The social gene begins to emerge

So I took Ava to lunch today with the girls. And it's been the most wonderful journey to see the wheels in her head begin to go round as she starts to be more aware of life around her. Just the other day I sat her in her little pink monogrammed armchair to observe her handle the situation of getting out of the chair. Unlike previous occasions, where she would shuffle to the edge only to result in a face first wipeout on the carpet, she stopped. She held onto one of the arms of the chair as she gazed at the ground, and I could literally hear the cogs turning up in her ginger head.

'Now if I just flop off the chair, my face is going to hurt. Again. I need to figure out a smarter way to do this.'

I wanted to help her. I wanted to reach out and guide her little hands and legs into rotating her body off the seat and onto the ground. But I held back. I wanted to watch the buzzers go off inside her head as she began problem solving her way out of it.

I get such a thrill out of the cognitive skills. The skills you can't tangibly see, but you KNOW are there and are starting to form.

Anyway, forgive me for digressing. We were at lunch today, and Ava sat at the table opposite my friend's daughter Lauren. It's been about 2-3 months since they last interacted, and during that time there have been abundant changes for Ava. While there is only a 6 month age gap between the two of them, for the longest time Ava seemed far further behind Lauren as she was learning to sit up, crawl and interact. However, now that Ava is rapidly approaching walking stage and is more aware of others around her, I am starting to see her independently interact with others rather than waiting for an 'OK' signal from me.

This photo I'm posting is of the two of them swapping toys and crayons at the table. It wasn't really so much of a swap than a pas de deux of utter sass. Lauren would hand Ava the crayon, which Ava would then try and sample the waxy flavor. After it was confiscated by me, Lauren would take it and begin to doodle until my head was turned and Ava would then instigate mischief by banging her hand on the table, insisting that the crayon be immediately returned so she could resume eating it!

I caught them in a moment of sharing. It's one of the simplest social skills to master as a child, yet as an adult it's something that more often than not, we have a hard time remembering how to do. Think about it.

Devils Advocate

So recently in the news there has been quite the shake up over the upcoming trial of Khalid Sheikh Mohammed, one of the alleged masterminds of the 9/11 attacks in the USA. The controversy has been over a number of items regarding the trial. There are members of congress who are rallying for KSM and his buddies to be tried under the military tribunal as an 'enemy combatant'. As it stands right now, KSM et al are to be tried in Lower Manhattan near Ground Zero in a civilian court. And while there seemed to be much opposition to this, there wasn't a lot legal evidence behind it.

And as someone who has more than a vetted interest in this case, I threw out the challenge to my legal minded friends to explain to me why he SHOULD be tried in a civilian court as opposed to a military tribunal. The fact of the matter is, I didn't know enough either way to have an informed opinion, so I didn't really know what my opinion was on this.

Makes me think I should investigate a little further and try and balance out my right wing viewing habits a little. And I thought I wasn't doing so bad. But seriously, if only we could get these facts and figures out of the politicos instead of a hot shoe shuffle, people wouldnt be so a) ignorant, b) angry, c) confused or d) ALL OF THE ABOVE!

1. Substantial questions remain over the status of the arena of combat, and consequently its participants. The beginning of the then so-called War on Terror commenced with Congressional authorisation of a limited "use of military force" rather than a legal declaration of war. Without this, the rules that enable military tribunals to apply and which also allow designation of "enemy combatants" are not engaged. In short: it's not a war just because you call it one.

2. The American Constitution's protections in respect of due process and trial in concordant jurisdiction, enshrined in the 5th and 6th Amendments, are long established by legal contest as being accessible to non-citizens. Concerns over civilian provision of such rights, in contrast to military tribunals that may operate without such measures, suggest a presumption of guilt that is counter to the government's obligation to prove each of its charges - in any forum.

3. American legal history dating back to the Civil War indicates that military tribunals are for use within the context of military engagement and only where civilian criminal courts are unable to exercise jurisdiction. Statutes do exist in the Federal jurisdiction to stiffly punish terrorism and in fact this method has been overwhelmingly the norm, with at least 195 cases (and convictions) processed since 9/11, compared to 3 (2 largely uncontested) in military tribunals.

4. Ample precedent exists for Federal judiciary to consider in examining the case against Khalid Sheik Mohammed and others charged with like crimes. Timothy McVeigh, Omar Abdel Rahman (who made an attempted attack on the World Trade Center in 1993), "American Taliban" John Walker Lindh, "Shoe-bomber" Richard Reid, and the "Fort Dix Six" accused of attempting to take over a New Jersey military base were all tried and convicted in civilian courts.

5. Protocols used in military tribunals would allow for the introduction of questionable and potentially misleading evidence. Over the course of its global offensive on terrorist networks, the American military has repeatedly sustained criticism for its use of coercive methods. By the CIA's own admission, Khalid Sheik Mohammed was waterboarded 183 times. Evidence rendered in this fashion is neither reliable intelligence nor consistent with legal requirements.

6. The Supreme Court, in spite of its current, predominantly conservative composition, has on at least three occasions denied claims made under the Bush administration that Presidential fiat overrode Constitutional guarantees in respect of the application of law and treaty, and of judicial oversight. Procedural denial of these findings through the use of military personnel to render judgement in the context of terrorism flouts both the court and the Constitution.

