Wednesday, January 31, 2007
Rock and Roll
Want to see my new trick? SO close to crawling. I can get that booty up, and I can rock - but I can't quite figure out how to move forward - just backwards!
Monday, January 29, 2007
Happy Half-Birthday, Little Man!
Y'all ready for this?
Mom + new camera + cute baby turning 6 months = MAJOR photo shoot!
(you should be able to click on the photo to make it bigger - sorry - some are fuzzy, but his expressions were so cute I had to include them regardless. If you want to save to print - ahem, Vicki - try to right click it and you should be able to save it onto your computer. If anyone wants a print of one, let me know which one and I'll order some from Creve Coeur Camera.
Mom + new camera + cute baby turning 6 months = MAJOR photo shoot!
(you should be able to click on the photo to make it bigger - sorry - some are fuzzy, but his expressions were so cute I had to include them regardless. If you want to save to print - ahem, Vicki - try to right click it and you should be able to save it onto your computer. If anyone wants a print of one, let me know which one and I'll order some from Creve Coeur Camera.
Wednesday, January 24, 2007
Homeschooling
As many of you know, we're a homeschooling family. Not because we're some uber-religious rural family, but because we feel that the quality of education available to us is not that which we can provide for our children through purchased curricula.
A friend recently shared this article and I thought I'd pass it on - even though Jack isn't quite ready for the ABCs, it's still a good read:
No Thank You, We Don't Believe in Socialization
Copyright 2000
Lisa Russell
I can't believe I am writing an article about socialization, The word makes my skin crawl. As homeschoolers, we are often accosted by people who assume that since we're homeschooling, our kids won't be "socialized." The word has become such a catch phrase that it has entirely lost any meaning. The first time I heard the word, I was attending a Catholic day school as a first grader. Having been a "reader" for almost 2 years, I found the phonics and reading lessons to be incredibly boring. Luckily the girl behind me felt the same way, and when we were done with our silly little worksheets, we would chat back and forth. I've never known two 6 yr olds who could maintain a quiet conversation, so naturally a ruler-carrying nun interrupted us with a few strong raps on our desk. We were both asked to stay in at recess, and sit quietly in our desks for the entire 25 minutes, because "We are not here to socialize, young ladies." Those words were repeated over and over throughout my education, by just about every teacher I've ever had. If we're not there to socialize, then why were we there? I learned to read at home. If I finished my work early (which I always did,) could I have gone home? If I were already familiar with the subject matter, would I have been excused from class that day? If schools weren't made for socializing, then why on earth would anyone assume that homeschoolers were missing out?
As a society full of people whose childhood's were spent waiting anxiously for recess time, and trying desperately to "socialize" with the kids in class; It is often difficult for people to have an image of a child whose social life is NOT based on school buddies. Do you ever remember sitting in class, and wanting desperately to speak to your friend? It's kinda hard to concentrate on the lessons when you're bouncing around trying not to talk. Have you ever had a teacher who rearranged the seats every now and then, to prevent talking, splitting up friends and "talking corners". Were you ever caught passing notes in class? Now- flash forward to "real life." Imagine the following scenes:
*Your Employer is auditing the Inter-Office Email system and comes across a personal note between you and a co-worker. You are required to stand at the podium in the next sales meeting to read it aloud to your co-workers.
*The Police knock on your door, and announce that because you and your neighbor have gotten so close, they're separating you. You must move your home and your belongings to the other side of town, and you may only meet at public places on weekends.
*You're sitting at a booth waiting for a co-worker to arrive for a scheduled lunch date. Suddenly, a member of upper-management sits downs across from you and demands your credit cards. When your friend arrives, you just order water and claim you're not hungry, since he stole your lunch money.
*You're applying for a job and in an unconventional hiring practice, you are made to line up with other applicants, and wait patiently while representatives from two competing companies take their pick from the lineup.
*You're taking your parents out for an anniversary dinner. After you find a table, a waiter tells you that seniors have a separate dining room, lest they "corrupt" the younger members of society.
