Something fun

Jon wanted me to post something fun, something other than controversial discipline methods, vaccination debates, wholesome babyfoods... so... I guess I can appease him.

Enter: Simpsonize http://simpsonizeme.com/#

Kian:

Me:

Kevin:Then there's this: http://www.bored.com/warpcelebs/ It was pretty fun. I made Tom Brady look like frankenstien and albert Einstein. I tried to save it but culldn't.
And this will be Jon soon:

Something random: remember duck hunt? =)

Guess the candy bar: http://www.guessthecandy.com/index.php?cat_id=1

Guess fast food burgers: http://www.burgergame.com/

So take that for now.

The Great Vaccination Debate

By request: My controversial vaccination debate, which will draw much judgement, criticism and comments I'm sure. So I'll just get it out of the way and say: No, I have not vaccinated Kian. And I'm not sure if I will. If I do decide to, it will not be until the age of 2, and I'll explain why later. I am not judging those who do, just providing my reasoning for doing what I'm doing, and some research and other evidence to just make people think. I think an educated approach to this is what is needed, whether you choose to vaccinate or not.

First, let's preface this post with the fact that there is no actual written law stating you MUST vaccinate your child, contrary to what other people, doctors and schools would have you believe. Schools who take parents to court to make them vaccinate children--which I found highly unethical and ridiculous. So, parents do have the right to choose, to vaccinate or not, to give some vaccinations but not others, to wait, whatever they want.

There are many reasons for not vaccinating: religious, philosophical, moral, health, opposition to ingredients, Autism theory, and of course-those "hippie" people. I do not side with any one theory, but rather I researched all these reasons and compiled my own list of why I don't choose to vaccinate at this time. My reasons are: my own DPT reaction as an infant; ingredients in vaccinations; possible harm/Autism reactions; research showing reactions, ages that are better for vaccinations; how FDA approves vaccines; so called 'immunity' that wears off; etc. There is also theories that vaccines can cause auto-immune disorders, unexplained pain and other symptoms, and possibly even caner. One doctor from the early 1900's said he'd never seen cancer until cowpox/smallpox vaccine was becoming mandatory/routine. Interesting...

About the Autism theory, I am not sure exactly where I stand on that issue. I honestly feel that the government and pharmaceutical companies will never give us a clear answer. I feel their studies are not honest or objective enough. They stand to lose too much-money and otherwise. Working in Early Intervention (EI) I had many Autism cases. There was a couple children you could tell in infancy (8 or so months) that were developing Autistic tendencies. Most children were not diagnosed until 18-24 months. They did not develop symptoms until 15/18 months, coincidentally about the time the MMR vaccine is given. This was my first introduction to vaccine debates. Some parents adamantly insisted their child never exhibited symptoms until they received the vaccine. There are some studies that show that the MMR vaccine can cause reactions and neurological symptoms similar to Autism. So, I don't think we'll really get the true answer. My own theory is that some children are predispose, be it genes or whatnot, to Autism and these vaccines and/or reactions 'unlock' the symptoms in them. But, I don't want to take the chance of that happening to my already social, affectionate, extremely vocal child.


Secondly, when I became pregnant I became more aware of what I was putting in my body and the affects of things. I also did lots of research. My mom told me how I had a severe reaction to DPT, so I researched more. I wanted to avoid any reactions in my child. This prompted me to look up delaying vaccines, DPT vaccines, etc. (Note that most reactions to vaccines are to the DPT ones, according to research I've read.) I just didn't want to put something in my child that could cause "inconsolable, uncontrollable, high-pitched screaming/crying; high fever; reactions; rashes; death; paralysis; etc."


This led me to research the ingredients that could cause these reactions. I was absolutely disgusted with what I found. From formaldehyde to cow blood, from monkey kidney tissue to green dye, from mouse proteins to fetal (monkey or human) tissues and acids and all sorts of junk! http://www.909shot.com/Vaccine%20Excipients%20CDC.pdf This website lists every vaccine and what chemicals, animal parts and other additives are in it. I guess I was ignorant thinking that a vaccine was a simple saline solution with dead virus in it. Gross.


Then, I wanted to know how could all these things get into vaccines and be allowed. I mean, how was the FDA, government, medical professionals and people in general okay with their bodies being injected and even poisoned with this stuff? So I did more research about how vaccines are made, tested and commercialized. What I found was incredible and not in a good way. Every time you take an Advil for a headache, neosporin for your cut, you know that this product was tested and screened by the FDA before being allowed in the store or your home. So you feel safe. All drugs, prescription and over-the-counter have to be tested by a double blind study, and several of them, before the FDA approves them. But, guess what? Vaccines do not have to adhere to that. They figure it's unethical to 'test' vaccines on people. Hmm. (A double blind is where neither the tester nor participant know if they receiving the drug or placebo.) So, they think it's unethical to test vaccines on people to see if they work, see if there's reactions, but we'll just inject them in babies anyway? I think they're afraid to see if they'll fail. (*side note-the 'testing' they do to disprove the Autism/vaccine theory is that they look at medical records. They just say 'x many kids have been vaccinated and only x of them have Autism' there's not been many 'real' studies with placebo groups, etc.)


So, now I had this thing fully loaded with animal parts, dyes and chemicals, that is not as thoroughly tested as your toothpaste, could cause reactions and who knows what else, that you wanted to inject into my baby. Convince me why. So I went to Kian's appointment and told the doctor I wanted to wait, I wasn't sure how long but I wanted to wait. His response "okay, but some of these vaccines are only good for babies" Why? "because it's rare that children get this illness under the age of 2, but it can be worse if they do get it". Wait, you want me to give him this junk for an illness he probably won't ever get, especially at this age? "yes". No. I believe that was the Hib one that causes infection or swelling of the airways. I've never even heard of it before.


After thinking some more, especially about how many injections they give and how often I read up on immunities. Vaccines do not guarantee 100% immunity, but the doctors argue "well if you get it at least it won't be as bad". Didn't sell me. That's why they need to continue to give booster shots to kids, teens and adults, to continually try to ensure immunity. And they are finding more of these wear off and are beginning to recommend that every person get even more shots and boosters throughout their life. Now, I had chicken pox, I had the flu, and I was fine. In fact those are the two I would be least likely to ever select. The flu strains vary from year to year, and pharmacies cannot predict which strain will be prevalent that winter. This means that you can get a flu shot for one strain and be subjected to others and still get the flu. I don't think it hurts anyone to get chicken pox either...but that's just me. It's interesting to note that when hygiene and sanitation and plumbing came about all these diseases began declining, before vaccines were routinely administered.



Another thing I did was to research my butt off. I also found research for other countries. Japan for one, has changed it's policy and they do not give the DPT vaccine until age two. They found that incidentally, this caused a remarkable decline in SIDs deaths. (DPT is the vaccine that causes the most reactions.)http://www.childbirthsolutions.com/articles/postpartum/dispelling/index.php "One study found the peak incidence of SIDS occurred at the ages of 2 and 4 months in the U.S., precisely when the first two routine immunizations are given,[4] while another found a clear pattern of correlation extending three weeks after immunization. Another study found that 3,000 children die within 4 days of vaccination each year in the U.S. (amazingly, the authors reported no SIDS/vaccine relationship)" This one struck me and it actually made sense. SIDs label is given to cover a multitude of infants death. Who's to say vaccines and/or their reactions didn't cause some of that?

In the hospital I had to sign that I didn't want Kian receiving the hepatitis vaccination. I saw no reason for that. I had the Hep series in high school and through prenatal testing knew I didn't have it and my baby wouldn't have it. Now, unless my newborn was going to become a druggie or become sexually promiscuous immediately, there was no reason for it. There are a lot of side affects with the Hep shot too. I didn't see that necessary at all for a newborn.

