This, really, has nothing whatsoever to do with motherhood, but it’s a good heartwarming story and I’m going to share it anyway.
My husband’s first love in life was baseball, and I’m glad to say they’ve still got a healthy relationship in spite of the steroid years and the Giants’ fluke World Series win last fall. So each year, his parents get us 2 tickets to go see the Philadelphia Phillies (his beloved team since childhood) play the Houston Astros, which are the closest NL team to us. This year we decided to go to a day game on a Wednesday afternoon. Elvis took a day off work, and we packed up the baby and all his supplies (my favorite aunt lives about 30 minutes from Minute Maid Park and was just dying to babysit), and hoofed it over to H-town. We’d just gotten to the park and were making our way inside when I reminded E that our tickets were in his glove. I guess "reminded" is the wrong word, since he swears I didn’t mention it. Needless to say, in the 40 or so yards we’d walked between exiting from the car and stopping to take a picture in front of a giant Sun Drop mural, the tickets were simply gone. We panicked for a few minutes, and then decided to go to the Will-Call office. My MIL had paid for the tickets on her credit card, so maybe – just maybe – they would see we hadn’t made it up and would let us in anyway. After all, the park was empty. We don’t call ‘em the Lastros for nothin’. Before we could even get to Will-Call, though, we had a run-in with fate.
Two older gentlemen who had obviously overheard our plight had 2 tickets that they were just going to give us. We were, of course, suspicious off the bat. Why on earth would anyone give away two perfectly good tickets to a baseball game? Especially to Elvis and myself, who were sporting Phillies tshirts and hats. It turns out they were company seats (read: free) and neither of the mens’ wives had wanted to go to the game. The seats were in the 23rd row behind the home team dugout, which basically means they were … FANTASTIC seats. These gents were just going to enjoy the extra leg room, but instead they absolutely made my husband’s birthday. No catch, no strings. The guy wouldn’t even let Elvis buy him a beer to thank him for saving the day. He just wanted to talk some baseball with someone who knew something about the subject, and boy did he pick the right guy! Elvis reads baseball statistics books for fun during the summer. He can tell you with no hesitation who pitched in any World Series game in history, how many innings, and what the final score was. I mean, he really LOVES baseball.
The Phillies ended up beating the Astros 1-0 that day (we got to see Roy Halladay pitch his first complete game shutout of the season!), but the greatest part was the kindness of 2 strangers. It warmed my heart and made me so thankful that I will be raising my son in a world where people still go out of their way to take care of one another. What a wonderful birthday gift.
Wednesday, September 21, 2011
Friday, September 9, 2011
Grandparents' Day
Sunday is a really big day around our house. It’s not just the 10th anniversary of September 11, but it’s also Grandparents’ Day! I was blessed with 4 wonderful grandparents, only 2 of whom are still with us. They have always been so loving and supportive, and they always get a very grateful phone call on Grandparents’ Day. But what makes this year so special is – obviously – Elvis’ parents and mine are grandparents as well.
Henry is the first grandchild on both sides of his family, and his grandmothers in particular have done their best to spoil him rotten. They both have a tendency to hog the baby, taking days off work just to hold him and gaze into his sleeping face. His grandfathers are only slightly less enamored, and have to be content with whatever leftover baby-holding time there is when they can pry Henry out of grandma’s hands. He is also the first great-grandchild on both sides. It might have been easier to say that Henry is a very well-loved child, and is incredibly lucky to have 4 loving grandparents, 5 great-grandparents, and a great-great-grandmother. Elvis and I are also very lucky to have all those extra hands and years of experience to help out.
I don’t know what we’d do without the incredible love and support of our parents and grandparents, and I really hope Henry appreciates everything they do for the three of us. I know I do!
Happy Grandparents’ day!
Henry is the first grandchild on both sides of his family, and his grandmothers in particular have done their best to spoil him rotten. They both have a tendency to hog the baby, taking days off work just to hold him and gaze into his sleeping face. His grandfathers are only slightly less enamored, and have to be content with whatever leftover baby-holding time there is when they can pry Henry out of grandma’s hands. He is also the first great-grandchild on both sides. It might have been easier to say that Henry is a very well-loved child, and is incredibly lucky to have 4 loving grandparents, 5 great-grandparents, and a great-great-grandmother. Elvis and I are also very lucky to have all those extra hands and years of experience to help out. Happy Grandparents’ day!
Tuesday, September 6, 2011
Banned Books Week
I am a second-generation Bibliophile. When I was a newborn, my mother read me her favorite book: Margaret Mitchell’s timeless masterpiece, Gone With the Wind, which began my lifelong love affair with books (and, I believe, set me up to be a shameless flirt in my teens and twenties). Ever since I could remember, my favorite activity has been to hole up in my room with a book. I spent much of my pregnancy immersed in the world of King Henry VIII and his wives, my hands rubbing my belly gently as I read to my baby about this larger-than-life man who would be one of his namesakes. I believe with every fiber of my being that reading is the closest we will ever come to real magic. A book can take you anywhere, teach you anything, and transform your life. I’m so grateful to my mom for passing on her love of reading to my brother and me, and I’m grateful to both my parents for raising me to stand up for what I believe. And I believe wholeheartedly in the power of reading.
