8 months old!

Look who finally figured out how to smile in pictures! 


Length: 29"-ish; greater than the 95th percentile-ish
Weight: 16 pounds-ish; 15-20th percentile-ish

Yeah...she got a new car seat for Christmas, since the infant seat we have has a max height of 29 inches.

My Sick-Day Project: Snap Conversions on Cloth Diapers

As you know, we cloth diaper. We are using the same diapers (with some additions) for L as we did with J, and some of them have aplix that is, at this point, beyond useless. Last week I picked up snaps and a snap press from Joann Fabrics (which now has a cloth diaper section, SQUEE!!). While I'm home sick from work, I might as well take care of those diapers! I'm using Fred's tutorial, found here. She is a clever one!

Wordy Wednesday: Thankful

I've slacked off on actually doing this every day this month, so here you go. All in one fell swoop, a bunch of things I'm thankful for, but not one for every day in November.

I am thankful for my mom. Without her, I don't know how we'd be getting by financially every month. She has done so much for us, and for me, and I am very grateful.

I am thankful for my grandmother. She paid for my college education, she gave me my first car, and we bought our house from her. L's middle name is Margaret, in her honor, and I am sorry that my grandma won't ever know her namesake.

I am thankful for my husband. We've grown up together over the last 12 1/2 years, and we've been through a lot, and I am so glad he's part of my life.

I am thankful for my son. He is the light of my life, and makes me smile every day. I never expected him to have dimples, and I love all the other surprises he brings with him. He was so hard to bring into the world, and my pregnancy was hard, and I am thankful for having experienced it in order to have him in my life.

 

 

I am thankful for my daughter. I had long ago accepted the fact that I'd likely have 2 sons biologically, and I had almost given up on the idea that I could have a daughter when C's family seemed to make only boys. I am still giddy at times that I have a little girl, to play Barbies with (someday) and to dress up and to share the mother-daughter bond with, as I share it with my mother. I am so thankful for her, and I love her more than I can put into words. Her serious moods are so precious, and I look forward to watching her grow.

 

 

I am thankful for my puppies. Even though they drive me crazy sometimes.

I am thankful for coffee caffeine. Seriously, I don't get through days well without it. Maybe I'm addicted....

I am thankful for breastfeeding, and by extension, my boobs. I am so glad I've been able to have a successful breastfeeding relationship with both children, and I hope that L and I will continue that relationship for at least another year. 

I am thankful for my family. They are crazy and dysfunctional, and I don't necessarily like all of them all the time, but I am grateful that they are in my life.

This picture is probably 12 years old. It doesn't even include half of my family. Wow.

I am thankful for books. I guess this also applies to reading in general. We are a reading family, and I love it.

I am thankful for movies! I don't watch as many movies as I read books, but I do enjoy them. :-)

I am thankful for my girl friends. I don't have a best friend, really (other than C), but my girl friends remind me what life is really all about, and I love when we get together for book club or just interact online or whatever.

I am thankful for my lifelong friends. We may not talk regularly, and maybe we only keep in touch on Facebook, but that doesn't mean we love each other any less.

I am thankful for my family of choice. We have some friends that are family, even though no blood is shared. Life would not be the same without them, and they are a wonderful part of our lives.

I am thankful for chocolate.

I am thankful for Fall.

I am thankful for the Broncos, even when they lose, and even though there's some weird Tebow love fest going on.

I am thankful for my in-laws. They are wonderful people, and I feel so lucky that they are not (very) insane. Especially my mother-in-law, who is one of the most wonderful and sweet people I know.

 

 

I am also, of course, thankful to have this blog. I appreciate my few readers, of course, and it's really important for me to have this outlet.

So, what are you thankful for?

7 months!

If this look doesn't say "put away the camera and read me the damn book already" then I don't know what does. You know, other than actually saying it.

Length: 28" (approximately); 95th percentile
Weight: 15 pounds (according to our bathroom scale); 15th percentile

Happy Thanksgiving!

I hope your Thanksgiving was wonderful and filled with love and laughter!

I am so thankful for my beautiful, wonderful family, even if my daughter has no sense of humor.

Almost.