Now, I'm sure many people are saying: isn't it hypocritical to not vaccinate and then think it's okay to use medicines to treat or heal? I say no. My though is that God designed our bodies to heal itself, God also provided natural remedies for us (why don't we use them anymore?) and didn't man and sin create sickness anyway?
The body is more able to take on and attack a virus it comes in contact with than an injection of one. "When your contract a virus naturally, the virus invades your body through mucous membranes (eyes, nose, mouth). This is your body's alarm system. A message is then sent to your brain and body to fight off the invaders. Your body reacts by producing mass amounts of antibodies. When, however, we vaccinate, that normal system of defense is bypassed completely. Instead of the virus entering through mucous membranes (our alarm system), it is injected directly into the bloodstream. Now the body has no time to react. It bypassed the alarm system and now is attacking in full-force. Not only is your body not producing the antibodies needed but your immune system is actually compromised. "

I just feel that to me, to my child, the risks outweigh the benefits at this point. There may be a time when I feel otherwise. I don't know. I don't have all the answers. What I have is research, and statistics from other countries (cuz the good ol' US wouldn't want us to know the whole truth), and my gut feeling. It says my baby was created perfectly, it says he came into this world perfectly and at this point I don't feel I need to change anything about him. I don't want to risk him, his personality, skills or development at this point for something that could harm him, now or later, and not even protect him from what it was designed for. I just can't bring myself to inject that junk into him at this point. I'm not trying to be judgemental about those who do vaccinate, just like those who choose not to breastfeed, or anything else. We all make decisions based on what we know, what we feel and what we think will be or is best for our child(ren). I think that's all we can do. And what's good for me and my family may not be good for yours, and it's okay. All I think is that everyone needs think and research a little -this goes for everything in life, discipline, exercise, food you eat, house you buy, anything.

One final thought: the ridiculous amount of money pharmaceutical companies make on vaccines. Wonder why they push it? *I am not saying anything against Gardisil, this is an example:
"Sales of the cervical cancer vaccine GARDASIL increased 17% from the previous quarter, as the company launches the vaccine in more countries. Merck’s overall sales were up 12% to $6.1 billion of which vaccines totaled $1.2 billion. Gardasil accounted for 35% or $418 million of its vaccine sales exceeding many analysts’ expectations. " Did you get that 418 million dollars. Oh and Merck has about 7 more vaccines they're waiting approval on.
So...with that here's a few more links:

This shows graphs of when disease declined and when vaccines came about, very intriguing: http://www.vaccinationdebate.com/web1.html

"Another doctor states that "There is a widely held belief that vaccines should not be criticized because the public might refuse to take them." http://www.advancedhealthplan.com/vaccination.html
One interesting article titled, "A Pharmacist Questions Vaccines " appeared in the December 1994 issue of The American Chiropractor. Some alarming statistics were listed in this article. For example, within a thirty-nine month period ending in November of 1993, the F. D. A. Vaccine Adverse Reporting System collected nearly 32,000 reports of adverse reactions following vaccination, with more than 700 deaths. DPT vaccine was associated with more than 12,000 of these reports, including 471 of the related deaths. "The F. D. A. acknowledges that this voluntary reporting underestimates the actual number of reactions." The National Childhood Vaccine Injury Act (NCVIA) was passed in 1986, establishing the Vaccine Injury Compensation Program (VICP).  As of July 5, 1994, the program has paid $452.5 million for vaccine injury or death, and is back-logged with more than 2,600 claim cases--all of which will not be settled for several years.This information doesn't give me much faith in the medical profession's preventative care program. I am not writing this as a for or against position -- just advising that one should make an educated decision on vaccines, whether for children or for animals. ~ Dr. Regan Golob

http://www.909shot.com/

This lady says it best: "I don't believe the medical community is telling people about the real dangers, and I don't believe society has the right to make me take risks with my child's health for the sake of a perceived benefit to the common good," she says. "I'm obligated to take care of my own child first." http://www.parenting.com/parenting/baby/article/0,19840,670870_2,00.html?

Stuff around the house

Not a lot going on around here. It's warmed up but become icy due to melting snow, then low overnight temps and some freezing rain turning into rain. Got all that? Blah. Bring on spring already. Snow's only good for Christmas. Then it's annoying.

Kian has some new 'skills' as of lately. He's begun giving me slobbery "kisses" when I get him in the morning. He grabs my face and plants an open-mouthed kiss anywhere on my face. So cute. He is doing a half army crawl thing to get to where he wants to go. He gets anywhere around the room. He has started shaking his head 'no' a couple times. I thought it was a fluke but then he did it to my grandma so I know it's starting. Great. Already. And peek-a-boo. He loves to do that. He tries to play it with the cats, but obviously they're not great companions for that stuff.

Other than that, it's been a pretty quiet weekend. Kevin's grandmother had to move into a nursing home because she needed around the clock help (at 88 what can you expect?) So we went out to her house and helped clean up some stuff and picked out a few things we wanted-couple dressers, patio furniture. She has a lot of knick-knacky things that not many people want.
And I made some new babyfoods. But I didn't have the patience or time to take pictures. Besides once you do one, they're all the same. This time I made fruits for breakfast: pears, peaches, bananas (which you don't have to cook) then I made a fruit mix of those three with some cooked mango in there too. Peaches: 1.99, pears: $2, bananas: $.87, mango: $1, for like $5.86 I got about 100 cubes which is roughly 30-50 meals depending on how hungry Kian is and if I add cereal or not. Can't beat that price. One bag of frozen green beans: 79 cents, made about 20-35 meals. I would have paid 79 cents for one jar! Anyways....

And my cat has a new annoying habit: Rocky gets on the bathroom sink and looks in the mirror and meows loudly at himself then swipes at the mirror. Which would be fine if it wasn't an expensive hanging mirror. It's not a vanity type that's screwed on. oy vey. I have no idea why he does this or just started. Odd.

This was a really random blog, but since I haven't blogged in a few days I thought I ought to put something up there. Maybe later during nap time I will start another holy war with the Vaccination/Immunization thing...

For your viewing pleasure: Kian's peekaboo

I Love...

This man:

This is my most favorite picture of him. Ever. After 2 non-sleeping, non-showering, sweaty and intense days he still looks good. The tattooed tough guy exterior melted to mush by that baby. He's funny, he's silly, he's extremely ambitious-always wanting to do things, fix things(sometimes making it worse). He's tough, or likes to think he is, but he's a big mush. I didn't say that though. We are complete opposites, he's social and talkative and outgoing. I prefer to stay home and not talk to people. He likes burgers and pizza, but he's been willing to try my food, like the Chicken French I made last night, and he complemented me on it!


This baby:

He's got my blue eyes and my heart forever. He's the sweetest baby I've ever met. He started kissing me when I get him in the morning and I melt. (OK it's more like a slobber, but he grabs my neck and face and slobbers on my cheeks and it's too much) This baby rarely cries, is happy 99% of the time, loves food, loves veggies, loves to laugh and loves books (yes!). If he's not smiling and laughing then he's watching the world and taking it all in, really thinking. I think he's oh so smart too.

This cat:

Ace, our first cat. The one that wakes me up in the middle of the night to put a paw on my face and lick my nose. He talks to you. He's more of a thinker and watcher, but when he gets going, he can be downright aggressive. He always wants you to talk to him too, not much for picking up and petting, just talk to him.

This cat:

Rocky. The baby. The naughty. For the first 2 months I think he thought his name WAS "naughty". Someday I'll compile all the pictures I have of him getting into everything. He follows me around the house all day long; lays beside the baby and lets Kian grab his fur or tail or ear. He never sits still, always looking for trouble. You'll find him in the dishwasher, the dryer, my drinking glass cupboard, and his favorite place-on top of the DTV receiver. He also loves to attack your feet in the middle of the night.

