Could you let down your hair
And be transparent for a while
Just a little while
See if you're human after all
Honesty is a hard attribute to find
When we all want to seem like we've got it all figured out
Let me be the first to say that I don't have a clue
I don't have all the answers
And cannot pretend like I do
just
Trying to find my way
Trying to find my way the best that I know how
Well I haven't memorized all the cute things to say
But I'm working on it
Maybe I'll master this art form someday
If I quote all the lines off the top of my head
Would you believe that I fully understand
all of these things I've said
I'm just trying to find my way
Trying to find my way
Trying to find my way the best that I know how
Well I haven't got it all figured out quite yet
But even if it takes my whole life
To get to where I need to be
And if I should fall to the bottom at the end
I'll be one step back to you and trying.
-"Trying" by Lifehouse
___________________________________
I love Lifehouse. I love the honesty in their lyrics. They reflect my feelings in ways I could never express on my own.
Yesterday, there was a conflict that left me quite disturbed. It made me ready to walk away from a commitment. I still may. We are told to be BOLD, LOVING and SENSIBLE. Where is the BOLD when you cave to presumed appearances over the individual? Where is the LOVING when you shun someone with a seeker's heart because of an outward sin? We all fail to live up to the standards set for us. Most of us are just better at hiding it. Does that make us more worthy because our laundry gets dried inside? And what is SENSIBLE about rejecting someone who is more than willing to help when all of the more "deserving" people are just too wrapped up in their own lives to lend a hand?
Friday, February 3, 2012
Sunday, October 30, 2011
Death, Be Not Sanctimonious
We all have stories that make us who we are. They are complex, they are interwoven with other people's stories and they are extremely subjective. It makes it hard to talk about ourselves and our pasts. What do you include? Do you start at the beginning? Do you bring up that one incident that might help explain things better but requires even more explanation to explain how that had the effect that it did? Do you mention the time your best friend stopped talking to you and how you never found out why? Do you talk about the boy, the first love, that swore he would never go anywhere and then disappeared? Do you talk about your suicidal mother, and the fear you had growing up that anytime you were less-than-happy, she would feel like she failed and would kill herself? Does the fact that your story ended, for 43 seconds, matter in the course of figuring out who you are and why?
I'm not sure. Scott keeps asking me why I never bring it up in conversations about my life. It does help complete the picture, but it is a hard thing for me to contextualize. I never intend to write a book. Not about this. I have decided that everyone who has experienced "near death" has a different story, a different experience, and a different way of thinking about it. Because of this, we can't really know for sure what really is "on the other side". And I don't think any of us really can. I do know if this particular set of events had not happened, then I would never have met Scott or had Nicholas (longer, more convoluted story for another time). And that is enough for me to say that God had everything to do with it.
Sometime before Spring Break my senior year of high school I developed a kidney stone that required lithroscopic removal. I will spare the details of that procedure. It was routine, and I was sent home with Vicodin and Bactrum. Sometime within the next two days, I started feeling cold. I remember it started slowly. I sat on the porch hoping the sun would warm me. Later I took a hot bath. When none of those things worked, I put on my sweats and crawled under the blankets. Despite all my efforts, I suddenly could not stop shivering. My teeth chattered. Then my insides were convulsing. I started vomiting and could not stop. It felt like my stomach was trying to claw its way through my esophagus. All I could do was reach the cordless phone receiver and start punching the "page handset" button. Eventually my mom came into the room to figure out why it was beeping and saw me. I was rushed to the hospital, flashers on with my head in a plastic bag. Despite a 103.8 fever and violent vomiting convulsions, I was still required to wait for three hours. The room they put me in was essentially a converted storage closet, and they forgot about me multiple times. I was given Demerol every two hours and hooked up to constant fluids to rehydrate me. I was left there all night before any doctor came to the room.
