From the category archives:

The Best Job I’ve Ever Had

To my Lily: I love you the most. You introduced me to the world of motherhood and made us a family. I love how genuinely kind and sweet you are. I love how you consider any alone time with me now a special date, even if we just go to the market. I love how nurturing and compassionate you are to animals and people, alike. I love watching you draw and the pride you take in your art. I love how you hug like you’re never going to let go. I love how thoughtful you are, always. I love your tan lines and the tiny birthmark on your cheek. I love hearing from teachers and neighbors how wonderful you are, even though I already know. I love talking to you on the phone, on the rare occasion when I’m not at home. I love reading the little notes you leave around the house and hearing you read to your brothers. You are my absolute favorite.

To my Ben: I love you the most. You were the sweetest baby in the world and I literally didn’t put you down for over a year. I love your exuberance and enthusiasm. I love how you wake up every morning in a fantastic mood, no matter how you went to bed the night before. I love how easy to please you can be. I love the smell of your neck and the color of your magic eyes, whether they are green, gray or blue that day. I love holding your hand and the face you make when you spot me at school. I love the way your voice gets really high when you’re excited and that you actually squeal with delight. I love that you “remember being born.” I love how much you worship your sister and the way you watch her when she’s not looking. I love your favorite teddy bear and how cool you look in sunglasses. You are my absolute favorite.

To my Evan: I love you the most. You will always be my baby, even though you insist that you are a big boy. I love your husky voice and the way your repeat everything you hear even though half the time, you have no idea what you’re saying. I love watching you try to keep up with your siblings and their friends. I love the humming sound you make when you really like what you’re eating. I love watching you play and how you can make a game of pretty much anything. I love how much you love making people laugh. I love the way you say my name. I love your pudgy thighs and your knees and the way you look in your pajamas. I love the way you hold my face with two hands when you give me a kiss. I love hearing you thump down the stairs in the morning. You round out our family, completely. You are my absolute favorite.

{For the record, you each got the exact same number of words. It’s even.}

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Postcards from Florida

12.28.2009
Postcards from Florida
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Overnight Growth Spurts

10.20.2009
Overnight Growth Spurts

I remember the moment quite vividly that Lily looked like a kid to me, rather than a little girl. It was heartbreaking and exciting at once. My Benji seems to be approaching that line rapidly. He’s getting to be so strong willed and independent and I’m just not ready for him to grow up so [...]

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The Top 10 Things I learned in NYC

10.15.2009
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1. It’s really fun to get away without the kids once in a while. 2. There’s nothing like meeting Uma Thurman to jump start a diet. 3. Celebrities do not like talking abut their personal lives. 4. New York blocks are endless, especially when you accidentally walk around in circles. 5.  Minnie Driver is crazy [...]

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Motherhood, The Movie

10.13.2009
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I have often wondered why there are so few realistic movies on the experience of motherhood. The two I can recall portraying it successfully are Parenthood and Baby Boom, and both of those are 20 years old {How ancient does that make you feel?!} Why aren’t there movies on the topic? It’s certainly entertaining enough, [...]

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The Countdown to Halloween

10.08.2009
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The pumpkins have been picked. The house has been decorated. The costumes have been purchased. Some of us are happier about it than others… I, for one, cannot wait.

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Time Flies When You’re Having Fun. And Even When You’re Not

09.22.2009
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I can’t remember if I felt this way before I was a mom, but now that I am, the days seem to last forever but the months just fly by. Let’s take summer, for instance. There were days, many days, that I thought would just never end. But, now that it’s over, it seemed to [...]

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The French Do Everything Better

06.09.2009
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Because, really, America is just incapable of producing a bathing suit this precious. I mean, seriously, is that not just the cutest thing ever?

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The Best Job I’ve Ever Had

05.28.2009

What do you do? It’s a question asked of me at least five or six times a week. It’s small talk, I know, and an easy conversation starter at the playground. People just don’t seem to know the inner turmoil it causes in me. My answer to that deep, dark query is usually, I’m at [...]

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