Memorial Day Weekend 2014

We had a full house for Memorial Day Weekend. Kevin's brother Andrew came from Florida to meet Miranda, and Grandma Kathy came down from the Cape, in part to see Andrew. Kevin's cousin Katie wanted to come meet Miranda too so she came up from Baltimore. My mom was unable to resist a big sexy Clou party and joined us Saturday afternoon. Of course, this all meant I had to take a million pictures.

Saturday:

Kevin, Grandma Kathy, Andrew,and Miranda

Katie with Miranda and James

Grandma Kathy and Nana Ana with their favorite granddaughter

Kids, parents, and grandparents, yay!

Sunday:

Out for a walk

Wearing white 1 day early

James-and-Katie love

Monday- Memorial Day:

James really loves Miranda

Color-coordinated!

Miri and Drew

Our tired family

• Our last visit with Andrew and Katie at Christmas
• Last year, we had a quiet Memorial Day by ourselves.
• When Andrew met James in 2011

Rachel Visits- May 2014

Rachel came over to visit in the middle of a "we're potty-traing a toddler with a 1-month sibling" storm. She got to meet Miranda, help me eat the 10 gallons of Minestrone soup I made by accidentally doubling a recipe, and generally save my sanity. Thanks, Rachel! You're the best!

Rachel meets Miranda!

Snuggles!

• Rachel, Tim, Isaac, and Eleanor come over for James's 3rd birthday!
• With Rachel's and Christina's families at Queen's County Farm in October 2013

Miranda is 1 Month 2014

Miranda is 1 Month Old!

Milestones: Well, this time the first month really flew by! She's sort of smiled a few times where it seems like it might be in response to us smiling at her, but it's fleeting and hard to tell. She had her first tummy time this week.

She goes to sleep pretty late each night between 9 and 11 pm, but sleeps well at night. At most she gets up once or twice, and sometimes she sleeps up to 6 hours at once. Obviously she can't roll over yet, but she definitely scoots around her co-sleeper crib so that she ends with her faced pressed in the one unbreathable spot. I am constantly moving her and checking her breathing at night.

Smirking Miranda

Miranda is not too sure about tummy time.

Weekly Wisdom: James started being REALLY fussy in the evening when he was 3 months old so when Miranda passed the 3 week mark and was still being quiet in the evenings (mostly because she's eating all the time) I thought we were in the clear. But then the fussiness hit. But it's slightly less difficult this time. Basically if she won't eat anymore we assume she's over-tired and focus on forcing her to fall asleep- and we know that the bouncing rigorously on the Rainforest Bouncer can help us accomplish this. This works fairly well.

I wonder if we'd had the same sort of focus with James if things would have gone more smoothly. I remember thinking his tummy was upset because at other times of the day he would fall asleep on his own. It's possible that they are just really different. It' s also possible that we didn't know what we were doing last time. Haha.

Also, I've decided that breastfeeding is pretty tough psychologically in that I can't venture far from the baby or stay away for very long, but it seems to really help with being emotionally bonded to her. I am really obsessed with my baby girl, and I do start miss her after very short intervals of time, which for me is a little unusual.

Best moment/s: James loves Miranda so much. I let him hold her for a second this week and he giggled with glee. Kevin often calls James "Turkey" when he's teasing him, so James calls Miranda "Turkey Miranda." It's pretty funny.

She's not heavy, she's my sister.

 

 Go Red Sox!

 

 How freaking cute is this?

Worst moment/s: She's been falling asleep while feeding a lot and ends up gagging a lot. I hate it! It's so scary. And she's been spitting up lots more despite being constantly burped. More fussiness. (Actual worst moment: I got pretty worried the other night when Kevin missed a few trains home after his NY reading.)

Also, even though I tell all new moms to be easy on themselves and not try to get anything done for a while, I totally had a meltdown the other day because I was so overwhelmed by chores that I needed to do or were lingering without being done. So apparently my advice is way easier to dispense than follow. Luckily Kevin is on vacation for 6 weeks now!

First day of Kevin's vacation!