Sometime the following morning (twelve hours after being admitted), I was told to drink three cups of barium for a contrast. It was only after I gagged down the liquid that forever ruined cherry kool-aid for me that someone realized that I didn't need to do that. My doctor came and went, prescribing more pain meds and fluids, and I was finally moved to a room that afternoon. The nurses came to take my blood pressure and laughed when they got a reading that meant I should have been unconscious. They assumed the cuff was broken. My chest was hurting, and I commented to one of them that I was having trouble breathing. She told me that it was probably due to all the vomiting and suggested I try eating a Popsicle.
At this point my dad (who realized I was wheezing but couldn't get a nurse to come check me) went down to his truck to get his own stethoscope. On the elevator he ran into my grandmother's doctor who was leaving for the day,and told him about my situation. Dr. T (as he became known to me) immediately came to check on me and became alarmed. I had been on IV fluids for 17 hours and had not once peed. My lungs were full of fluid, my stomach was full of fluid, my blood pressure was non-existent, and I had begun to hallucinate.
At this point, I have snapshots of memory interwoven in a way that makes it hard to separate what happened and what I imagined. Being wheeled down to CCU. Looking up and seeing light pouring through a cathedral window as I lay on the floor. A tube being inserted in my chest. Realizing I was completely covered with a white sheet and pulling it back from my face. A catheter being inserted, removed, reinserted. An old man in white scrubs sitting alone beside my bed holding my hand. An oxygen mask being placed over my face and panic as I realize I am drowning. An empty room with wooden pews. Safety. Security. A Defibrillator. And then it was morning again, and no one could quite believe I was still there. Except me. I never thought for a second that I was going to die.
Physically, I suffered from Septic Shock and Pneumonia. I should not have been alive, but there was a new antibiotic that the hospital had received that month that saved my life. Spiritually, I have no diagnosis. My experience felt so clear at the time. I just knew I had all the answers. Time and distance have blurred my memories and made me realize that my experience is only true for me. I can't pretend that anyone should "Take my word for it". But I also know I needed to write it down before I completely forgot everything.
I'm not sure. Scott keeps asking me why I never bring it up in conversations about my life. It does help complete the picture, but it is a hard thing for me to contextualize. I never intend to write a book. Not about this. I have decided that everyone who has experienced "near death" has a different story, a different experience, and a different way of thinking about it. Because of this, we can't really know for sure what really is "on the other side". And I don't think any of us really can. I do know if this particular set of events had not happened, then I would never have met Scott or had Nicholas (longer, more convoluted story for another time). And that is enough for me to say that God had everything to do with it.
Sometime before Spring Break my senior year of high school I developed a kidney stone that required lithroscopic removal. I will spare the details of that procedure. It was routine, and I was sent home with Vicodin and Bactrum. Sometime within the next two days, I started feeling cold. I remember it started slowly. I sat on the porch hoping the sun would warm me. Later I took a hot bath. When none of those things worked, I put on my sweats and crawled under the blankets. Despite all my efforts, I suddenly could not stop shivering. My teeth chattered. Then my insides were convulsing. I started vomiting and could not stop. It felt like my stomach was trying to claw its way through my esophagus. All I could do was reach the cordless phone receiver and start punching the "page handset" button. Eventually my mom came into the room to figure out why it was beeping and saw me. I was rushed to the hospital, flashers on with my head in a plastic bag. Despite a 103.8 fever and violent vomiting convulsions, I was still required to wait for three hours. The room they put me in was essentially a converted storage closet, and they forgot about me multiple times. I was given Demerol every two hours and hooked up to constant fluids to rehydrate me. I was left there all night before any doctor came to the room.
Sometime the following morning (twelve hours after being admitted), I was told to drink three cups of barium for a contrast. It was only after I gagged down the liquid that forever ruined cherry kool-aid for me that someone realized that I didn't need to do that. My doctor came and went, prescribing more pain meds and fluids, and I was finally moved to a room that afternoon. The nurses came to take my blood pressure and laughed when they got a reading that meant I should have been unconscious. They assumed the cuff was broken. My chest was hurting, and I commented to one of them that I was having trouble breathing. She told me that it was probably due to all the vomiting and suggested I try eating a Popsicle.
