The Family with Three Last Names

Bonus April Photos

2009-05-22T18:35:00.002-05:00

We loved the photos Katherine O'Brien took of my preggers belly and Abby's newborn days, so we recently asked Katherine to come back and capture Abby at 1 year old.

Katherine picked a few of her favorite 1-year shots and posted them to her blog—check 'em out!

April Photos Posted

2009-05-04T18:25:00.003-05:00

April was an exciting month in parenthood as we watched Abby develop her organizational skills! Oh yeah, she also learned how to walk.

And So It Begins...

2009-04-26T10:29:00.002-05:00

Review: The Uncommon Reader

2009-04-07T22:11:00.000-05:00

Title: The Uncommon Reader
Author: Alan Bennett
Category: Fiction, Adult
Rating: 3/5
Summary: A mobile library van visits Buckingham Palace, where the Queen stumbles upon it and feels obligated to check out a book, even though she doesn't really read books.

Review: Cute book. It reminded me of the movie The Queen. You know, because they're both about the Queen.

I don't know that this book was my exact cup of tea, but I enjoyed it. And at 120 pages, it was a super-quick read.

If you love books and the monarchy, you'll adore this little lovely.

March Photos Posted

2009-04-06T22:02:00.003-05:00

March is over, and Abby's not yet walking or talking (without her hands, that is). But she's so, so close! Any day now, we're going to be wishing we hadn't been so anxious for these next steps...

February Photos Posted

2009-03-03T20:05:00.003-06:00

February brought Abby a birthday, fashion accessories, and yes, more cuteness.

Abby by the Month

2009-03-01T22:13:00.004-06:00

We're still deciding what will make the cut for the February album, but in the meantime enjoy a year's worth of red chair photos!

Birthday Traditions

2009-02-12T08:00:00.002-06:00

Abby turns 1 on Monday. Every day, she seems a little more grown up. Like yesterday, she would not let me hold her cup for her. She insisted on holding it herself. A year ago, she couldn't even hold up her own head!

This weekend, we're having a party for her with a few friends. But what do you do at a 1-year-old's birthday party? Are there games to play? Do you all sit around and drink beer while she crawls around and around like she's training to be a whirling dervish?

Aside from the party, one tradition we want to try is writing a letter to Abby every year, sealing them up, then giving them to her when she's 18.

What birthday traditions do you have?

January Photos Posted

2009-02-06T20:34:00.002-06:00

After you take a swing through January, check out the latest addition to Abby by the Month.

A New Outlet for My Geekdom

2009-01-26T20:07:00.003-06:00

I've been studiously posting book reviews here for every book I read. But I've also been holding back. In a review, I don't always go into detail about what I liked or didn't like because I know people like Anne-Marie and Yvette and even Lacy probably just read the rating, if that, and get on with their lives.

There are other things I'm holding back. Like cool writing exercises I come across. And why I started but didn't finish a certain book. And how do you possibly decide what to read next when your to-read list is almost a thousand books long?

Adding to that, I know there must be other people out there like me—wannabe young adult writers who devour the latest, hottest YA creation hoping to learn from it, or just to be close to what we so desperately want.

So for the other YA wannabes, but also as an outlet for myself, I've created...

YAnnabe

I can geek out to my heart's content on reading and writing for YA, and you don't have to wade through book review after book review when all you really want is just a cute picture of Abby every now and then.

Still, I will probably post a monthly roundup of book ratings here because I will always want to spread the word about good books. And you won't be free from my non-YA book reviews.

But if you like all those YA book reviews, or if you just can't get enough of me and my opinions, I'll totally understand if you want to sneak over to YAnnabe and subscribe by email or feed reader.

On Footy Pajamas

2009-01-18T12:09:00.005-06:00

You've timed everything perfectly. She's fed, she's well rested, and she has a clean diaper on. You have just enough time to put on her socks and shoes before you have to leave and make it to your one Official Baby Enrichment Activity for the weekend—storytime at the local bookstore.

You sit down, plop her on your lap facing forward, and put her left sock on. But as you turn your attention to the right sock, she's already pulled off the left sock. Right sock in place, you turn back to the left sock, and she zeroes in on the right. Rinse, repeat, and lather yourself into a frenzy as the start of storytime passes and you're still trying to get your kid's damn socks on.

