By:Jennifer Cerbasi

Being a single parent presents the same challenges all parents face but you have two less hands to help. When you are raising a family by yourself you are the one getting lunches ready, giving baths, and driving to and from football practice. You can’t use the good cop/bad cop routine. You don’t ever get a break. Many single parents work long hours or even work two jobs. You are faced with the financial and time constraints of a two-parent household with one income. Luckily, there are a few simple changes you can make that will help you support your child without adding stress to your already busy life.

Create a “home base”
For your “home base” you will need a calendar, a basket for incoming schoolwork, a spot for backpacks, and space to write. Your home base can be a corner of your kitchen, a side table in your living room, or an office. Announce this spot to your children as the hub of your home and remind them to use it as such. Use a different color pencil for each child’s activities to keep your children’s schedules straight. Encourage your children to keep track of their own activities. Designate a basket where your children can put notices that you need to see and forms you need to sign. Keeping all the forms in one place ensures you don’t miss important information. Keep pencils and pens next to the basket so you can fill out forms immediately and put them right back into your child’s backpack. Your time is valuable, and having a home base keeps you from wasting time searching all over the house for forms, notices, and assignments that need to get sent to school.

Ask for help…and return the favor
Don’t be afraid to ask a neighbor or friend for help. Most moms know that no matter what the circumstance, being a parent requires lots of juggling. Asking a neighbor to drive your child to school in the morning is fine, but be sure to return the favor and drive the kids to the school dance over the weekend. Remember- a simple thank you goes a long way. A bouquet of flowers, a gift card for a coffee shop, or a batch of cookies are inexpensive ways to show you appreciate the support you get and it has not gone unnoticed. A handwritten note to say thanks for the help does the trick, too.

Communicate with the teacher
Let her know what days or times are best for you to meet or to speak on the phone. Give her a time frame in which you intend to return her calls or notes. If you know you work late and don’t always get to her notes right away, let her know she can expect to hear from you within 48 hours. If you have a day off during the week, ask for her consideration when scheduling meetings. Being clear about communication with your child’s school leads to consistent and open interactions.

Prioritize
You can’t be in three places at once so choose the meetings, school events, and games that mean the most to you and your children. Include your children in the process by letting them choose an event they want you to attend. Be honest with your children about why you can’t be at all their events but don’t dwell on it. Refrain from constantly reminding them that you are the only parent helping out- they know this and you should vent to your friends, not your children. When they get home ask specific questions about what happened in the big game or the school play. If you want to volunteer at your child’s school but can’t be there all the time, ask if you can help stuff envelopes or make phone calls and do some of the behind-the-scenes work for events.

Remember that you are one person taking on a huge job and can only do your best each day. Pat yourself on the back for maintaining your children’s safety and security. Give yourself credit for taking care of all the day-to-day responsibilities by yourself. Enjoy the time you get to spend with your children and stay positive- your children will model your attitude and you can be a happy and productive family together.

Jennifer Cerbasi teaches at a public school for children on the autism spectrum in New Jersey. As a coordinator of Applied Behavioral Analysis programs in the home, she works with parents to create and implement behavioral plans for their children in an environment that fosters both academic and social growth. In addition to her work both in the classroom and at home, she is also a member of the National Association of Special Education Teachers and the Association for Supervision and Curriculum Development.

By: Paula Brooks

Michael Jones of Change.org is reporting that Scholastic Books has reversed their decision to exclude a book from Scholastic’s popular book fairs, simply because that book featured two moms raising a child.
Last week Jones launched a petition drive from Change.org after the popular children’s book club excluded author Lauren Myracle’s best-selling children’s book, Luv Ya Bunches over concerns Myracle included same-sex parents in her book and then refused to include a heterosexual couple when that was requested by Scholastic.
The controversy over Myracle’s book began after The School Library Journal reported that global children’s publishing, education and media giant decided not to include a book about the friendship among four elementary school girls, with one of those girls, Milla, having lesbian moms, from its Scholastic Book Fair, because the company says one of the main characters had same-sex parents.
According to Jones, the reversal by Scholastic came after more than 4,000 people contacted the publisher expressing concern Scholastic was attempting to censor books with LGBT characters.
A statement from Scholastic said…
“Scholastic does not censor books. We review thousands of titles each year for our book clubs and book fairs, and we are committed to a review process that considers all books equally regardless of their inclusion of LGBT characters and same sex parents. In an interview with School Library Journal, Scholastic stated that we are currently carrying Luv Ya Bunches by Lauren Myracle in our school book clubs. We also said we were still reviewing the book for possible inclusion in our book fairs. Having completed our review of Luv Ya Bunches, Scholastic Book Fairs will carry the title in our spring fairs for middle school.
Scholastic is proud of our long history of providing books that will appeal to the wide range of interests and reading abilities of children in the many diverse cultures and communities we serve. Luv Ya Bunches is just one example.”