These cookies:

Good Lord Almighty! I am addicted. This is a horrible picture I know. They're cranberry oatmeal cookies. I'll post the recipe someday. Only that recipes says to used dried cranberries. Blah. I use FRESH cranberries, I love that tang. Excuse me while I wipe the drool off the keyboard.

This game system:

I'm in love, and may have little wii's running around the house someday. It's fun, it's physical. It's the best thing in my house, well except the things I named above. I use the boxing and tennis as part of my 'workout' after I walk/jog on the treadmill or elliptical. It's great. Excuse me while I go play Mario Vs. Sonic Brawl.


This food:
Homemade pizza. I find it better than other stuff, but Kevin likes commercial takeout pizza. Maybe it's because I actually like making stuff too... I like to put my pepperoni on a certain way and use veggies I choose in the cuts I like them to be cut in. Or maybe it's just my Type A crazy OCD personality taking over?

This food:

Is there really, seriously, anything better than garlic? I could live on garlic alone for months. Cooked, sauteed, roasted, garlic salt, garlic powder, you name it I want it. I use garlic in about 99.9% of my cooking (no not baking, cooking). I'm in love with Garlic, obsessed slightly, perhaps.

This pastime:

Board games & cards. Uno, Life, Connect 4, Monopoly, although Mall Madness is still my favorite! I do not, however, like Sorry. Sorry, I just can't get into it, it's *gasp* boring to me haha. And yes, all my games also have the Simpsons counterpart to go along with them, thanks to my Simpson obsessed hubby.

This:

Nothing better than sitting by a warm fire. Well a fire and a good book. A fire, a good book, a cup of hot chocolate AND one of those cranberry cookies, while my baby sleeps. MMM yeah. That's it.

And what do YOU love?

ps-Jon, stop gagging. Go say hi to mumbles, that will make you gag.

Babyfood III: multiple ingredient food

Step 1: Here we have what I call 'veggie medley' or 'roast veggie mix'. Call it what you want. 3 small white potatoes halved, one large organic carrot-peeled and cut in to chunks, small piece of onion (flavor, people, flavor!) and some small strips of roasted red pepper. I fully believe in spices, herbs, flavors, etc. to get my child used to what I eat, so he won't refuse it later on. So really step one involves: washing, peeling, chunking and throwing in the pan with some water. Step 2: Roast for an hour or until veggies are soft. Here is the pan of veggies after cooking, i mashed them slightly with a fork to be sure they were soft.

Step 3: Transfer contents of pan into a food processor. If there is cooking liquid left and you want to add it, go for it.

If you feel that the consistency is too thick add some more water or cooking liquid-a LITTLE at a time, or you could end up with a very runny puree that's a pain. But, is still usable if you add some baby cereal too it.

Step 4: process until desired consistency is reached:

Yes you will note in every picture a small finger indentation. I need to taste test and consistency check my foods mm mm!

Step 5: Spoon your pureed foods into ice cube trays for easy freezing, easy thawing and easy portion control (OK not really portion control, but a means of easily making more or less food depending upon your individual child's appetite and needs-better?)

Notice how bright these foods are in color? Makes me feel much better than the very brown tinted foods sitting in jars on the stores. Not that I won't ever buy them or use them, but it just makes me feel better.

Step 6: Wrap with plastic wrap, freeze for several hours or overnight. Once frozen, put cubes into a freezer bag. You can see all my other foods in freezer bags on the right there...

And the potpies? Only Kevin would buy those...probably during my two-week sinus infection where I couldn't function properly enough to make a decent meal.... such is life.

*Please also note that I have tested each of these foods on Kian separately before mixing them all together to ensure he does not or will not have a reaction to them.

On a roll...

I just might cry yet today. Not to mention my lovely glass pan disaster on Monday, I also forgot to tell you about my eye incident on Saturday. I was putting on a lovely elastic headband to keep these bang/sweepy pieces out of my eyes to clean. Well, it slipped and that lovely elastic headband snapped me right in the eye. Oh the pain! It still hurts, like it's bruised, well cuz it is.

So today, I decided to start up the fire again. One piece of wood I brought in must have either been damp or something because it smoked like a...chimney? No, worse than that...like mumbles the smoking ex landlord (that's a story for another day). Anyway, it was horrid. I also had decided to go boil some pears for Kian's breakfast this week. I chopped them up and put them on the stove. A bit later I smelled them. Crap! Oh yes, and that lovely burned Teflon smell? Delish.

And Kian is quite cranky today as his top tooth is pushing its final way through. I see the whiteness ravaging his pink gums, feel those gnarly bumps and he cries if you look at his mouth.
But! He's been sleeping all night until 7 am. Gosh it's great! Now if I could just sleep all night. Well anyway, I'm off to workout my fat butt on the treadmill while he naps. Might as well be sweaty and grimy in addition to flabby...

Babyfood II: Single ingredient food (fruit/veggie)

First, you will most likely want to start with a single ingredient food: sweet potatoes, applesauce, pears, green beans, etc. Since we've been doing food for awhile we've tried lots. Today I made blueberries. (I use them with oatmeal cereal for breakfast, sometimes mixed with applesauce since they suck the oatmeal dry)

Step 1: wash and/or peel your food. Cut into chunks for larger foods like carrots, apple, pears, etc. For the squash I simply roasted it (ate some for dinner) peeled the skin, then mashed it with some water to the consistency I wanted. You can roast most foods, but boiling tends to be faster. *Potatoes, sweet potatoes, squash, carrots, even pears & apples can be roasted. Peas, beans, etc. are easier to boil.

Step 2: Put food into pan and boil with some water. Amount of water depends on how thick and chunky you want your food, and the length of boiling time. You don't want your food to dry out, or burn.

Step 3: Allow to cool a bit, enough to handle. For the blueberries here, I made them a bit thinner. Squash and such, I do not add much water. (Always use the cooking water first before adding water from the tap as it retains more nutrients.) Then process until you reach desired consistency. Since Kian's been on foods we're moving on to some thicker and chunkier stuff instead of thin purees.

Step 4: When you've reached your consistency, spoon into ice cube trays. When just starting foods one ice cube is plenty for each meal. Then you can thaw as many cubes as you want, as needed. Kian's up to 2 cubes per meal. Then freeze for a few hours or overnight.

Yes, I made a mess on this one. I wasn't about to get a paper towel and make it pretty for ya =)

Step 5: Transfer cubes from ice cube tray to a freezer bag, where they will stay good for a few months.

Then just thaw in fridge, counter top or microwave when ready. If it's runny add some baby cereal.

The Dinner Disaster

For Jon's amusement, as well as everyone else. I only wish I could have taken a picture.

