In Remembrance...

Sadie received a package today from her Great Aunt Audrey and Uncle Bill. The gift was touching. Sadie's middle name pays homage to her great grandmother, Fern Stanton. Because of this-- Audrey sent Sadie a corduroy jumper that my grandmother made for Audrey's oldest when she was first born. Audrey remarked about the dress: "May it take on new life with the next generation." Indeed it will.

Sadie at 2 months
Red Jumper made by Great Grandmother Fern:

white tiger, white tiger, burning bright: a guest book review

"To hell with the Naxals and their guns shipped from China. If you taught every poor boy how to paint, that would be the end of the rich in India."

One day over winter break Rebecca, Sadie, and I stopped at a cafe by Lake Merrit, and much to my dismay I discovered that Rebecca had brought along the book she was reading, A Gate at the Stairs. I had brought nothing. Sadie was sleeping, so I couldn't play with her. I tried reading Rebecca's book upside down from across the table, but was making slow progress. The cafe didn't stock East Bay Express, so I was out of luck. After browsing a catalog from Ritual Roasters, I decided that I needed a book too! So on the way back to the car we stopped at the library and I picked up Aravind Adiga's novel White Tiger, about a murderous outsourcing entrepreneur from Bangalore, India.

With nods to Ellison's Invisible Man, Adiga creates a narrator whose life story transverses a cross-section of his society--and the portrayal of this society is not flattering. While not Adiga's book is not as epic in scope, both books feature characters from their society's underclasses, who at first blindly embrace their place in the power structure, but then learn to subvert that power, using it against itself, before eventually retreating into hiding. Adiga's narrator is at times wickedly hilarious, and at times ruthless as he portrays the complexities of master-servant class relationships, contrasts urban and rural life in India, and takes on Indian political corruption. Most of all Adiga casts India as a society in flux, at once ancient and modern, both provincial and global. But none of this social commentary ever reads like a polemic; it doesn't slow down the pace of the story, nor does it overshadow the novel's vibrant narrator.

And my daughter, Sadie, liked the contrast of the black and white letters on the book's cover.

It's Raining...

It's pouring here in Oakland. We snuggled in bed as long as possible to beat the chill. (Mark has off for the MLK school holiday.) Sadie is becoming very smiley and a little chatterbox. Interacting with her has become such a treat. Here's a video clip from the weekend:

A Gate at the Stairs, by Lorrie Moore

I just finished reading this book today. I decided I'm going to review all the books I read this year. So, if you're my father-in-law or my husband don't read this post (or do). I just want to give you fair warning, so as not to spoil the reading for you. I'll try not to give too much away.

This book is good. I sought it out because in was on the NY Times 2009 Top Ten Books of the Year list. It is a book for the times--dealing with everything from the slow food movement to fertility and race issues to terrorism (and more). It addresses these current issues indirectly, ingrained into the everyday. The protagonist and narrator is a young female college student in the fictional Troy, Wisconsin. If you're familiar with WI-- Troy, "the Athens of the Midwest", represents Madison, the writer's hometown. Troy is as Madison, a reef of liberalism in a sea of country living. I love Moore's writing; she creates metaphors that are surprising, yet make sense. This modern novel deals with the hardships and reality of love (or in some instances the idea of love)- passionate love, maternal love, brotherly love, and friendship. Many of the characters Moore creates have nicknames or pseudonyms. These, to me, serve as a way to hide. Her characters immerse themselves in the affairs of modern culture, hiding themselves from those universal pains that find us all, eventually.

A must read.

Big Baby!

I took Sadie to her two month check-up yesterday. While having a delicate head (the doctor's words), the rest of her is quite big. She weighed in at 12 lbs 1 oz (80th percentile) and is 24 in long (95th percentile). That's good. It means she's a hearty eater. That also means that she's grown out of her 0-3 month clothes at 2 months. My big baby!

Mark thinks I shouldn't discuss her percentiles--that it encourages our comparative and competitive culture. Does comparing baby weight and height percentiles evolve into parents comparing test scores or other capabilities? I think not. For me to hear that my daughter is in the 95 height percentile is laughable-- I'm so short! And, if I didn't hear that percentile--I'd have no clue that she's longer than most. Also, I don't feel there's any harm in sharing that with others. Sharing your child's test scores? I think that is inappropriate.

Well, here's to Sadie! That she continues to grow up to be a healthy girl!

Small Moments

I just peeked in at Sadie napping. She had quieted down, so I assumed she had fallen asleep. But to my delight, she was wondering up at her butterfly mobile -- laughing and smiling. Being a mom has some precious moments.