God's Favorite Color

We were on our way home from having dinner last night, when Christian asked me "Mom, what do you think is God's favorite color?"

Leave it to an innocent mind to contemplate such a thought. Hmmm, I pondered. My first thought was "blue" because that is the color of Heaven, in my mind. Soon, we had a healthy dialogue flowing. Frank thought God's favorite colors must be green (Earth, grass, trees) blue (sky and water) and orange (the sunset). Christian listened with intent. Everyone had their opinion and let it be heard, even Tula who gurgled her sweet sentiments from her car seat. She would know after all, she's the last one who's been with God, right?

After all was said and done, my last thought was this: God's favorite color MUST be red. Red is the color of our hearts, and therefore the color of love! I know Nana will love that response, because if it's true, she and God have the same favorite color!

In The News

Thanks Dad, for alerting me to yahoo's news story today titled: Breast-fed Baby May Mean Better Behaved Child. (as if they needed an actual study to prove this)

Improvements!

I would use the word "lush" to describe my ever-improving lawn. Butterfly merely for fun.

Wow, just WOW!

If Valentina were classically vaccinated, here's what she would have so far according to BabyCenter's immunization calculator:

PS- They should always be called vaccinations, not immunizations. Immunization assumes that immunity is gained by the act of vaccination, which it's not 100% of the time.



April 2008 (Birth to 2 months)
Hepatitis B
May 2008 (1 to 4 months)
Hepatitis B
June 2008 (2 months)
DTaP
Hib
Polio (IPV)
Pneumococcal (PVC)
Rotavirus
August 2008 (4 months)
DTaP
Hib
Polio (IPV)
Pneumococcal (PVC)
Rotavirus
October 2008 (6 months)
DTaP
Hib
Pneumococcal (PVC)
Rotavirus
October 2008 (6 to 18 months)
Hepatitis B
Polio (IPV)

It is also recommended that she receive the flu shot this year, since she is more "vulnerable". Since the CDC has admitted that 2 of the last 3 years' flu shots were ineffective, not to mention that a breastfed baby has a much lower incidence of serious complications from the flu, we definitely won't be doing any vaccinating. We may however, all dose up on a homeopathic variety from the ND. There is no thimerasol or preservatives in that concoction, and there are more than 3 strains of influenza as well.

First Solids

Look out! The smallest Marasco has had her first taste of food! It won't be long before we're ordering 3 kid meals when we go out. We're in trouble, because if you know any Marasco, you know that most of us have eating habits like that of a T-Rex. I'm preparing myself for a crew that eats me out of house & home (what a weird expression).

With the emergence of Tula's first teeth, signaling that she has proper stomach enzymes to break down solid food, I've decided to offer her some diluted mashed up banana. I'm confident that waiting almost 7 months to introduce food was the right thing to do for her. She's moving the food around in her mouth and opening when she sees the spoon coming her way.

Next we'll try some home made sweet potatoes, maybe some pumpkin and definitely some seasonal squash. Uh-oh, I hope she doesn't turn orange! Oh the fun (and work) starts here!

Scoops

I felt as if I should document my recent visit with my best friend, my Matron Of Honor (she was so mad to be "matron" instead of maid) who I have not seen since her baby shower in March of 2007. Renee decided to use her free Southwest airlines voucher to come visit her faraway friend in Ohio this month. There were introductions to be made. We have both procreated since we last saw each other. Two new April daughters.

I was delighted to meet the sweet petite Gianna Lynn, who is all smiles and an absolute pleasure! My kids warmed up to her immediately and loved playing with her, kissing her and picking her up! I was getting quite a kick out of seeing how Renee & Mike's DNA meshed after all these years! Definitely a winning combo! What a sweet and perfect child!! I'm so proud of you guys!!

Anyway.. Renee has this ridiculous habit of giving pet names to everybody important in her life, especially the little people. I'll spare the embarrassing details of what she's called her husband over the years, but I couldn't help but fall in love with what she calls Gianna..... Scoops! I love it and it fits her! You could just scoop her up and kiss her 24/7.

Renee's trip was also such a nice reminder of why the two of us became friends in the first place. I feel safe with Renee. I can tell her my most intimate secrets, and usually she thinks I'm a freak, but sometimes not. We allowed a few inside jokes to resurface and it was fun to just be together, to cook, to laugh, to share in the joy of each other's successes and dreams, and to get to know, even for a few short days, the newest and most important people in each other's lives.

