Charlotte's Corner: More on Nature

Thoughts on Earth Week at School

by Charlotte

Editor's note: I've put this into past tense as Earth Week was the week of 4/22. I'm not sure if Charlotte thinks this post is complete, but I wanted to get it up so we can get her to write more!

Earth Week was a few weeks ago and the whole school made a special effort to be good to the Earth. We had Black Out Day--No one used the computer or lights for the whole entire day. The directrice didn't use the computer. Same fro the teachers. For me the rule is "Every Day is Earth Day,"* which means we should treat the Earth well every day!

You know, we live on the earth and if the earth was not there, humans would not be here either. Wouldn't it be different?  At lunch I watched a film about the different places on Earth and who lives in those places? I saw a desert, the ocean, sea turtles, and sea stars! I also saw coral reefs! I have a question...why do playgrounds have woodchips? Did you know that you have to cut down a lot of trees to make woodchips?

When you color it and you don't like your picture, don't throw it out because that's wasting trees. Instead, turn the paper over! What if you already used both sides? Then you put it in the recycling bin! That helps the earth a lot because the paper won't go to a big heap in the earth and add up to the space in the earth that's covered in trash and just sitting there polluting the earth. And that helps the animals especially birds because they need clean air to live!

*Charlotte picked this idea up from one of our favorite Fancy Nancy books, Every Day is Earth Day. Read more about it at Culture Bean. (Yes, that's a blatant plug!)

Happy Birthday, Charlotte!

I must have blinked. Yesterday, Charlotte was a tiny little thing, scrawny, tube-fed and recovering from heart surgery.  Today, she's almost up to my shoulder, weighs 55 lbs., giggles constantly, and has no problem eating her fill. Seven. Today she is seven.

May 9, 2006: Charlotte didn't eat this cupcake. We helped her blow the candle out and then went out to dinner, to celebrate that all of us had survived the first year in a life. Look at those ankles.  (photo credit: Karley Beery)

May 9, 2012: We had to stop her from diving into this cupcake to get the picture!

"Happy birthday to me!"

We started learning about seven a few months ago. Seven is the age of "it's not fair," a growing deep interest and concern with the world around her, and complex emotions.  I'm pretty sure it's going to be a roller coaster ride. One minute she's a little girl, snugly and silly. Another minute, she's nursing hurt feelings or fussing about doing her homework. Then, in a flash, she's off practicing the piano, building homes for her Calico Critters, writing letters to the Garden Fairies, or scooting around the house. Just as easily she's in her room reading or writing. It is endlessly delightful to watch her, though sometimes frustrating to follow her emotions.

Now to the annual birthday letter,

My darling Charlotte,

You started six ready to be the be the "sixiest," and you have been. In the past year you've grown so much (and I'm not just talking about the fact that you are SO tall), that I don't know where to begin. And, once again, you taught me so much.

Finishing kindergarten you were more than prepared for first grade--reading, making friends, open and curious. Camp was an hour away by bus; you came home sweaty, exhausted, and cheerful though at the end of the summer you did tell me that you'd had too many weeks of camp. Duly noted.

Mid-summer we packed up and moved, again. This time it was only six miles. It may as well have been across the country again--now we have a backyard, neighbors your age, and we're only a 5 minute drive from school. You never complained, just set about coloring the moving boxes and making new friends. You proudly live in the "yellow house at the top of the hill," and never (almost never) complain that we haven't hung your curtains.

Your amazing first grade teachers--Isabelle M., Aileen, and Hannah--quickly recognized your strengths and have worked hard to make sure that you stay challenged. Leigh and Sophie deserve special kudos for your reading groups with Aurelia and Sarah. Mohamed inspires the artist in you, teaching you about perspective and volume. Ms. Hammond, Ms. Rosellini, and Karine have kept you busy in, respectively, music, library, and theater. To hear you describe Fantasia last week made my heart leap with joy. And the games you play in theater class have made you a better listener, most of the time.

They've had a bit of a struggle keeping you focused, but we're working on that! The excitement you share with your recap of the end of each day continues to delight me. Sure, you tell me first the number of times you went to the playground, but then you describe in detail the art project, theater class, or science project you're working on.  You love random spelling tests and I'm continually astonished by the addition you can do in your head. I'm not sure you realize how much you're learning, but I am daily in awe of your knowledge of the world, language, and people.