Baby-size: This is the first week she fits into 0-3 month clothing. I keep squeezing her into some of the newborn stuff though because I'm not quite ready to say goodbye to some of it (and because she has a limited supply of long sleeves). She's still way too little for stuff labeled 3 months though.

Last time in this newborn-size onesie.

My Weight: The automatic 23 is off, and hopefully never ever coming back. But I've hit a bit of a plateau despite feeding all the time.

I am totally obsessed.

Likes: Breastfeeding, sleeping in our arms, sleeping in the co-sleeper crib at night, Dada, bath time!

Dislikes: Pacifier, bottles, riding in the car 

• James at 1 Month Old and belated thanks to Katie C. for good baby advice in the comments. Always listen to moms with 4 kids!

Nomar the Cat Passed Away 2014

Nomar might have been the "Most Interesting Cat." Kevin rescued Nomar as a kitten in 2002 in Iowa City, the literary capital of America. Kevin speculated that Nomar's birthday was close to St. Patrick's Day, so that's the day we celebrated it. As an "Irish" cat he had appropriately-colored red hair and green eyes.

Nomar was from Iowa and enjoyed the "High Life" 2002

Kevin intended for him to be an indoor cat, but those of you who know Nomar know that he had an indomitable will. Pretty soon he was outside, doing what he loved best, killing things. He moved where Kevin moved, living in Ann Arbor, Michigan, then Charlottesville, Virginia, where he had the opportunity to kill a range of species. I met Kevin and Nomar in Charlottesville. When I first met them, Nomar regularly followed Kevin and Brady on walks to the Downtown Mall. One time when I cat-sat Nomar, I found a talon stuck in his fur. I wondered if Nomar or the hawk/eagle/beaver had won the fight. Probably Nomar.

When I summered in New York, Nomar came too and stayed for awhile in Jon's Brooklyn back yard. There he grew pretentious. Eventually I moved in with Kevin and Nomar in Charlottesville, and Nomar, possibly resentful about me inadvertently pushing Brady out, tried to eat my eye one day. A picture I snapped of Nomar eating my Lean Cuisine earned him internet fame on The Consumerist website.

Kevin and Nomar in Cville 2007

Nomar was the ultimate nap accessory, 2008

We moved back to Brooklyn, and Nomar let us know that he didn't like it. He had to get out via a fire escape and we had no grass to speak of, so he acted out to let us now he wanted to go back to the great outdoors. Grandma Kathy welcomed him with open arms and extra servings of dinner. This arrangement also allowed us to spend vacations and holidays with him.

 

Nomar, on the prowl for all living things on Cape Cod. (With Grandma Kathy)

Best friends, 2011

It was only a short time before neighbors declared that Nomar had rid the region of coyotes. Bunnies and puppies now only had Nomar to fear. One neighbor was a weather man for Boston news, and featured Nomar in a Christmas special. Nomar was a local Massachusetts celebrity, and well on his way to acquiring Masshole status.

He watched the children on the Cape grow up. When he first moved there Ellen was a baby, and James wasn't born yet. But he was soon a favorite pet with all them, and only occasionally scratched them to teach them resilience.

James starting to notice Nomar, 2011

James kissing Nomar through the screen, 2012

Family picture with Nomar 2013

Going for a walk with James and Grandma Kathy, 2013

Nomar beat the odds. Indoor cats typically live 12-20 years, but outdoor cats average 1-5 years. Nomar lived a very full 12 years, half with Kevin in Iowa, Michigan, Virginia, and New York, and half with Kathy, on the Cape. He was feisty until the day before he was gone. The official cause was lung cancer, and I like to imagine it was because he secretly smoked a cigarette after all his kills.

