January Pics - Out and About

Just after the new year (January 2) we went for a walk and enjoyed a trail that I worked on last Spring & Summer.

research-based parenting

When I finished graduate school I joined the alumni association as a lifetime member because they offered a ridiculously low one-time fee for recent graduates and because it was clear Zach and I were planning on staying in the area for a while. It hasn't actually been that useful, but two interesting/helpful things have come of it: 1) the lost key return program - When you join they give you a magic key chain. On one side it has the Berkeley insignia and on the other side it promises postage paid to return the keys if found. I figured I had nothing but my keys to lose and put it on my keychain. And guess what. I lost my keys (imagine that!), and they were actually returned! 2) they send an alumni magazine every month that is, as Zach put it, actually interesting. My point is not that I'm really happy that I didn't lose my keys permanently that one time. Rather, it's to point out something interesting I found in the magazine a few months ago: the Greater Good Science Center [http://peacecenter.berkeley.edu/]. This research unit at UC Berkeley is "devoted to the scientific understanding of happy and compassionate individuals, strong social bonds, and altruistic behavior" and committed "to helping people apply scientific research to their lives" (yes, there's a research center in Berkeley devoted to feeling good). Anyhow, the point of the article was to point out one of the research centers new endeavours - you guessed it, research based parenting. Through short videos and blog posts a sociologist "gives moms and dads practical tools for raising happy and emotionally literate kids." Turns out a lot of the information is useful for every part of life, not just parenting, but it's focused on kids (actually, parents). Recent topics have included forming good habits, and how to fight with your partner. Good stuff. :)

January Pics - Sofi + Clara

almost done with January Pics...

Clara & I on the couch at home; stopped on the side of the road to nurse; trying to get out of Tilden after a walk; trying again (some days we it seems like we never get anywhere. this was one of those days); and getting used to the Ergo.

and they all rolled over...

Including Clara!

(who still seems a little surprised when it happens)

First roll: Thursday, March 4, 2008 (showing off on her sister's birthday?). It now happens pretty much every time we lay her down and let her try. And that's the thing, we don't have many opportunities to lay her down and let her try, with the million other things going on in the house. No wonder her first roll was with Flor - she's able to slow down and give the girl some play-mat time.

sisters

She's a good big sister, that one.

This picture was taken on our way to the park the day that we had the "24 hour wait" drilled into our head. You know the rule: the child must stay home from school until they've been fever-free for 24 hours. We mistakenly thought that because Molly was feeling better and the fever was due to an ear infection she was clear for school. Now we know. Fever = no school for 24 hours. Sorry Molly.

In other news, I just tonight finally got around to taking pictures off my camera. Between kids getting sick, adults getting sick, life happening, etc., it turns out that I hadn't taken the pictures off since early February. Yikes. Hopefully, at some point I will actually get those pictures posted for our enjoyment.

sadie the cat

So our old friend Sadie the cat died peacefully in her sleep last week. It was a bit of a surprise - we had recently been to the vet who hadn't found any major problems besides her usual pudginess - but she had been lagging a bit lately. She was a well traveled cat, born outside of Eugene Oregon in 1997 and then living in New York City, Long Island, San Francisco, Oakland and finally Berkeley. She was a sweet and friendly cat who loved to be pet, often walking up to an unsuspecting hand and rubbing her head against it to "jump-start" the process. We'll miss you, Sadie.

m3

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