May 9, 2007

Does a Kangaroo have a mother, too?

Update #1: Quick note - a reminder that the Book club is open to EVERYONE. You don't even need to be a regular reader, just drop by for the book. I don't mind - this is a club, NOT clique. The purpose of the book club is to provide an easy and convenient reading outlet for busy, smart, literate (and Hottie Hot Hot) gals like us.

Update #2: Also - awhile back, someone asked that I email them because they wanted advice on baby products - I canNOT find your email address. I swear I was not dissing you and I apologize. Please email me at cagey333(at)gmail(dot)com for questions.

There's a sweet theme going around where mothers are supposed to unabashedly proclaim they are good mothers. Bravo! We need to see more of that around here because this whole "I'm such a bad mother, laugh at my mistakes!" blogging scam is getting a little old. I am not shy to admit that I think I am a good mother. Because I AM. My kid is healthy, happy, learning new things everyday and generally, is very excited about exploring his world. What more could a mother want? So yeah, I'm pretty confident in my sMothering Skillz. Furthermore......Honestly? All the gals in my Blog Life and Real Life are good mothers, too! I don't know a truly bad mother - Not A One. Sure, I don't necessarily agree with everyone's parenting decisions (as they probably don't agree with mine), but in the end, everyone I know wholeheartedly loves their kid(s) and are just trying to do right by them. In my book, that's what makes a GOOD mother.

Adventures in Babysitting
We did test run the New Babysitter last week. Um, judging from the way that Arun followed her to the door as she left, then proceeded to BANG ON THE DOOR and CRY as she walked away to get (er, escape) in her car, I would declare her to be a resounding success. This week, when I came home ALL of the toys were picked up. I wonder if she would be creeped out if I just asked her to move in? The only downside is that like all teenagers, she doesn't want to babysit too much and is only available for 2 hours a week. However, my little eyes spy the Neighbor Girl across the street who is turning 13 next month. The same girl whose mother is going to have her take a babysitting course offered at our hospital. The same enterprising, responsible girl who has begged me two winters in a row to shovel my driveway for cash.

Dear General Public,
If you notice a very pregnant woman furiously waddling after a Runaway 18 Month Old, I kindly ask you look away as you laugh hysterically. While you're at it, avoid eye contact with the food stains on the BACK of my shirt. The aforementioned toddler likes to give me hugs from behind while I am sitting on the floor and he likes to rub his face on my back as we both giggle. And seriously, who the hell would discourage THAT?

The Name Game
Someone asked in the comments how to pronounce the name "Anjali". I've been meaning to post an entire post about my kidz' uneek naymes, but will answer the question quickly here. Anjali is pronounced "ahn-ja-lee". The "j" is a J sound just like in English (like the name James or Jill). It's not a "zh" sound like in French or whatever that is when White People try to make a J fancy-sounding. To my knowledge there is no "zh" sound in Hindi. The name Anjali means "offering with both hands" and has been one of my very favorite girl's names since long before I met a guy named X. It was mere convenience on my part to marry an Indian so I could give my baby girl that name, eh?

Won't Power
Wow - I was very humbled by some of the comments in that last post. I am so NOT a bastion of will power here. My weight gain is a combination of luck and semi-responsible eating. It is fairly easy for me to resist a Krispy Kreme because I don't have a strong sweet tooth. Furthermore, I HAVE to keep my weight gain down to 25 or less because I was ALREADY overweight when I got pregnant. That's nothing to be proud of, quite frankly.

Cerebral Venus Book Club
Here are the selections, vote in the comments! Voting ends Sunday, May 13 at Midnight. Assuming I am not giving birth, we will discuss on June 18th - yes, that is 5 weeks out, but I hate to push it too close to NewKid's due date.
  1. Reading Lolita in Tehran by Azar Nafisi
  2. Portrait in Sepia by Isabel Allende
  3. Waiting by Ha Jin

Oh, Snap.
It makes me chuckle when folks are apologetic about posting pics of their kids. I figure, I'm doing my friends a FAVOR. I have emailed very little Kiddie Spam to my friends - maybe a few in the beginning, but overall, I just save it for the blog. If folks don't like seeing snaps of my kid, then look away.....look away. I post snaps at the end of the blog for a reason. Furthermore, If I am taking the time to read your blog, then yes, I would LOVE to see snaps of your kids and pets, too. Don't apologize! I sure the hell am not.

Puddle Jumper
Help me GOD. Puddles are like a tractor beam these days. And there is a world of difference between a mud puddle and a water puddle. WORLD of difference.

Introspective

Probably trying to plan his next attempt at avoiding a diaper change.

Bye, Bye.
Waving "bye, bye" to all the passing "ghaaars".

Sitting Still, For Now.

Gone in 60 Seconds, for sure.

18 comments:

Jenny said...

If I ever see you waddling after your little runaway, I will totally reach out and stop him for you. Do you ever wonder about the souls of people who just stand there and giggle and slap their friends on the shoulder Hey looky that lady chasing that kid out into the parkin' lot! Ain't it a hoot? and don't try to help you block off runaway child? I do. My husband thinks I am crazy when I interfere like that, as if its not business and I shouldn't be involved. Like when I admonish a kid trying to climb out of his cart at Wal*mart while his momma is turned around trying to wrestle something off the shelf. I've never been wrong, though. That momma always turns around and says thank you to me, for keeping her kid from cracking his head open on the floor. It takes a village, right?