*You go to the grocery store only to find that since you are 32 years old you must shop at the store for 32 year olds. It's 8 miles away and they don't sell meat because the manger is a vegetarian, but your birthday is coming up and soon you'll be able to shop at the store for 33 yr. olds.
*You'd like to learn about Aviation History. You go to the library and check out a book on the subject only to be given a list of "other subjects" that you must read about before you are permitted to check out the aviation book.
*You're having a hard time finding what you need in the local department store. The saleslady explains that each item is arranged alphabetically in the store, so instead of having a section for shoes, you will find the men's shoes in between the maternity clothes and the mirrors.
*Your Cable Company announces that anyone wishing to watch the Superbowl this year must log on a certain number of hours watching the Discovery Channel before they can be permitted to watch the game.
*You apply for a job only to be told that this job is for 29 year olds. Since you're 32, you'll have to stay with your level.
*In a group project, your boss decides to pair you up with the person you don't "click" with. His hope is that you'll get learn to get along with each other, regardless of how the project turns out.
These absurd examples were created to point out how absolutely ridiculous the idea of "socializing" in schools is. Many people had a friend who they stayed friends with all through grammar school- WHY? Because their names were alphabetically similar, and they always ended up in line with each other. As an adult, have you ever made friends with someone simply because your names were similar? How long would such a friendship last and how meaningful would it be, providing you had nothing else in common?
People often use the bully as an example of why it's so important to let kids "socialize" at school. If that's so important, then the bully needs to go to JAIL after a few months, because self-respecting society simply doesn't put up with that, nor should my 6 yr. old. Sure, there are crappy people in the world, but the world does a much better job of taking care of these things. A bullying brat in the first grade will still be a bullying brat in the 6th grade. He will still be picking on the same kids year after year after year, unless he moves to a new town. How long would the average adult put up with a bully? Personally, as an adult, I have only come across one grown up bully. I choose not to be around this miserable woman. So do many other people. THAT is real life. If she were a co-worker, I would find a different job. If she worked at a business I patronized- not only would I refrain from doing business with that company, I would write a letter to the bully, her manager, the owner and the main office. A kid in a classroom has no way to emotionally protect themselves against such a person. I would never expect my kids to put up with bad treatment from a bully in the name of "toughening them up." For what? So they can be submissive wimps when they grow up too? So they can "ignore" their miserable bosses and abusive spouses? In real life, if an employer discovered that an employee was harassing the other staff members, that employee could be fired (pending the 90-day evaluation) or relocated. In real life, if you are so dreadfully harassed by a co-worker you can seek legal recourse independently. In a classroom, the teacher and other children are often powerless.
The idea of learning acceptable social skills in a school is as absurd to me as learning nutrition from a grocery store. As Homeschoolers, the world is our classroom. We interact with people of all ages, sexes and backgrounds. We talk to and learn from everyone who strikes our interest. We use good manners in our home and I'm always pleased when others comment on the manners my children have picked up. I believe good manners to be an important social skill. Respecting common areas is also of value to us. We often carry a grocery bag with us on walks, in case we find trash that needs to be discarded. When we're waiting at a bus stop, if there is trash on the ground, we make a point to carry it onto the bus and discard of it properly. Once, while waiting at a bus stop- we saw a grown man drop his popsicle wrapper on the ground. He was 2 feet from a trash can- My daughter looked up at me with eyes as big as saucers. I told her (out loud) "It must have blown out of his hand from that little wind, because no-one would throw trash on the ground on purpose. I'm sure when he's done with his popsicle, he will pick it up and throw it away correctly- otherwise, we can take care of it so we don't have an ugly world." He did pick it up, rather sheepishly. I can't imagine expecting my children to have a respect for the cleanliness of common areas in an environment where bathroom walls are covered in graffiti and trees are scratched with symbols of "love" of all things.
Another social skill we strive to teach our children is that all people are created equal. I can't imagine doing that in an environment where physically disadvantaged children are segregated into a "special" classroom. Or even children who speak a different language at home. They are segregated and forced to learn English, while never acknowledging the unique culture they were raised in, and not enabling the other students to learn FROM them. Learning, in school, comes from the books and teachers. We will learn Spanish from a BOOK, not from a Spanish-speaking student; and not until 7th grade.