Six Months

Happy half birthday to my baby girl, my daughter, my serious and contemplative child. I can't believe it's been six months already! You've more than doubled your birth weight (though not by much!) and you are so strong and tall. You adore your big brother endlessly. You eat about 28-32 ounces of milk a day, lovingly supplied by yours truly. You wear 6-9 month sized clothes, though some of those are too short for you. You shoe size, if you were to wear them, is 2.

Length: 27" (90th Percentile)
Weight: 13lb 10oz (12th Percentile)
Head circumference: 38th Percentile

Cancer sucks.

My cousin lost her battle with inflammatory breast cancer today.

I love you Gail, I will always treasure the memories of you and think of you whenever I hear the Kinks. Or Donovan. Or eat Indian food.

I'm glad you're not hurting anymore, and that my son got to meet you. I'm sorry that my daughter never did.

Goodbye, and Namaste.

In which I go off on a long rant.

This post, in case you can't already tell, is going to be long and ranty, because, well, I am not amused. Before we begin, however, I'd like to share this photo.

I found it on Facebook, posted by a friend of mine, whom I know went to college. She captioned this picture as "Finally! Some truth in advertising." Y'all know my stance on vaccines and the whole "anti-vaccine" thing. I have to say that what we have here is some CVS employees that thought they were being clever, but really, were executing (haha) a massively poor setup in advertising their flu shots. Flu shots don't kill people. Having death holding the signs, while amusing, is not exactly the way to get people to get flu shots.

Now, onto my rant. My older brother is insane. He is disgustingly religious (I have no problem with people who have faith and a strong relationship with their chosen deity; just don't shove it down the throat of every person you meet) and for a smart guy, he's pretty fucking stupid and closed minded sometimes. He, for instance, wrote a whole book about how Prince Charles is the antichrist. Yup, that was my older half brother. I share DNA with him. *sigh* I actually have him and his family assigned to a group on Facebook entitled "Crazies" because then I can choose not to have them see things that I post, just so I don't have to deal with his bullshit sermon about my lifestyle. I have a number of other rants I could go on about this particular brother (including the time he told my younger sister and I, ages 4 and 5, respectively, that our parents were going to die and go to the fiery pits of hell because they were non-believers. That made for some fun nightmares), but today, I'll stick to this. Today, this brother commented on this article, and then chose to post his comment on Facebook. The article is about a teacher who was recently fired for making anti-gay statements on her personal Facebook page, attributing her stance to her Christian faith. All I am going to say about that is "don't be stupid, lady" but what's done is done, and if she didn't have the foresight to make her profile private, then that's her problem. I have no problem with her having been a teacher, etc, because presumably she kept her religious views out of the classroom just like the teachers I had growing up.

Anyway, my family member's response to the article (and presumably another commenter) was this:

The sodo-fascist and lesbian LGBT community must go. They will destroy this country from within, just like a cancer. Given that the governments in this country have by and large chosen to both sanction and defend such contrary-to-God-given-nature behavior as is displayed and promoted by sodo-fascists and lesbians, the only solution then is judgment from God Himself. And, of course, that is now coming, both from God and this country's enemies. It will be the natural consequence toward a country that has more than turned its back upon the only God of the Univierse, the God of Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob. (Mr. Goldstein will be ashamed of his own thoughts, mouth, and conduct in days to come, and he too will face God's wrath, unless he repents and receives Jesus (Yeshua) as his Messiah and Savior.

 I cannot even describe how infuriated I was at reading this.  I can't say that I am too surprised, but the level of vitriol is just...wow. I have to ask, though, what the hell is a sodo-fascist? The only Google hit I got was this post, so I assume he made up the term, and that he is saying that sodomites are fascist? How does that even make sense? (C pointed out that fascist has come to mean "anything we hate" rather than actually referring to the political preference.) To imply that the LGBT community is a cancer, what the fuck. "THE GAY" doesn't spread like cancer. DISEASE spreads like disease. Cancer is killing my cousin and you have the balls to say that someone who is born with a different sexual orientation is like cancer? YOU BIGOT. I can't help but notice that he is condoning and promoting hate by saying that they "must go." Also, this paragraph that he wrote? That's pretty much the kind of crap that pours from his mouth at every.family.gathering. Thank goodness I only have to see him once a year.

