a bunch of grapes

Moved: no longer at this address

2005-04-25T15:57:00.000-05:00

This space no longer being updated: Go HERE for new entries!

Moving Pains

2005-04-11T14:23:00.000-05:00

Living room Originally uploaded by jessamynnorth. When we last saw our heroine, she was in the midst of a discouraging house hunt that seemed as though it would never end. She thought she and her family might never find a home to buy that would not make them very sad. The places they could afford were often depressing; the places that weren't depressing they often couldn't afford. Would

Glow

2005-03-31T12:41:00.000-06:00

Originally uploaded by jessamynnorth. I know that babies are often dirty, often moody, almost always impatient. You have to clean up after them, because they can't clean up after themselves. You have to carry them around until your arms are sore. You have to worry and take care of them 24 hours a day; if anybody else had woken you up at 4 in the morning so many times, you'd have written them

Nice Family in Search of Good Home

2005-03-28T09:34:00.000-06:00

Easter Portrait Originally uploaded by jessamynnorth. "We have seen quite a few condos by now, and most of them aren't what we're looking for. Many are tiny or dirty or ugly. Some are in bad or faraway neighborhoods. Some are beautiful but out of our price range (our realtor doesn't take us to those, but we can't help ourselves from looking at listings online). Some are nowhere near an el

New entry

2005-03-09T15:42:00.000-06:00

Secrets for Katie Originally uploaded by jessamynnorth. "I am starting to believe that she is mine, she is ours, she is not going to disappear or fade away, she will be around for a long while yet, that it will be so amazing and interesting to watch and help her become the adult person she will one day become. I am starting to believe that she really truly not only needs me, but loves me.

One Year

2005-03-08T13:48:00.000-06:00

From this...To this...In just one year's time. (No, not the man, the baby!) Katie turned one year old yesterday. I love, love, love her.Also, there's a new entry up at DotMoms.

Vacation (not all we ever wanted)

2005-03-02T12:15:00.000-06:00

Auntie Steph & Katie (2) Originally uploaded by jessamynnorth. Last Monday we flew to Halifax, Nova Scotia. This Monday we flew back home to Chicago. It would have been a nice vacation, since we saw a lot of people that we like and love very much, and everybody loved Katie, and Katie spent the week getting really good at walking. However, during the week, one by one and two by two, we

Nothing like falling in love

2005-02-10T11:55:00.000-06:00

Perk (Week 48) Originally uploaded by jessamynnorth. "Dear Katie,This is nothing like falling in love.There are none of those questions: 'Are you The One?' 'Do I really love you?' 'Do you really love me?' 'Are you really the person I think you are?' 'Will I still love you in a month and a year and a decade?' 'Are you too young or old for me?' 'Are we too different?' 'Are we too alike?' '

2005-02-08T12:50:00.000-06:00

Toothbrusher (2) Originally uploaded by jessamynnorth. "As of this Monday, Katie is exactly 11 months old. And in the morning, for the first seventh of any month since one month after she was born last March 7th, I forgot to sing her "Happy Birthday." I think this means I'm getting used to having her around."New entry up at DotMoms.

Terror in the Playpen

2005-02-04T08:42:00.000-06:00

Don't let anybody tell you my daughter's not wacky. Because she is. In these pictures, she is clearly attempting to flee for her life, but the mesh of the playard has prevented her escape! What might not be as clear is that she was also saying, "Ahhhhhhh!" very loudly. In between giggles.Originally uploaded by jessamynnorth.

Bathroom Mirror

2005-02-01T09:14:00.000-06:00

Bathroom Mirror Originally uploaded by jessamynnorth. Last night Katie and I took some pictures in front of the bathroom mirror while Geoff took a shower. (Apparently, stay at home parents sometimes don't find time to take showers during the day, for some reason!) I was only wearing a robe (over my clothes) because I was cold.I used to think Katie looked quite a bit like me, but the

Katie & Molly

2005-01-25T11:38:00.000-06:00

Katie & Molly Originally uploaded by jessamynnorth. Katie and Molly had a good time in the snow in the backyard on Sunday. Katie's snowsuit had actual contact with snow for the first time ever.