Leah said...

I vote for the Allende book, but will happily read any of them.

Goofy Girl said...

I vote for "Lolita". I've been wanting to read that for long time!

Oh and...
- keep the simian snaps coming..we love them!
- you are a rockin' mom (hell...we all are!)
- treat that babysitter like gold! (ours keep getting pregnant, dammit)
- puddles are a 'sensory experience' (in other words, deal with it)
-I've been off the Krispy Kreme Krack since Jan 1 (and I haven't hurt anyone yet...whee!)

Monkey McWearingChaps said...

That baby is tall, yo.

Lolita for me, please. I've read it and own it and am going to Bos for Memorial Day so I can pick it up while I'm there.

Oh man, in the first one you can REALLY see what his face is going to look like as an adult. It's like MDH's baby-I can see the adult Alex staring straight out at me from every photo.

Cagey (Kelli Oliver George) said...

I'm voting for Lolita. I'm sorta cheating in that I will eventually read all 3 selections, but have been specifically saving Lolita for a book club.

Also, none of our babysitters better get pregnant!!

Cagey (Kelli Oliver George) said...

Monkey,
I agree - Arun's face has really slimmed down which I think has made his bug eyes pop out even more so. He weighs all of 23 lbs now, but is quite tall.

Also, YES, I've noticed lately that ModernDayHermit's Alex is looking like a little BOY, not a baby any longer. Sniff.... You can really visualize what he will look like as an adult now!

P.S. Arun says "ghaaar" with the proper pronunciation of "gh" like in your name. Very cute, that he could technically say your name correctly! I need to work with him so that he doesn't lose that ability (must teach him to say "ghari" for wristwatch, I guess)

Celebrate Woo-Woo said...

I'm up for Lolita, too. My first choice would have been Waiting, though.

Moderndayhermit said...

Oh man, those pictures are fantastic! He's such a big boy, seeing photos of him just bring a smile to ones face and heart.

Wonderful! It's great to hear about people being confident and recognizing that they are a good mother.

Score on the babysitter!

Awww, what sweet visions of Arun and you playing and laughing. I tell ya, those little people and their smiles and laughs are like drugs, one day, I swear I will O.D.

Anjali is such a sweet name, it reminds me of an ex co-worker in Dallas who once came to my home for a dinner party and people were taking turns riding Manoj's motorcycle. She road his bike in her salwar kameez, a pair of heels and her dupatta was straight-back behind her, flowing in the wind.

I am going to start referring to your blog as the memory inducer, I'm always amazed at the memories that are stirred up while reading!

Anyway...

I'll vote for Lolita as well, all the books do sound wonderful, it's a hard call!

Diana said...

I'm good with any of them, but have read Lolita and would like the chance to discuss it.

The beauty of puddles is the very, very large entertainment value. They work for hours. Should have put one in the house...

Moderndayhermit said...

bah! I forgot to mention...yes! Alex is looking so grow up, isn't he! I never knew there would be such emotions between remembering their younger days but so pleased with who they are now.

Anonymous said...

Yes yes yes on the good mother thing. I know that to some extent, kids will do what they will do, but if your kids are thriving, why not take some of the credit for helping them get that way?

You probably get this all the time, but his eyes are STUNNING!

And I love your daughter's name. I had a friend in middle school by that name and always thought it was really cool.

Anonymous said...

So much wonderfulness in this post! I agree about the puddle, it's a lot easier to clean up a WET toddler than a MUDDY toddler!

And I am SWOONING over your son's gorgeous eyes! He is adorable :)

Christy said...

I vote for "Waiting."

Okay, first of all, you should be proud of your weight gain. Even if you were overweight to begin with, you have still done a fabulous job of keeping your weight in check. Despite what you say, I am still very impressed and think you are the queen of will power.

I am overweight and pregnant too, yet I still find my fat ass eating Ben & Jerry's ice cream. See, I have no will power.

Monkey McWearingChaps said...

That's so awesome. As long as you teach him a few vocab words up front he'll probably retain the ability to move his tongue to make any of those those sounds(hell, I can, and neither Konkani nor Marathi have been my real first languages for years and years now). Plus, he'll be hearing you and X pronounce names properly. I think that's what helped/s for me.

Though I do have to make a conscious effort and my Konk/Rathi is very, very accented in regular speech (what little I've retained, I still understand it perfectly).

I also have to second being a champ about your willpower. I know how sick you've been. When I get that ill I just indulge myself in whatever I want and it's usually 1500 calorie pho meals.

Will email you soon-I'm off travelling this weekend :).

Rozanne said...

Super cute photos!

Sounds like you've got two great potential babysitters. Major score.

I vote for Reading Lolita in Tehran.

Unknown said...

I'm in the middle of a cross-state move, so I'm not jumping into the book club this time, but I will be up for it next round, especially since you promised you won't laugh and point at my geekiness. Oh wait, that's not what you meant? But I am totally HOT...

and that boy of yours is adorable. how do you not regularly give in to those big brown saucer eyes?

Blondie said...

OMG--Arun is SO cute. I can't wait to see how cute New Kid will be, too!!!

Bethany said...

I vote Lolita too.