I love you girl! And just so you know, I still have the birthday card you gave me on my 12th birthday, nearly 20 years ago! Now I really feel moldy.

Boo!

For some reason, probably safety, our town holds trick-or-treat on the last Saturday of October. Tonight was the night my Darth Vador, colorful clown & wee pumpkin toured the block begging for treats. Sitting next to me is a gargantuan bowl of refined sugar as proof of their efforts.

I have to giggle because the huge plastic pumpkins my kids are using to trick-or-treat with, were my brothers and mine when we were kids. One of them even has the Toys R Us sticker on it. $1.97 Probably from about 1987.

The Obstetrician Song

Now, brace yourself. Some people might be offended by the Obstetrician song, but I think it is quite clever.


Listen to The Obstetrician Song here


About the songwriter: Scott Kalechstein is a transformational entertainer who turns stress, challenges and conflicts into lighthearted musical comedy. So, just take it as such!

Happy Birthday Gentlemen!

Here's a shout out to two very special men in my life. Eric turned 28 yesterday and Uncle Jim turns 49 today! With that, I'd like to say 3 great things about each of them. Not that they don't deserve more than 3 things, but in the interest of time I will say 3 for now.

Eric. Eric is my only sibling. He and I are pretty tight and I'm glad I have him for a brother.

1. Dude - despite hating stores like Bed Bath & Beyond, thank you for always hanging out with me when I had to do an errand that you knew would actually turn into a half-days worth of errands. I loved your company!
2. I will never forget when we were little. Whenever you had to go to the doctors office, you would always come back with a sucker for me. How the hell were you so thoughtful at such a young age and what happened?? lol Kidding.
3. I have always admired your drive and perseverance. You know when you want something and you pursue it relentlessly. You have accomplished some awesome goals in your life, and I'll be watching from afar with interest as the rest of your life unfolds! Plus dude, you broadcast one mean baseball game!

Uncle Jim. Uncle Jim is one awesome Dutch Uncle. I miss the days when we used to go out together and watch a band or two on a sticky summer Chicago night.

1. I owe my love of classic rock entirely to you! Thank you for introducing me to some quality music - and giving me your tape collection back in the 80's. I can remember you rocking on your drums in Nonnie's basement playing 2112 with perfection, and that was when you thought you were rusty. You amaze me with your self-taught guitar skills, a true musician.
2. There is no one I'd rather make a Dairy Queen run with, than you. Trips to DQ in the summer (even in the winter) are some of my fondest memories with you, as simple as that is!
3. You have lived through moments of sadness and moments of great joy. I can tell you this... the moments of joy look so much better on you! You have such a nice thing going in your life right now. LIVE it, enjoy it and savor it to the fullest! Life is a blessing.

I love you both! XOXO

2 (not so random) Facts

From the CDC bulletin: National Infection Control Week is October 18-24 (1998). Each year, approximately 2 million patients develop a hospital-associated infection, and an estimated 88,000 patients die as a direct or indirect result of such infections.


The World Health Organization (WHO) states that the preferred location for most births is outside the hospital, either at home or in a birthing center, and that out-of-hospital birth should be implemented and maintained as the basic standard for all midwifery education and training programs.

You Give Me Fever

I'm proud owner of a feverish child upstairs. I have to say I'm amused by the erratic things a sick child will say. Kika came in the kitchen and promptly told me "mama, I'm sick of laying down on the living room floor!". Huh? What do you mean, I asked? "I'm just......" a few drunken steps and she burst into tears. "My head hurts!"

To hear her so helpless today, was pathetically adorable. She was not thrilled at the idea of a nap, but fell victim to her lethargy and is now comfortably tucked in in my bed. She has a fever. And a headache. Although it is comforting to blame the needless well baby check at the dr.'s office the other day, or yesterday's playdate, I'm going to allow her body the opportunity to heal itself, and I'm going to re-read Healing Crisis, a favorite article of mine about respecting how the body deals with illness. As my great friend Joanna says: "Fever Is Our Friend".

Luckily, the other munchkin was getting tired herself at the same time, and is tucked in her bed too. It's very quiet here right now. Ahhhh.