2005-01-23T19:05:00.000-06:00

Dad and Daughter Originally uploaded by jessamynnorth. "And I know this doesn't change a damn thing for you, but I want you to know, assuming that Katie turns out to be perfectly healthy (as she certainly seems to be, and as of course I fervently hope she is), that I do not take that for granted."New entry up at DotMoms.

2005-01-13T14:32:00.000-06:00

First Scrunchie Originally uploaded by jessamynnorth. New entry up in the journal:"I want to write because time moves so fast that before I know it, these days will be gone, and I wrote what I wrote yesterday because I wanted to capture some of what it is to be living my life today."

2005-01-11T10:29:00.000-06:00

Looking back at mom Originally uploaded by jessamynnorth. There's an entry up at DotMoms from January 8th. Mmmm...cookies...

Winter

2005-01-07T09:38:00.000-06:00

Berwyn and Glenwood Originally uploaded by jessamynnorth. It really feels like winter now that we have snow on the ground.

Hi!

2005-01-05T11:17:00.000-06:00

Hi! Originally uploaded by jessamynnorth. Katie says hello, and happy new year! She'll be ten months old on Friday.

Happy New Year

2005-01-03T08:12:00.000-06:00

Happy Holidays Originally uploaded by jessamynnorth. There's a new entry up in the journal. Happy new year!

Stamping & Mailing

2004-12-22T10:21:00.000-06:00

Stamping & Mailing Originally uploaded by jessamynnorth. Yesterday I went to the post office, bought stamps, stamped envelopes, and mailed Christmas cards. This is the first year we've sent out cards before Christmas in quite awhile. Go, us!

Tree Star

2004-12-21T15:12:00.000-06:00

Tree Star Originally uploaded by jessamynnorth. The top of our Christmas tree. We're having a good holiday season. Happy holidays to you, too.

Iced Sugar Cookies

2004-12-20T10:57:00.000-06:00

Iced Sugar Cookies Originally uploaded by jessamynnorth. Candace and Erin and Rebecca and I made Christmas cookies on Saturday. It's the fourth year that Candace & Erin & I have gotten together before Christmas to have a Cookie Baking Day, and the third year that Rebecca has joined us. We've made sugar cookies every year. This year I made the dough at home so that all we'd have to do

Successful Manipulation

2004-12-17T10:24:00.000-06:00

Sunday Night Katie Originally uploaded by jessamynnorth. Good Lord, Nestle just sent me an email with a "special holiday greeting," and I watched it, and it showed this mother kissing and playing with her smiling baby, and the voiceover says: "She's what you wished for...what you're most thankful for...and why the holidays this year mean even more. Because it's your first together...the

Family Holiday Portrait

2004-12-13T10:17:00.000-06:00

Family Holiday Portrait Originally uploaded by jessamynnorth. This was the best of about 35 takes. (Thank you, digital.) We'll try again tomorrow. This is nice, but we'd prefer to get a shot where none of us are blurry. And maybe even one where no one's underwear is showing.As a side note, how do you like our little home studio? Yes, that's wrapping paper hanging behind the couch.

2004-12-09T11:01:00.000-06:00

Jessie, at work and listening to accuholidays.com, talks to herself: Jessamyn says: Man, this version of Winter Wonderland is AWFUL Jessamyn says: It's Charlotte Church Jessamyn says: Have you heard her sing before? Jessamyn says: She sounds a little bit like if Julia Child were to start singing Jessamyn says: Well, if she weren't dead, I mean Jessamyn says: It has a muppet-esque quality to it

New DotMoms entry

2004-12-09T09:48:00.000-06:00

Tree Originally uploaded by jessamynnorth. New entry up at DotMoms. (It has nothing to do with Christmas or this picture.)"I have at least 50 pounds to lose.I also have a 9-month-old baby at home, which means that when I mention this to people, a lot of them say, 'Oh, well, you recently had a baby!' The thing is, I have already lost all of the weight I gained when I got pregnant. And

Mirror Pepper

2004-12-08T12:40:00.000-06:00

Mirror Pepper Originally uploaded by jessamynnorth. Last Saturday Katie and I had a delicious breakfast in the delightful company of Amy (Hi, Amy!). Afterward, we went home so Katie could take a nap (her second of the day). While she was sleeping, Geoff went out to buy our Christmas tree. We put up the tree that day. On Sunday night we strung lights on the tree (and five or six

Nine months

2004-12-07T22:41:00.000-06:00

Katie and her mother Originally uploaded by jessamynnorth. "Dear Katie,Hello, sweet girl! Today you are nine months old. This morning we sang 'Happy Birthday' to you, the way we do pretty much every time you turn one more month old. While we sang, you held onto the CD shelf - against which you had stood up all by yourself! - and rocked back and forth from foot to foot. You really like it

Caaaaaaat!

