MadeleineZoe’s Best Bedtime Books for 3.5 Year Olds September 30, 2005

As I was reading Mad’s picks for bedtime books, I realized that there was a certain theme to her selections. I couldn’t quite put my finger on it, but I thought if I went to Amazon and made a Listmania! list I might be able to figure it out. Besides, I like making lists. Well, after about an hour of trying to remember author’s names and what she likes, I was finished. Either Mad likes crazy artistic books about imaginative scenerios, or else Dayna and I do. What makes it truly genuine is the inclusion of a book that I can’t stand reading.

Here’s her list, which can also be viewed with comments at Amazon.com. What does your kid like to read before bed? Tell us their favourites and yours.

The Story of Frog Belly Rat Bone

Arnie, the Doughnut

Olivia

The Cat in the Hat

Green Eggs and Ham

The Boy Who Ate Around

The English Roses [kak!]

Lisa’s Baby Sister (Misadventures of Gaspard and Lisa)

Super Sue

Everyone Poops

Jennifer Lopez to Launch Baby Head Smelling Perfume September 27, 2005

I have a baby and his head is nice, don’t get me wrong… but sometimes he just smells like sour milk.

On the other side, who am I attracting by wearing this? Other women or better yet, some old lady? I already know who will stop me in the grocery store to smell my son.

I just can’t see this working. I mean… there’s something so soft and natural about real skin, and something so harsh and fake about perfume… mashing them together just seems futile. But I’d have to smell it to believe it.

Read the original article at Adrants.com.

Parental Empowerment September 20, 2005

The internet can be a powerful tool for parents.

A couple from Florida brought home their premature twins, Andrew and Carly from the hospital. After only a few weeks, Andrew had to be admitted to the ER. Doctors had told them Andrew’s hemoglobin levels had dropped from 14 to 7 and the doctors wanted to do an emergency blood transfusion. Using his cell phone, Andrew’s father used Google to search “hemoglobin” and “premature infant”. He found a medical journal article which stated it was normal to see a drop with a premature twin during their first three months.

The father, empowered with this new information, supplied the doctors with the link who were able to spend their own time researching. They later determined that their “son was indeed fine – no treatment was necessary” and Andrew was spared from having to endure the “extremely dangerous, and totally unnecessary, blood transfusion.”
I Dugg this story.
Check out the original Google Blog

Vasectomy Anyone? September 16, 2005

True be told I’m a nag… and I’m done being pregnant. Giving birth to Baz was an extraordinary experience, which I will cherish forever.
I feel complete. Once that is combined, J has of course, heard it all for the past 4 months — All the talk about our birth control situation. Currently our method of choice is two kids and sleep deprivation however we do have fond memories of naughtiness and UNPROTECTED sex — only allowed by getting pregnant in the first place.
Rather than counting down a due date for a baby, on the most part we were calculating how many weeks we had remaining for our sex glorious unprotected sex…. and now, 4+ months later we’re getting a bit more sleep yet even less sex.
Why?
Although birth control has probably been my number one question for care providers post partum, we have yet to find the answer. I can’t take the pill, as I’m breastfeeding and I’m not about to rely on that as a good method either. Condoms just suck… as we were pretty spoiled and diaphrams don’t seem to work all that effectively, just ask Mad. I almost signed up for an IUD, even though the idea doesn’t sound all that appealing. So, this has left us with sterilization. My excuse is that it’s fairly major surgery for women seeing I’m already anxious and leery about the IUD procedure.
J’s excuse is that, although he feels he’s finished as far as proliferating the human race goes he doesn’t know if he will want another child some day. I’m not sure with whom? Perhaps he holding out for a fabulous brunette during his mid-life years?
I think that he just doesn’t want anyone tinkering. That’s fair but even my dad has gotten on the nagbandwagon to let J know how simple the “snip” really is.
That being said and to be fair, my birth control research has included vasectomies. So far, I’ve learned it’s a simple, 15 minute procedure which can now be done scalpel free, some degree of discomfort and swelling will be experienced in the first few days and this week is vasectomy awareness week. (September 12-18) I wonder what colour bracelette you’d get for that? Anyhow, Marie Stopes International UK has launched this webcast which shows an unedited vasectomy being performed from start to finish. It is quick, yes. I have my opinion after watching it. I’m going to make J “aware” later on this evening too… live on our podcast. Who knows where we end up? Well, I kind of do.