I have never felt it would be beneficial to stick my 6-yr. old in a room full of other 6-yr. olds. I believe God created a world full of people of all ages and sexes to insure that the younger ones and older ones learn from each other. A few years ago, we were living thousands of miles from any older family members, so I brought my kids (then 5 and 2) to an assisted living facility, so they could interact with the elderly. Staff members told us that many of the older people would wake up every day and ask if we would be visiting soon. We always went on Wednesdays. My daughters learned some old show tunes while one of the men played piano and the others would sing along. If I didn't have to chase my 2-yr. old around, I would have had plenty of women ready to share the art of crocheting with me (something I've always wanted to learn.) If a friend were too sick to come out of their room during our visit, we would often spend a few minutes in their room. I always let them give the kids whatever cookies they had baked for them, and I ended up cleaning a few of the apartments while we visited, simply because I would have done the same for my own Grandmother. Every room had pictures from my kids posted on their refrigerators. We called this "Visiting the Grandmas and Grandpas" and my daughters both (almost 2 yrs later) have fond memories of our visits. I'm sure that if we were still visiting there, my unborn child would have a thousand handmade blankets and booties to keep him warm all winter.
I don't remember any such experiences in my entire School life, although I do remember being a bit afraid of old people if they were too wrinkly or weak looking. I never really knew anyone over 60. I never sped down the hall on someone's wheel-chaired lap, squealing as we popped wheelies and screeched around corners. I never got to hear stories about what life was like before indoor plumbing and electricity, from the point of view of a woman with Alzheimers, who might believe she was still 5 yrs old, talking with my daughter as if she were a friend. I never got to help a 90-yr. old woman keep her arm steady while she painted a picture. And I never watched a room full of "grandma's" waiting for me by the window, because we were 15 minutes late.
On a recent visit to an Art Gallery, we noticed a man walking back and forth, carrying framed artwork from his old pickup truck. I asked my 6 yr. old if she thought he might be the artist. We both agreed that was a possibility, and after a little pep-talk to overcome her stage fright, she approached him and asked. He was the artist, and he was bringing in his work to be evaluated by the curator. We all sat down and he explained some of his techniques and listened to her opinions about which piece she liked best. He told about how he enjoyed art when he was 6 and would "sell" pictures to family and friends. He recounted how he felt while creating a few of the pieces, and how each one has special meaning to him. He even let her know how nervous he was to show them to the curator and how he hoped she found them as interesting as we did. As he was called into the office, a group of thirty-four 3rd graders filed past, ever so quietly, while their teacher explained each piece on the walls. The children were so quiet and well behaved. They didn't seem to mind moving on from one picture to the next (The problem with homeschoolers is they tend to linger on things they enjoy). They didn't seem to have any questions or comments (Maybe they'll discuss that later in class). And they never got a chance to meet the gentleman in the pickup truck. I hope my kids aren't missing out on any "socialization."
A friend recently shared this article and I thought I'd pass it on - even though Jack isn't quite ready for the ABCs, it's still a good read:
No Thank You, We Don't Believe in Socialization
Copyright 2000
Lisa Russell
I can't believe I am writing an article about socialization, The word makes my skin crawl. As homeschoolers, we are often accosted by people who assume that since we're homeschooling, our kids won't be "socialized." The word has become such a catch phrase that it has entirely lost any meaning. The first time I heard the word, I was attending a Catholic day school as a first grader. Having been a "reader" for almost 2 years, I found the phonics and reading lessons to be incredibly boring. Luckily the girl behind me felt the same way, and when we were done with our silly little worksheets, we would chat back and forth. I've never known two 6 yr olds who could maintain a quiet conversation, so naturally a ruler-carrying nun interrupted us with a few strong raps on our desk. We were both asked to stay in at recess, and sit quietly in our desks for the entire 25 minutes, because "We are not here to socialize, young ladies." Those words were repeated over and over throughout my education, by just about every teacher I've ever had. If we're not there to socialize, then why were we there? I learned to read at home. If I finished my work early (which I always did,) could I have gone home? If I were already familiar with the subject matter, would I have been excused from class that day? If schools weren't made for socializing, then why on earth would anyone assume that homeschoolers were missing out?
