We just returned from vacation. We being me, Alex, and The Kid. We left The Baby in the capable hands of grandparents because the thought of taking him and all of his machinery and his baby food and his diapers on a plane gives me hives. This was our first big vacation away from him …
An actual conversation between me and my 12 year old son: “WOW! Your bellybutton looks HUGE in that!” “Okay, son. Do you get to comment on women’s bodies if they don’t ask you to? No, that’s right. I didn’t ask you for feedback- good or bad. You get to run around with your shirt off, …
A few weeks ago, we went to a Down Syndrome Guild picnic at a local amusement park- the kind with the rides that are scary cause they’re real old and the only thing they really do is make you feel a little sick. We’ve done a handful of Guild events but I tend to struggle …
I went to a vigil in Balch Springs for Jordan Edwards last week. It was everything you would want a vigil to be- beautiful and sad and moving and comforting. Like most, I was horrified by Trayvon Martin and Tamir Rice’s deaths. I have been deeply affected before by deaths caused by police brutality, but …
I keep telling myself that it’s crazy that I still have 4 out of 5 grandparents (4 biological grandparents and one step-grandfather). I know people close to my age that don’t have any. I must have some excellent longevity genes or something. However, my paternal grandmother is pretty sick and needs surgery to fix her …
Last week, I stopped by a liquor store to pick up some vodka for homemade vanilla that we’re making for Christmas gifts. I stood in front of the giant wall of clear liquid that (literally) all looks the same, completely flummoxed. I’m not sure the employee appreciated my question as to whether the “cheapie vodka” … Continue reading
I’ve been thinking alot about tone policing this week. It’s a term I learned in an anti-racist context, as in white people tone police people of color when they’re talking about their experiences. In essence, it’s saying, “I can’t hear you unless you can talk about this calmly and rationally.” It’s just another way to … Continue reading
This has been a rough week, no? I went to a rally yesterday to turn in a petition to the Dallas District Attorney’s office demanding that the ex-police officer who shot Botham Jean in his Dallas apartment be charged with murder. When I was checking in with a friend, she shook her head sadly and … Continue reading
From the Prophet Ezekiel (written after Israel had been forced into exile from the Promised Land, it is written because they had rejected God) Chapter 37 1-2 God grabbed me. God’s Spirit took me up and set me down in the middle of an open plain strewn with bones. He led me around and among them—a lot of … Continue reading
I went to my first Dallas Pride Parade on Sunday. While Tom’s are usually my foot-diaper-like shoes of choice, I wore my Chuck Taylor low tops, which I’ve had since high school. As I was tying my shoelaces on Sunday morning, I thought about all of the friends that I had in high school and … Continue reading
I’ve discovered a new Zumba studio. It’s not full of yuppie grandmas who wear their yoga pants to Target. I’m actually the only gringa there- it’s all latina women who come every day, sometimes multiple days a week. Here is what I look like after class: It likely comes as no surprise to you that I’m the … Continue reading
It’s no surprise that children’s hospitals can be really depressing places to be. After taking guardianship of The Baby, he was (still) in the NICU for about a month. It was my first time spending any length of time at a children’s hospital and, despite the hospital’s best efforts, it could get very grim. One … Continue reading
