Monday, we went for an ultrasound at 24 weeks. As long as everything goes well, this will be the last pictures we see of the little tyke until he is born. It got me to thinking about all the preparation that occurs when one is having a baby.
The latest image of the latest Howelett. Isn't he cuuuute?
The sisters relate to each other...
As a Daddy Blogger, I find myself in a unique situation: I have a 15 year old step-daughter and a two year old daughter. I feel that this gives me a different perspective. I came into Kat’s life when she was four years old, so I missed the diapers and the slow development of her language skills. I’ve watched her grow up and marveled at her dreams and the decisions that she’s made. Even though I’ve had those eleven years of being a Daddy, with Calli it feels like I’m a brand new Daddy. Now I get the diapers and laugh at the way she reasons out words. Bunnies are ‘hoppies’ for instance. Doggies are ‘goggies’. With a new baby boy on the way in August, that’ll be a whole new world, as now I’m so used to girls, what do I do?
Recently, while perusing the graphic novel collection at my local public library, I happened across a charming book called ‘Amelia Rules!‘. I instantly fell in love with the spunky 4th grader. I also became a huge fan of the creator.
Jimmy Gownley is a cartoonist who cares. With ‘Amelia Rules!’ he set out to create a comic with classic comic strip sensibilities that did not talk down to kids. His success at this is overwhelming. Jimmy is a co-founder of Kids Love Comics!, an organization that promotes literacy through comics. Something I can certainly relate to and support.
Anyone who pays a little bit of attention has noticed that comic books really aren’t for kids anymore. Gone are the days of going in to your local grocery/convenience store and picking up the latest adventures of your favorite caped do-gooders. You might find an Archie Digest still on the checkout lane, but it will generally be placed out of the reach of children. I’m not sure who they’re marketed to, nostalgic parents? Truthfully at this point, nostalgic grandparents! Old Archie hasn’t done the best job of keeping up with the times…
Fahrenheit 451 cover courtesy of amazon.com
If you’ve read Ray Bradbury‘s brilliant ‘Fahrenheit 451‘, you probably still have visions in your head of homes being destroyed because they dared to have books inside them. I know I do. That’s why an entry at bookshopblog really disturbed me. In their post, ‘Book burning on Feb. 10th 2009 due to CPSIA‘, they claim that according to new CPSIA laws, a book store or library can not sell or distribute items that do not have a certificate stating that they have been tested and proclaimed lead-free. Furthermore, this law is retroactive, meaning that even if the item was published fifty years ago, if it hasn’t been tested, you can’t distribute it!
OK, maybe not THIS Batman! ;P
*Deep breath* Ok, I’m hearing talk out there that Batman is not a Super Hero because he does not possess super powers.
*Exhale*
As calmly as I can, please allow me to put this argument to bed.
Batman is the one super hero you could actually be. You’ll never be rocketed to Earth from Krypton. You’ll never happen to be standing by certain chemicals when they’re struck by lightning. You’ll never be given a ring that projects your will. You won’t be bitten by a radioactive/bio-engineered spider. As far as we know, Gamma radiation just causes cancer. In some instances, Gamma can be used to treat cancer, but it’s also the deadliest radiation released from atomic bombs. So forget all that.