2004-12-06T10:55:00.000-06:00

Caaaaaaat! Originally uploaded by jessamynnorth. The other morning while I was in Katie's room taking pictures, she spied a cat in the doorway and excitedly announced its presence.This isn't a great picture, but it was a nice moment.

Miracle Work

2004-11-29T14:17:00.000-06:00

Hooded (2) Originally uploaded by jessamynnorth. New entry up in the journal.

2004-11-27T22:22:00.000-06:00

Bedtime Bottle Originally uploaded by jessamynnorth. The letdown when the milk lets up - new entry up at DotMoms.

Katie's Room

2004-11-23T22:51:00.000-06:00

Katie's Room Originally uploaded by jessamynnorth. She's large for her age, but she is still really a very small human. Sometimes when I am lugging her around, or sitting beside her, or holding her on my lap, or struggling to strap her into her car seat, or dressing her in her 18 month size clothing, I forget how small she is. I forget that there is a whole entire human being packed

Painted Red

2004-11-22T10:58:00.000-06:00

Painted Red Originally uploaded by jessamynnorth. The year after I graduated from college I lived in Lexington, Kentucky, in a 2 bedroom apartment with two of my friends. My share of the rent was $92 a month. The manager of the apartment complex was this woman named Chino Short (ok, not really, but go with me on this). She was married to a man named Bobby (that was his name). Chino

Her second oldest

2004-11-18T15:20:00.000-06:00

Sunset & Spire Originally uploaded by jessamyn8470. New entry up in the journal.

Two Years

2004-11-16T15:13:00.000-06:00

Roses (2) Originally uploaded by jessamyn8470. Again in a second - new entry up in the journal.

Me and Them

2004-11-15T11:03:00.000-06:00

Me and Them Originally uploaded by jessamyn8470. I took the el to Chicago's Pilsen neighborhood last Wednesday during my lunch break. I wandered around and took about 150 pictures or so. Pilsen is a mostly Mexican-American community, full of bright colors and some of the friendliest people (especially to an obvious tourist-stranger with a camera) that I've met in Chicago. In addition

Well-Rested Katie

2004-11-08T20:51:00.000-06:00

Katie and the Silver Fox Originally uploaded by jessamyn8470. New entry - The promised land (or a good night's sleep) up at DotMoms. The picture shows Katie with my maternal grandpa, aka "the Silver Fox." No, really. When he calls me he leaves messages: "Hello, Jessie. This is the Silver Fox speaking." Every time he sees Katie, he sings, "K-K-K-Katie, beautiful Katie" to her.He's an

Coming Back

2004-11-04T09:41:00.000-06:00

Self Portrait Originally uploaded by jessamyn8470. I posted a new/old entry in the journal. I've been missing writing.

Happy Halloween from Happy Monster and Me

2004-11-01T09:24:00.000-06:00

Happy Monster and Me Originally uploaded by jessamyn8470. We hadn't really felt the need to buy Katie a Halloween costume, until Saturday, when I suddenly decided that even though she isn't old enough to eat candy, she was old enough to wear a costume and have her picture taken! Did I really want to miss that photo opportunity?So we went to Target. There was almost nothing left on the

Purple Overall Photo Shoot

2004-10-28T12:19:00.000-05:00

Purple Overalls (5) Originally uploaded by jessamyn8470. On Wednesdays Geoff goes to choir practice, and I stay home with Katie. It was pretty warm out when she and I got home yesterday afternoon, so I put her down in the grass and took some pictures of her. It was hard to choose one favorite photo to post here - she has so many different expressions, and all of them make me smile. You

T(r)ail Lights

2004-10-26T21:04:00.000-05:00

Trail Lights Originally uploaded by jessamyn8470. Some days it's nice to just look at something abstract, isn't it? Ahhh....clear your mind. Just look at the pretty colors! Now, don't you feel better?

