Archive for the 'Family' Category

Mother’s Day

Sunday, May 11th, 2008

I couldn’t afford a genuine Punic Persephone coin but I did find a cool pewter pendant. The face of the goddess is surrounded by a sheaf of wheat, representing Demeter, her mother. The perfect gift for Persephone’s mother on her first Mother’s day.
Xy calls it an amulet.

Also, my Mom and Dad are visiting from Indiana. [...]

Cleaning Day

Thursday, May 8th, 2008

My parents are coming down for a visit, so we are frantically preparing the household for their arrival. Time to put away the illegal drugs and semi-automatic weapons, the seditious literature and satanic rock music — at least for a while.

photo by gurke
We also have to conceal the extensive subterranean dungeon we installed during our [...]

Her First Recess

Sunday, May 4th, 2008

We took Persephone in to Xy’s school to visit some of Xy’s students. As she predicted, it was a mob scene.

I’ve posted the pix as a set on Flickr. I recommend viewing it as a slideshow.
Dwight D. Eisenhower Elementary School, 3700 Tall Pines Drive, New Orleans, Louisiana 70131

May Day

Thursday, May 1st, 2008

Workers of the World Unite!
You have nothing to lose but your chains!
On this May Day I salute my father-in-law Michael Paxson. He is retiring today after I don’t know how many years of bondage to the state as a civil servant.
Here’s the only picture of Mike I have handy:

Let me also add that in the [...]

Two Months

Monday, April 21st, 2008

Dear Persephone,
People kept telling me we should “enjoy this time” with you. I wasn’t quite sure what to make of this advice.
A couple weeks ago I said to Olivia: “She’s only six weeks old. All she does is sleep and eat and poop. Oh, and occasionally she cries. What moments are we suppose [...]

Gratuitous Baby Picture

Thursday, April 17th, 2008

I don’t know if there’s a name for this style of infant apparel. We call them “ghosties.” Here’s Persephone in her favorite ghostie.

A Great Day in the History of My Life

Tuesday, April 15th, 2008

April 15th is shaping up to be one of my favorite days of the year. Taxes are due, which is a drag, but so what? I always file early.
Thirteen years ago today I was amongst the team that put the first TV show online. I’ve been bragging about it ever since. I have to. [...]

Mother-in-Law

Sunday, March 30th, 2008

Satan should be her name
To me they’re bout the same

Ha! Just kidding, Susie.
Though I love to tease her with the lyrics to Ernie K-Doe’s big #1 hit, in fact my mother-in-law’s visit was very pleasant.
In fact, her timing was perfect. She arrived just when I was coming down with this nasty bacterial infection, and by [...]

Thank You Thank You Thank You

Thursday, March 27th, 2008

When we tally up the list of people who’d helped us out or given us stuff recently, it’s quite impressive. More than sixty. I didn’t know we had so many well-wishers.

We’ve been trying to make sure everybody gets a card to express our gratitude. And slowly, slowly, we’re sending them out. I really hope we [...]

I’m Sick and I Want to Die

Saturday, March 22nd, 2008

I’m sick as a dog. Barely able to think coherently. No snot, no congestion, just a fever, with attendant chills and sweats and borderline delirium. Every inch of my body aches. There’s a gland (lymph node?) on the right side of my neck that’s swollen and painful — painful only on the outside, not inside [...]

Her Face

Wednesday, March 19th, 2008

Whenever people see her, they invariable make two remarks:

She looks like me.
She’s cute.

It doesn’t take a logician to leap to the obvious conclusion, namely, that I must be kinda cute myself.

Fat & Pimply

Tuesday, March 18th, 2008

Persephone weighed in yesterday at 7 lbs, 5 oz. That means she gained 22 oz. in 12 days. The doctor congratulated Xy on getting off to a great start with the breastfeeding, which was a bit challenging at first.
Everything’s been pretty much optimal except she ’s had an outbreak of baby acne. Sometimes it looks [...]

Happy Birthday Mom

Sunday, March 16th, 2008

Today’s my mom’s 70th birthday. I usually call her on the telephone but I can’t because right now she’s in Cambodia, part of a short-term mission team with the Lutheran Church - Missouri Synod. I’m somewhat envious, but hopeful that when I’m 70 I will have the means and health to visit faraway places. Many [...]

Story #29

Saturday, March 15th, 2008

So you thought Story #28 was the final chapter in our renovation saga? Not quite. Check today’s Times-Picayune for installment #29, the final final chapter. Check the online version for cute pix by Kathy Anderson.

Baby Dreams

Friday, March 14th, 2008

Xy has had a trio of weird dreams over the last couple nights.
In the first, she dropped our girl three times in a row, banging her little head on the floor. She was weak from the c-section and couldn’t hold her properly.
In the second dream, Xy was nursing a tiny baby (not our girl) and [...]

The High Cost of Birthing

Thursday, March 13th, 2008

We got the receipt from Tulane University Hospital & Clinic’s Healthcare Payment System. For the record, we racked up $2,484.00 in room charges (two nights’ stay) and a whopping $16,499.28 in “ancillary” charges.
But we have group insurance through our employers. We actually paid $250 and just got billed for $170 more.
I can’t even begin [...]

Further Adventures

Wednesday, March 12th, 2008

Today her umbilical stump fell off. To celebrate, we made a pilgrimage to Bayou St. John.

She’s definitely growing. Her loose folds of skin are filling in with baby fat. Xy has been breastfeeding, and the results can be seen daily. Funny, by sheer coincidence we watched The Life of Mammals just before the birth. Mammals [...]

Her First Second Line

Sunday, March 9th, 2008

Keep N It Real Social & Pleasure Club was in our neighborhood today. It ended just two blocks from our house. Actually we missed the parade, but we caught these fabulous DIVAS (acronym for something but I forget what) just as things were breaking up.

Her First Party

Saturday, March 8th, 2008

Persephone had her first social outing today.

I didn’t even know there was a Louisiana Derby but apparently there is. So we went to a party at the home of Sue, Steve and Sebastian, who live near the track.
We didn’t go to the race itself, but the party was fun. There were lots of Bloody Marys [...]

Poop Bib

Thursday, March 6th, 2008

From our friend MF in China comes the following awesome weirdness:

It’s a hand-embroidered bib with a gun that says “poop” on it.
No, I don’t know what it means either, but you’ve got to admit it’s cool.