Abby has cold feet pretty much all the time. If we try to sneak socks on her feet after she's fallen asleep, she knows. When we wake up in the morning, the socks are gone and she's just lying there like an angel.

So we waited. And plotted. And waited some more. Finally, the weather in Austin got chilly enough to implement our wicked scheme to keep our child's feet warm at night—footy pajamas.

I picked up a super cute pair of red-and-white jammies at Whole Foods made by Under the Nile. Abby looked adorable in them, and her toes were warm. Success!

But here's the thing about footy pajamas, or at least footy pajamas with my kid. Abby still soaks at least one diaper by 1:00 or 2:00 in the morning. That means the footy pajamas have to come off, the diaper has to be changed, and the pajamas have to go back on, all while she cries and cries and cries her heart out.

This particular pair of pajamas has snaps from the middle of one knee all the way up to the neck. Do you have any idea how hard it is to redo forty-two freaking snaps at 2:00 in the morning in the dark while your baby is crying buckets and you're barely awake?

So here's my parenting tip of the day: When in the market for footy pajamas, steer clear of snaps. The zipper is a wonderful invention.

We found some cute, organic, zippered footy pajamas made by Green Babies that are working out much better. They're a little on the pricey side, although footypajamas.com is having a sale. We figured if we couldn't invest in a completely organic wardrobe for Abby, we could at least spend $30 on a pair of organic pajamas since she spends 12 hours of every day in pajamas.

While I'll take these zipper pajamas over snap pajamas any day, it's not the most ideal solution because we still have to unzip, take both legs out, change the diaper, put both legs back in, then zip back up. There's gotta be a better way.

To all the parents out there: Do you have an anti-sock child? And if so, what do you do to keep their feet warm at night?

Review: Let It Snow

2009-01-07T22:29:00.007-06:00

Title: Let It Snow: Three Holiday Romances
Author: John Green, Maureen Johnson, Lauren Myracle
Category: Fiction, Young Adult
Rating: 3.5/5
Summary: Three interconnected holiday stories of love from three bestselling teen authors.

Review: I wasn't quite ready to let the holidays go, so I actually put this on hold at the library after Christmas. I felt a little weird cracking it open in my living room now completely devoid of holiday decorations. But I'm glad I did.

These are quick, fun stories that made me laugh out loud several times—not a common occurrence when I'm reading. I loved the sarcastic humor of the characters, especially in the first two stories. The main character in the last story was a little whiny for my taste, but that was kind of the whole point of the story in the first place so I got over it.

I already had John Green's Paper Towns on my to-read list, but I loved Maureen Johnson's writing so I'm trying to pick one of her books to add. Maybe Devilish?

Review: The Dead and the Gone

2009-01-04T22:53:00.002-06:00

Title: The Dead and the Gone
Author: Susan Beth Pfeffer
Category: Fiction, Young Adult
Rating: 0.5/5
Summary: A meteor hits the Moon, knocking it towards the Earth. Alex Morales lives in New York City with his family and must find a way to help them survive the chaos that ensues.

Review: Goodness. Am I getting persnickety or what?

Before I get any further in this review, you really should check out Life As We Knew It by this same author with a similar premise. That book is worth your time, without a doubt.

With that said, let me get down to business. This book was awful. I almost stopped reading it several times. What kept me going in the end wasn't wanting to know what happened to the characters. I got the idea that I should take notes as I read it so I can look for those problems in my own writing in the future, and that's why I finished it.

I was getting so annoyed while reading that I actually read passages aloud to Erik to make sure I wasn't off my rocker. He assured me that I am not—at least in regards to my opinion of this book.

So what follows is an exercise in trying to articulate what could made a book so awful. Here's the short version: Skip this book and read something else instead.