Kathleen Matilda, 2 foot 4 or 5 (or so)

2004-10-25T07:52:00.000-05:00

Kathleen Matilda, 2 foot 4 or 5 (or so) (2) Originally uploaded by jessamyn8470. Another piece - "Just beautiful, no 'but'" is up at DotMoms. Katie practiced walking on Saturday. I'm pretty sure it was the first time the bottoms of her little feet felt sidewalk underneath them. She had a good time.

"What are you doing?"

2004-10-20T21:09:00.000-05:00

Bath & Teeth Originally uploaded by jessamyn8470. Thing said today, to be filed under Things I Never Thought I Would Say:"Are you pooping, or are you just playing with your bug?"(If you look closely, you can see Katie's two tooth nubs in the middle of her bottom gums. Soon, she will be toothed rather than toothless!)

Love

2004-10-20T16:42:00.000-05:00

Love Originally uploaded by jessamyn8470. Not even eight months old, and already Katie trusts each of her parents implicitly and completely. It's really kind of awe-some. Sometimes I get teary watching Katie with her father.

Chiquita Banana

2004-10-19T16:38:00.000-05:00

Chiquita Banana Originally uploaded by jessamyn8470. And this is a Chiquita banana - or two of them, actually. Nobody pays enough attention to that Chiquita lady on the label, do they?

Green Tile Building

2004-10-19T12:25:00.000-05:00

Green Tile (Looking Down) Originally uploaded by jessamyn8470. There is this building on Bryn Mawr Avenue in Chicago, just a few blocks east of Lake Shore Drive, and it is covered in green tile. We have been driving by it on a regular basis for a year and a half now, and almost every time we go by I look at it wistfully. I really want to take its picture! Yesterday Geoff picked me up at

Geometric

2004-10-18T14:47:00.000-05:00

Geometric Originally uploaded by jessamyn8470. Another picture taken yesterday during my impromptu photo shoot at the church. (And when I say photo shoot, I really kind of mean it. I took well over a hundred photos.) The stained glass windows there are really beautiful, but it's a challenge to try to capture their beauty in a photograph. I'm not sure this one really meets the

Katie and Her Shadow

2004-10-17T21:32:00.000-05:00

Katie met her shadow today, I think. She also wore a pair of green overalls, that I bought before she was born, for the very first time. Shockingly, something that I bought in size 6-12 months about 9 months ago actually fits Katie while she is between 6 and 12 months old! I really love this picture. I'm thinking of collecting pictures of Katie and making a 2005 calendar from them. This

Kangaroo Daddy

2004-10-15T14:12:00.000-05:00

Kangaroo Daddy Originally uploaded by jessamyn8470. Geoff and Katie walked to the el to meet me the other day. On the way home we realized that it was getting really chilly, and Katie had short sleeves and no socks! I picked her up out of the stroller, wrapped her in a blanket, and carried her for awhile. But then I got tired, and Geoff took her. And then he realized he had a ready made

Rain on the Train (Not in Spain)

2004-10-14T11:54:00.000-05:00

Rain on the Train (Not in Spain) Originally uploaded by jessamyn8470. Last Friday I sat in the very last seat of the very last car of the el train on the way to work. I took pictures out the back window. It's not raining today (or at least it wasn't when I arrived at work - I don't actually have a window in my office, so I'm often the last to know about any weather changes), but it

Katieroy was here

2004-10-12T09:24:00.000-05:00

Katieroy was here Originally uploaded by jessamyn8470. Last night after her bath but before being dressed in her pajamas, Katie grabbed onto the crib railing and pulled herself up to a standing position. At this point in her development, she usually uses five balancing points: right arm, left arm, right leg, left leg, and mouth. Not a tripod - a quintapod? A pentapod? I usually don't

Molly and the Mums

2004-10-11T13:01:00.000-05:00

Molly and the Mums Originally uploaded by jessamyn8470. We've been trying to give Molly some extra attention. She's been having a hard time since Katie was born, as evidenced by how frantic she gets at the mere thought of one of us playing with her. Too much attention for Katie, and not enough for Molly. Poor dog. At least now Molly gets to eat the Cheerios that Katie drops on the

Katie and her Grandpa

2004-10-09T21:48:00.000-05:00

Katie and her Grandpa Originally uploaded by jessamyn8470. My dad and stepmom visited us this weekend. We had a good time, as we always do when they visit, and Katie had fun with them. They had fun with her, too.Geoff took this picture, which I promptly (if hyperbolically) dubbed "the best picture ever." I have a hard time getting good pictures of my dad, but I love this one.

