Friday, November 30, 2007

happy birthday, baby boy!


Today was Bobby's birthday, and he and I celebrated with an after-school treat and some presents. He ordered a five-layer chocolate cake and, when I asked him if I could have a bite he said, "If you weren't here, this would never happen. I think you should get a piece of my life."

Sometimes, it's just all worth it...

I'll post photos tomorrow.

Wednesday, November 21, 2007

over the river(s) and...


on our way to State College, PA! Bobby and I are spending the holiday with my brother David and his family. That's David and his wife Jennifer in the photo.

The first two rivers--East and Hudson--may be the toughest, but I'm hoping for good traffic karma! Then it's on to the Delaware Water Gap and those unspellable, but beautiful, Pennsylvania waterways!

Wishing everyone peace and safe travels!

Saturday, November 17, 2007

Poetry Reading in Brooklyn Sunday Nov 18!

I'm reading again--but different poems this time, I swear--at the Biscuit BBQ tomorrow at 6 p.m.

Fellow readers include Amy Holman, whom I had the pleasure of reading with in 2003, and Lorna Knowles Blake, with whom I attended two conferences this summer.

Great poetry, great food. Hope to see you there!

the "M" word: a query

When I got the call from the midwife telling me that my AFP test results indicated an elevated risk that my baby (Stella) had Down syndrome and recommending amniocentesis, I told her we were declining genetic testing because "we would not terminate anyway." She sputtered and twittered and finally blurted out, "Did you know that a high percentage of marriages end in divorce when there's a child with a disability?!"

I know that statistically this is true--there is a higher rate of divorce among special needs families--even higher than the already high rate for all couples.

And folks, let me tell you, there has been trouble in this particular little "paradise." The tiny two-bedroom in Queens crackles with tension. How much of this, I wonder, has to do with our parenting of Stella? How much is just the two of us, the individuals we are? How much is the tininess of the tiny apartment?

I'm very curious about the experiences of other couples who are parenting a child with special needs. So I'd like to pose the question to those of you reading now who are in that situation: how do you think it has affected your marriage, if at all? If you were married but no longer are, were your child's special needs a factor in that decision?

I would like to hear as many voices as possible, and you may post anonymously. (In fact, that would probably be preferable.)

Friday, November 09, 2007

Center for Book Arts reading tonite

Yes, I'm back in NYC now. Since my return (the day before Halloween), things have been bumpier and scarier than the plane ride from Oakland to LAX, so I've been a non-blogger for a bit. Hoping to change that now.

In other news, I'm reading tonight at the Center for Book Arts with David Lehman, introduced by Sharon Dolin. Honored, thrilled, just slightly nervous.

For more, click here.