LA Times article: Midwives Deliver

Loved this well-written article by Jennifer Block. Also, loved that it was published in the LA Times! Yeah for midwives!

Until next time.....

you know you live in a small town when....

When you go to the POST OFFICE 5 days before Christmas and there is NO ONE in line! I mean WHAT??? I was honestly in shock and thought the entire outside world had come crashing down. When I asked where everybody was while peeling my jaw off the floor, they said it was so dead at the moment because it was still early, and it's raining. Raining? So, what do people think, they are going to melt? Oh honestly. This is pretty funny to me, especially when I think about standing at the VP post office on any given day, much less around Christmas and there is a line out the door. Typical wait time is no less than 20 minutes. I can remember putting Christmas cards in the VP mail box and you could literally take your hand and grab people's mail out of the giant blue mail box because it was that stuffed! Man, where am I and how did I get here again??

For this I will giggle and leave it at that! This is a perk of living in a small town.

Spotlight On...

My Mom.

I did not forget about you today. I'm typing my thoughts out now, as I finally have a quiet moment after a bustling day that was supposed to be a little less busy. One child proves to be much more work than three....

Happy 53rd Birthday Mom! I'm saying how old you are, because you are so NOT old!! For a mother of a 32 year old and grandmother to 3, you are one hot diamond girl! So then, on your birthday - 3 things in your honour.

1. You are hands down the Queen of surprises! NOBODY pulls off a surprise like you do. You have an uncanny knack for gathering details to perfectly execute your plan and that includes getting the right people to do the right things at the right times. Everybody who knows you, loves this quality of yours. When it comes to balloon serenades at work, or planning a 21st birthday in Las Vegas (thank you again) you get the gold! I love the excitement in your eyes when you have the most delicious idea, and you decide to share it with me. Your ambition and drive are contagious.
   
2. I'm not sure you realize the extent of the legacy you have helped to carry out when you embrace tradition. I will always appreciate you carrying on a birthday party for baby Jesus every Christmas, even when we got older, or wish candles on the Christmas plates. These are nice things that add to the character of a family - and ones that I hold dear and carry on with my kids.
   
3. You have eyes that sparkle. Thanks for sharing them with me! Let those eyes truly be the windows of your soul and let the great qualities of your soul show to those around you! I love how you wish for snow on your birthday each year. I don't know what it's doing in VP at this moment, but after a nearly 60 degree day yesterday, it looks like a snow globe here, right now. As I was driving home tonight from a Christmas party with my mom's group... toasty warm car, cheery Christmas carols playing, my 4-wheel drive secured while slick, deserted roads surround me, it was almost like, despite the 400 miles between us, you were right there in the car with me enjoying the scenery on your birthday - a winter wonderland, just the way you like and always wish for!

I love you!

-Christine

The Elf On The Shelf

I just got wind of this adorable idea from Renee who flew South and stayed there about 6 years ago. Evidently, this is a very popular thing to do down there.

A little elf arrived at our house one week ago. He was secured to our living room valance with a letter tied around him that read:

Dear Christian, Kika and Tula,

I am leaving with you one of my very special elves. He will stay at your house to watch to make sure you are all being good before I come visit you on Christmas Eve.

I will warn you that sometimes my elves are naughty when they are away from the workshop up at the North Pole.

You are NOT to touch the elf, only talk to him.

I will pick him up on Christmas Eve, so please take care of him while he is with you.

See You Soon,

Santa Claus

The kids have been having a blast looking to see what the elf did last night while they were asleep. The first night our little elf teepee'd our living room (fun times!). He was hanging upside down in the Christmas tree the other night and had left the kids a treat near where he was positioned. He is always in a different spot each day, sometimes he brings treats, sometimes he leaves a mess!! The hardest thing about this elf on the shelf idea was actually finding an elf around here. I went to Hallmark, Joanne Fabrics, KMart, Big Lots, Wal-Mart and the Dollar General, all fruitless efforts. Finally on a last pathetic whim, I walked through the Christmas aisle at Lowe's where one of the little Misfits from Rudolph the Red Nosed Reindeer hung on one of the shelving units all by his lonesome. He'd have to do for now. If you'd like to adopt this idea, I'll save you some legwork - you can purchase an Elf on the Shelf kit online, or I saw on their website that Mulberry Lane has them as well.