I'm thankful for small blessings today:

1. A forgotten box of leftovers in my fridge that is making for the perfect lunch. My favorite chili & cheese taco salad from Bob Evans with a delectable piece of pumpkin bread on the side. Mmmm.
2. 2 sleeping children at once, which gave me the opportunity to breathe in the still, quietness of a blissful gorgeous fall day.
3. A quiet neighborhood. I'm listening to the hum of my dryer, some bugs outside and a jet overhead (that is unusual for around here).
4. Grass outside that's brilliantly GREEN and growing....inch by inch.
5. A clean house! (Thank You Linda)

Update: Kika took 3 naps and her fever broke at 6pm. No Tylenol. She took some supplements instead. She went outside for a little bit in the evening and was as good as new in the morning.

Baby's First Doctor Visit

Maybe you've seen this email forward:

Baby's First Doctor Visit

A woman and a baby were in the doctor's examining room,
waiting for the doctor to come in for the baby's first exam.
The doctor arrived, and examined the baby,
checked his weight, and being a little concerned,
asked if the baby was breast-fed or bottle-fed.
'Breast-fed,' she replied.
'Well, strip down to your waist,' the doctor ordered.
She did. He pinched her nipples, pressed, kneaded, and
rubbed both breasts for a while in a very professional
and detailed examination.
Motioning to her to get dressed, the doctor said,
'No wonder this baby is underweight.
You don't have any milk.'
I know,' she said,
'I'm his Grandma,
but I'm glad I came.'

Our baby's first doctor's visit was today. Here's how she measured up. She is now 15lbs, 7oz and 26 inches long. Her head circumference is 16 1/4. She is at the 50th percentile for length and weight. We had a student in the room with us during our appointment. Poor girl, I had to break her in as to how the "other side" does things!

Him-a-lay-in

But not for long!

Meet Miles. He came into our lives on the Saturday night of Sternwheel Festival. Every year in Marietta on the second weekend in September, there is an enormous festival in our town where all types of sternwheel boats line up along the river. The celebration draws crowds from all over. It has become a yearly tradition for Christian and I to snuggle up together on the trunk of the car to ooh and aaah over the fireworks display. It's really quite nice.

This year, Christian was much less enamored with the fireworks than he was with this stray little friendly cat. The cat looked like a chocolate point Siamese to me, and Christian talked me into taking him home. Aww, he was so hungry - how could I say no? I hate to see one of God's helpless creatures starve. So, home Miles came and when Christian worried that he'd never see Miles again, I chuckled to myself because a homeless hungry cat ALWAYS comes back. Miles has been with us since then and upon taking him to our family Vet, we discovered that he is between 1-2 years old, is negative for feline leukemia and desperately needs a neuter, which was why he probably escaped from his loving home in the first place.

*Ahem* Let me just say that on the day we found Miles, I was a little concerned he might have testicular cancer, because he has some very healthy hardware. It doesn't help that the contrast of colors really sets his manhood out for all to see (and I suppose admire, if you were a fellow male cat). Our Vet told us that he suspects Miles is more Himalayan than Siamese. He'll be loosing his bits in a few weeks, because being the responsible parent and citizen that I am, I cannot allow Miles to impregnate any loose female cats. Him-a-lay-in no more in a few weeks. That's a promise!

6 months old

6 months have flown by.

Today marks the half-birthday of one very special young lady. Our caboose is 6 months old today.

Here are some fun facts about her.

She is sitting unassisted. She rolls over from front to back, but did this at least a dozen times before I witnessed it. I would find her in the "stranded beetle" position when she would wake up (she's a tummy sleeper). She is saying "aaa mamamama ahhh" and of course to me this is MAMA! So sweet. She is staying up for longer intervals of time and takes 3 nice naps per day. She is on a very consistent sleep routine, goes to bed at 8, wakes up right about 8. She squeals when she sees her siblings, and laughs the heartiest laugh when I snort in her neck!

She continues to be 100% breastfed. I'll be anxious to see her accurate weight and length at her first doctor's visit in a couple of days. It's so satisfying to look at this long, growing baby knowing that all of this growth came from straight from me! Her chubby thighs are being replaced by length, the other day I noticed hardly a roll on her and when I was nursing her, her legs were hanging off my lap.

