We spent the last two nights at the beach with the Schuelers. It was wonderful to have a chance to get away and Isaac was about as wonderful as any 5 month old baby could be. Eli and I got about twice as much sleep as Mark and Hanna, yet somehow they did all the cooking. We had some lovely meals out, fantastic walks on the beach, wine in the apartment and we took lots of photographs on the beach.
Mark, Isaac, Hanna.
Mark and Isaac.
Eli and Isaac.
Isaac and Eli's beard.
I’m so glad that we have gotten to watch Isaac grow for the past five months. It’s nice to remember the first moments they became a family and to see how far they have come. Mark no longer regards the imposer with uncertain suspicion.
The Schuelers Become Three.
My parents and Shawna came down for the exhibit opening and I impromptu decided to head home with them for Easter. It was wonderful to spend Easter with my family and particularly with eight year old Ale. We colored eggs, had an dyed egg hunt in the yard, a chocolate egg hunt in the house, and I convinced my mom to make a turkey for Easter dinner. Living with a vegetarian, I find extreme joy in family dinners at home centered around delightful cuts of meat.
Easter Morning
Easter Egg Hunt.
Ale.
Family dinner.
Ursula, Erin, Erica.
Last Wednesday I was on WUNC’s The State of Things with Frank Stasio. Although I was very nervous at first to be interviewed live, by the time I had a chance to talk I was quite relaxed and just excited about the entire experience. They devoted the hour to a conversation about teenage pregnancy and young motherhood. I think the entire hour was fabulous. I’m so proud to have worked with Adolescent Pregnancy Prevention Campaign of NC to put this together, certainly one of the biggest accomplishments of this year. Take a listen if you haven’t already.
The State of Things
That same day was the exhibit opening reception. The room was built to accomodate 70 people and it overflowed with standing room only. I had a chance to give a speech in the beginning and then moderate a panel. I loved every minute of it even though I was totally exhausted by the end. It made me even more certain in my decision to pursue a clinical psychology PhD. The photos below are stolen from my friend Mark Schueler’s website.
Starting a slideshow during the opening speech.
My family.
Hanna and Isaac regard the art.
Holding the token baby (this one does not have teen parents.)
I spent this weekend working as a volunteer photographer for Full Frame Documentary film festival. It was a pretty intense experience with a steep learning curve. I’ve never before done event photography, and it was wonderful to have a chance to dive right in for a few days. I always love the opportunity to learn by intense experience and it certainly was one of those times. I’ve realized that I enjoy documentary projects a lot more then event photography, but I already knew that anyway.
Today I’m working on a short speech to give during the Raising them Right Reception and figuring out what questions to ask of the panel. I’m going to be moderating, so I guess I should figure out what that means as well. I’m also doing a pre-interview interview for the State of Things. I’ll be on with Sarah Brown on Wednesday afternoon. Being on NPR allows me to check off another lifetime goal of mine. Exhibit, NPR interview, parents in town, Easter, finally finding out whether I’m going to graduate school or working at UNC next year… what a crazy week I have ahead of me.
Yes, I take photographs.
Carolina Theater
Wavy Gravy
He's a photographer too.
Erin and Rusty
Eli Van Zoeren
Grace Coddington- Vogue Creative Director
Photographer Michael Oniffrey and Vogue's Andre Leon Tally
This morning I prepared early for a relaxing day. I made a cup of tea, found a This American Life episode I hadn’t heard, chose a clean page in my journal, and just as I was ready to start drawing, my overhead lamp fell directly into my tea splashing milky tea all over my journal, desk, and even into the drawers. It took me a while to make a new cup of tea, clean up the floor and find my relaxation. But now, Eli’s in the other room working diligently, Matt is playing guitar on the porch, our doves are debating which nest to keep, and I’m drawing. All is finally right in the world.
A drawing from today.
Announcing the beginning of Isaac in my journal.
A mouse. A lemur. An infant.
Sometimes we roar. Sometimes we hide.
Eli diligently programming away.
Matt playing the guitar angrily.