As a society full of people whose childhood's were spent waiting anxiously for recess time, and trying desperately to "socialize" with the kids in class; It is often difficult for people to have an image of a child whose social life is NOT based on school buddies. Do you ever remember sitting in class, and wanting desperately to speak to your friend? It's kinda hard to concentrate on the lessons when you're bouncing around trying not to talk. Have you ever had a teacher who rearranged the seats every now and then, to prevent talking, splitting up friends and "talking corners". Were you ever caught passing notes in class? Now- flash forward to "real life." Imagine the following scenes:
*Your Employer is auditing the Inter-Office Email system and comes across a personal note between you and a co-worker. You are required to stand at the podium in the next sales meeting to read it aloud to your co-workers.
*The Police knock on your door, and announce that because you and your neighbor have gotten so close, they're separating you. You must move your home and your belongings to the other side of town, and you may only meet at public places on weekends.
*You're sitting at a booth waiting for a co-worker to arrive for a scheduled lunch date. Suddenly, a member of upper-management sits downs across from you and demands your credit cards. When your friend arrives, you just order water and claim you're not hungry, since he stole your lunch money.
*You're applying for a job and in an unconventional hiring practice, you are made to line up with other applicants, and wait patiently while representatives from two competing companies take their pick from the lineup.
*You're taking your parents out for an anniversary dinner. After you find a table, a waiter tells you that seniors have a separate dining room, lest they "corrupt" the younger members of society.
*You go to the grocery store only to find that since you are 32 years old you must shop at the store for 32 year olds. It's 8 miles away and they don't sell meat because the manger is a vegetarian, but your birthday is coming up and soon you'll be able to shop at the store for 33 yr. olds.
*You'd like to learn about Aviation History. You go to the library and check out a book on the subject only to be given a list of "other subjects" that you must read about before you are permitted to check out the aviation book.
*You're having a hard time finding what you need in the local department store. The saleslady explains that each item is arranged alphabetically in the store, so instead of having a section for shoes, you will find the men's shoes in between the maternity clothes and the mirrors.
*Your Cable Company announces that anyone wishing to watch the Superbowl this year must log on a certain number of hours watching the Discovery Channel before they can be permitted to watch the game.
*You apply for a job only to be told that this job is for 29 year olds. Since you're 32, you'll have to stay with your level.
*In a group project, your boss decides to pair you up with the person you don't "click" with. His hope is that you'll get learn to get along with each other, regardless of how the project turns out.
These absurd examples were created to point out how absolutely ridiculous the idea of "socializing" in schools is. Many people had a friend who they stayed friends with all through grammar school- WHY? Because their names were alphabetically similar, and they always ended up in line with each other. As an adult, have you ever made friends with someone simply because your names were similar? How long would such a friendship last and how meaningful would it be, providing you had nothing else in common?
People often use the bully as an example of why it's so important to let kids "socialize" at school. If that's so important, then the bully needs to go to JAIL after a few months, because self-respecting society simply doesn't put up with that, nor should my 6 yr. old. Sure, there are crappy people in the world, but the world does a much better job of taking care of these things. A bullying brat in the first grade will still be a bullying brat in the 6th grade. He will still be picking on the same kids year after year after year, unless he moves to a new town. How long would the average adult put up with a bully? Personally, as an adult, I have only come across one grown up bully. I choose not to be around this miserable woman. So do many other people. THAT is real life. If she were a co-worker, I would find a different job. If she worked at a business I patronized- not only would I refrain from doing business with that company, I would write a letter to the bully, her manager, the owner and the main office. A kid in a classroom has no way to emotionally protect themselves against such a person. I would never expect my kids to put up with bad treatment from a bully in the name of "toughening them up." For what? So they can be submissive wimps when they grow up too? So they can "ignore" their miserable bosses and abusive spouses? In real life, if an employer discovered that an employee was harassing the other staff members, that employee could be fired (pending the 90-day evaluation) or relocated. In real life, if you are so dreadfully harassed by a co-worker you can seek legal recourse independently. In a classroom, the teacher and other children are often powerless.
