New woolie

Since my second child I've always had the desire to buy a fresh new woolie for each new baby. My first born did not get a woolie (probably couldn't have afforded one even if I'd known what I could have done with it anyway.) I love em though! They are water resistant, and natural, and don't retain smell from icky spills. The first two I bought were rather large pieces. And the girls still use them today as throw rugs in their room. I just shake them off or vacuum them once in a while...and every now and then (maybe once a year....or less) I wash it in wool wash and hang it to dry in the sun.

Thursday, at Ikea, I saw little woolies. They were a bit smaller and lighter than the other two, but for about 1/3 the price. And I thought I could put that in a car seat, or a stroller....or all sorts of places the baby might go. So the new baby has a woolie now too.

And my current baby is now in a big girl bed. A feat that was less than easy because we decided to turn an old yard sale find into a bed...the hard way. More on that later...or maybe not I'd rather forget all about that now.

Potty business

Yup, another post on broken toilets! Yes, it's true, every time I go into a bathroom there's something so it seems. I'm pretty sure there's a whole host of little odds and ends just on the brink of breaking here. But I'm not about to call the landlord over a broken toilet seat. I'm not responsible for rust damage finally taking it's toll. I just save the broken ones for them to deal with when we move out and we take our awesome new kid potty seats with us. Yeah! LOL ;) Besides this new seat is way more comfy!

A must see!

I found this video on Nursing Birth.

I'm not a witless cog

No, I thought of this an entire day before Rush Limbaugh came out with his hypothesis on our current President's long term ambitions. I was posing just last night that perhaps there was some other reason our White House is supporting the ousted dictator want-a-be from Honduras. My husband thought I was being silly, and as usual didn't think I had much of a case. "Good," I thought, I sure would hate to be right on this one.

Then, Rush Limbaugh comes out saying nearly the exact same things I said the night before...

So there you go, I'm not following Rush Limbaugh, blindly believing whatever he says. I think he's got my kitchen table wired tapped and is using my ideas for his show, lol. Because I assure you, I wondered about this first and all on my own! Why is there a group trying to change the 22nd amendment that restricts the number of terms a president can serve?

And why are we trying to twist Honduras' arm when they're simply protecting their Constitution? A coup is when a militant general and his army replace the standing government with said general. Honduras' army acted at the bequest of their government...and best I can tell, the army is not overthrowing the government, but upholding it. Something smells fishy to me!

The boy skates

He's been boycotting skating for at least a month or more. Each time we go to the rink I tell him he can either skate, or sit quietly in the stands and wait with me.

Finally, today he decided he wanted to skate. And he insisted upon bringing his skates in his own black zuca bag (usually I stuff all the skates into his sisters hot pink zuca bag...because you know who has to carry it all and it's easier on me). But he carried his own things and it was a good outing.

I actually had a few minutes of peace and quiet, sitting by myself, time.

Love this quote!

I have a new favorite blog that I've been following for several weeks. It's an OB nurse who is not shy about speaking out. And besides, it helps to know I'm not the only one who sees things this way. She writes:

In my opinion, it should NOT be the case that the burden of proof lies on
the supporters and proponents of unmedicated physiological childbirth (which is,
as defined by author Jennifer Block, “[a birth where] labor begins and
progresses spontaneously, the woman is free to move about for the duration, and
she pushes in advantageous, intuitive positions.”) that “their” way is the
safest and healthiest option for mothers and babies! It SHOULD BE the
responsibility of proponents of unnecessary inductions, unnecessary cesareans,
and outdated and harmful labor & postpartum practices (i.e. routine
episiotomy, early and frequent vaginal exams, early amniotomy,
flat-on-back/lithotomy/recumbent pushing positions, separation of mother and
baby, manual pressure on the uterus, and “directed,”
hold-your-breath-and-count-to-10 pushing) to have to prove, beyond any doubt,
that their way is superior.

Because as far as I, and any credible research, is concerned it is NOT! And if it ain’t broke, why fix it?!

Tomb of the Unknown Soldier

Today was visited Arlington National Cemetery, since we were in the area. We arrived just in time to see the change of the guard ceremony.

Traumatized

Yes, after last nights crazy dreams...I've concluded that I'm a bit traumatized.

About this time last year I was having surgery, then I had the blood clot and the dramatic hospital stay/ transport (8+ hour ambulance ride out of the desert) where I felt such a range of emotions and self preservation emotions.