Britney Spears “Gives Birth” to a Baby Boy September 14, 2005

Actually he was surgically removed via caesarean section after Spears and Federline arrived at the UCLA Medical Centre in Santa Monica area hospital at 6 am this morning. The healthy Preston Michael Spears Federline was born at approximately 1pm.

News sources have it that Spears didn’t want to go through the pain of labour after her mom had said “giving birth was the most excruciating thing she’s ever gone through in her life. So if a caesarian doesn’t happen, I’ll be like, ‘Epidural, please’.” and later had a “feeling’ that she would have an operation. (“don’t know why, but I hope so.”) Just wondering if her maternal intuition that she’s got going on will let her know what type of different and more painful a recovery she’s in for.

Convenience parenting at it’s finest. Don’t want the idea of elongated pain? Plan a c-section. Baby becomes a pain, whining and keeping you up all night? Hire a nanny and launch a new perfume.

Call me harsh but what is that? Is Britney prepared for what’s ahead for her through motherhood? Or will she even bother to experience it? With all her designer maternity wear, “me-me” attitude and getting Kevin Federline to inseminate her – calm down you Britney fans out there… but is having a baby that trendy right now?

Future Baby Names September 6, 2005

A great compilation of a few (ten to be exact) ideas on future baby names.

And no, we’re not talking Apple or Pirate…
More like Satsuma, Nikkala and Jacobian
Check it out:
Future Celebrity Names

First Day of School September 6, 2005

Wee ya! Actually it went off quite well. Mad decided last night that she didn’t want to go to school so she threw a few fits and didn’t want to sleep.
… Even after waking up she didn’t want to see the sun or her friends – until we said that we bought her a back to school present.
I think that worked. She shot out of bed and even agreed to a morning pee. We decided that a fast bribe would do the trick when we saw great sounding bamboo wind chimes. (stick chimes, as Mad calls them.) At the beginning of the summer we hit the road to Manitoulin Island, where Mad and I were enchanted by a little shop that had about 50 similar stick chimes displayed outside on a very windy day. Since then she’s been making wind chimes with anything, from shoelaces, hairbrushes and driftwood found at the beach. We figured it would be a nice way to merge the summer with the start of her second (2nd!!) school year.

Anyhow, it went off with out a hitch. She was thrilled to see her friends again and she went off to grab the ferry without so much as a glance over her shoulder to the three of us remaining family members waving her off. She still had the high when we picked her up.
She said that she had a GREAT day… She painted a picture and nobody bit her, always the marker of a good day.

My first day with alone with one baby at home included J, so I didn’t get the full effect but we got to grab all the back to school items that I didn’t bother to get before she started school. Aren’t I the prepared mom? “Hey Mad, you’re inside shoes that we left at school last year probably won’t fit you, so you can go barefoot, K?” J got to see most of my day: Walmart, breastfeeding, clean up, diaper, breastfeeding, nap, blog, BF, more toy hiding and purging…. J took the time off so we could really clean up and declutter – we’re both currently blogging and remixing our Flickerbug Podcast.

So here’s to a great year. We’re thinking that this will be the breakthrough year as she’s now in the “Big Class”. She likes having a schedule, doing real projects… and getting time away from we the chaotic.

First Haircuts… How do I find a style? September 2, 2005

When I mentioned I was going to finally get Mad’s hair cut … professionally, my mom was the first to remind me how cute I looked with my Dorothy Hamill doo. Either the fact that mine was cut in 1977 or that my mom has the same coif since then, but has since learned to trim it herself, I’m still searching.

Mad has the same hair as me: limp, fine and thin. (sorry kid, you get what you’re dealt.) I’m searching for something that is classic and won’t date her (or be the same as every other kid), like the Hamill hair. I’d like it to be flattering yet practical with little to no maintenance. Naturally I Googled for guidance. Other than a German link and an outdated book from Amazon, I found nothing.

By coincidence, I was talking to a friend of mine who took her 3 year old son to get his hair cut today. She even decided to spend the money and take him to one of the showy places with the trick chairs and the toy store in front. After waiting for the “stylist” to return from her smoke break she started in on the timid pre-schooler. Although layers were requested, chunks were removed and the cut was described as Frankensteinish-Bowl. (My friend later took her son to the local barber to clean it up.)

I’m officially terrified. This is the same place I was going to take Mad. I didn’t know what to do for a style and now I have to worry about a competent stylist. At the very least Mad is a girl, ponytails are still an option, but I’m at a loss. HELP… anyone??