motherhood, politics, faith & whatnot

When you talk to people about making friends on the internets through mommie boards or blogs or what-have-you, they sometimes look at you like you are crazy.

But they just don’t know.

I have “met” some of the most amazing, beautiful people in the last few years I’ve spent trolling the web. My life has been so enriched by hearing their stories, catching glimpses into their lives, sharing advice and concerns, chatting about politics or the latest celebrity blunder.

A husband deployed in Iraq. An angel taken by cancer at 9 months old. A recently divorced woman, writing with grace, humor through some of her darkest moments. A couple, newly pregnant, expecting again after the loss of their first-born who danced on this earth for only seven hours. Maybe I’m feeling especially vulnerable or raw or something right now, but I find myself being so touched every day by somebody’s story, the words they type into their computer and send out into the ether.

It’s not all about pain and grief and loss. It’s about potty-training and knitting and morning sickness and sibling rivalry and going back to work and the latest episode of Lost and differing faiths. It’s about hearing what it’s like to live in California or Florida or Washington or Ohio or Montreal or Massachusetts or Arizona or Maryland or Oregon or Virginia or Utah . . .

Everyone has a story. And because of the internets, we get to hear some of the best ones out there. I can’t quit you, internets. (an attempt to lighten an otherwise sort of maudlin rambling. . . ) .

Whimsical photos from Curtis Krueger — check it out!

Mrs Davis’ Chair

I got the boys this giant stuffed duck right after Easter. It’s as tall as Daniel. Today, Daniel was fixing me pretend dinners and I was stuffed, so I told him to fix something for Ducky who was sitting over in the corner of the room. He did and then he announced that Ducky was going to take a nap with him. The three of us read a story together, and Daniel whispered to Ducky to “not talk and just listen to the story.” I think Daniel’s heard that a few times, maybe. Heh.

Then we headed upstairs for naptime. I put Ducky in Daniel’s bed and Daniel crawled in beside him and curled up to him offering him some milk from his sippy cup. “Ducky, here’s some milk. It’s OK. We’re going to take a nap now,” Daniel said softly to the giant yellow stuffed animal next to him in bed. I just about melted. It was so sweet. I think it was particularly sweet because Daniel doesn’t talk quietly very often. He’s a loud talker, so to hear him whispering quietly to Ducky was a beautiful moment.

Sometimes my heart aches for this child. He is high maintenance and we spend a lot of time yelling at him or trying to discipline him. He tests every boundary that you have and then some. When I picked him up from preschool on Wednesday, his frustrated teacher, or teaching assistant, rather, said that he just wouldn’t be quiet even after time-outs and that it was disruptive because he’d get the other kids going as well. I know exactly what she’s talking about, but what am I supposed to do. Except just love him. We work with him to be a better listener and follow directions, but there will be days when he will annoy the ever-loving daylights out of everybody around him. He had not slept well the night before and his stomach was upset later that day, so I think he wasn’t feeling right, so any impulse control that he might normally have was not there. I feel badly for him because he’s always going to rub some people the wrong way. We all do, for that matter. It’s our job as his parents to help him figure out ways to manage his behavior the best he/we can and to accept his limitations.

Mmmmm, strawberries.

Originally uploaded by Suze3000.

We went strawberry picking yesterday and it actually went pretty well with the boys. Andrew had a ball eating strawberries and Daniel did a great job picking them. Plus, the weather was perfect. And we have 7 pounds of strawberries to do something with.

You know, I really don’t know what to make of the Duke*lacrosse*rape case. As a friend of mine remarked (also a non-practicing lawyer), it’s like a roller coaster ride trying to figure out which side is up or down. I stopped riding the roller coaster a couple of weeks ago because nobody except the DA and the person who was allegedly attacked really have the most complete picture. Trying to figure it out based on the dribs and drabs of info coming from offhanded comments made by the DA or witnesses or the defense attorneys posturing is futile.

I just gotta figure that the DA has got something pretty damning that hasn’t come out and doesn’t need to come out. Ni*fong talked a little bit too much at the beginning of the case, but I don’t think he’s an idiot.

So, we’ll just sit back and wait to see everything unfold. None of these motions being filed by the defense are anything that wouldn’t normally be requested in any other rape/assault case. And it will all come out eventually.

One I do know for sure, however, is that we do not need the “New Black Panthers” in the middle of things stirring the pot. The accuser’s family doesn’t even want them here. One of the indicted players had a court hearing today and the New Black Panthers were outside the courthouse and were reported to have said, “Justice will be done, rapist” to the guy as he walked by. That’s just so wrong. Not because I believe the kid is necessarily innocent, either. This case isn’t really about black vs. white, nor has it really divided our community that way, despite how everything is portrayed in the national news scene. This case didn’t arise out of racial tensions in the local community. As I’ve said before, it’s more about class and privilege and a college culture that condones crazy-ass behavior.

And it’s not like the New*Black*Panthers are even from around here. They are busybodies, that’ what they are.

We took advantage of some beautiful, not-quite-too-hot weather today to go to the NC Zoo. It’s a beautiful zoo. Daniel, however, would have been happy enough without any animals as long as there were lots of water fountains, maybe some tunnels, a cushman or two filled with opaque trash bags of cans for recycling, and a school bus that drives people around. Seriously, those things were the highlight of his visit. He almost could have cared less about the animals. Andrew seemed to enjoy seeing the animals that he could actually see. Oh, and any puddles that he saw when we freed him from the stroller.

We, however, enjoyed checking everything out. The polar bear was my favorite. He (maybe she) was swimming around and playing with a ball and a barrel, and it was set up so that you could see beneath the water level. So you could see him/her swimming around doing his/her thing.