Initially, I loved this idea, but was feeling a little bad that there was nothing about this clever elf and his harmless tricks that had to do with the true meaning of Christmas. Then it occurred to me that I was after all in charge, and I could control what the elf did. So, tonight, when all kids are fast asleep, our elf is going to leave a note about Jesus (using an upside down candy cane to make a "J") and how He was the ultimate gift onto us. I'm going to prominently display the manger with the elf and the note alongside to make sure the focus is where it belongs! Ah-ha!

http://www.elfontheshelf.com/

Spotlight on....

My Dad.

....who is at the Bears game right now freezing his arse off. Hope these memento's warm you up when you read this later! In your honour, 3 things...








Dad, you are truly the most selfless person I know. It is never "all about you" because you are too busy making sure everybody else has what they need and your home is taken care of. I admire this about you. Your humble spirit makes your personality and good looks even more appealing to the people around you. Be assured that these qualities never go unnoticed, they win you enormous respect.

You have a 1000 watt smile that lights up a room! You gave it to me, and I passed it on to your grandkids. You are a tried & true leader, even though you may not think so. You are stable, head of household, oldest of 6 siblings, loved by all who meet you. Recognize the face in the picture? Before I got married and moved out of the house, on with my new life & new husband, I stole your little drummer boy ornament (pictured above) because he was yours from your childhood. It was a piece of you I could take with me. I'm sure he was from nineteen forty-something and he is sure showing his age, but I promise you I will keep him safe for as long as I have him in my possession. When I can't be with you during Christmastime, he stands in for you, as your proxy, until next time.

A careless afternoon in the Spring of 2001 will be a memory I will hold dear to my heart for eternity. I had so much fun with you spitting cherry seeds over the 5th floor balcony of Frank's Lisle apartment while unsuspecting bystanders smoked cigarettes underneath as we giggled in silence. I will always remember the smell of that afternoon, how the sun was shining in a cloudless sky and the random pieces of cotton drifted through the air while we listened to some soft music. If there aren't a hundred cherry trees down there by now I'd be surprised! I love you. Happy Birthday!

My Dad and grandfather share a birthday today. Happy Birthday to you too Papa! I miss and love you!

allowing the creative juices to flow

So I have been writing! I was asked to write something about fall for my MOPS group. I took the opportunity to write about a day long forgotten... probably by most but not by me. I was in about 6th grade and was involved with my school's Brownie group. Our leader Rose, hosted a taffy apple making night at her home. It was a really fun time so I decided to let it resurface and give Mothers Of Preschoolers some tips on how to make home made taffy apples, or as they were called we ordered them, Affy Tapples.

Then I was asked by my mama*ology group to write an article on natural toys. You can view it here. I'd really love to get some other thoughts and opinions out there, especially because mine are of the path less chosen, and I think it might make for some interesting reading.... so stay tuned.

I am part of the homebirth movement because...

I am part of the homebirth movement because... because we are too short, too tall, too thin, too small of foot, too old, too young, too wide, and our pelvises are too narrow, too small, too untried, or unproven or the wrong shape, and our uterus's are too scarred, or pointing the wrong way, or we are too multiparous, too fertile, too infertile, too female, too small, too big, too fat, too emotional, too detached, too strong, too weak, too intelligent, too well designed to birth, not designed well enough, and our vagina's are too scarred, too unproven, not stretchy enough or too stretchy, and we're too inconvenient, too unpredictable, too demanding, too informed, too loud, too messy, and our bodies labour too long or not long enough, and our cervix's don't dilate 1cm an hour on command and because when you hire a surgeon you get surgery and hospitals are for sick people…and so for these and many other reasons, we are part of the home birth movement. - Janet Fraser

I don't know Janet Fraser, but I like this statement!

