sharing the smells of spices with a two year old.

Kids get it: “Where’s your other mommy?”

2010-10-19T20:38:00.000-05:00

As recent as 5 years ago, a study revealed that Generation Y (people in their 20s typically) is rather tolerant and open-minded about gay people. But as the current media obsession with gay and bullied youth committing suicide shows, we still need to make progress in acceptance of LGBT people. In the last several days, I’ve read about blatant hatred at sporting events that involved younger people. Both of these stories amazed me and disgusted me.

After days and days of reading depressing anti-gay news, I find myself still hopeful. I read about organizations like the Trevor Project, the Gay, Lesbian and Straight Education Network, and the NOH8 Campaign, to name just a few, and I feel much more hopeful about the future ahead for my son and his generation. Other organizations that I have just learned about in the last week, the Make It Better Project and GroundSpark, are finding ways for young people to work together to fight hatred and homophobia.

And I’m still even more hopeful for kids that are my son’s age. Just yesterday, I was sick and asked D to take our little man to school (I’m usually the one who does drop offs). D told me that one of our son’s classmates came up to him with a concerned look and asked, “Where’s your other mommy?” In his two and three year old group, they understand that families come in all different shades, and varieties, and are not bothered in the least that our son has two mommies. I am hopeful that this attitude will continue to grow and become the norm for his generation.

Tomorrow, October 20, 2010, is Spirit Day, and all are encouraged to wear purple to remember those lives lost and to show support for LGBT and straight youth. I will be wearing purple tomorrow. Will you?

Train ride

2010-10-02T20:59:00.002-05:00

The little man is enjoying his first train ride at Shady Springs, Austin, TX. This was taken a few days ago.

Today we went to his favorite Saturday lunch place, Wendy's, where he likes to get the chicken nuggets. As we were leaving, he said my favorite words: I love you, mommies.

Stylin'

2010-09-18T10:43:00.001-05:00

We played with hair gel this morning. Then he wanted to take the gel out. And then he wanted a hair cut. Guess I'll be doing that this weekend.

Wheels on the Bus

2010-07-19T20:02:00.003-05:00

Yum!

2010-05-26T10:13:00.002-05:00

Cheeseburger and fried zucchini at Athenian Burger.

Living truthfully

2010-05-13T17:33:00.001-05:00

This past week, the online world was abuzz with the coming out of a country star. At first, I thought, who is Chely Wright? After visiting her MySpace page, I then realized that I had actually heard of a couple of her songs, but didn't really know who she was. She is not as big a name as Shania Twain or Dixie Chicks, and I only listen to country casually while scanning through stations on the radio, but she is an artist who has seen a few of her songs on the charts, and is well known by country music fans. And it has been interesting reading the reactions online. I think about 98% of Chely's Twitter and Facebook responses are positive. And the 2% that complained were questioned by the other fans, why are you following Chely on Twitter or Facebook? But there are also bloggers and commenters that speculate that this is all a publicity stunt. After all, it isn't coincidence that she has a CD and book coinciding with her coming out, right? Well, if you are a country music star, I don't think declaring to the whole world that you are gay is what most people would do to sell records.

But beyond the initial reports of her coming out, which mostly seemed like regurgitation of the same news printed on the People magazine website, I did read a handful of her interviews, and I was extremely touched by her story. I cried as I read them because I felt her pain. This is someone who lived so far in the closet, she was in the sheetrock, as she describes it, and was driven to such despair that she almost killed herself. She is someone who tried, like so many others, to pray away the gay. And this touched me.

I knew at a very young age that I was different, but I couldn't put a word to it. As I was going through puberty, I came to the realization that I liked girls. But being inexperienced at life and love as a teenager, I just assumed that I was bisexual. And I knew hiding this would be for my own benefit and survival. I didn't choose this. I didn't really want to be gay, and for a while, I did pray every day for God to take this away from me. I finally realized that God was okay with me as I was. And then I became comfortable with who I am, and being gay. I decided that I would try to be straight and fit in the straight world the best I could. I pretended to have crushes on guys in junior high, and dated a few guys in high school and college. I made the decision that I was bisexual, and I tried to fall in love with a man. But it never worked out, and I never found Mr. Right. It was in college that I started dating women as well, and eventually discovered that I was really, really gay.

I fully came out of the closet as a lesbian at age 37, when I was expecting our son. I've been out to family and close friends for a long time, but I have lived most of my professional life in the closet. Once I got pregnant, my partner and I knew that there was no turning back, that we would be forthcoming to everyone. It was not an easy thing to do, as it was not a political statement for me. There were personal reasons over a whole lifetime, from religion to survival, as to why I stayed in the closet for so long. I think this is something that is easily forgotten by most people. When you actually come out, it is a process that you go through, learning to be honest with yourself, and then you have to have the courage to be honest with everyone else.