At this point my dad (who realized I was wheezing but couldn't get a nurse to come check me) went down to his truck to get his own stethoscope. On the elevator he ran into my grandmother's doctor who was leaving for the day,and told him about my situation. Dr. T (as he became known to me) immediately came to check on me and became alarmed. I had been on IV fluids for 17 hours and had not once peed. My lungs were full of fluid, my stomach was full of fluid, my blood pressure was non-existent, and I had begun to hallucinate.
At this point, I have snapshots of memory interwoven in a way that makes it hard to separate what happened and what I imagined. Being wheeled down to CCU. Looking up and seeing light pouring through a cathedral window as I lay on the floor. A tube being inserted in my chest. Realizing I was completely covered with a white sheet and pulling it back from my face. A catheter being inserted, removed, reinserted. An old man in white scrubs sitting alone beside my bed holding my hand. An oxygen mask being placed over my face and panic as I realize I am drowning. An empty room with wooden pews. Safety. Security. A Defibrillator. And then it was morning again, and no one could quite believe I was still there. Except me. I never thought for a second that I was going to die.
Physically, I suffered from Septic Shock and Pneumonia. I should not have been alive, but there was a new antibiotic that the hospital had received that month that saved my life. Spiritually, I have no diagnosis. My experience felt so clear at the time. I just knew I had all the answers. Time and distance have blurred my memories and made me realize that my experience is only true for me. I can't pretend that anyone should "Take my word for it". But I also know I needed to write it down before I completely forgot everything.
Sunday, March 20, 2011
2-and-30 is the new 1-and-20
This month I am totally geeked out about buying Nicholas's new car seat. He is officially one (and started walking last week!! Woohoo!) and is nearing the height limitations on his infant carrier. Before he was born, I had been under the impression that as soon as he turned one, it would be safe to turn him around to forward-facing in his car seat, and our lives would be much easier. I have since been shown way too many graphic videos that show just what can happen in a car accident if your child is turned around too early, and we have officially decided to keep Nicholas rear-facing as long as we can. At least another year, but we will see how big he is by then.
Our little guy was 20.5 lbs at his one-year check up (10-20%) and 30.5 inches long (75%!!!), so he is a little bean pole. A precious bean pole that I would do anything to protect. Including ride in the back seat for our 20 hour road trips just to keep him company and keep him from screaming (even though back seat rides leave me nauseous). That also means I did lots of research on his new car seat and decided that the insane $369 price tag on the Britax Advocate 70 CS was worth it. The side impact wings may seem like overkill, but I would rather overdo it than risk the alternative. The list of features alone makes me drool the way I used to over a pair of Ferragamo heels or new ceramic hair straightener. I have watched the product video at least a dozen times. I was sold when I discovered that you can remove the cover without undoing the harness straps or taking the car seat out of the car.
Of course, I never pay full price for anything (Nicholas's brand new pair of Robeez cost just $3.50 at a consignment store), so I did some research and found the same car seat on albeebaby.com for $277 with free shipping. The website was recommended to me, so I knew it was a legit site. I was already going to get the car seat at that price, too, but then a gift from Nicholas's grandparents caused the price to drop for us significantly more, and we wound up paying less than $100 out of pocket for the best car seat I could find on the market.
I am aware that this isn't doable for everyone. Britax has the best reputation out there for safety and quality, but you really are paying for the extra comfy padding and convenience features. The Advocate is also the most expensive seat they make,. The Evenflo Triumph is a convertible car seat with equally good safety ratings, and it is priced far, far less than Britax. We just go on 20 hour road trips twice a year, and Nicholas will be spending a lot of time in his seat, so I wanted to get one that would make it as comfortable for him as possible.
