This One's For The Girls

I know this blog has been all kid and travel pics for the past 10 years, but things have gone loco in the world lately and it's stirred up some thoughts in my head. I’m surely not the only one who reads the headlines and regularly thinks, “what is even happening right now???”

So I never thought I’d say this but…I’ve been binging on politics. I’ve been watching interviews and debates, reading articles across multiple sources, and listening to podcasts with a particular focus on the elections in Georgia. I’m all in or all out and I’ve been out for too long.

I try to refrain from bringing up politics as a matter of etiquette. However, we've collectively gone so far down the crazy slide by now that I’m not even sure what the rules are anymore.

So here’s who I’m pulling for this election: two women who are running for the top offices in Georgia and whose talent and ambition should not be overlooked. 

I believe it's been pretty well established that women are generally competent multi-tasking geniuses who know how to get things done and add value and perspective to any organization.

And yet...please brace yourself for this non-surprise…women are underrepresented in many organizations including the government. Women account for 19% of the House and 23% of the Senate. 12% of governors are women. This could change because in the current elections, more women are running than ever before.

Here in Georgia, we have two impressive women running for office: Stacey Abrams for Governor and Sarah Riggs Amico for Lieutenant Governor. They went to Yale Law School and Harvard Business School, respectively. I’ve listened to both speak many times through interviews, speeches, and podcasts. I follow them on Instagram. Actually I’ve read or watched almost everything posted on Instagram by both of these candidates as well as their opponents.

Just my daughter and I hanging at the local Stacey Abrams rally!

I’ve found both Abrams and Amico to be intelligent, well informed, and even humorous. They have clear ideas and strong values. They’re super knowledgeable about policy because they’re nerdy like that and seem to enjoy it. They have motivated and mobilized people all over the state by telling them their participation is important and their voices can be heard through voting. They are giving hope to groups who have previously felt hopeless.

Basically, the Abrams/Amico team has hung the moon and then some, which is sadly necessary for women to have a chance against Republican men (neither of whom, by the way, are incumbents). Even with many factors working against them, I understand that both races are a statistical tie going into election day.

Perhaps what appeals to me most is that I see from Abrams and Amico compassion and concern for all people, regardless of race, gender, sexual orientation, religious beliefs, or immigration status.

For the first time this year I have emailed a representative, donated to a political cause I believe in, and put up a political sign in my yard. These are baby steps for sure and other women have marched, organized and participated in campaigns, and become activists. I hope what we're seeing with women involvement and women candidates is only the beginning. 

In this election, I am voting for inclusion and acceptance of all people. I am voting for diverse representation and new voices. I am voting for healthcare, the environment, gun control, and public schools. On my ballot and in my opinion, these things are most championed by Democratic women. 

All this is to say that voting is your voice so make sure you use it. GO VOTE!

Spring 2018

Spring 2018 was heavily booked and under-rested! We got used to our new addition while carting the other two around to school and various activities.

Tiger Cub played his first season of baseball. It was his first team sport. He had fun but I was...exhausted. I think it was too many late games with three kids at a ball field after bedtime and Randy at work. I hope we can build up our stamina for sports activities! We did very much approve of his team colors!

Meanwhile, Small Bear was quite content to go jump off the bleachers and run around with other 2 year olds.

He also finished a successful year of pre-k and is now on to kindergarten!

We now qualify for the largest cart Target has to offer. It pushes well enough but steers like an ocean liner.

Since I last blogged, Little Lady has turned 1, 2, 3, 4, and 5 months old! (And she's knocking on the door of 6 months.)

The boys are getting along with their baby sister. She smiles and laughs at them all the time.

We planted some flowers and are currently struggling to keep them all alive through these hot months.

Easter was lovely. Easter baskets, church, and an egg hunt made for a very full morning!

Tiger Cub wrapped up a fun year of church choir. The robes are the best!

And finally...the R family came to visit us for Memorial Day weekend. There are six cousins ages 6 and under and it's always great fun to get them together!

Labor Day

I'll go ahead and offer a disclaimer that this is a pretty dull account where things went according to a loose plan and everyone emerged emotionally intact. It wasn't nearly as harrowing as the tale of Small Bear's entry into the world. You can review that here.

The short story (even the long version is a short story):

I had my 39 week appointment and found out I was dilated more than a person walking around should be. Particularly someone on her third pregnancy and with a history of quick exits. I think the doctor's exact words were, "I think I'm seeing how you had a baby at home." We were given marching orders to go straight to the hospital and check in. They'd be expecting me.

The previous few days I had had occasional contractions but nothing to write home about so this was finally getting exciting. Both boys were at school and Grandma would soon be on her way down to help out with them. I didn't feel like I was in "labor" but whatever, it was baby day!

Hospital selfie, why not?

We checked into the hospital and it all went pretty fast from there. The whole process of ejecting this "business day baby" occurred between mid-morning coffee break and afternoon tea.

Mystery Baby R3 turned out to be a little GIRL (!!!) who came out:

• 5 hours after a routine doctor's appointment.
• 4 hours after arriving at the hospital.
• 3 hours after "labor" started.
• Less than 1 hour after that receiving that blessed epidural!

The doctor who broke my water said he'd give me until 2:30 to show progress before starting Pitocin and the baby was born at 2:37. Bam! Showed him! He even had to skip his coffee break so he wouldn't miss it.

That same evening it started snowing and then everything iced over. Our town was placed on curfew the next night so people would stay inside instead of going out and doing dumb things. It was nice and cozy inside our hospital room and we had a great view from the 4th floor.

