Will I ever post about this again?

This wild adventure my 37-year-old-childless-self never, ever imagined I’d be on?

Who can never be sure.

(The baby is happy, healthy, and loved.)

Log. Everything.

We have personally loved doing this in a shared notebook kept in a common space. It makes a routine chore feel distinct from all the digital & “work”-like activities we do on devices (esp. when doing the primary caregiving, i.e., tracking every… fucking… shit… like, literally)

Stash packages of wipes in several places in every room. I had no frame of reference for the sheer amount of biological (and other) remnants that caring for a baby will produce. (Yes, disposable wipes are surely bad for the environment, but since this started, I’ve been too tired and dirty to care.)

maybe posting about my ‘26 thus far will get me to post more (unlikely), so my thoughts on:

Becoming a Temporary Fulltime Caregiver to a Baby <6 Months on 5 Hours Notice & Reflections After 4 Months: What Changes When a Household Increases to 3 from 2 Following the Emergency Placement of 1 Child

“[T]he policemen who had been sent to direct the traffic, exhausted and infuriated, were breaking the heads of the people they were called out to protect.” H.G. Wells, The War of the Worlds (1898).

nighttime shot of a small piece of a front yard in AZ, natural dirt and mixed rock on the ground, with a large bush covered in small pink flowers enveloping an antique wagon, alongside a small fishhook cactus, and buttressed by a 4’ milk tree to the left and 5’ senita cactus to the far left—both of which are sprinkled with warm white LED lights and have large natural rocks at the base

hummingbird bush with holiday blooms! a small, happy, currently festive slice of my ongoing xeriscape efforts

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shot faces down on a front patio, half cement, half red brick, with some spots of water on the latter portion. approximately 30 small agave plants, freshly dug from the earth, cover the ground. dirt clings to their roots.

mid-2020, a neighborhood man was giving away baby agave plants. intrigued, I stopped by. he said his mature plants were producing too many offspring—sounded pervy to me, but I still grabbed 2 lil shootlings & thoughtlessly buried their roots in my front yard. 4 years later, a neighborhood woman... 🌱

"third time's the charm." well, this was my fifth time voting in a presidential election. and tonight will be my fifth time dealing with what it means to sit and watch something so consequential unfold. when I realized that just now, it hit me: if y'all were eligible to & did cast a top-of-the-ticket vote, this is your first time! congratulations!! be so excited & proud. looking back, I (naively) wouldn't have predicted that the magic I felt when I was in your shoes— as a college sophomore in 2008-might not be an everlasting election night fixture.

if the third time in 2016 was indeed some kind of charm-I'm not sure I want whatever magic that is. because now in round five, it feels as tough as ever. and if you're a first-time voter, the way things are right now is a lot to deal with. so, i just wanted to check in with y'all, because... man, this stuff isn't easy these days, regardless of where you stand on the issues. and when you're invested in the outcome, it can be really hard to process & handle the stuff ahead. take care of yourselves, your peace, your people. sending you all good vibes (heart emoji)

this is what I sent to the undergrad mock trial team I coach (in a swing state) last night before our polls closed. heading to practice tonight feels heavy.

💙

13 days of lurking & liking — this place is amazing! what a treat to click a single button, just to be reminded that this country is full of brilliant, funny, earnest, creative, empathetic, loving, and strong folks. grateful to have found a place for my thumbs to stay busy on a night like this.

~15 yrs ago to 2022: lurked on the old place from law school to lawyer life—and enjoyed the entertainment, education, & inspiration from afar (in total silence, aside from some likes here & there)

current: here because I missed your stories, recipes, analyses, etc.

excited to be present 💗