Happenings

I'm trying to relieve some of my stress level while watching my new hero and spirit animal Texas Senator Wendy Davis (D- FORT WORTH!) 11-hour (so far!) filibuster SB5, Texas's latest and greatest unconstitutional attempt to do away with abortion rights in the state, which the Republic-controlled House passed in the wee hours of the morning after using underhanded methods to stop the citizens' filibuster that was underway at the time. (The Republican Party: all about limited government and constitutional rights, unless those people are women and the constitutional right we're talking about are reproductive ones.). It has been a thrill and a joy to watch a Texas legislator do something I'm proud of (because ZOMG do I hate, loathe, and despise Rick Perry, Ted Cruz, and Lt. Gov. Dewhurst and pretty much every single thing they say in their representation of my state) and watched the live feed all day at work, listened to it on my drive home, watched it on my laptop throughout dinner (the first time my laptop has ever joined us at the dining table), and have had it streaming on my laptop throughout the rest of my evening (including while I did my prenatal exercise video, Sen. Davis inspired my final 10 push-ups). I am so freaking stressed that the Republicans are going to figure out a way to shut her up for a baseless reason and subjugate the political process once again.

So, while I wait for this latest point of order to be resolved (so nervous!), let's review other happenings in the Lag Liv family:

(1) We continue to enjoy the pool. On Saturday mornings while JP coaches, I sit with my feet up in the shade and the kids do this:

 

Landon showed off his floating like it's nbd, and Claire called out (and this is true) a coaching tip to "put your chin back Yandon!" Mini-Coach Daddy right there.

 

Claire did her floats when JP got home and followed up his 5 hours of back-to-back lessons by jumping in another pool to do lessons with his own kids. This isn't the best picture of the lesson, but I do love JP's shoulders, and back, and arms, and... well, everything. Also he looks excellent the sunglasses I picked out for him for Father's Day, does he not?

 

(2) I've made a cake every weekend for the last month. This is becoming a bad habit, but this tres leches cake was fabulous. And I'm sure my nightly 30 minute workout videos are canceling all the cakes out.

 

(3) We took the kids to see Monster's University on Sunday. It was Claire's first theatre experience and she was PUMPED.

 

She loved the movie (we all did) and was very well behaved. Since we aren't doing any vacations this summer we're trying to do one special family outing a month- next up is Despicable Me 2 in July!

 

(4) I'm 19 weeks pregnant. Big ultrasound on Friday! It would be great to confirm we're having a girl because girls are awesome and I've picked out an adorable trio of pictures on Etsy to hang in her future nursery wall. It would also be great to find out we're having a boy because boys are awesome and then our baby would have a name.

 And back to the live feed which is now causing fire to shoot out of my (nose? where does that metaphor go?) because Dewhurst decided a discussion of ultrasounds aren't "germane" to a bill on reproductive rights (after already deciding that a fellow Senator's assistance with adjusting Sen. Davis's back brace was also a violation of Senate rules, which was absurd and caused all sorts of commotion- the woman hasn't sat, leaned, eaten, drank, or peed in 11 hours, she's operating fully within the combines of Texas Senate filibuster rules), which means her filibuster is over and the senators can move to vote and pass the bill. Except Democratic senators are asking for an appeal and parliamentary inquiries while Republic senators are moving for a vote and the gallery is erupting and we now have a replacement Senate President and I would find all of this enormously exciting and entertaining if it wasn't so intensely personal and gut-wrenching because it's my own damn state.

It's going to be a long night.

~ ~ ~

Updated on Wednesday with links to the dramatic conclusion of last night's events: in words, in pictures, in funnier pictures (though they left out my two favorite tweets of the night, "After this is over can the Democratic Senators carry Wendy Davis out on their shoulders like she's the goddamn Khaleesi?" and "At midnight I want to hear Wendy Davis yell 'You Shall Not Pass.'" Also the last pic and caption in that article made me teary), and in an excellent morning after commentary questioning the Texas Senate as the "greatest deliberative body in the world" with many good points, including "Everybody watching in the building and around the world knew that Lt. Governor David Dewhurst, who presides over the Senate, was the referee who threw the game." and "It’s worse precedent for the majority party to cheat in order to win. Thousands of people swarmed into their Capitol building last night to see how their government works, but once they got there they found out that, these days, it doesn’t work at all. Republicans shouldn’t have been surprised at their reaction, which was essentially to rise up with one voice and declare “up with this shit we will not put!"

Crazy night, excellent morning.