Not seriously ill, but he's got a little nose/throat virus. We had a bad night. Isaac went to sleep at about 8:30 but woke up every hour thereafter. I couldn't figure out why he as waking so often, but I'd already started reading The No-Cry Sleep Solution earlier this week, and I just hoped there'd be something in there to alleviate what I assumed was a sleep problem.
Isaac seemed fine and happy this morning when I dropped him off at my parents, but they called me at about 11:30am and told me he had been crying non-stop for the past two hours. And not just crying, but screaming. And he refused to take a bottle. When I arrived there 20 minutes later, he was sleeping, but I went ahead and called the doctor, who told me to bring him in. He woke up at about 12:15, nursed, and seemed like himself even after we arrived at the doctor's office an hour later.
Dr. Ludlow said his throat looked a little red and he had some congestion, which was what probably kept him up all night (he couldn't breathe). She told me to give him saline drops in his nose, keep him upright while he slept and keep an eye on him. He's kicking me and laughing now, which I think means he's feeling a little better, but I just hate it that my little baby feels poorly. My dad said, "Now you really know what it feels like to be a parent..."
Cute things Isaac is doing:
Lifting his arms toward me when he wants to be picked up.
Wrapping his arms around my neck when I do pick him up.
Nuzzling his head in my shoulder when he's feeling shy.
Laughing out loud when I blow on his tummy.
Tuesday, August 19, 2008
Wednesday, August 13, 2008
Pictures, Pictures
I just can't stop myself. Someone told me Philbrook's rose garden is in full bloom and looks beautiful, and my first thought was, "I need to get Isaac over there to take some pictures!"
I really do think he's getting close to sitting up. A couple of times he's used his tummy muscles to get himself in a sitting position, but he usually can't hold it and topples over. His neck is stronger every day, and I think I'm going to try out the Bumbo again. I've instructed my mom to get as much tummy time in throughout the day as she can, although I may regret that when he actually does start crawling all over the place and I have to keep up!
Great Ideas
Tasha tagged me again. I'm always talking about the things I want to do or the plans I'm making, always taking on more and more and more. I've always been like this, but it seems its actually gotten worse since Isaac was born. Instead of taking on less, I seem to be taking on more (or, at least planning to take on more.
Tasha's theory is that, by writing it down and getting it out there for others to read, maybe I'll actually follow through with some of this. After all, I have the (three?) people who read this now to keep me accountable! So, I divided my list into two: things I want to do right now and things I want to do someday.
So, here goes.
Things I want to do RIGHT NOW:
1. Freelance for natural parenting magazines. On my list to query are Motherhing, Wonder Time and Parents. (Not a big fan of Parents because it always seems to promote formula feeding, crying it out, vaccinations, etc. and rarely focuses any attention on alternatives. I hope to write about the alternatives so that the many parents who read this magazine and not ones like Mothering will be aware of alternative options.)
2. Open a boutique that caters to women before, during and after pregnancy, the goal of which would be to show average women that natural childbirth and holistic parenting are options for everyone, not just an elite few. You don't have to be Superwoman to birth a child naturally. I'd like to open a place that will support any woman who makes that decision.
3. Become certified as a post-partum doula, childbirth educator and breastfeeding educator.
4. Make a line of re-claimed baby clothes (named ah-goo, after Isaac's first word) and sell it at Tulsa's Indie Emporium in October.
5. Plant a garden.
6. Start composting and collecting rainwater.
7. Go to church. I grew up in church, and though I have mixed emotions about some of the churches I attended, I would like to find a church home I'm happy and comfortable in so Isaac is raised regularly attending church.
8. Lose the baby weight. I know it's selfish, but I don't care. In theory, I'd love to play a sport or take up running, but again, time is a factor. I'll settle for just working out once in a while during lunch.
9. Spend more time with John.
10. Be a good mom. Spend as much time as I can with my baby and enjoy every minute of it. Stop myself before I get frustrated. Have more patience. Remember that Isaac's first year will fly by and I need to enjoy him as a baby while I can.
