Stalin Benester

Books of 2011

2012-01-03T22:22:00.002-06:00

I think I forgot to do this last year (maybe I'll have to go back and post 2010's list, too), but here's what I read in 2011. My pace slowed considerably after October. A lot of them were audio books this year -- I often found myself consuming three books at once, with one book in my bag, one going in my car, and another on my iPhone or on one of the digital Playaway devices from the library.

1. Raising Boys by Steve Biddulph
2. Fall of Giants by Ken Follett. I tore through this epic, the first part of a 20th century trilogy weaving stories of families in Wales, London, the U.S., Russia and Germany. I can't wait for the second installment.
3. Raising Your Spirited Child by Mary Sheedy Kurcinka. If there's one word for O, it's spirited.
4. Clara and Mr. Tiffany by Susan Vreeland. I loved this piece of historical fiction about the stories and craftsmanship behind the gorgeous Tiffany glass lamps.
5. Sick of Shadows by Marion Chesney
6. An Object of Beauty by Steve Martin. This is a neat little book about the art world.
7. Deeper than the Dead by Tami Hoag. Creepy.
8. Cinderella Ate My Daughter by Peggy Orenstein. I'm requesting this one from the library again.
9. At Home by Bill Bryson. Ever wonder why your home is the way it is? This book traces the genesis of every nook and cranny in a modern home.
10. The Three Weismanns of Westport by Cathleen Schine. This book had traces of Sense & Sensibility as its roots, but didn't come close to matching the original.
11. The Journey that Saved Curious George by Louise Borden. A colorful look at the harrowing journey the Margaret and H.A. Rey took out of WWII France with the ideas for Curious George in their bicycle baskets.
12. I Think I Love You by Alison Pearson. This is a fun read for anyone who ever owned an issue of Teen Beat.
13. The King's Speech by Mark Logue and Peter Conradi
14. The Adults by Alison Espath
15. True Grit by Charles Portis
16. You Know When the Men are Gone by Siobhan Fallon
17. Sweet Valley Confidential by Francine Pascal. OK, it's pure fluff, but I couldn't resist. Does it help if I say I breezed through it in a couple of days?
18. The Union Quilters by Jennifer Chiaverini
19. Star by Peter Biskind. I have a new appreciation for the career of Warren Beatty after listening to this audiobook. I particularly loved the story about how the perennial bachelor up and decided one day that he was going to marry Anette Bening, and how she agreed.
20. Almost Astronauts by Tonya Lee Stone. This was a piece of juvenile nonfiction about the women who trained for NASA but never got to space.
21. Bossypants by Tina Fey. So funny. She seems like someone who would be a really great friend to have.
22. Unbroken by Laura Hillenbrand. This was my favorite book of the year, a masterful telling of the incredible -- truly unbreakable, as the title says -- spirit of Louis Zamperini.
23. I'd Know You Anywhere by Laura Lippman
24. The Wilder Life by Wendy McClurg. This one has prompted me to pick up the Little House on the Prairie series again and plan a trip to the Wilder sites in Wisconsin, Minnesota and DeSmet. I'm even reading some of them to Little C!
25. By the Shores of Silver Lake by Laura Ingalls Wilder. See above.
26. Little House in the Big Woods by Laura Ingalls Wilder. I actually read this one to O in an attempt to help him get to sleep easier. It didn't work, but he still enjoyed it.
27. The Long Winter by Laura Ingalls Wilder. Wow. The Ingalls family rivals Louis Zamperini when it comes to an unbreakable spirit.
28. The Dressmaker of Khair Khana by Gayle Tzemach Lemmon. This piece of nonfiction is a good companion to A Thousand Splendid Suns, as Lemmon tells the story of how women in Afghanistan fought to earn a living and support their families in the unimaginable suppression of women under Taliban.
29. Something Blue by Emily Giffin
30. Silencing Sam by Julie Kramer, whose books are fun escapist reads for anyone looking for a good mystery with Twin Cities angles.
31. Baby Proof by Emily Giffin
32. Sense & Sensibility by Jane Austen. None of the knockoffs can compare to the masterpiece.
33. Brain Rules for Baby by John Medina
34. The Happiness Project by Gretchen Rubin. This offered an interesting premise - the author tried to live a better life by trying to adopt certain habits -- but it seemed like she was trying too hard. I'm just attempting to live in the moment more myself.
35. The Heart of the Matter by Emily Giffin. I don't know what drew me to Giffin's books this year, but I listened to all of them on audio, which was a good way to consume them.
36. Not My Daughter by Barbara Delinsky.
37. Enrique's Journey by Sonia Nazario
38. Untold Story by Monica Ali. This book explores the premise of what would have happened if Princess Diana had faked her death and gone off to live as a 40-something single woman in the U.S.
39. State of Wonder by Ann Pachett. This is the runner up as my favorite book of the year. I don't know what it was about this book, but I couldn't put it down. (Maybe it was the fact that part of it takes place in Eden Prairie?)
40. Thirteen Reasons Why by Jay Asher
41. 56 by Kostya Kennedy. I now believe no one will come close to reaching Joe DiMaggio's 56-game hitting streak. This was a great story of the game-by-game pressure DiMaggio faced, along with a season played with war looming, the death of Lou Gehrig, Ted Williams' .400 season.
42. In the Garden of Beasts by Erik Larson
43. Alice Bliss by Laura Harrington. A coming-of-age story of loss and love, and the personal toll of the war in Iraq. Keep some Kleenex handy.
44. What's Eating Your Child? by Kelly Dorfman. A real eye-opener about how food affects a child's mood, development and overall health.
45. If You Were Here by Jen Lancaster. Make sure you have a copy of Sixteen Candles to watch as you read this humorous novel about a couple who buys Jake Ryan's house on Lake Michigan.
46. Miracle Beach by Erin Cellelo. Erin is a good friend, and she's crafted a taut piece of fiction about family. You won't be disappointed.
47. Dogs of Babel by Carolyn Parkhurst
48. City of Thieves by David Benioff. I keep finding my way to WWII fiction, and this was a great adventure story about the siege of Leningrad.
49. Sarah's Key by Tantiana de Rosnay. More WWII-related fiction, but the story was a tough one for the mother of a small child.
50. Before I Go to Sleep by S.J. Watson
51. Betsy-Tacy by Maud Hart Lovelace
52. Is Everyone Hanging Out Without Me? by Mindy Kaling. Terrifically funny. Like Tina Fey, I'd love to have Mindy Kaling as a friend.
53. Escape by Barbara Delinsky
54. Honeymoon With My Brother by Franz Wisner. My book group -- Based on the Novel, where we read books that will be or have been made in to movies -- chose this one about a groom who's left at the altar and decides to honeymoon with his younger brother. I can see this one making a decent movie -- it's a nice little story about brotherly love and picking yourself up from rock bottom.
55. Stories I Only Tell My Friends by Rob Lowe. This was among my favorites for the year, too, and this is also why my book group is the coolest. Rob Lowe is like the Forrest Gump of Hollywood, having worked or crossed paths with just about every working actor in the business. I could have listened (I had the audio version, read by the author) to another six hours of stories.
56. Little House on the Prairie by Laura Ingalls Wilder
57. The Starter Wife by Gigi Levangie Grazer
58. How the World Makes Love by Franz Wisner. Wisner attempts to compare the approach to love around the world, but I found that part less compelling than his story about finding love himself back home.

Halloween

2011-11-03T20:57:00.007-06:00

After much wavering, O decided this year to be the Cat in the Hat. He was lobbying for Colin and me to be Nick and Sally, the two kids who accompany the Cat on his adventures, but he had to settle for his little sister as the Cat's fish friend.

We started the Halloween fun with a party and parade at O's school, then went to Channel 3 for some trick or treating around the office. O loved handing out candy to trick or treaters who rang our doorbell (every night since he's asked if more kids are going to come by) Colin got home from work, the two of them went to a couple of houses in our neighborhood.

(Here's a photo of the originals -- how did I do?)

Future footballer?

2011-06-13T20:57:00.001-06:00

It's no surprise that Owen already loves soccer. He gets a healthy dose of it at home. Throughout the winter, we entertained ourselves with many many many games of living room soccer, using the fireplace as on of our goals. As soon as the snow melted, we were at the field at our park, practicing dribbling, shooting and taking corner kicks.
Most "organized" soccer groups start with kids who are 3 years old - O is just shy of that. My friend Polly decided to put together an informal group though, and when I asked O if he wanted to go, his "Yes!" couldn't have been more emphatic. Then he proceeded to have a five-minute discussion with himself about what he should wear. "Maybe I'll wear Liverpool. Or Roma. Or Liverpool. I'll wear Liverpool."
Having all the right gear is very important to him. When we play T-ball, he has to wear a pair of purple gardening gloves for batting gloves. So, knowing this, I took him to get a pair of shin guards and size 3 ball, and we found a bag that would work for his stuff. He was so proud walking out the door with the bag on his back, all ready to play.
After some initial trepidation, by the time his coaches got to a game of "Red Light, Green Light," he was having a ball. He's gotten pretty good at passing and dribbling, so all our home practice must be good for something.
Then again, maybe he'll decide hockey is his game. This morning I got out of the shower and discovered he had emptied all the diapers from his drawer in to a pile in the hallway.
I asked him what he was doing with them.
"Skating."

Leaving for work

2011-06-01T08:59:00.001-06:00

As I was heading out the door for work, O stopped me.

"Mom, I want to tell you something!"

I came back to where he was eating breakfast to listen.

"I love you a whole much!"

Good start to the day

2011-05-17T11:10:00.001-06:00

It took the little man a long time to settle down last night, and I actually had to rouse him this morning to get him ready.

He got out of bed and crawled in my lap, then hugged me sleepily and said, "I'm so happy you're here."

From the backseat

2011-05-13T16:36:00.001-06:00

O: "I don't have a Joe Mauer bobblehead. Let's look for one online."

Baseball according to O

2011-04-24T21:05:00.001-06:00

We went to the Brewers game today and I discovered baseball with O requires a translator.

Glover: the pitcher
Masker: the catcher
Every masker must be Joe Mauer
Sometimes a mitt is a "mitten"
Every hit must be a home run, meaning Bernie Brewer has to go down the big slide in left field
Everything that happens must be followed with a question starting with "Why?"

When we got home from the game, he set up
his John Axford bobblehead that we got at the gate and pretended he was the hitter facing Axford's pitches. I remembered we had a Robin Yount bobblehead from a game last year and now the two of them are facing off in the living room.

The best text ever

2011-04-01T15:32:00.001-06:00

Not long after I settled in to my desk this morning, I received this text message from Colin:

"O: I have a good mommy. She's cute and I like her."

If that doesn't get me through the roughest days, I don't know what will.

Consumerism

2011-02-24T23:22:00.004-06:00

I'm not sure whether to be impressed or frightened by this -- help me decide.

Tonight, when O and I were driving home, we were stopped at a red light next to an office building. O looked at the sign and said, "Mom, is that insurance?" I made him repeat it because I wanted to be sure that's what he was saying, because, in fact, he was looking at an American Family Insurance sign. We're not entirely sure where he picked that up, but we're thinking he saw it on a commercial somewhere and got the logo stuck in his head.

It's not the first time something like this has happened. A month or so ago, he was in the backseat talking to himself and started saying, "Boo hoo! They like customers, I like cash!" He kept repeating it and we had no idea where he'd gotten it. Colin suggested I Google it and sure enough, it was a line from a Southwest Airlines commercial that he had likely seen during the football playoff games.