The idea of learning acceptable social skills in a school is as absurd to me as learning nutrition from a grocery store. As Homeschoolers, the world is our classroom. We interact with people of all ages, sexes and backgrounds. We talk to and learn from everyone who strikes our interest. We use good manners in our home and I'm always pleased when others comment on the manners my children have picked up. I believe good manners to be an important social skill. Respecting common areas is also of value to us. We often carry a grocery bag with us on walks, in case we find trash that needs to be discarded. When we're waiting at a bus stop, if there is trash on the ground, we make a point to carry it onto the bus and discard of it properly. Once, while waiting at a bus stop- we saw a grown man drop his popsicle wrapper on the ground. He was 2 feet from a trash can- My daughter looked up at me with eyes as big as saucers. I told her (out loud) "It must have blown out of his hand from that little wind, because no-one would throw trash on the ground on purpose. I'm sure when he's done with his popsicle, he will pick it up and throw it away correctly- otherwise, we can take care of it so we don't have an ugly world." He did pick it up, rather sheepishly. I can't imagine expecting my children to have a respect for the cleanliness of common areas in an environment where bathroom walls are covered in graffiti and trees are scratched with symbols of "love" of all things.
Another social skill we strive to teach our children is that all people are created equal. I can't imagine doing that in an environment where physically disadvantaged children are segregated into a "special" classroom. Or even children who speak a different language at home. They are segregated and forced to learn English, while never acknowledging the unique culture they were raised in, and not enabling the other students to learn FROM them. Learning, in school, comes from the books and teachers. We will learn Spanish from a BOOK, not from a Spanish-speaking student; and not until 7th grade.
I have never felt it would be beneficial to stick my 6-yr. old in a room full of other 6-yr. olds. I believe God created a world full of people of all ages and sexes to insure that the younger ones and older ones learn from each other. A few years ago, we were living thousands of miles from any older family members, so I brought my kids (then 5 and 2) to an assisted living facility, so they could interact with the elderly. Staff members told us that many of the older people would wake up every day and ask if we would be visiting soon. We always went on Wednesdays. My daughters learned some old show tunes while one of the men played piano and the others would sing along. If I didn't have to chase my 2-yr. old around, I would have had plenty of women ready to share the art of crocheting with me (something I've always wanted to learn.) If a friend were too sick to come out of their room during our visit, we would often spend a few minutes in their room. I always let them give the kids whatever cookies they had baked for them, and I ended up cleaning a few of the apartments while we visited, simply because I would have done the same for my own Grandmother. Every room had pictures from my kids posted on their refrigerators. We called this "Visiting the Grandmas and Grandpas" and my daughters both (almost 2 yrs later) have fond memories of our visits. I'm sure that if we were still visiting there, my unborn child would have a thousand handmade blankets and booties to keep him warm all winter.
I don't remember any such experiences in my entire School life, although I do remember being a bit afraid of old people if they were too wrinkly or weak looking. I never really knew anyone over 60. I never sped down the hall on someone's wheel-chaired lap, squealing as we popped wheelies and screeched around corners. I never got to hear stories about what life was like before indoor plumbing and electricity, from the point of view of a woman with Alzheimers, who might believe she was still 5 yrs old, talking with my daughter as if she were a friend. I never got to help a 90-yr. old woman keep her arm steady while she painted a picture. And I never watched a room full of "grandma's" waiting for me by the window, because we were 15 minutes late.