Homosexuality doesn't come up often at our family gatherings, so I have never actually been faced with the level of his bigotry before. For someone who claims to be a "Christian" I can't say that these hateful words are at all Christian in spirit. He's reminding the internet that God will judge, but he's doing some damn fine judging himself. I almost don't want to allow my children around him. I just feel filthy and contaminated even being related to someone who can spew forth such poisonous words.

*deep breath*

Okay. Glad I got that out. Fuck, man.

Things I don't want to think about

1. My cousin Gail is in the hospital. She's been living with inflammatory breast cancer for a few years, but it looks like she's losing her battle. I don't want to think about it.
2. Money. Don't even want to think about it.
3. My baby not sleeping through the night, or even close. I am trying so hard not to hate resent all those people whose babies sleep and only wake up once or even twice a night. SO HARD.

Hey, I think I forgot my meds this morning. Whee.

24 Hours in My Life

I have been thinking about this a lot lately, and wondering how I don't have time to do everything that I want to (including exercise, as mentioned previously). So I thought it might help to write down everything I do in a (typical) work day...

6:30am - Alarm goes off. Snooze alarm, nurse and snuggle baby (this may take until 7:30, depending on how hungry she is and how sleepy I am)

7:15 - shower, get ready, change baby and get both kids dressed, gather everything for the workday (breastpump, book, purse, water bottle, lunch, etc)

8:00 - leave for work (generally end up leaving between 8:15 and 8:30)

9:00 - 5:00 (ish) work - sometimes this is longer or shorter

6:00 - arrive home; if it's my turn to cook, then I cook, but in general we eat between 6 and 7

7-7:30 - Bedtime for baby! If it's a bath night, then bath time for J

8:00-8:30 - Bedtime for J

9:00 - Time to take the dogs out, pump, then work on writing or knitting/other projects or cleaning

10:00 - L wakes up, back asleep again by 10:15...(may nurse, may just want her paci)

10:30 or 11 - Get ready for bed

11:30 - L wakes up again. Say "screw it" and bring her to bed where I fall asleep while she nurses. She wakes to eat some more around 2 something and 5 something. I don't really wake up all the way to roll over and switch the side she's nursing on, but I do wake up some. Although if it's a night like last night, she will end up coming to bed with me at 12:30, and waking up every hour and a half to two hours because she wants to sprawl out and/or eat but doesn't want to be in her own bed.

6:30am: start all over again. This morning L thought it would be fun to play peek-a-boo with Daddy while we were all snuggling. It was pretty damn cute.

On a related note, J started yesterday with a song he made up entitled "Zombie up!" That seems to be the zombie equivalent of "cowboy up" and it works pretty well. With L's sleep schedule (ha!) I sure as hell feel like a zombie.

Weight Loss Update

Nothing new going on here, really. No gain, no loss. *sigh* Still 3 pounds away from shoes. Still nursing kiddo on demand, and going to start running one of these days. Which, at this rate, will be when L starts college.

Here's the breakdown so far (by weeks postpartum)

Starting weight: 161 (at 39w6d pregnant)

9 weeks (6/27/11): Return to work, weight 142

16 weeks (8/17ish): Weight 140! Reward: new nail polish

19 weeks (9/6/11): Weight 138. Woot!

25 weeks (10/19/11): Still 138.

Goals:
135 pounds (BMI 24.7): NEW SHOES!
130 pounds (BMI 23.8): Jewelery! (Like a new necklace and earrings)
125 pounds (BMI 22.9): Haircut! Maybe go all short and sassy again.
Ultimate goal: 120 (BMI 21.9, where I was when C and I got married)! Reward: $100 in new clothes (consignment or new, doesn't matter)

Note to self:
Make these.

http://floralshowers.com/sewing/ruffle-pillow-tutorial/

Fall Cookies!

I made these cookies this weekend, partly because I wanted to (ok, mostly because I wanted to, since I got some awesome new fall cookie cutters at Target in the cheapo bins. $2.50 for 6 cookie cutters? Yes please!) and partly because we had a family birthday party today, and I knew that everyone would like some cookies.

I am very proud of these. I am especially loving the owls, they were so much fun to make!. Also, they are SUPER yummy and super chocolatey.