So...Kevin was home early today and we did some laundry, played with Kian, played Wii, what not. He had to go train another client in Spencerport (about 8 mins away for the rest of you) at 5-6pm. Well, playing with Kian, a cranky Kian, writing a blog, time got away from me. I quick started dinner: pork chops (under the broiler, mm mm I love them) potato wedges, corn, some cantaloupe.
And of course Kian was hollering for his food. I fed him a few spoonfuls at a time, and thought it would be a grand idea to make another batch of cranberry oatmeal cookies (I'll post the recipe later, soooo delish!). Then Kian wanted MORE food. Then Kevin came home. I pulled the potatoes and pork chops from the oven, set them on the stove top. I began plating the food (such fancy chef terms, I know).
I put the pork chops on, went to get tongs for the potatoes. Then noticed that the pork chop juice was burning on my pan. Oh yes, here is where it gets bad. Moments before, I had washed my hands with super hot water. So my genius brain says, just put a few drops of water in there to make sure it doesn't get burned/stuck on.
Unbeknownst to me (I rarely get to use that word!) Kevin had filled his cup with ICE COLD water, after I washed my hands with super hot water, before I put some water in the super, incredibly hot glass pan. Did I mention it was a glass pan? Does anyone know what happens to glass, especially a 9x9 glass pan, that's super, incredibly, burning hot when it comes in contact with freezing cold water? No? Let me tell you. It shatters. Not just shatters, bursts. Into amazing tiny shards. And I burst into a strange combination of laughing and crying at the same time. It was funny, yet scary, and I realized I had almost been injured and my dinner was ruined. I would laugh then start to sob then laugh. Kevin, thankfully laughed and didn't make me feel worse.
Thank God I had just set it down on the trivet and it was not still in my hands, I would have had glass all up my arms and in my face. But, I lost a pan. And our dinner. Yep, dinner was beautifully sprinkled with tiny glass shards. Sigh. So, what do you do when your dinner is lovingly adorned with shiny slivers of glass? Dig through the freezer and find frozen fish fillets to quick throw in the still warm oven. Thank goodness I made cranberry cookies to make me feel better.
Laugh Jon, laugh.

Babyfood making

This week I have decided to dedicate my blogging to the makings of baby food.
(Yes, Jon you will be bored-that's bad, but there will be pictures-that's good, but you will be bored-that's bad. So no comments)

In preparation for the bloggings of the week I wanted to preface it with some explanations of why I choose to make my own baby food, the simplicity and fun of it, the time and equipment needed, and finally the costs involved.

Why make your own babyfood? There's plenty of jarred foods. There's even organic foods. This is true. This may go back to my odd fascination with not putting anything foreign, weird or possibly harmful into my child (hence the vaccines, but that's a blog for another day). I began reading the jars on foods in the stores, and for the most part they're 'healthy'. But, cornstarch popped up many times. Another thing is that you think you are feeding your child apricots, but if you read it's really "apples, pear concentrate, apricot concentrate". Really all you're giving your baby is applesauce with apricot juice. I just didn't like that much. Plus, we all know what chicken in canned soups is like, so I assume it's the same in the baby jars. It's easier to isolate foods if you make it yourself, rather than in jars. You'll also see in pictures in the next few days the big difference in colors of homemade food vs. jarred food. Peas are just not very green in jars, but they are fresh and green at home. And the biggest reason for making my own food? I'm cheap-Cost! Yes, cost.

Cost of babyfood making: This is my third batch of foods, for almost three month I've been feeding Kian foods. (I started with small batches, or else I wouldn't have made more yet) I estimate I have only spent a bit of $15 for foods for over 4 months of food. Now my math isn't great, but that's between $3-$4 per month. Gerber is like $1.19 for two small fruits or veggie Organic packs (first foods, as you go up stages, price increases). So, if I fed Kian 3 meals per day of jarred foods I would need 21 meals/week, this means the minimum I would need to spend in jars would be roughly 12.50/week. Minimum. For stage one foods, which Kian has already outgrown and eats more than that.

Here's a breakdown:
for this batch I used: 1 1-inch slice of red pepper *whole pepper=$3, so... 25-50 cents?
4 small white potatoes *5lb bag =$2, um...roughly 50 cents, prob less
1 good size organic carrot *99 cents/bag = about 10-20 cents
1/2 bag frozen peas (about 1 1/2- 2 cups) about 35 cents
1/2 bag blueberries (about 2 cups) about $1.50 =these suckers are expensive
1 silver dollar slice of onion, lets guesstimate a nickel-it was from a huge onion
1/3 lb of green beans-fresh produce, 42 cents.
I got 20 breakfasts, 40 dinners, plus green beans I left whole for Kian to chew on, lets say 10 lunches. Approx 70 meals (sometimes he eats more, so maybe a lil less) for a grand total of: $3.52 -using the higher end costs. Amazing isn't it?! I'll add in the $2.50 for freezer bags that have lasted me a long time too, and we're still talking about $6.

Time and equipment needed for making your own babyfood:
Sauce pan to boil foods in
Knife to cut or peel foods
Water
Food processor
Ice cube trays
Freezer bags.

This seems hard...is it? Not one bit! (well provided you have basic equipment like a pan and a blender or food processor). I actually find it sort of fun to come up with different combinations so Kian has a variety of foods at all times. I wouldn't want sweet potatoes every night for a week, so why should I feed him that way? There's endless possibilities and combinations.

Actual process: Briefly, you get the freshest food you can (frozen foods are the next best thing because they are flash frozen and it retains more properties than even some of the fresh produce that comes from out of the country) You either boil or roast them to soften, then either mash with a fork, or put in the blender with some water for your desired consistency, then into the ice cube trays to freeze, then into freezer bags to store. Voila!
Pictures and recipes to follow tomorrow!

*Please note I am a coupon whore, I'm a cheap, cheap, penny-pincher, so if you don't' care about money then ignore me. Why I also buy diapers by the case at BJ's (luvs brand even!). If I alternate cloth and disposable I can use that case for 2 months, at $22/case. Compare that to total disposables at *wegmans brand* $9/week. Which would be 72$/2 months. Huggies are at least 11-12$/week. Think of that... Man I am SOOOOO cheap!

new link

This lady is absolutely Amazing! yes with a capital A. She cooks, she blogs, she takes wonderful pictures. I have no idea who she is. One day I decided to make cinnamon rolls and her recipe appeared, with step by step directions and pictures. The cinnamon rolls were absolutely, incredibly wonderful! She takes wonderful pictures of her family and horses and ranch and the food mmm yes the food! So, I added a link to her pages. The Pioneer woman cooks. Great stories, great pictures, great food!

News & Headlines

So, sometimes I get a chance to peruse MSNBC.com and catch up on the latest news around the world. I just have some random thoughts on some of the headlines:

Babysitter 'killed' boy: after the one year old dies, in Connecticut, the babysitter gave various versions of what happened. Finally she says that he smacked his head a few times on a door frame as she was playing a game where she ran about the house carrying him in a sleeping bag. First if that happened, call someone, tell someone, get him some medical attention! Good Lord, these people have no common sense! Second, he's already dead, you're already the suspect in custody, why bother lying anymore? Third, just goes to prove you can hardly trust anyone. This is why part of me prefers daycare centers-there's so many people, rules, regulations, people always watching and knowing what goes on. Home daycares do not have the same supervision, although can be great, but when only one adult is present I think it's easier to cover up things.

Stacy Peterson/police husband suspect: So this girl has been gone for a few months now. The husband is a suspect but has not been arrested for lack of evidence I suppose. He claims she ran off with a lover, leaving her two small boys. A mother would have to have some hefty mental health issues to leave her children. In my opinion, the husband did have something to do with it. He's cocky. But that's another story. The new development is this: the HUSBAND'S LAWYER turned over Stacy's cell phone to police on DECEMBER 20th!! Why? Because the HUSBAND found a 'racy' text message on the phone from September. A. Why would police NOT already have the phone? B. I'm sure the police already checked this phone, or else they're in for some royal discipline and will be looking for new jobs. C. Why did they JUST check this phone? If someone was missing, that would be the first thing to do. 'Oh I can't find my spouse, but their phone is here, let me check that'. Idiots. I find it very, very odd that suddenly the husband found a racy message on the phone that's been laying around since she disappeared. I guess they're working with Sprint now to find out where it came from. I bet he did it, moron.