Thousands of times over my life, I have come out as a lesbian. I will probably continually need to do this. Unless you are someone really famous like Ricky Martin, you have to come out over and over. Many people assume I am straight, in the same way I assume they are. I don't advertise that I'm gay by wearing pink triangles or waving a rainbow flag, and it is not a main topic of conversation for me. Nowadays, I usually come out during conversations about kids, when people ask me about my husband, or if I'm married. And then I reassure them they shouldn't feel awkward or embarrassed about making assumptions that I'm married to a man. As a mother, I have to fill out forms and cross out "Father" and put "Other mother". Anyone who cares for my son at his daycare knows he has two mommies.

Now that I am out 100%, living truthfully, I do feel much better about myself. It is mentally exhausting to have to lie and hide all of the time. Without that constant mental and emotional drain, I am a much happier person. I hope Chely Wright, and others who have come out, experience this same sense of relief. I watched some of her video blogs on YouTube, and could detect a certain sadness in a few of the older posts. She is so down-to-earth, you just want to give her a hug and tell her it will be alright. Her latest post-coming-out video blog revealed a happier person. Hopefully she also knows that she has a whole new audience and new fans who respect and admire what she has done. I know I am a new fan, eagerly awaiting her new CD and book to arrive in my mailbox.

Sometimes I need two straws...

2010-04-16T11:08:00.002-05:00

360 bridge

2010-03-09T12:55:00.003-06:00

We took our son to the 360 bridge this last weekend. His words: "Wow! Big!" He was so excited to be there, and he didn't want to leave.

The perfect gift for Valentines

2010-02-13T15:29:00.001-06:00

Get that classic Chicken Soup for the Soul Divorce edition just in time for Valentines at CVS. It's on sale now!

Banana bread recipe

2010-01-17T20:39:00.003-06:00

I'd like to share a recipe that I've made so many times, that I don't look at my notes anymore. Banana bread is something I make almost every week. It is my son's favorite breakfast and he asks for it regularly. I made a couple of loaves earlier today to donate to a bake sale to raise money for aid to Haiti. I thought I had explained it this to my son, and he accompanied us to deliver the bread, but tonight at the dinner table he kept asking for it. Sometimes it's hard to know what he understands. Anyways, I'll probably be making it again later this week, but this weekend it was for a good cause. I like this recipe because it is so simple to make and it is so delicious. I hope you like it.

Banana bread

3 medium or large bananas or 4 small bananas
1.5 c all-purpose flour
3/4 c sugar (I use turbinado)
1 tsp vanilla
1 tsp baking soda
1 egg, beaten
1/3 c melted butter
dash of salt

Preheat oven to 350 F.
Mash up the bananas with a potato masher or a spoon.
Add liquid ingredients (egg, butter, vanilla)
Add dry ingredients, adding the flour last.
In a buttered loaf pan, bake for 1 hour.

How I warm tortillas

2009-12-10T20:42:00.001-06:00

Anyone who loves Mexican food loves a fresh warm tortilla. And if you aren't fortunate to get homemade tortillas every time, you might suffer from the dilemma of how to warm a tortilla so that it is still warm and pliable. I learned how to warm tortillas from my mother, who to this day probably still warms her tortillas directly on the burner. I did it this way for many years too, but I found that it dries out the tortilla. I personally hate a dry tortilla cracking and spilling its contents. I'm not a definitive source on tortillas, but this is what has worked for me in my experience.

Flour tortillas. Wrap the tortillas in a damp paper towel, and reheat in the microwave.

Corn tortillas. You can do the same trick with the damp paper towels, but I find that sometimes tacos made from these corn tortillas will still break. Lately I have been using a new trick. In a skillet, heat a small amount of vegetable oil. I use extra virgin olive oil. Spread the oil with a spatula. Then place the first tortilla in the skillet. Then flip it over and put a second tortilla on top. Then flip again and place a third tortilla, etc. Continue in this manner so that all sides are evenly coated with the oil and heat through. If there is too much oil after reheating, just dry the tortilla with a paper towel.

Hope that helps with your tortilla eating adventures!

Mickey hat

2009-12-09T21:48:00.000-06:00

We have rediscovered this knit Mickey hat and decided to model in the mirror.

San Antonio Turkey Trot 2009

2009-12-08T21:46:00.000-06:00

I went into this 4 mile race not really knowing that much about it. Like, for instance, I thought that this was a road race. It was actually a race through a wooded park. So most of the race was on paved trail wide enough for 3 or 4 runners. Some bits were not paved at all. At one point in the first mile, I overheard someone say, I didn't know that this was a single-file race. I had to chuckle because it was true. It was a bit difficult in the first mile as runners sorted out where they belonged with regards to pace. Supposedly, we were to line up by pace, but it was difficult to hear what was going on, so I, like most people just walked up to the starting area without regards to pace at all. But it was a pleasant, if cold, run through the woods in San Antonio. I ran the whole way except for at the two water stations. I'm not a fast runner and my goal is always to finish the race, but I'm happy with my time as well (43:38).

Goodbye, La Princesa

2009-12-07T10:00:00.002-06:00

From Little Man Aug 2009

La Princesa, like most of our other cats, strayed into our lives and into our hearts. She was probably already an old girl when we met, but we are not sure. She was a very playful and friendly kitty, and our little man loved her very much.