The recipe for the cookies can be found at LilaLoa's blog, it's the End-All for Chocolate Cookies.The dough is almost satiny, it's probably my favorite cookie dough that I've ever used to make cutouts.

Food for Thought

Are you female? Go here. Read this. And stop being so darn hard on yourself! (And it doesn't matter if you are a size 6 or 16, the message is more or less the same.)



I was thinking (after having read the post linked above) about my slight frustration with weightloss this time around. I know, I've done well and have lost the baby weight, but I'm still hovering right at 2 pounds below pre-pregnancy weight. I have been clinging to a myth (I guess it's a myth) that I couldn't go running because my supply would tank. Well, that doesn't mean I can't walk, right? Except I haven't been. I haven't got a great excuse, other than that I like sleep, and getting up before 6:30 is not something I enjoy, especially when a certain baby still wakes up a few times a night (even cosleeping, though at least then I don't have to get up to feed her), and that by the time I get home it's 6:00 most nights, then we eat, put kids to bed, and I have time to craft or write or clean, and there we go, it's 11:00 and past my bedtime. Anyway. I should just put on my damn sports bra and RUN. I know the dog(s) would enjoy it, and probably be less of a pill at home. After googling, I found this article about the basics of breastfeeding, specifically nutrition, exercise, and allergy stuff. INTERESTING, let me tell you. Turns out I can exercise while nursing, just go after feeding the kid and watch carefully for clogged ducts.

So...maybe I can do this. I think I'm just feeling a little overwhelmed with all the stuff I'm trying to do lately- making L a blanket for Christmas (or her birthday), making kids' Halloween costumes (or accessories), making birthday gifts, working on stuff for Etsy, working full time, making pretty sugar (or chocolate) cookies for work and for family parties, in addition to having to get the house ready for Fall (HA! not so much... the dining room is semi-decorated, at least) and do some cleaning and taking care of the dogs and the kids. Oy. I'm tired after just writing that. And did I mention that L *still* isn't sleeping through the night? Maybe we were just spoiled with J, who at this point would sleep in his crib the whole night, waking up maybe once to eat. I've actually brought L back into bed with us because frankly I prefer the extra few minutes of sleep to having her sleep in her crib and me get up every 2-3 hours all night.

Differences

J at 5 months:

L at 5 months:

Quite a difference in how well they sit up!! Also, WOW. He was sooo chubby compared to her! I can't believe he is so big now...*sniff*

5 months!

Check out those feet. Yowza. No wonder she stands up so well.

Weight: 13 pounds (according to our bathroom scale) = 17thish Percentile
Length:  26.5" = 95th Percentile

That may be why she's outgrowing her 3-6 month stuff already. Jeeze.

Optimism

I didn't forget my meds this morning. I have book club tonight. I am going to be spending tomorrow cleaning my parents' house for some money. On Sunday I am making some stuff for our Etsy shop and hanging out with my family, and maybe having some people over. L still slept like crap last night (thanks to sinus congestion + teething).

Nothing major has changed, but I feel so much better today. Thank science for Zoloft, mood stabilizer extraordinaire.

Medela FAIL.

I happily (well, okay, as happily as possible, given what it is) used (and use) a Medela Pump In Style Advanced pump so I could provide breastmilk for my son and now for my daughter. I am using the same pump that I bought nearly 4 years ago, and man, it's really obviously been USED. The pump itself still works great (so yay for that) but the bag? Not in good shape at all. So I called customer service to ask if there was any way to just replace the bag. Nope. The woman was very nice and offered me 20% off a new pump, but hello, if I had the money to buy a new pump I would not have called about a new bag. I am not about to waste a perfectly good pump (and another $200) just to replace a bag! It's just...wasteful. I mean, it's bad enough that we can't recycle these somehow (given the whole contamination risk thing) so many pumps get used for a few months and then what? Trash? Sent to a family member? What? So I guess I will be making a new bag. Because this is getting embarrassing.

Ooops.

I'm pretty sure I forgot my meds today. That or I'm in a "down" cycle and just having a rough day. My brain is all "YOU FORGOT SOMETHING IMPORTANT! FEEL GUILTY!" and the rest of me is all "Meh, lets take a nap and not work."