7. The use of two legal forums to try alleged terrorists (one with drastically lower requirements for indictment and conviction) creates a notion of second-class justice. The separate and unequal nature of these systems of legal fact-finding creates a presumed invalidity that weakens public, and international, trust in American legal rigour. Such a public relations stance has security ramifications: America is a greater target if it contributes to claims of injustice.

8. Arguments about the practical risks and impediments relating to civilian trial of terrorism suspects ignore courtroom realities. There exist various judicial tools for dealing with sensitive information, and domestic law enforcement and civic leadership are well practiced in providing additional resources to the already robust security of Federal courts. To suggest that terrorist trials entail a heightened risk is to dismiss a long history of organised crime hearings.


Anyone else have any comments to offer on this ? I asked hubby this morning, and as much as I'd like to see him tried under a tribunal, 'personal preference' and subjective 'common sense' don't really hold up in a court of law. I say this because a very wise person by the name of Socrates and an ever so fabulous Elle Woods once said 'The law is reason free from passion', and so shall it be upheld.

I'd love to hear what you all think on this, especially from those of you who are within the military community.

Sharing

There are more family birthdays around this time of year than I originally thought. Chris' is late Feb, Dad's is the first of March, and I think there are a few on Steve's side as well.

That said, I'm a little astonished as to why people would want to share their birthdays with a newborn. I would think the cool factor would wear off the first year. Especially when your birthday gets forgotten and you end up with a corner of a Disney Princess cake when someone FINALLY remembers that it was originally your day to celebrate too.

But aside from that, I want her to have her own day. A birthday is a day to bask in your own glory. I knew Ava would be a Pisces, but she is her own person and she deserves to have her own birthday!

She is scheduled to arrive on March 5th...I'm being induced at 5:30am. Let's hope it's a relatively quick labor after that, but I think I am being far too idealistic.

My last day as a non-mum, or mum-to-be....It will be upon us tomorrow.

Just wanted to post this picture....Steve and his first girl. I can't wait to update this picture with Bear on the left and Ava on the right. Stay tuned.

Season of Change

This is probably my favorite photo I've taken in a while.

It marks a moment before this massive season of change is upon us. In just days we will have a new addition to our family, Bear will have a new set of legs, and we should soon be knowing where are going to move.


I know that seems extremely overwhelming, especially to an outsider, but I think Steve & I thrive on change. Coming from a military family, and a family that just liked to move all the time for the sake of buying and selling houses, we find our constant comfort in each other, not our surroundings, and I dig that this picture totally reflects that.


I'm grateful for the constant things in our life, but change doesn't phase us. The waiting however.... Is a giant pain in the butt!


Arrrrgggghhhhh, back to the arduous task of catching up on school reading. I just wanted to share the thing that made me smile today.

Money not magic

It snowed over three inches over the weekend. The weather has been so cold (and will stay that way for the rest of the week), that the snow isn't going anywhere.

So driving to work this morning, with the sun shining and the snow everywhere, it really was a winter wonderland. With Christmas being so close, it rouses that truly magic feeling of Christmas, and I started thinking about all the things that we do as a family, or will get to start doing as a family when that magic of Christmas and the holidays is in the air.

You see, it's not really about the money spent, but the memories you create. I keep thinking about it's almost certain that Ava & I (and our other beautiful children who are not quite thought of just yet) will most certainly spend a holiday without Steve as he is almost certainly destined for his recall to active duty. And as I mused while drinking my hot chocolate and eating my sticky bun, I thought about the things we could do that don't necessarily cost money, but help that magic feeling of the holidays linger and create something truly special. Even if my husband/their father couldn't be physically with us to share in that special time.

Things like christmas music, holiday movies, neighborhood road trips to check out the lighting of peoples houses, giving to a cause greater than us, making decorations, taking photos, making hot chocolate on a cold night while creating something to send to Dad...All makes me think that the magic of christmas isn't in the money we spend, but the memories we take the time and effort to create..

I'll try and get some pictures of the neighborhood up, because everything looks so clean, white and beautiful. Merry Christmas all.

And her name is...

It didn't take long to establish she was a girl. We checked to make sure three times. Everytime it just got clearer and clearer, as it became certain that there were no boy bits. Just a beautiful little girl.

We called her Ava Francis after her grandma. Grandma Fran was an amazing lady who I never had the pleasure of meeting, but she seemed to touch lives whereever she went. Even my mother in law told me she was spoilt to have been blessed by such a wonderful mother-in-law, and Steve and Gary's faces soften every time "Nana" is mentioned.

This is Steve with his Nana. So Ava Francis Herr it is. I couldn't take the credit for Ava, that was Steve's choice. And I never thought I'd be mad about Francis in a girl's name ever, but it seems to fit perfectly.

NB: After posting this I recieved an email from Aunt Loeta who told me I might want to know that her name was spelt Frances, and I may want to know that before inking it on the birth certificate...Even though I checked with FIL like 3 times, and he swore it was right !!! So infuriating, but glad to have it straightened out.

Is it pink or blue ?

Ok...So excuse me for feeling slightly nervous here...

For 13 weeks now, this little things swimming inside my tummy has been a prawn, a blob, a foetus and finally a wriggle. Something that seemed cute in theory but nothing overtly realistic. I could have probably gotten away with telling people my swelling belly was one too many trips to red robin.

But it wouldn't happen like that. Twinges and tugs, like someone is using my ligaments as a hammock, reminded me that there is something smaller, but so much bigger than me.

Tonight we find out. It's no longer the thing. It's either a boy or a girl. Pink or Blue. Football or Ballet ? Stay tuned.....