And around Christmas, he was playing with his phone and pretending to talk to "Peggy" -- a character in a Discover card ad. (I had to Google that one, too.)

So, that gets me back to my first point -- I don't quite know what to do with this. Maybe we're just better at tuning out the ads and he picks up more of the details and the stories being told. Maybe we should offer him up to a researcher on how kids interact with advertising. Maybe we should be impressed with his concentration and recall. Maybe we should stop letting him watch so much television (he really doesn't watch that much -- some Curious George, news and sports on weekends).

Announcer

2011-02-17T23:27:00.002-06:00

Overheard in the backseat, says Colin: "This is News 3 weather!"

Maybe he's watching a little too much news.

Tired

2011-02-15T22:57:00.001-06:00

The last time I posted, we were getting ready to move O to a toddler bed. He was really excited about it, so we moved the bed in and trashed the crib (long story but acting on advice from the Consumer Product Safety Commission). But it didn't take him long to figure out the bed meant mobility and a way of engaging us after bedtime. Add that to his disposition as a very active boy and you have the recipe for some very long nights...and early mornings. Asleep at 10 p.m., up at 5:45 a.m. So we continue to search for the magic solution that will keep him in bed and help him wind down, but we haven't found it yet. (I came close tonight - a CD of Curious George stories got him to be still in bed, but he didn't drift off until after 10 p.m.) let's just hope this is his 2-and-a-half-year-old phase.

Despite the circles under his eyes - yes, it about makes me cry to see them - he's still delightful. He's really good at matching the pictures in a Memory game we got him for Valentine's Day and his ability to remember lyrics and lines from movies astounds me. He loves to know who everyone is on the news and is still talking about going to the TV station with his dad a few weeks ago.

More soon when we all get some sleep.

Snow holiday

2011-01-17T22:43:00.006-06:00

It turned out to be a good day for a holiday -- we got at least six inches of snow and O and I were hunkered down inside for most of the day. But when he got up from his nap, I thought we needed to get some air. I practically had to drag him outside but I eventually sold him on going out when I suggested we bring the snowball maker he got for Christmas. (It's great, by the way -- today's snow wasn't quite wet enough for good snowball making, but we'll have a ton of fun with it when the snow cooperates.)
Once we got outside, he had a really fun time. He made flaky snowballs, helped me shovel, made a snow angel, and then wanted to make a "Frosty." Here's our handiwork, with a corncob pipe and magic hat made out of leftover Christmas tree branches. We also made a Professor Hinkle (the magician in Frosty) and Frosty's friend Karen, also made of tree branches. He then wanted to make an Owen and dad along with a TV. Hmmm. They got Liverpool FC insignias made out of fir fronds.
After spending about an hour outside, we came in for grapes and cocoa. Maybe I can use that as a bargaining chip the next time I'm trying to get him out in the snow.

Tomorrow

2011-01-10T21:25:00.001-06:00

When I was first pregnant with O, I searched for a way to relax myself - to take me to a mental place where I was blissful and not worried. The place I found was familiar - I had inhabited it when I was about 10, when I was obsessed with "Annie." So , throughout that first trimester, I listened to the soundtrack...over and over and over. I guess it shouldn't surprise me that he now loves the songs. Tonight, I had to have "Maybe," "Tomorrow" and "You're Never Fully Dressed Without a Smile" on repeat as we drove home from Target, and he thought it was funny when I made up new lyrics as I got his dinner. ("oh pizza, pizza, I want to eat some pizza, with pineapple on the cheeeeeese.")

Energizer

2011-01-08T21:55:00.005-06:00

This is the scene I walked into when I went to pick O up from school the other day: He dribbled a soccer ball, shot it in to the hole of a cushioned tunnel, then did his post-goal celebration, complete with jumping, fist pumping and yelling "I scored a goal!"

One of the teachers shook her head at him and said, "I don't know where he gets so much energy!" I know just what she's thinking -- I don't know how he does it. Right now, it's almost 10 p.m. and he's still stirring around in his bed, trying to fall asleep. Earlier, when we were supposed to be quietly singing in the rocking chair, he was belting out "People in our Neighborhood" from Sesame Street. (And he was doing it with different voices. That's one of his new things -- when he's pretending, he speaks in a lower register or makes his voice scratchy to be a man, and a little gurgle when he's pretending to be a baby.) Tonight he's quiet in there , but some nights there's singing and talking to his stuffed animals as he tries to settle down. I guess that two-hour nap today did its job for the afternoon, but charged his batteries for the whole evening.

I'll be interested to see how things change when he's out of his crib and in to the new toddler bed we bought for him...

He's been doing this "pretend to be a baby" thing a lot lately, including tonight after his bath, when he was lying on our bed as I toweled him off. But then, as I tried to get his pajama bottoms on, I pulled him to standing. He threw his arms around my neck to give me a big hug, and after I told him I loved him, I got an "I love you, too" back. And so while it's fun to remember what he was like as a baby, having an expressive, loving 2-year-old is pretty incredible.

P.S. He managed to fall asleep while I was writing this.

Reflections

2011-01-05T21:03:00.004-06:00

The begging to watch "Curious George" started the minute we got to the car this afternoon. I mentioned that we were going to go home and make dinner and Owen said, "Can I watch something while you make dinner?" Then it was repeated, about two dozen times. I made the decision that we weren't going to watch anything and I'd try to find some alternative entertainment. So, after dinner Owen and I spent about an hour tonight going through the old blog posts looking at his pictures and watching videos -- over and over and over again. I told him stories about what he was doing in them, and he loved it. I think he was most amazed at the things he can do now that he couldn't when he was a baby -- roll over, talk, sing.

After his bath and some stories, he and I were sitting in his rocking chair to quiet down for the evening. I looked down at how big he's getting and realized he's not going to be able to sit in my lap much longer, so we stayed there for a long time tonight -- he was unusually cuddly and still (rocking is typically a squirmy affair), so we sang songs and talked for longer than usual. Aside from the moment he sees me when I arrive at school to pick him up -- he shouts a hearty "Hi Mom!," drops whatever he's holding, runs to me and says, "Let's go home!" - talking with him and remembering the best pieces of our time together is my favorite part of the day.

Little man

2011-01-04T20:44:00.004-06:00

After I posted last night's blog, I went back and looked at all the old blog posts I'd written, and as I got to those from when he was a baby, Colin asked me, "Are you going to start crying now?" A few tears were shed, I'll admit, but you can't help it, especially when watching the ones with videos of him giggling (he still belly laughs that way).

And as I read back through the old posts, I found some threads that are still relevant today, and I'll revisit those. But this evening I've been reflecting a lot on my Grandpa Maher, who would have been 94 today. I wish he had gotten to meet our kids -- he would have gotten such a kick out of them. When O senses a new audience and starts to ham it up, I know he got that from his Grandpa Bernie. And every time O is asked who is his favorite baseball player is, and he yells "Joe Mauer!" I can see my grandpa's smile. So, even though he didn't get to meet O, little pieces of him lives on.

As for the little man, he becomes more grown up every day. After I picked him up, we went to Sport Clips for a haircut and despite crying, "I don't want a haircut!" through the whole thing, he was a good sport and did really well. (My coat is covered in hair, but oh well.) It helps that the place is plastered with hockey sticks, soccer balls, and pictures of football, baseball and Bucky Badger. He does great when we have lots of distractions.

Yes, dear, I'm very happy

2011-01-03T22:13:00.002-06:00

I know I said last year I was going to blog more, but this year I really mean it. I have a warning, however: If you don't like stories about O, you can stop reading. It's really going to be dedicated to the funny, insightful, sweet things he says every day. Another blogger I read says she writes a blog about her kids and prints out the previous year's entries on their birthdays. So, even though blogs are soooo 2006, my mom doesn't want to join Facebook and misses out on a lot of the stories, and I want to have a better record of O's childhood, because it's speeding by.

We just enjoyed a nearly two week break together and we seem to have hit some stretch of the third year where he (temporarily?) dropped the "terrible" part of the terrible twos and has been a ton of fun. Tonight, even though Mr. No Nap was bordering on deliriously tired, he wanted to play a game where he was a baby and thought it was hysterical that we were talking to him and carrying him like a baby. It sure made the bath a lot easier; for the last month, he's pitched a fit and splashed us away when we tried to wash his hair. Instead, he giggled away and cooed like a infant as I lathered him up. (I seem to remember him not liking the bath at some stage of infancy, but I'm not going to remind him of that. I will remind him that last night -- out of the blue -- he declared that I am smart.)

Maybe it has something to do with the fact that I have been less stressed out over the holidays, but in our best moments, he keeps turning to ask me, "Are you happy, Mom?" with his big grin. Yes, I tell him, I am terrifically happy.

Books of 2009

2010-02-21T14:43:00.002-06:00

Yeah, yeah, I know what's left of my readers are looking for news of Owen. The kid's still cute and funny -- today he's big on having us stand up and play soccer with him, insisting that we "Stand floor!" and waving his hand down to show us what he wants us to do. He also has become particular about what songs I sing to him and if he doesn't like my selection, he says, "More song!" Let's hope he doesn't say that to his music class teacher later this afternoon.

I've been meaning to post the list of books I read last year since I've heard from some people in the past that they enjoy getting book ideas. So, for what it's worth, here it is, with a few thoughts about some of the most thought-provoking ones.