Fucksocks.


Also, is fucksocks not a great word? Thank you, Christopher Moore.

Popping the Ikea Cherry

Ikea was absolutely everything I dreamed it would be (C does not approve, but my feeling is that it's better than Target or Walmart). J ate all his meatballs (kids eat free on Tuesdays, which is why we went today) and got a compliment from the table next to us about how well behaved he was at the table and how nicely he was eating his lunch. To me, it's just every day, but this guy actually said he wished his granddaughter was as good! I love hearing that my kid is awesome, and it's so nice to get kudos from total strangers.

Things got scary when J wandered off. They have lots of little model rooms/apartment type setups, and James went in a bedroom which I didn't realize had another door. He went out that other door, and just kept going, and by the time I realized what had happened he was nowhere to be found. I have never been so terrified as I was when I could not find my child. Fortunately the Ikea people are well-equipped to deal with such things, and also with tearful moms (yep, I cried in front of a bunch of total strangers). It turns out he'd made his way about 1/8 of the entire floor and was hanging out with some women he'd attracted. He'd just followed one lady, saying "Mom? Mom! Mom?" and she asked him if he was lost. He said he was, and told her his name. Thank goodness he knows his name and can even pronounce it reasonably well (our last name is a 4 syllable Polish name, and when he says it, it comes out something like Wakowski). I got to him as fast as I could and I hugged him so tight he got embarrassed, and I cried in front of some more people. I am actually tearing up now just remembering. Motherhood is hard, man.

We did buy a couple of things, including a tiny plush snake (for J) and a tiny plush moose (for L), and a plastic bag holder for all the bags we have for picking up after the dogs. Suddenly our front closet is way less messy!

In all, a very memorable trip.

10 Years

I awoke early to get ready for my first day of college at the University of Denver. My roommate was still asleep. The air felt strange and heavy but I thought it was just in my head and tried to ignore it while I showered. I turned on the radio when I got back to my room, to listen as I got dressed. I remember taking my vitamins. The DJ was somber and he was talking about a plane crash. He was talking alongside a broadcast from New York. Screams of utter shock erupted as the second plane struck. I woke up my roommate, shaking her gently, telling her I think you should hear this.

Classes were not cancelled.

Welcome to adulthood.

Musings

I can feel it here, under my skin. Writhing. Panic, trying to build, making my body an ill fit. It is trying to break through, but hasn't yet. I fight it. I feel isolated and uncomfortable, like something is just WRONG but I can't pin it down. I should channel it into a story, I guess. It isn't quite a tickle, it's just a feeling, crawling along the nerves of my spine like a repressed shudder between my shoulder blades. Phantom wings trapped beneath my skin. It's the same sensation that maggots or larvae give me, but less urgent. I can resist the panicky shudders. Gooseflesh under the muscles of my back. Melancholy. Deep sadness that comes from OUT THERE somewhere. I feel like I've done something wrong, guilt courses through me, but I've done nothing.

Postpartum Weight Loss

Ah, yes. The battle with the baby weight: The Sequel.

When I got pregnant with J, I weighed 135 pounds. This put me at a BMI of 24.7. I gained 18 pounds during that pregnancy, and had gotten down to around 120 at some point post pregnancy, but then gained back a shload of weight to be at 140 (BMI 25.6) in spite of my weightloss efforts, when L took up residence in my ute. While I only gained 21 pounds with her, I was at about 150 after she was born. I knew it would be more of a struggle to lose weight this time, because I weighed more to begin with (although yes, I know, 5 pounds gained between pregnancies isn't bad).

I am exclusively breastfeeding, and feeding on demand (and pumping while at work, as well as in the evenings to keep up with L), so I don't want to start a serious exercise regimen and cause my supply to tank. I've been doing well losing weight slowly just by keeping my diet in check.

Here's the breakdown so far on my weight loss (by weeks postpartum)

Starting weight: 161 (at 39w6d pregnant)

9 weeks (6/27/11): Return to work, weight 142

16 weeks (8/17ish): Weight 140! Reward: new nail polish

19 weeks (9/6/11): Weight 138. Woot!