On a recent visit to an Art Gallery, we noticed a man walking back and forth, carrying framed artwork from his old pickup truck. I asked my 6 yr. old if she thought he might be the artist. We both agreed that was a possibility, and after a little pep-talk to overcome her stage fright, she approached him and asked. He was the artist, and he was bringing in his work to be evaluated by the curator. We all sat down and he explained some of his techniques and listened to her opinions about which piece she liked best. He told about how he enjoyed art when he was 6 and would "sell" pictures to family and friends. He recounted how he felt while creating a few of the pieces, and how each one has special meaning to him. He even let her know how nervous he was to show them to the curator and how he hoped she found them as interesting as we did. As he was called into the office, a group of thirty-four 3rd graders filed past, ever so quietly, while their teacher explained each piece on the walls. The children were so quiet and well behaved. They didn't seem to mind moving on from one picture to the next (The problem with homeschoolers is they tend to linger on things they enjoy). They didn't seem to have any questions or comments (Maybe they'll discuss that later in class). And they never got a chance to meet the gentleman in the pickup truck. I hope my kids aren't missing out on any "socialization."
Tuesday, January 23, 2007
Looking through Jack's eyes
I'll leave it up to you to decide if this picture is his sisters or what he sees at theme parks! :)
Too funny not to share.
Friday, January 19, 2007
You've got the cutest little Baby Legs
Daddy is going to be OH SO happy with Mommy today for sharing this picture. He thinks "legwarmers are for girls" but these aren't legwarmers - they're Baby Legs!!! They do serve a purpose - easy diaper changes, keeping warm under pants in the super duper cold (like we're going to get this weekend!), and for potty training. (Big sister Piper is a big fan). :)
But - I couldn't resist sharing these - they're just PERFECT for piggy chomping!
www.babylegs.net
Piper comforts Jack through his torturous photo shoot. "It's okay, Gacky Boy"
Sweet sweet boy
But - I couldn't resist sharing these - they're just PERFECT for piggy chomping!
www.babylegs.net
Piper comforts Jack through his torturous photo shoot. "It's okay, Gacky Boy"
Sweet sweet boy
Wednesday, January 17, 2007
Mommy Got A New Toy...
And now she's going to post even MORE pictures for everyone!!!
Here's a favorite - this was when he was still pretty miserable. I love the detail of his tiny fingernails and his chubby little hands:
Wellness has finally beat out the sickies in our house. We've been through quite a bit in the last few weeks, but the end is here and we are so thrilled. Hopefully at least we'll have some great immunity now - this was quite the super virus!
Jack is doing so much now - he's really starting to keep his head up when he's on his tummy. He deliberately reaches for toys as you can see here. (Note the lovely aftermath of antibiotics on his shoulder!)
A little background on this toy. When Sky was a baby, she loved Dopey. LOVED Dopey. My sister-in-law had a set of the Dwarfs that were sort of a molded plastic/rubbery substance - like bath toys. She saved them from when her daughters were babies and when we'd come over Sky loved to play with that Dopey. Years went by and I had forgotten about them entirely - until we went to the baby care center at Epcot. Right there, in with the toys and outfits for sale, was a complete set of Dwarfs!!! I told the chatty gentleman working there about the old set and he said Disney stopped the production of them for several years. They received the prototypes and the company who had made them changed the outfit on one Dwarf and the colors on another. It wasn't up to their standards, so they ceased production until they could get exactly what they wanted by doing it themselves.
Anyway - here's Jack with his Dopey:
Here's a favorite - this was when he was still pretty miserable. I love the detail of his tiny fingernails and his chubby little hands:
Wellness has finally beat out the sickies in our house. We've been through quite a bit in the last few weeks, but the end is here and we are so thrilled. Hopefully at least we'll have some great immunity now - this was quite the super virus!
Jack is doing so much now - he's really starting to keep his head up when he's on his tummy. He deliberately reaches for toys as you can see here. (Note the lovely aftermath of antibiotics on his shoulder!)
A little background on this toy. When Sky was a baby, she loved Dopey. LOVED Dopey. My sister-in-law had a set of the Dwarfs that were sort of a molded plastic/rubbery substance - like bath toys. She saved them from when her daughters were babies and when we'd come over Sky loved to play with that Dopey. Years went by and I had forgotten about them entirely - until we went to the baby care center at Epcot. Right there, in with the toys and outfits for sale, was a complete set of Dwarfs!!! I told the chatty gentleman working there about the old set and he said Disney stopped the production of them for several years. They received the prototypes and the company who had made them changed the outfit on one Dwarf and the colors on another. It wasn't up to their standards, so they ceased production until they could get exactly what they wanted by doing it themselves.
