My little boy looks like a little boy again. Even though he had to wear pink while he got his hair cut.

It’s official. The plague has swept through our house.

First, Alex was sick for about two weeks. The first few days of the illness included no sleep, constant nose drainage, lots of coughing, and perpetual clinginess. After that he was only mildly clingy and had a nose that wouldn’t stop running.

Next, Zach got ill. He had a fever, a bad cough, and couldn’t breath because of all of the mucous. He was so bad he even had to stay home from work.

Then it hit me. I woke up yesterday feeling like I had an antelope in my throat. The antelope was clearly angering the bird that had appeared the night before. Those bird feathers tickle like crazy, and the antelope just made the bird claustrophobic with his big antlers stabbing into my throat.

Today is slightly better. I have cookies to make for the cookie swap on Saturday, so I must be better in order to do that. I will not miss out on the awesomeness that is the Burgh Moms and what I’m sure will be amazing cookies. Not. Gonna. Happen.

Send angry notes to the antelope and bird, please. Scare them out of my throat.

Last year at this time I was in California. Alex, Zach, and I were out there spending Thanksgiving with my amazing family and Zach’s equally amazing parents. This was the first time they met Alex, and just in the three months since he had been born he had grown immensely.

A year ago today, I noticed him grabbing small objects for the first time with his whole fist. Before that day, he would bat at them, but never hold on. He held on to a ring on his play mat, and continued to let go and grab it again and again throughout the day.

At this time, Alex had some interesting hair. (He still does, but not quite as interesting.) He never lost the full head of hair that he had been born with, but most of the hair on the sides and back or his head had thinned. The result of which gave him a hilarious baby mohawk.

Exactly one year ago yesterday, he laughed for the first time.

I don’t know why I have been thinking about one year ago, but the changes are amazing. Alex went from rolling over, just learning how to grasp an object, giggling for the first time, and waking up every 45 minutes to nurse, to a running, learning how to talk, hugging, dancing, singing, hilarious, sleeping through the night (most of the time), toddler.

For the past two weeks, Alex has been fighting a cold. It seems to be mostly gone at this point, but like any good 14 month old he’s still rather snotty. It’s amazing how much mucus someone so small can produce.

He recently discovered that he can fit his finger in his nose. Every few minutes he sticks a finger in a nostril. He digs around and then moves on to something else, only to go back to the nostril a few minutes later.

Obviously I think it’s unbelievably cute.

The things mom’s love that no one else does definitely includes the baby figuring out that a finger fits perfectly into a nostril.

The protest was a success. About 500 people showed up, marched around Oakland, and at least 20 people gave speeches. Many of the stories were beautiful, and many were very painful.

A couple was married in Massachusetts and now has two adorable sons. Beautiful.

A young man misses his partner, who is in Iraq. While his partner is risking his life for a country that he loves, he has to hide who he really is. Tragic.

A young woman has lost all contact with her family, who believes that she is sick. Depressing.

A young girl has been ridiculed and verbally abused her whole life because she was born with Cerebral Palsy. She is straight and has experienced hate first hand. She doesn’t want anyone to be discriminated against. Moving.

An elderly couple, easily in their 50’s, holds hands, hugs, and each smile at the amazing support they are receiving and witnessing. They have clearly gone through a lot, dealt with prejudice, and grown together immensely. They are strong, beautiful.

A mother supports her gay son. She wants what every mother wants: for her son to have every opportunity to be happy, healthy, and cared for. Loving.

I spent the afternoon walking around with Alex, listening to everyone share their stories. I wanted to say something, but couldn’t figure out what to say. Hearing so many people talk, tell what they have gone through, or why they support the movement, made me realize that we are not a country of bigots. We certainly have a long way to go, but we will get there. Eventually.

You don’t have to support homosexuals. You don’t even have to like them. You have to realize that this is about more than “yay, gay!” It’s about rights. Human rights. It’s about the fact that you can’t take away a person’s rights. It’s about equality. Equality.

Don’t stop fighting.

I don’t want my son to grow up in a country where not everyone is given the same rights. Alex should be able to get married whether he is gay or straight. He shouldn’t make more money than an equally qualified woman. He shouldn’t get a job because he is white and the other applicant is not. I want Alex to see that we are a wonderful country that isn’t so hateful.

Alex has started screaming.

Full blown, top of his lungs, mouth wide-open, screaming.

He screams when he’s sitting in his highchair without any food. He screams when I put him in his playpen in order to take care of something. He screams when he’s bored. He screams when he’s tired. He screams. He’s not crying, not talking to himself, just screaming. Loudly.

It’s not cute.

He screamed while we were grocery shopping today. I was looking at the eight thousand different varieties of pasta and was apparently taking too long. While I was debating between some brand name or store brand rigatoni, he just started screaming. He was staring at me while he was screaming, as if he was saying, “Do something about this! I’m bored!”

Fortunately, I had a box of Annie’s Macaroni and Cheese that he could shake and chew on and entertain himself with. Until, naturally, he dropped it in the next aisle. And screamed some more.

Posted in Alexander, NaBloPoMo   Tagged: Alex, NaBloPoMo    ]]> http://allisonsays.com/2008/11/13/the-screaming/feed/ allisonbarton http://allisonsays.com/2008/11/12/overheard-in-pittsburgh-part-2/ http://allisonsays.com/2008/11/12/overheard-in-pittsburgh-part-2/#comments Thu, 13 Nov 2008 03:13:33 +0000 allisonbarton http://allisonbarton.wordpress.com/?p=701

The scene: Human Growth and Development class. We are discussing adulthood, ages 40-65.

Professor: “Why do you think married couples have less sex during this stage of their life?”

Girl #1: “‘Cause their bodies be triflin’.”

Girl #2: “‘Cause the dude can’t get it up.”

Words of wisdom. Again.