Then this week I read about rising rate of maternal/ fetal deaths in the U.S. and watched the videos by Ina May Gaskin about that.

Then the train wreck which killed a couple of young moms (along with other esteemed persons) here this week.

Then a good friend is packing and PCSing this week.

Another friend is sending her husband off on a deployment.

Another blog friend's child is on life support after coding yesterday.

And of course who didn't miss the death of Farra Faucet and the media awash over the play by play coverage of the death of Micheal Jackson (they actually showed a picture of him during the code...not pretty and absolutely inappropriate as far as I'm concerned).

So last night I was dreaming that I came down with some sort of cardiac arrhythmia (intermittent tachycardia to be exact), my breathing rate was increasing trying to compensate for the decreased oxygen levels, and I could feel my heart racing (in my dreams)...and I was afraid I was going to die, leaving my children and husband all alone.

Yet, in this dream, I felt it was so important to be able to explain death to my children and somehow comfort them. But my tongue swelled up and nobody could understand me...and it just made it more frustrating.

Thank God it's morning! I'm awake now and while all the other things in the world are still real, that dream was just a nightmare. So go hug your loved ones and value each moment we have to be alive...good or bad, they're all gifts.

Seton

Charlotte's books are here! We're not going to start school till August, but she's here taking a peak at what she has in store for this up coming year.

Not so Little dress

We have a social event to attend this weekend, and John lamented that I didn't really have much nice to wear...funny isn't that!

....the black dress didn't really flatter my arms or chest really, but Charlotte was cute in this picture...

So he happily encouraged me to venture into the Motherhood store yesterday so I could find something more appropriate to wear to meet all his co-workers...joy.

...The red dress was cute on the rack, but not so cute on me. I felt like a whale in this, but Charlotte is being cute, again...

Charlotte decided to stay with me, and was sweet to tag along. I really don't enjoy shopping for clothes in a store at all. I'd much rather shop online you know.

...that floral dress on the side was so pretty on the hanger, but made me look hugh!...this bluish, yellowy, white number was the least offensive of them all, so I got this. And guess what! It was made in the U.S.A and on sale!

Now, if only John would rush me off to the salon so I could do something about this horrible bun hair style I've got stuck with. Seriously, the hair really needs some help.

Lord of the flies

We all read the book, right? Kids running all over an island marooned to manage themselves. That book title pops into my head when I read about how the "big announcement" was made on Jon and Kate plus 8 last night. No, I didn't watch the show, as I was too busy researching inguinal hernias on my own son's behalf (not as much fun I must admit, but I have real life to contend with...and no time for T.V.)

Anyway, I did catch this video clip of the "big announcement" this morning.

Sad! But I'm not them...and I won't claim to be qualified to make any judgements on their choices. There but for the grace of God go I. However, I did find the assertions that "the house belonged to the children" a little disturbing. It's a noble gesture, sure. I do not agree with this particular notion. Is that how it really ought to be? Should children own a home? Should parents just be intermittent guest in the children's home? Yyyyyy...no.

Parents make the home, the children will be raised in. Then one day the children are to leave the nest to go off and create their own homes, not the other way around.

Smithsonian

For Father's day we took a trip to the Smithsonian U.S. history museum. No, we didn't see the Abe Lincoln exhibit (we never saw it), but we did spend a few hours there and the kids enjoyed themselves for the most part. I'm sure we'll go back again before we leave, but three hours at the Smithsonian is about as long as our attention span will allow us, so the other half of the museum for another day shall we.

I took several pictures, but the only one that turned out decent is this statue of General George Washington...yes, he's practically naked. My initial thoughts were, "surely that can't be George Washington, he has no clothes on!" But indeed, this was the original Washington Monument. And it was taken down because most felt it was somewhat inappropriate. While it's done in the fashionable style of the time (ironically a period where folks still covered from shoulders to toes), it somehow doesn't seem right to have George so exposed. Surely, Sarah Palin can relate to this (we all remember the doctored photo that showed her posing with a gun in a bikini). So this statue was replaced with a more appropriate (giant phallic-like) building on the Capital Mall. Yes, the Capital designers were full of satire and humor indeed.

Policy?