Three Cups of Tea, Greg Mortenson – an eye-opener about life in Afghanistan.
American Wife, Curtis Sittenfeld – truly entertaining fictional take on the life of Laura Bush.
The Man Who Invented Christmas: How Charles Dickens’s 'A Christmas Carol' Rescued His Career and Revived Our Holiday Spirits, Les Standiford – "A Christmas Carol" is one of my favorite books of all time, and I never knew the impact it had on shaping the holiday as we know it.
The Perfect Wife, Ann Gearhart – This biography of Laura Bush helped clear up what was true and what wasn’t in “American Wife.”
Outliers, Malcolm Gladwell – this lays out the reasons why luck and timing are often the reason for success. Sorry about your August birthday, O.
The Pillars of the Earth, Ken Follett – a must read for any fan of historical fiction, architecture, England or truly great writing. One of my favorite books of the year.
Marrying Mozart, Stephanie Cowell
It’s a Boy, ed. Andrea Buchanan – this is one I’ll have to reread once a year as O grows up.
Love the One You’re With, Emily Giffin
Bright Side of Disaster, Katherine Center
Street Gang, Michael Davis – I loved this history of the creation and impact of “Sesame Street”
Operating Instructions, Anne Lamott
Frankly, My Dear, Molly Haskell – this history of “Gone With the Wind,” another one of my all-time favorite books, got me to pick up the 1,037 page classic again (see No. 18).
How the States Got Their Shapes, Mark Stein – enlightening book about how our country became what it is geographically. (Wisconsin really got lost out on a lot of land in order to share Great Lakes access with some other states, but that was part of the bigger plan for geographic equality.)
The Lady Elizabeth, Alison Weir – another take on my favorite period for historical fiction by a skilled historian.
A Homemade Life, Molly Wizenberg
Sippy Cups are not for Chardonnay, Stefanie Wilder-Taylor
Gone With the Wind, Margaret Mitchell – Yes, it’s politically incorrect, and yes, Scarlett is an imperfect character to love. I think I avoided rereading this over the years because I was afraid I wouldn’t like it as much as I did when I was 15. No worries, I still loved and devoured it.
Heart & Soul, Maeve Binchy – I usually like her books, but this wasn’t one of my favorites.
American Parent, Sam Apple – a new father’s take on parenthood. I loved the experiments he did on himself with tear-free shampoos (they really hurt the eyes) and baby food (not very appetizing).
Gossip of the Starlings, Nina de Garamont
Swimming, Nicola Keegan – a fictional story about a world-class swimmer is perfect choice for anyone going through Olympics withdrawal.
Admission, Jean Horwitz
Pollyanna, Eleanor H. Porter – Life would be much better if we all played the “Just Being Glad” game more of the time.
Not Becoming My Mother, Ruth Reichl – This isn’t a self-help book – I’d love to be like my mother!
Skeletons at the Feast, Chris Bohjalian – Another of my favorite reads of the year. I couldn’t put down this book about the eastern front at the end of WWII, and I found myself thinking about the characters and story constantly when I wasn’t reading it.
Olivia Joules & the Overactive Imagination, Helen Fielding – a light and entertaining read – just what you’d expect of the author of “Bridget Jones’ Diary.”
My Life in France, Julia Child – you’ll have a new appreciation for high-quality cookbooks once you read how much time and effort Child put into her masterpiece on French cooking.
Prospect Park West, Amy Sohn – what my life might have been had I stayed in Brooklyn. I’m much happier to have landed in Madison.
The Sweetness at the Bottom of the Pie, Alan Bradley – Flavia, this book’s 12-year-old budding detective, is one of the best protagonists I’ve ever encountered. I can’t wait for the sequel.
Missing Mark, Julie Kramer – a breezy murder mystery pursued by a Twin Cities television reporter. Lots of fun.
The Girls From Ames, Jeffrey Zaslow – this one made me really miss my high school friends.
The Great Escape, Kati Marton
The Wild Things, Dave Eggers
When Pride Still Mattered, David Maraniss – I figured that if I’m living in Wisconsin, I should know more about Vince Lombardi, even if I’m not a Packers fan.
Upstarts!, Donna Fenn
Where Men Win Glory, Jon Krakauer – also on the favorite of the year list. Run to the bookstore or library to read this one!
The Lost Symbol, Dan Brown – another book that delivers what you’d expect from its author – a can’t-put-it-down read that races across Washington, D.C.
In Defense of Food, Michael Pollan
The White Queen, Philippa Gregory – one of my favorite authors of historical fiction switches eras to the War of the Roses, and I enjoyed it just as much. I’m looking forward to the next two books in the trilogy.
The Guy Not Taken, Jennifer Weiner
No Time to Wave Goodbye, Jacqueline Mitchard
Live from New York, James A. Miller and Tom Shales – this comprehensive oral history of “Saturday Night Live” covers it all and gives me more respect for this paradigm-shifting show.
A Single Man, Christopher Isherwood -- a gripping read that takes place over the course of one day. Now I have to see the movie!
Stalking Susan, Julie Kramer

Froehliche Weinachten!

2009-12-28T14:52:00.002-06:00

Hello, hello -- is anyone still out there reading this? I know it's been a while since we've posted, but we've had a lot of changes this fall. The biggest was Stacy taking a new job in the University of Wisconsin's communications department. That meant a return to full-time work, and the start of full-time day care for O. The good thing is that he still has a ball with the kids there and is awfully happy when we drop him off. That being said, we're enjoying two weeks off together for the holidays. Last week we were in Minneapolis and Stevens Point for Christmas and are relaxing -- and getting the house in order -- this week.

We're also making time for our annual international holiday celebration. This year, we picked Germany because we have the perfect costume for O -- a pair of lederhosen his Benedict grandparents brought back from him when he was a toddler. Legend has it they were too small for him, so they were never worn. I got them on O about a month ago, but as you can see from this picture, he wasn't too happy about it. To honor the German traditions, O had a visit from St. Nicholas in early December and found chocolate, an orange and some Cheerios in his shoes when he woke up from his nap. I'm also preparing some sauerbraten for our meal...pictures to come.

When I looked back at what I wrote during O's early days, I loved having that record of how he was growing and changing, so I'm going to do more posting in 2010, if for no one else but me. It's amazing what can happen over a couple of days. Since we've been off with him, we've noticed his comprehension is now really advanced, and he knows exactly what we're saying or asking him to do. He's learning new words by the handful every day; just this week, he's saying reindeer, scone, basketball, nurse, shot (he got his flu shot today), bike, wrist and knock. He also has a great way of saying "Moommmmeeeeey!" that makes my heart melt every time he says it, even at 6:30 a.m. When we were at my parents', my mom told him he needed to be gentle with a wooden loon on their hearth and to pat it on the head. He saw a loon in a book today and said, "Pat pat." He sings along to "Frosty the Snowman" with me and dances whenever he hears a few bars of music. At Grandma Kathy's, he marveled at people's prowess on the Wii with a hearty "Woooow!" and when Molly asked him to get T's shoes from under the dining room table at my parents' and bring them back to her, he crawled under to retrieve them and clapped for himself when we cheered him. He loves everything Elmo, snowmen and Santa, except for the idea of getting anywhere close to the guy in the red and white suit.

That's the latest from us. I'll post again soon on the German Christmas meal.

Back from Up North

2009-09-07T20:22:00.002-06:00

We had a fun weekend on Lake Towanda with the Stockbridges. Owen really loved having a little buddy around all the time. They got along well for the most part -- these pictures don't show the fallout from Owen taking toys away from Keegan.

Keegan did teach him how to blow kisses, and with Emily's chocolate chip banana bread he learned to sign "more." (He also says "mmmm" when he's doing it.) He's also started saying "mine," making the owl's "who" noise when he sees his owl puppet and loves to ask "why?" We're not sure if he really knows what he's saying, but I've been playing along and answering him.

Goofball

2009-09-04T23:09:00.003-06:00

It's been a while since I posted some new shots of Owen, so here are a few. It's a lot harder to get good pictures of him than it used to because he won't stay in one place and often he just wants to grab the camera.

He continues to be fascinated by technology and anything with buttons. He's quite adept on his feet and walking well...except when he trips over his toys. Any time there's a song playing, he starts dancing. He "talks" up a storm, but we think he's really understanding much of what we say and is using a lot of words, especially when he's repeating what we say. Regularly out of his mouth: Up, cup (pronounced "pup"), book, ball, hat, Cheerio, open, shoes, chair, hi, yes and more. Nancy, his day care provider, swears she asked him today if he was dancing and he replied, "Yes, I dance."

Some of these pictures are from our trip to the Milwaukee County Zoo last weekend with Grandma Martin. Owen was really watching all the animals from his perch in the backpack, but I think his favorite part was when he got out and walked around a little bit.

Let him eat cake

2009-08-10T10:50:00.003-06:00

Here are some shots from Owen's first birthday party. He woke up from his morning nap right when the festivities began and had fun playing with his buddies Gavin, Danny and Keegan, as well as all of his grandparents. He got quite a haul of presents, too, and will be entertained for months to come. He also enjoyed his first taste of chocolate cake -- yum! Thanks to all who made it such a fun day and memorable occasion.

First haircut

2009-07-26T21:44:00.002-06:00

OK, so it might have been his second haircut, but this was his first real haircut. I only lopped a little off the sides and top a couple of months ago. Still, after weeks of enjoying his Zac Efron-esque do -- a friend of mine joked about him styling it with a tiny hair dryer and round brush -- we decided it was time to get Owen's hair cut for real.

We took him to Next Generation, a kids' haircut place near our house -- thanks to the Smiths for the recommendation! Owen was in heaven -- he got to watch an Elmo video, and he got to sit in a red fire engine chair while Kathy the stylist cut his hair. He was very good, and as you can see from the photos, he took it very seriously. He was all smiles later, though, as he showed off how handsome he is! We were a little sad because he definitely looks like an older boy now, but he's so darn cute that we love it at the same time.

Splashy fun

2009-07-07T20:31:00.005-06:00

We finally got Owen's little pool inflated and ready to go this weekend, so we invited his buddy Keegan over to test it out. The water was pretty cold but they were undaunted. Owen started splashing right when he got in, and the giggling started once Keegan started splashing. Everything Keegan did was hilarious to Owen and it was funny to see the two of them playing together. (Up until now, they've just sort of played in separate spaces.)

Owen was 11 months today and he's starting to communicate with us. If you ask him where Daddy is, he'll point to Colin. We think he may have said his first word aside from "Dada" and "Mama": "up." He'll say it when he wants us to pick him up or when he is looking upstairs. He's also toying with "hi" and doing this two-handed open-and-closed hand thing that could be a wave. Time will tell if that's really what he's saying and doing or if we're engaged in some wishful thinking.

Happy 4th of July!

2009-07-04T09:38:00.001-06:00

Coming up on 11 months

2009-07-04T09:25:00.002-06:00

Where has the last year gone? It's gone by in thousands of diapers, hundreds of nursing sessions and dozens of books read before bed. Here are some of the latest shots of Owen.

It's fun to watch his personality and temperament develop. He's an intensely curious kid and can't play with something without turning it over to be sure he's not missing anything on the back. If he really, really wants something, he doesn't stop trying to get it until he's succeeded in getting it. He's skilled at getting a spoonful of food into his mouth, although sometimes he takes the easy way out and just sticks his fingers into the food and puts it in his mouth that way. He loves to look out the windows and tries to make a beeline for the door whenever it's in sight. He's still very happy and smiley, but it's harder to get those shots because he rarely stays still long enough to get a picture.

Our trip to the zoo

2009-07-04T09:15:00.003-06:00

We had a gorgeous Sunday in Madison last weekend and thought we should get out and do something, so we decided to hit the Dane County zoo. Apparently the animals agreed because many of them were out and busy.

It's so fun to watch Owen in a new setting, because it's amazing to see him taking everything in. He's so serious about it and his head darts back and forth as he looks around him. He seemed to like the bear the best and even yelled out a "ba!".

A kid after my own heart

2009-04-11T08:08:00.004-06:00

You can't imagine how happy it makes me to see the smile on Owen's face when he gets his hands on a book. Whether it's one of his board books or one of my hardcovers with the crinkly library cover, he really does love to touch the pages and look at the covers. (He's probably thinking, "How can I get this in my mouth?" but I like to think he has other reasons.) I hope he won't grow up and think it's dorky to love reading, and I'll do what I can to encourage him.

He's discovered his shelf of books next to his play area in the living room and delights in taking all the books off the shelf. Every once in a while, he'll stop to look at one of them. One of his favorites is a book about the Little People's class trip to the nature center, fire station, dinosaur museum, science museum and aquarium. It's got lots to look at and tons of flaps to lift on every page and he loves peeking behind those.

I got out all the lift-the-flap books now that he knows what to do with them. (That alone amazes me -- it wasn't too long ago that he didn't have the concept of object permanence, and now he knows to look at what's hidden behind a piece of cardboard.) I even got him an Easter card with a flap, and as I was buying it, I thought, "Owen will really like this." And thinking about it later, I decided it was pretty cool to know him well enough to know that's something he'll like.

In other Owen news, he's now the proud owner of two teeth in the middle of his bottom gums. He's also gotten quite adept at picking up food and putting it in his mouth. For a while, he was using a two-handed technique, using his left hand to bring the piece of cereal or meat close to his mouth and using his right index finger to work it into his mouth, and half of it would end up in his lap. But now he can pretty much do it in all one motion. Dinner takes a lot longer when he's feeding himself!

Where's my cookie?

