4 months

A. turned 4 months yesterday...she's doing great, and is generally a happy baby who loves to laugh and watch her brother Luke. I am still trying to figure her out from a nap standpoint, and realize I need to just LET IT GO;)

Luke is having a good summer. He's using more words and sounds, and we are encouraging him to let us know what he wants with more than just pointing and "Mmmm--Mmmmm" noises!

It's HOT summer here now, so we are trying to stay in and cool off in the pool when we can. The staying in can drive mama crazy sometimes, though, so we'll probably head out to Barnes & Noble later so Luke can play with the train.

We just got an update from IJM (see left bar), an organization we support. The IJM Guatemala team reported these amazing stats: 50% of all arrests in cases of sexual violence against children in the last 2 years in Guatemala City were facilitated by the IJM team; 50% of all convictions in cases of sexual violence against children in the last 2 years in GC were made with IJM assistance. Exciting to see what their diligent work can bring about, but also heartbreaking to imagine how dysfunctional the justice system there can be at baseline. I remember a BBC documentary called "Killer's Paradise" noting that in Guatemala, only 1% of homicides when the victim was a woman were ever solved. Few are investigated. The poor and voiceless in Guatemala are in desperate need of an advocate, and I am thrilled to be able to promote justice by supporting IJM.

Happy 4th, all!