Immunization Links

I am drawn to the anti-immunization links, and am interested in the best examples of good and bad, both for and against. I'm planning on editing this and updating it. Pro-Vaccine Anti-Vaccine

How to talk to little girls

I came across this article recently. How to Talk to Girls

Here is a couple of quotes I especially liked.

Teaching girls that their appearance is the first thing you notice tells them that looks are more important than anything. It sets them up for dieting at age 5 and foundation at age 11 and boob jobs at 17 and Botox at 23. As our cultural imperative for girls to be hot 24/7 has become the new normal, American women have become increasingly unhappy. What's missing? A life of meaning, a life of ideas and reading books and being valued for our thoughts and accomplishments.

Try this the next time you meet a little girl. She may be surprised and unsure at first, because few ask her about her mind, but be patient and stick with it. Ask her what she's reading. What does she like and dislike, and why? There are no wrong answers. You're just generating an intelligent conversation that respects her brain. For older girls, ask her about current events issues: pollution, wars, school budgets slashed. What bothers her out there in the world? How would she fix it if she had a magic wand? You may get some intriguing answers. Tell her about your ideas and accomplishments and your favorite books. Model for her what a thinking woman says and does.

I agree with Lisa Bloom. I know it seems strange that I work in the fitness industry and like to be coiffed up myself. Somewhat of a contradiction, right? Wrong. I don't think it is one or the other.  As we walked out the door the other day, Kara realized something and shouted "Wait!  We have to do my hair!"  I had to smile and feel a little bit of happy.  While presentation is not everything, it does influence how you feel, act and carry yourself.  If you think you look like a schlepp, then you may act like one too.  (btw, I had to look up schlepp.  It means ineffectual person)  We get dressed up for church for many reasons, but I believe one of them is to remind us to act with reverence.  We don't have to wear our "Sunday best" all of the time, but in my mind getting dressed and putting myself together is one of my "Dailies."

I want my little girl to have opinions on books, talents and hobbies that she's worked hard to develop and to be willing to talk about them.  I've been re-training my brain to think this way as I talk to her and other kids (boys too).  It's slow going.  So far, my brain is wired to ask favorite color for a shy one.  Probably a good ice breaker but I know there is more to their personality than just the color question.

Bottom line, appearance matters but brains are what really count.  Pun intended.

Quick update and Surprise! I've blogged.

Kara and Matthew have asthma and both have lingering colds. So, we are spending A LOT of time at home . Two sick kids will make me get very creative in how I pass the time. We've all got a little cabin fever down here being stuck at home so much. Then I had the brilliant idea to post to our blog!

Btw, I realized one of the reasons I don't blog is that I'm a little weirded out putting our life experiences out there for the world to read. I know, I know, who in their right mind would want to read about our boring life. I would feel more comfortable putting my thoughts out there privately. So, as soon as I can convince Andrew that our friends would still go to our ancient blog that we never update, we will be going private. I may have to actually blog a few posts to get people back into reading it before that happens. We'll see.

Update:

Andrew is half-way through fellowship and looking for jobs. We have had some serious discussions with different groups but none of them have panned out.

I am finally taking my national certification test this April and attempting to buckle down and study. (Which is what I should be doing right now)

Kara is putting letters together to make words and it makes my heart just melt. I actually cried when she read He Has...

Matthew is into Cars 2 and all the other cars, trucks, trains, etc.

I am trying to avoid all the old ladies in the grocery store who give me the "Carpe Diem" speech. If you haven't read "Don't Carpe Diem me" then you should. Very validating for how hard mothering is. Though I wish she put more in about on the good times. Her Kairos vs. Chronos has come to mind numerous times as I'm wiping noses for the 52nd time today then again when Kara asks for just one more story.

First Book!

(I have a hunch it was a fluke. She's good but not that good.)

No, this is not an annoucement. I've just been making a lot of these lately.

Occasionally, they do share.

Watching Cars 2 in 3D.

Yea! Daddy is home!

Watch for more updates. Y'all come back now.

We're alive and we survived.

We've been very absent from the blog recently, as I've been studying excessively for my board examinations. We got the results today that I passed. We're so excited and relieved after so much training. Perhaps now I can be better about blogging.

Gonna ride this one out

I've removed my shoes, stepped off the platform, strapped myself in, pulled down the bar and hanging on tight for this rollercoaster ride. I don't know how long it will last or how many loop the loops I will do. But it's going to happen no matter what.

Quick update:
Kara and Matthew are finally playing together maybe once a week.
Kara still will not sit next to Matthew and gets quite upset when he touches her.
Matthew smiles and giggles so much.
Matthew is ALMOST crawling. He's trying so hard to get to the things/places that he wants. Eventually he turns enough circles that he gets to where he wants.