Nomar's last picture, enjoying a sunning and an ear scratch from Beatrice, May 2014

WWFTC Reading at KGB Bar 2014

On Thursday, Kevin read at the KGB Bar in Manhattan, which is a New York literary institution. The event was called "Drunken Careening Writers," a name which Black Balloon encouraged all too much by buying Kevin drinks after his reading. Kevin read first, followed by the host of the event, novelist & performer Honor Molloy, then playwright/performer Staci Swedeen, and then writer Kevin Holohan. I couldn't go because I'm feeding Miranda and babies and bars don't mix (well, at night anyway). But Rachel, Tim, Nick, Emily, Briggs, and Jon were there, and so I got some pictures.

Kevin read the title story, "We Were Flying to Chicago," and Rachel said the story was even better when Kevin read it out loud.

Kevin reading the title story, "We Were Flying to Chicago"

KGB Bar & Lit Mag

Kevin, Staci Swedeen, and Kevin Holohan

Here's some other stuff that happened recently regarding Kevin's collection:

The Book Notes Playlist at LARGEHEARTED BOY posted a list of the music that Kevin associated with his stories. http://www.largeheartedboy.com/blog/archive/2014/05/book_notes_kevi_19.html

The Bookslinger App Consortium Books published one of Kevin's stories, "Isabelle and Colleen" on their (free!) Bookslinger App: http://thebookslinger.com/

"On the Highway Near Fairfield, Connecticut" THE AIRSHIP posted a story from Kevin's collection (with art!): http://airshipdaily.com/we-were-flying-to-chicago-by-kevin-clouther/

Miranda is 3 Weeks Old 2014

Milestones: My first day home alone with 2 kids (and everyone was sick!), Miranda's first trip to New York City (Astoria, Queens) for the Astoria Book Swap, meeting Becky S., Ash, Christina and Dan, Kate, Sarah and Donald and William, and my first Mother's Day as a mom of two kids!

Tuesday, 5/6- First day home with two kids, everyone in their own corners!

Miranda lost her belly button on Friday so Sunday she got her first tub bath!

First tub bath on Mother's Day! 

Weekly Wisdom: Breastfeeding is so so hard! Like SO much harder during the beginning, "growth spurts," and other "cluster feedings" than supplementing like I did with James. But I have faith it will get better.

Best moment/s: Best Mother's Day ever! Plus Miranda sleeps long stretches at night.

 

Monday 5/5, 2 weeks + 1 day, Happy Cinco de Mayo!

Wednesday 5/7- Out for a walk wearing a sweater I wore as a baby!

Kevin teaching Miranda about the Red Sox

Thursday, K & M doing some work together

Friday 5/9- Miranda's bows arrive!

Worst moment/s: My little baby catching a cold when shes so little! Also. She. will. not. stop. breastfeeding!

Meeting Ash


Meeting Christina and Dan

Baby-size: We're not sure of her weight but she's almost-but-not-quite outgrown her newborn clothing.

My Weight: 20-21 down  of the 30 pounds I gained with the pregnancy...

• James at 3 weeks

Astoria Book Swap 2014

On Saturday, Kevin had his second book event, not a reading this time- but a book swap- at the Astoria Bookshop in Queens.  For once, I don't have to write all about it because Kevin already did on his publisher Black Balloon's blog: http://airshipdaily.com/blog/kevin-clouther-we-were-flying-to-chicago-book-swap.

Here are some fun pictures I took of the Book Swap:

Kevin is the "Swapper of Honor" at the Astoria Bookshop book swap

Enjoying some free wine

 

Buy a book and have it signed by Kevin!

The Rules of Book Swap: Talk (a lot) about book swap.

Swapping books!

Mingling

Becky, Miranda, Jon, and Ben

Christina, Ash, and me

Signing books!

Celebrating our April babies!

Kevin introducing Miranda to some Black Balloon friends

With Buzz and Jen

Kate, me, Miranda, Christina, and Dan

Also, here's a new awesome review of the book in LitReactor's Bookshots: http://litreactor.com/reviews/bookshots-we-were-flying-to-chicago-by-kevin-clouther

Kevin also did  and interview with THE AIRSHIP and ended up talking about cars and grace and real estate: http://airshipdaily.com/blog/05052014-kevin-clouther-interview

• Kevin's first book event for We Were Flying to Chicago at Stony Brook University, May 2014