Lindsay Lohan to work in morgue as plea deal: WHAT THE CRAP?!?! I am SO SICK of stupid, moronic celebrities getting 'plea deals' and 'community service'. It's ridiculous. All her charges are misdemeanors. Now, let's revisit the facts: the first few times she was arrested she was UNDERAGE, she was drunk driving, using cocaine, etc. And that's a misdemeanor? How?! If you, or I, or any Joe Schmoe off the street was drunk driving underage they'd be locked up and it would probably be a felony. License revoked, no questions asked. I wish I was a judge in California. I do not emulate celebrities, I do not want to be them, they're so screwed up. Brittney Spears, OJ Simpson, Charlie Sheen-enough said. That goes for most of the athletes too...Michael Vick, Tank Johnson, Koren Robison. Yeah. Time to find some REAL role models. I could write a whole post on my thoughts of child stars but that'd take too long.

Sean song gives woman seizure: This I just find hilarious. I mean it's not funny she suffers a medical condition, just that his music provoked it: "GARDEN CITY, N.Y. - Now that surgeons have operated on Stacey Gayle's brain, her favorite musician no longer makes her ill. Four years after being diagnosed with epilepsy, Gayle recently underwent brain surgery at Long Island Jewish Medical Center to cure a rare condition known as musicogenic epilepsy."

Writers strike: I don't get it. I mean I get why people strike, more money, principle, whatever. I understand shows like LOST (stupid show I shall not watch anymore) Scrubs, House, etc. need writers. But, what I don't understand is why people like Jay Leno, David Letterman and such, need writers. Didn't these guys get on TV and famous because THEY were funny? They could do things to make people laugh, they came up with quick-wit, were able to find humor in any situation? So why the heck do they need writers? They should be coming up with about 90% of their own stuff. There's plenty in the world to make fun of anyway.

Alrighty. Well, there's my 2 (or 20) cents.

Just pictures

Trying so hard to crawl:

So happy you can see his tonsils again:

Kian and his 'baby Shrek train':

Measure of worth

So my psychologist brain has been at work lately. I'm getting tired of people telling my child he's a "good boy".

First let's discuss the fact that he cannot be good or bad at this age. He's a baby. He does not have cognitive reasoning to do things because they are good or bad. He does things because he's a baby and he needs things. He does things because he's exploring and discovering his world and stimulating his brain for learning and further development. So, if he drops a spoon on the floor it's not because he's bad, or because he's trying to do bad things; it's because he wants to see what happens when he exercises those hand muscles and the noise the spoon makes on the floor.

Second, stating a child is 'good' or 'bad' does is not specific enough. The whole child cannot be entirely good nor entirely bad. A good person sometimes does 'bad' things, and likewise a bad person can be known to do 'good' things. And there's the fact that good and bad are entirely objective upon the person projecting those words. What one thinks of as good, may be bad or distasteful to another. One should specify which actions, or behaviors, they are deeming 'good' or 'bad'.

Third, the psychologist in me says like/dislike the actions, which are independent from the child. His self worth should not be whether he's deemed 'good' or 'bad' but in his achievements and accomplishments. Stating a child is bad or good gives them a false sense of who they are. If you tell one child he is bad, even if you mean one action is bad (this goes for saying "you're naughty" all the time too) the child will look at himself as bad and probably not try to be good since he is already been dubbed bad, therefore thinking all his actions are bad also.

Children obey and disobey at times, they explore and sometimes in that are found to do 'bad' things, mostly because they don't know they're not to do those things. It's a learning continuum, but children are not inherently evil. Nor is a 'good' child a perfect angel for life. I prefer to state that I do not like x behavior, or society does not accept x behavior, therefore we are not to do it, rather than tell my child he is bad. Same goes for good behaviors. State which behavior you like "you're sharing well" or whatever it is, so the child is not full of himself and afraid to fail or thinks it is wrong to fail at times.

Anyways that's my two cents worth of the psychology of child-rearing, of which I have only just begun...

Parmesan Dill Tilapia

If you know me, I don't like seafood really at all. I can stand a fish fry here and there, but (very) oddly enough I LOVE tuna! But, I still cannot bring myself to try lobster, crab, clams or anything in a shell. Knowing the wonderful benefits of fish, the omega-3s, the lighter fare best for your health, etc. We've been trying some new things for meals. Enter Tilapia. It doesn't taste fishy!!! The first time I put some panko breadcrumbs on it and sauteed it a bit with a little olive oil. Yes, I realize putting things on it does detract from the healthfulness, but until I get used to it, I can't eat it plain yet. So last night I combined a few things from various online recipes to make my own dish:

2 tbsp mayo
2-3 tbsp Parmesan (I use a fresh chunk and grate it myself)
1/2 - 1 tsp dill (depends on your taste)
dash of pepper
dash of garlic powder
2 fillets tilapia

This doesn't make much and that's the point, it was just a very light covering on each side.
Mix all ingredients together. Paint on one side of fillet, broil for a max of 5 mins (I have a low broil setting on my oven, and rack was about 6 inches from the top). Flip over, paint on the other side and broil that side for about 3 mins. Voila!

I also sliced some potatoes really thing, splashed a bit of olive oil on, broiled them until just becoming golden/brown. Flipped, broiled some more and added a tiny bit of cheddar and parm cheese.

Accompanied by a Caesar salad. Delish!

Measure of Success

I'm finding the blahs are invading my head because I feel I can't measure my successes anymore. Me, being the studious, nerdy one who in grade school LIKED completing worksheets, likes to have a way to measure my day by. In my previous job, completion of tasks was pivotal to implementing the program, dates were to live and die by, forms were the god of EI. Every day I had a billing sheet stating how much work I did and for how many people, and what kind of work (phone calls, visits, paperwork, meetings, etc.) Children did not get services unless I completed forms, made calls, had meetings, etc. Then every 3 months we'd assess those services with more meetings and change things. This was success being measured, especially when decreasing or dismissing services because the child was doing well.
These days I feel like I do so much, but "it" is never done. I don't know exactly what "it" is anyway. I suppose I could make a checklist and check off the chores and activities I do all day, or just list what I do all day but that seems stupid. Counting the number of diapers I change, the outfit changes, the toy clean-ups, the feedings, I know it counts for something, but ti's hard to see 'results'. Yes, there's a clean-bottomed baby with a full tummy, dishes in the dishwasher, dinner in the oven, and toys in the basket but since I just have to do it all over again tomorrow, and the next day, and the next day, it seems...'unmeasurable'.
And what really gets me is when Kevin sometimes says that it's the weekend so he wants to sleep in or just relax or whatever it is he wants to do. I always (sometimes angrily) remind him that "mommies don't get to sleep in, they don't get weekends or nights off, we're on duty 24 hours a day, 365 days a year, there is no break, unless I just up and leave". Maybe that's part of it, work was 35 hours a week, check in, check out. There is no checking out with your home, husband or child. Not that I want to, I'm just saying.
I suppose that when the child is an adult I will be able to measure my success as a parent. But, the 'result' is a long time coming. Then again, I suppose one could measure each month, each year as a marker of success, achievements, etc. If I really want some measurement I could go shovel the driveway to see instant results =)

Tears

Not mine, Kian's. He cried tears for the first time this weekend. Not such a momentous occasion I suppose, but an odd one. I never paid attention until I read it in my book while pregnant that babies don't cry real tears for several months. Sadly, it was because he bonked his face pretty hard on his farm during his attempt at crawling, that the tears came about. But, it was cute nonetheless. I may try to get a picture of them =) And I'm still trying to figure out why babies don't need real tears for the first few months? Hmm...