You've finally put your head under water and are swimming on your own. I think this will be the year you learn to ride a two-wheeler and tie your shoes.

So, we're gearing up to turn your world upside down, again, moving back to Chicago. You're much more aware this time of what this move means and how it will change your daily life. Your seven-year old sensitivity shines as you tell me that you're happy and sad at the same time to go to Chicago. I'm sad too that we'll tear you from this wonderful school and the friends who have grown to love and support you.  And, I am glad that this transition will be eased by the familiarity of our destination. You now know that you have friends who are waiting for you excitedly at the other end of the journey.

If there has been a "regular" year in your life--six has been it. No hospital trips (we've never seen the inside of Boston Children's!), and aside from moving to Arlington, no unusual events. You wear your scar proudly, but remember less and less of your feeding tube.  You tell me often that you have a special heart. You do, my dear, and I'm not just talking about the repaired CHD. You are open, kind, empathetic, and loving. You meet each new person with an eagerness to make a new friend; each new challenge with the confidence of success. These traits will serve you well.

My stupendously six girl is now stylishly seven. I'm confident that you will remain strong, sassy, sparkly, and, hopefully, silly. And I know that you will teach me much as we weather another move together. I hope your sensitivity and kindness will continue to keep your heart open to the possibilities that change will bring us. Keep dancing like no one is watching, and keep loving with abandon. May you continue to write letters to fairies, dream of flying on paper wings, change your mind daily about what you'll be when you grow up, and tell me your secrets each night at bedtime.

Daddy and I love you so very much.

May you grow from strength to strength.

A Round Up of Recent Adventures: Newport, Rhode Island

Today, Charlotte is 6 years and 365 days old. Because it's a leap year she has to wait one more day for her birthday. She can barely contain herself! I can hardly believe that seven years have passed since she changed our world forever. More on that tomorrow...

We've had a lot of excellent adventures lately, starting in April when we hosted Marlène, a French student teacher who was doing an internship (stage) at Charlotte's school. Hosting Marlène forced us all to speak more French (though she wanted to be practicing her English!) and to eat our family meals in more leisurely manner.  We learned a lot about Charlotte's school from a teacher's perspective, too. In all it was a wonderful experience which we hope to repeat.

At the end of the internship, we took Marlène and two other interns (Solenne and Fatou) to Newport, Rhode Island for the weekend.

After strolling on the pier and having an excellent lunch, we toured The Breakers. Philippe, Marlène, Solenne, Fatou, and I enjoyed the self-guided audio tour. Charlotte busied herself sketching each room.  She was fascinated, but wanted to see it her way, not understand the history or fabrication of the building. Her drawings are evocative if not representative, especially the bubbly way she captured the crystal and gold chandeliers in the dining room.  I was pretty sure she didn't hear the few details I mentioned to her or that she read, until she commented last week about the Vanderbilts and the leather-covered walls in their library!

Charlotte in front of The Breakers, Newport RI

The next day was a golden summery day so we went for a wonderful breakfast at The Hungry Monkey in Newport and then walked part of the Cliff Walk, with mansions (historic and otherwise) on one side and the sea on the other.

Solenne, Fatou, and Marlène on the Cliffwalk, Newport RI

At the end of the walk, Philippe hoists Charlotte like a sack of potatoes. I try not to notice her head pointing at the concrete.

 Thanks to Marlène we also made it to The Top of The Hub, the restaurant and lounge at the top of the Prudential Tower in downtown Boston. I'm ashamed to say that after more than a year in Boston, I'd not ever heard of this wonder. We met Solenne and her host family for a farewell cocktail and dinner.

The three little girls were fascinated with the view...there was a game on that night! Once again, I got a kick out of seeing Charlotte reject (Kobe beef) hot dogs (on a brioche) in favor of New England clam chowder and spicy calamari.

Charlotte and I have a list of things we want to do in Boston before we move next month. Going to Salem and the Peabody Essex Museum was on the list. We knocked that off the second weekend of Spring break. You can read about that trip in my previous post, Charlotte and Poetry in Motion.

Charlotte (and little bear) at The Top of the Hub

Charlotte and Poetry in Motion ( A Recent Adventure)

We took Charlotte to Salem last weekend. The intent was to spend a day in Marblehead looking at beaches and boats and spend the next day at the Salem Witch Museum and the Peabody Essex.

We went to the Peabody Essex Museum first and were all so enthralled that the witches will just have to wait for another day. If you know Charlotte, you know that missing witches is a big deal, so I was pretty thrilled.

