Elan & Emry pose with Interfaceflor tiles, June 2011Elan: "Me and Wems are a team."Nana: "That's right! You and Emry are a team, just like your Mama and Dulu [my sister Laura] are a team."Elan: "We're going to be a team always! Until... until we die!"Nana: "Yes, well, let's hope that doesn't happen for a very, very long time."
Mikhail went on his first (of many to come) business trip last week. It was trial by fire for me: 5 full days, 4 and a half nights of doing the parenting-2-children thing on my own. Luckily for me, my sisters-in-law took Elan for one night so that I had one night and morning of only having Emry, which was quite luxurious and relaxing. I do so love living close to family!Emry in the Ergo, camping, MayThe week went pretty well on the whole. ... more
Today my grandfather, Popa Al Alper, passed away. He was 101 and a half.June 2008Back when he turned 99, many of you sent him postcards in the mail. 99 postcards for 99 years. He absolutely loved getting messages from people he knew and people he didn't (and people he thought he should know, but worried he didn't remember). It was so exciting, he said, to open his mailbox.November 2009, with my nephew JudahAnd then he said he should ... more
If Emry was on Twitter, this is what he'd tweet: "You know you're fat when your dada can froozle your shins."In our family, froozle means to blow a raspberry, you know that thing you do when you can't resist squishy baby tummies, and, in our case, shins. A piece of terminology a la Mikhail's family.Do you see that chin? Elan has it too. That's an Alper chin, a la Popa Al Alper, my mother's father, who is 101 years old. The ears, however, appear to be from my dad's ... more
In the country, there are dirt roads and muddy puddles perfect for stomping.A wooden swing at Grandma's house.A barn full of baby goats.Who turn riotous when we enter.They're looking for milk.Elan tries feeding them hay, but they prefer the real thing.This makes me glad I have only one baby.And look, here he is (with his handsome Dada).There are other adventures to be found in the country, too -- like rock-hopping in the creek.He was fearless about climbing over the rocks and wading through the water. It was just the ... more
People ask how Elan is adjusting to being a big brother.It's a hard question to answer. He loves his baby brother.And sometimes wants to bonk him.Emry is fascinated by his big brother.And sometimes alarmed by him.It's complicated and ever-changing, as I assume it will be for the rest of their lives. Both Mikhail and I have had moments of sadness for Elan as he struggles through this, the biggest transition of his life thus far. Learning to share the most precious thing: the love and attention of his ... more
photo credit: Molly Wizenberg, OrangetteMy baby's been sick. It's a terrible thing, a sick baby. He tries to be his fat, bald, jolly, regular good-natured smiley self. But most of the time, he can only summon the occasional smile. Thankfully he's still go the fat and bald part covered. I miss my happy little guy, and I'm worried. Worried, and tired. Tired, mentally and physically. That's what happens when your baby is sick for going on 8 days.At least he doesn't have whooping cough. That's a relief, since ... more
from our holiday card photo session in December...setting upthe official shotgiggleslook how small Emry was!inspirationwe all follow suitEmry thinking you guys are weirdcome on, buddy, you tooMikhail and his guysthe end
us, last NovemberI was reading an interview with a woman named Pam as part of The Motherhood Project on chookooloonks, and I loved what she said in response to the question "What advice would you give to someone who is still trying to figure out this parenting thing?" (and isn't that all of us who are parents?):"Really, the best advice I could ever give are two simple words: marriage first. Children are the single most disruptive thing to a relationship, a budget, a routine and ... more
Check out this CNN video of Jason Mann, my brother-in-law, talking about his food philosophy & farm-to-table sustainable burger joint in Atlanta, FarmBurger. Go J! And if you're in Atlanta, definitely go to FarmBurger (also super-delicious, Farm 255 in Athens). I haven't been yet but I'm dying to go. I hear their onion rings are totally fabulous. Not to mention The Burger, which sounds pretty darn good right now! If only they could airmail me one... but that wouldn't be very local/sustainable/fresh, would it?
I've got stuff to do, and I don't want to do it.How about I show you a few of our family photos instead, from a shoot we did in July? That seems like a good idea. Just a few. And then, next time I'm procrastinating, I'll show you more. (Just don't tell Mikhail that I'm not doing what I'm supposed to be doing right now.)Photos by Myron Yeung.I'm pregnant. I think I'll just go to bed.