More on this story at LEZGET REAL

From- The New York Times
By: ABBY GOODNOUGH

Less than a week before Maine voters decide whether to repeal the state’s new same-sex marriage law, donations and volunteers are pouring in to sway what both sides call a nationally significant fight.

Supporters of the marriage law, which the Legislature approved in May, have far more money and ground troops than opponents, who have been led by the Roman Catholic Church. Yet most polls show the two sides neck and neck, suggesting that gay couples here, as in California last year, could lose the right to marry just six months after they gained it.

Although Maine’s population is a tiny fraction of California’s and the battle here has been comparatively low profile, it comes at a crucial point in the same-sex marriage movement. Still reeling from last year’s defeat in California, gay-rights advocates say a defeat here could further a perception that only judges and politicians embrace same-sex marriage.

If Maine’s law is upheld, however, it would be the movement’s first victory at the ballot box; voters in about 30 states have banned same-sex marriage.

Connecticut, Iowa, Massachusetts and Vermont allow gay couples to marry, but courts and legislatures, not voters, made it possible.

“It’s a defining moment,” said Marc Mutty, chairman of Stand for Marriage Maine, which is leading the repeal effort. “What happens here in Maine is going to have a mushrooming effect on the issue at large.”

Maine had planned to allow same-sex marriage starting in September, but put it off until the referendum is decided. It is the only state with a same-sex marriage question on its ballot this fall.

The outcome could have particular resonance in California, where same-sex marriage supporters have been debating how soon to seek a repeal of their own state’s ban.

Mr. Mutty’s group has repeatedly warned voters that if same-sex marriage survives in Maine, public schools will most likely teach children about it. That strategy proved effective in California, and even after Maine’s attorney general announced this month that the state would not require same-sex marriage to be taught, opponents have continued raising the possibility.

One of their television advertisements warns that in Massachusetts, where same-sex marriage has been legal since 2003, some teachers answer “thoroughly and explicitly” when students ask about gay sex.

But Stand for Marriage has not been able to advertise nearly as much as the lead group campaigning to save the law. That group, Protect Maine Equality, has raised $4 million, compared with Stand for Marriage’s $2.6 million. Its overarching message is that all people, including gay men and lesbians, should be treated equally under the law.

“You may disagree,” a gray-haired lobsterman says in a Protect Maine Equality advertisement, “but people have a right to live the way they want to live.”

The group has raised much of its money on the Internet, where it has also recruited volunteers from around the country with a Web site, www.travelforchange.org. Stace McDaniel, a retired teacher from Atlanta, said he decided to spend a few weeks volunteering for Protect Maine Equality after attending his first same-sex wedding this summer.

“I can’t believe I’m doing this,” said Mr. McDaniel, 57, who said he took out a $5,000 home equity line of credit to finance his trip. “It was a chance to do something really important. I don’t know anyone in Maine, but here I am.”

One of the volunteers working phones at the Stand for Maine offices last Thursday was Bonnie Johnstone of Portland, who said she had decided to help after hearing about the campaign at her Mormon church. But while Mormons played a huge role in California’s same-sex marriage ban — providing reserves of money and volunteers — they appear to be far less involved here, partly because the Mormon Church has a much smaller presence in New England.

The repeal effort has drawn a small number of volunteers from other states, Mr. Mutty said, including a group of students from Brigham Young University, a Mormon institution in Utah.

Stand for Marriage hired the same consulting firm that ran the California campaign against same-sex marriage, Schubert Flint Public Affairs, based in Sacramento, to produce its advertisements. And more than half of its financial support has come from the National Organization for Marriage, a conservative Christian group based in New Jersey that has fought same-sex marriage in other states.

But the Roman Catholic Diocese of Portland has played the most tangible role in the repeal movement, even urging its parishes to collect donations by passing a second collection plate during Mass.

