My life is a bit of a cruel joke at the moment. For the past four years, I've continually written about the dangers of lead poisoning in Chicago. In fact, in November, I had a front-page article in the Chicago Reader (http://www.chicagoreader.com/chicago/high-lead-toxicity-in-chicago-public-schools/Content?oid=7819530) on how lead poisoning continues to affect our city's kids and our scho  Read more 

Newborn baby! So exciting. You saw the pic your buddy posted in facebook, with the kid's stats - weight, height, gender, name. You want to visit that tiny creature and get a first hand look. But when? And how? You want to be a helpful visitor, one that isn't making it harder on your friend who just gave birth. Here are a few tips to help you out. Follow them, and you'll be the best baby visito  Read more 

Monday. 6:20PM. The kitchen. Liz is making dinner, Ida is at the sink, Nate is working in the nearby office. Liz: Hurry up, stupid chicken! (Liz needs to leave for class in 20 minutes and is determined, after many days of there being no nicely cooked food, for today to be the day. Realizes again that she just said “stupid” in front of Ida, and that she is the problem).   Read more 

Big article in the New York Times this week about "elimination communication" (http://www.nytimes.com/2013/04/19/nyregion/babys-latest-going-diaperless-at-home-or-even-in-the-park.html) - fancy talk for not using or using less diapers and learning to read your child's signals of when they have to pee or poop. We've done EC, as it's often nicknamed, with Teddy since he was about eight weeks old  Read more 

In his latest post for WBEZ (http://www.wbez.org/blogs/nico-lang/2013-04/changing-face-chicago-comedy-106777), Nico Lang talks funny business with some radass women in the Chicago comedy scene. I am honored to be included in this hilarious group and perhaps feeling happier still for the opportunity to sit down and shoot the breeze with one of my favorite writers. If you’re wondering, the  Read more 

Have you been invited to a baby shower (http://cakewrecks.squarespace.com/home/2013/4/18/10-hilariously-inappriopriate-baby-shower-cakes.html) recently? I know there's one coming up on my calendar. I have one piece of advice for you. I don't mean to get all chain letter on ya, but if you don't follow this advice, you are indeed a horrible human being. Buy off the registry. A baby  Read more 

Looking at my Facebook feed last night, I saw a lot of comments from people about the Boston Marathon bombing - prayers for the victims and their families, sadness, anger, frustration. It seemed my friends who are parents were the quickest to respond, often with questions about the future of a world where it seems there are more and more events like this every day. Shootings, bombings, stabbing  Read more 

For some reason, people see a pregnant belly as an open invitation for conversation. Somehow, if you have a person growing inside you, you just must want to share every detail with any passerby. When I was pregnant with Teddy, an Orthodox Jew flagged me down in a Jewel parking lot to ask how far along I was. Apparently, he felt he was really good at guessing when a woman was due and felt that me w  Read more 

I’m thinking a lot about body sovereignty these days. And I’d love to tell you that it’s because I’m an excellent and thoughtful parent (true), but it’s not. It’s because, in light of the steady flow of horrific rape accounts, the thought occurs to me that I’ve got to make sure Ida understands that she’s the only one in charge of her body. I know  Read more 

Confession: I have not read Elizabeth Gilbert's "Eat, Pray, Love," which is a Class A white-lady sin. Well, I read the first chapter or so, and all I remember is this quote: “Having a baby is like getting a tattoo on your face. You really need to be certain it's what you want before you commit." Can I just say, I freaking love my face tattoo. Like more than life itself and all t  Read more