Future goals:
135 pounds (BMI 24.7): NEW SHOES!
130 pounds (BMI 23.8): Something bigger than shoes?
125 pounds (BMI 22.9): Something bigger than bigger than shoes?
Ultimate goal: 120 (BMI 21.9, where I was when C and I got married)! Reward: $100 in new clothes (consignment or new, doesn't matter)

If I can keep my weight between 120 and 125 for 1 year, I will reward myself with a tattoo that I've been wanting to get for a while. I plan to get a Mobius strip that's got 3 sides, (one for each child and one for C) with "L'chaim" written in Hebrew below it. No, I'm not Jewish, but I think that it sounds better than "to life" and it's a positive affirmation to associate with my family and my body.

Seventh Generation Diapers Winner!

Congratulations, commenter number 15! Kim, you have won the diapers! Check your email (the one registered with blogger). You have 48 hours to get back to me or I will redraw a winner.

Thank you to everyone who entered, I really appreciate all your responses. I am working on a post incorporating your "green" ideas to share.

4 months old!

Length: 25" (75th percentile)
Weight: 11 pounds, 8 ounces (10th percentile)
Head circumference: 40cm (25th percentile)

The pediatrician said she's very strong, and growing well. She seems to be over her reflux, so YAY! She LOVES her brother, and also loves eating her dresses. She has rolled over front to back and back to front (but not very often) and she laughs pretty frequently. L is a little under the weather today because of the shots she got yesterday, but she's feeling better than she was last night.

I do wish her dress was a bigger size, because it would be perfect for the holidays (with a pair of tights, because otherwise she'd get cold)...but it's 3-6 months size and won't still fit her at Christmas. So she gets to wear it for this picture. :-) Also, J picked out her hair bow. He said she needed one.

Seventh Generation Diaper Giveaway!

I've been kicking this post around in my head for a while, trying to figure out how to go about it. We do primarily use cloth diapers (and did with J too), but on occasion, disposables come into the mix. With J, we ended up using disposables a lot more once he was over 2, because our cloth diapers were not keeping up with how much pee that kid produced at naptime and overnight. Anyway, we experimented with a variety of brands, and in the end our favorites actually happened to be Seventh Generation. So when the folks at MyBlogSpark teamed up with Seventh Generation and contacted me about trying the newly relaunched Free & Clear Seventh Generation diapers, I jumped at the chance. They have reduced the amount of plastic used in packaging, and the packaging is recyclable where plastic bag recycling is available (check your local grocery store). The new diapers also have a lighter-weight core, and the entire manufacturing process is chlorine free so that no chlorine is released into the environment (click here for more information).

Seventh Generation does make newborn sized diapers, but they aren't very widely available in my area (and were not available for this giveaway).The size 2 are for 12-18 pounds, but we tried them anyway. I was amazed that they actually fit my little skinny girl (who even now at almost 4 months isn't 12 pounds). Their diapers are chlorine-free, and not scented (like some other brands) and they absorb incredibly well. I still loved them, and they even contained messy breastfed baby poop explosions better than the other disposable diapers we had on hand (we'd gotten some as gifts). The diapers are a beige color, and reasonably soft on the outside (quite soft on the inside). I remembered them being softer on the outside, but they still work fantastically well, so it isn't really a big deal if they aren't as soft as the old version. Plus, L looked cute in them :-).

These diapers tend to be a little expensive compared to other brands, but there are frequently coupons available either from http://www.seventhgeneration.com/ or in your local Sunday paper.

Seventh Generation and MyBlogSpark not only gave me the opportunity to try the cereal and get a prize pack, but one of you will win one too!


One lucky reader will win one pack of Seventh Generation Diapers, in size 2, 3, or 4. 

Here's how to enter:

Mandatory entry: Respond in a comment here telling me one way you and your family are environmentally responsible; this could be using earth friendly cleaning products, recycling, or anything else you do. You must include your email address!

Additional entries (please leave your email address in each additional entry so I can contact you if you win):
1. Follow my blog and leave a comment telling me that you've done so, or that you already follow my blog.
2. Blog about this giveaway, and leave a comment linking to your blog post.
3. Visit and "like" Seventh Generation on Facebook, and leave a comment telling me you did so.
4. Tweet about this giveaway, making sure to include @simplytena in your tweet. Please leave a comment telling me you've done so that includes your Twitter name so I can verify each entry.
5. Follow Seventh Generation on Twitter, and leave a comment telling me you did so.