2009-03-31T21:18:00.003-06:00

On the move

2009-03-31T20:55:00.007-06:00

Here are two videos of Owen crawling, taken about a week apart. As you can see, he's gotten much faster and precise with his moves, and he can really cover a lot of ground quickly. While we want him to crawl, we're not sure that we...and our house...are quite ready for it.
And here's a video that was taken over the weekend. We've found that any piece of electronic equipment -- a cell phone, camera, remote control -- is enough to send him skittering across the floor. His little phone -- not so much. And he does a mean Michael Phelps impersonation with his lunge on the last stroke.

Is he trying to crawl or do pushups?

Almost eight months

2009-03-31T20:49:00.002-06:00

Owen's been a very busy little fella in the last couple of weeks. He hasn't worked his way up to his knees yet, but he has perfected a military crawl. (More on that in a later post.) We also decided it was time for a little trim to get those side wings under control, so Owen had his first haircut over the weekend.

While Owen is having fun moving around, he's less than pleased about the two teeth poking their way through his bottom gum. The worst part is that he's used to being able to chew on things without those teeth getting in the way, so he's managed to bite his lip. Ouch!

Where Owen meets Blackhawk

2009-03-16T20:01:00.003-06:00

When people come over to visit, they often walk in the door and say, "Did you name Owen after the street?" because Owen Dr. meets up with Blackhawk Ave. just outside our door. No, we didn't, but we still think it's kind of cool that Owen Dr. ends at his house.
Too bad our last name isn't "Blackhawk."

Talking

2009-03-16T19:40:00.003-06:00

Owen loves to try out all of his different sounds. He's become increasingly vocal in the car, too, as we talk about what's going on outside.

Owen's spring

2009-03-16T19:36:00.002-06:00

Owen's been keeping very busy during our recent wave of super-warm weather. He's been enjoying lots of walks and fresh air, and especially loves to sit outside our house and watch the cars going up and down Blackhawk Ave. (And we love watching him track them all the way up or down.) On Sunday evening, we took him over to the park across the street from our house, where he went on the slide and a swing for the first time.

He also finished a six-week swimming class with Colin. We had hesitated to put his head under the water because we weren't sure how he'd do with it and we didn't want to make him afraid of the water. But on Saturday, when one of the instructors came around to swim with him, our ladykiller got shy and put his head down...straight into the water. It was funny the first time and even funnier the second time he did it. For the record, sticking his head in the water didn't faze him at all.

Happy St. Patrick's Day!

2009-03-16T19:34:00.002-06:00

More belly laughs

2009-03-10T18:32:00.002-06:00

Add "stinky" to the list of incredibly funny words.

A long car ride home

2009-03-10T18:30:00.001-06:00

It takes -- at most -- three minutes to get from Nancy's house (Owen's day care) to ours. So, it's always funny to me when he manages to fall asleep in that time. I was really giving it my all today trying to keep him awake -- singing "The Wheels on the Bus" -- but no luck.

Belly laughs

2009-03-07T16:55:00.007-06:00

Here's a video of Colin & O having fun. For some reason, O finds the word "Safe!" -- said like an umpire making a call at home -- really hysterical. Or maybe it's just Colin he finds funny.

Owen update

2009-03-07T16:06:00.003-06:00

Things were a little crazy at the StalinBenester house in February -- the worst was the five illnesses between O and Stacy. (Stacy even missed her Oscar party because she was sick -- that tells you something!) Anyway, blogging was one of the first things to go, but I'll try to make up for it with some photos of O.

In the last month, he's mastered sitting up and rolling back and forth to get to something he really wants. He's also trying out all the different sounds he can make, from "dadadada" to clicking and gurgling. He's also become very squirmy -- we can barely keep our hands on him sometimes! But he remains a very happy and smiley boy and we must say "He's such a good baby" at least five times a day.

Sledding

2009-01-27T21:52:00.003-06:00

One of Owen's Christmas gifts was this really cool sled, which is a pretty cushy ride for the little guy. It's got its own seat and weather shield. Despite some of the ridiculously cold temperatures recently, we've had a couple of chances to get him out for a spin.

The first time, we were looking to tire him out so he'e take a good nap when we got home. He had other ideas and decided to fall asleep while in the sled. Sigh. He slept through us writing his name in the snow, which you can see in one of the pictures. The next time, he was wide awake and really smiley about the whole experience as we tooled around our backyard, then took a lap around in the park across the street.

My stage mother moment

2009-01-25T22:41:00.002-06:00

Last fall, just a few weeks after Owen was born, I went to a local consignment sale to pick up some gently used clothes for the little guy. I got a ton of great stuff, and with plans to return in the spring, I signed up for the group's listserv.

A few weeks ago, the Half-Pint Resale organizers put out a call for photos of kids wearing things that were purchased at the sale. I sent along one of my favorite pictures of Owen and he's now featured on the group's Web site. Check it out here.

The funny thing is that kids of two of my book group friends were also picked -- be sure to look for Rory, Skylar and Beau.

A year in books, 2008

2009-01-25T22:36:00.003-06:00

I’m a little late in getting this together, but it’s always fun for me to go back and reflect on what I read in the last year. I had more ambitious goals for the year – thinking I’d dive into some non-fiction already on my shelves – but I ended up reading a lot more contemporary fiction. (I’ve gotten into the habit of ripping out a review that sounds interesting to me and then requesting the book from the library. This keeps a steady stream of great stuff flowing.)

I’m not sure what this year will hold. I’ve already devoured “American Wife” and am deep into a book about Charles Dickens and “A Christmas Carol.” Please send your recommendations! And maybe I can write something of my own this year…hopefully by next January I’ll be talking about one of my children’s book ideas.

(By the way, I'm fully aware that I'm a dork.)

1. The Abstinence Teacher – Tom Perrotta
2. Bloodletting & Miracle Cures (audio) – Vincent Lam
3. The Audacity of Hope – Barack Obama
4. We Need to Talk About Kevin… -- Lionel Shriver – This book should come with a warning label: Highly disturbing.
5. Songs Without Words – Ann Packer
6. Into the Wild – Jon Krakauer – I picked this up after seeing the movie – both were incredibly well done. The photo of Christopher Candless is haunting.
7. The Collection – Gioia Diliberti – A fun piece of historical fiction about Coco Chanel.
8. Clemente (audio) – David Maraniss
9. The Post-Birthday World – Lionel Shriver – This one will make you consider the choices you've made in your life, and for me, be happy with my decisions.
10. Miss Pettigrew Lives for a Day – Winifred Watson
11. The Appeal – John Grisham – I tore through this the weekend before the Wisconsin State Supreme Court election -- eerie parallels.
12. Public Enemies (audio) – Bryan Burrough – I’m eagerly awaiting the film version of this book, which was made in Wisconsin last year.
13. Interpreter of Maladies – Jumpha Lahiri
14. A Walk in the Woods (audio) – Bill Bryson – I love Bryson’s truly funny travel tales.
15. The Queen’s Fool – Philippa Gregory – I love getting swept up in Gregory’s Elizabethan world, even though – as Colin put it – I’m essentially reading the same story over and over.
16. American Ground – William Langewiesche – I re-read this book about the breaking down of the World Trade Center after Sept. 11 because I was speaking about my experience that day to a class of UW-Madison students. It’s pretty amazing how your perspective and memories can change in just a few years, and it’s hard to believe that I actually had that experience in the first place.
17. Persepolis – Marjane Satrapi – This was another interesting foray into graphic novels – if this is what all comic books were like, I’d be hooked. And the two Persepolis books, in combination with “The Septembers of Shiraz,” made me realize my education was lacking when it comes to the Iranian Revolution.
18. Unaccustomed Earth – Jhumpa Lahiri – I love Lahiri’s graceful and intricate portraits of the meaning of family.
19. Things I’ve Learned from Women Who’ve Dumped Me – ed. Ben Karlin
20. Persepolis 2 – Marjane Satrapi
21. Nice to Come Home To – Rebecca Flowers – This was a fun read based on one of my all-time favorite books, Sense & Sensibility.
22. Kindred – Octavia Butler
23. See You in 100 Years – Logan Ward – Our book group’s selection about a family that decides to live like it’s 1900 for a year was a nice surprise, and it led great phone discussion with the author. Much like “Julie & Julia” last year, this made me think all I need is a concept and I’ve got the makings of a book.
24. Mr. Wrong – ed. Harriet Brown
25. The Septembers of Shiraz – Dalia Sofer
26. Water for Elephants – Sara Gruen – This can’t-put-it-down peek behind the scenes of the circus was a true eye opener. It seemed like a pretty seedy world.
27. Dreams of My Father (audio) – Barack Obama
28. Loving Frank – Nancy Horan
29. So Many Books, So Little Time -- Sara Nelson – Here’s one I could have written myself, too: The author writes about the books she reads throughout the year.
30. A Most Uncommon Degree of Popularity – Kathleen Gilles Seidel – I was so nervous the day before Owen was born I read this book about raising an adolescent daughter in one sitting. And what a relief to have a son! (Ha.)
31. The Summons – John Grisham – I started this book as my doctor started my induction on Aug. 7. I didn’t make it very far, and it was about two weeks before I picked it up again. But this speedy thriller was just what I needed at that point.
32. Floater – Calvin Trillin
33. Belly Laughs – Jenny McCarthy
34. Daisy Fay and the Miracle Man – Fannie Flagg – Daisy Fay is one of the most fun and charismatic characters I’ve encountered in my many years of reading. You'll be rooting for her the whole way.
35. Neither Here Nor There (audio) – Bill Bryson
36. So Long at the Fair – Christina Schwarz
37. About Alice – Calvin Trillin
38. The Likeness – Tana French – If you’re in the mood for a good mystery, this is a twisty one that delivers. And it takes place just outside of Dublin – fantastic.
39. The Guernsey Literary & Potato Peel Pie Society – Mary Ann Shaffer and Annie Burrows – A sweet tale of World War II resiliance.
40. Rome 1960 – David Maraniss – Hands down, this was the best book I read last year. Maraniss weaves the story of the Olympic Games with threads of politics, race relations, gender politics, the Cold War and the business of sports and does it in a way that has the reader on the edge of the seat. I managed to get out of the house for a few hours this fall to see him at the Wisconsin Book Festival, too, where he answered my question about how he writes so engagingly. (It’s all in the personal details, he said.) Now I have to work on putting his advice to use.
41. The Size of the World – Joan Silber
42. Death in Prairie House – William Drennan – This is the bookend to “Loving Frank,” which was the romanticized story of Frank Lloyd Wright and his mistress, Mameh Borthwick. “Death in a Prairie House” is the ugly reality of the horrific end of their relationship.
43. Here’s the Story – Maureen McCormick – My brother waited in line for two hours to get Marcia, Marcia, Marcia to sign a copy of her autobiography for me. He declared her to be a real sweetheart.
44. What Was Lost – Catherine O’Flynn
45. Downtown Owl – Chuck Klosterman – I’ve loved his laugh-out-loud non-fiction about popular culture and enjoyed his first foray into fiction. Hold on for the ending – I was blown away by it after wondering through most of the book how the three concurrent stories were going to come together.
46. The Other Queen – Philippa Gregory – Again, Elizabethan history, this time from the perspective of Mary Queen of Scots, who got stuck in a really terrible position.
47. Don’t You Forget About Me – Jancee Dunn – A fun, breezy read for anyone who came of age in the late 1980s.
48. Revolutionary Road – Richard Yates – This was the second time I picked up this Yates classic. I enjoyed it both times – and am looking forward to the movie – but many of the women in my book club disagreed with me.
49. The Mysterious Benedict Society – Trenton Lee Stewart – I was wandering through the Borders children’s book section and knew I had to pick this one up for Owen’s library.
50. The Partner – John Grisham

Cutest thing ever

2009-01-22T23:17:00.001-06:00

I have no words for this except that I absolutely love this picture.

