Violence against women

Would I have given this topic as much thought if I had a son instead of a daughter?  I'd hate to think so.
   There's a lot on this subject circulating the internet right now.  And it's good that this information is getting out there.  We owe it to men like Patrick Stewart who have been fighting this fight long before it has become more mainstream.  HERE is an example of why Stewart is the most awesome Enterprise captain (actor).
   And HERE is Jackson Katz showing us why it is men's problem.  It's up to all of us to make sure the next generation is less violent towards women.
   I don't think I can say it any better than these gentlemen so please watch the above links.  They are definitely not asses.  If we follow their lead, it will go a long way to not making an ass of ourselves as well.
   MLK Jr. said it best:  "I became convinced that noncooperation with evil is as much a moral obligation as is cooperation with good"  Which means even though we're not violent against women, sitting back and letting others be violent against women means we are still part of the problem, not part of the solution.  Let's all work to be part of the solution for a better world that VB can live in.  I mean really, the world is already broken enough.  Let's try to fix a few of the problems.
   Now here's a video of VB chasing bubbles.  I love that she doesn't have a clue about things like violence against women, racism, or crimes against humanity.  I wish it could stay this way forever.

48 Weeks Old

Posts are getting farther and farther apart as my mind is more and more blown with how awesome my daughter is.
   Here we are having a grand old time... I think.

This makes me think of all those times I was tickle tortured growing up and leaves me wondering if I'm horribly scarring my daughter.  But she doesn't seem to mind so far.  And it's pretty fun for me, too so I think I'll keep doing it.  It will probably stop being cool at some point.  Like if I'm still doing it when she's 16 that might be kind of weird.
   Here we are at dinner.  She loves squash!

   She just turned 11 months old and we love that she is feeding herself.  It won't be long before she's scooping the food up on her spoon all by herself.  I might be bragging a little bit.  Ok, I'm bragging a lot.  
   I think I'd be an ass if I weren't bragging.

24 Weeks Old!

It's Bound to come up.  And it's been in the news a lot lately.  I'm talking about the V word.  No, not THAT V word!   
   I’m talking about vaccinations.  It is quite a touchy subject depending on who you talk to.  And up until a few months ago, I had no idea that the subject of vaccinations could be so controversial.  I used to assume that everyone just did it and they started right after they were born in the hospital. 

   Then my wife got pregnant.  And we decided on a home birth.  And I started reading and researching all the alternatives out there.  If ignorance is bliss, what is the opposite?  Yeah, that’s how I’m feeling.

   Assuming you are truly unbiased, there is good information on both sides of this topic.  Yes, vaccinations save lives.  Yes, they have side effects.  Yes, the chances of experiencing said side effects are very, very small.  So are the chances of winning the powerball, but people still manage to do that, too.  And many of the illnesses that vaccinations were created for are not as ‘deadly’ as they once were. (At least not in this country)

   Sooo….  Lots of information to sort through.  Everybody has the right answer and it’s never the same as the answer that anyone else comes up with. 

   It is completely impossible to avoid being an ass when it comes to vaccinations.  Like everything else about parenting, it’s time to trust myself to make the best decision for my family.  And when someone asks about it, I can politely misdirect them by showing them cute pictures of my daughter… like these.