Yarn & Stealth

2004-10-08T11:02:00.000-05:00

Lamb's Pride and Size 10 1/2 Originally uploaded by jessamyn8470. Yarn: This is the yarn I bought for my knitting class, which started last night. After I got home from class, I cast on thirty stitches (stitches?) and then knit four rows ALL BY MYSELF. I enjoyed it and everything! And I love the color of the yarn I picked out.Stealth: I wrote a new piece for DotMoms called "Stealth

Seven Months

2004-10-07T11:33:00.000-05:00

How did you get to be seven months old, my pretty little girl in the pink and white sleeper? And how is it that you know how to crawl and pull my hair and say "da da da da" and sleep for more than eleven hours straight during the night? How did you find out what's funny and how to tell your own private baby jokes? I love you, Katie. You are seven months old today, and this is what you

Baby Neck

2004-10-06T12:16:00.000-05:00

Baby Neck Originally uploaded by jessamyn8470. Babies' necks don't really look strong enough to hold up their big heads. Katie's neck is just now starting to look like it's in proportion with the rest of her. She's ready for another Cheerio here.

And now a picture of our kitchen sink...

2004-10-05T09:59:00.000-05:00

Red Gerber Originally uploaded by jessamyn8470. Ok, so Grace told me that she thought I could take interesting pictures of dirty dishes, so I thought I'd try. And here you have it. A dirty red Gerber baby bottle in the kitchen sink. I must admit I do think it's an interesting picture, although for some reason when I glance at thumbnail-sized versions of this picture, I keep thinking

Sunlit

2004-10-04T22:16:00.000-05:00

Sunlit Originally uploaded by jessamyn8470. For some reason, this picture makes me think of a science fiction movie. Or an animated one. Or animated science fiction.I took this picture last Friday. I had the day off, and in the morning I fed Katie in the kitchen while bright sunlight poured in through the back window. Then I took her picture (many times). (Those are Cheerio bits on

Berries & Flowers

2004-09-30T11:29:00.000-05:00

Berries Originally uploaded by jessamyn8470. I took this photo in Laurie's backyard in Elizabethtown, Kentucky, several years ago. Back then I took most of my digital photos on the smallest size, which is too bad, because I'd love to print this out and hang it up in Katie's room. Now that she has her own room, I'm thinking about covering one of the walls of her room with huge framed

Kiss the baby

2004-09-29T10:50:00.000-05:00

Kiss the baby Originally uploaded by jessamyn8470. Geoff and Katie came downtown on Monday to have lunch with me and some out of town friends (Hi, Misty!). It's a treat to get to see my baby in the middle of the day. Things are fine, the weather is nice, and our apartment is feeling homier since we moved Katie into her own room. My job is going well, Geoff and I are getting along

Uh oh

2004-09-28T13:56:00.000-05:00

Enduring much frustration and emerging victorious, Geoff lowered the crib mattress today. Then he put Katie in her crib. Moments later, as his back was turned, he heard a trimphant "ththththththththtth" coming from behind him. When he turned around, he saw Katie STANDING in her crib, holding onto the side, looking very proud. Uh oh. We're in for it now. (Have I mentioned that she does

Watery Smile

2004-09-27T14:25:00.000-05:00

Watery Smile Originally uploaded by jessamyn8470. Here's a nice smiley face for you, to help you start your week off right. They can't all be pictures of Katie, ok?

2004-09-24T15:58:00.000-05:00

Do you see this baby? DO YOU SEE THIS BABY? Do you know what this baby did? This baby went to sleep last night at 7:30, and although this baby whimpered a little bit at 2:40 and at 3:55 a.m. (yes, we still have the monitor on, and yes, all of her amplified whimpers wake me up), she did not fully awaken until SIX THIRTY THIS MORNING! I love this baby. I am feeling energetic and happy and

She's Good

2004-09-22T22:09:00.000-05:00

There's a new piece called "She's Good" up at DotMoms.