An unusually snowy backdrop for our first Georgia baby!

Little girl did us a huge favor by arriving on Tuesday 1/16. It was the only day the boys went to school that week, between the MLK holiday and the snowstorm that froze half the state and cancelled school for the next three days. A day later and we likely would've had issues getting my parents here and getting to the hospital.

She met her brothers on her birthday and I'm guessing she recognized the boisterous soundtrack of her womb-life.

Her brothers go back and forth between being sort of into her and not really noticing her.

She's a very chill baby and likes to zen out with her hands up. Both grandmas made quick work of getting her some feminine outfits to compliment her gender-neutral/boyish wardrobe.

Here are a couple of pics from her newborn shoot by jacieshofieldphotography.

Fall in Georgia

I'm using the term "fall" to loosely refer to the final third of the calendar year. Since October, it's really felt like one endless fall with a few cold (and warm!) spots.

Earlier this year, we purchased an annual pass to a nearby-ish resort & gardens and we made good use of it during the not-so-hot months. Our favorite thing to do there is ride bikes.

Three generations on bikes!

Georgia offers endless opportunities for pumpkin patching and we definitely had our share of hay rides, corn mazes, and pumpkin purchasing.

 

Ahh...a Southern autumn...where you can enjoy the fall without fearing the winter.

Halloween was crazy. We live in trick-or-treating central and the running estimate is that our street saw about 2,000 trick-or-treaters this year. We had enough candy because our neighbors started warning us in July. We experienced a similar thing at a nearby area of NY, but attending and hosting such an event are waaaaay different. 

Candy shopping at BJs obviously.

These pictures of Halloween day are pre-craziness because by the time the crowds ramped up my phone was dead and I was handing out candy with both hands. Our neighbors did an amazing job with their decorations and a couple of post-holiday visits to Party City means we'll be in better shape for next year decoration-wise.

We celebrated Small Bear's 2nd Birthday. It was a low-key affair where we ate cake and gave him a T-ball set.

And the bump has continued to grow. This is 26 weeks when I thought I was big vs. 33 weeks where I'm really big.

 

Aaaaand...#youshouldseemenow!

A hidden cost of home ownership is holiday decor! I took this picture on luminary night which happened to fall right after a rare Georgia snowstorm. We made a rookie mistake and got our icicle lights in "cool white" instead of "warm white." One day when they burn out we'll correct that!

Georgia Living 101

We're going on 11 months of Georgia living and things are going pretty fantastic. Adjusting back to our home state has been quite a bit easier than getting used to NYC was many years ago.

I always found New York to be full of un-answerable conundrums. Such as:

• Why have I been hearing sirens for 2 hours straight?
• Why is there a helicopter with search lights outside?
• What is that terrible smell?
• Did someone pee on this subway car (recently, I mean)? 

But I've been surprised to find plenty of Georgia mysteries as well:

• Where are all these ant hills coming from?
• Are those rotweilers fenced in?
• Why is it 78 degrees in November?

No really, why is it 78 degrees in November? (Hat is for fashion purposes only.)

House Ownership

We bought a house. It's historic. We know that subdivisions are the American jam but after a decade of urban living, it didn't feel like the proper next step. So we bought on a downtown street where we can walk to shops and restaurants and church. Sort of like NYC but with our own space and 100x less crazy. So far it's been just right. Quite but not too quiet. Close enough to our neighbors to shout between porches but not sharing any walls. Lots of modern American conveniences but not so many that we lose that "edge" we worked so hard for! :) :)

Yard Work

This might be shocking, but guess what comes along with owning a house??? We're in our mid-thirties and have never owned a single yard tool. We had an initial reprieve at our rental house because the yard work was included. After buying a house we bought a lawnmower, rake, hoe, shovel, and a trimmer. We've done some grass cutting and weed pulling but most of the work is thanks to our yard guy who comes every other week.

Although I'd be remiss if I didn't give Randy credit for an amazing grass-growing feat in our backyard this fall.

Monogramming

I knew this was a Southern thing because as a kid my Northern parents never got a single thing monogrammed for me. But you guys. Monogramming has gone on steroids! People are now monogramming their cars and water bottles (in addition to clothes and bags)!

What I drive behind all the time. Get it on Etsy y'all!

The Carpool Line

Also on the car topic...the kids are at two different schools and it turns out my patience can't handle the carpool line. When I'm just sitting there idling I feel like I'm wasting time and polluting the air. Small Bear's school is a short walk from our new house so that's easy. With Tiger Cub, I drop him off in the morning (for some reason there is no line) and either walk to pick him up or drive but park nearby and walk up to the school. I don't actually save time with all the walking but it feels like a better use of time than sitting in a car.

Where Did Brunch Go?

I looked pretty hard for a place to eat brunch and came up empty. Is brunch a big city thing? It's such a kid friendly meal and cheaper than dinner. Not to mention flexible menu options where one person can have a hamburger and the other order pancakes. So perfect!

Adios brunch, you were good to us.

Having a Superintendent was Pretty Super

NYC living definitely came at a hefty cost - in either exorbitant rent or high maintenance costs as a homeowner. But having a staff of nearly 20 people taking care of the building complex we lived in was a-maz-ing. When the grass grew, they cut it. When it snowed, they shoveled it. They took care of our trash and disposed of basically anything - old stove, computer, furniture, you name it. Taking responsibility for these sorts of tasks (well not the snow shoveling - thank you Georgia!) has been something of a burden. However, as we approach the holidays I will not miss tipping that enormous building staff!

Proximity to Florida

Also we went on an awesome family vacation to Destin back in September...