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.

Kid's Day

Siobhan got to go swimming, get ice cream, and get a present today. I had to go to town to run errands today so Siobhan went to Steamboat with Papa Pat. She told Grandma that today was a "Kid's Day." I wish I could have a couple of kid's days, complete with playmates at the pool and rainbow ice cream. The days of toddlerhood, where a day with one of your favorite people and fun activities are par for the course. I hope I can keep her expecting happy days for a few more years before the realities of life intrude.

Sesame Street Personality Test

I found this on The Mayne Event

You Are Bert

Extremely serious and a little eccentric, people find you loveable - even if you don't love them! You are usually feeling: Logical - you rarely let your emotions rule you You are famous for: Being smart, a total neat freak, and maybe just a little evil How you life your life: With passion, even if your odd passions (like bottle caps and pigeons) are baffling to others

The Sesame Street Personality Quiz

Except the neat part. I am the opposite of neat.

What are you?? Does it fit your personality?

Preggie Belly

I've been tagged (steph at Adventures in Babywearing)

Here is a photo of my preggie belly

Girl Scout Cookies

Does anyone love Girl Scout Cookies as much as I do? Specifically Samoas better than sex cookies (as we used to say in college)

Reading Meme

I found this Meme on jenandtonic

There are very few books that I would NEVER read, but lots on this list that I have. Great game.

Instructions: In the list of books below, bold the ones you’ve read, italicize the ones you want to read, cross out the ones you won’t touch with a ten-foot pole, put a cross (+) in front of the ones on your book shelf, and asterisk (*) the ones you’ve never heard of. In the comments, let me know if you're up for it. I left some books in just regular old font, these are the ones I am not sure I want to read or not. Feel free to tell me I am totally wrong and should read something on this list or YES, JEN, you RULE!

1. +The Da Vinci Code (Dan Brown)
2. Pride and Prejudice (Jane Austen)
3. To Kill A Mockingbird (Harper Lee)
4. Gone With The Wind (Margaret Mitchell)
5. +The Lord of the Rings: Return of the King (Tolkien)
6. +The Lord of the Rings: Fellowship of the Ring (Tolkien)
7. +The Lord of the Rings: Two Towers (Tolkien)
8. Anne of Green Gables (L.M. Montgomery)
9. Outlander (Diana Gabaldon)
10. *A Fine Balance (Rohinton Mistry)
11. +Harry Potter and the Goblet of Fire (Rowling)
12. +Angels and Demons (Dan Brown)
13. +Harry Potter and the Order of the Phoenix (Rowling)
14. A Prayer for Owen Meany (John Irving)
15. Memoirs of a Geisha (Arthur Golden)
16. +Harry Potter and the Philosopher’s Stone (Rowling)
17. *Fall on Your Knees(Ann-Marie MacDonald)
18.The Stand(Steven King)
19. +Harry Potter and the Prisoner of Azkaban(Rowling)
20. Jane Eyre (Charlotte Bronte)
21. +The Hobbit (Tolkien)
22. The Catcher in the Rye (J.D. Salinger)
23. Little Women (Louisa May Alcott)
24. The Lovely Bones (Alice Sebold)
25. Life of Pi (Yann Martel)
26. +The Hitchhiker’s Guide to the Galaxy (Douglas Adams)
27. Wuthering Heights (Emily Bronte)
28. +The Lion, The Witch and the Wardrobe (C. S. Lewis)
29. East of Eden (John Steinbeck)
30. Tuesdays with Morrie(Mitch Albom)
31. Dune (Frank Herbert)
32. +The Notebook (Nicholas Sparks) one of my favorites
33. Atlas Shrugged (Ayn Rand)
34. 1984 (Orwell)
35. +The Mists of Avalon (Marion Zimmer Bradley)
36. The Pillars of the Earth (Ken Follett)
37. The Power of One (Bryce Courtenay)
38. I Know This Much is True(Wally Lamb)
39. +The Red Tent (Anita Diamant)
40. *The Alchemist (Paulo Coelho)
41. The Clan of the Cave Bear (Jean M. Auel)
42. +The Kite Runner (Khaled Hosseini)
43. Confessions of a Shopaholic (Sophie Kinsella)
44. The Five People You Meet In Heaven (Mitch Albom)
45. +Bible
46. Anna Karenina (Tolstoy)
47. The Count of Monte Cristo (Alexandre Dumas)
48. +Angela’s Ashes (Frank McCourt)
49. The Grapes of Wrath (John Steinbeck)
50. +She’s Come Undone (Wally Lamb)
51. The Poisonwood Bible (Barbara Kingsolver)
52. A Tale of Two Cities (Dickens) Dickens
53. +Ender’s Game (Orson Scott Card)
54. Great Expectations (Dickens)
55. The Great Gatsby (Fitzgerald)
56. *The Stone Angel (Margaret Laurence)
57. +Harry Potter and the Chamber of Secrets (Rowling)
58. The Thorn Birds (Colleen McCullough)
59. The Handmaid’s Tale (Margaret Atwood)
60. +The Time Traveller’s Wife (Audrew Niffenegger)
61. Crime and Punishment (Fyodor Dostoyevsky)
62. The Fountainhead (Ayn Rand)
63. War and Peace (Tolstoy)
64. Interview With The Vampire (Anne Rice)
65. *Fifth Business (Robertson Davis)
66. One Hundred Years Of Solitude (Gabriel Garcia Marquez)
67. The Sisterhood of the Travelling Pants (Ann Brashares)
68. +Catch-22 (Joseph Heller) -
69. Les Miserables (Hugo)
70. +The Little Prince (Antoine de Saint-Exupery)
71. +Bridget Jones’ Diary (Fielding)
72. *Love in the Time of Cholera (Marquez)
73. Shogun (James Clavell)
74. The English Patient (Michael Ondaatje)
75. +The Secret Garden (Frances Hodgson Burnett)
76. +The Summer Tree (Guy Gavriel Kay)
77. A Tree Grows in Brooklyn (Betty Smith)
78. The World According To Garp (John Irving)
79. *The Diviners (Margaret Laurence)
80. Charlotte’s Web (E.B. White)
81. *Not Wanted On The Voyage (Timothy Findley)
82. Of Mice And Men (Steinbeck)
83. Rebecca (Daphne DuMaurier)
84. Wizard’s First Rule (Terry Goodkind)
85. Emma (Jane Austen)
86. Watership Down(Richard Adams)
87. Brave New World (Aldous Huxley)
88. *The Stone Diaries (Carol Shields)
89. *Blindness (Jose Saramago)
90. Kane and Abel (Jeffrey Archer)
91. In The Skin Of A Lion (Ondaatje)
92. Lord of the Flies (Golding)
93. The Good Earth(Pearl S. Buck)
94. The Secret Life of Bees (Sue Monk Kidd)
95. The Bourne Identity (Robert Ludlum)
96. The Outsiders (S.E. Hinton)
97. White Oleander (Janet Fitch)
98. *A Woman of Substance (Barbara Taylor Bradford)
99. The Celestine Prophecy (James Redfield)
100. Ulysses (James Joyce) -

