Bad Week

This week started out OK. I was going to move sheep camp, get some house cleaning done, and generally be productive. Then it struck. Seamus started out as a little warm. By midnight he had a fever of 101 and was throwing up. It lasted for three days, with the fever getting up to 102 and lots of messiness.

Finally he started feeling better. He was crawling around and playing. Then it happened. He knocked over the TV tray and smashed his poor little finger in the legs. Off to the ER we went. The Dr. said his finger should heal up well and wrapped his hand up like a club for three days. While the Dr was wrapping up Seamusy's hand, he said that Seamus was exceptionally good. Apparently most people with this kind of injury are drunk men.

Now Seamus seems to be feeling better and we will see how his finger heals over the next couple of weeks. Poor baby.

Reading

I really love to read. I like to read light and fluffy books. It drives my family nuts. They believe that I am wasting my mind. Now that I have kids I have very little time (relatively) to read. I do not want to read about war, death, or other TERRIBLE THINGS. My dad reads heavy duty history and my mom reads women's and western history. Both of these subjects have a lot of TERRIBLE THINGS.

I don't want to think about or concentrate on TTs. Maybe that is a little shallow of me, but I honestly have enough stress in my life. Does anyone else read for pleasure and what do you like to read?

Mine is SF/Fantasy and Romance depending on my mood.

Today's Outfit

On days when we stay home I let Siobhan pick out her own clothes. Today she is wearing a pink tie-dyed tank dress, bandana to keep her shoulders warm, yellow bloomers, pink shorts and pink flowered pants. She is also wearing one purple cowboy boot and one teal ostrich cowboy boot. I figure that if she dresses herself now, she will be able to do it later. It is cute now.

Along for the Ride Contest

Along for the Ride is having a contest for a Ergo carrier. Check it out.

http://www.alongfortheride.biz/SearchResults.asp?Cat=49&Click=258

Women and Blogging

I have been reading a lot of blogs lately. It has been good to have a glimpse into the lives of other parents. I talk to my friends and they are all so crunchy it makes me feel insufficient. I know I can't cloth diaper much less EC. I breastfeed, but do not pump when I go out. Formula has passed the lips of my baby (plus chocolate, peanut butter, cheese, lunchmeat, and the occasional piece of cereal off of the floor). I buy ready-made food, let my toddler watch way too much TV on some days, and I let my kids play with inappropriate toys on occasion.

Does this make me a bad parent? Maybe. Am I doing the best I can? Yes. Does it make me feel like the I am not good enough in some eyes. Absolutely.

Most parents do the best that they can. We need to stop judging each other. Just because we are not all doing the same thing with our kids does not mean that those things are necessarily wrong. I know I have written this before.

Pulling up

Seamus pulled himself from crawling (or inching) around to standing at his piano by himself. This is a big step and he is becoming a big boy. I am always excited to see new milestones for my kids, but I miss how little they were.

Siobhan was a VERY clingy baby, but is an extremely independent toddler. She prefers to stay with her grandparents at night and loves to play alone, with her friends and with her brudder. I am fairly low on the list right now. I know that she will grow up to be a strong adult because I let her grow up, but I miss my baby. There were several months where I couldn't put her down, much less hand her to someone else, and now that is over forever.

Seamus has always been happy to go to others, but he is less likely to just crawl off exploring. He likes to be able to see me. He prefers standing to sitting or laying down, but I can see that he is becoming more independent also. How do our babies grow so big so quickly?

Not Crunchy Enough

I know that this might be a controversial topic, but this issue has been preying on my mind. I consider myself to be a pretty AP mother. I breastfeed exclusively past one year, co-sleep, babywear and spend most days with my children. However, I am a big advocate for vaccination and use disposable diapers. Whenever I go to AP lists or read magazines (Mothering, etc.) I am made to feel like a terrible parent for not being crunchy enough.

I have a full time job. I can keep my kids with me, but I still work. At the end of the day I get, maybe, one load of laundry a day. If I did cloth diapers then all of my other clothes would be dirty. I know that cloth diapers are better for the environment and I hate how much trash disposables makes, but my decision is made. I have friends who cloth diaper and do EC. I admire them for their ability to do those things, but I cannot, I don't have the time (or frankly the motivation).

As for vaccinations, I know people who had polio as children and still have major health problems because of it. Or whose mothers had German Measles when she was pregnant and has hearing problems. If I can prevent my children from terrible diseases, I will do it every day. I think vaccines are an essential thing for most children. If my kids made some child who has reactions to vaccines ill, I would feel terrible and would be somewhat responsible for that illness if I did not do everything I could to prevent it. I know this is a contrarian opinion to many AP parents, but it is how I feel.

We all do what we think is best for our children.

Crawling

Siobhan's newest activity is to lure her brother into following her. She encourages him, similar to a dog, "Come on Seamusy, Come on, Come with me." I think I am going to have to keep an eye on that tendancy. She is also extremely protective of him. He went near a dead wasp and she yelled for me to get it before Seamusy gets hurt. She really loves her brudder.

Speaking of which, does anyone know how to get rid of wasps if you can't find the nest? It is in the house, but I don't know where.