Anyway - here's Jack with his Dopey:
Thursday, January 11, 2007
The Continuing Saga...
Jack is doing remarkably better. He started vomiting after taking amoxicillin, so we discontinued it but by then he was much better. Unfortunately, I now have thrush as a lovely side-effect of the antibiotics. So big JB is getting some gentian violet for me today. Jack doesn't seem deterred, and it isn't harmful to him, but it hurts all day. We thought it was a latch problem due to him having two teeth now, but the pain continued well past nursings and into my underarm and side of the breast, so it's thrush. I have to say, I'm fortunate in that we've never battled thrush with any of the five kids (who all nursed for at least a year) so I'm thankful for that. But, it still stinks ;)
This weekend it's supposed to be cold, even a wintry mix is in the forecast, but we're cleaning up this germ factory of a house and opening windows. It's been over three weeks of this and we're finally getting better - replacing toothbrushes, washing all the bedding on hot, (and nursing bras now, for the thrush), running all binkies and toys and whatever else through the dishwasher - everything needs to be cleaned. We need to wash the carseat covers, too.
OH - that reminds me! Jack got a big boy carseat in the mail this week! He's one inch from outgrowing his infant seat in height, so we have to switch him out. It's a Britax Boulevard, which is supposed to be the best/safest seat on the market. I like it because it has an infant insert to secure him. When we switch Pi into her Marathon she was much older (and more able to sit up and be secure). Jack is long, but still wobbly, so the insert will be a good feature. We'll switch that over as soon as we get back from California.
Speaking of, we leave in one month and 15 days! I keep watching DING! for good airfare deals. We have our hotel selected and our tickets are here for Disneyland, so that's exciting. I think Auntie Kimi and maybe my Mom are meeting up with us while we're out that way (which the kids are positively thrilled about - they keep plotting and planning who will ride which rides with Auntie Kimi). :)
So, that's that. Is January over yet? OH NO! Four weeks and one day until I'm THIRTY!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! WAAAAH~
This weekend it's supposed to be cold, even a wintry mix is in the forecast, but we're cleaning up this germ factory of a house and opening windows. It's been over three weeks of this and we're finally getting better - replacing toothbrushes, washing all the bedding on hot, (and nursing bras now, for the thrush), running all binkies and toys and whatever else through the dishwasher - everything needs to be cleaned. We need to wash the carseat covers, too.
OH - that reminds me! Jack got a big boy carseat in the mail this week! He's one inch from outgrowing his infant seat in height, so we have to switch him out. It's a Britax Boulevard, which is supposed to be the best/safest seat on the market. I like it because it has an infant insert to secure him. When we switch Pi into her Marathon she was much older (and more able to sit up and be secure). Jack is long, but still wobbly, so the insert will be a good feature. We'll switch that over as soon as we get back from California.
Speaking of, we leave in one month and 15 days! I keep watching DING! for good airfare deals. We have our hotel selected and our tickets are here for Disneyland, so that's exciting. I think Auntie Kimi and maybe my Mom are meeting up with us while we're out that way (which the kids are positively thrilled about - they keep plotting and planning who will ride which rides with Auntie Kimi). :)
So, that's that. Is January over yet? OH NO! Four weeks and one day until I'm THIRTY!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! WAAAAH~
Thursday, January 04, 2007
Off the charts!
Still sick at our house - Tuesday night Jack didn't sleep, and I mean the WHOLE night - he just cried and it was a horrible, shrill cry so I knew something was wrong. John took him in the bathroom for steam therapy, which helped a little, but John's cough was so bad that he just sat out in the living room in hopes that Jack could actually sleep. No such luck.
