Suburban Tramp

What a life! For the last 10 months or so, number of philosophy books I read: 0 ( pleasantly surprised by Flight of the Storks, though, will read other books by same author). I am leading a life so full of seemingly inconsequential stuff - hey who has saved the world by pureeing sweet potato? - but my energy has increased. Lara is now an individual with a character - we are best buddies. Twice a week Lara and I go fishing, oops, swimming. She became an efficient butterflier, according to her instructor, but is reluctant to do the back floats. There she met aquatot pals Jason, the cutest baby boy with deep blue eyes, and Eleanor, who was teething and not exactly in her playful mood first time they met. Being a mom is in itself a philosophical question for me - my closest friends still say they cannot imagine me as a mom(hm try a suburban mom), and I am myself still getting used to the idea that I have a baby girl (who has grown so much that is refusing to be spoon fed anymore). I spend most of my time outside the house, Starbucks being our favorite place. I need to de-caffeinate myself but I am in no hurry. Taking life easy, perhaps for the first time in my life, and enjoying my baby girl (and even contemplating a second one, and why not a third one) feels good. the part I find a little challenging is fitting into the suburban mom culture, I rathr like to see myself as a tramp of some sort, call me a suburban tramp but do not call me a suburban mom.

Finally, I am back from Turkey after a two month escapade. One more time I wished that my family lived on the Mediterrenean coast, I could enjoy a vacation, anyway, Istanbul was delightful in its own way. I met old friends, one of whom has become a successful businesswoman and a Turkish Daily News columnist. Lara is a big girl now, she is taking her first steps and beginning to understand the meaning of "I want...". Now that she has officially become an aquatot, the name given to the little ones enrolled to a swimming class for 6-12 month olds, I hope she enjoys being one...

Here is 'future biker' Lala, as her daddy likes to call her:

And her daddy:




I have to run but here are two quotes I loved (by the way I just realized that Lara is pronounced as Laha - with that deep husky R in French!).

"If one feels the need of something grand, something infinite, something that makes one feel aware of God, one need not go far to find it. I think that I see something deeper, more infinite, more eternal than the ocean in the expression of the eyes of a little baby when it wakes in the morning and coos or laughs because it sees the sun shining on its cradle." Vincent van Gogh

"Take a sprinkling of fairy dust, An angel's single feather, Also a dash of love and care, Then mix them both together. Add a sentiment or two,A thoughtful wish or line, A touch of stardust, a sunshine ray... Its a recipe, for a Baby Girl truly fine." \