"All I Can do is Read a Book to Stay Awake..."

"...and it rips my life away but it's a great escape. Escape. Esca-a-aaape." -Blind Melon

Last year I challenged myself to read 50 books on Goodreads.com, and then I gave birth in October and finished the year at 42.  Ugh. I am so bummed I failed!  Well what can you do?  I have two kids.

So this year I set my 2012 challenge to 25... and I am already 2 books (10%) behind on my goal.  Blerg. (yeah I've been watching a lot of 30 Rock while the boys nap lately and I'm quoting Lemon...I should probably be reading).

So I need to get serious...set a game plan.  Here we go.  In 2012 I plan to read:

1. Don Quixote - Cervantes
2. Before I Go To Sleep - SJ Watson
3. The Flight of Gemma Hardy - Magot Livesey
4. The Rebel Wife - Taylor Polites
5. The Snow Child - Eowyn Ivey
6. A Grown-up Kind of Pretty - Joshilyn Jackson
7. Gypsy Boy - Mikey Walsh
8. The Flame Alphabet - Ben Marcus
9. Deadlocked - Charlaine Harris
10. Inkspell - Cornelia Funke
11. The Child Thief - Brom
12. Peter Pan - JM Barrie
13. Wuthering Heigths - Emily Bronte

This list is a work in progress, but I think this is a good place to start.

To Owen...You are Loved

I wanted you more than you'll ever know.....                        

...so I sent love to follow wherever you go        

When I was pregnant with Oliver a friend gave us a copy of On the Night You Were Born, by Nancy Tillman.  Nate read it to Oliver when he was born and we had a beautiful experience sharing the beautiful words with our beautiful son. 

I knew we needed to have that moment with Owen, but I wasn't sure if we would do so with the same book, buying Owen his own copy or sharing the one we have... or try to find another book that captures our love for our child.  I couldn't find another book like it... one that Nate would read to the baby and we would both feel our hearts grow in our chests and spill out in happy tears.

The evening before Owen was born my mother and I went to Kohls (she needed clothes and I needed to walk out some contractions).  The first thing I noticed was that this month's Kohls Cares for Kids author was Nancy Tillman.  I was drawn to this book.

On the front leaf of the book jacket is a picture of a giraffe... the animal I was drawn to for Owen during my pregnancy (Oliver's animal is an elephant).  I just knew this book would be special.  I read it in the store and had to stop halfway through to collect myself, and I sent Nate the message that I found Owen's book.

It is beautiful.  Every parent can relate to these words.  I don't know how she does it, but Nancy Tillman can somehow take the emotions and meaning of parenthood right out of my heart and put it on paper... and the illustrations are magical, too.

I think we'll be buying another copy of this one for Oliver.