In 2005 my dear friend and fellow bibliophile Lindsey introduced me to the American Library Association’s Banned Books Week. Censorship has always been a particular pet peeve of mine, but the thought of actually banning books from libraries really threw me. Are we not, each of us, capable of making up our own mind about what we should or should not read? It seems to me that this type of censorship is clean contrary to the principles of individual liberty upon which this great nation was founded. If I feel offended by the words, themes, or images in a book, it is up to me a thinking adult simply to choose not to read it. Obviously our children can’t always make those decisions for themselves, but that’s where we as parents come in to help them make appropriate choices, and – sometimes – to help explain the things they’ve read. We do the same with TV shows, cartoons, the internet, and video games, so why on earth would we do anything different with books (that have actual educational value)?
So every year around this time, I become an active participant in Banned Books Week, which is all about celebrating the freedom to read whatever we choose. This year, the dates are September 24 – October 1. Buy a book or check it out of the library (this is also a great time to get a library card if you don't have one, or update your information if you haven't been in awhile), but let your voice be heard somehow. Visit ALA.org for more information, and to find your new favorite book.
"Indeed, perhaps we do the minors of this country harm if First Amendment protections, which they will with age inherit fully, are chipped away in the name of their protection.”
Judge Lowell A. Reed, Jr., American Civil Liberties Union, et al. v. Janet Reno (No. 98-5591)
In 2005 my dear friend and fellow bibliophile Lindsey introduced me to the American Library Association’s Banned Books Week. Censorship has always been a particular pet peeve of mine, but the thought of actually banning books from libraries really threw me. Are we not, each of us, capable of making up our own mind about what we should or should not read? It seems to me that this type of censorship is clean contrary to the principles of individual liberty upon which this great nation was founded. If I feel offended by the words, themes, or images in a book, it is up to me a thinking adult simply to choose not to read it. Obviously our children can’t always make those decisions for themselves, but that’s where we as parents come in to help them make appropriate choices, and – sometimes – to help explain the things they’ve read. We do the same with TV shows, cartoons, the internet, and video games, so why on earth would we do anything different with books (that have actual educational value)?
So every year around this time, I become an active participant in Banned Books Week, which is all about celebrating the freedom to read whatever we choose. This year, the dates are September 24 – October 1. Buy a book or check it out of the library (this is also a great time to get a library card if you don't have one, or update your information if you haven't been in awhile), but let your voice be heard somehow. Visit ALA.org for more information, and to find your new favorite book.
"Indeed, perhaps we do the minors of this country harm if First Amendment protections, which they will with age inherit fully, are chipped away in the name of their protection.”
Judge Lowell A. Reed, Jr., American Civil Liberties Union, et al. v. Janet Reno (No. 98-5591)
Saturday, September 3, 2011
All the Single Ladies ...
This is a shoutout to single moms everywhere. I don’t know how you do it, ladies. The two of us are handling things fine, but … well … there are 2 of us. For the first few weeks of our new life, Elvis and I lived in shifts. I’d get up early in the morning to tend to Henry’s needs while Elvis slept, and he would stay up late into the night to let me get a few hours’ sleep. Let me tell you, it was very convenient to be pumping in those early weeks, so that I COULD take a few hours "off" each day to maintain my sanity. It also helped that Elvis’ parents live about 5 minutes away, and that my mom took a few days off work to come help after we brought Henry home from the hospital. I do my best to take care of my son, and I feel pretty confident that I’m doing a good job. He’s happy, healthy, alert, and you can practically hear him getting fatter by the second. But there’s no way I’d have survived those rough first couple of weeks without a LOT of help, support, and love from Elvis. He made my pregnancy such a pleasure, and he continues to uplift and encourage me every day. In more ways than one, Henry and I both would be lost without him.
I have known a handful of single moms in my time, and I know that each one is an amazing, smart, strong, wonderful woman. I could never have imagined how difficult motherhood could be, but now that I’ve experienced it, I stand even that much more in awe of these incredible women. I hope your children appreciate the hard work you do every single day, and I really hope you know just how fantastic you are. Go mommies!
I have known a handful of single moms in my time, and I know that each one is an amazing, smart, strong, wonderful woman. I could never have imagined how difficult motherhood could be, but now that I’ve experienced it, I stand even that much more in awe of these incredible women. I hope your children appreciate the hard work you do every single day, and I really hope you know just how fantastic you are. Go mommies!
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