The most important thing to me is that parents are made aware that it is best to keep your child rear-facing as long as possible. I know it is a pain. Nicholas hates being in the back unable to see us, but I would rather listen to him fuss than to lose him in an accident. Chances are we will never be in a wreck that would be bad enough for this to be important, but I am not going to bet my child's life on it.
Our little guy was 20.5 lbs at his one-year check up (10-20%) and 30.5 inches long (75%!!!), so he is a little bean pole. A precious bean pole that I would do anything to protect. Including ride in the back seat for our 20 hour road trips just to keep him company and keep him from screaming (even though back seat rides leave me nauseous). That also means I did lots of research on his new car seat and decided that the insane $369 price tag on the Britax Advocate 70 CS was worth it. The side impact wings may seem like overkill, but I would rather overdo it than risk the alternative. The list of features alone makes me drool the way I used to over a pair of Ferragamo heels or new ceramic hair straightener. I have watched the product video at least a dozen times. I was sold when I discovered that you can remove the cover without undoing the harness straps or taking the car seat out of the car.
Of course, I never pay full price for anything (Nicholas's brand new pair of Robeez cost just $3.50 at a consignment store), so I did some research and found the same car seat on albeebaby.com for $277 with free shipping. The website was recommended to me, so I knew it was a legit site. I was already going to get the car seat at that price, too, but then a gift from Nicholas's grandparents caused the price to drop for us significantly more, and we wound up paying less than $100 out of pocket for the best car seat I could find on the market.
I am aware that this isn't doable for everyone. Britax has the best reputation out there for safety and quality, but you really are paying for the extra comfy padding and convenience features. The Advocate is also the most expensive seat they make,. The Evenflo Triumph is a convertible car seat with equally good safety ratings, and it is priced far, far less than Britax. We just go on 20 hour road trips twice a year, and Nicholas will be spending a lot of time in his seat, so I wanted to get one that would make it as comfortable for him as possible.
The most important thing to me is that parents are made aware that it is best to keep your child rear-facing as long as possible. I know it is a pain. Nicholas hates being in the back unable to see us, but I would rather listen to him fuss than to lose him in an accident. Chances are we will never be in a wreck that would be bad enough for this to be important, but I am not going to bet my child's life on it.
Saturday, February 5, 2011
Where did the last eleven months go?
In less than a month, Nicholas will be turning the big 01!!! I can't believe how fast a year goes by. Or how stressful the idea of planning a birthday party is. I don't want to do anything too big because he is too young to remember or really enjoy a lot of things. But I do want to do something special. And trying to make something special always stresses me out because it never turns out as well in real life as in my head.
And I am officially making the "cake" (cupcakes), and I am completely inept at decorating. I've tried. I have failed. At least they taste yummy. We are doing a Dr. Seuss theme. And I have no idea where to find "fish-shaped" cookie cutters.
The past week Nicholas has learned to wave! He sort of sounds like he says "hi" when he does it too. And he calls Buttercup "BaBa" when he sees her. "Mama" is his current favorite word; unfortunately, anyone and everyone qualifies as "mama". He also has learned to point to what he wants. He is growing so fast!
He isn't walking yet, which really stresses me out. I guess because Scott and I both walked before we were 10 months old. And he seems to have completely stalled in this area of development. He reached the cruising stage more than three months ago and has just stayed there. I know he isn't officially "behind" yet, but he is not progressing like it seems he should. Everyone thinks I am stressing over nothing, but this is my first child, and I am already given to neuroticism.
I have several theories to justify his delay (and comfort myself when people start saying, "He isn't walking yet? My kid walked at six months!"):
1. He has taken tons and tons of falls. He has hit his little head on our ceramic tile so many times that he has learned that it hurts to take chances.
2. He is super efficient at getting around. He can climb on things (like the fireplace) and get back down easily. He can walk one-handed along anything. He can crawl to what he wants, and he carries what he needs in his mouth or in one hand. Why would he need to walk when he can already get to what he wants?
