High Five! Fist Bump! Blow Me a Kiss!

"The glorious return of the high five" is a great little essay I found on the San Francisco Chronicle's parenting blog, The Poop.

Like the author, high fiving recently became a part of my life because other people started teaching my kid to do it. It seemed pretty cliche to me, but I figured, whatever. It was a standard daycare lesson, along with kiss-blowing, which seemed even dumber until my kid started doing it, and then IT WAS TOTALLY ADORABLE!!! My coworker's husband also taught my kid to fist bump, which always impresses strangers who want to high five and are instead met with a fist offered by my toddler.

(Recently, he learned "Cheers!")

Plus, the Poop post has a picture of Obama. If you read this blog regularly, you know how I feel about Obama.

One more thing about cute baby tricks: they win the goodwill of strangers on trains and airplanes, and you want that. You really do. Click here to read full entry.

Other Smaller Obsession: The Obamas

Me: I just found 2 great new Obama sites.
Husband: Whitehouse dot gov and c-span?
Me: No, This Week With Barack Obama dot blogspot dot com and Michelle Obama Watch dot com.

I'm sorry, I love the First Family. I love the video of Barack and Michelle reading to second graders, and I love the photos of the Obamas leaving on the helicopter for Chicago, with each daughter carrying a backpack. You know they did homework the entire way.

Michelle Obama Watch has short articles like "Video: First Lady Obama Visits Howard University - (”Be True to Yourself” Work/Life Balance)," "Cute Video From First Lady’s Visit to Mary’s Center for Maternal and Child Care- Hugs For Everyone," and "Michelle and Barack Understand the Value of Informal Gatherings." That last article says, Michelle and Barack Obama maintain what Amie Parnes describes as a "dizzying social calendar" to make sure organic relationships trump political maneuvering. Reporting for politico.com, Parnes reveals that the Obama's host informal gatherings where guests eat hot dogs, pizza and ice cream - and don't sit around talking about politics.

Obama Watch is a little more politically-oriented, which is understandable, but it still has fun posts like "Obama License Plates" (only available in Illinois) and "Ebony Magazine Obama Cover the Best Selling Ever." It, like the Michelle site, has good video and photos.

I prefer my political news interspersed with healthy amounts of feel-good video and paparazzi-like photos. Click here to read full entry.

Using Obama to Cheer Myself Up

I was driving home from work Wednesday, feeling very blah and icky. I've had a nasty cough for a month, and I wasn't feeling well. Then the thought crossed my mind, "We elected Obama. We elected a black president." And I felt happy, or at least happier than I had felt a second ago. I'm getting pretty down from having this cough- I coughed so hard Monday that I pulled a muscle in my side, so now, not only am I coughing, the coughing really hurts, and it hurts to sit up, and even if I start feeling better, I'm not going to be able to do full-body workouts. I'm pissed off.

I found a site that has some great pics of Obama. I have always loved photographs, and this series by Callie Shell at Digital Journalist is particularly good. She has followed Barack for a couple of years for Time, so the photos evolve from Obama doing tiny appearances two years ago, to speaking in front of hundreds of thousands. Pretty cool. Make sure you get all the way to the photo of him doing pullups before a speech. I'm sorry, but the man is a riot. Click here to read full entry.

Obama!

Yes, yes, yes, yes, yes! This is what I wanted to see!
There are so many great photos at the New York Times site. Really, it's a moment that needs to be documented. One of my favorite pics is of Jesse Jackson in tears. I loved Obama's acceptance speech- the fact that he tells his kids they can get a puppy.

I don't feel good, but one reason I'm going in to work is so I can be around people because I want to hear what they have to say about this!

I never thought I'd see a black President this soon. I'm a little annoyed that we're labeling him black, since he's also white, but whatever.

Augh they are such a good looking Presidential family!!! Click here to read full entry.

Monday: So Far, So Good! Maternity Jeans Rock

"Oh my god I'm so happy I don't know why it's because I'm pregnant!!!" - me to self while making my allotted 1.5 cups of coffee. I'm allowed two, but you know, I'm so good at moderation.

"Oh my god this has made my day. Yes, yes, YEEEEEEEEESSSSSSSSSSSS!" - me out loud sort of to self but also to husband after I found out Colin Powell endorsed Obama.

I'm already in a great mood and it's only 6:51 am. I hope this lasts. Also, I bought two more pairs of $ 120 maternity jeans. I'm wearing a pair today, and am really excited because I am going to look so good. We got a clean bill of health at the 5 month ultrasound so I am going to tell the rest of my co-workers today if my 15 pound weight gain has not made them suspicious. Baby is 11 oz. and like 10-11 inches tall.

If that sounds like a lot for jeans, YOU just try wearing pants that don't fit you. And sitting down in them. I tried on the $30 pairs, and I just cannot appear in public like that. I also tried on the $ 80 pairs. No luck. All I ever wear is jeans, so this investment makes sense. I was wearing my one pair of maternity jeans every other day, and one time, two days in a row, and that's just silly. After you've been wearing too tight pants, and you put on a pair that look good and don't squeeze your stomach... ain't no feeling like it. You just can't put a price on that. Click here to read full entry.

O-FREAKIN-BAMA!

That's all you need to know. O-freakin-bama! This political season, I am going to be wearing Obama t-shirts incessantly and reminding people to get out and vote. Now that Hillary is out, I like her so much better!

If you are a Republican and you are reading this, I respect your views, but I urge you just to vote for Obama, OK? Just do it. Let's get someone interesting in the White House. I think Obama has a secret streak of Republican in him, so just... just vote for him this year. Trust me.

Maybe I will finally read Obama's other book, Audacity of Hope. It's almost too good to be true that Obama is in, but I think I'm ready to start letting myself believe it. I've been wanthing this so badly ever since I read Obama's memoir. I was going to be too disappointed if Hillary got in, so I didn't invest myself in the news coverage, and in fact, threw tantrums when my husband watched primary results. Now, I am ready to start campaigning and set myself up for devastation if McCain wins.

Do you think it would help if I campaigned for Obama, or is that just something we do to feel useful? Is there anything I can do to help Obama win? I'm scared to get invested because if McCain wins, it's going to hit me hard. Click here to read full entry.