The Maine Ethics Commission is investigating whether the National Organization for Marriage has violated the state’s campaign finance laws by keeping its donors anonymous. The group has responded with a lawsuit challenging Maine’s financial reporting requirements.

With no big races drawing voters to the polls this year, both sides say that get-out-the-vote efforts will be crucial. Supporters of same-sex marriage are counting on college students, while opponents are focusing on older voters from the state’s more conservative central and northern regions.

“Their voters are going to be weather-dependent, mood-dependent,” Mr. Mutty said. “Our voters tend to vote no matter what.”

Since polls have historically undercounted opponents of same-sex marriage — and none have shown supporters of the law more than a few points ahead, anyway — Protect Maine Equality is taking nothing for granted.

“We have every reason to think this will be a razor-thin election,” said Jesse Connolly, the group’s campaign manager.

THE NEW YORK TIMES

By: Brandy Black

Susan dragged me to a class in Silverlake a couple years ago called Writing Pad. I was adamantly against it at first. I don’t consider myself a writer. She pushed and pushed, bribing me with the delicious treats advertised to be a part of our 2 hour classes. I finally gave in as I had no good excuses not to try it. After the first class I cried in the car ride home. I was embarrassed that I had to read my awful writing out loud. I was in awe of all of the other beautiful writers and couldn’t believe I was daring to sit in class with them.

6 weeks later I graduated from “So you want to be a writer” and was addicted. I didn’t care what I wrote, I just wanted to express myself on paper. Shortly after, I put together a literary show -Chi Chi’s Word Parlor -with a couple other producers. It seems that whether I like it or not, writing is in my blood.

Now I’ve really done it. I may have pushed myself too far. In support of another blogger Lacitymom I have decided that I too will sign up for National Novel Writing Month in November. This means 50,000 words, one novel, one month.

Let me explain how I came to the decision aside from total whimsy. I’ve wanted to document my thoughts, my aches, my pains, and my joy, for my daughter and grandchildren to someday read. My grandmother wrote a book called the “Indispensables”; I always thought it amazing that she actually wrote a novel. She has a legacy of sorts out there in the world. I don’t necessarily have the same aspirations, but I’d love to
have a complete work of me for me. My mother has been sending hand written letters to my daughter since she was born. They are beautiful morsels of her heart and I cherish them. What stops all of us from sitting down and documenting the amazing memories that we have for our loved ones around us? Is it time? Is it insecurity that nothing will come out? I invite you to consider taking a month to write for yourself- your novel. Maybe I just feel I need some friends out there that can get me through yet another challenge. Are you up for it?
Will you join me in the fun?

I might be crazy. I may have a breakdown, with the many things I have on my calendar for November. But my plan is simple:

30 minutes a day

50,000 words in a month

No editing

No re-reading

Just pure literary abandon!

*Let me know if you are joining me and I’l be sure to check in with you along the way.

By: Jillian Lauren

Friday will be Tariku’s first birthday. I bought him a tiny crown for the occasion. My parents and my aunt are coming into town and it will be the first time that we’re going to experiment a little bit with letting other people hold him. Until now, only Scott or I have been holding and nurturing him, in order to promote attachment. While I don’t anticipate any problems, it’s important to be conscientious about attachment when you’re adopting a child who’s been in an institution. We’ve been rewarded for our efforts. I almost cried the first time T and I were in a group and he crawled away from me, turned, made eye contact, and crawled back. For the rest of the parents in the room this would have been commonplace, so no one had any idea what a remarkable thing had just occurred. The attachment process isn’t just one-sided. We fall more in love with T every day.

His favorite place to hang out lately…

Jillian Lauren

From The New York Times
By: Adam Liptak

In a San Francisco courtroom two weeks ago, a prominent lawyer opposed to same-sex marriage made a concession that could mark a turning point in the legal wars over the purpose and meaning of marriage.

The lawyer, Charles J. Cooper, has studied the matter deeply, and his erudite briefs are steeped in history. He cannot have been blindsided by the question Judge Vaughn R. Walker asked him: What would be the harm of permitting gay men and lesbians to marry?

“Your honor, my answer is: I don’t know,” Mr. Cooper said. “I don’t know.”

A couple of hours later, Judge Walker denied Mr. Cooper’s motion to dismiss a lawsuit seeking to establish a constitutional right to same-sex marriage. The concession and the ruling that followed it have transformed a federal lawsuit that had been viewed with suspicion by many gay rights advocates into something with the scent of promise.