3. He has been learning new skills in every other area, so he hasn't had time for walking. He has learned to feed himself. He has started learning to communicate with words and gestures. He is learning to dance to music. He has figured out how to work so many toys that are supposed to be for older children.
4. There are doors. He loves to open and close all kinds of doors. It is all he ever cares about when in a room that has one. His obsession with learning to walk has transferred into an obsession with doors. We may have to seek professional help with that one.
Other than the walking thing, he is the funniest, happiest child you will ever meet. He is so incredibly charming that even strangers comment on his cuteness all the time. I may be biased, but I think we may have lucked out on getting the coolest kid around.
And I am officially making the "cake" (cupcakes), and I am completely inept at decorating. I've tried. I have failed. At least they taste yummy. We are doing a Dr. Seuss theme. And I have no idea where to find "fish-shaped" cookie cutters.
The past week Nicholas has learned to wave! He sort of sounds like he says "hi" when he does it too. And he calls Buttercup "BaBa" when he sees her. "Mama" is his current favorite word; unfortunately, anyone and everyone qualifies as "mama". He also has learned to point to what he wants. He is growing so fast!
He isn't walking yet, which really stresses me out. I guess because Scott and I both walked before we were 10 months old. And he seems to have completely stalled in this area of development. He reached the cruising stage more than three months ago and has just stayed there. I know he isn't officially "behind" yet, but he is not progressing like it seems he should. Everyone thinks I am stressing over nothing, but this is my first child, and I am already given to neuroticism.
I have several theories to justify his delay (and comfort myself when people start saying, "He isn't walking yet? My kid walked at six months!"):
1. He has taken tons and tons of falls. He has hit his little head on our ceramic tile so many times that he has learned that it hurts to take chances.
2. He is super efficient at getting around. He can climb on things (like the fireplace) and get back down easily. He can walk one-handed along anything. He can crawl to what he wants, and he carries what he needs in his mouth or in one hand. Why would he need to walk when he can already get to what he wants?
3. He has been learning new skills in every other area, so he hasn't had time for walking. He has learned to feed himself. He has started learning to communicate with words and gestures. He is learning to dance to music. He has figured out how to work so many toys that are supposed to be for older children.
4. There are doors. He loves to open and close all kinds of doors. It is all he ever cares about when in a room that has one. His obsession with learning to walk has transferred into an obsession with doors. We may have to seek professional help with that one.
Other than the walking thing, he is the funniest, happiest child you will ever meet. He is so incredibly charming that even strangers comment on his cuteness all the time. I may be biased, but I think we may have lucked out on getting the coolest kid around.
Monday, January 3, 2011
Double Digit Infant
Nicholas officially turned TEN months on the first! I have to admit that this one snuck up on me. I usually feel like I am calling him a month older for several days before he actually is that month. Now I keep having to remind myself that he is NOT nine months old.
I really thought Nicholas would be walking by now, but he has proven time and again that he will do things on his own when he decides to do them. He has stood on his own only a handful of times, but mostly he gets scared and will grab onto something to keep his balance. He has officially been crawling for five months, and he is so efficient with it that he may have decided he never needs to learn to walk. He also can pull up to a stand on anything and cruises one-handed along furniture. We have also noticed him getting his feet under him when he is playing and sort of bouncing in a squat. I just have to remind myself to be patient. He is not on a timeline. But it is so hard when I am so excited to see him discover new things.
Christmas was lots of fun this year. Nick loves to eat wrapping paper and gets extremely excited when he unwraps something and discovers there is a BOX underneath! How awesome is that? And then when there is something inside of the box...oh man, he squeals and bounces and gets so animated. He got tons of loot from both sets of grandparents, aunts and uncles, and Santa. We are still in Ohio, and we are not sure we will have room in our car for all of his stuff. We may have to leave Scott and let him hitchhike home. ;-)
Snow was a fun experience as well. Grandma K bought a little sled for him, and he had so much fun getting pulled around and going down the hill in their backyard. He didn't seem to mind the cold at all. At least not until he thought it would be fun to try to eat the snow and discovered it was icy!! The tears only lasted for a few seconds anyway and then he was back to playing.
