parenting tips from strangers
It's amazing to me what people will say. While we were on vacation, we got lots of comments. Mostly the remarks were sunburn related- "Oh, that baby needs sunscreen!", "Your baby's legs are burning!", "That baby needs a hat!".
I couldn't really respond to them- because they'd keep on walking after they'd toss out the helpful advice (rather than offer to help, if they thought it was so important), here's what I'd say.
1) Babies younger than 6 months really shouldn't have topical sunscreen, but we have her in this baby carrier made out of a sun protective fabric. Thanks, though.
2) No, they aren't. And by the way, did you not notice that we have this gigantor aftermarket sunshade attachment for the stroller? And we have SPF gazillion on his actual body, not that you'd know that. And also, we are from Florida, where we know a lot about sunshine and sunscreen and skin cancer and whatnot. Seriously, they preach this stuff in elementary school.
3) She has a hat, thanks. Just not wearing it right this very minute.
The really fun advice, though, related to the
mei tai that I carried Darrah in. There was the "You're suffocating your baby!" tossed at me, and of course the person who said it didn't even break stride. Seriously, if you were concerned about my child's well being, wouldn't you DO something?
And the "Are you sure she's happy in there?" Heh. We'd know if she wasn't happy, trust me.
And lots of "Y'all need to do something about her ears" (because it was a music festival with 6 really loud stages). Yeah, got it covered. The first day, we forgot her earplugs, so we kept her as far away from speakers as we could, and if there was a way to put a structure in between us and a stage/ speaker tower, we did. After that, though, we used her little earpluggers, and she was fine. Promise.
And then there was the Down syndrome related stuff. Like the grandma to a little girl with Down syndrome who used the actual words 'touch of Down's'. What?
Oh, and the guy in line to buy boudin balls? Who said "Hey, they must've let you out of the hospital just in time". Should've seen his face when I said, "Oh, no, she's 9 weeks old. But I had her at home, anyway". So there, nosy guy.
Oh, and the looks I got when I was nursing her and drinking a beer at the same time... yowza.
Clearly the husband and I are the worst parents ever. Or, as we noticed, people were just a lot more rude this year.
And now I'm going to try to decide if I really want to brave an Obama rally with these two. Yeah, I'll bring the earplugs.
Very Bad Blogger, Indeed
So, I am very much not blogging lately, because:
A) Well, we were out of town for a week. On JazzFest vacation, so of course it was fantastic. One day soon perhaps I'll tell of all the helpful parenting advice we got from strangers. Heh. I love people...
B) our air conditioner is giving us a mild headache. The actual a/c? Working, but not on, due to the MAJOR dripping from the air handler. That lives in the attic. Above the kids' room. I found water pouring off the chain thingie that hangs off the ceiling fan- that was special. Wet ceiling, wet carpet, no air. It's great to live in Florida. Also, have I mentioned the mold possibility? Today we'll be pulling out wet insulation to see how damaged the rafters are. By 'we', I mean, not me.
C) Have I mentioned the fact that I have TWO kids? Good gravy, what on earth were we thinking? Thankfully they're both sleeping right now.
file under wha?
So, we got Noel's 6 month eval from his speech therapist today. In six months, he's made a year of progress, putting him firmly in age appropriate range for the majority of the skills evaluated. Still mostly non-verbal (the exception to this is his approximation of 'yes'), but as far as communicating, he's right where he should be.
Whoo-fucking-hoo. For real.
I couldn't possibly be more impressed, or prouder of my little man.
And on an unrelated note, I found mexican coke (for those who are not familiar... it's coca-cola produced in Mexico, made with real sugar, not that high fructose corn syrup crap. yes, it does taste better) at a little taqueria in our neighborhood . It's expensive (2 bucks for a 12 oz glass bottle), but man, is it worth every penny.
fins to the left...
Meet my girlie goldfish:
and my boy goldfishes:
That one all up in her bizness is just way blurry, not the oddest looking goldfish you ever saw, and yeah, I know the color is atrocious.
It's spring, right?
beefcake
That's me, of course. With all the thought of what I should be eating and how many calories things have and whatnot, I've found a solution.
Hemp protein powder and coconut milk smoothies. It's a quick 300 calories and 8 grams of protein, and that's less than a full serving. Granted, the hemp protein is grainy, but for making sure I'm not wasting away to nothing, it works. Also, it's non-dairy,
just in case , although I'm not avoiding all dairy (thankfully. that sucks).So. Now that we're all caught up on my dietary considerations...
Noel has been approximating words some. It's not a big "He said his first word!", like I thought talking was, but it's certainly a start. He definitely is mimicking the sounds in one syllable words (after mucho repetition), but not spontaneously. Yay Noel!
And he's been standing with better and better success lately, since the first attempt on New Year's Eve. Last night he shifted his weight from one foot to the other while standing- which resulted in his crashing to the bed, of course. But it seems to me that it's another step (haha) towards an actual step.
In all, it seems that he hasn't really done anything, but really, he has. Little bits and pieces of the final product. We'll get there, sooner or later.
Happy Birthday!
Noel, we didn't know what we were getting into, this being parents thing. Thanks for showing us the way.
proof of our crazy
Yay!
The cubes are up! The cubes are up! This will be Noel's third JazzFest, and Darrah will be attending her inaugural Fest, of course. WooHoo! This year, Noel should actually enjoy a lot more of the goings on. Can't wait!
And here's a funny. The night Darrah was born, we called out for Chinese. The midwife was adamant that I eat something, and the pizza place I wanted was closed. Anyhow, my fortune?
"You love the night life" Hee.
