Yesterday, a very terrible thing happened in Boston. Not only were two people killed, but many were injured. Many of these injured were people who were, just minutes earlier, completing a 26 mile run.
As disturbing and sad as it is, events like this really make you appreciate those who step up in times of need.
When I left work last night and got into my car, I heard the news of the bombs that went off in Boston. My local NPR station was streaming the coverage by the Boston NPR affiliate. At that time, all they knew was that two people were dead and about one hundred injured. Soon a report rolled in that one of the people killed was an eight year old boy. Next the station went "on the scene" to the near by hospitals. Reporters stated that it was still a bit chaotic, but they received word that many of the injuries were amputations.
The marathon was still in progress when the bombs went off. People who trained for months in order to complete this 26 mile run were crossing the finish line. I've never completed a marathon, but even after I trained and ran my first 5k, I felt a tremendous amount of pride and accomplishment. A feeling I'm sure many of these people felt. Sure, they were tired, dehydrated and maybe had an ankle sprain, but they did it! Then, suddenly, none of that mattered anymore. They needed help.
And that's when the reports detailing the first responders started to come in. While most people were trying to get away as fast as they could, a sea of green vested police officers, EMTs and even doctors rushed directly into the bomb blast to help people. They tore down barricades like salmon swimming against the stream, even before they knew exactly what was going on.
So when I think about how sad it is that someone did this, I try to think about the good. It's not fair that an eight year old's life was cut short yesterday, that another person was killed and many injured. It's sad that people who were, just moments before, completing an amazing athletic feat, may now be double amputees. In fact, thinking about this stuff makes me feel a whole range of emotions: sadness, rage, anger, defeat. But try to restore faith in the human race and remember all those people who didn't think about anything but running towards the disaster and helping anyone they could.
If you know one, thank a first responder today! Also give your little ones a hug and appreciate every moment you have with them!
My thoughts and prayers go out to everyone in Boston. It's one of my favorite cities to visit, and I know the people of Boston will get through this.
*Due to the graphic nature of most of the photos, I won't be posting any here. However, if you are interested, there is an excellent collection of shots at Boston.com's Big Picture Blog.
Sharing the victories and pitfalls of first time parenthood.
Tuesday, April 16, 2013
Tuesday, March 19, 2013
Milestone Alert: 12 months
Well, we did it! Our baby survived an entire year without us royally screwing her up! Time to celebrate! Let's have some cake.
This month, we took Norah for professional pictures instead of taking one on our living room chair. They turned out really well and of course they suckered us into the ultra deluxe package.
Here are some more shots from the session:
As far as Norah's schedule goes, it hasn't really changed too much.
Breakfast at 7:30 am
4 ounces whole milk
Whole wheat pancakes or french toast
fruit (ex. cut up bananas)
Nap for about a half hour around 9:30 am
4 ounces milk when she wakes up
small snack like yogurt or crackers
Lunch at 12:30 pm
4 ounces whole milk
1 package of Gerber Graduates toddler food (Example: Gerber Graduates, Mac & Cheese with Chicken & Vegetables )
a vegetable or fruit (whatever daycare is serving that day - the last few days it's been corn or green beans)
Nap around 2 pm (sometimes this one doesn't happen and she sleeps for about 20 minutes when we get home from daycare)
4 ounces whole milk when she wakes up
another snack like the one above
Dinner at 6 pm
4 ounces formula
Whatever we are eating for dinner cut up into small pieces (Example: Last night we had tortellini and meatballs so I just cut them up and let her eat while we ate)
Fruit Yogurt melts
Sleep at 7:30 pm
As you can see, we've cut out formula for good. YAY! We've also made the switch to straw cups instead of bottles. DOUBLE YAY!
This month, we took Norah for professional pictures instead of taking one on our living room chair. They turned out really well and of course they suckered us into the ultra deluxe package.
Here are some more shots from the session:
As far as Norah's schedule goes, it hasn't really changed too much.
