Last week, finally, my precious Bubu started talking. For the last few days, she has been saying “Ma-ma-ma-ma-ma-ma-ma-ma” when she wants something and calls out “Duh” for “Daddy.” This morning, when she woke up and Ben was gone, she pointed at the door and said, “Duh, duh, duh.” It cracks me up. When she is done eating or pooping, she says, “Ah dah” for “All done.” She babbles incessantly throughout the day. I keep wondering what she’s trying to say.

The last couple months, I’ve been trying to teach her to pick up her toys and she just wasn’t getting it. The first time I showed her, she stared at me and then down at the box for the longest time. She tilted her head and kept staring. Suddenly, she grabbed the box, turned it upside down, and whacked at the blocks with both hands, sending them flying all over the place. So much for cleaning up…. Today, I didn’t even try to have her help. I was putting away her brand new dominos when she crawled over to me and started picking them up and throwing them into the box, jabbering excitedly. She kept going till every last one of the 91 tiles was put away.

Today was also the first time she kissed me. She went straight for my mouth and slobbered on me, but a kiss is a kiss.

She still doesn’t try to walk although she can stand as long as she wants to without holding on to anything. I’m kind of glad she isn’t walking yet, though. It’s easier to catch her when she’s crawling around. And no teeth yet, either, though she shows all the signs, including waterfalls of drool, chapped cheeks, and the stinkiest poop you ever smelled. The drool, I can understand, maybe. But why the other two are signs I have no idea. It’s just what I’ve read.

Our other baby apparently has a tail and is growing flippers this week. Look at our baby widget on the top right.

Ben suddenly took it upon himself to start yoga. It was his idea, not mine, and he started last week. I’m SO excited. He’s doing Bikram yoga at a brand new yoga studio down the street. As far as I know, it’s the only yoga studio in the area. I used to do Ashtanga, but they don’t have it here in boony-town where we live. He has gone five times now and he is starting to show signs of trading his growing beer barrel for a six-pack. It’s more like a two-pack now, but I have hope. Coolness.

With the crazy gas prices, it costs us $45 to fill up the car. It is driving me insane. It’s not like we’re really going anywhere in the car. I miss public transportation more and more every day. It costs next to nothing. No need to constantly worry about the car breaking down. No need to worry about drunk drivers … or even driving.

And we finally night-weaned Rinah and for the first time in over a year, I have had more than 3 or 4 hours of sleep at a time. Oh, sweet sleep. A good friend of mine with a bajillion kids explained to me and Ben that if he would take her out of the room when she woke up to nurse, she’d fall back asleep again. It never occurred to us to try that. Amazingly enough, it worked. She almost sleeps through the night now. He has to get up once or twice and pat her a few times, but she gives up right away and it doesn’t take very long.

A guy at Ben’s work rides my dream motorcycle to work every day. Apparently they got to talking about it. Believe it or not, motorcycles can be safe if you’re careful. One thing led to another and now we have a shiny, sleek, dark, beautiful motorcycle. It’s black and silver. I love it.

Click to see larger pics.

Before we got married, when Ben and I were chatting and I’d ask him what he was doing, he’d often tell me he was hacking something for his homework. So even though he’s a programmer, I like to say he’s a hacker. A night-weaning daddy hacker who rides to yoga classes on a motorcycle. Now, if the carpets in our house quit growing his socks and shoes and underwear all over the place, and if we could actually get our butts in gear to read the Bible together every day, our marriage would be perfect … right? :D

Ron Paul and the Dalai Lama

by whelvestine

We’re losing our Constitution, one Congressional Gold Medal at a time

Last week Congress awarded the Congressional Gold Medal to the Dalai Lama in recognition of his lifelong commitment to peace. The medal cost $30,000 to mint, and the House of Representatives approved the funding by a vote of 434-1. The lone dissenting vote was cast by presidential candidate Ron Paul.

“Mr. Speaker,” said Congressman Paul on the House floor, “with great sadness I must rise to oppose this measure.” After noting the irony in honoring a devout Buddhist monk with a material gift of gold, Paul explained: “We cannot forget that Congress has no authority under the Constitution to spend taxpayer money on medals and awards, no matter how richly deserved.”

Paul had an alternative solution: he offered to pay $100 out of his own pocket to pay for the medal, if the other House members ponied up $70 each to cover the rest. No one did.

“You see,” Paul observed, “it’s a lot easier to spend other people’s money.”

Let’s be clear: Paul has nothing against the Dalai Lama. He was also the lone vote in opposition to similar medals for Ronald Reagan and Pope John Paul II. But his dissent speaks volumes about his principled political philosophy, which emphasizes, above all, strict adherence to the Constitution.

Sadly, Ron Paul seems to be the only politician left in Washington who actually understands the proper role of the federal government in America. Our Founding Fathers were very clear: while the Constitution gives Congress the power to declare war and levy taxes, it says nothing about spending taxpayer dollars on feel-good medals.

Of course, the Congressional Gold Medal isn’t really a big deal, but it’s indicative of a much larger problem: over the years, our politicians have consistently ignored and eroded the Constitution, each one straying further than the last, to the point where 434 out of 435 members of the House don’t hesitate to violate the document they all swore to uphold. And to fully understand the degree to which the public has accepted this nonsense, look no further than the most recent presidential debate, where Paul pointed out that the Constitution requires the president to get congressional approval before going to war, and some members of the audience actually booed!

Ron Paul’s campaign slogan is “Hope for America,” and if the Dalai Lama vote is any indication, Paul is literally the only hope for those wishing to return to the ideals set forth in the Constitution: those of limited government at home, non-intervention abroad, and individual liberty for all. So if you want more of the same – foreign wars, debt, and domestic spying – then by all means, take your pick from the other presidential candidates. But if you’re looking for someone who would refuse a Congressional Gold Medal to an international beacon of peace on Constitutional grounds, well … there’s literally only one choice.