Yet another way to kill your kid

It seems our baby bottles may or may not be leeching harmful chemicals into our children. Fantastic.

Milestones, Baby

In the last week Evie has done the following:

*Sat up all by herself (Thursday)

*Climbed in the toy basket and pulled out a specific toy she selected, pushing others aside (Sunday)

*Stood up with the aid of living room furniture (Monday)

*Threw a full-blown temper tantrum on her bedroom floor when she was prohibited from climbing up her dresser (Tuesday)

*Said “Dada!” when Bryan walked in the door from work (Tuesday)

*Walked across the room, while holding mama's hands (Wednesday)

Remember, she only turned seven months old on Friday. I have no idea why she is in such a rush to grow up. All I know is that we are so completely hosed.


Who needs toys when you have a barstool to play on?

I was an idiot...Some perspective on parenting

There was a time not so very long ago that I thought I had things all figured out. I was going to have a baby and I had learned from the experience of those around us. We would use only organic products, only wooden toys, only cloth diapers, only breast feed, never have the television on. We would read to her every day, and play Mozart at least an hour every evening.

We wouldn’t waste money on things like bottle sanitizers and wipe warmers; those are just a scam. We would buy used and consigned items when we could, we would be frugal. Safety would be of utmost importance and when it came to her safety, money was no object. My child would never have a meltdown in public, and if she did, I would promptly take her home to appease the masses. We would be excellent parents.

It only took a few months for me to get over myself. I have since realized that I’m an idiot. Kids are going to be kids and parents for the most part are just doing the best they can.

I had to stop breastfeeding a few months ago because of a neurological disorder. I was heartbroken that I was going to be condemning my daughter to a lifetime of compromised health and development. I’ve realized now that she’s going to be just fine.

We try to feed her good and wholesome foods but realize that she will in fact not be irrevocably harmed if she eats a French fry every once in a while. If she plays with a plastic Fisher Price toy, her skin is most likely not going to burn right off her little fingers, and chances are, if the news is on while she’s in the room, she’s not going to be doomed to childhood obesity and attention deficit disorder.

Sometimes while I’m at the grocery store, she starts crying; she’s had enough. But we are out of milk and toilet paper; I have to finish shopping. So I sling her on my hip, try to shush her the best I can and plod forward. Sometimes kids cry, it happens. And people will glare at me, but I need milk and toilet paper. I’m sorry she’s crying, it’s hard for me too, I assure you.

Sure, there are parenting styles and choices that I don’t agree with and wouldn’t want to replicate in my home, but that’s okay. I know for a fact there are things we do that people don't agree with. For the most part, parents are just doing the best they can and have their own reasons for why they make the choices they do. We don’t need to judge one another. I’m going to work much harder to keep my own mouth shut and have a little perspective.

After all, this is the toughest job we’ll ever do, and frankly, most of us are just making it up as we go along.

Rotting Her Brain...feel free to judge me

This is what happens when you have a sinus infection, the baby is getting sick again, has refused to nap all day and you just need a few minutes to make something to eat. You put her in her command station and turn on the Baby Einstein sign language video.

"At least it's educational."

This is what I tell myself as I pretend I don't know about that horrible UW study that claimed these videos are just terrible, TERRIBLE for babies.

I can see her brain just rotting out of her head, can't you?
Oh the guilt of a first-time parent.

Standing Tall

Wow....that happened REALLY Fast. She did this last night for the first time.

This is now all she wants to do today. Pulling up on the table, on the couch, the bar stool, the chair, the toy basket, my legs. This table was the first place she did it--the iPod dock was obviously her objective.

Don't worry, I was sitting right behind her; the iPod remains intact, and the whole dock is being moved up today.

Why can't we just be like everybody else?

Just about everyone gets to vote today. Everyone but Washington, that is. No, we have what we like to call a “three-tiered system.” But you see dear friends, we decided to have it AFTER we sent out the absentee ballots. This means that people think they get to vote today, but in fact, they do not. That shouldn't cause any confusion whatsoever.
No, instead we have to Caucus on Saturday. There is nothing Super about Saturday.

Evie Sleeps on Mamaw's Lap

Halftime Show: What's the Deal?

What's the deal with the trend of 60s/70s rockers playing the Superbowl Halftime show?

I know that the 'big whigs' are probably a little afraid of another "wardrobe malfunction" circa 2004, but can we not find one safe group or singer after 1976? Really?

Now I'm a fan of the 70s rock, don't get me wrong, but let's mix things up a little bit. Rolling Stones, Paul McCartney, Tom Petty? Really? Okay, so last year we had Prince, but even he was a little dated, and again, he was in fact, a he.

Have women been banned forever? Are we only allowed to sing the National Anthem? I assure you, there are plenty of female performers that can in fact be trusted to keep their parts inside their tops while singing. Just keep Justin Timberlake away, and all should be fine.

How about this: book the top-selling artist from every major genre to sing their hit from the previous year. I'm not saying that record sales = talent, (ummmm, no) but at least we'd have a little more diversity, and a more eclectic show.

I'm not saying that the Super Bowl is the place to really fight for music or gender equality, but seriously, we could certainly find someone from another genre, or at least a different decade, could we not?

Right now, I feel like I'm sitting back in my dorm room listening to a 70s rock "greatest hits" mixed tape.

Still 102

That's my temperature at the moment; we're now on day three of the fever and the head goop.
Mamaw has enjoyed visiting (I'm sure,) watching me move from the couch to the bed and back, wearing sweats, wrapped in a quilt, kleenex box and glass of water in hand.
Evie seems to be doing better, except for a little nose crustiness. Her fever only lasted that one night, and her energy level and mood seem to be un-phased.

At least she shares

Two nights ago, I had a horrible nightmare that I was run over by a train, but survived, only to be horribly maimed. I was awoken by my husband who was leaving very early for work, and was surprised to find me shaking, disoriented and covered in sweat.
Yesterday I woke up feeling like in fact, I had been run over by a train.
Today I woke up and could not breathe. Every hole in my head was sealed shut, save my mouth.
My eyes, my nose, my ears, all caked with nasty gooey goodness.
I have a fever, am coughing, my throat feels like a cat has been using it as his personal scratching post, there's a very serious chance I may lose my insides any moment and of course, it feels like I've been hit in the face with a hammer, or perhaps a small baby head.
It seems I have the same mucus that Evie had.
In the last 48 hours, I've had Tylenol flu and NyQuil. I've also covered myself with Vicks and taken a very steamy, steamy shower to try to break up the sick.
I've decided those stupid flu shots are a sham. And yet, here we are this morning, getting ready to take Evie in to get her booster. Because that's what the doctor told us to do, and we're not one to question authority.
I just hope Mamaw doesn't catch what we have. That would be horrible.