Not really a combination, but eh, it works… so we got a dash of snow here in the Midwest over the weekend, and Autumn was so eager to build a snowman, we had to let her:

Hey, where does it say a snowman has to be taller than 12″???

 

And in a near-futile effort to catch a picture of Ayla’s top teeth and still-naked bottom gums, this was the best I got… it’s not a great shot of where her top teeth have broken thru, but it’s what I have to deal with.  I’ve been digging through my picture files to see if I can find the ones of the boys when they were born (with teeth!), but that was the “olden” days when I had to use 35mm film – for all I know they’re still undeveloped in a drawer somewhere!

And thus ends our rather uneventful weekend.  This week my second son turns 11 years old… sniffle.  We’re having his celebration this weekend, so this will be a week of baking for school, baking for the party, and cleaning for the visiting family.  Busy busy!

Has certainly been busy.  Taking her first steps on Thursday (Dec 4th) and now two teeth!!

And, in true family form, she’s defied the “norm” and it’s her two top teeth that burst through first.  Just a few weeks from her first birthday, and she’s making so many changes!  It will certainly be strange to see a toothy smile, after all these months of gummy grins!

It’s safety (I get really tired of hearing about how “unsafe” co-sleeping is – that’s beyond ridiculous) and it’s natural nurturing qualities:

http://www.breastfeeding.com/reading_room/family_bed2.html

…parents who enjoy a family bed and doctors who advocate its use (THOSE ARE GREAT DOCTORS!!) point out that the same internal signals that prevent a sleeping adult from rolling out of bed and injuring herself will also prevent a parent from rolling on top of her infant. In the rare cases where overlying has occurred, it has generally been the result of inappropriately soft bedding or a parent whose sleeping awareness was impaired by alcohol or medication. “The average, typical parent sleeping on a good mattress will be very aware and will not roll over on (her infant),” asserts Dettwyler.

In fact, the family bed may even offer protection against infant death. In his latest peer-reviewed medical research conducted at the University of California, Irvine School of Medicine and funded by the National Institutes of Health, Dr. McKenna theorizes that infants who sleep alone are at a significantly increased risk of Sudden Infant Death Syndrome (SIDS).

My note:  I’ve commented on this before, there are links in my sidebar showing studies proving co-sleeping REDUCES the risk of SIDS.  But, don’t get me wrong – I don’t think a parent should lose sleep over this extremely rare mystery.  I don’t believe there’s a cause or a cure, or a prevention, myself.  I know tummy-sleeping is safe for my babies.  But for those that want to “follow the rules”, here’s yet another reason to keep that baby safe and sound right next to you, all night long.  YAY!!!

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I found it highly disturbing that an “expert” could be publishing things like this, however:

Other criticisms of the family bed abound, however. Some, such as T. Berry Brazelton, M.D., does on a Pampers web site (www.pampers.com), claim that when children sleep with their parents “sexual abuse is more likely (Freudian emphasis)…” Family-bedders are incensed and offended by this unsubstantiated accusation.

And a great retort:

The late Robert Mendelssohn — well-known pediatrician and author of several books — noted that when confronted by mental health specialists who feared sexualization of the family bed, he sarcastically agreed that “psychiatrists should not take their children to bed with them, but it is quite alright for everyone else!”

And the quote from the supposed “expert” is yet another reason why parents need to think from their heart, not from the pages of a worthless book. No expert has ever studied YOUR family, YOUR kids, YOUR lifestyle, therefore no book can tell you what you need to do.  By loving your children, following their cues, never neglecting or abusing them, you are doing it all RIGHT – by the only expert that matters – your baby.

This Thanksgiving.  This is now my absolute favorite picture of my brothers and sister and me.  Awesome!

Gawd, I love these people!

[youtube=http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=R3WWNKurKjA&eurl=http://birthamiracle.wordpress.com/2008/12/02/pregnant-in-america-the-trailer/&feature=player_embedded]

The trailer.  Bowing again to Naomi for finding such great information.  I am eagerly anticipating the release of the full length feature, lets all hope it hits home and changes the way we Americans think about childbirth!

For finally publishing correct information.

http://www.todaysparent.com/baby/behaviordevelopment/article.jsp?content=20081027_134032_13100&page=1

It’s about time a “mainstream” publication actually talks and promotes about attachment parenting (for those that don’t know what this is, it’s just NATURAL LOVING parenting, following baby’s cues, not trying to train a baby to be an adult from the moment of birth), the fact that “spoiling” a baby is a myth and ridiculous notion, and that responding to your baby’s needs is crucial. 

Let’s hope, with all of our hearts, that every other publication, every doctor, and every “expert” that publishes horrid parenting books also stop talking about neglect (crying it out), that co-sleeping is awful (it is in fact natural and nurturing, one of the best things a parent can do for their baby), and on and on and on.

“Spoiling” is in fact beneficial

The kind of responsive care of infants that some people call “spoiling” is in fact beneficial, according to Barr and other researchers:

• It reduces crying. The !Kung San babies, for example, cry 50 percent less than babies in North America.

I just can’t even express how happy I am to see them write this - that babies who are not left to cry it out actually cry LESS.  Maybe it’s because they know they’re loved, instead of ignored.  People, pay attention.

 

…People who think that this kind of responsive care will lead to wimpy, dependent, self-centred older children or adults might consider the experiences of other cultures. Barr studied the !Kung San hunter-gatherers of the Kalahari Desert who carry their babies all the time when they’re awake and sleep with their babies skin to skin. They nurse on average about every 13 minutes, and they respond to every fret and whimper within seconds.

“And there’s nothing wimpy about the !Kung San,” says Barr. “The young boys are expected to go out into the woods and hunt wild boar, alone, and they are both brave and independent. The concept that this kind of care for infants makes them grow up to be wimps is simply not true.”

Hats off to Today’s Parent for wising up!  Come on everyone else!!!

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