Yesterday, we said goodbye to La Princesa. She had run away from home about 3.5 weeks ago, but came back to us Friday night, the coldest night this season. We had worried about her and looked for her and were so glad to see her again. We tried to help her this weekend, but she was very sick, and at last we decided it was the best thing to let Princesa go.

She loved to hang out at the little man's bathtime, so here is a photo to remember her.

From Little Man Aug 2009

Haircut by Mama, pajamas by Sesame Street

2009-12-05T21:38:00.002-06:00

A few weeks ago, I decided to save $15 at the barber's and cut the little man's hair myself. It was a good thing, because that was 20 minutes of non-stop screaming. I, of course, can see all of the crooked spots, but overall, I think it turned out fine. Here he is post-haircut and bath, and sporting his new Elmo pajamas, which he loves.

Día de los muertos and Requiem

2009-11-02T19:16:00.003-06:00

Two weekends ago, though I was pretty beaten down by a cold, I dragged myself out of bed to go Austin's Día de los muertos celebration downtown. It's a parade and street festival with tents and a stage for live music. It's only a block long, and we didn't stay very long, but all three of us really enjoyed it.

Unfortunately that was the highlight of my otherwise lost and bedridden weekend. Here are a few more photos of the little man on the playground.

This last weekend was a little better for me. Last Friday, the little man wore his handmade Superman costume (thanks J!) to school. He didn't want to wear the removable cape, though, even though I tried to convince him he would be just like Superman and Super Grover. And there were two other Supermans in his class. They were all so cute! That afternoon in his class, they had a little party and both Mama D and I went. Here are a few pictures of the little man before school, struggling to not wear the cape.

Saturday, Mama D played spectacularly with the St. Edward's orchestra, performing Danse Macabre, excerpts from Pictures at an Exhibition, The Noonday Witch, and a little bit of Mahler's Symphony No. 1.

And that Halloween evening, even though he refused to put on his costume, the little man had a great time at J's party. Since this post doesn't have enough photos, here is another slideshow from party.

Sunday was Day of the Dead, and I spent my morning run reflecting on the loss of one of the co-founders of my company to brain cancer. As my lungs burned and I coughed up phlegm (residual from the cold), I thought about what a remarkable life he had. Later that morning, D and I went to Central Presbyterian to hear the performance of the Requiem by John Rutter. It was a Requiem that I had not heard before. The arrangement was made specifically for the Wild Basin Woodwind Quintet. I really enjoyed the music and it was perfect to be in that moment contemplating life and death and everyone.

Pumpkin painting

2009-10-11T21:31:00.002-05:00

The little man really likes happy faces. Since he can't draw them himself, he loves it when someone else draws them for him. And if you forget something, like the nose, he will tell you about it. After drawing a few happy faces, he finally started to decorate his Halloween pumpkin that we got last weekend for him. He really enjoys painting, and using all kinds of methods: paint markers, finger painting, and brushes. Hope you enjoy this photo slideshow. It was fun for us watching and helping him paint.

Goofing off at the pumpkin patch

2009-10-05T18:40:00.000-05:00

We attempted to take some photos of BabyBoy at the pumpkin patch this weekend. Here you can observe his goofing off skills. First, here he shows he does not want to look at the camara.

Here he is giving his very exaggerated smile. He just started to do this after weeks of me encouraging him to smile so I can brush his teeth.

Lastly, we have the pen cap!

At the Apple Store

2009-10-03T21:51:00.002-05:00

This was taken last month at the Apple store. He looks almost as happy as I was getting my new iPod Nano. Actually, I think he is happier. Nothing is like the pure joy of a child.

The little man at day care

2009-09-21T16:49:00.002-05:00

Too close!

2009-08-31T20:15:00.000-05:00

This is why I don't post too many videos anymore. My son is very aware of the camera and gets too close!

Haircut and watching Norm

2009-08-23T09:51:00.002-05:00

New haircut.

And watching New Yankee Workshop with Mama D.

More August photos of the little man

2009-08-21T08:12:00.000-05:00

Disneyland 2009

2009-08-20T19:59:00.001-05:00

Part 5 of 5. (Finally!)

19 months

2009-08-09T18:39:00.004-05:00

The little man is now into bubbles, Elmo and stars. He was actually getting into stars at the 4th of July. He knows other shapes from our little shape sorter toy, but I think he is only able to say star. And bubbles he is pretty keen on as well. He loves to blow bubbles outside. Lately, though, it has been too hot to play outside. So we started giving him bubble baths which he loves. Even if he doesn't want to take a bath, I can talk him into it with the promise of bubbles. Elmo is a relatively new development, as in just a few days ago, he started saying Elmo (Ehmo, Ehmo, Ehmo!). We have a Sesame Street t.v. remote control with pictures on the number buttons. We say what each picture is, including the car, kitty, guitar, rocketship, and ball. It also has Ernie, Bert, Oscar, and of course Elmo. Something just clicked in him in the last few days, and he started saying Elmo a lot. Yesterday we went to Walmart, and decided to get him an Elmo plush doll, an Elmo book, and an Elmo DVD. He is just now getting interested in the t.v. He doesn't really watch more than 5 minutes at a time, but the DVDs have really helped me distract him long enough to trim his nails (which was always a weekly battle). I've also noticed of late that he is really getting in the manipulative toys and working on his fine motor skills. He likes to play with the shape sorter, and he also likes to pull apart and put together his Lego blocks. And of course, we think he is such a sweetheart. :-)