Things I want to do... someday:
1. Write a book. About what? I don't know.
2. Volunteer. I know this should be on my list of things to do now, but I'm so rarely without Isaac that I think volunteering would be difficult at this time. When Isaac is old enough, though, about five or six, I'd like to take him with me to volunteer regularly at area charities. I want it to be something that Isaac grows up around so that it comes naturally to him as he gets older. I want to raise a compassionate man with a heart for others.
3. Be rich. Not greedily so, but enough so that I can afford to spend excessive amounts of time with my son insteaf of at the office.
4. Be my own boss. I guess that's better than wanting to be rich. I want to make a life for myself that I can control, not one that is controlled by my work or my employer.
5. Visit Germany.
6. Visit everywhere, actually. I want to do a lot of traveling with my family. I want to have the freedom to take them to see places and do things I never got to do growing up.
7. Buy a house.
8. Finish my degree. Maybe get a master's? Something in social work, health, non-profit. Like Tasha, I want to always be learning.
9. Get John in on some of this.
10. Be a good mom.
Tasha's theory is that, by writing it down and getting it out there for others to read, maybe I'll actually follow through with some of this. After all, I have the (three?) people who read this now to keep me accountable! So, I divided my list into two: things I want to do right now and things I want to do someday.
So, here goes.
Things I want to do RIGHT NOW:
1. Freelance for natural parenting magazines. On my list to query are Motherhing, Wonder Time and Parents. (Not a big fan of Parents because it always seems to promote formula feeding, crying it out, vaccinations, etc. and rarely focuses any attention on alternatives. I hope to write about the alternatives so that the many parents who read this magazine and not ones like Mothering will be aware of alternative options.)
2. Open a boutique that caters to women before, during and after pregnancy, the goal of which would be to show average women that natural childbirth and holistic parenting are options for everyone, not just an elite few. You don't have to be Superwoman to birth a child naturally. I'd like to open a place that will support any woman who makes that decision.
3. Become certified as a post-partum doula, childbirth educator and breastfeeding educator.
4. Make a line of re-claimed baby clothes (named ah-goo, after Isaac's first word) and sell it at Tulsa's Indie Emporium in October.
5. Plant a garden.
6. Start composting and collecting rainwater.
7. Go to church. I grew up in church, and though I have mixed emotions about some of the churches I attended, I would like to find a church home I'm happy and comfortable in so Isaac is raised regularly attending church.
8. Lose the baby weight. I know it's selfish, but I don't care. In theory, I'd love to play a sport or take up running, but again, time is a factor. I'll settle for just working out once in a while during lunch.
9. Spend more time with John.
10. Be a good mom. Spend as much time as I can with my baby and enjoy every minute of it. Stop myself before I get frustrated. Have more patience. Remember that Isaac's first year will fly by and I need to enjoy him as a baby while I can.
Things I want to do... someday:
1. Write a book. About what? I don't know.
2. Volunteer. I know this should be on my list of things to do now, but I'm so rarely without Isaac that I think volunteering would be difficult at this time. When Isaac is old enough, though, about five or six, I'd like to take him with me to volunteer regularly at area charities. I want it to be something that Isaac grows up around so that it comes naturally to him as he gets older. I want to raise a compassionate man with a heart for others.
3. Be rich. Not greedily so, but enough so that I can afford to spend excessive amounts of time with my son insteaf of at the office.
4. Be my own boss. I guess that's better than wanting to be rich. I want to make a life for myself that I can control, not one that is controlled by my work or my employer.
5. Visit Germany.
6. Visit everywhere, actually. I want to do a lot of traveling with my family. I want to have the freedom to take them to see places and do things I never got to do growing up.
7. Buy a house.
8. Finish my degree. Maybe get a master's? Something in social work, health, non-profit. Like Tasha, I want to always be learning.
9. Get John in on some of this.
10. Be a good mom.
Tuesday, August 12, 2008
Sunday, August 10, 2008
10 things you may not know about me...
Tagged from Tasha. This was fun.