Jan. 20: A day of change

2009-01-20T19:25:00.003-06:00

In addition to the Obama inauguration, the StalinBenester household experienced another big change. Today was Owen's first day at day care, and like everything else we've thrown at him the past few weeks, he handled it better than we ever could have imagined. When I went to pick him up, he was happily gumming his circle rattle -- Nancy said to never send him without it because he loves it so much -- and smiling for mom. Nancy also said he's the easiest baby she's ever seen, so we're happy he didn't give her any trouble. (Not that we expected him to.)

And we're happy that he seems to have fun there. And as I said to my co-worker today, I think I shed more tears leaving than he did when Colin dropped him off.
But, apparently he only took two 30-minute naps today, so I guess it's no surprise he fell asleep during the three-minute car ride home.

Today's events got me thinking that with a personality like his, we're sure Owen is destined for great things.

Funny noises

2009-01-19T20:44:00.004-06:00

My apologies, Stalin Benester readers, but it's been a busy couple of weeks with me back at work. I don't know how I'd manage to work full time even if I wanted to. And even though I dreaded it a bit for weeks, it's been fun to be back and overall I'm enjoying the return to work. Colin and Owen had two fun weeks together at home, and today was the start of my part-time schedule. The worst part about being apart from Owen is that he gets funnier with each passing day. Every day it seems like he's making a new noise, scooting a bit more or looking at something in a new way. Here's a video of him making one of his cutest noises. (Note: the video goes in and out of focus when he moves around.)

Branching out

2009-01-03T00:28:00.002-06:00

Until a couple of weeks ago, Owen has had a steady diet of milk, milk and more milk. But, when we were in Minneapolis, we decided to use the high chair at my parents' and give the rice cereal a try.

Owen has been really attentive when we're eating, so it was fun to see him engaged in food of his own. He kept wanting to grab the spoon, which made getting the cereal in his mouth a challenge. But, despite the evidence in these pictures, more ended up in his mouth than on his face and the bib.

Owen's first Christmas

2009-01-03T00:11:00.003-06:00

I'm a little behind in my posts, but I'll try go get caught up on all the latest in Owen's life. The big event this month was Christmas, and we were lucky enough to have the time to see all of our families and really celebrate Owen's first holiday in style.

On our way home from Stevens Point, I declared that Owen gets the Baby of the Year award for being such an intrepid traveler. He slept through almost the entire 4.5 hour trip to Minneapolis, the 3.5 hour drive to Stevens Point and the final 2 hour leg back to Madison. What an incredible kid. He couldn't have asked for a better Christmas, either -- I think every other present to come out from under the tree was for him. Toys, books, clothes, keepsakes -- he's set for a long while and we appreciate everyone's generosity.

When we got back to Madison, Colin and I celebrated our Brazilian Christmas by making a Brazilian-themed meal (the highlight was a sweet French toast called Rabanada) and watching the movie "Victory," which really has nothing to do with Brazil except that Pele is in it. I don't know how we'd missed that movie before considering our love for soccer, but we really enjoyed it!

Slipping through my fingers

2008-12-31T22:26:00.007-06:00

It's New Year's Eve, and I've been very reflective -- and emotional -- this week about going back to work on Monday. I vividly remember a challenging night in late August when I was in the rocking chair with Owen, frustrated by him not wanting to go to sleep. I was letting it get the best of me when I stopped for a second and said, "You know, come January, you're going to wish you were back here in this moment so you'd better enjoy it now."

And I did. Despite some difficult moments, I've loved every minute I've spent with him in the last five months; in fact, I don't think I've ever spent so much time with one person, aside from maybe my mom when I was a baby. When I walked out of work on Aug. 5, Owen was still our "Lilo," and now he's all the things we love about Owen. While things will be different after Monday, I have to keep reminding myself that my time with him really isn't over, and that he and I will be just fine. It's just changing -- the first of many, many changes ahead. Still, that's the part that makes me a little sad. Colin and I just finished watching "Mamma Mia!" and this ABBA song "Slipping Through My Fingers" from the musical turned on the tears (again).

Slipping through my fingers all the time

I try to capture every minute

The feeling in it

Slipping through my fingers all the time

Do I really see what's in her mind

Each time I think I'm close to knowing

She keeps on growing

Slipping through my fingers all the time

...

Sometimes I wish that I could freeze the picture

And save it from the funny tricks of time

Slipping through my fingers...

I said to Colin, "All of a sudden we're going to turn around and we're going to be at his wedding!" Already, Owen has grown and developed so much, he's almost indistiguishable from the baby we brought home from the hospital. But it's been fun to see the person he's becoming, and I can't wait to see him crawl, run, jump on the bed. He's got a fantastic smile and coughing-up-a-hairball giggle. He loves hearing the alphabet song and just about any music he hears. He's discovered how to move around -- and roll over -- in his crib. He doesn't like to nap more than 45 minutes, much to my dismay. Sometimes it sounds like he's saying "hi" to us. He's got this new way of reaching out to me when he wants to be picked up. And he's got a really full head of hair -- some of it blond.

Speaking of his full head of hair, that's a line from his theme song, and there's another milestone we need to mark -- the retirement of his red panda shoes, also a part of his theme song. I made up this song while driving when he was a few weeks old -- there was one particularly unpleasant stop at a red light and I was trying to entertain him. Now I sing it to him all the time.

O-wen, O-wen,

O-W-E-N

O-wen, O-wen,
O-W-E-N

He's the cutest kid that's ever been.

(chorus)

He's got a full head of hair

And big blue eyes

He's got red panda shoes

And a smile that's a mile wide

O-wen, O-wen,
O-W-E-N
O-wen, O-wen,

O-W-E-N

He's a kid who likes to keep movin'

(repeat until pulling in the driveway or he falls asleep)

This morning, when we were getting him dressed, I discovered the red panda shoes are now too small, or at least they were too small with the socks he was wearing. It's just another sign he's not a little baby any more -- but at least I can take some comfort in the fact that the 6-12 month pair of shoes is still too big.

Centerfold

2008-12-30T20:25:00.001-06:00

I took Owen to have some three-month pictures taken a month ago and this one cracks me up. I call it his Burt Reynolds shot.

Rolling the other way

2008-12-30T19:54:00.001-06:00

I have lots of updates to get to this week, but first I have to share Owen's new skill. The little guy managed to start rolling from front to back when he was just a few days old, but it took him a while longer to master going from back to front. In fact, it was his Christmas project, and he worked on it for days.

First, he'd get up on his side, but couldn't get any farther. Then he'd get his top leg down on the floor, but couldn't get himself over his bottom arm. Next he got up on the side and turned his head all the way around as he tried to build up some momentum, but still got stuck on that arm. Finally, on Sunday he gave himself the necessary last nudge and got himself over to his front.

He's now a pro and rolled at least four times today. I got one of them on video -- as you can see, he's pretty proud of himself!

Owen's four-month birthday

2008-12-07T20:38:00.004-06:00

Owen is now four months old, and he's becoming a funny, charming, smily, joyful, determined and drooly littole boy. We lust love him more every day.

Here are some recent shots of the little fella -- don't you love his 80s-style feathered do?

Feliz Natal de Brasil

2008-12-05T00:04:00.005-06:00

Feliz Natal! Our StalinBenester readers might be wondering what country we've chosen for our annual international holiday tradition. This year, we decided to leave Europe and looked across the Atlantic to Brazil, a country that's embarking on summer just as our winter gets going. Nothing wrong with a little wishful thinking, right?

For Owen's first Christmas, we'll enjoy watching him get a visit from Papai Noel, but it probably won't be like in Rio, where Papai Noel arrives by helicopter to a stadium filled with children. Maybe we will stage our own Auto de Natal, an outdoor Christmas play held in Rio, or dance to the bossa nova. And we'll have to put up a presepio, or nativity scene, as part of our decorations.

I'll have to do a little more research to find the best foods for our Brazilian meal. The book I got from the library about Christmas in Brazil suggests making an array of smoked meats, but I'm not sure I want to handle the beef tongue or pig's foot as suggested in the recipe. Maybe we should just go out to Samba, a Brazilian steakhouse in Madison, or I can make a tenderloin again like I did last year.

Last year, we celebrated Austria by watching "The Sound of Music," so any ideas for getting the essence of Brazil? ("City of God" was too violent and depressing, so I'm not sure I want to watch that again, especially for Christmas. "Blame it on Rio"? Maybe we should watch some old World Cup videos of Pele.)

Turning a page

2008-11-29T23:35:00.004-06:00

One of my stranger personality quirks is that I can become oddly attached to stuff -- inanimate objects that can't feel back. And yet, when I part with something that’s somehow meaningful to me, I’m left with a little empty spot inside. Growing up, my idea of cleaning my room was putting all the things I didn’t need in my room in a Red Owl supermarket box and taking it to the basement. One spring, my dad had to drive me back to the car dealership where he’d just traded in our old car. I was in tears because I hadn’t properly said goodbye to it. Not until he assured me that the T-top on the old Olds would soon attract a loving new owner did I feel better about leaving it. Dumb, I know.

But so it was with my bookcases. My two, six-foot tall oak laminate bookcases that had been with me since elementary school. I remember going with my mom to Scandinavian Design to pick them out and then setting them up in my room. I did my homework on one of the middle shelves, which had a door that folded down into a desk. And for 20-plus years, those shelves lovingly held hundreds of books. This is no small task for someone who reads and collects books like I do, and those shelves saw it all, from the Sweet Valley High series to Anna Karenina and the Wisconsin Blue Book. In high school, my ski racing medals dangled from a ribbon I had nailed to the top of one of the side boards. I pinned things like postcards of James Dean and Elvis, notes from my BFFs and a silk rose from Homecoming to a piece of cork board I had attached on the side. Eventually, I grew up and took the bookcases with me to New York, where they provided tons of storage – a necessity in my 250-square foot apartment. And despite the belief of the moving guy who delivered my stuff in Brooklyn that they never should have been moved in the first place, they made the trip back to the Midwest with me. In fact, they moved three more times: To my apartment on Gilman St., to the guest room of our Oregon condo and finally to our home on Blackhawk Ave.

The problem was, they never were quite balanced right on our old hardwood floors here. The shelves were starting to sag a bit. And with an infant who will soon be on the move, I wasn’t sure they would withstand the Toddler Test. We know it well – the bookcases were the first stop for many little ones who visited our home: Walk in, run to bookcases, push books to the back of the shelf. I knew the best thing was to pack up my books and get rid of them until our kid is older or we have a library. But after I realized it was time to give them up, it took me a few months to actually do it. I packed up one bookcase a month ago, but the sight of it sitting there empty made it look forlorn and made me sadder. Finally, I couldn’t take it any longer and quickly packed up the second bookcase so I could move them out and make some room for Owen.

I listed them on Madison Freecycle Friday afternoon, and within an hour, I had a taker. John from New Glarus wanted them for his two “voracious readers” at home – his wife and 13-year-old daughter. I sent him a photo, we arranged a time for him to pick them up. With that, they were on their way out.