Charlotte wanted most of all to explore the Maritime Art collection. She was mesmerized by paintings of boats on the ocean, pictures of pirates, and questions of attribution.  Charlotte has been learning about perspective and volume in art class this year, and especially the notion of making things look real.  She was particularly impressed by this painting:

Thomas M. Hoyne, New Ways on Banquereau, 1981, Peabody Essex Museum

She talked about how glassy the water looked and we discussed how the artist might have used different colors to get the boaters' reflection.  We were all tickled that the artist's name was the same as our old street in Chicago.

While we were in Salem, MassPoetry was sponsoring its fourth festival of poetry in honor of National Poetry Month.  We were mesmerized by the poetry performance of David Zucker.  You can read more about that performance over at Culture Bean.  Here I want to share Charlotte's enthusiasm for the performance in the pictures Philippe snapped and in her haiku inspired, on the spot, by Zucker's performance of haikus:

A Haiku by Charlotte
I love summer its
so fun! You get to play out-
side. I see fairies!

It may be the last day of National Poetry Month, but it certainly isn't the last day to enjoy poetry.  We'll be reading more and more of it.

Prepare to Be Amazed

On June 9, 2012 Children's Memorial Hospital, or "Charlotte's Hospital" as we call it, will move into its new home and become the Ann and Robert H. Lurie Children's Hospital of Chicago.

I was fortunate to attend the hospital ground breaking with my mother on April 21, 2008. Charlotte and I attended the "Topping Off" ceremony when the last beam was hoisted to the very top of the tower on December 7, 2009.

To complete the symmetry, Philippe and I joined my fellow Children's Service Board members and their spouses on Tuesday for a special ribbon cutting ceremony and tour. I simply don't have the words to describe the emotions we had so I will instead share with a few pictures.

Lurie Children's has been designed to improve children's care from myriad perspectives. The building and its furnishings feature the latest in technology and in green design. The designers also considered ways to reduce children's and their parents' stress, to make all elements of a hospital stay more palatable and convenient. They enlisted the aid of parents, patients, doctors, and staff to understand how each group uses the hospital and what they need.

Teenage and adolescent girls said they needed to look good in order to feel good: The new hospital has a salon that will be staffed by volunteers from the Neiman Marcus salon. Children of all ages said they needed to get fresh air: The sky lobby features two "pocket gardens" that allow children to safely go outdoors, on the 11th floor, enjoy fresh air and view of Lake Michigan. Doctors needed better teaching spaces and collaboration options: Surgical suites have most equipment on ceiling-mounted swing arms to allow for more fluid movement and there is a conference room that can accomodate 300 or be split into 3 smaller classrooms. It won't hurt that this room has panoramic views of Chicago and Lake Michigan!

Learn more about the the evidence-based design here.

Ground floor lobby at 225 E. Chicago Avenue, in the heart of Streeterville and strategically placed on the campus of Northwestern Memorial Hospital to foster a even more collaborative learning and care environment with doctors and researchers at NMH, Prentice Women's Hospital and the Rehab Institute. The whales were donated by the Shedd Aquarium.  . More than twenty cultural organizations contributed to the kid-friendly design of the space. 

My honey at the Siragusa Lobby Elevator ready for the big tour. Thanks Philippe for making possible the work I do for the hospital and for supporting the CSB in many ways! You can't see it, but his tie is the CMH hand printed on a blue field. He matched our name tags!

Windows around the lobby feature discovery boxes created by the Field Museum

Follow the escalators (or take an elevator) to the second floor reception area where you can access the Emergency Department.

The ED entrance is to the right of this REAL aquarium (Thank You, Shedd!) which is visible from  the ED waiting area as well. The sculptures are meant to be climbed on.

A video collage wall by  Jaume Plensa, the artist who designed the Crown Fountains in Millennium Park.

The ED goes on forever. It is HUGE. It features triage space, urgent care, and trauma rooms. A CT space is designed to look like a yellow
submarine.

 Even the elevators are fun! Each one has a unique design. One even has buttons that when pushed make the sounds of bike bells, car horns, and other city street noises. The elevator bays feature photo art with animals collaged into Chicago landmarks

Mary Hess and I feel 6' tall in this elevator!

Operating Suites each have a mural designed to entertain (and calm) children. OR prep and recovery will occur in private glass-doored pods. Equipment in ORs is mounted from the ceiling to allow better movement in the room. And there is a robotic surgery capability in one of the suites!