Dana Point with mi prima

2009-07-22T20:49:00.002-05:00

Part 4 of 5. The little man loved the beach! Well, he loved the water, but not the sand so much. He doesn't really like dirty hands or dirty feet, so it was a bit of problem at times. And he was having so much fun playing with the little dump truck, he wouldn't eat very much. Too busy! After the beach, we were all going to go somewhere for lunch, but the little man fell asleep in my arms as I was about to put him in the car seat.

Friday night at the Angels game

2009-07-21T21:07:00.002-05:00

Part 3 of 5.

In Anaheim

2009-07-20T20:23:00.005-05:00

Part 2 of 5. The little man loved spending time with Abuela, Grandpa and his uncle. There were new toys to play with, and a new "outside" to discover and explore. He loved picking up and examining leaves on the ground. And watering the plants with Abuela.

On the way to LAX

2009-07-19T20:06:00.002-05:00

The first in a series of our vacation to Orange County, CA.

The little man is 18 months today!

2009-07-08T11:32:00.001-05:00

He is playing with his new tee pee from our good friend K.

Going for a stroll

2009-06-08T10:54:00.002-05:00

Bathtime with goggles

2009-06-04T20:51:00.000-05:00

Blogging for LGBT Families Day 2009

2009-06-02T10:12:00.003-05:00

The actual "Blogging for LGBT Families Day 2009" was yesterday, but we have been taking care of sick toddler since Sunday. And that is how it is for us. We are two women in love, partners for many years, who decided a few years ago to start our own family. I didn't start this blog until our son was about 6 months old, but I'm glad to be part of the blogging community. I don't feel like I have much wisdom to share, but just the common experience of being a parent, and lesbian parents at that, makes the world feel a little smaller. I actually started this blog last year so our families could see photos and videos of our son growing up, but it has turned into much more. I have friends from all over that tell me they love seeing the little man grow up.

I'm not as political as I probably should be, so, I don't really write that much about that topic here. But I am proud to be living in this day and age, where we are on the tipping point of acceptance and equal rights. I don't know if D and I will ever get married, but it is so important from a legal perspective. And in living in Texas, without even same-sex domestic partnership recognition here, it is so important for us that other states can achieve these milestones in equality.

Politics aside, we are definitely a family. We are both mommies. Sure, our family is a little different. But we are proud parents, and eager to whip out the photos to anyone that asks. There are days where we say, I can't believe we have a son! He is a miracle to us. And for me, though our life has changed so much with the little man, it feels like this is how it always should have been for us, now that we have him.

Memorial Day Weekend 2009

2009-05-25T20:28:00.010-05:00

Last weekend, we were out running errands, as we typically do on the weekends. We were starving with the kind of hunger only large amounts of fat and cholesterol can sate. So, we decided to head to Mighty Fine Hamburgers. I went into the bathroom to wash three baby spoons for the little man. An older lady saw me and asked, "Are you feeding three kids?"
"No, this is in case he drops one," I replied.
"Oh, you are so prepared!".
"Well, not actually, I just bought these spoons at Target, because I did not plan ahead."

But that was last weekend. This weekend was Memorial Day Weekend. We didn't go out of town, but stayed home. A staycation, I've heard it called. We didn't go to any parades, but silently thought about family members who have served.

A new thing for us as a family, though, was taking the little man along the Lady Bird Lake trail (formerly known as Town Lake trail). The weather was beautiful yesterday and it was an all around perfect morning for a stroll. Those not from Austin may not know that the underside of the Congress Avenue bridge is home to the largest population of Mexican Free-tailed bats. Even though I've lived here for many years, I just learned that the bridge was renovated with special channels specifically for the bats to nest. As we passed under the bridge, it almost seemed like the wheels of the jogging stroller were suddenly squeaky, but it was just the colony saying hello to joggers, bicyclists, and strollers below. Here is a little slideshow of our little nature walk.

Since it was a hot weekend with highs in the 90s, we had hoped to go to the nearby public pool. But alas, the little man is down with a little cold. He just has not been himself, quite cranky and fussy. I think we have really started the long hot summer months here, so, I'm sure we will have many more opportunities this summer to hit the pool.

On the home front, we finally got the flooring installed for the new part of our living room. Here La Princesa is modeling the new floor.

My favorite tweet of the week is actually related to Memorial Day:

Random thought of the week: Due to the marvelousness of iTunes random play, I just noticed that both Marco Antonio Solís and Maná sing "Si No Te Hubieras Ido". I can't decide which I like better. They are both pretty good. Marco Antonio has a superb voice, and the Maná version has a bit more of a rock edge.