A Good Game of Cheerios...

2004-09-21T09:29:00.000-05:00

A Good Game of Cheerios... Originally uploaded by jessamyn8470. A good game of Cheerios requires extreme cunning and intense concentration. Katie is up for the challenge.Katie's first Cheerios experience was on Saturday. She was very interested in them, and attempted to get them into her mouth, not because she knew they were food, but because that is what she attempts to do with

Strawberry Sweater

2004-09-18T10:24:00.000-05:00

Strawberry Sweater Originally uploaded by jessamyn8470. Our friend Kerry crocheted this sweater for Katie. Katie wore it today for the first time. It might be worth noting that in addition to her sweater and her diaper, Katie was wearing only a onesie. Although her father believed that it was cool enough to warrant a sweater, her chubby little legs were completely bare (but covered in a

Auntie Stephanie and her niece

2004-09-17T14:36:00.000-05:00

Aunt Stephanie has a niece Originally uploaded by jessamyn8470. This is my sister-in-law Stephanie with Katie, on the last morning of her two-week visit, before she returned to Nova Scotia. We wish she lived closer. About the only reason we were glad for the end of her visit was because it meant that Geoff and I could stop sleeping in the same room with Katie, because OY, Katie does not

Fallen

2004-09-15T13:57:00.000-05:00

Fallen Originally uploaded by jessamyn8470. Rebecca and Stephanie and I walked over to Millennium Park on Monday during the lunch hour. There were lots of kids playing in the fountain, including two little pre-school age girls, who ran around and around in a circle that was half-in and half-out of the water. Right when I turned around to take a picture of one of the little girls, she

Sunday Picnic Hat

2004-09-14T13:27:00.000-05:00

Sunday Picnic Hat Originally uploaded by jessamyn8470. And here it is, the hat. Just because I'm her mother doesn't mean I'm wrong when I say that she's the cutest baby girl in the whole world. (At least she is to me.)

Sunday Picnic

2004-09-13T15:36:00.000-05:00

Sunday Picnic Originally uploaded by jessamyn8470. Yesterday we went to Geoff's church's summer picnic, and Geoff's sister Stephanie took this picture of us. My eyes look a little tired (rightly so, I'm sure), but otherwise it's a nice picture. Katie's dress is a gift from Stephanie. There's a matching hat - I'll have to post a picture of her in the hat tomorrow.

Six Months Old

2004-09-10T13:19:00.000-05:00

Six Month Checkup (2) Originally uploaded by jessamyn8470. There's a new entry up in the journal. Katie is over six months old now!

Going Places

2004-09-07T10:41:00.000-05:00

Tired Originally uploaded by jessamyn8470. Oh, and I wanted to tell you that I've started writing at DotMoms. My first piece, called "Going Places," is here.

Swinging

2004-09-07T10:32:00.000-05:00

Swinging with Mom (2) Originally uploaded by jessamyn8470. We had a nice weekend, which included a trip to the park, and Katie's first experience on a real park swing. She had fun. So did we. Geoff took this picture. I liked it so much I put a Photoshopped version of it on Internet Persona's index page. I've posted a bunch of other pictures from the weekend in my photostream at

Brunch

2004-09-03T13:41:00.000-05:00

Syrup Pitchers Originally uploaded by jessamyn8470. Geoff and Katie and Geoff's sister Stephanie and our friend Allen and I all went to breakfast this morning at Walker Brothers Original Pancake House. We had a nice time. There are a lot more pictures of Katie than there are of the syrup pictures, but not every day can be a Katie picture day around here, can it? Besides, I didn't think

Happy Baby

2004-09-01T11:07:00.000-05:00

Happy Originally uploaded by jessamyn8470. Last weekend Geoff and I went to Joliet, Illinois to attend the wedding of Erik and Erin (the picture in Erin's most recent entry is one I took). On the way down to Joliet, we stopped at Cracker Barrel, where this picture was taken.Katie went with us to the rehearsal, the rehearsal dinner, the wedding, and the reception. She did not cry at all