Andrew working many, many hours.
I am running around, literally and figuratively.
I'm learning how to write. Again.
I am organizing. (Sigh) I really like organizing. I keep thinking if I organize enough, my life will be simpler.
I am earning an award. Soon, I hope.

We are hanging on tight for this ride. Keep checking back, someday we will post about our craziness.

Triple Layer Chocolate Mousse Cake

A friend watched Kara (Thanks Annie!) and I made this cake. It was for a chocoholic party. It was really good. Just looking at it makes me want to make it again (almost). It took me all day. Next time, I'll be faster.

If there is a next time.
p.s. It had 6 cups of cream and 3 lbs of chocolate :)

Baths

I gave Kara a bath tonight, and put her in pjs. Then I gave Matthew a bath and Kara got in. This was the result:

Two is better than one

Night float

For those out there confused by this phrase, here is a definition

Night Float:[nahyt][floht]

A residency rotation in which residents see their kids for 3 hours a week (literally). Often results in extreme stress and mental breakdown of resident's spouse. Especially if resident has children, and most definitely will happen if spouse is dealing with newborn with nighttime colic.


In a nutshell, Andrew has switched to nights, leaves at 4:30 pm one day, gets home at noon the next day and crashes until dinner. One hour later is bedtime. I see him till 10 pm, then go to bed. He stays up until 7 am the next day and sleeps like the dead (seriously, he can sleep through two kids screaming in the same room) until 4 pm to go back to work.

This is not my favorite rotation. Thank heaven for all the people bringing me dinner and helping me out. You deserve extra blessings and a spot in heaven for your service. I am so grateful.

Yes, we are still alive.

For all of you out there wondering about the Baughs, WE ARE STILL KICKING!!! Some days just barely. Andrew has been on Night Float so I'm essentially running solo. I keep telling myself that billions of people have made the transition to two kids and survived. I was incredibly spoiled with Kara. She slept through the night from Day 1. Matthew, has not. His little body is working out the kinks. He has been a wee bit colicky (translation: screaming from 12 am to five am, among other times throughout the day). After 2-4 hours of inconsolable crying, he will make a tremendous amount of "wind" and settle right down. Looking like the adorable angel that he is. I know I'm biased but hey, I'm his mother. I'm supposed to think he is perfect.

You can't tell from the picture but his body is stiff as a board, this happens when there is a lot of pressure in his tummy. Usually his legs are sticking straight out but, I got lucky when I took the picture.

I (sometimes) get a few minutes to read when nursing. I just finished Fire of the Covenant by Gerald Lund. It is about the Martin and Willey handcart companies. I can't possibly imagine doing this transition in the middle of nowhere with no home and no washing machine. Let alone on rationed food. I'm still wondering how the pioneer women maintained some semblance of modesty while nursing their babies.

Outtakes:

Playing peek-a-boo to try and get a smile.

Matthew's Birth

Many of you already know as I sent out emails, texts, and facebook announcements, but we're excited to welcome Matthew David Baugh into our home this last Monday. He was 7 lbs. 15 oz., and 21 inches long.



Kara came to visit the day afterward, can you tell how thrilled she is to be sharing Mommy's lap?



...and with some hiccups...



Kara managed to find something to play in in our room.

To sleep or not to sleep...

Sleep eludes me. This so pregnant body is a sleepless bomb waiting to explode. Two nights now I wake hourly, only to turn over and try the other side. Last night or tonight, however you want to look at it, I tossed and turned until the blessed hour of 5 am when I can let myself get out of bed. I finally got up and made raspberry tea. Which is supposed to help put me in labor. Alas, no labor.

So I spent a few minutes researching sarcastic sleep quotes on the "Interweb." I hope you enjoy them.

People who say they sleep like a baby usually don't have one. ~Leo J. Burke

There is no snooze button on a cat who wants breakfast. ~Author Unknown

A ruffled mind makes a restless pillow. ~Charlotte Brontë And if tonight my soul may find her peace
in sleep, and sink in good oblivion,
and in the morning wake like a new-opened flower
then I have been dipped again in God, and new-created.
~D.H. Lawrence

If people were meant to pop out of bed, we'd all sleep in toasters. ~Author unknown, attributed to Jim Davis
Sleep is the most moronic fraternity in the world, with the heaviest dues and the crudest rituals. ~Vladimir Nabokov

The amount of sleep required by the average person is five minutes more. ~Wilson Mizener

There are twelve hours in the day, and above fifty in the night. ~Marie de Rabutin-Chantal

The feeling of sleepiness when you are not in bed, and can't get there, is the meanest feeling in the world. ~Edgar Watson Howe

I think Wordsworth might have been pregnant when he wrote this one:

Even thus last night, and two nights more I lay,
And could not win thee, Sleep, by any stealth:
So do not let me wear to-night away.
Without thee what is all the morning's wealth?
Come, blessed barrier between day and day,
Dear mother of fresh thoughts and joyous health!
~William Wordsworth, "To Sleep"


And so I end with this one:

No day is so bad it can't be fixed with a nap. ~Carrie Snow


I hope.