1. I failed math in the fourth grade. For some reason, I found long division and graphs really, really difficult and decided, instead of asking for help, that I'd just avoid learning them altogether. Whenever it was time to turn in and go over the previous day's math homework, I'd ask to go to the bathroom and hide out there until my teacher or someone came and found me. I had to go to summer school, where I learned that math--or those two elements of it--was actually really easy, and I got an A. I never failed anything else in school again. (I graduated with the fifth highest GPA in my class.)
2. I can't really tell time. Also something I refused to learn in grade school. If you ask me what time it is, and there isn't a digital clock around, I can't just look and tell you what the time is. I have to count it out. I'd never owned a watch that wasn't digital until about three years ago when an ex-boyfriend gave me one as a Christmas present. I've never worn it.
3. The first time I ever tried beer, I was in the ninth grade. A friend and I found two six-packs of Bud Light bottles in the park near our house. There was one unopened beer left. We buried it beneath a tree to hide it until we could come back and try it. When he did, it was hot and awful. We threw the full bottle over a fence and into someone's yard.
4. I was a vegan for six months in high school and a vegetarian for two years. I cooked all of my own food since I was 14.
5. I didn't find out I was pregnant with Isaac until I was 12 weeks along. I was using birth control and skipping my period, and the month I finally decided to have one was the month it didn't come. Still, it took me two weeks to realize something was wrong. I finally went to the doctor thinking I was about six weeks along. Surprise!
6. Isaac was born four days after mine and John's two-year anniversary (which is actually a date that he made up. I think it was the first time I spent the night at his house. Other than that, we have no real marker for the beginning of our relationship. Our first "date" wasn't until about a week after we had been seeing each other).
7. Until the first grade, my last name was Maier. My parents married when I was six, and my dad adopted me when I was seven. I'd been calling him "dad," though, much longer than that.
8. I've never broken a bone. I've only had stitches once, the result of falling out of the bathtub and hitting my head on some exposed pipe under the sink of my grandparents' bathroom.
9. I wanted desperately to move to New York after high school. I applied, auditioned for and was accepted to the theatre program at Marymount Manhatten College, but it was about $24,000 a year, and I missed the deadline to apply for scholarships (I learned later I qualified for free tuition for four years). I moved to Tulsa and went to TCC instead. In my first year there, I decided I wanted to be a journalist.
10. My past occupations include body piercer (for one year) and go-go dancer (for one month).
1. I failed math in the fourth grade. For some reason, I found long division and graphs really, really difficult and decided, instead of asking for help, that I'd just avoid learning them altogether. Whenever it was time to turn in and go over the previous day's math homework, I'd ask to go to the bathroom and hide out there until my teacher or someone came and found me. I had to go to summer school, where I learned that math--or those two elements of it--was actually really easy, and I got an A. I never failed anything else in school again. (I graduated with the fifth highest GPA in my class.)
2. I can't really tell time. Also something I refused to learn in grade school. If you ask me what time it is, and there isn't a digital clock around, I can't just look and tell you what the time is. I have to count it out. I'd never owned a watch that wasn't digital until about three years ago when an ex-boyfriend gave me one as a Christmas present. I've never worn it.
3. The first time I ever tried beer, I was in the ninth grade. A friend and I found two six-packs of Bud Light bottles in the park near our house. There was one unopened beer left. We buried it beneath a tree to hide it until we could come back and try it. When he did, it was hot and awful. We threw the full bottle over a fence and into someone's yard.
4. I was a vegan for six months in high school and a vegetarian for two years. I cooked all of my own food since I was 14.
5. I didn't find out I was pregnant with Isaac until I was 12 weeks along. I was using birth control and skipping my period, and the month I finally decided to have one was the month it didn't come. Still, it took me two weeks to realize something was wrong. I finally went to the doctor thinking I was about six weeks along. Surprise!
6. Isaac was born four days after mine and John's two-year anniversary (which is actually a date that he made up. I think it was the first time I spent the night at his house. Other than that, we have no real marker for the beginning of our relationship. Our first "date" wasn't until about a week after we had been seeing each other).
