Happy 8 and 9 months, Franklin!

Silly, super-busy-at-work Mommy didn't complete a post wishing this little one a happy eight-month birthday, so I suppose since today he is NINE months old, I'll do them both! In the past few months, Franklin has grown a ton, started talking, eating real (sort-of) food, and feeding himself! His favorite word for the past month or so is "dadadadadadda... " over and over again. He can also say "no ninininooniii" when I try and make him eat a few more bites at dinner, and will call out "Haaeeyyyy" in the morning to wake you up while he's still in his crib.

Franklin is eating different foods nearly every day, and likes the turkey vegetable dinner, sweet potatoes, chicken and winter squash, and carrots the most. He's also a big, big fan of banana oatmeal, and I think would be satisfied with just eating that if it were up to him. Recently, he discovered the "puff." Yes, these bite-sized cheerio-resembling meltaway puffs are a huge hit with him at dinner... and he feeds them to himself! We introduced the sippy cup earlier this month, and he's figured out how it works -- at least when I hold it. Now if I could just get him to understand that in order for the water to come out of the cup he has to hold it upright we'd make huge progress.

The little boy in my baby is appearing right before my eyes... Franklin's new favorite game is to bang two toys together to see what kind of sound they make and how loud it will be. He is extremely fond of the washcloth in the bath at night, and swings it around and around getting everything (including me) soaking wet in the process. My child has an amazing sense of humor, as evidenced by the growling and throat clearing he throws around at-will, and I never seem to tire of hearing him laugh.

And in other news: "Houston, we have a tooth!" F III has cut a tooth on the bottom with a few more seemingly on the horizon. It's been a tough few weeks in our household, what with the teething/ cold/ cough/ refusal to sleep in longer than 45 minute stretches issues we've been fighting. Last night Franklin decided to give me a bit of a break, and I didn't have to get up with him in the middle of the night for the first time in about six weeks. Lets hope that's the beginning of a new "trend" he decides to continue.

Although he still isn't mobile, he's close... For awhile I thought that he didn't have any interest in crawling and probably wouldn't... and I still think that he really isn't all that interested. But he is definitely showing all the signs that he may go that route in the very near future. Once he realizes that he can move around by himself, I fear walking will come soon after. He already pulls himself up regularly, although Frank and I (and our hair, clothing, arms, hands, ears) seem to be the only "equipment" he likes to use to help himself stand.

And last, but not least, I'm sad to report that Franklin has decided that he likes his father. A lot. I'll admit that I have been his "favorite" person from the beginning, and that it was pretty apparent. Well, no more. I'm at least on equal footing at this point and it seems to be going downhill fast. In any event, I can rest assured that he appears to love the television more than either Frank or me anyway.

Little one, you are the best part of my day, and I would gladly get up with you several times a night if it meant that I'd get a sweet hug and kisses like I do now... We are having so much fun watching you grow, and can hardly believe that it's been nine whole months since you arrived! We love you!

Handling Disappointment .....

This morning I am battling overwhelming disappointment at the results of yesterday's primary run-off elections here in my state... While I am certainly a champion of the democratic process (lowercase "d"), it's disheartening to see candidates that you believe in fail to win the praise of the public at-large. I could also see where, if I was a young voter, I would be dismayed with the political process and would turn to apathy as a means to avoid future disappointments. If that applies to you: fight that tendency.

I have spoken to hundreds, if not thousands, of students about civic participation. Many of those students were not yet eighteen, but likely all of them are now. I hope they've chosen to educate themselves about candidates running for office, and have made an informed decision about who they feel will best represent their interests-- whether it's on the board of education, the United States Senate, or on the bench. Too many times voters allow campaign ads and party propaganda influence their decisions. Other times, a candidate's race or sex may be the deciding factor. Individual life experiences and values certainly have an impact on the people we choose as our voice in the legislative process. Yet, there is another extremely important factor that has been overlooked for far, far too long: experience.

Yes, we heard Hilary mention it a few times during the Campaign of 2008 -- and the media glossed over it and her opponent's lack of experience was downplayed as unimportant. Looking back now, I hope that we can all agree that experience is not only important-- but necessary. Moreover, typically with experience (at least of a positive nature) comes political capital. No matter what level of government you look at, clearly it takes political capital to accomplish anything of value to the average voter. Want to pass a tax increase or a tax cut? You need experience + political capital (i.e. respect of other elected officials, a history of making good decisions and getting things done, with an ability to demonstrate the benefits of a particular decision to the general public) to get it accomplished.

So what's my point? I think this blog is read by more people than I realize, and I hope that maybe I can spark a discussion about the realities of candidates we choose to represent us.

I encourage you to make an informed decision about individual candidates running for office. By informed, I mean looking into their ACTIONS versus printed advertising or television ads. For candidates who have held office before-- look at how they voted, if they voted at all, and the types of things they supported. Look at their families, their religion, their philosophy on education, taxes, social programs, and the role of government. And when, after you have narrowed down the field to a few you can support, please, please, consider whether that particular candidate will actually be able to implement their philosophies if they are elected. It will not help you at all to throw your support behind someone who will be unable to accomplish anything if elected due to their lack of experience or political capital. It will not help you to support a candidate who has neither the personality or strength to accomplish the very things you feel are important. The bottom line is: candidates may be church going, warm, kind, genuinely nice people. But if they are not assertive enough to stand up against opponents or have an unproven track record of leadership or an ability to get things done, they (more times than not) will not be successful. Take a look at Jimmy Carter's track record if you'd like evidence of the above. Nice people don't always make great leaders.

Now we enter the long road to November, where we have the opportunity to re-evaluate our priorities as a city, county, and country. Every single vote counts (just ask Tim James, who lost a spot in the primary run-off my a meager 147 votes). Lets be realistic about the way government works and make informed choices about who can be a true leader for us, not just a weak figure-head who lacks the political capital to make changes that are necessary to protect our interests. The political process was never meant to be a popularity contest -- we are not electing prom kings or queens. The time has come for us to put our big boy/girl pants on and grow up. It's now or never.

My Shining Star

Happy Friday!

More Fun in the Toy Pool....