Blahs

The weather has decided to turn back to winter again. That nanosecond of "spring" has left and I'm feeling blah again. Being sick for 2 weeks is definitely wearing on me. I'm finally on the last piece of it I think. I'm feeling much better, but there's always snot in my nose that sometimes wants to come out and sometimes not. (sorry) And of course, why wouldn't Kian get a cold now too? He has way different symptoms than I had, no fever, clear runny nose, and a cough. I never had a cough, just sinus pain/pressure and severe congestion in my nose and head. Luckily, he doesn't have a fever. But not so luckily I cannot do anything for him besides the horrid nose suctioning, and humidifier. If you walked in the vicinity of my house while I suction the poor guy you would probably call the cops thinking I am murdering something. I am not. He hates the thing and I know it doesn't even hurt, it's more scary and annoying to be held down and this weird thing sucking snot out of your nose. He's strong now so I either have to half-lay on him or have Kevin help me. Ugh.

So, that with the bye-bye- Christmas blues, the 'where's the sun?' depression, and outside stressors have been making me feel quite crappy lately. Doesn't help when Kevin comes home today and says "what did you do all day?" That's a loaded question buddy! Should have learned that by now! I already feel guilty staying home and not contributing financially and I worry about the finances since Christmas and Kevin being off all November put a dip in our accounts.

Plus, sometimes I just feel plain stupid lately. Not that I am, but that everyone else thinks I am, or I'm not challenging my brain as much as I could/should. It's like stay at home mom's sit around, watching soap operas, eating cookies...and? and? Exactly. I don't watch any soaps, I only eat cookies when I make them for the household, I only sit around when I'm nursing Kian or when I take a few mins while he's sleeping to blog, email, etc. Every other minute from 8am to 10pm is filled with loading/unloading the dishwasher, laundry, folding, putting clothes away, sweeping, mopping, putting toys away, paying bills, grocery shopping, baking, cooking, shoveling, making calls/appts, and so many other numerous things.

I have begun looking at the classifieds to see what part-time jobs are out there. None, if you're wondering. So, unless I want to work at daycare, wal-mart or cold-call sales, I have no idea! I thought job hunting was bad after college, with a degree. But, now my BS psych degree is just that-BS! And employers look poorly upon women who take time off for children. So who knows what I"ll end up really doing.

Then there's the 'make you feel like a bad mommy' files. Between babywise, the crunchy granola mommies and all in between, there's so many "do's and do nots" and everyone has an opinion and mine is always wrong. I thought I was the expert on my child, but apparently not. So, am I a failure because I sometimes rock my child to sleep and he doesn't always sleep through the night yet; or am I a failure because he's not always attached to me in my sling and he sometimes fusses before he falls asleep or before I can get to him? You can't win in this society. And since he decided to only take tiny cat naps today, he's teething again, sick and miserable, I'm really feeling bad at this mommy stuff.

What's a mom to do? I'd like to take a steaming cup of tea and a blanket on the couch to watch Saved By the Bell reruns or Baby Story until ten o'clock tonight. But we all know that ain't gonna happen. Mostly because my cranberry-oatmeal cookies are almost done, the fish isn't going to broil itself and Kian wants to nurse. And to think yesterday I said I missed being pregnant (I do) and told Kevin Kian was going to get a sister soon (soon but not that soon). Ahh yes. But after Kian's in bed tonight, maybe I just will uncork that bottle of wine and skip around TV to find some reruns to make me laugh...

bath boy

with spikey hair

Here's how I pictured it...

This is more of what I had in mind when I said I wanted Kian to have 6 month pictures taken. Maybe i should just do them all myself from now on? I love playing with BW and Antique. This is what I wanted, snaps of Kian being Kian. When you're at Sears and they take only 9 shots and must use 4 backgrounds, you don't get the perfect pose or smile or capture a serious moment. I like serious pictures too. He was sitting on my bed while I got dressed and was just being so cute and the white sheet and blue wall behind him just seemed to work. So I started snapping away. I actually took about 75 pictures, just to get about a dozen decent ones. So here they are:




I love these ones because it's a close up of his gorgeous eyes and just a quiet moment.

This was towards the end, he wanted to lay down instead of sit up and he looked so cute. Yes, even with the pacifier. Sadly, I just this moment figured out how to get the date stamp off the camera so I need to find out how to get it off this picture...sigh.

Attempt at crawling

These last two are my favorites. I may get them blown up, even with the stupid date stamped on there, maybe the lab can get them off?

Anyways, just thought I'd share.

It's happened...

Somewhere along the way I've become one of those wives. The kind that....*gasp* doesn't mind watching football! Whaaaat??! It's true. Don't get me wrong, I don't plan my days around it and I could definitely pass and find many other things to do. But, in the fall and winter on those dreary, cold, snowy days when you just want to stay warm and stay in...I kinda like Sunday football. I'm not all about the 4 game Sundays, Monday night, Thursday night and double headers on Saturdays though-that's a bit much! I'm a Sunday football kinda girl.
Now, let's just be honest. It has half as much to do with the actual football, the competition, finally understanding how the game is played (until I understood I hated watching it) and just as much to do with Tom Brady, Peyton Manning, Brett Favre, tight pants, bulging muscles, sweaty guys... I mean...those Motorola headsets look great on Bill Belacheck and Joe Gibbs is one mean man! ha. Doesn't hurt that a good pot of chili or a pot roast go great with football either.

Obsessed with learning

Yesterday I realized how obsessed I am with learning. I myself like to read everything and anything and research a lot to continuously learn. But, I am more obsessed with Kian's learning. I blame my psychology courses and my last 3 years spent in child development with Early Intervention.
For Christmas I made a specific list of toys I wanted for Kian, along with a long list of books I want in his library. These toys included nesting cups (for learning big, small, in, out, stacking, many concepts) a shape sorter (shapes, colors, more in/out, problem solving, etc.) pop on beads for fine motor development. Yes, I think about toys and what they should be teaching my child. I don't particularly care for random lights and sound toys unless there's a concept behind them. But, he does has some.
When he was born I adamantly insisted that no one get him stuffed animals. (yet he has quite a few-ugh.) I don't mind a few for him to cuddle or sleep with. But I remember my sister having 2 huge bins full of stuffed animals she would never get rid of but never played with. And really you can't play much with stuffed animals, save for a few imaginative scenes with some animals.
Then, yesterday my mother-in-law made a comment about how many toys he has and he'll get more for his birthday or what will he get for his birthday (that's another sad blog, now everyone's counting down to his birthday! nooooo!). I immediately said "not more toys, he needs blocks, books and puzzles". In my child development brain that's the logical gifts because that's what one year olds need exposure to, to develop cause & effect, fine motor skills, problem solving skills, to challenge their brain. Yeah.
Am I just totally obsessed or does any educated parent want their child to be 'ahead' and exposed to many learning opportunities and stimulated instead of just 'entertained'?
Jon no comments from you on my craziness!

Calzones

Since reading Rachel's blog about your 'go-to dinner' I was thinking about what mine was. And I realized it's calzones. Well, that or pasta because you can take any meat and throw it in with any pasta and add any veggies you have in the house and make a great, quick meal no matter what.
But, if I'm out of ideas, or I'm late getting dinner, or out, or whatever the case may be, I make calzones. Now, I tend to make my own dough, but if you're not inclined to do so you can always have frozen pizza or frozen bread dough on hand.
Dough:
1 cup warm water
1 1/2 -2 tbsp yeast (i like mine yeasty and to rise a lot)
1-2 tbsp sugar or honey
Mix and let yeast rise for about 10 mins
Add about 4 cups flour and 1tsp salt in a bowl
Add 1/4 cup olive oil to yeast mixture
Then pour liquid into flour/salt bowl. Stir into a dough ball. Cover with some oil, then cover with a towel, plastic wrap, whatever and let rise a little. I don't always let mine rise, sometimes I let it rise 20 mins while I get the rest of the stuff ready.
Oven to 400 degrees.
You can divide dough into 4 smaller pieces or 2 pieces for large calzones (my preference)
Roll it out, square, triangle, round, whatever, as long as you can fold it over later.
I add ricotta, mozzarella, (sometimes parm) veggies (chopped onions, peppers, mushrooms) and chopped pepperoni (or sausage)
Fold in half and pinch to seal. Can brush with butter or egg if desired. Bake about 20 mins at 400.
It looks harder than it is I think. It's my easy recipe that also can use whatever meat/veggies are in the fridge. I prefer to keep the sauce on the side for dipping, but I have put sauce inside before.

