the pacifist

P informs me that some version of this picture is up in his office at work. Not to be confused with Vin Diesel, of course. baby-j looks especially crazy here, which is sort of how he is at night when we try to get him to go to bed. Oh, who am I kidding? He's like this morning, noon, and night, which is part of why he's so great.

moving day

Moving Day is quickly approaching and we have so much to do until then! The attic is getting finished slowly but surely. I have to say that I am so impressed with P. He's been working so hard to get it ready for us. Check out the "before" photo; the soon-to-be posted "after" shot will be much more impressive. :)

This is the third time we've moved in two years (yikes!), and each time has been in April/May. There's something exciting about moving--I've always loved it--but this time is admittedly more difficult than times in the past. Trying to get things cleaned up with an 8-month-old in tow is not easy. But even so, I have to say that moving is always appealing to me. The idea of starting over in a new space brings with it such possibility. It's probably connected to my perceived appeal about teaching, in which I start afresh each new September (and, as a college teacher, each January as well) and erase old memories, old grades, old students, old furniture.

morning people

It's morning, I'm trying to do work, and all I can think about is just how sweet baby-j is. He's currently munching on a book and eyeing me as I type. It's truly amazing to me that I have started to just love mornings--at least, those mornings when I know that I'll be with him. Mornings when I have to drive an hour and a half to get to work... not so much.

I used to be a night owl; I got my best work done at night, sometime long after P went to bed. Now? I love these mornings with baby-j, even if it's been a rough night. I know that mornings are his best times; he's most likely to contentedly explore and less likely to get frustrated doing so. I wasn't disillusioned about how my life would change by having him, but I have to admit that turning into (somewhat of) a morning person was a big surprise. I thought that the early rising would be the most miserable part of being a mother. Turns out to be just the opposite.

Of course, it helps that it's so nice outside. The balcony door is open and the air is wonderful. A happy spring day.

i left my heart...

We just returned from San Francisco and I am always amazed by how much I love the place. My dear friend J (known her since grad school) is always such a wonderful and gracious host. If only I were that good as a host... I have to think that where we live now is part of the issue (not living in NYC anymore), but truly, J makes me feel like I could (and should) be a good host wherever I'm at!

baby-j was great on the flights, though. Less than 8 months old, and he's a traveling pro. Does a mama's heart good. :)

why “pardeepants”?

For baby-j’s first party, P and I bought some *sweet* plaid pants for baby-j to wear: his “party pants.” They sort of looked like the ones pictured here, but they were even cooler. Unfortunately, baby-j had some issues with the party pants that day; he was a bit cranky and seemed to feel much better once aforementioned pants were removed. Nevertheless, while this blog will mostly be about baby-j and his parents, I felt that I had to pay tribute to the kick-ass pants that baby-j got to wear for a few brief moments by naming this blog after them.

Seriously, those pants were awesome.

can you believe i'm new to blogging?

...and i've been know to refer to myself as "techie-girl" from time to time. I should be ashamed of myself. Well, here's to another journal I'll try to keep.