The most amazing transition in the last month is how much Nicholas has started playing on his own. It is so great to watch him play and discover new things. He will drive his cars around and make a "zoom" sound. He loves anything that has a door flap on it, and he will open and close any sort of door over and over and over again. He got a barn for Christmas and plays with the barn door, "mooing" along with the cow. He also has started "dancing" to all of his toys that make music. He got a little sports center for Christmas from Grandma C and within minutes figured out to put the basketball in the basketball hoop. This morning he put a bunch of cars in his ball popper (we think it's because it has what looks like a race track on it that the balls roll down). He also will play peekaboo by lifting a blanket over his face and lowering it and squealing. Unfortunately, he also does this with his bib when he is eating and often ends up covered in food!
On Christmas Eve, just as he was drifting off to sleep, he started clapping his hands open palmed for the first time. He now claps whenever he accomplishes anything, and it is soooo cute! This morning he was sleeping and got this smile on his face and started clapping in his sleep.
"Mama" "Dada" and "Baba" have now become part of his language in the past month as well. Unfortunately, he does not seem to associate them with anything. I have noticed when he picks up something off the floor, he will hold it up and in this high pitched squeal, say "Wassaaat", which I interpret to be a precursor to "What's that?"
This blog post has no real purpose or point. It just kind of rambles on, but I am just in awe of this little miracle every day. It is so amazing just to watch him look a little older every day and discover new and wonderful things.
I really thought Nicholas would be walking by now, but he has proven time and again that he will do things on his own when he decides to do them. He has stood on his own only a handful of times, but mostly he gets scared and will grab onto something to keep his balance. He has officially been crawling for five months, and he is so efficient with it that he may have decided he never needs to learn to walk. He also can pull up to a stand on anything and cruises one-handed along furniture. We have also noticed him getting his feet under him when he is playing and sort of bouncing in a squat. I just have to remind myself to be patient. He is not on a timeline. But it is so hard when I am so excited to see him discover new things.
Christmas was lots of fun this year. Nick loves to eat wrapping paper and gets extremely excited when he unwraps something and discovers there is a BOX underneath! How awesome is that? And then when there is something inside of the box...oh man, he squeals and bounces and gets so animated. He got tons of loot from both sets of grandparents, aunts and uncles, and Santa. We are still in Ohio, and we are not sure we will have room in our car for all of his stuff. We may have to leave Scott and let him hitchhike home. ;-)
Snow was a fun experience as well. Grandma K bought a little sled for him, and he had so much fun getting pulled around and going down the hill in their backyard. He didn't seem to mind the cold at all. At least not until he thought it would be fun to try to eat the snow and discovered it was icy!! The tears only lasted for a few seconds anyway and then he was back to playing.
The most amazing transition in the last month is how much Nicholas has started playing on his own. It is so great to watch him play and discover new things. He will drive his cars around and make a "zoom" sound. He loves anything that has a door flap on it, and he will open and close any sort of door over and over and over again. He got a barn for Christmas and plays with the barn door, "mooing" along with the cow. He also has started "dancing" to all of his toys that make music. He got a little sports center for Christmas from Grandma C and within minutes figured out to put the basketball in the basketball hoop. This morning he put a bunch of cars in his ball popper (we think it's because it has what looks like a race track on it that the balls roll down). He also will play peekaboo by lifting a blanket over his face and lowering it and squealing. Unfortunately, he also does this with his bib when he is eating and often ends up covered in food!
On Christmas Eve, just as he was drifting off to sleep, he started clapping his hands open palmed for the first time. He now claps whenever he accomplishes anything, and it is soooo cute! This morning he was sleeping and got this smile on his face and started clapping in his sleep.
