a walk from valerie soles on Vimeo.

a boring video for a plain old thursday.
this was taken a week or so ago. we have several boring/adorable videos of als that have yet to make it to the internets. apologies families! he doesn't allow us much active internet time. passive yes, so unfortunately, mama spends too much time refreshing her inbox and checking facebook and blogs. bad mama! seriously, this must stop, as alden looks up at the computer screen when he's playing on the floor far too often now. in fact, since i play his music through itunes, the other day when i decided to sing him a NEW SONG (welcome christmas, yes i know, a little late, from how the grinch stole christmas) he actually looked up at the computer lovingly! not mama, the one singing the song. no. the computer. not cool, man.

in other news, the middle of the night screaming sessions have stopped. he still isn't sleeping in nice big, reliable chunks, but at least he's not screaming. and folks, i'm sorry to say, i attribute this to our going back to our old tried and true routine. i am by no means saying that nobody should ever let a baby cry in bed, i'm just saying it doesn't work for *all* babies. i had a feeling. my gut told me that this wasn't for alden and my stupid brain decided to experiment because SO MANY people do it and there's so much talk about "good sleep" and "healthy habits" and all that, that i was beginning to feel guilty for *not* making him cry. well. as they say, all babies are different. alden sure as hell is. we love him! and his differences! and i'll wear him in the wrap or sling until he's four if that's what he needs to go to sleep. we all have our things. it's no big deal.

so, that sleep stuff said, part of what i love about being a mama is having to finally face my own insecurities and hang-ups head-on and in a meaningful way. though i am probably one of the most opinionated people i've ever known, i do tend to be easily swayed by others and often have difficulty defending my positions when challenged. if i don't change my mind completely, i'll stay quiet and fume about it later. i don't want alden to grow up thinking that is mother is wishy washy and/or passive aggressive, so i'm working on ways to interact in challenging discussions without feeling like i've been either too defensive or trodden upon. all of this, i'm sure, sounds terribly dramatic. rest assured i get into very few arguments. i do however, feel misunderstood far too often for an educated woman of thirty one years. and so! change.

aren't you glad i talk about myself so much on alden's blog? maybe i'll let him write an entry next time.

and in world news, haiti is suffering. everyone seems to be doing this texting money thing, which is wonderful, but i just read that it can take up to 90 days for those funds to reach their intended destination, so you may do one better and send money directly to the organization whose efforts you wish to support. whether or not that's true, some of us don't even have $10 to spare, in which case, i would suggest that you do a little research in your area to find out where you can drop off clothing, toiletry and non-perishable food donations. one of our local mamas posted that still hip is a drop off point for relief donations. while it is true that we all have neighbors in our communities who are in need of our support, please don't let that prevent you from being charitable on a global scale. i hear so many people use this as an excuse not to help when they can. charity only *begins* at home. it doesn't end there.