A Blur

2004-08-26T14:52:00.000-05:00

Katie in the Stroller Originally uploaded by jessamyn8470. This picture is a little blurry. That's kind of how everything feels lately, as if everything is happening at once, too fast, and there's not quite enough room in the space-time continuum to fit it all in. All summer we've been looking forward to Erin and Erik's wedding taking place at the end of summer, and now here we are two

Happy Friday

2004-08-20T11:30:00.000-05:00

Happy Katie Originally uploaded by jessamyn8470. When you are really happy and really busy shoving your own fingers into your mouth to chew and suck on them, and your mother is right there in front of you smiling at you, sometimes you have to smile with such force that your eyes crinkle up more than they ever have before in your young life. Baby Katie, No Teeth Originally

Sunlit & Shaded

2004-08-19T13:28:00.000-05:00

Sunlit & Shaded Originally uploaded by jessamyn8470. Yesterday morning I kept walking through and past places where the sunlight fell down through the branches and leaves in actual, visible streams of light. It reminded me of those pictures where a stream of light represents God, coming down to earth to touch us. In a very literal way, it felt like a blessed morning.

Clouds & Bricks

2004-08-18T09:03:00.000-05:00

Yesterday morning it thundered and stormed and the rain came down hard. Yesterday afternoon there were still puddles in the alleys I passed on my way home from the train. The bricks and the top of the reflected building are there every day. The clouds, the reflection, and the water are not.

2004-08-17T09:24:00.000-05:00

New entries up in the journal. One about weddings (specifically about my wedding), and another about babies (specifically about that baby pictured right up there). Both from emails to friends.

Leaf

2004-08-11T13:31:00.000-05:00

This is a leaf. Those are water droplets. (That is a hose.) Leaf Originally uploaded by jessamyn8470.

Katie tires of the paparazzi

2004-08-10T11:23:00.000-05:00

Katie tires of the paparazzi Originally uploaded by jessamyn8470. There are times when Katie doesn't want me to take any more pictures of her. Enough already, she thinks! (Can you blame her?)Either that, or she just wants me to give her the camera so that she can suck on it.

Baby Hand

2004-08-09T11:11:00.000-05:00

Baby HandOriginally uploaded by jessamyn8470. Katie turned five months old this weekend (wasn't it something like a week ago when she was four months? where did the month go?). It's been a big month for Katie. * She can grab both feet now (first she figured out the right, then the left); * She can pull either foot into her mouth and suck on her big toe; * She grabs everything she can get her

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2004-08-05T09:40:00.000-05:00

And speaking of my birthday, Geoff made me a birthday cake, and this is what it looked like before I blew out all the candles with one mighty gust of breath. (You know what? I think I forgot to make a wish. Is there a default wish, like a year's worth of happiness, or something?) 34

2004-08-04T10:16:00.000-05:00

Today is my birthday. I'm 34 years old. There's a new entry up in the journal.

Katie is only an apprentice with the spoon.

2004-08-02T10:56:00.001-05:00

Katie had "solid" food for the first time yesterday - sweet potatoes. She didn't get a whole lot of them into her mouth, but she liked what she tasted. After her first spoonful, she started reaching for the spoon herself. When we gave her the spoon, she ended up hitting herself in the eyebrow, the cheek, the chin, the nose - sweet potatoes flew everywhere. Geoff was away at a conference this week, so my mom came up to stay with us and take care of Katie while I've been at work each day. You can't really tell from this picture, but Katie is delighted by her Grandma. They've had a great time, but I know Mom will be glad when Geoff returns and she can go back to more of a grandparent role, able to hand off the baby when

Take that!

2004-07-29T09:35:00.000-05:00

I was in Marshall Field's when I took this picture. Right after I took it, an employee approached me with an irritated look. "You can't take pictures here, ma'am." Really? I asked him. Not in the whole store? "Not in the Thomas Pink section, ma'am." So you know what I did. I walked until my feet were no longer on the floor of the Thomas Pink section, and then I

Waterlogged

2004-07-28T12:13:00.000-05:00

In the fountain at Millennium Park in Chicago. This boy didn't have a bathing suit on like a lot of the other kids, but he happily got soaked over and over again.This picture looks to me the way summer feels. Waterlogged Originally uploaded by jessamyn8470.

