Sam had her 12 month wellbaby appointment today with our new pediatrician, whom I adore. Really. This new ped was worth the cross-country move ALONE. She’s smart, communicates clearly, doesn’t rush the appointment, and she pronounced Sam both “beautiful” and “perfect.” These are all good ways to earn the trust of the …

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Well now. I started this blog back in February as a way for me to both update folks on my life and reflect upon my new role as mother-in-academia. Then AC and I decided to uproot our lives, move to California, and switch roles. We went from being a counter-culture family in Altoona (Stay-at-home-Dad and Breadwinning …

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We are back online! And Sam turned one year old a short while ago (East Coast time). Happy Birthday, Sammy!!!!!

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I love the concept of Mommy Brain– that between hormonal changes and sleep deprivation new mothers become forgetful. It’s such a handy excuse. For instance, moments ago I was ashamed to realize that there have been several comments left on this blog awaiting my moderation. Oops, Mommy Brain! And then I discovered a …

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Monday Morning. May 15, 2006. A dreary, rain-pounding day. I wore pin-striped black slacks, a dark knit top, scuffed leather boots, and a yellow raincoat. I kissed my husband and baby. The baby smelled like summer. I got in the car. I drove over the green hill to campus. I stepped in a puddle getting out of the car. I …

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Grades are turned in, papers are filed away, students are graduated, and four months of delicious summer yawn ahead. This is my favorite time of year, when everything seems possible. I will finish writing two articles. I will complete the book manuscript revisions. I will prep all of my fall courses. I will research …

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This afternoon we took a family walk to a nearby park. We try to do this several times a week as it gives AC and me a chance to talk while Sam rides quietly strapped to AC’s chest. As we strolled around the periphery of the park, knee-deep in some weighty discussion, I misjudged a step down from the sidewalk and …

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Sam’s birth and the subsequent drama, largely detailed at Choicywhiteboy.com, taught me a lesson that apparently I am still not done learning in my 35 years: things don’t always go the way I hope, plan, or expect. I had an easy, trouble-free pregnancy and yet it turned out that my baby was IUGR (Intrauterine growth …

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The entire atmosphere of the room changes. Nurses and support staff come out of nowhere. Two large bubble lights in the ceiling come on. Someone adjusts the bed so that I am sitting up, and there is a birth platform below me. In all the commotion I am dimly aware of a small cart being wheeled in–the isolette–where the …

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Over the next few hours I lost all sense of time. All that remains in my memory are snapshots of intense sensation and emotion. But this was the labor AC and I had prepared for. At last. The contractions are getting stronger and I need to lie down and be quiet for them. There are definite peaks and valleys too. I had …

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