Some cute shots

 

 

Eight months on Wednesday!  Hard to believe!

Friday visit

Laur and Jill came over for the afternoon yesterday.  They played with Maya while I was at a school event and then we all went out to dinner at El Agave.  I tried to get a good shot where everyone was looking, but it wasn't going to happen, so this will have to do.

On the go!

She's not crawling yet, but she sure gets around!

Center of Attention

Maya was the center of attention at today's Rundstrom pancake breakfast.  Literally.  Here she is surrounded by a circle of guys :)

They had fun watching her eat cheerios and trying to get her to balance toys on her head.

This was our second to last pancake breakfast in Rundy (sniff, sniff!). 

Maya's newest trick is standing.  As long as she can hold on to something and there's a spotter nearby, she does pretty well.

The last piece of slightly exciting news I have to share is that yesterday I got an email from an editor of a university press who wants to see my full manuscript!  I'm trying not to get my hopes up because this doesn't mean that I'm going to get a contract, but at least it's a step in the right direction.  Keep your fingers crossed for me!

Da da

Maya started saying "da da" a few days ago.  I, of course, try to get her to say "ma ma".  Today she looked at me, smiled, and said "da da".  Little stinker!  Here we are practicing...

Easter...though other eyes

Honestly, we didn't take the camera out once during our brief Easter trip over to Rochester.  So, you'll have to enjoy our Easter adventures through Mindy's and Laur's blogs...

First, though, click here to take a look at Maya's favorite new toy...looks like someone isn't going to be afraid of the dentist!

Now, here is Mindy's version and Laur's version of the day.

Pictures for Aunt Laur

This one's for you, Aunt Laur!

Nap time

I went up to my office to do a bit of work this afternoon and here's what I found when I got home...

Tough afternoon!

Videos for Grandma Judy (and everyone else)

Grandma Judy requested more videos, so here are a few of the latest...

We mentioned that rice krispies are one of her favorite foods...here is the fist feeding technique in action...

Bath time is still pretty enjoyable, though she's quickly growing out of the dish pan...

The book

Most of you know that I've been working on a book for the past few years.  Just last week, I finished up the last edits I have before I feel comfortable sending it for review to a publisher.  Even though I spent over a year researching for it, a full summer writing, and months editing, this is actually the toughest part of the process.  Publishing is one of those things I have to do in order to be promoted, but it is also one of those things that is somewhat out of my hands.  To have it "count", I have to publish with a reputable publisher...preferably a university press or another academic publisher.  No self publishing here!  Publishers all have very specific things they are looking for and so it is a bit of a challenge to find a publisher that might be interested in the topic. 

Earlier this year I put together a list of six publishers I thought might be interested in my book and sent them a book proposal and a few sample chapters.  I've heard back from five of them that they aren't interested.  So, it's back to the drawing board for me.  I have a new list of possibilities started and this week, I'll start sending proposals to them. 

For those of you who are interested in learning more about what I've written, here are the opening paragraphs from my book proposal.  The title of the book is, The Unlikely Ties That Bind: How Christians, Jews and Muslims Work Together to Influence Policy.

"A priest, a rabbi, a pastor, and an imam meet to discuss politics.  This might sound like the set up of a politically incorrect joke, but it is exactly what happens on a regular basis in the state of Minnesota, and though it might be hard to envision, it is no joke.  Minnesota’s Joint Religious Legislative Coalition (JRLC) is an interfaith advocacy group active in a wide range of state policy debates including welfare reform, gambling, healthcare, gay rights, and economic justice.  Governed by representatives from the Minnesota Catholic Conference, the Minnesota Council of Churches, the Jewish Community Relations Council of Minnesota and the Dakotas, and the Islamic Center of Minnesota, the JRLC represents an unlikely coalition in the policy process.  The JRLC was the nation’s first statewide interfaith lobbying group, founded in 1971, and today remains one of the only groups of its kind.  In the years since its formation, the JRLC has played a leading role in several major legislative debates in Minnesota.  Its focus on the impact of budgets and tax policy on the poor was especially prominent in the 2011 budget battles between Minnesota’s Democratic governor and the Republican-controlled legislature, which resulted in the longest state government shutdown in American history. 

This book tells the story of the Joint Religious Legislative Coalition because it is an interesting story to tell.  But beyond that, this book uses the JRLC to help explain interest groups in American politics: what they are, how and why they form, how they mobilize citizens to participate in the political process, how they work to influence government, and what their impact is on the health of our democracy.  Because this particular group operates within the context of state government, an area of political science that is notoriously understudied, it also offers a glimpse into the world of state politics and the role of interest groups within this context.  The political battles surrounding the Minnesota government shutdown provide the backdrop for several of the chapters.  Finally, as the JRLC is explicitly and intentionally grounded in religious faith, this book offers insight into the world of religion and politics, particularly of progressive-leaning religious groups." 

Adventures in eating

Maya's been trying out a lot of new foods lately...crackers, peaches, mangoes, plums, bananas, and her new favorite...rice krispies.  They are a little hard to grab on to, so her basic technique is to lick her hands, rub them around on the tray, and then hold her krispie-soaked fists up to her mouth. 

Needless to say, we usually have a soggy mess of cereal to clean up at the end of the meal :)