A few remembered moments from a week in Miami and Key West. We celebrated my sister’s pregnancy and spent one last vacation together without the impending baby.
My mom in Key West.
Erin in Key West.
I went to Miami beach and ended up with pictures of birds.
Sunset celebrations in Key West.
There was no amazing sunset that day in Key West. We watched anyway.
There are ferrell roosters and hens all over Key West.
One day, after the marriage, PhD, dog, kid, I want this treehouse. Eli says trees this cool don't grow in Durham.
We kayaked to a deserted island in the mangroves.
I made some Andy Goldsworthyesque creations.
Erin found a swing in the middle of the island in the middle of the mangroves. It was very uncomfortable.
The only photo of us all.
On the flight home. I was not very happy with the turbulence.
I came home to Eli and morning doves nesting on our deck. Both of these things made me incredibly happy.
Today we enjoyed the sun by going to the botanical gardens with the Schuelers and Lila. I love the North Carolina sun this time of year.
Eli and Isaac
Isaac roasting in the sun.
caption=”Mark flying a kite. Lili walking about aimlessly.”]
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Naked baby alert.
Well, a couple of months ago we added a new Mrs. Van Scoyoc to the family mix and it looks like soon we’ll be adding a tiny baby as well. Erin is pregnant. Somehow despite the difficulties of 30 hour work shifts, she was able to plan a pregnancy to occur soon after her medical residency ends. I consider this a miracle of planning especially considering my family’s general inability to plan ahead. Well played Erin and Rusty.
We are all very happy for her and this news certainly is another reason for me to spend another year in Durham. The more time I spend here, the harder it is to imagine leaving, and yet I feel leaving may be inevitable in the end. I’m trying to get used to the idea of going where graduate school takes me. I’m trying to get Eli used to this idea as well, and yet we still pop into open houses on Sundays wishing we could settle down.
I feel a little bit down on myself because in the end it is my fault that we need to move. Why couldn’t I make it into UNC this year? Certainly it’s nearly impossible for psychology, but still, what can I do better next year? Very little will change. It looks like I’m going to spend the next year here and damn I’m going to enjoy it as it will probably be my last for a long time.
Here’s a photograph of Erin from the other day. I love how the light comes into my bedroom in the morning creating light patches on the wall. Here is also a photograph of Erin when she was very little and very bug-eyed. These two photos should give anyone who gives birth to a strangeling hope for the future.
A couple of weeks ago I found an old binder of negatives that I stored in the depths of my parent’s storage room. They are from my only college photography class and include some photographs of my sisters from the first year that they were with my family. I remembered shooting some photos of them with their hands inside of a chicken carcass because it was such a strange thing, and have wondered for years where these photographs could be. When I found them I was incredibly excited to scan them in.
When Maria and Ana first came from Russia they considered the heart of the chicken to be the pinnacle of deliciousness. After eating a roasted chicken they would stick their fingers deep down into the greasy chicken, pull out the heart, look at it for a second and then devour it. This was always truly disgusting, but it brought them such pleasure.
ana searches for the chicken's heart
This morning there is an article in Duke’s newspaper about the exhibit. One of the difficulties that I have had with this exhibit is trying to articulate my thoughts on teen pregnancy generally. I tried very hard with the exhibit to show the negative and the positive aspects of young motherhood and allow viewers to make their own judgements.
I have found that there is the tendency for the viewer to see the negative when I see the positive, and this is difficult for me. I certainly hope that people do not see the exhibit and see only the negatives. If negative stereotypes are at all solidified than I had failed completely. The duke article is a good article but I cringed once with the word “listless” because I guess that it is true, Christina does look listless in that particular photograph, but it still implies an attitude to her child which is anything but true.
I have had one Duke professor contact me so far to question why all of the people in the exhibit are minorities. He felt that this pushed the stereotype that all teen parents are minorities which certainly isn’t true. Should I have written more about race in the intro panel? The young people are Latino and Black and mixed because that is the make-up of Chelsea, MA. I feel that pushing the race question would have been pushing an issue that wasn’t really pertinent to the community I worked with. Anyhow, I anticipate more criticism that is difficult to respond to.