Hope you had a swell weekend and hope you are all doing well.

Action, no action, and eating better

2009-05-15T21:10:00.006-05:00

Star Trek was awesome. I saw it at the IMAX yesterday afternoon with work folks and D. I want to see it again. I won't give away anything about the movie, but it was a very clever way to refresh the movie franchise. If you are a Trekkie, no doubt you will see it. But I think even if you are not a Trek fan, you would enjoy it as well. Lots of action and adventure.

Not much action has been happening lately with the home improvement project. There has been a lot of waiting. We had some more cement poured in order to raise the floor level a little bit. So, we have been waiting a few weeks until that cured. I think next week we will see some more activity in the way of second coat of paint and floor installation. I'm really, really, really ready to get my house put back together a little. We still have most of the living room stuff in boxes, so things are not so accessible or ergonomic around here.

My favorite tweet of the week is from Sara Gilbert (of Rosanne fame):

Yeah, I do that too (the sneaking part). I don't want my son to see me eat any bad stuff like cookies (which he usually requests at least once a day). Not that I eat them a lot, but I try to be conscious of it. Most days, it seems all I can get him to eat is cereal. And sometimes fish sticks. He really likes fish sticks, but I myself can't eat that everyday. But it is funny how his favorite word is now "nah" and he uses it the most at meal time. I cannot get him to eat vegetables for the life of me. I know it is a common dilemma, though. However, I was very happy this morning to get him to eat a little papaya.

Hope you are all doing well, and eating well too!

Signing and playing in the mud

2009-05-03T19:37:00.006-05:00

The last few weeks, the little man has been signing a lot. His daycare teaches the kids how to sign American Sign Language starting in the infant class, but he has just now started signing words himself. The words he now knows are: more, food (which, for him, sometimes means drink), milk, cracker, finished, please, bye-bye, and down. We also sign to him, water, and thank you. It has been amazing that he now lets us know when we wants to eat or drink something, and when he is finished eating. Now if I can only convince he should be eating more than crackers!

This weekend, we started working in the backyard a little bit. Actually it was D doing all of the hard work digging holes, and the little man and I picked up sticks and rocks so we can eventually mow. It had rained last night, so the ground was nice and wet, and very sticky. We don't usually go outside when it is wet, but, decided we needed to today. I think this was the first time for the little man to play in the mud. You can see from the shots below taken from my mobile phone, he got a bit muddy.

Look at those cute chubby and muddy legs!

He actually didn't know what to make of the mud. He kept wanting me to wipe it off of his hands. Not sure if we will have a neat freak on our hands.

He has lately been showing more acceptance to wearing hats. He used to hate it, but then there was hat day at school a few weeks ago, and the teachers said he actually wore his hat a little bit. Since then, he will wear a hat from time to time for a few minutes. Mostly, he loves to practice taking it off and then putting it back on.

If you have been following my tweets (that is, my posts on twitter.com/cmsadler), you already know that there was a school closure for swine flu here in Austin. And though this is not the little man's school, it is where we take him on the weekends to play. The school is a pre-kindergarten school, so their playground is very suitable for his abilities. We have taken him to the nearby park, but there are so many other bigger kids, we really have to make sure he doesn't get run over by them. Anyways, the news story that ran on our local station was that the Lucy Read School was closed for a probably case of swine flu, and they showed school district employees sanitizing the classrooms. Well, yesterday, we wondered if they were done cleaning the school, and decided to go over there to play. As we drove by, we saw a crew in the playground hosing off the equipment. So, hopefully next weekend, we will get over there and he can play.

One of the things that I have been enjoying lately is doing video chats with my parents. We have been doing weekly phone calls, usually Sunday evenings since, I don't know, since forever. Anyways, as we both now have MacBook Pro laptops, we have everything we need to do a video chat. My parents really enjoy seeing the little man. And he really enjoys it too. He loves to blow kisses and say "hi". But he doesn't stay in my lap for very long. I try to aim the camera so that my parents can see him running around. He loves to do show-and-tell for them. Usually I will say something like, where is your dinosaur?, and he will find it and show it to them. Here he is showing them his basketball.

I hope this post finds you all well.

Home Improvement Update

2009-04-16T09:48:00.003-05:00

This installment features new exterior paint, exterior and interior light fixtures, Mr. Slim HVAC unit, and glass blocks.

Music: "That Was Then" by Stretford

This way, mama

2009-04-15T22:01:00.001-05:00

Taxes and imaginary things

2009-04-14T22:06:00.005-05:00

I hope everyone had a swell weekend! Here are a few random odds and ends from over here deep in the heart of Texas.

I'm continually amazed at how my son's mind works. He has started doing this imaginary play thing where he pretends to scoop up something in his hand and then hands it to you. I'm not sure what age this type of play is typical (he's 15 months old now), but it is an amazing thing to see. He will also pretend to give his little teddy bear/blanket lovey to his big stuffed teddy bear.