And for this I am Thankful.

This Thanksgiving season, I am especially thankful for...

1. living in a country where you can go to the grocery store the night before Thanksgiving and there is still plenty. Only in America...
2. being able to sleep at night without the nagging fear for my family's life. Some people are not so lucky.
3. The most simple things... a warm home, clean water, a bed, the laughter of healthy children.
4. And the not so simple or easy things.... a set of parents who taught me faith. Being able to go to the church I love, freely. The opportunity to teach & encourage faith to my own young.
5. a rock star husband who took all of the kids away for hours so I could cook and clean in preparation for out of town guests.
6. a husband who, despite the occasional tiff, is on the same exact page with me when it comes to all of the big things in life -- politics, religion, parenting philosophy and health care decisions.
7. circles of friends I couldn't have imagined!
8. a family with which to love, and receive love from in return
9. the internet. let's face it, I love it - it's how I keep in touch with the world from the MOV.

Goodbye Kitty

The last of my Chicago kitties has passed on as of Friday. Unfortunately, it was Christian who found him and came up to tell me "mama, I have something very sad to tell you. I think BJ died. His eye is open and he's not moving, even when I called his name." Sure enough, our Blackjack was no more. :( Goodbye Kitty.

In the spirit of celebrating life, I will tell the short story of when we found him. It was Halloween 1992. My boyfriend Paul and I pulled in to my driveway to find my mother standing awkwardly in the backyard screaming something to my brother who was on his way to a soccer game. I got out of the car and she was asking somebody in a panic to go get the cat carrier. What on Earth was she doing? I thought something happened to my black cat Tiffani, but couldn't figure out the logic of what was happening, since Tiff was an indoor only cat. Why would she be outside? After the confusion settled, my mom explained to me that this cat was hurt, not ours (yet) and in our backyard needing help. She was going to take him to the vet.

I was on my way to work that day at the mall, so I told her to call me to let me know the scoop on the cat. Turns out he was an adult, black short haired male with a shattered pelvis. We suspected either he got hit by a car, or our animal-hater of a neighbor did something awful to hurt this cat.

We named Blackjack.... Blackjack, because he was black (duh) and we love Las Vegas. BJ stayed with us after his shattered pelvis surgery and my mom worried and worried that he would want to get outside after his recovery. The vet assured her that a cat who is being fed, will always come back! Against my mom's wishes I let Blackjack outside after his three week recovery. Not only had his condition drastically improved, but there was a shine to his coat and a gentle docile personality emerged. Of course he came back, and we appointed him and indoor cat from then on. I firmly believe that God has a list of "suckers" that he sends stray, hurt and abandoned animals to. Our family has got to be in the top 100 of that list.

When we found BJ it was 1992 and he was labeled an adult male then. We figure he was about 18 years old. BJ lived in Illinois with my family until I got married, when he came with Frank & I to Pennsylvania and then moved once more to Ohio. He's been with me through a husband, three kids and two moves. He's watched three other furry friends go before him and he's been a nurturing father figure to some other cats through the years that I've brought home and found new homes for. I will not miss his cat hair all over the house, his bellows from the basement when I FINALLY had some quiet time, or his vomit all over my storage room and basement carpet. However, he did stick with me through good times and bad. Rest in peace Blackjack. See you again someday old friend!

He's Hooked!

And not just on me! ;) I'm secretly thrilled that my husband has acquired a lust for the divine. Latte's, Mocha's, Whipped Cream - Oh My! Frank has admitted to me how he's completely hooked on foufy over expensive coffee. I know I know, they say that if you skip your Starbucks every day, you'd save hundreds. Don't worry - I'm not spending hundreds, or even close.

It all started when Shayla convinced me to meet her at Borders for a Peppermint Mocha Trio. That was two years ago, I was hooked after one. While I don't buy expensive coffee on a regular basis, I do treat myself once in a while. To that, and one hot quiet shower daily.