Breakfast at 7:30 am
4 ounces whole milk
Whole wheat pancakes or french toast
fruit (ex. cut up bananas)
Nap for about a half hour around 9:30 am
4 ounces milk when she wakes up
small snack like yogurt or crackers
Lunch at 12:30 pm
4 ounces whole milk
1 package of Gerber Graduates toddler food (Example: Gerber Graduates, Mac & Cheese with Chicken & Vegetables )
a vegetable or fruit (whatever daycare is serving that day - the last few days it's been corn or green beans)
Nap around 2 pm (sometimes this one doesn't happen and she sleeps for about 20 minutes when we get home from daycare)
4 ounces whole milk when she wakes up
another snack like the one above
Dinner at 6 pm
4 ounces formula
Whatever we are eating for dinner cut up into small pieces (Example: Last night we had tortellini and meatballs so I just cut them up and let her eat while we ate)
Fruit Yogurt melts
Sleep at 7:30 pm
As you can see, we've cut out formula for good. YAY! We've also made the switch to straw cups instead of bottles. DOUBLE YAY!
Happy Birthday, Norah!!
Friday, March 15, 2013
Birthday Party Invites - Under the Sea
Now that everyone has safely received their invitation, I thought I'd share it with the world.
So how did I put this monster together? Well, each one took about an hour start to finish. First, I traced and cut out the octopus pattern. After all the octopi were cut, I glued one on top of the other in reverse. This creates the eight legged look.
I ordered the card stock from Cards and Pockets because I couldn't find anything that inexpensive in my local stores. Since it's two pieces, I had to mount the blue card onto the pink one. Before I did that, I printed directly onto the blue card using my home printer.
Of course, I did not have any good fonts on my computer so I did a quick internet search for "free sailing fonts" and found these.
Once the cards were printed and glued together, I attached an octopus to each. Then I went back and attached googly eyes for a fun effect. At that point, it felt like it was still missing something. I stared at it and wondered what I could do to punch it up. Then I remembered I had a bag of foam board sea creatures that I purchased from A.C. Moore. The pack came with these little starfish that were just perfect for a bow on the octopus' head.
While everything was drying, I addressed the envelopes and then stuffed them.
NOTE: If you make this invitation for yourself, take it to the post office. The foam board I used made the invitation too thick to be processed as regular mail and needed extra postage. ($0.66 if you're wondering!)
Stay tuned next week as I leak some other ideas I have for Norah's birthday bash!
So how did I put this monster together? Well, each one took about an hour start to finish. First, I traced and cut out the octopus pattern. After all the octopi were cut, I glued one on top of the other in reverse. This creates the eight legged look.
I ordered the card stock from Cards and Pockets because I couldn't find anything that inexpensive in my local stores. Since it's two pieces, I had to mount the blue card onto the pink one. Before I did that, I printed directly onto the blue card using my home printer.
Of course, I did not have any good fonts on my computer so I did a quick internet search for "free sailing fonts" and found these.
Once the cards were printed and glued together, I attached an octopus to each. Then I went back and attached googly eyes for a fun effect. At that point, it felt like it was still missing something. I stared at it and wondered what I could do to punch it up. Then I remembered I had a bag of foam board sea creatures that I purchased from A.C. Moore. The pack came with these little starfish that were just perfect for a bow on the octopus' head.
While everything was drying, I addressed the envelopes and then stuffed them.
NOTE: If you make this invitation for yourself, take it to the post office. The foam board I used made the invitation too thick to be processed as regular mail and needed extra postage. ($0.66 if you're wondering!)
Stay tuned next week as I leak some other ideas I have for Norah's birthday bash!
Monday, March 4, 2013
Weekend Recap - 3.4.13
This weekend was pretty low key for Norah. We spent Saturday getting haircuts and buying all sorts of yummy baby food.
For most of Sunday morning, Norah was either playing or zooming around with her (not so) new walker that a friend lent us. She really loves walking with that thing, but she gets total jelly legs when we try to hold her hands and stand her up. She has the strength, she's just a total chicken!
Sunday afternoon was a girl's day for me, so Norah spent some time with Dad and her grandparents.