He has also been quite particular about his clothing lately. He does not like it when his sleeves are tight around his arms. Sometimes even sleeves with a button on the cuff will cause him to protest. Then, this morning, he would not let me put on his left sock and shoe. Since I had an appointment to get to, I said, okay, let's hit the road. And then in the car, he started complaining that his left foot was bare, by pointing to it and pouting. Pretty adorable.

I finally finished filing my taxes this evening! I didn't really mean to wait until the last minute (technically, April 14th is not the last minute), but it somehow turned out that way. I had been fighting TurboTax for about a week with this rounding error. It was only a .09 difference, but I guess it's in my personality to want it to be correct. Well, I gave up, and filed it with the small error. TurboTax said my audit risk was low anyways. Let's hope so.

We got our house painted last week. It really is nice. I picked out the colors myself and it looks fabulous. (Of course, I'm not biased.) I will try to get some video or pictures up soon. (I've been busy with this rounding error.)

And lastly, the little man does not like ranch dressing.

Egg hunt and Spring party!

2009-04-10T12:37:00.001-05:00

The egg hunt and Spring party took place yesterday (4/9/2009) at daycare. He had just found an egg, and immediately opened it and started eating the cookies. Then he was not too interested in the egg hunt after that. Cookies trump plastic eggs when you are 15 months old.

Hope you have a great weekend, and if you celebrate, Happy Easter!

Home improvement update: drywall, paint

2009-04-08T22:43:00.002-05:00

Drywall installation, texture, and paint! And Bernie the Electrician's cute little happy dance!

Sorry this is about a week old. I had the video ready, but we finally did the voiceover for it tonight.

Music: "Last Time Around" by Stretford. (Yes, that is me playing saxophone.)

And I'm not sure why iMovie does that little "tink" in the beginning. I think it's a bug from the voiceover countdown cue (3-2-1-go).

First year molars

2009-04-05T22:16:00.004-05:00

It's been a lovely weekend here. I have successfully managed to procrastinate on my taxes. I'm almost done, though, just one little part I am not sure about. Anyways, we have had a typical weekend here of chores, shopping, and playtime. As you can see in the previous posting, the little man has a ton of drool, which means, yes, he is teething. This past week, all of his first year molars have just broken through, but still have a long ways to go. The tough thing about molars is that there is more surface area, which means more crankiness, and sometimes it is tough to get him to go down for a nap or nighttime. But my plan to wear him out today helped this evening. We went to the Austin Children's Museum this afternoon. He always has a blast there. This was the first time since his ear tubes were put in, and the first time he was walking with confidence. He even trotted a bit. He had a great time in their little toddler area.

This morning we went to our usual HEB store for our weekly grocery trip. We don't go to the closest HEB, but the next closest one, which happens to cater to the large Jewish community in that area. They have a kosher deli there, and it also tends to be a community social gathering place. It can be tricky to maneuver the cart if you don't get there early enough. Anyways, they have had their Passover displays up for a short time, but we just noticed the following item which I thought was interesting.

Hope you all had a splendid weekend and you are all well. Cheers.

Bugs and Pi

2009-04-02T21:45:00.002-05:00

Thanks Ma for the new t-shirts!

My 14 month old son tells fart jokes

2009-03-29T20:50:00.002-05:00

Here is my latest video. It's not quite as fancy as the previous ones, because now I am trying to learn Final Cut Express, which is quite a step up from iMovie. All I have figured out thus far is importing the video, trimming the clips, and adding cross-dissolves between clips. But I have found a tutorial site for Final Cut Express, thanks to the power of twitter, of all things. So, hopefully I will get a chance to learn how to use it better.

So, this brings me to the subject matter of the video. It has been a week and a half since my son had the ear tubes put in his ears. I might have been anxious for results, but I feel like we could see a difference in his balance even that evening. We had rented an hotel room for a few nights because of the home improvement project. I had wanted a little bit of quiet and a much less dusty environment for his recuperation. He actually did very well, and we checked out of the hotel after only one night. As you can see in the video, he kept showing signs that he was tired, but he kept on playing and playing! The next part of the video was actually shot a few days ago.

We haven't noticed any new words yet. He says ga-ga for gato, ma for mas, ba-ba for ball/bottle/bye-bye, and car (for car). I am amazed that he can say a few really hard words, both related to his favorite foods. He can say cracka for cracker and yogur-gur-gur for yogurt. Imagine those both with a guttural r sound.

For what he can't say yet, he still finds ways to get his message across. Whether it's pointing or shrieking, he let's us know what he wants. His abuela would say, He's a communicator! He also has a sense of humor as well. He has been blowing raspberries for months. But the other day, he farted, and then blew a raspberry and giggled. This is not learned behavior, but rather, him telling a fart joke!

Lunch at Frank and Angie's with D

2009-03-26T11:56:00.001-05:00

Austin, TX

Installing the I-beam, part 2

2009-03-22T15:09:00.002-05:00

A few people have asked me after seeing the I-Beam movie, what happened next? So, here is what happened over the few days it took to get it up and welded in place. We actually have drywall installed now, with the first pass at taping and floating finished. So, the videos are a little out of order chronologically speaking.

