ChiKat

I am trying acupuncture for the first time. I have a few friends who swear by it, and a few studies have suggested that it might help RA pain.

I dislike needles, so I really did not want to become a pin cushion, but my wrist has been swollen and achy for two months, so now seems like a good time to be brave and try something new.

Oddly, I'm not worried about the needs so much as I am worried that the acupuncture will work and will drive the inflammation from my wrists, but that inflammation will travel to another part of my body and settle there.

For as frustrating as the wrist pain is, it's very manageable as long as I hold my wrists steady. I can't open jars, or even door knobs if they stick. But I'm still able to lift my son because I use my back and arms instead of my wrists.

When I have inflammation in my shoulders, it is much harder to deal with. I can't drive because twisting to check the blind spot is torture. I can't change gears or disengage the parking break because that involves using the shoulder. I had no idea how often I used my shoulder until it was inflamed and the slightest movement triggered a cascade of pain.

Same with the knees or hips. They are such large joints, so even a little pain in more invasive than the pain I feel in my wrists.

But two months is too long to have an area inflamed. I run the risk of permanent joint damage and disfigurement.

I'm not ready to give up on diet changes and exercise yet, so Thursday I have my acupuncture appointment.

Well, it is not just me. Another southside blogger mentioned the rise in violence lately, and even emailed our alderman.

I receive police updates about our neighborhood. Here are snippets from the latest one:

"As the temperatures outside rise, typically so does Chicago-area crime. In recent days, there have been a number of reports of gun shots fired n surrounding community areas. Police believe the incidents, detailed below, are most likely related to gang violence:

A man, who may have been involved in a street gang, was fatally shot by another …

There were four reports of gun shots fired. Police responded to each incident and were not able to locate any victims or offenders…

A woman was walking when she passed a man who was standing at the open trunk of a car. She continued walking. The man then came up to her from behind, pushed her down, struggled with her for her purse, took same, and drove away. A nearby policeman saw the offender flee and then noticed the victim on the ground. After a car chase, the offender was arrested and the purse recovered…"

I love the notion that as temperatures rise, so does crime. Today's weather! Warm, with a chance of rain and muggings!

I'm also very impressed with the Chicago Police when they witness a crime. I believe they respond very quickly in our neighborhood to violent crime. But there is so much. And so often, the crimes are hidden from the police (i.e., "Police responded to each incident and were not able to locate any victims or offenders").

The more I live here, the fewer ideas I have to curb urban violence. The quick answers, more cops, after school programs, tougher gun laws, pale in light of the root problems: poverty, guns and drugs.

I keep hearing politicians talk about tougher gun laws, but guns are already illegal in the city. That seems like a pretty tough law to me. But I still hear gun fire several times a month.

Wow. I thought Obama's speech was amazing. I really wrestled with who to vote for during the primary. I voted for Obama, but I had deep reservations. I was a huge fan of Clinton, and thought I would vote for her until the debacle in South Carolina. I didn't want divisive politics, so I voted for Obama in the hope that he really would bring a new voice to Washington.

When he says something like this, it makes me so proud to have voted for him:

"The fact is that the comments that have been made and the issues that have surfaced over the last few weeks reflect the complexities of race in this country that we've never really worked through – a part of our union that we have yet to perfect."

Read the whole speech here.

I am sick. Ah choo. My little boy, however, has no tolerance for my plan to nap all day. I am trying to convince my dog to watch the boy for me, but that is not working either. It might have something to do with the fact that the boy's favorite game is to grab the dogs trail and laugh hysterically when the dog leaps up in surprise and dashes across the room, dragging the boy along for a ride.

That poor, poor dog.

In two weeks, we are celebrating my boy's one-year birthday. I cannot believe it. He is an entirely different creature now compared to a year ago. He toddles ahead of me, he plays tag, he is ticklish under his chin, he loves to eat crayons. He's a totally perfect, magical little boy. He's so not a baby anymore.

Which means he will have no problem being dragged across South America! Great!

Ok, he is still a little boy, but he is certainly no baby.

I have found that I love being a mom to a boy. I thought I would want a girl, but being a mom to a boy is so delightful. I went out to lunch the other day with one of my girl friends and her four-month-old boy, and we had a fabulous time spending the day with them. Sure, we tortured them by looking at several fancy dress shops, but they loved all the materials and the tags. I'm sure the saleslady loved the two-foot-high trail of drool that we left in our wake. Drool! It's the next big thing in fashion design!

When my little boy falls down, I tell him he's ok. After all, I think to myself, he's a rough-and-tumble boy. I don't know if I would have that same attitude if I had a girl. I don't want my son to be a Mommy's Boy, so I work hard to instill a sense of independence in him. I don't know if that can really be taught, but he certainly does love to explore and I try to encourage that. When he empties out my cabinets for the five millionth time, I remind myself he is engaging in independent play rather than being a pain in the behind. Even though we spend pretty much every single waking moment together, I try to make sure he does his own things and doesn't cling to me. I'm not sure I would be trying this hard with a girl. I can't remember anyone accusing girls of being "Mommy's Girls". It feels ok for a girl to cling to her mom. It isn't the same for a boy.

I'm so surprised I feel this way. If I do have a daughter down the road, I'll try extra hard to give her the same independence I've given my son. I'm a better mom based on all the things I've learned from my son.

So far, he's a happy, happy little boy, so it's working out pretty well for both of us.

My mother-in-law often buys diapers, wipes and clothes for my son. My mother also buys lots of clothes for him. The other day, after my husband and I were checking out the new bounty, he looked at me and said, "Do you ever feel like we're part of a targeted subsidization program to encourage us to produce more grandchildren? It's like tax cuts, but from Grandmas."