The suit, filed in May by Theodore B. Olson and David Boies, made the bold claim that California’s voters violated the federal Constitution last year when they overrode a decision of the state’s Supreme Court allowing same-sex marriages.

The suit was, gay rights advocates said then, the wrong claim in the wrong court in the wrong state at the wrong time. There was wariness about Mr. Olson, a former solicitor general in the Bush administration, and there was frustration about what some viewed as his meddling in a carefully plotted and methodical strategy focused on state-by-state litigation and lobbying.

Those objections are waning. The ship has sailed, said Kenji Yoshino, a law professor at New York University, and gay rights advocates “need to focus on getting it to the right destination.” He added that Judge Walker’s refusal to dismiss the case “was a major victory for Olson and Boies.”

In the courtroom, Mr. Cooper’s arguments seemed to fall of their own weight. The government should be allowed to favor opposite-sex marriages, Mr. Cooper said, in order “to channel naturally procreative sexual activity between men and women into stable, enduring unions.”

Judge Walker appeared puzzled. “The last marriage that I performed,” the judge said, “involved a groom who was 95, and the bride was 83. I did not demand that they prove that they intended to engage in procreative activity. Now, was I missing something?”

Mr. Cooper said no.

“And I might say it was a very happy relationship,” Judge Walker said.

“I rejoice to hear that,” Mr. Cooper responded, returning to his theme that only procreation matters.

Later in the argument, Mr. Olson added his own observation. “My mother was married three years ago,” he said. “And she, at the time, was 87 and married someone who was the same age.”

Still, it is one thing to persuade Judge Walker. The ultimate destination of Mr. Olson’s suit is the Supreme Court, and it is hardly clear that he will be able to convince five justices to see things his way. Andrew Koppelman, a law professor at Northwestern and the author of “Same Sex, Different States: When Same-Sex Marriages Cross State Lines,” said Mr. Olson would have trouble attracting votes from the current justices. Asked how many justices Mr. Olson could count on, Professor Koppelman said, “I have trouble getting to one.”

It is not obvious that even the more liberal justices will want a piece of this fight. Justice Ruth Bader Ginsburg, for instance, has long said that Roe v. Wade, the 1973 decision that identified a constitutional right to abortion, went too far too fast and might have been counterproductive.

“The court bit off more than it could chew,” Justice Ginsburg said of the case in remarks at Princeton last year.

In a new book called “The Will of the People,” Barry Friedman, a law professor at New York University, argued that the Supreme Court was quite responsive to public opinion in constitutional cases.

When the court found no constitutional problem with a Georgia law that made homosexual sex a crime in Bowers v. Hardwick in 1986, two-thirds of Americans supported such laws. By 2003, when the court overruled Bowers and struck down a similar law in Lawrence v. Texas, public support had dropped to about a third.

This was, Professor Friedman wrote, “a screamingly evident case of the court’s running right along the tracks of public opinion.”

Mr. Olson’s problem, then, is that he may reach the Supreme Court too soon. Public support for same-sex marriage is gaining ground, particularly among younger people. But a majority of Americans remains opposed to the practice.

At the argument, Judge Walker seemed to share this concern. “Aren’t you just getting ahead of yourself by asserting this claim under the federal constitutional provisions?” the judge asked.

Mr. Olson responded by comparing his case to Loving v. Virginia, the 1967 Supreme Court decision that held bans on interracial marriage to be unconstitutional. But 34 states permitted interracial marriage when Loving was decided. Only six states permit same-sex marriages.

The Loving decision, moreover, came almost two decades after the California Supreme Court struck down a state law banning interracial marriage in 1948 in Perez v. Sharp. The California Supreme Court’s same-sex marriage decision is a little more than a year old, and it has been repudiated by the state’s voters.

At the argument in San Francisco, the two sides did agree on one point. “The name ‘marriage’ means a lot,” Mr. Cooper said. “It does have, by virtue of its ancient and venerable heritage, an imprimatur that is special.”

Judge Walker has scheduled a trial in the case for January. He wants to hear about the history and purpose of marriage and the consequences of allowing same-sex couples to marry. And he has hinted that he may allow the proceedings to be televised.

“We should buckle our seatbelts,” Professor Yoshino said. “A comprehensive vetting of the empirical issues by a judicial tribunal is welcome and long overdue. Walker’s trial bids fair to be a trial in an almost scientific sense of the word.”