Wake up call?

So I'm thinking this sickness is a mini wake up call. I've realized in the last few months I've been neglecting myself. I've been wrapped up in holidays, Christmas, shopping, baking, visiting, family issues, doing for others, Kian, Kevin, Kevin being sick all November, finances and everything else under the sun. So who gets pushed to the back burner? Me.
During the holidays I never eat as well as the rest of the year. I sleep less and sleep poorly due to all that is going on around me. I put Kevin and Kian and other family first. After Christmas we had company every day or had to be somewhere every day for 2 weeks. That doesn't bode well with nap times, mealtimes, etc. It's constant stress. (same thing happened when Kian was born we had company every single frikkin day for a month...my husband couldn't/wouldn't say no... until I freaked out on him haha) And of course I haven't worked out due to all the other time crunching activities I was doing.
I think everything just caught up with me, my body weakened by stress, little or poor sleep, constant going, poor eating, etc. So, maybe my 'resolution' is to take care of me. I can't take care of everyone else when I'm sick. And yes that includes eating better, exercising more, taking 'me' breaks, be it reading, dips in the hot tub, walks, whatever feels good. With that I shall go to bed to start my new 'resolution' =)

Chicken soup

I had some of my homemade chicken soup today and yesterday in hopes of helping this awful cold/sinus infection. I really do not want to go to the doctors. I'm hoping it will start going away soon. But, when you feel like someone just whacked you 30 times in the face with a baseball bat, it's probably a sure sign you've got a sinus infection. We shall see. So back to the chicken soup. Every time I make a roast chicken (which is probably 4 times a year) I save all the extra meat and the carcass, yes it's a carcass. It's dead. And this is what i do:

Throw the carcass with some of the meat still on the bones into a huge pot of water.
Add some seasonings: salt, pepper, garlic powder, sometimes chopped onion if I remember, bay leaf, parsley, sometimes lots of random stuff like thyme, savory, whatever I feel at the moment.
Then I let it boil for few/several hours to make a nice chicken stock or broth (I still don't get the difference between a stock and broth-remind me to ask Emeril)
Occasionally I will throw in a bouillon cube.

Then after you get that chickeny taste I add diced potatoes & carrots, chopped celery, peas, green beans, or if I don't have lots of fresh veggies I'll use a bag of frozen mixed veggies. Whatever you fancy. You can see there's not a lot of measuring to this, not a real recipe. It varies every time. Then throw in the leftover chicken that you've now chopped or diced or shredded or whatever.

*Add softer veggies later, like peas, beans, etc. Carrots and potatoes need the longest cooking time. Then I adjust seasonings to taste, throw in some pasta. I prefer Ancini de pepe or little pasta stars.

I usually freeze a lot, in meal size plasticware, to thaw out one at a time for a meal here and there. It's really simple, there's not a lot to it, and you don't have to do it all at once. I put it on the stove, let it simmer, come back a few hours later, add stuff, come back later add more, etc. I suppose you could find a 'real' recipe, but soups good no matter what and I like that it varies here and there. I'll have to find my minestrone soup recipe-that was THE BEST and everyone loved it.

Now, here's hoping that chicken soup is working my cold out of my head...

Granola moms?

I have called myself a 'crunchy-granola-mom-wannabe' because that's the best thing I could think of. Until now. I read links from links of other blogs and bloggers and this one mother calls herself 'chewy granola mommy'. Totally. She describes herself as part granola but not the crunchy mom type, so she says it's like chewy granola. I can totally relate.

I do cloth diapers about 60-75% of the time (it's more than half but not all the way, and not when I go out places). I breastfeed, yes still. The times my child has had a bottle can be counted on one hand still. I make my own babyfood, and it's almost totally organic. I've done the sling thing. I prefer herbs and natural remedies first as opposed to just popping pills and antibiotics. Isn't that why God made them in the first place? There have been nights when Kian's been in our bed a good part of the night. But he's like his daddy and likes space when he sleeps. Even in the mornings if I bring him in my bed to nurse he starts getting all squirmy and doesn't want to cuddle, so I bring him back to his crib and he's off to sleep for another few hours.
But I'm not all the way 'crunchy' so I like this chewy granola description.

Pictures

I went and did the pictures at Sears anyways. And I am not thrilled. They have young people in there, with these so-not-original backgrounds that everyone else will have, and they have no creativity in the poses, in the backgrounds, no props, and I'm sure not really any training? I don't mean to bash them, I guess I was just expecting/hoping for more...blah. So here they are:

This one is cute, but I told them I didn't want Christmas-y, but they did it anyways.

The white close up on the right is okay, they cropped it so it's more of his face, so I got some wallets of that.

This one, the winter background is just so commercial or something. It's kinda cute, but then it's so...I don't even know the word--unrealistic! Like c'mon, is the child going to be sitting out in the snow in front of a snow covered bridge and tree? Maybe I should have put him back in his snowsuit for that one? ha.

But, I like it because it's typical Kian. I just wanted a shot or two for his six month, and I told them plain backgrounds and stuff. But these last two, with blah backgrounds, capture Kian. He smiles big and he waves his arms around and gets silly, so the wide open arms is typical Kian. The one of him on the floor is also a 'normal' pose. When he's serious, focusing or getting sleepy the hands go in the mouth and he just kinda watches things.

Kevin was oh so not thrilled with the overalls. But I told him and the lady at Sears, I just wanted a few 'plain' type shots to capture his 6 month phase, growth, etc. I didn't' want fancy. I wanted to capture everyday Kian in everyday clothes doing everytday things. Apparently you get what you pay for. sigh. Funny thing is they actually did the exact same poses, in the exact same order as when I had them do his 3 month. Seriously, sit up, then belly, then from above, etc. That's what I mean about no creativity or originality. No finding out about the child and how the pictures can portray him... But, for $35 I guess that's what I paid for? I'll have to save up and contact Steve or Darren for some real photos that capture 'Kian'.

And yeah he looks just like his daddy here...sigh again. Here's me around 3 months. Kian definitely has Kevin's profile, nose...yeah. He's got my blue eyes! Excuse my dad's 80's haircut and glasses. heheI know some people do 'professional' photos every month, or just once a year. Wondering what everyone else does?

I take a ton at home so I figure if I just get one big, nice one at the 3, 6, 9 month and year mark, it would show the different stages he's in (rolling, sitting, crawling, standing/walking, etc.) Or am I the only one who thinks like that?

Do you stop taking as many pictures of the second one? I'm afraid I'll have tons of picture of Kian and fewer of the next one!