7. Until the first grade, my last name was Maier. My parents married when I was six, and my dad adopted me when I was seven. I'd been calling him "dad," though, much longer than that.
8. I've never broken a bone. I've only had stitches once, the result of falling out of the bathtub and hitting my head on some exposed pipe under the sink of my grandparents' bathroom.
9. I wanted desperately to move to New York after high school. I applied, auditioned for and was accepted to the theatre program at Marymount Manhatten College, but it was about $24,000 a year, and I missed the deadline to apply for scholarships (I learned later I qualified for free tuition for four years). I moved to Tulsa and went to TCC instead. In my first year there, I decided I wanted to be a journalist.
10. My past occupations include body piercer (for one year) and go-go dancer (for one month).
I'm just crazy
I told Shelly that was going to be the title of my next post. I decided that after telling her for the gillionth time about another project I planned to take on. Really, there are too many to count. Every time I bring up something that I "really want to start doing" I think, when am I ever going to have time for that? But somehow, in my mind, it seems like a really good idea. So I add it to the list and hope, someday, that I'll get around to it. 
I'm also crazy because yesterday I tackled the chore of handling two young kids at once. I told my friend Amber I'd watch her two year-old, Abbi, while she worked. I figured doing so would really help me determine whether I want another baby by the time Isaac is three (which is what I've been telling John), or if I want to wait until he's 13. She's a really well-behaved little girl, but it was difficult handling them both at the same time since Isaac still nurses so long and often and needs so much of my attention. I've always told Shelly I think she's supermom for handling two young ones by herself (when the hubby is at work), and this experience definitely reiterated that thought. I called my mom to help me, and we took the kiddos to Gilcrease Museum. They have activities for kids and, I thought, it was free, so I figured it'd be a great way to keep her entertained.
Unfortunately, now that TU has taken over administration of the museum, it's no longer free, and I didn't think the $16 I spent on mine and my mom's admittance was really worth it for what Abbi got out of it. The play excavation site, which was one of my main reasons for taking he there, had been removed (temporarily or not, I don't know), and we spent most of our time in the Creative Learning Center where she colored and read books. I think the center is really neat, but, to be perfectly honest, we could have done those things at home for less than $16. When it comes down to it, I think she was just too young to really enjoy the activities they had for kids. But, at least it kept her out of the house and from being bored.
One thing about that girl, though, is that she is going to be a great big sister if her momma ever decides to have more kids. On the way to the museum, when Isaac was crying, I'd hear her saying "It's okay, baby." And on the way back to my parents' house, I looked over my shoulder, and she was holding out a piece of one of her graham crackers to Isaac, patiently waiting for him to take and eat it. After about 10 minutes, she set it on his car seat, and said "Eat it. Eat it." Finally, when he wouldn't eat it, she ate it herself. I wanted so badly to get a picture because it was the cutest thing ever, but we were on the highway, and I didn't think stopping was a very safe idea. I do have photos, though, of her carrying toys to Isaac in his little bouncy seat. She'd hold them out to him and, when he wouldn't take them, she'd just deposit them into the seat with him. He had about 20 plastic toys in his seat that she was trying to get him to play with. It was absolutely adorable.
Look what I can do!
Yeah, sure, others make it look easy, but, coming from someone who tends to avoid technology althogether (outside of e-mail and my blog), I'm pretty darn proud of myself! Besides, Isaac wanted to say hi.
Thursday, August 7, 2008
Some liberal propaganda for you
I'm reading a book called Red Highways and it's by NPR reporter Rose Aguilar, a liberal from California, who takes a trip through the Heartland of America to see what issues people care about and how they vote. I've only read the chapter on Oklahoma (which is really the only reason I even picked the book up), but the statement that kept being reiterated by almost every conservative voter she talked to was that when it comes to health care, foreign affairs, the war in Iraq, veterans affairs and the economy, most people were dissatisfied by the decisions made by Bush and the Republican party. They thought the country was worse off now than it was eight years ago before Bush was in power, and they were unhappy with the direction in which the right wing has steered America. However, they CONTINUE to vote Republican solely because of the conservative stance against abortion and homosexuality, because those are the hot-button issues the Republican party uses to get people riled up and voting on their side. Which just pisses me off.
