melted smoosh

suffice it to say, we are becoming quite well acquainted with the orthopedic department at Children's! at Greta's well visit last month, our pediatrician found a subtle but noticeable asymmetry during the forward bend test to check her spine. she reassured us that it could just be the result of muscle tightness or a slight shift in position, but ordered a spine x-ray series to check for scoliosis. a few days later, we went to the satellite outpatient Children's center for the x-rays (as well as a screening cholesterol panel which is apparently routine now to check at age 9? who knew!). after the x-rays were done, the radiology tech showed us the images on her screen. we both laughed at how our eyes immediately picked out the stud earrings in her ears :) but then, turning our attention to the spine, we could also see a very slight C curve in the thoracic spine between the shoulder blades. on the formal radiologist report, the curve was measured at 10 degrees, which is just a

I'll Be Gone in the Dark , by Michelle McNamara. the riveting story of a journalist's mission to track down and identify the Golden State Killer, a serial rapist and murderer who terrorized California in the 1970s. her writing can only be described as sinewy -- strong, lean, and effective. some chapters of the book are pieced together from her notes, as she unfortunately died before she could complete it.   Beautiful Boy: A Father's Journey Through His Son's Addiction , by David Sheff. this book is equal parts terrifying, gripping, hopeful and heartwarming. David writes openly (with permission) about his son's addiction to meth. through the years, from rehab to relapse, the entire family works through their misconceptions about addiction. as a parent, a healthcare provider, and a human, I found the book incredibly eye-opening, and I think you will too. Good Inside: A Guide to Becoming the Parent You Want to Be , by Dr. Becky Kennedy. I would love nothing more than f

looking back now, the only way to describe this summer is to use an abbreviated phrase I used to use in my preteen journal: it f. & d.'ed (flew and dragged). so many things about it were different from previous summers -- since I was on maternity leave, the girls were home except for when they had specific camps lined up. we're so blessed to live in a neighborhood where we know (and love!) most of our neighbors, and both girls have a little squadron of friends their own age. they're old enough now to ride their bikes around a few block radius or go play at a friend's house by themselves as long as I know where they're going. often, four or five kids (mine included) would rush in from the backyard to play, stopping only to heed my reminder to "shut the doooor!!", and stampede upstairs to the girls' rooms or down to the basement play area. just as suddenly they would all stream out the front door on their way to other adventures and the house would b

we may be almost through September already, but so many wonderful things happened in August that I can't skip the recap!  1) Gymnastics shows. the girls' gym shows always fall on the first week of August, and I appreciate the separation from the typical end-of-season craziness in May or June. gymnastics is the one activity the girls do throughout the summer. both girls worked so hard this past year! I knew this partially because in June, they both received recommendation cards to move up to the next level this fall, but I hadn't actually seen much of what they were working on because I spend the class time downstairs with Elizabeth (and now Victoria) in the stroller, and the gym is on the upper level. so it was even more impressive to see the results of their training! apart from the skills they have learned, what I value even more is the supportive environment at their gym. they offer recreational classes only, so there's no pressure to join a competitive team. the gym