I lied...here's more about Ezzo & Babywise

Found this site from some other blog links: http://www.ezzo.info/

"Readers have reason to question not only Gary and Anne Marie Ezzo’s believability but also their suitability to teach others about parenting. The Ezzos have not succeeded in their parenting relationships with their own children as measured by their own standards.
On Becoming BABYWISE tells parents not to look at “the reasoning or logic of the hypothesis” but to “observe the end results,” and Growing Kids God’s Way says, “The relational goal of our parenting is friendship with our children” (emphases in originals). But the Ezzos have not achieved this goal with their own two daughters. (*my side note-friends with your children? I don't think that's what parents are supposed to be!)
Sadly, several years ago, both daughters and their husbands cut off contact with the Ezzos, and they remain estranged. Both couples have confirmed this to Ezzo.info. One couple, the Luedkes, indicated that their decision was based on their personal observation of the same types of character issues raised by others and that it was done only after much prayer, consideration, and counsel.
This situation is a true tragedy, but churches and parents considering the Ezzos’ parenting advice deserve to know that the pattern of broken relationships they have left behind them extends even into their own family.
No doubt readers are weary of the divisive debates over Gary and Anne Marie Ezzo and their teachings. The critics certainly are! It is tempting to throw up one’s hands in despair over the whole matter. But no matter how difficult it may be, no Christian should ignore the obligation to evaluate both the teaching and the character of anyone who claims to teach “God’s way.”
Readers are urged: to ponder the many concerns about the Ezzos expressed by so many people; to evaluate the way the Ezzos respond to criticism, including years of false and misleading personal attacks now renewed on Ezzotruth.com; to evaluate the results in the Ezzos’ own family; and to discern with the Holy Spirit’s guidance what the truth really is."

I'll be honest at first I was just like 'oh that's a crappy idea of parenting'. But the more I read, the more I hear, the more I learn I can't stand it. I can't stand the idea of these newborn babies allowed to cry for an hour in their cribs, babies! Who have no words, no way of letting you know anything, but by crying. Who's to say they're not crying because they've had an explosive diaper all over the crib during nap and yet are forced to stay in there until nap time is over?
It breaks my heart that there are babies crying at all anywhere in the world; but unlike poor, uneducated, unwilling parents (like so many clients I have worked with) these parents are told they're doing the right thing, and they are doing it because they think it's right and they love their babies. Those babies are crying, all alone and no one is coming to them, holding them, comforting them. They are forced to wait for meals when they're tiny stomachs cannot. Then there are toddlers and infants being spanked for things they aren't doing because they probably developmentally can't, or for things they are doing, that are developmentally appropriate.
Controversy? There it is. Here's some more: I've nursed my baby to sleep, I bring him to bed in the morning with me and nurse him there, I rock him to sleep sometimes, I've worn him in a sling, and in a baby Bjorn, I've held him all day long, he's never been in a playpen, we don't always eat at the same time every day, we don't nap at the same time every day, it's close but it's not rigid...we sing, we talk, we play games, we laugh, we tickle, we play peek-a-boo, my laundry is never done, my chores are always there, dinner is sometimes late, but that boy lights up when I walk in the room and reaches for me and laughs as he snuggles in my arms, so I could care less about the rest.

I tried...

...to pretend it wasn't happening. Alas, I can pretend no longer. I am sick. Yes, sick. I don't get sick often really. Last night I went to bed and was coughing a bit, I tried to blame it on some allergy of dust, pillow, something. This morning I was a bit stuffy and really tired but brushed it off, saying the busy-ness of the last week and a half were catching up with me (or catch-up-ing as Kenny's said before). But, over the course of the day it happened. You know the feeling, post-nasal drip, runny nose, head filling up with mucus and junk, the headache slowly throbbing it's way over so that you feel off balance every time you stand up, earaches. I haven't had a real runny nose in ages. Elissa did ask how long we thought it would take for us to get the cold that was being passed around at Kevin's family party. Ha. She's always right lately-darn her! Perhaps this is also partly to blame for Kian's extreme crankiness the last day or so. How's that work then? I breastfeed to provide the antibodies, so I get the sickness so he doesn't? Hmm... self-sacrificing mothers? haha I am off to bed super early since I have been neglecting myself and my sleep through the holiday season. Here's to OJ, lemon tea and honey!

10 degrees and almost crawling-and teeth-and pictures

Yes I decided to smoosh two posts into one, lest you think I do nothing but blog all day.

(I did make coconut macaroon cookies-altho I do not like the way they turned out-tastes fine but didn't stay together well. And I have been dealing with a cranky, crying, clingy baby all day. Turns out a few days ago I figured out he's working on his top two teeth now. The poor gums are all swollen, he's drooling like a waterfall, and chewing on everything again, including me. Apparently the top teeth hurt more coming in than the bottom ones. He barely blinked when the bottom two came in, just drooled a lot. So there ya have it.)

It snowed overnight, but not the 12 inches they were calling for, maybe 4-6 inches. Enough to make the driveway need shoveling. So during Kian's nap I went out to do the wretched task. Sometimes I don't mind it, but today I did. Reason being is that it was only 10 whipping, windy, biting degrees, albeit sunny. Don't let that NY sun fool you, it doesn't mean anything! And who's the idiot who went out without a hat or ear coverings? Yes, me! So now my ears are hurting and burning, from the half hour I spent out there, and I only shoveled one side of the driveway so far. At least Kevin can get in, I have no plans to go anywhere for awhile.

As for the crawling: Kian's got up on hands and knees down pat. He can push himself backwards and ends up across the room from where he started. He also rotates 360 degrees around to any direction he wants. He now realizes he needs to go forward but is still unsure how. He gets so mad when toys are just in front of him, just beyond reach. I am horribly mean and will not give him every toy every time. He needs to work at it sometimes. In the last week, has begun trying to dive at things as a means of going forward. I am terribly afraid of rug burn. One day he's going to fly across the evil Berber carpet and come up with a rug burn from the top of his forehead, down his nose all the way to his chin, and I'll be the one crying. So, now he's even madder because he dives and doesn't get anywhere still. I, for one, am not so upset because my Christmas tree and decorations are still up. Once they're down, I'm all for crawling...best go get a fireplace guard and some gates for the stairs.

On a side note: I am supposed to get Kian's 6 month pictures taken at Sears tomorrow. However, I do not like department store pictures much. I had his 3 month ones done there, they were okay. My problem mostly is that I do not like the 'cookie cutter' effect, that everyone else also has the same fall background, the same Christmas background, etc. from the same places. There's not much creativity in department store photos. For his one year picture I am definitely going to get a real, professional photographer. (previously I've had Senior Pictures and Wedding pictures done by: Steve Chesler http://www.cheslerphoto.com/ and Darren Backal (at one time Steve's assistant) http://www.backalphotography.com/ (and if you look on Darren's page Kevin and I will appear in a wedding picture on the beach above the word 'beloved'!) So there's a plug to those guys. Wonderful work! Back to my dilemma, I am not sure I want to get the pictures done? If I do I think I would just do one big one for us, and small one for the grandparents. But, money is an issue immediately after Christmas...sigh. I take enough pictures at home.... thoughts???

Wii

we are still trying to find a darn Wii! Best buy won't even tell you if they're on order. BJ's will at least tell me how many they have ordered and to call every morning before the store opens to get my name on the list the day they do come in! ugh what a pain!!!

Purses

Courtesy of my Penney's giftcard (thanks Travis) I got 2 new purses today! I haven't bought a purse in ages. Working in EI I had most of my stuff in my work back that I brought with me everywhere. Then it was straight to the diaper bag. My last purse was a boring brown leather cube. Boooooring. I got a khaki and black one with black straps, a kind of rectangle. My other one reminds me of summer-coral, green, white and other vertical stripes. Small, yet if i had to throw a diaper in there I could. Yay for girly purses! If I'm not too lazy maybe I'll take a picture of them later.

New Year snow

Of course, staying in Rochester style, we couldn't ring in the New Year with something OTHER than SNOW! And it's a doozy. I wake up and it's blanketed white and still coming down. AND they're predicting another foot could fall by tomorrow morning. Hmm. I don't usually mind as I have no where to drive, but today I do. I have to get the kids to my mom so they can get to school tomorrow. And Kevin has to go to work in this stuff Wednesday. He actually took today off so I'm happy. Maybe I"ll get the kids to shovel once more before they go home haha. I'll admit it's very pretty to look at though...