I stared this blog in August 2005, just 3 months after my first child, the E-man, was born. I was finishing up a Ph.D. and applying to law school for the fall of 2006. Since then, the E-man has turned a year old, I’m still working on my research (hoping to finish in August 2006), and I’ve decided to attend the Syracuse University School of Law this fall. Here’s a review of some of the most important and/or my favorite posts over the past year. I hope you enjoy them!
1. First Post:
This first post, written when I started my blog back in August 2006 (when there were ONLY 14.2 million weblogs, not the 36.4 million there are now) is a quick introduction to my family and what I originally planned for my blog. Ever since we found out that the E-man was on his way, I wanted to set up a blog to share information and stories and pictures with family and friends. It turns out that I’ve had a great time doing so, that I’ve learned a great deal about myself and about blogging, and that there are some great people out in the blogosphere, especially authors of other parenting blogs.
2. My Work:
As a graduate student in Biochemistry (a clue to the name I chose for the blog), I’m currently working towards a Ph.D. – I have 4 months until I start law school at Syracuse University, so I’m working as hard as possible to finish in time. Written last August when I had 12 long wonderful months to finish, this is just a brief summary of what I’m trying to accomplish.
3. My Law School Decision:
Last spring, when attempting to figure out my future career plans, I chose to enter the field of law to specialize in Intellectual Property (IP, aka Patent Law). Over the course of the past year I took a LSAT review class, did well on the actual test, applied to law schools, got acceptances and a rejection or two, set up a blog with all of the information I spent so many hours researching and collecting, withdrew my application from schools, and finally accepted an offer at Syracuse University. So starting Monday, August 21st, I will officially be a 1L (first year law student).
4. The Cat:
Before the E-man, my wife and I made another foray into the world of parenting when we adopted a kitten we named Ferdinand. Although he’s a cat only a mother could love, he’s an integral part of the family. As an interesting aside, the word “foray” can be defined either as “an initial attempt (especially outside your usual areas of competence);” or “to briefly enter enemy territory.” Appropriate.
5. The E-man’s First Report:
This post was written with a little help from the E-man. It was posted last fall when we were ramping up for the Christmas season. I’m hoping that he’ll be doing more posting when he gets a chance.
6. Lake Placid:
My wife and I were married in October 2002. Our honeymoon was a week in Lake Placid in the Adirondacks, one of the most beautiful places on earth, especially in the fall. We try to go back to the Adirondacks every fall to celebrate our anniversary. This post is our trip last October for our third anniversary. It was our first big trip with the E-man, and it went off without a hitch. We had a fantastic time and got some great pictures.
7. Genetic Genealogy I:
Ever since a middle school assignment to fill out a 4-generation family tree, I’ve been addicted to genealogy. Before that day, I’d never given it a single thought. Being the overachiever that I am, I had to attach extra sheets of paper to add the ancestors that I learned of from my paternal grandmother. Perhaps it was the visualization of all those empty branches that spurred me to continue genealogical research, an endeavor that I pursue to this day. This post is a brief summary of my first experiment with the new and rapidly emerging field of Genetic Genealogy. I’ll soon be getting my results from a second experiment in this field, so stay tuned for Genetic Genealogy II!
8. Our First Thanksgiving:
Some pictures of our first Thanksgiving.
9. Our First Christmas:
Pictures from the Christmas season, including the E-man’s first exposure to Santa Claus! Although he looks a little frightened in the picture, he actually liked Santa and would laugh with him, at least until the camera was taking a shot, of course.
10. Toys and the Lies We Tell:
This controversial post relates a story that I think happens often to new parents. We received from a grandparent a toy that the baby already had. Caught up in the moment, we withheld that fact and tried to hide if from them. Hilarity ensues.
11. Spring is Here!:
A recent post celebrating the start of the E-man’s first full spring. We took some beautiful shots outside on one of the nicest March days in memory.