The characters came across with the personality and depth of cardboard cutouts. Their dialogue was stilted and wooden—not realistic for teen characters at all.
During most scenes, I could only assume that the characters were rendered completely immobile by some silent and unnamed attacker. They didn't brush hair out of their eyes, bite their lips, furrow their brows, tilt their heads, shift their weight to one foot, cross their arms, uncross their arms, look down, look up, look to the side, or even blink for Pete's sake. Okay, maybe I'm exaggerating a little. But if I went back and counted all the characters' actions during the scenes of dialogue, I bet the fingers on two hands would be more than sufficient. Personally, I really like those little actions during dialogue, and I longed for them in this book. Those little actions help you know how a character's reacting to someone else's words. They give you clues about whether they're lying or happy or sad or tired. The only way I knew what the characters were feeling was...
The author tells the characters' emotions instead of showing them. Don't tell me that "the priest looked exhausted." Show me that his eyes have dark circles under them or he's downing one cup of coffee after another or he keeps pressing the heels of his hand into his eye sockets. It's more interesting that way. The way I show exhaustion (go from zero to bitch in less than a second) is different from how someone else shows exhaustion (Erik, for example, will fall asleep mid-sentence). And that's how you get to know a person.
Too much time was spent on inane details. Pages 88 to 91 describe every step one character goes through to pack a duffel bag for another character. Trust me, that wasn't necessary for the plot or character development.
I'm not religious, but the religious parts came across as even flatter than the characters.

But possibly more important than all those writing mechanics, the reason you shouldn't read this or recommend this to anyone in its target age group is that it's depressing as hell.

I started the book on Saturday and finished it today. Starting last night and continuing into today, I was feeling pretty down and depressed. It took me a while to figure out this book was the cause. Not only does the book get pretty gruesome halfway through, but it's also completely devoid of hope. Dark is fine. I don't mind dark as long as there's some light to balance it out. I am a devout Buffy fan, after all. But this book goes too far.

Review: Things I Want My Daughters to Know

2009-01-04T10:04:00.001-06:00

Title: Things I Want My Daughters to Know
Author: Elizabeth Noble
Category: Fiction
Rating: 2/5
Summary: A mother dying of cancer writes letters to her husband and each of her four daughters, then keeps a diary in her last days. Her daughters receive the letters and the diary after she passes away and have to reconcile their mother's advice with what's going on in their lives.

Review: I had trouble getting into this story. It had so many different "main" characters that I didn't feel a real connection with any of them. The book switches point of view among the 4 daughters and the husband. (Unless you count all the letters and diary entries from the mom—that would make 6 points of view.) Maybe it wouldn't have been so bad if you had a little more time to spend with each character before being switched to the next one, but the switches were too frequent for me to settle into a character.

The story itself is fine, but what's a story without a character you can settle into?

I also had a hard time reading some of the dialogue. Sometimes there wouldn't be a paragraph break between text describing the actions of one character and the speech of another character. So I'd misunderstand and think the first character was the one saying it until I got further in the conversation and realized that I was off by a character. Also, when more than two people were talking, the dialogue wasn't always attributed so I had absolutely no idea who was saying what.

All in all, not a horrible book but also nothing to write home about.

2008 Books in Review

2009-01-02T22:22:00.005-06:00

This year, I read almost as many books as the previous 2 years combined. 70 was the grand total for the year. (Who knew having a kid would give me more reading time?)

I'm always looking for book recommendations, so tell me: What were your favorite books last year?

Okay, okay. I'll go first. My two favorites of the year also make it to my all-time favorites list, so I would highly recommend them to anyone and everyone:

Nonfiction: Animal, Vegetable, Miracle: A Year of Food Life
Fiction: The Disreputable History of Frankie Landau-Banks

And there are a few more I'd recommend to specific folks...

For the Kids (or Kids at Heart)

For the Teens

The Disreputable History of Frankie Landau-Banks
Rebel Angels and The Sweet Far Thing (start with A Great and Terrible Beauty)

And go ahead and read the Twilight series. It's not the best stuff in the world, but it's fun as hell.

For the Aspiring Writers

For the Expecting or New Parents
Yes, I know you're tired and/or have a lot to do. But these are all worth it, I promise.

For the Other Parents

Finally, Some 2008 Stats
I tend to read a novel or two in between every nonfiction book, so these numbers make sense:
Fiction: 66%
Nonfiction: 34%

And here's the breakdown within the fiction category:
Adult fiction: 13%
YA or kids' fiction: 87%

December Photos Posted

2009-01-01T21:48:00.003-06:00

Although it's hard to catch on camera, December was the month Abby started signing. Her first sign was "more," then she starting doing "dog," "milk," and "water." But here's a sign every baby learns how to do:

But wait, there's more! We put together a little end-of-year gift for you—a collection showing how Abby's grown over the last 10 months. Enjoy!