Video rebuttal regarding Kara and Cookies

A few posts back, Elena noted that Kara had 'mysteriously' learned the word cookie. I don't explicitly remember teaching that word to her, but here is a video of Kara in action. She uses her key words, "peeeeaaassse?", followed with a "tank you" and giggles, and then some "mmmmmmmmmmmsssss".

You're wanting to try to feed some cookies to your computer monitor now, since she's so cute, right? Am I justified?

Andrew's response to Elena's last post "Kara"

Here are some more pictures of Kara from today.

Kara

Our sweet Kara is gaining a brother. I've been wanting her near me as much as possible because I admit, I am selfish. I know that my time will be stretched between two kids and I want to give her as much attention now while I can. Within reason.

So here's my baby girl. She's getting so big. Her language comprehension and vocabulary is EXPLODING! She says a new word every day. Her words are in quotes. Yesterday, it was chocolate. Seems pretty normal, except I don't really give her chocolate. I just give it to myself ;) Her Dad, now he's another story. All she has to say is "Peasssss" and she gets what she wants. Including any "cookie" that she wants. She learned that word when I was gone on a girls weekend. It's not so bad since even Frosted Mini Wheats and graham crackers are cookies.



She loves her Beast, and chases him around. If she chances to catch him (with a little help from me) this is what she does...

Imagine her saying "Ahhh, soft" while wrapping her arms around his middle. He's extremely gentle with her but doesn't let her "snuggle" him very often. A while back, we thought we were going to have to put him to sleep. He was pretty sick but he's doing much better now. We're glad to have our Beastie.

Kara loves to snuggle with any"banket" (translation blanket) she can find. She doesn't want to get out of bed without one. She was recently at a friends house while I went to the Dr. The friend was curled up on the couch with a blanket. Kara walked up to her and gave her those I want something eyes. My friend asked Kara if she wanted up and of course Kara replied "yessss." That's another new word. So they snuggled on the couch.



We read story after story. She goes through multiple favorites sometimes it changes daily. Other times, we read the same story 10 times in a row.

She looks like a picture of her Dad here.





Our sweet Kara.

Baby is coming!

I've been a little stressed lately. This baby is due to arrive in 50 days. Yikes! I HAVE SO MUCH TO DO!!!

Life doesn't stop so I can prepare for the next major life changing event. So, last night as I read Kara a story we've read so many times I can read it forwards and backwards I realized something.

This baby doesn't have to have a perfect room BEFORE he is born. I am going to have plenty of time to do that. He won't know if his walls have purple flowers or green/white polka dots. I don't have to have green polka dot fabric to make crib sheets. I need diapers and sleepers and a place to put him (Thanks Evan and Angie for letting me borrow the bassinet). Everything else will just come into place.

So, instead of stressing, I will read yet another story with Kara relaxed with my head back and eyes closed because most of our stories are memorized. Rather than thinking of the ten other things I think I need to do.

Blog background

Will someone PLEASE enlighten me on how to make my blog cute? I've been to the sites and looked at the code and wondered "Where on earth would I put that?" Then I get stuck looking at different backgrounds forever and end up having to go rescue a child and never get around to changing the boring Baugh blog.

So, those of you out there who understand this process, would you share your understanding?

Baby names

This post is a request for submissions. This baby is due in 68 days and we have absolutely no boy names. We can't even come up with boy names that we like. Andrew keeps recommending Adam (with a smile). His name would be Adam Baugh (for those of you not familiar with Andrew's sense of humor, replace the "gh" with an "m"). Tonight he suggested Chuck Let Baugh. Followed closely by Base, Basket or Foot Baugh.

See why I am putting the request out?

A day on the Couch or at least a movie

Last Saturday, my AH(I think I will rename my spouse to amazing husband) did the unthinkable and accomplished not ONE but TWO very hard things on my Honey-Do list. He rodent proofed my attic (see previous post on all the critters in the South) and moved lots of furniture. A project that he detests. We had some great help from the missionaries and me acting as support staff. But since then, I have been having some irregular contractions. So, despite my torn apart house, (the big furniture was moved but I have lots of small stuff to take care of) I am going to sit and watch a movie. I will suspend my no TV for Kara and do something nesty like crochet while we watch.

Stick Family

My Stick Family