NEW YORK TIMES

By: Rosy Barren

I have another 3- 4 weeks before I start the whole process again. I’m gaining some strength back and can now see the light -albeit through a pinhole. I am able to celebrate that I can have a drink and exercise and give my belly a break from all of the pricks. I’m not ordinarily such a dark person but this process has certainly thrown me for a loop. I submerge myself in hope each try and with every failure I get weaker and stronger at the same time. I am callused and no longer the tender fragile girl I started as. I am a better person for the challenges I’ve faced- I know this now. I sometimes wonder if my luck has run out. I have had a rather blessed life and I can’t help but think that this is my lesson, my weak point, my bad luck and that the universe is telling me to let it go. Am I being selfish by wanting so badly to have a baby rather than to adopt? There are so many amazing children out there that need parents and here I am spending thousands of dollars selfishly trying to conceive my own. These are the daily battles that go through my mind as I sign the waivers, write the checks and order the drugs for the next round of enhanced scientific wondrous baby-making.

By: Allison Norris

Fall is here and it seems that the changing weather has caused a major writer’s block. It could also be because I’ve been responding to emails with one hand as my baby is in the other, making typing a bit of a challenge and discouraging me to write any more than I absolutely have to. I’ve been using “text lingo” in emails – and if you have received one of these abbreviated messes, I’m sorry.

Bay is growing so quickly and I am getting the hang of this mommy thing… I think. I’ve now started looking at newborns and inserting the oh so annoying, “awww, I remember when they are that small…” like I have multiple children who are all full-grown and in college. Then they look down and see my 8 week old and wonder what the hell I am talking about.

Being out and about with Bay, I think my favorite question has been if I like being a mother. What would happen, exactly, if I answered in a less desirable fashion? “NO, I REALLY HATE IT.” It’s sort of a no brainer… Everyone is going to initially say yes, because they are spending every minute of every day trying to be the best mother, and if they don’t feel like the best mother, they are definitely faking it to seem like they are. Women were put on this earth to have babies, right? We should just KNOW what to do! I’ve decided to share a few of my favorite things about being a mommy.

Bay pooped and I went to change him. As I lifted his little legs into the air to get a good wipe, a rocket fart shot poop directly onto my hand and up my arm! Mortified, I looked down at the mustard feces and then at my little darling who, like clockwork, gave me the most adorable smile that I had ever seen. Pulling my eyes away from my new arm decor, I reached over to the wipey container and there it was. MORE POOP! Scanning the surrounding area, I discovered it everywhere! Little yellow blobs freckling the entire changing station. I quickly covered Bay in a new diaper fearing that another rocket explosion would occur and stuck him in his swing – which, by the way, is the best invention ever. My laundry pile grew and everything got a great wipe down, but the whole thing is just a little gross. I felt like I needed a hazmat suit with sanitizing chemicals. I mean, this was poop, right? Is a moist cloth really going to sanitize all that needs to be sanitized? Are little green, microscopic monsters breeding and going to invade my home, starting with the changing table covered in smeared poo?

This is my life. Poop. Wearing poop, worrying about poop, wiping poop, and dodging it as it flies across the room. No wonder I’ve had a writer’s block. I swear, I really do love being a mother.

Now that Bay is here, and visible instead of inside of my belly, there are a whole slew of new questions. “Awwww, cuuuuuute, how old is he?” “Awwww, just a new one! What’s his name?” “How’s he sleeping?” “CAN I HOLD HIM?” Can you hold him? Hm. Creepy lady working in the safeway deli with a hairnet and gloves? No, you may not hold him. Four year old little lady with hands about the same size as Bay’s? No, you may not hold him, sorry. It’s tough to deny people the pleasure of bundling my little man in their arms. I’d just rather not endure the agonizing feeling I get when I hear him cry because they are doing it wrong and instinctively want to rip him out of their arms.

People talk about schedules and patterns and all of this very technical stuff when it comes to babies. What does each cry mean and how long can they go without eating in the night? Such complicated little beings, always changing and growing and right when you think you have them figured out – they throw something new into the mix. Mommies are obsessed with their babies, as they should be, and are forever trying to figure out exactly what they are doing, saying, feeling, implying, requesting or craving. This is a good thing, but it can also make you feel insane.