.

There's art EVERYWHERE. Some by kids (we didn't get photos of that) and some by  famous and generous Chicago artists. This artist did all the photo-collages for the elevator bays.

And, yes, there is a REAL fire truck in the hospital.  You can turn on the lights, steer, and honk the horn. No sirens, of course. Some local set designers built an old-style firehouse around it.  Philippe had a blast! Custom-designed fire truck cab donated by Pierce Manufacturing, 12th floor.

 Space for families to relax, regroup, cry, eat, rest. Including private kitchens, gorgeous views, work spaces, and more.

All private rooms, with day beds for parents, closets, cubbies for stuffed animals, private bathrooms and large flat screen t.v.s

The views. Need I say more?

The Executive Committee cuts the ribbon on the Children's Service Board Security Desk, 11th floor Sky Lobby.

A Lego model of the hospital. If negotiations go well, kits will be available for purchase in the Gift Store. The colored panel represent the windows whose light design will change periodically, and be designed by critically ill inpatients

Stay tuned for a link to an album of more pictures and more fun facts as we count down to Moving Day!

To learn more about the Ann and Robert H. Lurie Children's Hospital of Chicago click here.

A hospital this amazing takes a lot of heroes. If you aren't already, or if you're inspired to do so again, join the Heroes for Life campaign with a donation of any size that moves you. Be a part of this historic moment in the life of a world class hospital, Charlotte's Hospital!, and world class city.  Just click on the picture or here to learn even more about this AMAZING hospital and donate!

Charlotte's Corner: Charlotte's Earth Day Thoughts

Editor's Note: With today's entry, we introduce a new feature for Charlotte's Journey Home, "Charlotte's Corner." In this periodic column, Charlotte will weigh in with her own words and thoughts about what is important to her. She will regularly discuss books, nature, school, and other things that she wants to share. I've been blogging Charlotte's life since before she was born. She's decided that it is time for her to help author the story. I'm proud to type her words, but other than correcting some spelling and grammar, I promise to stand by and read along with you. Bravo, Charlotte!

"Nature"

an essay for Earth Day by Charlotte

Water: Water is dirty because of us! We have to save it!!

Trees: Trash is bad for them. We have to stop throwing trash and recycle!

Animals: Animals are extra important. They feed us, so we have to help them! Did you know that animals were made from the first fish, lion, cheetah, hamster, cat , dog, bear, etc? And, that those animals had babies? And, those babies grew up and had babies, etc.? Well, now you do. But, the big question is who made the first animal?

And did you know that if animals didn't eat other animals we wouldn't survive because we would only eat half of our healthy diet? And did you know that some animals are disappearing from the world like dinosaurs did? Some fish are. A lot of animals are, but you can help!

Here's what you do: You buy fish that is responsibly fished and farmed! Fish are at the bottom of the ocean food chain, sort of, and doing that helps every animal that eats fish and that is a good start!It helps almost every animal including sharks, dolphins, and even other fish! And animals that live on land like cats, bears, dogs, sometimes lions, etc.!

And did you know that cheetahs are not only fast runners, but they climb trees, too? And, the baboon runs on land as well as it climbs a tree?

Did you know that paper is made from trees? Did you know that trees make the air clean so it is important not to cut them down even for Christmas trees?

Animals need food and water to survive and some of the food is disappearing so the predator is too because it can't eat! And trees are getting cut down and that's bad for animals like giraffes and sloths because they eat leaves! It is really bad for sloths because they can't hang in the trees and rest! Same for leopards and cheetahs so it's REALLY IMPORTANT to not cut trees down! If you still can't understand why...it's because it makes animals that live in trees and eat leaves not live BECAUSE...they can't rest or eat! And they probably can't make other lives BECAUSE they're already into their first life! And that's bad because giraffes, sloths, maybe cheetahs and leopards would die!

Why? BECAUSE not only those animals would die, BUT the animals that eat these animals would die. Why? BECAUSE the predators couldn't eat their food ! Trash is also bad for them BECAUSE plastic bags could go into the ocean and get eaten by the sea turtles who thought they were jellyfish and ate them. OOPS! It was a plastic bag because the sea turtle would die. BECAUSE the plastic bag would poison it.