Great book so far, though it hasn't actually been published yet. I have a preview copy. Comes out in October.
Great book so far, though it hasn't actually been published yet. I have a preview copy. Comes out in October.
Wednesday, August 6, 2008
Isaac Update
Isaac is talking all the time, long-winded babbles that get louder if he thinks you're not listening to him or if he gets excited because he sees that you are listening and encouraging him. His first word was "ah goo," by the way. His talking is a series of ahs and ohs and every now and then he'll get really high-pitched or let out a squeal. It's absolutely the cutest and most entertaining thing ever.
He's holding his head up pretty well, although he's still not quite ready for his Bumbo seat. During tummy time, he'll use his legs to push himself forward, and he does the same when he's on his back. And when he plays in his bouncy seat, his legs are constantly kicking and moving. My parents insist that he'll be crawling, walking and talking all before the age of one.
Also, he's found his feet. They haven't made it into his mouth yet, but it's been hilarious watching him discover these new objects, to see how they move and to find out: they're attached! It started with him just staring at them for long periods of time. (I have an adorable photo of him staring at his feet that I'll have to remember to post.) Then, he'd try to grab a hold of him. Now that he's learned how to grasp them, he's almost always clinging to them, usually the left hand to the right foot and vice verse. Even when I change his diaper, he's always reaching for his feet. I have a feeling that soon he'll be reaching for his feet but find something else!
He's sleeping well, and we're still co-sleeping and loving it. He wakes up once or twice, sometimes even three times, during the night to nurse, but it doesn't bother me anymore since I don't get out of bed. We just nurse in bed and we both fall right to sleep almost as soon as we've woken up. And since he's been going to bed earlier and earlier (now usually between 8 and 9pm), I have a little bit of extra time in the evenings to spend with John and get things done around the house. I still go to bed around 10 or 11pm, though.
All in all, we are very happy and healthy!
He's holding his head up pretty well, although he's still not quite ready for his Bumbo seat. During tummy time, he'll use his legs to push himself forward, and he does the same when he's on his back. And when he plays in his bouncy seat, his legs are constantly kicking and moving. My parents insist that he'll be crawling, walking and talking all before the age of one.
Also, he's found his feet. They haven't made it into his mouth yet, but it's been hilarious watching him discover these new objects, to see how they move and to find out: they're attached! It started with him just staring at them for long periods of time. (I have an adorable photo of him staring at his feet that I'll have to remember to post.) Then, he'd try to grab a hold of him. Now that he's learned how to grasp them, he's almost always clinging to them, usually the left hand to the right foot and vice verse. Even when I change his diaper, he's always reaching for his feet. I have a feeling that soon he'll be reaching for his feet but find something else!
He's sleeping well, and we're still co-sleeping and loving it. He wakes up once or twice, sometimes even three times, during the night to nurse, but it doesn't bother me anymore since I don't get out of bed. We just nurse in bed and we both fall right to sleep almost as soon as we've woken up. And since he's been going to bed earlier and earlier (now usually between 8 and 9pm), I have a little bit of extra time in the evenings to spend with John and get things done around the house. I still go to bed around 10 or 11pm, though.
All in all, we are very happy and healthy!
Isaac's future girlfriend
I got an e-mail in May from a friend of mine who lives in Germany and to whom I haven't spoken in a couple of years, and she told me that she had a baby on March 30, a little girl she named Leni. How funny life is! I just replied and told her about Isaac and sent her photos. I've known Friederike since I was 14 when she came to the U.S. to be my German teacher's au pair. We became very close friends, and, since then, we've talked about me visiting her in Germany. There was actually a time when I thought I might move there for a couple of months and work at her parents' restaurant or do some odd job and see how I liked it. I thought I could use the time there to also travel to various other places in Europe. (I should mention that I used to speak German quite well. I can barely string together a sentence now, though.)
