happy inauguration day!

For the first time in my memory, we are inaugurating a president I am really proud of.  We seem to have elected the best man for the job, not just the lesser of two evils…  I am delighted that Cora’s first understanding of what a President is will be shaped by this man.

And thanks to Ben and Carrie for the onesie.

milk coma

homegirl has doubled her birthweight.  she is nearly 14 pounds, and has grown four inches (!) in the last 3 months.

best gift I got this year

…was the home-made biscotti.  I’d been lobbying hard for my own batch.  My mom makes a lot of baked goodies, but the biscotti is really my favorite.  Both of my sisters (that live on other continents) are the regular recipients, but when I asked for some I was told in pointed terms that I could make my own if I wanted some so bad.  (To which I retorted, geez, do I have to leave the country… what’s a girl got to do?)

Anyway, the biscotti is delicious.  Nice and crunchy with big Willamette Valley hazelnuts and a thick slick of chocolate across the bottom… given the amount of tea getting drunk around here, it is nice to always have a stash on hand.  I opened my stocking on Christmas and discovered the little plastic bag (albeit only half a batch, but it gives me something to hope for next year…) tied up with green yarn.  I’ve been hoarding it, and then Cora and I finished off the rest of it the other day.  The recipe is below, if anyone’s interested.  Maybe I’ll get around to making my own batch one of these days.

the full purse theory of life management

It is generally true that, whatever size your purse is, it is always full.  I am trying to decide how big the metaphorical purse in my life actually is.  Do I want to go to med school or (ultimately just settle for) nurse practitioner school? Do we plan to go live in Another Country to be missionaries (in the traditional sense), or are we called to stay here in the US?  Am I the kind of person that will enjoy being a mom more or less part-time and having a big career too?  Is it possible that I could enjoy staying at home full-time?  How much flexibility do I actually need in my work life, and do I even want to stay in medicine? Will I always regret it if I walk away from medical school?  Will I hate being away from Cora and Henry so much if I do go to medical school?  Can we even afford it?

I’m down to brass-tacks, theorizing mostly aside.  I told myself I would wait and have the baby before trying to make any decisions, and now here I am, having to fend off questions from folks at work about what I plan to do next, and not having any answers.

I will say, I’m happy to have the luxury of choosing, and of being married to a guy that is willing to flex his career however he needs to keep all my options open.

happy baby, dancing birds

all I have to say is, I am pleased that the one handmade thing I actually got finished is the thing she most adores.  she spends an inordinate amount of time kicking her fat little legs and cooing at those birds.

(and yes, she’s usually supervised so she doesn’t wind up in the er with a head injury.  I have no idea when she’ll start rolling over.)