We broke down and took him to the doctor yesterday because it was now interfering with eating and sleeping (he wouldn't nurse while laying on his left side, so I suspected an ear infection - we treated him at home with Chamomilla and tylenol, but he was still so miserable). Sure enough he's got a raging ear infection on his left side. They prescribed a high potency homeopathic remedy and he took it all day yesterday and just has one day left. I gave him motrin for the pain and inflammation last night before bed, as well as some robitussin, but he still woke up four times in the night. Although, not nearly as bad as the night before. The doctor also sent us home (upon John's request) with a prescription for antibiotics, but doesn't think that it's bacterial. It's just our backup since our doctor's office is in Webster and it's quite a trek. I suspect he'll do much better after today's remedy. As a reinforcement I put a couple drops of breastmilk in his ear. It is an old remedy I read about online last year when Jae had a terrible ear infection and we couldn't get into the doctor right away. She was crying and we could see how red the ear drum was. A few drops of breastmilk and she was 100% fine by morning. I couldn't believe how quickly (or effectively) it worked.
So, that's that. Oh - the title. Jack is WAY off the charts for growth now. He is officially 28 inches (yes, that's 7 inches he's grown in five months!) and 19 pounds, 3 ounces!! He's almost outgrown his 6-12month Gymboree and is out of his 6 month carters stuff.
We broke down and took him to the doctor yesterday because it was now interfering with eating and sleeping (he wouldn't nurse while laying on his left side, so I suspected an ear infection - we treated him at home with Chamomilla and tylenol, but he was still so miserable). Sure enough he's got a raging ear infection on his left side. They prescribed a high potency homeopathic remedy and he took it all day yesterday and just has one day left. I gave him motrin for the pain and inflammation last night before bed, as well as some robitussin, but he still woke up four times in the night. Although, not nearly as bad as the night before. The doctor also sent us home (upon John's request) with a prescription for antibiotics, but doesn't think that it's bacterial. It's just our backup since our doctor's office is in Webster and it's quite a trek. I suspect he'll do much better after today's remedy. As a reinforcement I put a couple drops of breastmilk in his ear. It is an old remedy I read about online last year when Jae had a terrible ear infection and we couldn't get into the doctor right away. She was crying and we could see how red the ear drum was. A few drops of breastmilk and she was 100% fine by morning. I couldn't believe how quickly (or effectively) it worked.
So, that's that. Oh - the title. Jack is WAY off the charts for growth now. He is officially 28 inches (yes, that's 7 inches he's grown in five months!) and 19 pounds, 3 ounces!! He's almost outgrown his 6-12month Gymboree and is out of his 6 month carters stuff.
Tuesday, January 02, 2007
Happy-ish New Year
Well, we spent the entire period from Christmas to today being sick, including Jack's first real illness. It seems like we spent our entire break in bed - nothing was accomplished around the house at all, no real organization like we'd hoped for the New Year. Jack had us very scared for a while. He ran a fever just one day, but has had an awful cough for a week now. We spent hours in the bathroom in the tub or with the shower running for steam to clear up Jack, the vaporizer running all day, and nothing helped.
I suspect we picked up something at Disney and I think our immune systems were just down during the holiday shopping season. Despite our best efforts to obsessively wash hands and stay away from germs, I think we got clobbered with something.
I was so out of it, I had my days all mixed up and missed out on some great family gatherings, too (not that we were well enough to go, but it's such a bummer!) I wish I could get a do-over on the whole week! But, Daddy's back at work today and we're all just starting to come out of the fog. I'm hoping that's the end of Jack's sick, sleepless nights and that this lingering cough will continue to fade. He's 5 months now, so I'll have to get a new picture up here very soon.
Happy New Year to you all!
I suspect we picked up something at Disney and I think our immune systems were just down during the holiday shopping season. Despite our best efforts to obsessively wash hands and stay away from germs, I think we got clobbered with something.
I was so out of it, I had my days all mixed up and missed out on some great family gatherings, too (not that we were well enough to go, but it's such a bummer!) I wish I could get a do-over on the whole week! But, Daddy's back at work today and we're all just starting to come out of the fog. I'm hoping that's the end of Jack's sick, sleepless nights and that this lingering cough will continue to fade. He's 5 months now, so I'll have to get a new picture up here very soon.
Happy New Year to you all!
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