As I dusted them Friday night, I started to have the qualms. Maybe I didn’t need to get rid of them. Maybe we could put them in the basement! Or the garage! I told Colin I was having a bit of lister’s remorse. Still, I went back to the fact that they were being taken by readers. I was giving them the best possible new home, where they’ll live happily with new readers -- a girl who once read seven books at once -- and house a whole new bunch of books. Freecycler John came this morning and loaded them up into his Red Taurus station wagon and now our living room looks a whole lot bigger -- and emptier. But I’ll turn the page to my next chapter -- exploring life with my son and making him a reader, too.

Giggles

2008-11-28T16:48:00.004-06:00

Owen has a fantastic, hearty laugh that makes me giggle when I hear it build up from a few burbles to end with a squeal. Something about how I was shaking his rattle was hysterical and he unleashed this laugh for a good 10 minutes.

Owen's first Thanksgiving

2008-11-28T16:42:00.005-06:00

We spent Owen's first Thanksgiving at home on Blackhawk Ave. -- we think he enjoyed the smells and the sight of all the food because he really wanted to eat when we were having our meal. (You can see from how he was splayed out on my lap that he was pretty stuffed when he was done, too.)

Here are some recent photos of the little guy, who you can see is getting blonder by the day. He's learned how to use one of the most important tools in the house -- the remote -- and is awfully good at looking cute. He's also making great progress at napping on his own -- I'll take four short naps in the crib over two slightly longer ones in my arms.

Sleepy Owen

2008-11-16T13:40:00.003-06:00

We've got a tired little guy this weekend -- he and I slept in until 10:30 a.m. today, and he's in the middle of a deep nap again. Here's a few recent snapshots of Owen in his smilier moments.

For those of you keeping score at home, Owen was 15 lbs., 5 oz., when I weighed him on Tuesday.

Owen at three months

2008-11-10T20:46:00.003-06:00

Owen has been very busy lately -- watching the Badgers with Dad, following last Tuesday's election results, learning how to grab things, smiling up a storm and seeing the Vikings beat the Packers.

Happy Halloween

2008-10-31T18:33:00.000-06:00

Here's our little honey bear on his first Halloween.

12 weeks

2008-10-29T21:56:00.003-06:00

Well, the little guy is about to hit another milestone -- 12 weeks. He's also managed to double his birth weight, weighing in at 14 lbs., 2 oz., when I checked him yesterday. The best part is that he's got such an amazing personality going already. Whenever we're out in public, he's smiling and making friends -- the woman in line behind us at Target the other day was swooning, as were three leggy blondes who passed us on State St. and cooed. He also is "talking" up a storm with us and is really, really active. Our mornings usually involve him on our bed, kicking, moving his arms and letting off many hours of pent-up energy. Every day is something new -- on Sunday, for example, he reached for his giraffe and started chewing on it.

Here are some of our favorite recent pictures:

Owen at two months

2008-10-11T21:35:00.004-06:00

The little guy isn't so little any more! We were at the doctor Friday for his two-month checkup and he weighed in at 12 lbs., 5 oz. and measured 23 inches. He's certainly been eating a ton and getting in some longer stretches of sleep (although not as long as his mom might like), so we can see why he's growing like a weed.

It's been a while since we've posted some snaps of Owen -- and we've gotten a request for "pictures...pictures...pictures," so here you go. As you can see from the pictures, we're keeping him busy. Many of the shots are of him playing in his room or with his buddy Keegan. He's so strong and can really hold his head up well, but he still doesn't like being on his stomach, even when propped up on the Boppy pillow. We also went to an apple orchard outside of Madison a few weekends ago, although O slept through the whole visit. We were in Minneapolis so he could meet his Uncle Sean, Aunt Molly and Cousin Taylor, as well as his Great Grandma Maher. He also got to hang out with some pretty cool kids -- Grady, who took a liking to Owen's head, and Arija and Adam. And because it was such a beautiful day in Madison today, we headed downtown for one of the last farmer's markets of the season.

I'm trying to decide what to do for Owen's Halloween costume -- please vote in the comments section below.

A. A 1950s greaser (his hair gets all spiky in the front when combed just right)
B. A punk baby (again, the hair can be combed into a spiky mohawk and he has some cool Vans)
C. A baby bear
D. No costume (Colin, you can only vote once!)
E. A write-in suggestion

The Happy Gurgler

2008-09-21T17:27:00.003-06:00

Like I said, Owen is talkative. Here's some video of him chatting with us the other night and telling us about his day.

The Grunter

2008-09-21T17:01:00.005-06:00

I'm convinced that as Owen gets bigger, he's going to be a very talkative fellow. He loves to make noises while he sleeps, while he eats, while he does just about everything. Sometimes it's his sleeping squeak, sometimes it's his happy gurgle. And then there is his grunting. He grunts all the time, especially in his sleep. This has kept us awake many nights, and during one of those late night grunting sessions, I had to consult Google to find out what it's all about. Turns out, there's actually something called "grunting baby syndrome." Here's a video of Owen during one of his naps so you can see what we mean.

The faces of Owen

2008-09-15T16:51:00.002-06:00

If that picture wasn't enough to satisfy you, here's a bunch of shots from the past couple of weeks.

Enjoy!

Little O

2008-09-15T16:38:00.001-06:00

Here's our favorite recent picture of our little guy and his dad. Owen is doing SO well, eating a ton (every two hours or so) and gaining weight, now over 10 pounds. I've got a bunch of pictures to post, but I'll start with this one.

We obviously think he's adorable, but based on the random comments from strangers, he's a charmer. A woman at the grocery store stopped me to say he's beautiful, and the lactation consultant with whom I met today was oohing and aahing about how handsome he is. We agree.

Roll over, Owen

2008-08-22T19:52:00.003-06:00

Here's some video of our favorite little guy -- now just more than two weeks old -- performing some of his feats of strength. He's barely on his tummy before he's rolling over to his back, which makes tummy time tough. We're thinking he's got an early line on the 2028 Olympics.

In case you missed it...

2008-08-17T17:32:00.002-06:00

Owen is already a TV star. Here's a link to a segment on Channel 3's 6 o'clock news the day after he was born.

Owen slideshow

2008-08-17T09:31:00.001-06:00

You may have seen some of these before, but here are some shots from Owen's first week. Looking back at them -- and knowing how much time he and I have spent in the rocking chair feeding -- I can see that he's starting to fill out.

O-Boy -- what a week!

2008-08-14T20:25:00.000-06:00

What a week it's been. Four and a half days in the hospital, one failed attempt at induction, one C-section, zero blood transfusions (yay!), many hours in the rocking chair, many more diapers, several episodes of Mr. Cranky Pants and a few glimmers of a smile later, our little guy Owen is a week old already.

O is just our dream come true and we're loving every second of him.

Maybe we should add Bret or C.C. to our list of names

2008-07-21T11:17:00.005-06:00

Someone asked me today if I'm still feeling pretty well and my answer was a flat-out "no." As Colin put it, I've hit the wall.

For one, I've definitely been more comfortable in my life. When I started wearing the maternity clothes many months ago (how many inches of snow were on the ground then?) I couldn't believe that someday they wouldn't fit over my belly. Well, my friends, that day is here. I am left with few options in increasingly stifling weather.

Also, I want to meet this kid already. We can't want to see what kind of personality he/she has, although if last night was any indication, life should be pretty interesting. I was getting ready to go to sleep and Colin came up to say good night, and he also was talking to Lilo a little bit.

"Keep talking," I told him after I felt a little bit of movement. Colin said the only thing that immediately came to mind was the episode of "Scrubs" he was watching, in which a patient in a coma had a wish to have Poison songs played to him, so the hospital staff had a recording of "Talk Dirty to Me" playing over and over.

Sadly, I know all the words to the song -- Poison being one of my high school favorites, I'm somewhat (but not entirely) embarrassed to admit -- so I started singing it, with Colin joining me on the chorus. Wouldn't you know it, Lilo started rockin' in there, moving around and giving us some really hard fist pumps or kickin' dance moves.

(I should add that it also moves around when I'm singing in the car to things like "I Have Confidence" from "The Sound of Music," so its tastes don't just run toward hair metal.)

Here's to another 10 days!

38 weeks

2008-07-15T20:06:00.006-06:00

Well, here we are, just about at 38 weeks. At my prenatal yoga class last night, I commented how when I started going to the class at about 15 weeks, it seemed like forever until I'd be close to the end of my pregnancy. The weather could be a little cooler, and my feet could still be a little less swollen, but all in all I'm feeling pretty well and we're pretty well set and ready.

My good friend Gwyn is a really talented photographer, and she offered to take some pictures of Colin and me before the baby comes. Here's some of what she shot this morning -- thanks to her for capturing us so wonderfully.

2008-06-25T22:17:00.000-06:00

Look who's 31!

Speaking of the Little One

2008-06-12T16:51:00.002-06:00

The Little One is 33 weeks along right now, and we had an ultrasound this morning to check everything out. Good news -- it's growing and developing just like it's supposed to and it doesn't seem like there are any problems to worry about right now. Whew.

We did learn more about our child -- apparently he or she is shy, because one hand stayed in front of its face whenever we tried to get a good look at it. Still, we got a few shots, so let the debate begin about whether Lilo looks like Colin or me!

Swollen potatoes

2008-06-12T13:16:00.003-06:00

As you can see from this picture (taken on a recent trip to Indianapolis to see the Wendlings -- more on that soon), I'm getting to the large stage of pregnancy. At 33 weeks, I can really no longer see my feet due to that giant tummy in the way.

So when I do get to see my feet, I'm a little surprised by them. For those of you who don't know, my feet are already a bit of a family joke, and one of the things that comes with late-stage pregnancy is poor circulation. Which leads to puffy feet.

The other day, I caught a glimpse of my ankles (can you really call them that if they're too puffy to distinguish?) in the mirror and made a quick dash to the couch to restore some circulation down there. "My feet look like swollen potatoes!" I said to Colin.

"No," he said back. "Just regular potatoes."

(By the way, I should add that he was trying to be funny, and I laughed.)

Where has 2008 gone?

2008-05-11T19:37:00.003-06:00

OK, so we've been a little busy and haven't blogged in a while. We've got good reasons...work (both of us), pregnancy (Stacy) and too many extracurricular activities (Colin, who is playing on two softball and one soccer team right now). We've also had a bunch of fun visits from friends and family.

Here's my old DePauw friend Sprite and her daughter Kathryn, who entertained us with a visit in April and showed us just how much childproofing our house requires.

In addition to hosting Stacy's parents and Colin's family over a couple weekends (No photos, note to self: be better about pulling out the camera once the baby comes), we also made the trip up to Minneapolis for a couple of days. Here's Molly and Taylor, the Glasgow Rangers fan.

73

2008-01-06T11:38:00.000-06:00

That’s how many books I plowed through this year, which may be an all-time record for me. I think 2008 may be more about quality than quantity, as I’m planning to attack some world classics and heavy non-fiction in the months ahead.
At the risk of sounding like a complete bore, here’s the list of my reads for the year.