Hours after ear tube surgery...

2009-03-18T19:32:00.000-05:00

...he's walking with ease and laughing.

Plastic Wonderland

2009-03-16T21:11:00.002-05:00

My little drummer boy

2009-03-15T21:29:00.000-05:00

Hose nozzles - a collection for everyone

2009-03-13T21:00:00.002-05:00

We found this beloved assortment at an estate sale last weekend. Taken from D's iPhone.

First haircut: the movie

2009-03-11T19:53:00.001-05:00

Finally got the haircut video up on YouTube. Actual haircutting was a few weeks ago. :-)

Little Man Walking

2009-03-03T09:36:00.001-06:00

Pardon our construction and after-dinner messes. :-)

Installing the I-beam

2009-02-26T15:50:00.002-06:00

Large metal beam delivered today

2009-02-24T11:56:00.000-06:00

Scared la mierda outta me when they plopped this down on the driveway.

FYI There are 16 of these signs

2009-02-19T15:45:00.000-06:00

Between Corpus Christi and San Antonio. There were only a few on I-37.

Big smiles at Water Street Grill

2009-02-19T13:50:00.000-06:00

Corpus Christi, Texas.

Dinner at Robstown, Texas local legend Joe Cotten's Barbecue

2009-02-19T08:39:00.000-06:00

First haircut

2009-02-16T20:52:00.002-06:00

The last few days have made me think about how much my son has grown, and how, at the same time, he is still just a baby. He has had a fever for four days, which he finally broke today. The first evening of his illness, he was just whimpering and miserable and wanting to be rocked to sleep. I haven't rocked him to sleep in a while, so, I was thinking that this felt really nice. My son is not really a cuddly kind of person. He gives great hugs, and does show lots of affection for me and D, but he doesn't really like to cuddle. He is a man of action. He hugs and then he is off doing something else. Anyways, I hadn't cuddled and rocked him to sleep in quite a long while, and it was something I had missed. However, the five other times I had to get up in the middle of the night to comfort him and rock him to sleep left me exhausted, and reminded me of when he was a one month old. I didn't miss the exhaustion.

Yesterday, despite being feverish and rashy, his abuela (my mother) gave him his first haircut. I had envisioned that maybe we would only get bangs and one side done in the first sitting. But he was actually very good during the whole thing. He didn't sit totally still, but still let us turn his head when needed. I think his haircut came out quite nice, and he looks like a handsome one year old now, much more mature.

Barbara Jordan 'True Patriot'

2009-02-15T12:28:00.000-06:00

Taken by mobile phone at Austin Bergstrom International Airport.

Late afternoon corona effect

2009-02-12T11:41:00.003-06:00

Taken from my mobile phone yesterday afternoon. The sun was setting and coming through the back window of my car to produce this effect.

Austin Children's Museum, 9 Feb 2009

2009-02-11T09:30:00.002-06:00

Busted lip and other random stuff too big for twitter

2009-02-09T14:52:00.004-06:00

A week ago, the LittleMan busted his lower lip. He was crawling on the kitchen tile in his fleece pajamas and did a face plant. You can see the damage in the photo above. He's all better now. He is almost ready to walk. I keep saying "any day now", of course, but he is getting more and more interested in it, but is still afraid to let go when he is cruising around the furniture.

The LittleMan is also starting to talk a little. He can say: mama, da'a (Dara, a.k.a Mama D), kee cah or cah (cat), gah-gah (cracker), mah (more). And it is amazing how many words he understands, too. We talk about body parts, clothes, food, the kitties as well as count and sing.

I'm still looking for a job. I've done some interviews, and have another one scheduled for tomorrow. I hope to have something by the end of the month, but one never knows in these situations, especially in today's economy. I've had a couple of job postings close on me. "We have decided not to fill the position," or "We lost our requisition, and can't hire anyone right now."

We had a great visit with grandma (D's mom) yesterday. I'm looking forward to my family visiting us later this week and next week. Since I'm not employed right now, this actually is great timing for me.

The home improvement project is going well also. The new siding is complete, just needs paint (to be done later with the new addition). We have a new roof now too, with a ridge vent. No more squeaky whirly-gig vents. The workshop is framed. And we have had some electrical work done as well. We got new light fixtures and fans for the bathrooms in the existing house, and lighting and wiring has begun in the new addition. Hopefully I can get a video up of some of the latest updates.

Home improvement update: fascia and soffit

2009-01-30T13:34:00.003-06:00

We have had a few delays due to weather. And despite Austin Energy cutting the power for several hours to trim trees next door, Neil's crew was able to finish replacing the fascia and soffit that had rotted behind the old aluminum siding. It looks spiffy now. Next week the entire house will be reroofed.

Direct link to YouTube video.

