two sad swanson guys

These are the faces of a man missing his wife and a son missing his mother. This afternoon we dropped Maggie off at an el stop downtown for a quick ride to Midway airport for her flight to Savannah. This weekend she is catching up with four of her best friends from high school years at Carolina Day School in Asheville, NC.

Tomorrow we’ll work from home (me on church planting and Eliot on chewing things) and then make dinner for a new friend. On Saturday Eliot gets to hang out with his “aunt” Dawn while I attend a meeting. Sunday is church service in the morning and then a BBQ in Oak Park with my community group before welcoming Maggie back home in the evening.

We’ll certainly miss Maggie, but will undoubtedly find plenty to smile and laugh about.

giant waterslide jump

The quietness of the blog is evidence of my post-Lollapalooza state of mind. Two days of non-stop music in the Chicago elements (rain all day Friday and blazing sun on Saturday) wore me out. Tiredness notwithstanding, the festival was a lot of fun and I’ll post some tunes from my favorite musical discovery on Saturday.

I’ve got two Lollapalooza related articles in the works, so this blog continues to get the shaft. However, thanks to my mom, I have the following video to share. (That is, my mom sent the link. That’s not her in the video. At least, I don’t think it is.)

Vodpod videos no longer available.
So, is it real? Or even possible? Regardless, it looks fun.

what 1 piece of parenting advice would you give?

Yesterday I asked the following question via Twitter and Facebook: Parents: As a (hopefully) soon-to-be Dad, what is the 1 piece of advice you’d give me? Here are some of the responses.

Josh Stock: Never wake a sleeping baby.

Jason Dye: Expose your child to all types of (mostly healthy) food. makes your job easier when they’re not so picky.

Katie Bolinder Sandford: Nap when the baby naps! (why am i on facebook? i should be napping!)

Mitch Hopewell: Don’t stress out! Kids live through horrible conditions all over the world; your little one will survive (insert current crisis).

Angela Zirk: Find good babysitters and be intentional about having date nights :)… i’m so not a parent…but still.

Jason Haas: Drop all the nonessentials in life that take your time and pour it into your child…best time spent.

Nathan Albert: Once a week give Nathan (yes, me) ten dollars, your child will grow up to be generous and I’ll grow up to be that much richer…

Carol Schnedorf Marino: Savor every moment and love them unconditionally.

Brian: Don’t change who you are now that you have a child, but remember loving them well takes time (and a lot of it) so some things will have to change – just remember who you are and what you do are two different (although sometimes related) things. Also Josh and Katie are 100% right-on when it comes to newborns.

Larisa Eastman: Trust yourself and trust them… never assume that you perceive reality more clearly than they do… the things they have to teach you might be a significant part of the blessing.

These are great. I love the mixture of serious and humorous advice. Anything you would add?

of (possible) interest

Along with some friends, Maggie and I saw Magnolia at the Goodman Theatre last night. The play tells the stories of those born on the Forrest plantation as they navigate the unpredictable landscape of 1963 Atlanta. A theater expert I’m not, but I’d definitely recommend this play.
Part of the adoption process we’re in the midst of is a state-mandated home study. The first part of the study was a joint interview conducted by our social worker. Last week we finished part two- individual interviews. This morning the social worker visits our apartment for the final portion of the home study. Assuming our home is safe enough for an infant then we will have finished one of the biggest parts of this process.
On of my favorite documentaries, Buena Vista Social Club, is now available for free viewing on Hulu. Have you seen it?
If you’re in Chicagoland, you may want to set aside the weekend of July 17. I don’t have many details yet, but New Community will be hosting a friend for a series of lectures that readers of this blog will likely be quite interested in. I’ll post more information as it’s available.

advice please: reading and parenthood

I need your advice. As has been mentioned, one of the things I’m most looking forward to about 2009 is adopting our first child. Just last night I spent some time on our adoption profile (a collection of photos and text about ourselves) for birth mothers to look at. We were supposed to meet today for our first home study interview, but the adoption social worker is home with a sinus infection. All that to say, we are definitely moving towards adoption. Exciting stuff.

Our lives will obviously change dramatically once we become parents. This is where I need the advice of those signs of life readers who are parents and book-lovers. You know how much I enjoy reading and can foresee the amount of reading dropping significantly once parenthood begins. I get that. But here’s my question: How did you maintain some amount of reading once parenthood began? Were there times/days/places that allowed you to read a few pages here and there?

I’m OK with the massive changes parenthood will bring (at least I think I am!), but I do look forward to hearing how fellow bibliophiles have made this transition.