Every mom likes to think their child is just a little bit more advanced that other babies their age. I know I do. We praise them for a hearty belch, we ooo and ahhh over a big poop, and we even console them when they’ve puked all over a recently dry cleaned top. When does it switch over to punishing them when they forget to say, “excuse me” after a burp, or reprimand them for not flushing their little turd down the toilet? Not cute to puke on people? Say what? Sometimes I think Bay fully understands what I am saying as he has amazing conversation skills, obviously. Eye contact… a polite and adorable smile… a perfectly timed coo… and then he tries to fit his entire hand into his mouth right after he’s just punched himself in the forehead. Can you imagine your date, a grown man, trying to do that at dinner? “Oops, sorry, I just like to punch myself in the face sometimes (shoving fist into mouth while simultaneously trying to finish his sentence). Babies are cute. They get away with everything…

Perfect timing. My little prince has just awoken and is trying to tell me something with his wailing. I bet he’s crying in Spanish or something. He’s super advanced.

By: Brandy Black

Last Saturday, two of our closest friends, Justin and Alberto, took us to a Richard Simmons class in Beverly Hills. It was a gift for Susan’s birthday. When they told us what they had in store for us, we didn’t know what to expect. Does everyone dress up in their best 80’s attire and laugh their way through the class or is this a serious workout? J&A (this is our joint nickname for “the boys”) paid for our sitter and picked us up at our house, with cold waters sitting in our drink holders in the back of the car. I love gay guys.

When we arrived at the class it was a surprisingly eclectic group. Young hipsters with cameras in hand, people dressed from the 80’s (some intentionally and others not), people of all ages and sizes and a few that I would imagine have been regulars to his class for years.

The energy in the room was buzzing and when the double doors swung open and Pink’s “So what, I’m a Rock star” came blaring through, there was nothing left to do but smile. Richard led us in a dance-filled warm up with many comic asides and a few screeches for emphasis. He was full of life and although I hate cha cha cha-ing my way through a work out class, I have to say it was a blast. I was thrusting and pumping and spinning and clapping and laughing and alas, sweating. Richard spotted us newbie’s right away and actually came over and hugged Susan and me in the middle of class. He had other teachers that would teach in 10-minute segments. One instructor must have been in her late 50’s and another a good 150 pounds overweight, but they never missed a beat. They were vibrant and agile and gave us all a great work out. It was nice to see Richard embracing all people at all levels. I didn’t expect an iconic Hollywood celebrity trainer to be so real.

When the class was near the end Richard blared “Thriller” and led us in a “jazz hands”, toe-tapping, campy cool down. He ended the class with a brief lesson on the word “respect”. I imagine he chooses a word each class and spends 5 minutes re-setting your intentions for your day, your week or your life. In a quiet tone, he told us we need to respect the elderly, the homeless, our families and most importantly ourselves. He talked about having respect for our bodies and our lives and all of the people around us. He was serious for the first time. He spoke from his heart and came from a place of true understanding of human nature. I had expected a “performance” of sorts and instead got a real person who in his boisterous, funny loud nature has a heart of gold. I get why Hollywood and people around the country love Richard Simmons; he’s the real deal.

By: Jillian Lauren

The thrill of this last month-and-a-half has been the progression of my communication with T. There are still moments where I feel lost and clueless, but far more often are the moments when I know we’re getting each other. For instance, the food thing. I was initially feeding him rice cereal and pureed carrots and stuff like that, trying to keep it simple and to add one food at a time, etc, etc. He wasn’t having it. In Ethiopia, they were feeding him things like sausage and onion soup, so I think he was probably just bored with my bland if lovingly prepared and organic creations. One day I was wearing him in the Ergo and walking around the Americana (I used to make fun of people who brought babies to malls as an activity- no longer), when I gave up on my eternal fucking diet and bought myself a chicken sausage sandwich. T kept trying to eat it, so I started feeding him little bits of the roll and then eventually little bits of the sausage and he was the happiest baby on the block. A nearby mother actually asked in horror, “He eats that? Isn’t it spicy for him?” Man, people are nosy when you have a baby.

So now Tariku has gone from eating carrot puree to eating, well, everything. And he’s gained about five pounds. We’re calling him our little chunk of love.

T’s favorite things are Brown Bear, banging on things, eating chicken sausage, standing up, looking out the window, Bob Marley, bath time and, most, most of all, his doggies. Doggy is his first word of English. He uses it for anything he really likes.

Jillian Lauren