We have not started solids yet. We'll be waiting until some teeth emerge, ensuring she has adequate digestive enzymes to break down solid food. I'm truthfully in no hurry for her to be eating. That requires me bringing up the high chair, making some baby food, the mess, the nasty solid poop - yuk. I'm too lazy to deal with it right now. She's growing like a weed and although she is showing signs of food readiness, I'm happy to give her more time without food to ward off allergies later.

Oh! The other thing she's doing is grabbing for everything. We were at Panera yesterday and she was trying to sneak my cookie away! I have no idea where she gets that from. I hate cookies! ;)

That's about it for a 6 month check in. She has had the pleasure of not a single runny nose, no coughs, no colds, no sneezes, no ear infections, no nothin! She's on her way to becoming another boring Marasco kid.

One Year Ago

This is what I wrote in my journal. Oh sweet ponderings!

Welcome Baby!

Today is October 2nd, 2007 and I am now 11 weeks pregnant with our 3rd baby. I had the pleasure of meeting Rebecca today after an hour and a half long scenic drive along the Muskingum River. As the leaves gently fell around me on a picture perfect cloudless day, I breathed in the clean air driving North up Rt. 60. It's definitely not "crisp" here yet, still in the 80's. The leaves are just glazed with a hint of the beginning of some color. Normally this is a downer for me.... the end to a summer, impending darker days and death, but death was contrary to what I was driving to my destination for today. I am carrying life inside me once again and I am so very blessed and lucky to enjoy effortless conceptions, easy healthy pregnancies and births that leave me empowered and with renewed confidence in myself, and my body's abilities. (looking back, I realize that this may come across as sounding braggy, but that was not my intention. I truly realize the magnatude of this blessing and am grateful beyond words.)

Rebecca is our new midwife and I've heard such nice things about her. Having met her today, I know why. Rebecca is a lovely Mennonite woman with an upbeat personality and a gentle presence. She helps lots of local Mennonite & Amish couples and some regulars like us with their babies. When I say she helps them, I mean that she gives prenatal & postpartum care and catches the baby. We don't say "delivered", because a woman delivers her baby, unless the baby is surgically removed, or taken out via forecepts etc. So, I deliver my baby, she "assists" or "catches". Hopefully, she makes it in time!

I have not gained any weight yet, in fact I'm 3 lbs down from my normal pre-pregnancy weight still. My blood pressure was textbook. My urine test showed normal sugar & protein levels and my Ph was 7.5. The finger prick test revealed normal iron counts and last but most importantly, I heard that blessed little 9 week old life inside of me, beating at a strong 157 beats per minute! Hearing that brought tears to my eyes as it always does.

What a great day it was today!

Inch By Inch

And row by row, I WILL get this lawn to grow.

Our lawn looks awful. I have been obsessed with it for quite some time now. The neighbors laugh at me, but that's OK. My lawn WILL look good by next year. Last weekend we spent a few hours aerating and overseeding. We had the weather on our side, because it has been rainy ever since and that means no watering for us.

A few things to know about lawn maintenance:

• Number one. Those ugly clumpy weeds that I could pull out in my sleep? Well, that would be crabgrass. I've got a whole front yard full of it. Crabgrass dies when the first frost hits, but it's seeds are everywhere. To prevent crabgrass for the next season, a good crabgrass control must be applied in early Spring.
  


• Number two. Grass seed must be planted in the Spring or Fall (this I actually did know) and has to be watered for 10 days straight.
  


• Number three. We live in what's called a transitional zone. That means that unlike Pittsburgh and Chicago, we live in a warmer climate with clay and sand, instead of regular dirt. We have clay. Turf Tall Fescue is the type of grass that is ideal for this area. It grows in clumps and since we never allow it to grow high enough to seed, we must overseed when there are patches or if we want to thicken our lawn.
  


• Number four. Mowing matters. Keep blade high and sharp. (we knew this too) This prevents drying out and ensures a clean even cut.

• Number five. Lawn Ph is important. This should come as no surprise since I've studied skin care and my husband is an expert in human nutrition. Growing living lawns are no exception. Our Ph was low, so lime must be applied in the dormant season to alkalize the soil. I mean clay.

I've joined forces with Spring Green, a chain lawn care service. This is the same company used by my neighbors down the block who's flawless lawns I lust after all summer long. Keep watching for pictures of an all-improved lawn in the Spring.