A Gift for My Daughter

I think we all dream of a better world for our children, and current events have motivated me to write a piece on mothering that has just been published on The Mothers Movement Online, http://www.mothersmovement.org/features/08/05/immigration.html. Thanks also to my sisters from Kentucky Feminist Justice, a group formed in 2007, for giving me the courage to try to get this out there.

May Day

Happy May Day! Celebrate the pagan ritual of welcoming spring AND the ongoing struggle for workers' rights. Let's hope this little girl will learn to cherish spring AND be able to see more economic, social and political justice in her lifetime.

Beautiful Morning with my Bairn

We head to story time at the library nearly every Wednesday, and this morning we took a lovely walk there, pausing for some rock climbing and insect gathering. The sky has been such a brilliant clear blue and the air is just heavenly with apple blossoms and other rich earth smells.

ps. reading children's books does occasionally nurture adult vocabularies (bairn (Scottish): somewhere between weans (very young) and lads and lasses (well on their way to becoming grown-up)

Visiting Family: Part Two

We were graced by a quick visit from Uncle Greg and Kendra. Saturday consisted of much outdoor revelry, including "planting" dandelions and drawing each other's outlines in chalk on the patio.

Visiting Family: Part One

We visited our O'Neill clan in Atlanta for the memorial for my Aunt Sue. The children frolicked in her garden, the most fitting homage there might be. Here is Wilson with his second cousin (lost twin sister?) Savannah, and with his cousins Nick and Conor.

Busy Hands And Mind

We are continually amazed by the creativity of our little one, interspersed by --ahem--rather strong willed tantrums and "advocacy" ("no, but, but..."). Ah, what those little hands and mind can create, and hold, and imagine. Wilson's even been surprising us with his humor lately. He got Dad's genes for that, thank goodness. Here's a recent phone conversation I overheard:

Wilson: (after singing happy birthday uncle Greg): Is you with Kendra? (still working on that tough grammar)
Greg: (some response on other line)
Wilson: Is you with your cat?
Greg: Yes, Copan is on my lap.
Wilson: (Wry grin on his face) Is you with walrus ?

Hunting for Eggs

A bit late, but here are some shots of Wilson at Cary's Easter egg hunt and Easter morning in Grammy's backyard. (He insisted upon the Easter bonnet).

Springtime!

Ah, it has felt so good to feel the sun on our bodies, dig in the dirt, find worms and see new growth. Wilson's been an active gardener, "working" on digging holes and finding worms. The latter is a real step, since just last Wednesday, he was demanding that I carry him around the worms unearthed in the planting of our new tree. For those of you who know, we've had a lot of loss lately. My aunt Sue, an avid gardener, who fought her cancer bravely for many years, died last Thursday. So the planting of new life is restorative to all of us right now.

Preparing for Her

I find myself celebrating this second pregnancy in new ways. Sure, it is easy to (almost) forget a baby is on the way with such daily excitement (exhaustion!) from a two year old. This little one has crept deeply into my heart, and I already have a strong sense of her. While Wilson was inside me, I thought he would have a calm, gentle spirit and love music, and both are true. This little one strikes me as the opposite end-- fiery, energetic, and even a little trouble. All the makings for a strong little lady. So here she is, sheltered inside, and a little crafting project I have done in anticipation of her arrival. Wilson, on the other hand, is making plans for a new baby sister party (his idea), complete with Big Bird cake, balloons, happy birthday music, and the invitees, including new baby sister.

Top O' The Morning To You

Happy St. Patrick's Day to all our dear friends and family. It's a fitting grey and rainy day here, so I for one plan on sipping plenty of hot tea today. Here's a beautiful memory from two years ago. Amazing how quickly our little guy has grown up.