"Mama" "Dada" and "Baba" have now become part of his language in the past month as well. Unfortunately, he does not seem to associate them with anything. I have noticed when he picks up something off the floor, he will hold it up and in this high pitched squeal, say "Wassaaat", which I interpret to be a precursor to "What's that?"
This blog post has no real purpose or point. It just kind of rambles on, but I am just in awe of this little miracle every day. It is so amazing just to watch him look a little older every day and discover new and wonderful things.
Monday, December 13, 2010
Peanut Butter and the Nine Month Old
As an overly-neurotic first-time mom, I do tons of research before deciding to do anything. I researched car seats, strollers, cribs, diapers, diaper cream, bottles, toys... everything before putting it on my registry. When we started solid foods, I made my own and researched recipes, food suggestions, puree combinations, and checked the sugar content on every package of baby snack. When it came to food allergies, I made no exception. I have read almost everywhere that things like egg white, honey**, cow's milk** and peanuts are bad before the first birthday. But I wanted to know why, so I decided to research (in this case, Google). I read the articles that talked about how delaying the introduction of potential allergens before the first birthday seemed to reduce the chances of a child developing an allergy.
But then I came across various studies that stated that the first birthday rule was originally a recommendation for children with family histories of allergies. Then I came across more studies that seemed to suggest that delaying the introduction of things like eggs may make children more likely to develop an allergy and that starting out with small amounts early may actually help build a tolerance. There seemed to be two completely contradictory sets of advice (which, for parents, isn't really a new phenomenon). So, I had to make a decision.
After thinking about it for a while, I decided that if a person is born with an allergy, then he or she will probably be allergic whether you delay introducing a food or not. We have no family history of food allergies (except for my bizarre raw onion allergy), so it isn't a huge concern. So, I introduced Nicholas to boiled eggs (not such a fan) and (non-hydrogenated)peanut butter on toast (he ate an entire piece!!) on two separate days. No allergy. But I do have an official peanut butter lover in my house. It is his very favorite lunch item.
**I do want to point out that I will not be giving him honey (infant botulism risk) or cow's milk (no nutritional value until he is weaned from formula) until after the first birthday. Nor am I recommending everyone ignore the main-stream advice and give their children potential allergens, especially if there is a family history, without consulting a pediatrician. I am merely sharing what I have read and done based on my own personal experience
But then I came across various studies that stated that the first birthday rule was originally a recommendation for children with family histories of allergies. Then I came across more studies that seemed to suggest that delaying the introduction of things like eggs may make children more likely to develop an allergy and that starting out with small amounts early may actually help build a tolerance. There seemed to be two completely contradictory sets of advice (which, for parents, isn't really a new phenomenon). So, I had to make a decision.
After thinking about it for a while, I decided that if a person is born with an allergy, then he or she will probably be allergic whether you delay introducing a food or not. We have no family history of food allergies (except for my bizarre raw onion allergy), so it isn't a huge concern. So, I introduced Nicholas to boiled eggs (not such a fan) and (non-hydrogenated)peanut butter on toast (he ate an entire piece!!) on two separate days. No allergy. But I do have an official peanut butter lover in my house. It is his very favorite lunch item.
**I do want to point out that I will not be giving him honey (infant botulism risk) or cow's milk (no nutritional value until he is weaned from formula) until after the first birthday. Nor am I recommending everyone ignore the main-stream advice and give their children potential allergens, especially if there is a family history, without consulting a pediatrician. I am merely sharing what I have read and done based on my own personal experience
Monday, November 1, 2010
Nicholas-The Amazing Eight Month Old
Today Nicholas turns 8 months old!! Happy Month Birthday Nicholas!!
I cannot believe I have an 8 month old. Shortly after Nicholas was born, we were in Target and saw another baby in a car seat. This baby looked like a mutant baby, taking up almost the entire car seat, and I asked the mother how old he was. She said he was 8 months. Looking at my own baby, swimming in his Newborn size sleeper, I could not imagine having an 8 month old. That seemed so far away. And now it has snuck up on me.