In her e-mail, Rike told me I was still welcome to visit her and her family whenever I'd like, and I think, after 11 years, it's time to quit talking about it and finally do it. I'd always said I'd visit once I "saved up enough money." Let's be realistic. I'm never going to save thousands and thousands of dollars to travel abroad. I could, though, save up enough money for a plane ticket and a couple hundred for shopping and be just fine. I'd stay with Rike, so I wouldn't need to worry about hotels, and I'd probably spend as much money on meals and activities there as I do now here. So I've decided that, once Isaac is a little older and walking and not nursing as much, we are definitely visiting Germany. I told John he was welcome to come, too, but he didn't seem all that interested. He's not much of a traveler, I don't think. And he probably thinks this is another thing I say I'm going to do and never actually get around to (it has been 11 years, after all). But I think it would be so fun to take Isaac and visit Europe! So that's the plan. I think I originally planned to wait until he's two, but I may not be able to wait that long. Now that I've got it in my head that I want and can do this, I'm feeling kind of anxious. I would need to brush up on my German, though.
I hope Rike doesn't mind me posting this, but here is a photo of Leni. Isn't she beautiful! Who knows, she and Isaac just may hit it off in Germany...
Tuesday, August 5, 2008
Things I learned on Myspace...
Below is a bulletin post from a guy I know. I found it very interesting...
Will gas prices go up or down?
I'm going to drop some knowledge on you, then let you extrapolate an answer to the question. (Below the info are three links to sources, but I bet you can find more.)
Facts: Businesses act exclusively on the interests of the owners, whether privately owned or publicly. (If the owners are a philanthropic sort this may seem not to be the case, but every company has only it's shareholders in mind.)
Exxon-Mobile reported the highest profits of any company in US history during the second quarter of '08. They made $11.68 billion. Profit. In three months. This comes to about $1,485.55 per second.
This level of profit was smaller than was predicted for the second quarter of '08, and not meeting your predicted profit=FAIL in the world of stockholders, so the stock price dropped upon the announcement of the quarter's profits.
To sum up: Exxon-Mobil's record setting profit of almost $1500 per second - the highest profit in the history of the US - was not good enough to meet the expectations of the owners of the company, who began selling their shares in the company in response. So Exxon-Mobil needs to make more profits. And other oil/gas companies need to do so as well if they are going to compete where it matters: on wall street.
So...Are gas prices going to go down, go up, or stay where they are?
links:http://www. nytimes. com/2008/02/01/business/01cnd-exxon. html?_r=1&oref=slogin
http://www. washingtontimes. com/news/2008/aug/01/exxon-mobil-profits-take-a-hit/
http://money. cnn. com/2008/07/31/news/companies/exxon_profits/index. htm
Will gas prices go up or down?
I'm going to drop some knowledge on you, then let you extrapolate an answer to the question. (Below the info are three links to sources, but I bet you can find more.)
Facts: Businesses act exclusively on the interests of the owners, whether privately owned or publicly. (If the owners are a philanthropic sort this may seem not to be the case, but every company has only it's shareholders in mind.)
Exxon-Mobile reported the highest profits of any company in US history during the second quarter of '08. They made $11.68 billion. Profit. In three months. This comes to about $1,485.55 per second.
This level of profit was smaller than was predicted for the second quarter of '08, and not meeting your predicted profit=FAIL in the world of stockholders, so the stock price dropped upon the announcement of the quarter's profits.
To sum up: Exxon-Mobil's record setting profit of almost $1500 per second - the highest profit in the history of the US - was not good enough to meet the expectations of the owners of the company, who began selling their shares in the company in response. So Exxon-Mobil needs to make more profits. And other oil/gas companies need to do so as well if they are going to compete where it matters: on wall street.
So...Are gas prices going to go down, go up, or stay where they are?
links:http://www. nytimes. com/2008/02/01/business/01cnd-exxon. html?_r=1&oref=slogin
http://www. washingtontimes. com/news/2008/aug/01/exxon-mobil-profits-take-a-hit/
http://money. cnn. com/2008/07/31/news/companies/exxon_profits/index. htm
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