It's Dilovely

“Mo-om.” (In the whiny voice, unsurprisingly.) “Why do you just make me cry all the time?” I had to laugh. “Dude, I have no idea.” For the past few days, any time I get a little stern with E, he says something like, “Mommy, you’re scaring me!” or “But now you’re really making me cry!” [...]

Yesterday we – E, Baby A, Daddy, Grammie, Papa, Uncle Ben and I – trekked to Westfield Heritage Village for a “Sweet Taste of Spring.” We weren’t the only ones – it was packed, and the atmosphere was festive. We went last year at maple syrup time, too, but the temperature was in the 20s [...]

I have one living grandparent, my dad’s mother. She is a treasure of a person. I remember a particular conversation we had when I was seven or eight, while she was visiting from Texas. We were out in my backyard together, talking about boys as I swung on the swingset. I asked her earnestly, “Wina, [...]

My son was so sweet as a young toddler. Happy, affectionate, compliant, funny. You could just eat him up. Then he turned two, and indeed became a two-year-old. Now he’s three-and-a-half, and I thought the “terrible twos” baloney was supposed to end. Instead, we’ve got a throbbing case of threeyearoldism. It’s a rare day he [...]

Dear Baby A, On January 30th, it was four months since the day of your birth. I know it’s the worst cliché ever, but I can’t help it: the days have flown by. I cannot believe we are already here. Life with you and your brother has its exasperating moments. There have been lots of runny [...]

Today is the birthday of my elder sister Emily, a.k.a. Auntie Em. It is also the day she officially completed and bade adieu to her Major Research Project, finishing her Masters in Language, Culture, and Teaching. Emi is a special gal. She is full of love and complicated thoughts and stress and nostalgia and joy [...]

It’s January Seventh, Twenty-Thirteen! Happy new year (more or less), Di-hards. It’s the first day back to school, the 13th day after Christmas. As good a day as any for a new year post in which I lighten up a little bit… with a silly celebratory questionnaire meme. Woo hoo! {Disclaimer: Dilovely wrote these responses, [...]

This Christmas has been special. I am grateful for many things. Especially: The presence of my big brother – Uncle Ben – which means that all four of us “kids” were together at Christmas. This has not happened often in the last decade. Furthermore, you can’t imagine a more doting uncle. He is the first [...]

Images dropping before my mind’s eye like slides: lockdown drills suddenly in sharp focus, children huddling with their backs against the wall, invisible to an intruder, teachers shushing them and hoping they’d manage in a real emergency. Now there are real pictures. Children who will now always feel sick at the sound of a loud [...]

Hey everybody, CHECK THIS OUT. It’s basically the coolest advent calendar EVER. Auntie Beth has some serious crafty skillz! That polar bear is very soft and fuzzy, as is the snowman’s hat. I would love to say that I made it myself for my beloved firstborn, but no… I think he’d be about sixteen by [...]