We were watching a movie on the Battle of Chancellorsville last night. At one point, General Hooker turned to his subordinate officers and for the first time ever, asked for their opinions. He wanted them to discuss how they would proceed with the engagement. That's not really the important part. One group wanted to strictly adhere to the Presidential policies and retreat so Washington wouldn't be exposed, ect. The other side (more seasoned career military officers) wanted to advance and go after General Lee.

But ultimately, the union forces withdrew and Chancellorsville is considered a Confederate victory.

So I got fixated on the Presidential policy. What was it and was it helpful to the Union cause, or did it somehow cause a delay in the conclusion of the war. My husband wasn't game for this sort of discussion, but I was curious. Just curious. What would have happened if Hooker had listened to his seasoned soldiers? Oh well, guess I'll never know.

Okay, he can be a little handy

when it suits him....

Our neighbor is Mr. Handyman. He built a swing set, teeter-totter, balance beam, dog house...and those are just the things in the back yard I know about. I usually envy women somewhat who have a handyman husband.

My husband has talents, that's certain, but I don't give him much credit for being handy.

Exhibit A, freshly changed out bicycle handle bars with new handlebar tape which he shellacked. He crashed his bike (again) a week ago and broke his brake lever. So he purchased new handle bars, levers, and new tape and fixed it up himself (which is good because I'd hate to pay more for this repair...my $$$ register goes off every time he goes out for a ride....how much will this ultimately cost us?)

But he can be proud of himself for this handy job well done.

What am I doing...

Oh yeah, I do have a blog.

Last night I attended an Exceptional Family Member Program class on Autism. Did you know that 1 in every 66 children of military families has Autism? I didn't know that. I knew that the national average was an astounding 1 in every 150 children are affected by Autism (which includes all autism spectrum cases as well).

When Peter was born with a cleft lip I was told that was the most prevalent birth defect, with 1 in every 750 births.

Autism isn't really a birth defect, but if it were, it would be the new champion.

So as I walk around spewing statistics, let me toss out one more, just to be complete. One in every 5,000 births will result in hereditary spherocytosis.

Yet, with each issue, we're on the mild end of the spectrum.
Very minor cleft lip
Very minor case of Spherocytosis
And minor end of the Autism Spectrum.

I'm grateful we're always just minor, but it's still enough to require herculean efforts to get these things addressed.

I learned a lot last night about Autism! I want some Continuing Educational Credits for all this, it's good stuff for any nurse to know, but I don't think I'm going to get credit for any of this.

Too much to recount for now, but the one subject that's transfixed in my brain at the moment is all the GI issues these kids have. Like I told my husband last night, I don't think I've met an Autism kid yet who wasn't doing the Gluten/ Dairy free diet. I feel so pressured! Another trend I was amazed to learn of is vitamin B12 shots, of which I still need to learn more about and why they're doing those. Do these kids have pernicious anemia? Are they unable to absorb B12? I'm sure the answer is out there if I looked.

Then there's chelatin therapy. Which I am only really familiar with for iron and heavy metal overload. Specifically, Hereditary Sperocytosis chidren who develop iron over-load from frequent blood transfusions will sometimes require chelating to rid the body of too much iron. (which is why some of these sever cases end up having a splenectomy before they are 5 years old).

I have heard of it before for the use of Autism. However, as the speaker pointed out last night, chelation can strip the body of the "good and bad" stuff. My main concern would be how it would affect our B vitamins and Folate levels, because that's key for maintaining good blood counts when you have hereditary spherocytosis. So you can be sure I won't be marching after that one too lightly. I can't be too fixated on just one disorder, I've got three issues to consider when designing treatments and procedures for my son.

We're also embarking on the journey with ABA therapy. Right now we're still doing assessment visits, which are kind of nerve wracking for me (since I'm not good at inviting folks into my space).

And, my computer is crapping out...so you might not see much from me often anyhow.
But thanks to my iPhone I can still check on things from time to time while being almost anywhere, anytime, anyplace...that thing is great! I really don't use the phone part of it all that much...but the access to the web is way cool!

Info overload

This morning I tapped into a local resource on Autism for the area (or person I should say). Now, I've got a list of websites and articles to keep me tied a computer screen for months. It's a little much at the moment, so I'm stepping away from the computer now. Before my motherboard, keyboard, hands overheat and my brain overload.

Info is out there...you've just got to stumble upon it.