1. Garlic & Sapphires – Ruth Riechl
There are a couple of themes for the year – food, Italy and English historical figures. This falls into the food writing category, an amusing memoir by the former food critic for the New York Times.
2. Echoes – Maeve Binchy
One of my favorite authors for breezy reads.
3. The Boleyn Inheritance – Philippa Gregory
This sequel to The Other Boleyn Sister falls into the English history category. Any of Gregory’s books – and I’ve read many, as you’ll see, are gripping reads.
4. Quentins – Maeve Binchy
5. Diners, Bowling Alleys & Trailer Parks – Andrew Hurley
6. Suite Francaise – Irene Nemirovsky
These two stories about occupied France in the early 1940s might be the first work of fiction written about World War II.
7. The Namesake – Jhumpa Lahiri
A selection of my book group, Based on the Novel, this was probably my favorite book of the year. The movie was top notch, too.
8. The Virgin’s Lover – Philippa Gregory
9. In My Hands, Memories of a Holocaust Rescuer – Irene Gut Opdyke
A loan from Kari and a story about true bravery during WWII.
10. Sense and Sensibility – Jane Austen
Every year, I read either S&S or Pride and Prejudice to figure out once and for all which one I like better. I still can’t decide.
11. Gizelle, Save the Children – Gizelle Hersh & Peggy Mann
A really haunting and graphic memoir of life at Auschwitz. I read this in seventh grade and couldn’t forget it, and for some reason I searched it out again.
12. Garnet Hill – Denise Mina
13. Deception – Denise Mina
14. The Virgin Blue – Tracy Chevalier
15. White Doves at Morning (audio) – James Lee Burke
16. Lost & Found (audio) – Carolyn Parkhurst
17. Rockville Pike – Susan Coll
There are a few Coll books on this list – they’re pretty good satires of life in contemporary suburban Washington, D.C.
18. The Girl in Hyacinth Blue (audio) – Susan Vreeland
19. Nerve Damage – Peter Abrahms
A pretty forgettable book group choice. Sorry, it was my suggestion.
20. Bird By Bird – Anne Lamott
21. KarlMarx.com – Susan Coll
My doctor saw me reading this one and decided she’d recommend it to her own book group.
22. Acceptance – Susan Coll
23. City of Fallen Angels – John Berendt
Get me to Venice, now!
24. Striver’s Row (audio) – Kevin Baker
25. The Six Wives of Henry VIII – Alison Weir
26. The Breakdown Lane (audio) – Jacquelyn Mitchard
27. Saving Graces – Elizabeth Edwards
28. Innocent Traitor – Alison Weir
Weir moves into fiction and does it well with this story of the tragic Lady Jane Grey. Boy, did she ever get royally used by her family.
29. Brunelleschi’s Dome (audio) – Eric Ross
30. Evening – Susan Minot
Another book group pick; I was one of the few who liked the book better than the movie.
31. The Omnivore’s Dilemma – Michael Pollan
You will never look at your food the same way again.
32. Waiting for Daisy – Peggy Orenstein
33. The Kid – Dan Savage
34. One Perfect Day: The Selling of the American Wedding – Rebecca Mead
35. Crime & Engagement – Nikki Rivers
I only read this because the main male character and romantic lead was named “Colin Benedict.” Ha. I sent an e-mail to Nikki Rivers to ask if she was a fan but she never wrote me back.
36. Revolutionary Road – Richard Yates
This book – which felt so contemporary I had to keep reminding myself it was written in the 1960s – is up there with “The Namesake” for my favorite book of the year. I can’t wait for the movie in 2008.
37. I Love You Beth Cooper – Larry Doyle
38. The Book Thief – Markus Zuzat
Another book group pick. Once I got past a weird storytelling device, I got into it.
39. The Sisterhood of the Traveling Pants – Ann Brashares
40. Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows – J.K. Rowling
The must-read of the year, up there for my favorite.
41. To Have and to Hold (audio) – Jane Green
42. About What Was Lost – ed. Jessica Berger Gross
43. The Dive from Clausen’s Pier – Ann Packer
44. The Last Summer of You and Me – Ann Brashares
45. The Lost Painting – Jonathan Harr
A really fun and quick read about the search across Europe for a lost Caravaggio painting. More Italy.
46. Free Food for Millionaires (audio) – Min Jin Lee
47. One for the Money (audio) – Janet Evanovich
My friend Megan told me how much she enjoyed the Stephanie Plum series of books, so I decided to check them out. I’ve now listened to six of them (see below).
48. Two for the Dough (audio) – Janet Evanovich
49. Tender at the Bone – Ruth Riechl
More food, this one a memoir about cooking.
50. Anything for Jane – Cheryl Mendelson
51. The Serpent in the Garden – Janet Gleeson
52. Three to Get Deadly (audio) – Janet Evanovich
53. Eat, Pray, Love – Elizabeth Gilbert
This book was everywhere this year, including our book group. But it got us thinking and talking.
54. Last One In – Nicholas Kulish
A quick piece of fiction about the invasion of Iraq by a guy my age who worked at the Wall Street Journal when I was there. I’m not saying this because it wasn’t good, but this book woke up my “If that guy can write a book, so can I” reflex.
55. Still Summer – Jacquelyn Mitchard
56. A Thousand Splendid Suns – Khaled Hosseini
Our book group had read The Kite Runner, and I enjoyed even more this story about the life of two women in modern Afghanistan.
57. Privilege & Scandal: The Life of Harriet Bessborough – Janet Gleeson
58. Olive’s Ocean – Kevin Henkes
59. Matrimony – Joshua Henkin
60. Four Seasons in Rome – Anthony Doerr
More Italy and some envy because of the fellowship that sent Doerr and his family to Rome for a year.
61. Four to Score (audio) – Janet Evanovich
62. High Five (audio) – Janet Evanovich
63. Girls of Riyadh – Rajaa Alsanea
64. Miss American Pie – Margaret Sartor
65. The Middle Place – Kelly Corrigan
This memoir of a young woman, her father, and their struggles with cancer was the read of an online book group. It sounds depressing, but it's acutually pretty light and funny at times.
66. Run – Ann Patchett
67. Persuasion – Jane Austen
Our book group went classic with this pick.
68. Hot Six (audio) – Janet Evanovich
69. Betsy in Spite of Herself – Maud Hart Lovelace
One of my favorites from the Betsy-Tacy series; I mostly re-read it because Betsy goes to 1910s Milwaukee for Christmas.
70. Waiting to Surface – Emily Listfield
71. Julie & Julia – Julie Powell
This is our next book group pick, and allowed me to round out the year with more food writing. But I really was drawn in by Julie’s yearlong quest to cook her way through Julia Child’s French cooking tome. I told Colin about the premise and he said, “See, all you need to do is come up with something like that for your book.” Hmm…I don't think I could do the aspics and brains, however.
72. A Mighty Heart – Mariane Pearl
73. Playing for Pizza – John Grisham
Again, more Italy with this light read by Grisham about a former NFL quarterback who goes to Parma to finish his career playing in the Italian league.

The hills are alive...

2007-12-30T10:24:00.000-06:00

After we returned from a few days in Minneapolis and Stevens Point, we had a chance to enjoy our Austrian Christmas celebration. On Friday, we hustled home from work to put together our meal and settle in to watch "The Sound of Music."

I had consulted a few Austrian cookbooks, but because of time -- and taste -- constraints, I opted to buy some beef tenderloin instead of trying to boil beef. Colin took charge of making the meat and it was delicious. We also enjoyed an Austrian potato and apple salad, as well as a gurkensalat (cucumber salad). For dessert, we savored some butterhornchen (Viennese butter cookies).

After dinner we were transported from Vienna to Salzberg and the world of the von Trapps. One of the reasons we picked Austria for Christmas this year was so we could watch "The Sound of Music," which Colin had never seen...and which I've seen at least two dozen times. He was surprised at how much he knew about the story -- he kept saying, "I didn't know this song was from this movie!" He also now gets why my sister-in-law, Molly, has been teasing him that she's going to make him some pajama pants out of her living room curtains. But he was a very good sport and even put up with my singing.

Here are some pictures from our night -- Fröhlich Weihnachts und Glückliches Neujahr!

(P.S. In the car last night, we were discussing possibilities for next year's holiday selection -- Colin wants to get out of Europe...we're taking any suggestions if you have them!)

Frohe Weihnachten!

2007-12-09T21:20:00.000-06:00

That's Merry Christmas to you and me. We're well into our Austrian holiday celebration. Here's a shot of our Adventkranz, a wreath with four candles, one of which we'll light every Sunday until Christmas.

We also cheated a little bit and decorated our tree well before Christmas. In Austria, the parents decorate the tree and surprise the children with it on Christmas Eve.

We'll also be baking some hornchen cookies -- those are buttery Viennese nut crescents. Mmm...And with all the snow we've had in the last week, Madison is a regular winter wonderland, the kind we wish for every Christmas.

Christmas 2007: It's Austria

2007-11-17T13:20:00.000-06:00

As loyal StalinBenester readers might know, we decided a year ago that every Christmas, we'll pick a different country and celebrate that nation's holiday traditions. In 2006, we chose Italy because we'd traveled there for our honeymoon that summer and wanted to remember warm, sunny walks in Positano and leisurely afternoons in Tuscany.

This year, we didn't travel much beyond Minneapolis, so there was no natural pick for us. We talked about doing something familiar, like Sweden or England; we thought about something much less conventional, like Syria or Brazil. In the end, we chose something in between and opted for Austria. (I've since realized that Austria and Switzerland are hosting the 2008 Euro Cup, so I suppose we could argue we're looking forward to that.)

This central European country's Christmas traditions mirror those of its neighbor, Germany, but it also is proud to be the home of the holiday classic, "Silent Night." There are some conflicting tales about the song's history, but by the time Christmas rolls around, we'll know the real story. In the meantime, we'll be getting ready for Santaklausen, crafting an Advent kranz (wreath) and making butterhornchen (Viennesse nut crescents.)

I also made Colin promise to watch "The Sound of Music," set in Austria (he's never seen it!) To me, that movie just feels like Christmas, probably because NBC used to show it every year over the holidays. The first year we had a VCR I taped it and watched it every day of Christmas vacation, going so far as to name my new Cabbage Patch Kid Brigitta...I think my Grandma Forster was about ready to break the tape by the end of her visit.

Fall -- all in one post

2007-11-17T12:57:00.000-06:00

I guess we shouldn't consider ourselves bloggers with how little we post. After you see what we've done, you be the judge about whether we were busy enough to claim lack of time for regular postings.

I kicked off the fall with a trip to New York with my friend Jenny so I could visit my favorite spot, the Magnolia Bakery. Oh, and we went to see the Broadway production of "Grease!" and spent the weekend catching up with some of my friends there.

A few weeks later, we enjoyed wine, food and time with friends in Sonoma, where we rented a home for the weekend and toured wine country in a minivan.We also had a visit from my brother Sean and his wife, Molly, as well as the star of the show -- their daughter, Taylor. She loved watching football (the English kind) with her dad and Crazy Uncle Colin.

In between all that, we cooked up a storm in our new kitchen, watched football of all kinds, as well as played soccer on two teams. Colin also went to Florida for some management training now that he's the boss at his station.

Oh, and that 5% of work we still need to finish on our kitchen? We're working on it.

Our kitchen is (almost) done!

2007-09-23T17:39:00.000-06:00

For those of you who've been following the progress of our kitchen, the latest update is that we're almost done! At this point, it's 95% complete, with just a few small details such as some new trim and baseboards that have yet to go in. After a summer of eating out, we're thrilled to have our kitchen back. (Colin cooked up a batch of white chicken chili in the crockpot today...mmm.) Thanks again to Bob and Ron who helped us by doing beautiful work on the floor, walls and just about everything else.

Here's a slideshow with some before and after shots -- it should be pretty easy to tell which is which!