November family photo

2009-01-27T22:08:00.000-06:00

November 2, 2008

Strolling through New Orleans, November 2008

2009-01-24T23:06:00.001-06:00

Throwing the ball (at 9 months)

2009-01-24T13:28:00.002-06:00

This is my first attempt at doing a movie in iMovie. Note the nifty title at the beginning. As you can tell from the title, this is BabyBoy's first time playing catch with me at 9 months. Not to brag or anything, but I think that this was advanced for a 9 month old.

Hope you enjoyed that. I'm new to this iMovie thing, so expect more, and better, and mo' better stuff later. I have a lot of video to sort through!

Unhappy!

2009-01-23T21:43:00.004-06:00

"It's very cold outside. We must bundle up!"

"I don't care if it is 40 degrees. I don't want to wear the sweater and the jacket."

"Smile, Mama!"

Ew! I think that's a typo!

2009-01-23T19:52:00.003-06:00

From babycenter.com.

BabyBoy after the walk home from school

2009-01-22T21:20:00.000-06:00

Patriotic butterfly wings

2009-01-20T14:04:00.003-06:00

At 11th and Lavaca near the state capitol, I saw this guy riding a bike and wearing patriotic butterfly wings. I took this from my mobile phone from the car. I love Austin, Texas.

Today is a new day!

2009-01-15T08:30:00.004-06:00

Yesterday, I was laid off from my job at Phurnace Software. It was a short but good run at that startup company. It was a bummer to be laid off for a second time in less than a year. I guess that is the economy these days.

But today, I have a renewed sense of hope that something good is on the horizon. I worked on my resume last night, and I'm ready to hit the pavement running. Thanks for the nice thoughts and wishes friends and family have already sent me via email, phone, and Facebook.

Home improvement update: framing

2009-01-12T21:09:00.002-06:00

We have been having many delays on our project. The foundation took much longer than we expected. Last week, after much anticipation, the lumber was finally delivered to our house.

And then on Friday, the framing began.

I think the cat ate the cake

2009-01-12T11:20:00.002-06:00

Last night, I left the cake uncovered after dinner while I was getting BabyBoy bathed and ready for bed. I went back to the kitchen to finish cleaning up and found this. Uh-oh. (Or as BabyBoy would say, "uh-uh".)

BabyBoy's First Birthday Part 2

2009-01-11T21:03:00.004-06:00

Saturday, we had a few family and friends over to celebrate BabyBoy's birthday. This was the real party. He got some cool toys he really enjoys, like the Sesame Street T.V. remote, a pull-along puppy dog, and a drum and percussion set. He also got some clothes. I think he was oblivious to the clothes as usual.

This morning, even though it was a bit chilly, we went outside on our driveway and pulled the puppy along. And this afternoon, there was much drumming going on.

BabyBoy's First Birthday

2009-01-08T21:47:00.003-06:00

We went to Hey Cupcake! after we picked up BabyBoy from school and each got a cupcake to celebrate his first birthday.

BabyBoy has a new pair of shoes

2009-01-06T20:46:00.004-06:00

Last weekend we went to a specialty children's shoe store and bought a new pair for BabyBoy that actually fit his narrow fit. These are Tsukihoshi brand and are narrower than most of the baby shoes you find. I was so proud of BabyBoy when yesterday morning he actually handed me his shoes to put on, instead of the usual daily protest. And he kept them on all day long.

Trekkie in training

2009-01-03T20:38:00.004-06:00

Star Trek shirt was a Christmas present from J. He was very squirmy (as always), so in case you can't read it, it says, "Resistance is futile" which every Trekkie should know.

Updated Xmas 2008 photos

2009-01-02T16:13:00.003-06:00

I updated the Christmas 2008 slideshow with some of my mom's photos: Christmas 2008. It includes this photo, which I call, "I AM the camera!"

Christmas 2008 in Orange County, California

2008-12-31T21:53:00.001-06:00

The slabs are done!

2008-12-30T21:22:00.004-06:00

While we were out of town for the holidays, the concrete was poured for our new addition and our new storage building.

Here is the slab for the addition on the back of the house:

And here you can see the slab for the storage building in the back.

Home improvement project under way

2008-12-21T20:15:00.004-06:00

This is from a few days ago. This is the preparation to pour concrete for a new addition on the back of our house. They actually finished the rebar yesterday, so it is more complete than this picture shows. We should be getting the concrete poured tomorrow.

Giant ball o' bags

2008-12-18T12:59:00.002-06:00

This is why I like working downtown. You sometimes see weird stuff like this. I took this at 7th and Congress on my lunch break today. Some guy was pushing around this giant ball o' bags. Taken from my cell phone (which is not an iPhone).

Hey, who is that guy?

2008-12-17T20:20:00.003-06:00

Last weekend, D's woodwind quintet played at the Lutheran Social Services annual Christmas party. Every year Santa is there, so J got a few pics of BabyBoy with Santa. Although, BabyBoy is not so sure about this guy with the big beard and hat.

Shopping with BabyBoy

2008-12-15T20:11:00.004-06:00

It's been a while since I've blogged, due to illness. Here is a photo I took with D's new iPhone yesterday afternoon outside of the Super Target. And it was a super big Target, by the way.