lollardfish

My nephew Vikram says:

"Super Nico! Fighting Crime with Wavy Hair! And the Awesome Power of Cuteness!"

“The thing about toddlers is that they are uncivilized,” Dr. Karp says. “Our job is to civilize them, to teach them to say please and thank you, don’t spit and scratch and don’t pee anywhere you want. These are the jobs you have with a toddler.”

The article amused me.

I had thought to write with an extended metaphor about obstacle courses, but I found it trite. Just imagine I made one. You know, challenges, overcoming them, getting stronger. Done and done.

Lately, I've been reading a lot from parents of older kids, parents focused on issues that seem very remote - driving, dating, menstruation! There was a whole discussion of sensory integration issues that some of their kids have. Even the stuff that happens when he turns 3, in terms of his therapies being run through special ed. and the school system, seems far away. But it's interesting to see these older kids, to hear from their parents, and think about where our life could be heading.

The long and short of it is that Nico is very healthy (despite potential thyroid troubles), very happy (despite teething), and delayed to varying extents in pretty much every category. None of the delays are a big deal, but all of them are real, and confronting them can be difficult. On the bright side, we have four therapists who come to our home every week and play with our child and train us, and most of the therapies are fun.

For example:

( videos )

There's a Doonesbury comic from years ago (15 or more) where the history teacher loses it and starts to shout patent nonsense, "Black is white" is the one I remember, but could also be up is down, day is night, whatever. And the students diligently take notes, "Gee, I didn't know half of this stuff!"

I need a copy of it, pronto. Help!

Edit: Got it, thanks!

So I'm writing about a guy called Robert of Jerusalem. He's called "of Jerusalem" because he brought stuff back from Jerusalem. What are names/titles like "of Jerusalem" called? There's a term for it but I cannot remember it.

I haven't listened to many speeches lately, but Clinton's speech tonight has a lot of John Edwards echoes in it, which interests me. And pleases me.

Also, our friends in Madison are at the Obama rally.

I've watched the upcoming primary with interest, although I fully expect Obama to win most of Illinois' delegates. Still, I've never seen a primary like this one, and I've never been genuinely uncertain of what I wanted to do. In '92, my first election, Clinton was the nominee before I had the CT primary. In '96, same deal. I voted for Clinton happily enough both times. In '00, I liked Bradley, but didn't think he could get elected, and again the race was over long before MN caucused. In '04, Kerry seemed so wonderful to me for awhile, and I voted for him in a caucus that went for Kucinich (Powderhorn Park) - again, electibility was key. Edwards seemed to green, Dean to odd, and Kerry seemed so inspirational. No, not in how he talked, but in his life and career. He seemed strong in exactly the way that W. seemed weakest. Anyway, we all know how that turned out.

Tomorrow I am voting for Obama. Clinton is brilliant and talented, a micro-manager in the best sense. But I feel that the presidency doesn't need a manager - it needs a visionary who can hire, and lead, the managers. America seems to me to be in such dire straits right now, and I just don't see Clinton turning the tide. Obama - who knows, but I'm going to give him my vote, because he is trying to change the system. I'd be proud to vote for either of them ... except that I don't really like Clinton Democrats, and I've come to loathe Bill Clinton's resurgence (and I loved Bill's post-presidency role over the last 6 years).

At any rate, this is really a positive endorsement. I love his rhetoric. I love his presence. I want a leader to believe in, to inspire. I found the video below inspiring.