Backlogging:

August 22nd:


August 23rd:

A Bone to Pick....

I have not used this blog to air my grievances in the past, but today I have a bone to pick!

In a nutshell I have been miserable all day due to an outbreak of hives. BUYER BEWARE!
I contacted the company via internet to let them know there is a problem.

Here is what I wrote:
"I am very disappointed in your All Free and Clear. Or should it be renamed 'neither free nor clear'. After using this product two-three times in the past week and a half, I have become overtaken with hives. This is the ONLY thing that has changed in our routine or of the products we consume. After a day of suspicion it was confirmed, i had taken medicine to relive myself but while nursing my son, who was dressed in freshly laundered pj's yet again my stomach, buttocks and ankles immediately began itching and swelling with weals. Please tell me what chemical is reported to have this side effect as I want to avoid it in all ways. I do not want to be hospitalized for anaphylaxis after washing clothes! In case you dismiss this is a rare case, I spoke to my health care provider today regarding my suspicions, and lo and behold her daughter is severely allergic to this product as well. I am irritated and itching. People are conned by lovely packaging in the hope that they are doing a good thing for their body and environment and this is an injustice. "

Maybe it is a wee bit dramatic but darn it all! I'm not happy!
Does anyone out there have itchies from a chemical? Air your grievance here!!!

Family Vacation!

For our first family vacation we traveled by plane and car. It was a super-duper great time with family. We love them. In chronological order we visited: S's uncle and aunt, S's parent's friends, S's parents, S's sister's family, S's Aunt, 14 of S's High School pals, S's Grandma B, My dad and his family, S's childhood friend and his family and S's parents again. I think it will be less time consuming to simply give you the count, so without further ado...

Here's the fun and extensive 2008 Family Vacation count:
1 long term parking spot
4 plane rides
1 new learned computer game
2 excited cousins
1 GIANT bon fire
0 mosquito bites
4 hours at Lake Michigan beach
1 new hair cut
100's of laughs
2 hours in Ikea Canton, MI
9 home-made loaves of Naan
3 thrift stores
1 visit to Cleveland Zoo
1 nap through the butterfly garden
4 Subway sandwiches
10 outdoor walks
8 Olympic medals to what's-his-name (we watched them all.)
51 pounds of midwifery books shipped home
3 rounds of corn hole
10 hands of Texas Hold em'
6 home-cooked meals
15 cloth diapers
2 o'clock AM when we arivved home.


And because we ended up with only a smattering of photos this is not all inclusive... sorry to those who didn't make the cut... we love you dearly! But apparently we didn't care enough to take your pictures. Actually I think our battererys went dead.

Today:

L. seems to be growing up so quickly. I'm afraid to blink; I might miss something. He's such a sweet and smiley baby! He's very attached to Mama and Dada but will happily go to Granna (and a few select others.)

L. crawls around on his hands and feet. My guess is he wants to be Spiderman when he grows up. He can stand up while holding a toy in his hands, balance for a few seconds and land-- kersplot-- back down on his rump. He creeps around the furniture, wobbling only slightly and already he tries to climb. He tires to climb into the tub, into the diswasher, up onto the bed... sigh... and he can't even walk yet!

To keep up with all the climbing L. eats well! He still nurses the majority of the time but LOVES food! Tonight he had whole wheat noodles for the first time. Yesterday he had blueberries and grapes on our outing to Lake Monticello with friends. A friend suggested frozen peas, as babies this age are trying to establish their pincer grasp this keeps them busy: chasing peas around the high chair. Sure enough, it kept him busy while I did the dishes. The only drawback I see is later that day I got to see them again. Who knew?

He does have the pincer grasp down fairly well. He also loves to bang on his drum Granna and Pop brought him from South America. He love to bang on anything really, the diaper pail, the toilet...

Not only does L. enjoy food but his all time favorite is to chew on shoes.. my new white flip flops have teeth marks on the toe. We have officially exiled all shoes to a basket on the sun porch, and don't you know if the little rascal sees the sun porch door ajar he will make a bee-line in that direction. One time he stopped to see if I was en route behind him, and I just had to chuckle when upon seeing me he turned and tried to spider crawl even faster! I could see the wheels turning.

L. LOVES his dada. He enjoys how his dad plays with him. S. figured out a new trick. I believe he calls it the helocopter: he shakes his head 'no' while pressing his hair into Levi's belly. It makes him just howl with glee.

L. is a very special kid.
I am blessed to be his mother.

One Year Ago Today:

I had time to paint my toes...
I was half way through my midwifery training...
We had a dog named Dara...
Steve was an EMT Basic...
Hmmm, I'm forgetting something...
AH, we were very excited that we only had to wait a little while longer for Levi's arrival!