Back to the Blog!

Ok, so I have been off of this for almost three years now, but I think it is about time to get back to it, share thoughts and ideas, and so on and son on...
I'm not sure if this should continue in the personal way it did back in the day, largely because the social networking that I had envisioned this blog being used for has been taken over by my use of facebook. But perhaps this is a place where I can focus on thoughts, rants, current events in life and science, and perhaps stimulate discussions with a broader audience than I get to with my facebook friends and groups "Aquatic Amniote Paleobiology" and "Ungulate Evolution".
So, let the games begin!
-Brian

Lydia's snack of "Monkey Shoo-Shoo"

Just a funny, albeit somewhat silly and/or gross story of a recent YaYa-ism:

Her favorite snack is cereal, which she pronounces as shoo-shoo - yes, just like the infamous Polish word from our childhood.

Her favorite cereal currently is Kix. She calls it Monkey Cereal because it has a cartoon monkey on the front of the box for some promotional thing or toy.

So, her favorite snack is Monkey Cereal, which in YaYa-language is spoken as Monkey Shoo-Shoo. They say language changes meanings from generation to generation, but this is a bigger switch than I expected!

Love,
Brian

Some Favorite Recent Hsieh-Beatty Kids Quotes

(names are "in code", since this site is publicly available - kids respond to strangers that know their names, better not give the weirdos that ability)

Boyo:

• A-Goo!
• Hah! (laughing)
• A-Gee!
• Ya!
• Hey!
• Ooo!

YaYa:

• Pootee! (accusingly pointing at someone that had recently flatulated)
• I fell! (for attention)
• Happy Baby
• I sad (also for attention)
• two, free, fo, fi, sic, (skips 7), eight - no kidding, she likes to count! Actually, just two days ago I was counting 7 books illustrated in a book of hers, and just after she said "eight".
• appufah (applesuace)
• ruhsuh (slurred version of raisin)
• cuhfuh (slurred version of Clifford [the big red dog book character])
• hup! (help)
• he fell (when a toy or doll falls or is dropped - also for attention)
• he go (just yesterday, when a toy cow from her little people farm bounced under the coffee table after she dropped it for a "he fell")

"I fell!" - Drama Queen

My daughter has recently been our local drama queen. Every time she wants attention she drops to the ground and announces, "I FELL". If we do not pay attention, she repeats it and has even once gotten up to "fall" closer to one of us. I just spoke with her teacher at daycare this afternoon and she said that she has been doing that alot (also calling her their drama queen). One of the boys there had a real fall today and my daughter walked right over and "fell" next to him and made her announcement. This reminds me of someone familiar.... ;)

My son

I just had a wonderful time with my son and thought to write about it. He just woke up from his nap and I held him for a while, just talking to him about his family - his family history, how wonderful his mom is (and how much I love her despite any occasional argument or unnecessary crabbiness on my part), how his sister has more silliness per pound than anyone else (though he is catching up with her), and generally how much I love him and will always support him. Then I sang him a song and he just smiled his big, wide, eye-squinting-because-his-cheeks-are-so-chubby smile and cooed. That Mr. Dimple!

Working late...

Well, another night working late on various things, as usual. I cannot bring myself to get started despite feeling increasing pressure to get things done as the semester nears....
I usually keep a daily list of things to do, but I stop it when the breaks between semesters begin. I restarted those daily lists yesterday (Monday) and it is helping me stay on task, even if many of those things are chores or errands having nothing to do with my education. I am getting lots done, I guess, and I feel a better sense of accomplishment now that I think about it. After talking some tonight about upcoming papers and work for the semester I started to feel excited, then a bit worried and overwhelmed. I have so much to do, or at least so much I want to do. Maybe I am setting impossible goals, but I really want to do well.

Ok, enough of that. To some more pleasant news, Lydia seems to be enjoying her time at school (daycare). Actually, I was a little distrubed tonight when she cried for her teacher after hitting her head on the arm of a chair. Maybe she is too emotionally tied to her teacher. Will she be okwhen the summer is over and she goes on to another classroom and teacher in the fall?

Man, I am worrying too much. I guess I'll get back to work....

Sitting with my daughter while she eats her dinner....

Right now, I am just enjoying the subtle pleasure of having my daughter sit next to me, eating her dinner in her highchair. She rambles on in a mix of gibbersih and her weird toddler language, mostly full of her thoughts and interests. She speaks of monkeys, bananas, fish, and her teacher, Amanda (at daycare). She just stuck her banana slices to her neck to see if they would stick, then began to discuss Ya-Ya (her way of saying her name) and Baby.
Anyhow, I felt the need to write this so I do not forget the small joys of parenthood.
-Brian

My first message

Well, this is the start of my blog. I hope for this to become a venue for my thoughts and feelings regarding my life, family, and work. My ultimate goal is for this to become a place for family and friends to easily keep in touch and feel connected despite my sometimes hectic schedule. I would like to welcome family and friends to comment and critique, possibly ending somewhat undirected emails that are disjunct and provide a method to maintain some continuity and focus. I would rather minimize replay of old news and keep up, so that important personal concerns and feelings can be saved for phone calls and the news can be written instead of taking up time spoken in our rare times to speak casually.