Bibliographic notes gleaned by editor in an interview with Charlotte: Charlotte learned about nature, the food chain, and the ocean from PBS's "The Cat in the Hat Knows a Lot About That," Scholastic News, "Ivy and Bean: What's the Big Idea?," her bilingual class at The International School of Boston, Mark Kurlansky's "World without Fish," and various dinner table conversations with Mom and Dad.

Photos: At top, Charlotte enjoys a gorgeous day on the Cliffwalk in Newport, RI.

At bottom, Charlotte chats with a gecko at Boston's Museum of Science.

But, she doesn't like hot dogs

Some of the ice cream actually gets in her, too!!

It's been a long time since I wrote about Charlotte and food. But it recently occurred to me that it has been more than 4 years since we had to connect the tube to her tummy and set up the Kangaroo machine, more than 4 years since we've dealt with projectile vomiting, medical supply delivery, and the associated anxiety of not being able to nourish our kiddo. It's been almost 4 years since we stopped logging calories and about 3 or so since we stopped consciously counting calories.

Charlotte eats. And eats. And eats. Occasionally the sheer quantity of what she eats astounds us: This morning's breakfast began with a toaster waffle, yogurt, and fruit. Then she had an English muffin. Then another toaster waffle. For lunch, she ate two helpings of butter chicken and half a naan at an Indian buffet, followed by chocolate brownie ice cream. On Saturday, while other children were eating hot dogs (Kobe beef on brioche, it must be said), Charlotte was slurping up New England clam chowder and Rhode Island calamari (spicy). She is adventurous with food, able to find something she'll eat on just about any restaurant menu.

Among her other favorite foods:

• Panko-crusted cod with chipotle mayonaise
• Anything with black beans (burgers; black bean and sweet potato chili; Brazilian-style black beans and rice)
• Thai red bean chili
• Lentil and artichoke stew
• Artichokes with garlic aioli
• Leek pie (made with Dijon country mustard, from The Greens Cookbook)
• Pasta Puttanesca (made by her friend Sarah's dad)
• Chevre and hard-boiled egg on challah
• Portabello mushrooms stuffed with spinach and ricotta (though she doesn't like spinach alone)
• Avocado, pineapple, strawberries
• Salmon, cooked about any way I can make it
• Swordfish grilled with salt and pepper; or with Thai marinade

And, of course, some old standards like PB&J, nutella sandwiches, mac & cheese (especially from Panera).

We're actually surprised she likes these last few things as she ate them pureed and over-loaded when we had to create extra-high calorie food for her.

Here's the thing: Charlotte was tube-fed to SAVE her life. She had been diagnosed with "failure to thrive." Post-heart surgery she didn't have the strength to eat enough. After five months of an NG-tube, her little baby cheeks were ravaged by the tape we used to hold it on her face. She managed to pull the tube out. And even at five months, she hated that NG-tube so much that she managed to prevent it from being inserted. It was heart-breaking, but necessary. We "decided" to have a G-tube surgically inserted to save her from the trauma of the NG-tube. It was one of the best decisions we've ever made.

So, you can imagine my reaction when I read the New York Times's piece, "Bridal Hunger Games" last Sunday. If you didn't see it, here's the gist: There are women so obsessed by being thin for their wedding day that they are willing to voluntarily have an NG-tube shoved down their nose into their stomach to provide only liquid nutrition. This "diet" allows them to lose weight fast. One woman lost weight too fast, so she took it out early. My heart does NOT break for her. And, there are doctors who are willing to use this life-saving technology to aid and abet these brides. I'm not sure if this is an extreme form of narcissism or a seriously warped view of beauty norms. Whichever it is, I was beyond appalled.

As a critic of popular culture, I plan to step back and look at how this reality (and the reality shows about losing weight) line up with/contrast the new fat-as-normal of shows like "Mike and Molly". What do these cultural phenomena say about beauty norms in the 21st century?

As a mom, I need to figure out what I can do to help my child grow up with a positive body image?

Right now, I don't know the answer to either question. But, I'm fuming a bit less about what that article reports. And, I am still kvelling about all that Charlotte will eat.

Flying on Paper Wings

Screenshot from Secret World of Arietty (2010) borrowed from CinemaSquid.com

About a month ago we took Charlotte to see The Secret World of Arietty, a lovely Japanese anime film based on the novel The Borrowers. I wrote about the film on Culture Bean and hope you'll visit that post.

