Yellow Wallpaper

On Friday Little Dude turned 2 months old. Sometimes it feels like the last two months have dragged, and sometimes it feels like they've flown by. This last month has been harder than the first. After the first few weeks I distinctly remember thinking "I'm glad he's not very colicky". Ha ha. The last four weeks or so have been pretty difficult, since he usually isn't very happy unless someone is holding him. He also has bad gas and doesn't stay asleep easily at all. The other night we tried going out for Indian food, but my mom and I had to leave dinner early and take him home because he was too tired and freaking out. But, we're all still alive and he's slowly getting bigger and better. He has learned to sleep better at night, and I'm really hoping it's not just some magical effect of being at Grandma and Grandpa's house. Also, when he's awake and in a good mood he's quite smiley and cute. He's getting nice and chubby and h...

I read an article in the New York Times some time ago about how the government is considering putting a warning label on formula, similar to that on cigarettes, that warns that breastfeeding is always preferable and that feeding your baby formula may have lasting consequences. Even though I totally agree that breastfeeding is better for a lot of reasons, I thought that might be a little extreme. Like a lot of things, I don't think legislating against formula is really going to make a difference. Unfortunately, our society is not set up to be very supportive of breastfeeding. For example, in some countries like Norway, women get a year of paid maternity leave (OK, they also have subsidized health care and high taxes, too). Here we barely get six weeks. And if you go back to work there usually isn't a lot of support for pumping. Even if there is, pumping all day is hard work and difficult to maintain. Plus there is a lot of double speak out there--everyone will tell you "b...

When I went out to eat breakfast on the patio this morning, the thermometer said it was 99 degrees. At 8 in the morning. Vegas is HOT! But, we're having a good time despite the heat. I've spent a lot of time inside the house hanging with Little Dude. S-Boogie doesn't care about the heat and loves to be outside. She's spent a bunch of time in the pool with Grandpa. I realized last night that her hair is starting to feel like straw, but at least it hasn't turned green yet. Yesterday we went down to the Strip to see a travelling exhibit that's currently at the Tropicana casino. It's called "Bodies" and features presereved human bodies and organs that have been plasticized. I was worried that it would be gross, but it was actually very fascinating. S-Boogie wasn't that interested in it, though, and Little Dude just slept in the snuggli the whole time. After looking at the exhibit we walked over to the MGM Grand and ate lunch at the Rainforest Cafe....

"Look at me, I'm swimming!" (Said this morning after breakfast while floating in the pool with grandpa. I think we're going to be hearing this a lot over the next week or so) "Kitty cat, you want to go swimming?" "Can I have some chocolate, Mommy?" (This was said through a mouthful of chocolate after she grabbed a Ferrero Rocher off the countertop) "There's poop in my sleeping bag!" (The reason why today's nap didn't go so well. Luckily Mommy was busy, so Daddy got to deal with that particular mess.) We're getting this trip off to a fabulous start!

1. Please tell someone as soon as you poop in your diaper (i.e. don't wait until Mom notices poop running down your leg, and then don't try to keep denying it even when it's that obvious). 2. Don't pick up any spiders, ants, earwigs, etc. while playing outside (I really don't want her to get bitten by something weird). 3. The baby does not eat any food yet, especially goldfish crackers (at least he knows enough to spit it back out when offered).

Lately I feel like I'm waiting for everything. Waiting for this stupid heat wave to end. Waiting for my baby to learn how to sleep without someone holding him, or how to sleep more than two hours at a time, or how to be awake without screaming. Waiting for S-Boogie to be a little less stubborn and a little more comprehensible. Waiting for my stomach to go away so I have clothes that fit. Waiting for Master Fob to get a better job so I can buy new clothes. Waiting to find out what we're going to be doing this fall, where we will be living and where Master Fob will be working. All this waiting is stressing me out! At least one thing we're waiting for is actually getting closer to happening. We're going down to my parents' house in Las Vegas on Thursday. My youngest brother, P, is coming home from Russia on Wednesday and we're all getting together to celebrate (I bet he's going to be pretty weirded out since Vegas is pretty much the complete opposite of Russia)...

A few years ago we decided that for birthdays and Christmas our kids would each receive three gifts: a new toy, a new book, and something to wear. I like the fact that limiting gifts forces us to be thoughtful about what we get her, it's easier on our budget, and it keeps events from dragging on through massive present orgies. I also like the fact that other people get her presents too, and I don't want grandma and grandpa feeling like they can't get her anything because she already has so much stuff. And more than anything we want special days to focus on the celebration and other traditions, not the loot. So far, this has worked out well for S-Boogie and for us. I don't think that she has an excessive amount of stuff, and she plays with and enjoys most of the things she has. I just realized that her birthday is coming up in a few weeks and I have no idea what we're going to get her this year. I really like simple toys that encourage imaginative, creative play and ...

Last night my stomach started to hurt after dinner, and I realized that the culprit was probably my pants that don't quite fit yet (unfortunately all the maternity stuff is falling off, so I'm pretty much stuck with no pants right now). During S- Boogie's bath I slipped into our bedroom to put on a pair of sweatpants. When I came back in the bathroom she looked at me and said, "Ooh, Mom, those are nice pants!". I'm glad someone thinks I look good in sweatpants. Also, the demon baby seems to have calmed down quite a bit. I think he was having a growth spurt, which my favorite reassuring book tells me is quite common at six weeks of age. When that happens, baby will want to eat more frequently to satisfy his increased hunger, and unfortunately it usually takes a few days for supply to match demand. Last night and the one before were much better and he's taking longer naps. There is still a fair amount of fussiness, though. He really doesn't seem to lik...

Master Fob had a few hours at home between his two jobs today, so I got to escape the house to run a few little errands I've been needing to do. My first stop was The Good Earth, where I was looking for powdered yogurt starter. It's actually a little cheaper to start yogurt with a bit of already made stuff, but I always forget to save some over and it's surprisingly hard to find those little containers that have the plain stuff in them. I also discovered some brie cheese on clearance in the dairy case--99 cents for an eight ounce wheel! If you are anywhere near Orem, run down to The Good Earth and buy some today (especially since it's marked "sell by July 11"). Then I went to a paper supply store and finally found the right size of envelopes for our cute little baby announcements we got printed up (an easy way to DIY--just get a cute photo, use a photo editor to add some text about the baby, and have Costco make reprints, it's easy and cheap). Since I was ...

What is it that compels me to call my child things like "Mr. Man" or "Hungry Bug"? And why do we have to say these things in such a cutsie little voice? Also, why has my baby been possessed by demons sometime during the last 48 hours and will not stop screaming?

The Optimistic Child by Martin E. Seligman. This book caught my eye at the BYU library while I was looking for something else. It was probably due to the fact that it was one of the few paperbacks on the shelf, so it stuck out. The subtitle of the book promises that it is based on a "proven program" that will help prevent kids from becoming depressed. I was a little skeptical of that premise, given that most true depression is due to a chemical imbalance, but after reading the book I think he has some really good ideas for changing behavior and thinking patterns, which can certainly help people deal with their depression. The idea behind the book is that teaching children the techniques used in cognitive behavioral therapy will help them deal with life in a more positive way and in a way "depression-proof" them. Like I said, I don't think that any amount of thinking techniques can completely eliminate some forms of depression, but I think he has some good poin...