Seven Sidekicks

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2008
- November
  - Rivals
    11/20/08
    James and John have always been competitive with each other, but James has been on a blitzkrieg lately to get John into trouble whenever possible.
    
    Yesterday D. asked how John had done in school, and Ann, his classmate said "perfect," which swung jealous James into a
  - Kid of the Week
    11/18/08
    The last four weeks have marked the beginning of a tradition.
    
    At the urging of one of D's friends, a loyal sevensidekicks reader eager to learn more about each of our kids individually, I've named the tradition "Kid of the Week." (This one's for you, Carrie).
  - Eye of the Storm
    11/12/08
    Last night, after feasting robustly, I stretched out on a quiet patch of living room floor and stared up at the ceiling.
    
    Blood filled my temples as a mass of undifferentiated noise barreled toward me from the other room. I closed my eyes, and began counting heartbeats, w
  - Baby Soft Skin
    11/11/08
    
    In the winter months new routines start for keeping skin soft and children smelling their finest. We are eczema prone around here, bio and adopted, so I learned early, by trial and error, how to best keep skin healthy in these cold months. Baths for little ones with baking soda and baby
  - Moist
    11/10/08
    I’m trying to decode a possible evolutionary mystery.
    
    Each one of my biological kids has gone through a phase of needing to lubricate everything in sight. Last summer, my then two year old was obsessed with dabbing his cheeks, head and chest with petroleum products.
  - By the Truckload
    11/09/08
    We didn’t exactly agree on a number. I wanted some, D. wanted thirty eight, so we compromised and had seven, one for every day of the week. Though large families aren’t as common as they used to be, it’s not our number that makes us unusual, but the spine-shattering pace at which we begot ou
  - Annie's Overnight
    11/09/08
    SailorAnn (6), by her own choosing, now goes by "Annie." We thought about calling her Annie in the first place but wanted to dodge the stigma of "Little Orphan Annie" that might be associated with her first years. So why did she decide on the name change (other than the fact th
  - Alumna D.
    11/08/08
    
    For a recent profile of Deirdre, go to November issue of CSB Alumnae and Friends from the College of St. Benedict.
  - If You Give a Tot Iced Coffee
    11/06/08
    
    If you give a tot iced coffee,
    
    She’ll want a second sip.
    
    You’ll give her one and,
    
    She’ll probably enjoy it.
    
    When you refuse to give her a third,
    
    She’ll get bossy,
    
    Then she’ll try to pull off your nose.
  - Dreams Come True
    11/06/08
    Mickey (5) was falling asleep (in his mom's childhood bedroom) clutching his handmade gorilla book (he'd dictated his own "virgin" of Goodnight Gorilla, drew the pictures and wrote The End). I told him we'd better put it on the table so it didn't get crumpled in the ni
  - Kid Election Day
    11/04/08
    This morning I took James (8) to the polling place, where he was able to vote in his own "kid election." Based on this e-mail excerpt from grandmother Boo a few days ago, I had some confidence in his being able to practice an informed choice or two.
    
    It was so nice to have
  - The Great Pumpkin
    11/03/08
    For Halloween we celebrate the Great Pumpkin.
    
    The term comes from the Classic Charlie Brown movie, but we invented the ritual. On Halloween night, after everyone has gorged on candy, we brush teeth, climb in bed, and dream of the Great Pumpkin, who creeps in the night, eats A
  - A HORRIBLE, DEPLORABLE, YET ALWAYS ADORABLE HOLIDAY!
    11/02/08
    
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    WISHFUL THINKIN
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