When Charlotte returned to school after February break she learned that many of her friends had seen the movie, too. Thus began a month of "playing Borrowers" on the playground. I can't really say what this involves as I'm not privy to playground time. But, I do know that Charlotte often talks about flying as part of this imaginative play.

By itself, this is interesting because only one of the Borrowers in the movie "flies," really. He does this by holding a leaf over his head and catching the wind, gliding more than flying.

In any case, Charlotte and her friends have been inspired to find a way to fly. One of the boys has told them that they will need a jet pack. Charlotte recognizes that it might be hard to build a jet pack, but she did ask me for a cardboard box so she could get gas for the jet pack when we filled the car. I explained all the reasons why collecting gas in a cardboard box for a non-existent jet pack might not be practical. She was disappointed but not dissuaded.

The next day Charlotte came home wearing a belt made of paper and glued around her waist. This was, she explained, the belt to which she would attach her wings once she made those. She spent the next week busily cutting wings out of paper for herself and several friends. This consisted of cutting one edge of the paper into triangular-shaped fringe and leaving the rest of it rectangular. She glued her wings to the belt and wore it to school.

You can imagine my thought process:
--"Gosh, I hope she doesn't try to jump off anything high, thinking those things will really fly." (We talked a lot about this and I kept stressing her wonderful imagination, but the relative impossibility of a first-grader discovering the secret to personal human flight.)

--"Oh, boy, I hope no one makes fun of her."

--"Please, G-d, don't let anyone make fun of her."

--"Oh, please don't let that phone call be the school saying she's broken a bone because she jumped."

--"Please, I hope no one made fun of her."

And so on...

And, you can imagine my glee when the mother of one of her friends said, before a playdate, that she would keep an eye and make sure they didn't try to fly off the backyard jungle gym. What relief that another person's child was obsessed with flying! And what a relief that Charlotte wasn't running around the playground alone imagining all these things.

I LOVE that this movie has ignited Charlotte's imagination. Arietty is a character worthy of being a role model: She's a loyal daughter and friend; she has a moral compass; she's brave, a tiny bit reckless but smart, and sweet; and she's fashionable. You have to love a girl who rock can chip-bag clip as a pony tail holder, face off against a cricket with straight pin sword, and let a stranger put her on his shoulder.

I can't help, however, but recognize that this movie and its imaginative play has inched us into seven-years old, and begun to shape all the fears that I will have for Charlotte as she grows into a smart, sensitive, imaginative teen.

One day she will no longer believe she can fly on paper wings. I hope that day doesn't come too soon. And I pray she doesn't get hurt in the interim.

Charlotte Reads: Resurrecting a Blog Feature

Some time around when Charlotte was born, I picked up a copy of Esme Codell's book How to Get Your Child to Love Reading: For Ravenous and Reluctant Readers Alike thinking I would use it as a resource. You see, I was very worried my kiddo wouldn't love books as much as I do. And, like Esme, I believe that reading is integral to every kind of succes a child might have in life--educational, social, personal, spiritual, you name it.

I proceeded to devour Jim Trelease's classic The Read-Aloud Handbook and Jennie Nash's moving memoir Raising a Reader: A Mother's Tale of Desperation and Delight. They eloquently write about why it is important to read to your children; what lessons we have to learn from Oprah, Harry Potter, and the Internet (Trelease); and the anguish of having a child who doesn't click early with books (Nash). I gobbled up the lessons, prepared to sweat it out if Charlotte was a late reader, to be patient if she didn't read at grade level until age 8 or so.

I needn't have worried. On her second birthday, Charlotte picked up the sippy cup, looked at it and said "B," pointing to the letter b on the Gerber cup. She quickly learned her alphabet (listen to her read it here) and by the middle of pre-school was reading 3-letter words. By the middle of kindergarden, she was reading ahead of grade level in English and her teachers surprised me with an account of her reading 3- to 5- letter words in French. I didn't blog about it much because I didn't want to sound like a braggart. We were, however, contiunally amazed and constantly asking her teachers how to keep her challenged.

Looking back, I see that my blog notes that she mostly only sat still to read. I started a new feature called "Charlotte Reads" and posted a few videos. Here's one from November 2007. I wrote often about her favorite books. Again from November, 2007, #4 on the list of things I loved about age 2:

4. Love of books. She could read all day long. Today's favorites
are Charlotte Doyle's TheBouncing, Dancing, Galloping ABCs; K. C. Olson's Construction Countdown; and Jon J Muth's Stone
Soup.