One thing I could not comprehend at the time, either, was that I would be one of those people whose child didn't sleep through the night. The parenting books said that by three months most babies were sleeping through the night. I did not know how I would make it three months without sleeping an entire night. I am now entering my ninth month of interrupted sleep, and I somehow still function. I also swore I would never be one of those parents who could let their child "cry it out" to get to sleep. We are now three weeks into CIO, and he is finally starting to sleep on a regular schedule (and yes, the fact that he wakes twice a night is considered a victory!). We all change and adapt.
This is such an amazing time in the life of a baby. He is discovering new things every day! The other day he actually stood by himself for the first time. We have since gotten him to do it again quite a few times, but as soon as he realizes we are clapping and cheering, he drops to his knees.
Nicholas is also discovering new uses for his toys. He has started crawling into the basket of his bouncy seat to play. He has learned that if he pulls up on the playpen, he can walk up the side of it (I am terrified of the day he will fall out!). He loves to turn the pages of his books. He makes a clucking sound with his tongue that he thinks is hilarious for someone to do back to him. He loves to stand inside his push wagon and get pushed through the house while he makes an "Ahhhhh" sound.
He is starting to make associations, and whenever he sees me pull out one of his food bowls, he starts crying and reaching for it. He digs in the little snack tray (when it's empty) on his stroller until someone gives him puffs to eat. He starts laughing when I turn on the bath water for his bath. And last night at the Fall Festival he got excited when he saw the little ducks floating in the tub for one of the games(he loves his rubber ducky in his bath). He also starts crying when he sees Daddy put on his hat because he knows that Daddy is leaving.
There are so many things he does that I could list all day, but I know that no one cares to read about my kid as much as I do. I just can't believe how fast he is growing and how quickly the time is flying by. I love my little guy so much!!
I cannot believe I have an 8 month old. Shortly after Nicholas was born, we were in Target and saw another baby in a car seat. This baby looked like a mutant baby, taking up almost the entire car seat, and I asked the mother how old he was. She said he was 8 months. Looking at my own baby, swimming in his Newborn size sleeper, I could not imagine having an 8 month old. That seemed so far away. And now it has snuck up on me.
One thing I could not comprehend at the time, either, was that I would be one of those people whose child didn't sleep through the night. The parenting books said that by three months most babies were sleeping through the night. I did not know how I would make it three months without sleeping an entire night. I am now entering my ninth month of interrupted sleep, and I somehow still function. I also swore I would never be one of those parents who could let their child "cry it out" to get to sleep. We are now three weeks into CIO, and he is finally starting to sleep on a regular schedule (and yes, the fact that he wakes twice a night is considered a victory!). We all change and adapt.
This is such an amazing time in the life of a baby. He is discovering new things every day! The other day he actually stood by himself for the first time. We have since gotten him to do it again quite a few times, but as soon as he realizes we are clapping and cheering, he drops to his knees.
Nicholas is also discovering new uses for his toys. He has started crawling into the basket of his bouncy seat to play. He has learned that if he pulls up on the playpen, he can walk up the side of it (I am terrified of the day he will fall out!). He loves to turn the pages of his books. He makes a clucking sound with his tongue that he thinks is hilarious for someone to do back to him. He loves to stand inside his push wagon and get pushed through the house while he makes an "Ahhhhh" sound.
He is starting to make associations, and whenever he sees me pull out one of his food bowls, he starts crying and reaching for it. He digs in the little snack tray (when it's empty) on his stroller until someone gives him puffs to eat. He starts laughing when I turn on the bath water for his bath. And last night at the Fall Festival he got excited when he saw the little ducks floating in the tub for one of the games(he loves his rubber ducky in his bath). He also starts crying when he sees Daddy put on his hat because he knows that Daddy is leaving.
There are so many things he does that I could list all day, but I know that no one cares to read about my kid as much as I do. I just can't believe how fast he is growing and how quickly the time is flying by. I love my little guy so much!!
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)