Review: Wicked Lovely

2008-12-31T19:49:00.000-06:00

Title: Wicked Lovely
Author: Melissa Marr
Category: Fiction, Young Adult
Rating: 2/5
Summary: High school junior Aislinn can see faeries, but they're not all glitter and Tinkerbell. Try cruel. But now one faery in particular is stalking her, and he just so happens to be a faery king looking for his queen.

Review: I loved the premise of this book, but I didn't connect with the main character. She was whiny and constantly turning to her older, overly protective not-a-boyfriend for help.

I also had a really hard time with all the changes in point of view. There's a way to do that well, and this ain't it. The point of view changed several times in a chapter, sometimes within the same scene. I never felt like I could settle into a character and really see through their eyes.

Review: The Tales of Beedle the Bard

2008-12-29T21:39:00.001-06:00

Title: The Tales of Beedle the Bard
Author: J.K. Rowling
Category: Fiction, Children's
Rating: 4/5
Summary: Hermione Granger's new translation of the wizarding world's best-known fairy tales, with commentary by Albus Dumbledore.

Review: I didn't realize how much I missed the world of Harry Potter until I read this collection. So I think I might re-read the whole series in the new year.

If you're a Harry Potter fan, read this book! It's not going to be quite as fun as reading the series itself, but it's a quick read that's well worth your time. Whether the story is funny, gory, or sad—or all three—you'll enjoy your brief foray into the wizarding world again.

My favorite story in the collection was "Babbitty Rabbitty and Her Cackling Stump." If you've read this book already, what was your favorite?

Review: My One Hundred Adventures

2008-12-27T16:54:00.003-06:00

Title: My One Hundred Adventures
Author: Polly Horvath
Category: Fiction, Children's
Rating: 3/5
Summary: 12-year-old Jane is tired of the same old, same old summer on the beach in her Massachusetts town. She's ready for adventures, and she's ready NOW.

Review: This is an episodic novel, which isn't usually my cup of tea, but this story grew on me. The characters are deliciously weird, and Jane's adventures are weirder still. Dry humor is sprinkled throughout, which always managed to catch me by surprise—in a good way.

But in the end, I didn't feel like the father issue or even the fate of the clothes hanger man were sufficiently resolved. I hate it when books leave huge questions unanswered.

Horvath is a talented writer, though, and I hadn't read her work before. So I plan to check out some of her most critically acclaimed books—the National Book Award winner The Canning Season, the National Book Award nominee The Trolls, or the Newbery Honor Book Everything on a Waffle. If you're a Horvath fan, what would you recommend?

Review: The Penderwicks on Gardam Street

2008-12-27T15:30:00.003-06:00

Title: The Penderwicks on Gardam Street
Author: Jeanne Birdsall
Category: Fiction, Children's
Rating: 4/5
Summary: As their father starts dating again, the four Penderwick sisters band together to save their family from the horrible fate of adding a stepmother to the mix.

Review: This is the sequel to The Penderwicks: A Summer Tale of Four Sisters, Two Rabbits, and a Very Interesting Boy, which I loved. And as with the first book, I was sad to finish this book and have to say goodbye to the characters.

The book is told in third person, but I love how the author switches perspectives among the four girls, even the youngest girl Batty, who is probably 4 or 5. She captures perfectly their four distinct ages and personalities.

A plot inconsistency regarding carpooling stuck out like a sore thumb, but in the end it didn't really matter to me because it's just so much fun to spend time with this family!

If you haven't read The Penderwicks, you should. And if you love the Penderwick family as much as I do, you'll want to continue on to this sequel. It's worth it.

Review: Little Brother

2008-12-26T09:54:00.001-06:00

Title: Little Brother
Author: Cory Doctorow
Category: Fiction, Young Adult
Rating: 3.5/5
Summary: 17-year-old Marcus is in the wrong place at the wrong time after a terrorist attack in San Francisco, and the Department of Homeland Security picks him up for questioning.

Review: This book offers up a bone-chilling vision of the world after a terrorist attack. The Department of Homeland Security is given free rein to do whatever they want. Surveillance of civilians hits unfathomable levels, and widespread fear makes that an easy pill for everyone to swallow. Almost everyone.

Marcus and his friends rebel against the crack-down, and his technological knowledge keeps him one step ahead of the DHS.