In other news, we've been playing a lot of soccer this fall. It was a high scoring weekend for the StalinBenesters -- five goals in two games. On one of her goals today, Stacy broke her shoe -- fortunately one of the other team's players was willing to loan some tape so she could play the second half.

More pictures of the progress

2007-08-12T19:58:00.000-06:00

The installers came back on Friday to finish up with the cabinets. Here's the final product!

More progress!

2007-08-09T17:24:00.000-06:00

Today was a very exciting day in the StalinBenester household, as we not only regained use of our living room -- which had been home to boxes and boxes full of cabinets -- but the installers came to actually put them in. Wow. That's all I can say. What an amazing difference, a completely different kitchen. They still have a few doors to put on and some molding to put on the top, but it looks fantastic. They'll be back tomorrow, as will the electrician and the person to measure the countertops.
We'll post more pictures as more things get done!

Getting closer

2007-08-08T12:11:00.000-06:00

Barring any major surprises today (I'm crossing my fingers here), our friends from Home Depot are due Thursday to install all of our cabinets, which have taken over our house. Thanks again to Bob and Ron for getting the place in shape -- they do amazing work and we are eternally grateful.

Progress, finally!

2007-07-30T19:50:00.000-06:00

StalinBenester readers might have wondered why we haven't posted any new pictures of our kitchen project for a couple of weeks. We can tell you that until today, we hadn't made a ton of progress. The only major development was having the asbestos abatement company come out a week and a half ago to take out the old floor, and after that, Stacy's parents helped scrape off the last of the wallpaper.

However, today we took a major step forward with the help of Bob and Ron. We have a tile floor! They are in the middle of laying the tile right now and we are so happy with how it looks.

In other news, we've got some beautiful hibiscus in our front garden and we just shook some Critter Be Gone around the tomato plants in our latest attempt to keep the squirrels and chipmunks away. We hope that will do the trick!

Demolition -- The Olive Garden Day

2007-07-11T21:15:00.000-06:00

I call today "Olive Garden Day" because of the lovely smell wafting through what was -- and what will be -- our kitchen. We learned that the only way to get off the old wallpaper was to thoroughly soak the paper and all of its under layers with our vinegar and water mixture. Colin is a wallpaper removing pro, developing his "patented spray and spread" technique that makes scraping the paper like cutting through butter. Here are a few before and after shots -- I meant to get some of the scraping action, but frankly got so caught up in the task that I forgot to take some pictures. No worry, we've still got another whole section to take off.

I also can't believe we've been an aunt and uncle for two whole weeks and we haven't blogged yet about our niece, Taylor. We spent some time in Minneapolis last weekend and got to spend some time with her and her exhausted but excited parents. You can see she's already taken with her Uncle Colin, and he's pretty taken with her.

Demolition Day #2

2007-07-10T17:33:00.000-06:00

Thanks to Bob, we got all of the old cabinets out of the kitchen, along with the sink and dishwasher. He also gets the award for taking on the most unpleasant task of cleaning below and behind the stove. (Colin says: Yuck!) What would we do without him? And let us know if you have any restaurant recommendations or tips with cooking with a microwave and electric fry pan -- we've got limited options for the next few weeks.

We're pretty happy with the progress we've made so far and now we're on to a couple more steps in the project. Tomorrow, we'll dust off our wallpaper scrapers and get that off a couple of the walls. We also think we've settled on a tile, but we have to wait for our sample to get tested by the State Hygiene Lab to be sure there's not any asbestos under there.

On to Wednesday, Day 3!

Demolition Day No. 1

2007-07-09T20:52:00.001-06:00

We spent a couple of days in Minneapolis getting relaxed and ready to come back to Madison to start our kitchen remodeling project. The first day was pretty major, with us losing half a wall.

Here are some before and after shots:

Next on the list are tearing out the cabinets and replacing the floor...good thing we have about two weeks to get the kitchen ready for the cabinets to be installed.

The current state of youth soccer

2007-06-24T19:01:00.000-06:00

I started playing soccer in about 1979 when I was six years old or so. It was pretty simple -- I showed up at Flying Cloud fields for games wearing a little yellow T-shirt with my name ironed on the back.

But as I learned this weekend while working as a field marshal for the Badger State games, a lot of things have changed in the last 28 years. I snapped this picture of a team of 10-year-olds, who not only have full unform kits, but their own traveling bench of fold-up chairs. And while my elementary school games never took me beyond Flying Cloud, teams of 8-year-olds were traveling hundreds of miles and staying overnight in hotels to be part of the tournament.

What was most unbelievable were the comments hollered at the kids by coaches and parents. (And when I say "hollered," I mean literally screaming direction at the kids from the sidelines. It's amazing the kids could concentrate on the game.) It's been a while since I did any serious coaching, but I feel like I could offer a few pointers:

* Think about holding your breath. One of the most common things you'll hear coming from the sideline is the exhortation to "Boot it!" I've been playing soccer for nearly 30 years and I have no idea what that player is supposed to do, but it certainly isn't to play with any finesse or purpose. Indiscriminately yelling "Kick it!", "Get it to the net!", or "Good boot" doesn't help much. Neither does telling a young player who just had a ball kicked into his hand that he "should know better." It's soccer -- unintentional hand balls happen. And a player who drills a hard shot on goal should maybe be praised instead of immediately being told he should keep his head down next time.
* Let them play. You've probably tried to instill some skills or strategy in practice, but once it gets to game day, it's up to the kids to bring it to the field. Yelling at a player to do something and following it up with "...we practiced that!" means you haven't done your job teaching them.
* Remember they're playing soccer. Not football -- that means that coaches don't wander on to the field. Nor is it hockey -- one coach yelled at a player for not having his "line" ready to go.
* Give good direction. If you do need to scream at a player, try to give some useful advice or guidance. Yelling, "Go, Hunter, Go!" in the same breath as you yell "Stay, Hunter, Stay!" will only strain your voice.

Other developments

2007-06-03T13:45:00.000-06:00

One of the fun things about the spring and summer has been to discover all of the plants that have popped up. The previous owner promised us the garden would flourish on its own, and it didn't disappoint. Here's a shot of the latest in the front yard.

In another exciting development, Stacy has been spending much of her weekends working in the basement, trying to make it a place we might actually spend time and not just store boxes. We think the mice have relocated, so Stacy has braved the cabinets in the laundry area and put some things away there (safely stored in Rubbermaid boxes, just in case). Once we get the kitchen remodeled, we should be able to get rid of the rest of the boxes.

Lots of work around the house

2007-06-03T13:25:00.000-06:00

We've been working hard to finish the last bits of our move (a few months later) and get the house looking sharp. Colin has become a pro with the lawn mower and we've planted some tomatoes at the end of the backyard. We'll see if Stacy's thumb has gotten any greener. (If anyone has tips for taking care of tomatoes, please send them along!)

Musings on the Midwest

2007-05-27T18:03:00.000-06:00

Yes, we are Midwesterners -- we had a garage sale. Here's a shot of Colin during one of the quieter moments of our two-day sale earlier this month. We really did have more activity than this! All in all, we made about $120, and most importantly, we cleared out a lot of stuff that we didn't need any more. There's still some things that didn't sell that still need to go to Goodwill. But we're getting closer and closer to being able to park in our garage.

Every part of the country must have its own version of the garage sale. In New York City, the spring cleaning staple is the stoop sale -- they're much smaller versions than we have in the Midwest, probably because the living spaces are so much smaller and simply can't hold as much stuff, and obviously people don't have garages or yards. I'm assuming the garage sale is featured in this cool Encyclopedia of the Midwest I read about a few weeks ago. I'm going to have to get a copy of this book -- I hope there's a whole chapter on Jell-O salads and funeral hotdish.

He shovels too!

2007-04-15T20:15:00.000-06:00

Some StalinBenester readers were amused and surprised by Colin's yard work. Well, here's proof that he shovels snow from driveways, too.

Easter

2007-04-15T19:36:00.000-06:00

Just a few pictures from the first holiday we spent in our new place -- we really enjoyed having all the Benedicts join us!

Unfortunately for Steph, her departure turned into a different kind of Easter egg hunt, as her jellybeans took a spill on our driveway. Colin thought he had picked them all up, but I found one of these plastic eggs in the snow (!) a few days later.

Here's the Proof

2007-03-26T18:05:00.000-06:00

For all of you that thought I would never do yardwork (i.e. Mike and my Dad), here's proof that I have been raking leaves in the backyard. It was a big project. So there!!!

The big move

2007-03-17T15:02:00.000-06:00

Thanks to our fantastic family and friends, our move went quickly and we look pretty well settled in after our first week at home.

Here's our first official gathering in our new home, as our movers enjoyed some post-work pizza and beer.

The downstairs

2007-03-17T14:57:00.000-06:00

We had the dining room painted before we moved in (thanks, Bob & Ron!) and are already thinking about remodeling the kitchen. But we love the main living space and don't have many ideas (yet) for changing it.

Here's Colin in his favorite spot.

The upstairs

2007-03-17T14:54:00.000-06:00

Here's a peek at our bedroom and the guest room.

Don't look in this room!

2007-03-17T14:51:00.000-06:00

This smaller bedroom is still a work in progress.

Catching Up -- Buon Natale

2007-01-27T09:06:00.000-06:00

Despite a new year that's well underway, I wanted to go back to to Christmas No. 4 that we celebrated when we got back to Madison. This was the start of a new tradition for the StalinBenesters -- each year, we're going to celebrate the Christmas traditions of a different country.

Because of our trip earlier this year, we started with Italia -- Buon Natale! I borrowed my mom's Swedish Christmas tree, which functioned as our ceppo, a wooden pyramid that holds ornaments, candy and fruit on its shelves. I improvised by hanging some of our favorite ornaments.

For dinner we enjoyed some ravioli over broth (the Italian way of serving it), some Italian vino and for dessert, a panforte, a really rich and chewy cake. La Befana -- the witch who brings toys to Italian children (sort of like Santa Claus) -- visited, too, when we exchanged our gifts to each other. I gave Colin a photo book from our honeymoon, and he painted some pottery cups for us to use for our holiday celebrations. He also got a bottle of really nice wine that we'll put aside for our 30th Christmas together!

Happy Birthday, Grandpa

2007-01-04T16:14:00.001-06:00

Yesterday, I listened to Wisconsin’s Gov. Jim Doyle talk during his inaugural speech about Hank Aaron’s arrival in the state to play for the Eau Claire Braves in the early 1950s.

And immediately, my thoughts went to my Grandpa Maher’s own time with the Eau Claire Bears in 1937. He went for spring training, but didn’t stay for summer – as I’ve always heard it, he missed my grandma and Minneapolis too much, so he came home. It seems fitting that those would be the two things to draw him away from baseball, because they are inseparable from my image of him.

Today would have been his 90th birthday. I mentioned to Colin last night during dinner that I thought of my grandpa during Doyle’s speech, and he said he had the same thought.

Colin asked me how I thought my grandpa was going to celebrate his 90th birthday. By watching every great baseball game he’d ever watched? By replaying one of his own games, going four for four or five for five, and knocking in a couple of runs? By revisiting his week at Cubs fantasy camp? By kicking back with all of us and enjoying a cup of coffee and cupcake from Paradise Bakery? By splashing with Sean and me in the lake, as we did the day someone took my favorite picture of us together?

I hope whatever it is, he’s cracking a joke, smiling with that twinkle in his eye and knowing that he’s missed dearly.