Good luck!

This giveaway is open to residents of the United States only. The giveaway will close at 11:59pm MST on Wednesday, August 31st, 2011. Winner will be drawn by random.org.

Disclosure:
I was provided with a pack of size 2 diapers and information from Seventh Generation through MyBlogSpark. All opinions expressed in this post are mine.

Wordless Wednesday: 3 months old!

Rebirth

Five days ago, my dad died. For somewhere between 30 seconds, and 3 minutes, he laid there on the ground in South Africa with no pulse and no breath. He heard singing, like a chorus, felt pressure on his chest, and slowly came back.

He tells the story casually, almost, saying he died and was reborn after falling off a truck. People around him were panicking, preparing to do CPR, but hadn't yet begun when he came back. For my part, I don't know what to think, or how to feel. I am hearbreakingly grateful that he is alive and here, and I know his body will heal (he popped most of his ribs out when he landed, so is in a lot of pain, but he is ALIVE). At the same time, I am devastated by thinking that my daddy was DEAD, and part of me grieves for his mortality. Every day of my life he's been here, on this earth. Mostly not where I am, but still available. Reachable. I have nightmares sometimes where he's died. I know he's almost 70 and will not live forever, but I am not ready to say goodbye. I am so thankful that he's here, and alive. I have more time with him. Who knows how long, but thank god it's not up yet. I am so glad he hasn't been called Home, that they sent him back. The scientific part of my brain tells me that when he fell, his nervous system received a shock that stopped his heart and lungs for a moment, but the rest of me is so grateful for the miracle that things restarted again.

There are so few people on this earth that know even slightly what this is like...what am I supposed to feel?

Book Review: "The Seven Daughters of Eve" by Bryan Sykes

The Seven Daughters of Eve: The Science That Reveals Our Genetic Ancestry by Bryan Sykes

My rating: 5 of 5 stars


This book was incredible. Exploring the mitochondrial heritage of humanity, Sykes delves into the mysteries of the seven women from whom Europeans are descended (as it turns out, globally there are more like 33 women) and the primary focus of the book. The lineages revealed by mitochondrial inheritance are sobering, and an interesting contrast to the patriarchal nature of most of human history. I really enjoyed the short pieces depicting the lives of the seven clan mothers: Xenia, Tara, Jasmine, Ursula, Katrine, Helena and Velda. I am definitely curious about which of them is my own progenitor. I feel more connected to the women in my personal history now, even those I've never known, and it comforts me to know that my daughter potentially will pass our mitochondrial DNA on to yet another generation.



View all my reviews

Book Review: "A Dirty Job" by Christopher Moore

A Dirty Job by Christopher Moore

My rating: 4 of 5 stars


Very enjoyable read.  I saw the ending coming (well, the real identity of the Luminatus, at least) from very early on, but I really love these books. They're hilarious and easy, and greatly entertaining.



View all my reviews

There's No Better Way to Say It

Thank you, Blair.

http://theheirtoblair.com/2011/07/05/be-a-safe-haven/

May all parents take this as a reminder that our job is to be a safe haven for our children.

Book Review: "The Metatemporal Detective" by Michael Moorcock

The Metatemporal Detective by Michael Moorcock

My rating: 3 of 5 stars


A very enjoyable collection of stories! At times this encompasses Lansdale and traditional steampunk, while at others is more contemporary. This was not a terribly fast read, but it was entertaining. I am eager to read more of Moorcock's books.



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2 Months

Stats:
Length: 23" (75th Percentile)
Weight: 9 lb, 4 oz (15th Percentile)

Poor L has reflux, and a brand new prescription for baby Zantac (which is horrendously minty because apparently the makers of the drug hate babies. Or think they have bad breath.). Hopefully that helps!

Smile

Precocious

L smiled a week ago, at 3 1/2 weeks. Tonight, she rolled over, back to front, on the carpet. I'm in awe. (The pic was snapped as she was trying to roll back and got really mad.)

1 Month Old