Sophie always has been a great help to me with the boys. She eagerly fetches burp cloths and blankets, diaper rash cream and wipes. And lately, the tasks I’ve given her are more complex. “Please go upstairs, open the bottom drawer of the boys’ dresser, pick out a pair of pajamas and bring it down.” [...]
“What if Christmas, he thought, doesn’t come from a store. What if Christmas, perhaps, means a little bit more.” —Dr. Seuss
“I don’t believe an accident of birth makes people sisters or brothers. It makes them siblings, gives them mutuality of parentage. Sisterhood and brotherhood is a condition people have to work at.” —Maya Angelou
Owen has a tendency to gnaw on James. This time, his arm. Sometimes his leg. Once, his head. “The younger brother must help to pay for the pleasures of the elder.” —Jane Austen
“The best Christmas trees come very close to exceeding nature.” —Andy Rooney
At first, Sophie wasn’t nearly as excited as I imagined she would be, tromping around a cold field, picking out the perfect Christmas tree. So I asked her why. She said “none of them had any stuff on them.” She didn’t realize they wouldn’t be decorated. I wonder what she had envisioned—a field full of [...]
Several weeks ago we finally got to meet Shruti and Arun’s beautiful new son, Naveen. We met for Dewey’s pizza and drinks at Aimee and Jon’s house. Jon played lots of Play-Doh with Rashmi and Sophie. Sophie and Rashmi loved chasing each other throughout the house. I have about 12 pictures that look like this—our [...]
Sophie’s a strange bird when it comes to order. Lately, she insists on brushing her teeth before her nap as well as before bed. Which is fine. Except that it takes f.o.r.e.v.e.r. and, if you’re not careful, often results in a meltdown. The stool has to be on the bath mat, in front of the [...]
If I had to show you innocence, I would show you smocking on a dress. A cup of milk. Frost on a jack-o-lantern. A dandelion in a plastic cup. Sidewalk art made with chalk. The way a baby’s lips move while he sleeps. A toddler hanging an ornament on a Christmas tree. I think of [...]
(recorded while in Baltimore for Thanksgiving) “The lullaby is the spell whereby the mother attempts to transform herself back from an ogre to a saint.” —James Fenton
