Everyone in our house has been dealing with different sleep issues over the last few weeks, and it’s high time for reflection.
For me, the issue is a lack of sleep; the very same guidebook that has kept me from blogging regularly also is keeping me from putting my head on the pillow for more than [...]

It always amazes me how, for a toddler, just about anything can become a toy. Some of L’s favorites over the last few months have included an old cell phone, a wooden spoon and the tassel on a pillow at the cottage we rented in England (of course yours truly named the tassel, “Furry Tassel,” [...]

Yes, it’s been a while since my last post (don’t say I didn’t warn you). And yes, there’s much to report about that stretch, including a rundown of our trip to England, the baby’s foray into potty-training, and additional attacks on The New York Times Motherlode blog (read the comments).
But for now, I leave you [...]

Curiosity is L’s new approach to life, which means that just about every outing these days is a field trip.
Yesterday, for instance, an ordinary errand-run to the local Safeway turned into a date with the “robot” at the self check-out counter. L watched in amazement as the computer told us precisely what to do, then [...]

Considering that I fell asleep at my computer four times in six nights last week (and considering that I’m writing this at 3 a.m.), I’d say it’s high time something about my work schedule (watch the baby all day; work late into the night) changed.
And so it is with great excitement this week that I [...]

Generally speaking, I’m pretty easy to please. I like being outside. I appreciate conversation. I don’t need diversions to have fun.
Naturally, then, I have been looking forward to the day when L is old enough to walk and talk and talk with me, enjoying my company while the two of us enjoy everything that comes [...]

It’s as if The New York Times has been overrun with new parents these days.
Last week, the paper ran that article about the impacts of cone-scan technology among pediatric dentists (I blogged about it earlier this week). Since then, the Gray Lady has published two other informative-yet-disturbing articles pertaining to the development of our children.
The [...]

How do you know you’re a grizzled work-at-home veteran? When you pull a stunt like the one I pulled today here at home.
I was upstairs. L and the nanny were downstairs. I had to run out to drop off a UPS envelope at the local UPS Store. But since L gets upset when she realizes [...]

Everything came up Bryophyta (that’s “moss,” for those of you who aren’t familiar with your scientific classifications) yesterday on a walk with L around the neighborhood.
Initially, the idea was to get out of the house. It had rained for most of Thanksgiving weekend here in Sonoma County, and an afternoon break in the weather provided [...]

A good friend of mine became a father last week—the latest in a series of spectacular milestones for him (he’s an accomplished author of multiple books). Now, the fun for him really begins.
He learned this immediately. After he and his wife spent their first night home with the new baby, he sent me (and, I [...]