Mirror Bean

2004-07-28T11:43:00.000-05:00

Yesterday I walked over to Millennium Park on my lunch hour. Last time I was over there, the park wasn't completely open yet, and you couldn't walk all the way over to the giant kidney bean sculpture. Now you can - this is what it looks like underneath the kidney bean. I was wearing a denim skirt and a pink t-shirt yesterday. How many me's can you find? (Click

2004-07-26T15:41:00.000-05:00

Did I mention that Katie did great on the plane, sleeping through not only both flights, but also through the hour that we sat on the runway before our flight to Louisville took off? She is doing great, overall, although I have been informed that she is worrying her Grandma today a little bit. My mom is here taking care of Katie - today is their first day at home

Katie is glad it's Friday (I am, too)

2004-07-23T13:11:00.000-05:00

Friday means that Katie and her Mommy get to spend the days together! This weekend we'll have extra time together. Geoff is leaving tomorrow afternoon to go to a conference in Indiana; my mom is coming up on Sunday to be our daytime nanny for Katie next week while Geoff is gone. Pre-Drooly

2004-07-22T11:33:00.000-05:00

Professional Haircut Tuesday night I got what I think was my first professional haircut since before our wedding in November 2002. I often cut my own hair and end up happy with the results. But the last time I cut it, I used a pair of very dull scissors. Not so smart. I was pretty excited to have somebody else repair the damage I'd done. Here's my new haircut. I like it! It's entirely

Bell?

2004-07-22T11:21:00.000-05:00

This brick wall is at the end of the street running perpendicular to ours. You can see the B and the E and the L and the L and the arrow from at least a block away. I always assumed there was a teeny tiny doorbell next to the arrow, and it made me laugh to think about the situation that would have caused somebody to spraypaint that sign so that somebody else could

2004-07-20T15:56:00.000-05:00

Xander And speaking of little (big?) boys I know and love... Remember Xander? This was Xander in July 2002. This was Xander in September 2002. Here was Xander the weekend before last, when he and Tracy & Tim visited us. And here is Xander with my lovely daughter. It's a little startling to realize that less than five years ago, none of them - Xander or Katie or Jack - had even

Jack

2004-07-20T11:28:00.000-05:00

Jack is Laurie's little boy. I am Jack's Aunt Jessie. I am getting to watch him grow up. This was Jack in December 2000. This was Jack in October 2001. This was Jack in November 2002. This is Jack in July 2004. (I love Jack.) Jack & Robin (not Batman!) Originally uploaded by jessamyn8470.

My little girl

2004-07-16T11:17:00.000-05:00

My little girl and I, along with my friend Rebecca, are flying to Louisville today to visit our dear friends Laurie and her son Jack. It will be Katie's first plane trip, obviously. As if she knew that today might be a hectic one, she slept over 9 hours in a row last night. Wish us luck! (If you read this before 1:00 p.m. central time, feel free to leave comments with any

2004-07-15T15:07:00.004-05:00

It's been a long time since I posted one of these self- portrait- in- the- car photos. I look about the same, though. Hi.

Push Button

2004-07-15T14:58:00.000-05:00

It seems like it must have been very long ago that buttons to call elevators were this elaborate. But how long ago can it have been, since it was recent enough that elevators were already in existence? This is from a building that is split in two - one half is the Cook County Building, the other half is City Hall. The details of the building are worthy of a whole

Schwinn

2004-07-14T15:37:00.000-05:00

I like this picture. I don't really know why. I took the picture even though the subject matter seemed kind of drab and boring, but when I first looked at the picture, I liked it. I've glanced at it a few more times today, and it's growing on me; I am a little bit fascinated by it (can you be a little bit fascinated?). (And now I'm thinking it would be even

The Baby Eats

2004-07-13T21:16:00.000-05:00

Katie - as tall as an apartment building, and able to eat whole neighborhoods in a single bound! (This weekend at the aquarium we met a woman and her 9 month old baby. The mother was pleased that her baby had reached 16 pounds at her 8 month checkup. We both laughed when I said that Katie had weighed 16 pounds at her 2 month checkup, and weighs about 20.5 pounds