Ultimate Blog Party

Welcome to all from the Ultimate Blog Party. I am a sporadic blogger who is trying to do better. I live in rural WY with my husband and two kids (who have way more energy than I ever had). I am trying to become a lactivist (in an area where no one gives me a hard time for NIP), am a recovering (slowly) Messie, and a Mom.

I am an avid reader and I keep a list (more or less) of the books I am reading. If you have any suggestions I am always open to suggestion. Enjoy reading.

Siobhan's antics/Seamus's movements

Siobhan (as usual) has had a very crazy week.

She made an ice skating rink out of our kitchen with Crisco. We talked about the need to only ice skate outside, on real ice.

As we were driving to Baggs she said, "Mommy, when I grow up I want to be like John." When I asked her why she said, "because he is fun, Mommy." Well duh!! I should know that.

When I put her to bed at night, I read her a story. Now she has started to read her books after I leave the room. Sometimes I go in to check on her and she is asleep covered in books. Other times she is reading quietly. I think this is great. We have another reader in the family.

Seamus is really starting to move. He likes to stand, holding on to my leg. When he finds something to play with, he will sit down and play. Then he pushes it around. He is also starting to pull himself up on stools and boxes.

Last week he got his first ride in the backpack. I will put up photos of him zonked out in it soon.

Two weeks ago he was not moving at all. Where is my infant going?

Hives

Yesterday Brian, the kids and I went out to Powder. I honestly thought we would drop off the groceries, see the lams and head home. Silly me! When we got there Oscar told me that the generator had died. We finally managed to find a 240 cord to hook up for the backup generator (robbing it from another well). Then we blew the fuse in the generator. We decided to head home, get another fuse and bring it back today. When I got back into the truck to go home, Siobhan was covered in hives. I called the clinic and Ron and Rhonda offered to wait an hour for us. (Thank goodness for small towns.)

We all agreed that, yes, she had hives. Ron was able to track down some liquid Benedryl. We gave it to her and it seemed to do the trick. Siobhan woke up this morning with a few hives, so I gave her more meds. It helped, but less than last night. So I went ahead and headed back out to Powder. The generator needed to be fixed so that the sheep could get water. It was not something that could be put off another day.

Halfway there, Siobhan got bad again so I gave her another dose. Worked less again. We fixed the generator and she was looking awful (swollen lips and cheeks, hives everywhere, etc.). I called the pediatrician. While on the phone I hear, "Mommy, my tummy hurts!" Then Brian tells me that she had thrown up. Ugh!!

Red popsicle, apple sauce, pop tarts, milk and pediasure are gross when regurgitated. The Dr. tells me to take her into the emergency room. So we head for Craig. An hour later she is asleep and the hives have gone down (of course). I swear they knew we were headed for town. Luckily Dr. Riley (the ER doc who Brian and I love, but who is never accepting new patients) believed me. Then the hives returned. Siobhan got prednisone, Zantac and Zyrtec and instructions to return if the hives don't go away in four days. Four days!!!

Apparently the Prednisone will make her hyper and the Zyrtec should make her sleep. I really don't want to mix the timing up on them. Wish me luck!