Food wise, Norah was not much of an eater this weekend. She didn't finish her breakfast either day, and she downright refused to eat her carrots at snack time. Since her first birthday is fast approaching, we're starting to wean her off of formula and on to milk. The whole weekend she did half milk, half formula and she drank it out of straw cups! This is some real progress. Soon we'll be done with formula and bottles! YAY!!!!!!!
Have a great week, everyone!
For most of Sunday morning, Norah was either playing or zooming around with her (not so) new walker that a friend lent us. She really loves walking with that thing, but she gets total jelly legs when we try to hold her hands and stand her up. She has the strength, she's just a total chicken!
Food wise, Norah was not much of an eater this weekend. She didn't finish her breakfast either day, and she downright refused to eat her carrots at snack time. Since her first birthday is fast approaching, we're starting to wean her off of formula and on to milk. The whole weekend she did half milk, half formula and she drank it out of straw cups! This is some real progress. Soon we'll be done with formula and bottles! YAY!!!!!!!
Have a great week, everyone!
Thursday, February 28, 2013
Baby Book of the Week: Newbery Edition
Yesterday's post was getting a bit too long for my tastes, so I decided to bring the reading fun to you over two days. Today I'll talk about the Newbery Medal winner and honorees. Note that these books are for older readers (the books below range from ages 8 and up), so use your own judgement when reading to your little ones!
"The Newbery Medal was named for eighteenth-century British bookseller John Newbery. It is awarded annually by the Association for Library Service to Children, a division of the American Library Association, to the author of the most distinguished contribution to American literature for children." [Source]
The 2013 award went to The One and Only Ivan by Katherine Applegate, about a gorilla named Ivan who befriends a baby elephant named Ruby. Newbery Medal Committee Chair Steven Engelfried says this about the book: “Katherine Applegate gives readers a unique and unforgettable gorilla’s-eye-view of the world that challenges the way we look at animals and at ourselves.”
Three other children's books were awarded a Newbery Honor, as well - Splendors and Gloom, Bomb: The Race to Build - and Steal - the World's Most Dangerous Weapon, and Three Times Lucky.
Missed yesterday's post? Click here to read about the Caldecott winners.
Books Mentioned Above
Title: The One and Only Ivan
Author and Illustrator: Katherine Applegate and Patricia Castelao
Pages: 300
Format: Hardcover
Title: Splendors and Glooms
Author: Laura Amy Schlitz
Pages: 384
Format: Hardcover
Title: Bomb: The Race to Build--and Steal--the World's Most Dangerous Weapon
Author: Steve Sheinkin
Pages: 272
Format: Hardcover
Title: Three Times Lucky
Author: Sheila Turnage
Pages: 312
Format: Hardcover
"The Newbery Medal was named for eighteenth-century British bookseller John Newbery. It is awarded annually by the Association for Library Service to Children, a division of the American Library Association, to the author of the most distinguished contribution to American literature for children." [Source]
The 2013 award went to The One and Only Ivan by Katherine Applegate, about a gorilla named Ivan who befriends a baby elephant named Ruby. Newbery Medal Committee Chair Steven Engelfried says this about the book: “Katherine Applegate gives readers a unique and unforgettable gorilla’s-eye-view of the world that challenges the way we look at animals and at ourselves.”
Three other children's books were awarded a Newbery Honor, as well - Splendors and Gloom, Bomb: The Race to Build - and Steal - the World's Most Dangerous Weapon, and Three Times Lucky.
Missed yesterday's post? Click here to read about the Caldecott winners.
Books Mentioned Above
Title: The One and Only Ivan
Author and Illustrator: Katherine Applegate and Patricia Castelao
Pages: 300
Format: Hardcover
Title: Splendors and Glooms
Author: Laura Amy Schlitz
Pages: 384
Format: Hardcover
Title: Bomb: The Race to Build--and Steal--the World's Most Dangerous Weapon
Author: Steve Sheinkin
Pages: 272
Format: Hardcover
Title: Three Times Lucky
Author: Sheila Turnage
Pages: 312
Format: Hardcover
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