I mostly enjoyed the little diversions explaining the technology Marcus or the DHS were using, but those diversions sometimes felt a little too much like a lesson and not enough like a novel. Aside from that, this book made for an exciting read.

Review: What I Saw and How I Lied

2008-12-25T17:29:00.002-06:00

Title: What I Saw and How I Lied
Author: Judy Blundell
Category: Fiction, Young Adult
Rating: 3.5/5
Summary: 15-year-old Evie tags along with her mom and stepdad on an impromptu vacation to Palm Springs, where she finds love, mystery, and tragedy.

Review: This book won the National Book Award this year. I've never read a bad National Book Award winner, and this book was no exception with its excellent writing, compelling story, and realistic portrayal of America after World War II.

However, I've now read all but one of this year's National Book Award nominees in the Young People's Literature category, and this book wasn't the standout for me. My favorite of the nominees (and of the year) was The Disreputable History of Frankie Landau-Banks.

But with that said, What I Saw and How I Lied is wonderful. I think a lot of girls who wish they would hurry up and blossom will identify with Evie right off the bat. I never can get enough of those plain-girl-who-turns-out-to-be-pretty stories, myself.

So go ahead and enjoy this very worth-your-time story, but don't miss The Disreputable History of Frankie Landau-Banks.

A Well-Crafted Compliment

2008-12-23T21:12:00.004-06:00

We're in Oregon for the holidays, and tonight we had dinner at Standing Stone Brewing Co so Erik could sample their craft brews.

Before the food came to the table, Erik was holding Abby and walking her around the restaurant. He walked right by a woman at the bar who was staring at Abby.

"Oh my God, look at those eyes," she said.

Erik stopped walking so the woman could get a better look at Abby.

"That is the most beautiful baby I've ever seen."

"Oh, thank you," Erik said.

You'd think calling someone's baby the most beautiful baby you've ever seen would be the compliment to end all compliments, but the woman continued.

"She makes me want to stop taking my birth control."

Her boyfriend sitting next to her didn't look too happy.

Review: No Plot? No Problem!

2008-12-09T08:00:00.003-06:00

Title: No Plot? No Problem! A Low-Stress, High-Velocity Guide to Writing a Novel in 30 Days
Author: Chris Baty
Category: Nonfiction
Rating: 3.5/5
Summary: Advice from the founder of NaNoWriMo on how to write a novel in 30 days.

Review: This made for a fun read during my crazy month of writing. And this book is what convinced me I didn't need to stress out about writing an outline before NaNoWriMo because according to Baty, "plot happens." Which is completely true. The story arc and ending I first envisioned for my novel are completely different from how they actually turned out. That's a good thing, I promise you.

The week-by-week guide was helpful, even if my writing motivation didn't track it exactly. The book also had writing exercises throughout that I haven't tried yet but sound fun, like the person and thing game.

You take your notebook, pen, and an unread newspaper and go to a public place with lots of foot traffic. Close your eyes, count to fifteen, then open your eyes. The first person you see is your Person. Write down everything you can about them before they leave your sight. Then take your newspaper, close your eyes, open it to a random page, move your finger down the page a few seconds, and open your eyes again. Whatever you're pointing to has a deep connection to your Person. What's the connection? Figure it out and write about it. And bonus points for integrating your Person into your current writing project!

Review: Chains

2008-12-07T09:06:00.003-06:00

Title: Chains
Author: Laurie Halse Anderson
Category: Fiction, Children's
Rating: 4/5
Summary: Isabel is a 13-year-old slave girl during the Revolutionary War. Isabel is promised freedom for herself and her sister when their owner dies. But instead, they're sold to a heartless couple in New York, where Isabel becomes entangled in the struggle between the Americans and the British.

Review: If you like historical fiction, you can't get much better than Chains. This book immediately transports you to the time of the Revolutionary War. If you or a child in your life would like to learn more about that period beyond memorizing battle dates and places, check out this book.

You can't help but feel what Isabel feels—scared, trapped, desperate. I usually shy away from stories set during times of slavery because it's too, too much to stomach. (Same reason I avoid war movies.) But this story manages to keep a thread of hope throughout so you don't end up feeling crushed by sadness and outrage.

I'm looking forward to the sequel, Forge.