And, I posted about some of our favorite characters like Iggy Peck, Architect (follow this link to hear Charlotte read Andrea Beaty's now-classic book) and Skippyjon Jones.

I still know those books by heart because I read them all dozens of time. Famously, we read Iggy Peck, Architect every night for more than eight months.

Why the trip down memory lane? Because tonight Charlotte read aloud to me, a chapter of My Father's Dragon, a children's classic by Ruth Stiles Gannett that I've never read. Her homework was to read a chapter. I asked if she'd like to read it aloud since that is what she does in her enrichment class. She jumped at the chance. I was enthralled by her expression, her fluency, and her confidence as she sounded out hard words.

I have read to Charlotte every day since I was by her side at Children's Memorial Hospital. I may have sounded crazy reading The New York Times and Fortune magazine to my infant, but read I did. Watching her learn to read was amazing. Seeing her grow into a joy of reading that led to her lying on the couch yesterday to read Ramona the Brave for an hour is awe-inspiring. And, the first time she sat on the beach and read last summer made me hopeful for quiet, restful beach vacations!

Charlotte and I (and you, dear reader) are so fortunate to be literate. To be able to read these words. Join us on March 7 as we celebrate World Read Aloud Day, bringing attention to global literacy challenges that leave 793 million functionally illiterate.

I'll be blogging here, and at Culture Bean, from now until then about read aloud adventures I've shared with Charlotte, my mother, and others. Feel free to chime in with your own stories--about a book that was meaningful to you, a favorite read aloud you heard as a child or read to your own child, or sound off about literacy and/or illiteracy.

And to think, I was selfishly claiming those 20 minutes each night to get a free cuddle and revisit my favorite books! How delightful that so much more grew out of it.

10 Things Having a Baby with a CHD Has Taught Me

I've been busy thinking about blogging, and not too busy blogging. Well, I've been getting ready to launch a new, not-Charlotte-centered blog. This blog will continue, of course (my brother might give me grief if not!), but I've got some other things to say.

For today, I'd like to share with you another blog, that of comedian Tommy Riles. His website, Life of Dad, began the day his first daughter was born and he and his wife found out that she had a CHD. Like Charlotte's Journey Home, Life of Dad began as a forum for updating his family and friends about Babs's struggle and recovery. It has grown into a premiere social networking community for dads, publishing articles by 30 writing fathers who each bring a different perspective to the "Dad Cave." Tommy has for many years been the warm-up comedian for the Ellen DeGeneres Show and early in the life of Life of Dad, he and his wife appeared on Ellen to raised awareness for our CHD kids. They are truly champions and he's really funny.

I know of Tommy because he has partnered with Francie and Brian Paul to raise money for Saving Tiny Hearts Society, a not-for-profit dedicated to increasing funds for research into the whys and treatments of CHD.

By having a child with a congenital heart defect, I've learned a lot. Not only about CHD, recovery, insurance, parenting, and striving for normal. I've learned that parents of CHD kids (and other complex kids) are extraordinary in their own way. Francie and Brian turned their despair into a fight--for Joshua's life (he's nearly 7 and quite a bruiser!) and the lives of the rest of our kids. Bab's CHD gave Tommy the impetus to communicate, use his platform and connections to raise awareness, and create a stable of "Daddy Bloggers." They are my heroes.

And, in this month of Heart Health Awareness, I hope you'll read the 10 Things Tom Riles has learned by having a child with a CHD. The original post is here.

With Tommy's permission, I'm posting the first three things as a bit of a teaser:

1. Congenital heart defects are the #1 birth defect worldwide. When my wife was 18 weeks pregnant with her, we found out that my daughter, Babs, had a heart defect. I knew nothing about CHDs at the time, but now I know that 1 of 100 babies has a CHD, and awareness is a necessity.
2. My daughter is the strongest person that I know. Babs survived open-heart surgery at three days old. She’s tough, she’s funny, and she likes to sing. She is one strong fighting Irish girl.
3. I’m stronger having known my daughter. Once I realized the strength that my daughter has, I had no choice to become stronger. Now I do pushups, sit-ups, and jumping jacks every day.

Read on at Life of Dad!

Tommy's post feels like a bit of a meme to me, so look for my ten things soon!

p.s. I'm happy to post in support of Ellen DeGeneres and her show. I like what she stands for. And, I'll shop JCP anytime!