What are your guilty pleasures? What are the small little tokens of appreciation you reward yourself with?

Random Thoughts 11/18/08

I'd love to write, but nothing, and everything are coming to my mind. So with that, I'm sitting down to another cup of decaf tea and another limited edition candy cane creme Oreo cookie to blabber - something I have mastered the art of!

• We have a crawler. Yep, Tula is making her way around a room now all by herself. We really have to start watching where she's headed! She greeted me in her crib after nap time sitting up. Time to lower the crib - again.
• I still need to go through each child's bedroom and pack up the outgrown and out of season clothing. It stays warm here for so long, you never know when you're going to need shorts.
• Our receptionist retired, which leaves Frank to hire someone new, but he's choosing to do so in the Spring. I love filling the gaps here & there and working at the office, but it gets frustrating when you have a baby on a very good schedule and then you mess with that. Baby napping in a sling is not my preferred method.
• And on that note... I have never co-slept with this baby. That makes me a little sad, but a lot happy. In some respects I love to peek at a sleeping baby in the middle of the night and listen to them breathing next to me and smelling that baby sweetness, but I'm sleeping in a king sized bed all by myself and it is BLISS! I can stretch out, use a full length body pillow and get good sleep without a baby attached to my breast. This baby sleeps so well in her crib in her room, so I have yet to have a reason to co-sleep, but believe me when I say, if at any point it gets me MORE sleep, I won't hesitate. I'm waking up one time per night now, maybe twice if she's teething. The other night she slept from 8pm to 6:30am, nursed for 8 minutes or so and went back to sleep until 8:30am. Now that's what I'm talking about!
• I have been getting out with the girls (adult girls - not to be mistaken for daughter girls) and it feels amazing!!! *chorus of angels* Ahh, there is nothing like having a glass of wine or a margarita with the girls over good conversation and good food. Having a 7 month old on a predictable schedule and two fairly self-sufficient older kids affords me the pleasure. Now I just need some babysitters so that I can get some Frankie time too!
• I am so pleased with Christian's school. We had our first parent/teacher conference a couple weeks ago and got an excellent report from Mrs. S. Yea Christian! Christian is reading, writing his letters very very very nicely, writing sentences, counting by two's, five's, ten's, illustrating bible stories and a whole load of other cool things. Some of this stuff he's been doing for a while, but now he's perfected his skills!
• I joined facebook the other day and feel so cool that I have 125 friends in my network. I'm having a BLAST on that thing, being in touch with so many people from so many aspects of my life, but really...it's been interesting keeping up with....mmm... no, more like spying on my younger cousins away at college. I'm justifying my time spent there as a special kind of community service to my family.
• My son is a pack-rat and my husband is the opposite of a pack-rat. I'm remembering that my son has a project due tomorrow and I'm pretty positive Frank threw it away. Grrr.

(ten minutes later)

• I'm actually now ready to dump a cold bucket of ice cubes on Frank in his sleep. I found that when he was going through my "rubble pile" the other day that he disposed of some pretty important stuff. Now who's a garbage picker? OMG - I could scream!
• This cat of ours, Miles, he is a litterbox snob and will not poop where he's already pooped. It might be goodbye kitty soon. We did have him neutered, but now he's infected our healthy cats with his virus and now they all have runny eyes and runny noses. Ugh.
• Oh, one more thought... today my poor Tula tipped over in her swing twice! I'm not sure if my kids were the culprit, or she's just getting too heavy for it. Either way, I'm retiring the swing for another day... maybe for my brother....or some friends....or whatever.

Sweet dreams!

Thank A Veteran

Take the time today to thank a Veteran for their time served to maintain your freedom. Remember, freedom isn't free. Thanks Dad!

Veterans Day
By Taylor Weinman


Representing the red white and blue
The colors of our flag stand out proud and true.
The white stars on blue background with red and white stripes
Remind me of these veterans, who all risked their lives.
Just so the people of the U.S. could all live in peace and be free
These are the heroes that represent you and me.
They stood up strongly, untied as one,
And kept up the fighting until they were done.
And although some have fallen, and lost their lives in war,
We pray for each one of them.
And now that their souls live on forever more,
Above in God's hands.
They watch over our nation,
And give us strength to triumph over others with strong anticipation.
So every year, when this day comes by,
Think of all the veterans that while fighting, had to die.
And remember that they were people
With fire and passion embedded inside.
They die for this country,
So remember and honor them with pride

They Say It's Your Birthday

It's my birthday too!

So the story goes....

On a cold day in November on the outskirts of Chicago, a pregnant woman, 40 weeks along, was in labor. Her first child was due to be born on November 8th and it was just that day. As the laboring woman stayed within the safe boundaries of her home, she drew from her inner strength and prepared for a task with which she was unfamiliar, yet made to do. A ravenous craving for pecan sandies and a broken bag of water later, she headed to the hospital where her first child, a girl, would be born naturally 15 minutes after her arrival. This child was met with much anticipation, as she would be the first grandchild for two sets of grandparents. On Tuesday November 9th 1976 at 2:30am, not only was a child born, but so was a mother! Happy Birthday to us, Mom! Thanks for choosing life!

That was 32 years ago and this is now. My Mom tells me my birthday story each year and I hope to do the same for my kids, as their birth days have been so transformational to me.

I share a birthday with my friend Kelly from church and my friend Amy from mama*ology. Happy Birthday girls!

Deck The Halls, But Do It Later

Is it strange that today I did some random shopping at Wal-Mart wearing shorts and a t-shirt while the entire store was decked out in Christmas, including festive music pumping through the speakers? I hate this! Truth be told, I'm not crazy about the holidays and I think years of retail employment tainted my spirit. But come on people! Today is November 6th and this is NOT the first day I've seen and heard Christmas. This has been going on for at least a week or two already. I complain everywhere I go, even to store managers. Two weeks ago a Kohl's employee changed the music when I voiced my distaste - it wasn't even Halloween yet!

I completely understand the fact that retailers do this in hopes to boost holiday sales, but even this is wacky, because most of them have a 30 day return policy. I am not ready for this madness yet, it was just summer!

Gripe over.

In other news, our little sweetpea turned 7 months today. She is days away from crawling, rocking on hands & knees and scooting backward. Look out, we're in for it now! She's been enjoying a small variety of solid foods and is obviously truly ready for what she's been offered. She has cut her first two teeth as of a couple week ago, right in line with her siblings at the same ages. Valentina's personality blossoms, but be warned she is no wallflower! She lets her opinion be heard.

Post Election Thoughts

Well, it's cut & dry. We have a new president. Although he barely snuck by by the popular vote, he won by leaps & bounds when it came to the electoral votes. I'm still learning all of the nitty gritty on how this works exactly. I have heard people say that they never cared or understood politics until they became older. I guess that includes me too. This was the first year I voted in a presidential election, so now I have griping rights if I don't like what's to come.

The biggest kick I got was over my 6 year old. Kids nowadays are smart as whips! It started on Sunday when Christian & I went to see Sarah Palin in our home town. Crazy that she was right here!! We really enjoyed ourselves and I took the opportunity to explain a little of the basics to Christian.

The funniest though was what happened the next day. Monday after school, Christian and the neighbor were playing together with chalk on the driveway when Christian asks Cormac if he was voting (cute!). The rest went like this:

Cormac: Yep, I'm voting for Barack Obama

Christian: Mom, is that who we're voting for?

Me: Um... no.

Cormac: Well, Barack Obama is the best!

Christian: Hmmm

Cormac: Yeah well, John McCain is just another Bush!

These kids are SIX! I didn't have a fraction of a clue when I was six about anything politics-related.

Christian comes home from school the next day reporting that they had an election in school. John McCain won 6 to 4. He also reported: "Mom, that Barack Obama hangs out with some bad people." First I asked him where he heard that from and then I told him he should see what Cormac has to say about that.

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.