Beanoween

Isn't it funny how we force our toddlers into holidays like Halloween that they just don't get? Bean looked adorable in her kangaroo costume, of course, but she didn't get it. She wasn't into trick-or-treating, she doesn't eat candy (yet...), and the costume parade at her daycare just confused her and the other kids and created a lot of aggravation for the teachers.

But we parents had a blast! I guess Halloween is just for us for the first couple years...we live vicariously through our beans while we can.

And by "live vicariously" I mean "eat all her candy." Sigh.

"Bah" is for Bean

Bean has been talking up a storm lately. Her first word, of course, was "Dada," followed soon after by "Mum-mum." Then she came out with "up." She stuck with those three words for quite a while. Not too long ago we realized that, though she may not say much yet, she actually understands most of what we say to her.

It's funny - you talk to your baby constantly: "Hi little Bean.....let's go get dressed...time to change your diaper....here's your breakfast....say hi to Daddy!" And most of the time it's a one way conversation. But then there comes a day when you say, "OK, lay down so Mommy can put on your jammies!" and she lays down. Or you say, "Do you want to go play outside?" and she gets very excited and high-tails it to the back door. It's also funny that she has selective hearing: she hears "Want to have a snack?" loud and clear, but somehow "Don't climb the stairs!" doesn't resonate.

Anyway, lately she's also been adding a lot of words to her vocabulary; this week I think she added a new word every day. Here's her current lexicon:

Bah-bah: bottle / sippy cup
Bah: ball / bowl / bath / bye / belly, depending on the context
Bah-na: banana
Bab: bib
Beh-beeee: baby

Cuh: car
Coo: school

Dah: duck
DuhDuh, daaaah: Daddy
Duh.....pah: diaper

Grrrrrr: truck (I guess that's the sound a truck makes? LOL)

Hi!

Ma: MooMoo (the dog) / more
Mum-mum: Mommy

Nack: snack
Nuh-nuh: Dinner

Puh: pig

Yeah, yeah!

Oh, and she LOVES to talk on the phone (unless of course there's actually someone on the other end, in which case she's struck mute).

Breastfeeding can save a mom's life

I came upon Angela White's excellent blog recently: http://www.breastfeeding123.com/.

Of the many interesting posts, one really surprised me. It contained the quote below, which was sourced from a Cornell University fact sheet.

“Although there are a few studies that report a decrease in the risk of breast cancer after only three or more months of breast-feeding, the evidence for risk reduction becomes more consistent the longer women breast-feed. The most consistent evidence of a relationship between breast-feeding and the risk of breast cancer has been reported in studies of Chinese women who breast-fed for long periods of time. In these studies, women who breast-fed for a total of six years or more (all children combined) over the course of their lives had as much as a 63% decrease in breast cancer incidence compared to women who never breast-fed.”

I've blogged about the benefits of breastfeeding for both mother and child before, but I was alarmed by this particular statistic. 63% is a HUGE decrease.

Being that October is Breast Cancer Awareness Month, I hope this information gets more (or even some?) play in the media. I hope it will drive more women to breastfeed and to breastfeed longer - because, on top of the myriad other benefits of breastfeeding to mom and baby, it could save a woman's life.

We have lift off.

Figures! The very day I posted "Is she walking yet?" my little Bean took her first steps.

I realized afterwards that I always figured she'd first walk into my or her father's arms, urged on by our enthusiastic prompting, "C'mon, Bean! You can do it!" But not this girl! She had to do it all on her own.

She was hanging on to the couch with one hand and just took off toward her toy box. She didn't know I was watching her, and I don't think she realized what she was doing until she sat down about six steps later and I started clapping.

I was crying too, of course. Every time she reaches a milestone I pull out her baby album to reminisce for a while. Cripes, she's only 15 months old. What am I going to be like when she goes to kindergarten?

Anyway, she's been practicing her moves on and off since then, but she doesn't seem all that interested yet. I can hear the chorus of parents with older kids warning me: "Oh, just you wait!"

Sunday morning surprise

When I brought Bean downstairs Sunday morning (she was up and running at 6....what happened to 7, Beanie???), there was a weird smell in the air. It was quite putrid...that "the dog really needs a bath" smell. I figured I'd have Hubs wash the dog when he got up.

I put some coffee on while Bean played on the kitchen floor.

"Man, that smell is awful. C'mere Bean, let's go wake daddy up so he can give your silly dog a bath."

And then I saw it. Dog pee, ALL OVER the kitchen floor. It was partially dry so I didn't see it until I was at the right angle. Yes, that's right, the same floor Bean had just been crawling around and playing on.

Thank god my husband always takes care of these dog emergencies. He washed the floor and bathed the dog (who did have a case of swamp ass on top of the accident) while I gave Bean a bath.

What a nice way to start a Sunday.

Is she walking yet?

That's the question on everybody's lips now that Bean is 15 months old. The answer has remained the same since she turned a year old: Almost. She's been cruising around on the furniture for months now, and she'll even push a chair around the kitchen so she can get from end to the other while remaining upright.

Other than that, though, she's been quite content to crawl. This week, however, she's made some - ahem - new strides.

No longer resistant to the assisted walk, she'll now toddle around the house holding on to one of my or her daddy's fingers. And last night, she stood up from a sitting position without holding on to anything. She just stood there for a few seconds, then sat down again, pleased as punch with her accomplishment. Then, this morning, while standing up with the coffee table behind her, just in case, she made three steps into my arms.

Everyone always says, "Don't worry; she'll walk soon." I know she's on the late end of reaching this milestone, but I'm really not worried. She gets around quite efficiently now, and I know walking will just make her harder to catch. Plus I have these huge biceps from carrying her around everywhere... ;-)

Stay tuned: more updates to the walking chronicles to come...

Mom's Overture

This is priceless!

Beanie bites

I got the dreaded call from daycare this morning.

Daycare teacher: "Hi. Um... I just wanted to call to let you know that your Bean has bitten two kids this morning. If she bites again, she'll have to go home for the day."

Me: "Oh my!" I feigned feeling horrified, was a little embarrassed, but mostly wanted to laugh at the thought of that cute little bug bearing her fangs. "That's horrible. What can we do about it?"

DC: "Well, we told her 'no biting!' and then distracted her with a toy. It's a normal thing with toddlers, but we're required to call and let you know when this type of thing happens."

Me: "Are you sure she wasn't kissing her friends?" Because that's how she kisses: with her mouth wide open, engulfing your whole lip, eye ball, or nose in her drooly cuteness.

DC: "No, we checked; there were bite marks."

Damn!

This is the first time she's bitten....let's hope it's the last.

Honey, do

A few weeks ago I attended a mead making class with a good friend. Since mead is wine made with honey and yeast, the instructor also provided a lot of background information about honey before we got started. I was surprised to learn that it is a good source of B vitamins and has antibacterial qualities: it has low water molecule transport properties and is highly acidic, preventing the growth of microorganisms. You can use honey on cuts or an an antiseptic gargle, and some posit that eating locally harvested honey helps prevent seasonal allergies.

Bean has been sick this week: poor little bug has two ear infections, conjunctivitis, and a dry cough. Her doctor prescribed an antibiotic for the infections, but does not recommend using over-the-counter cold medicines to ease symptoms such as runny nose and cough until she's much older. And, indeed, there has been a lot of information in the news lately about the dangers associated with giving these readily available cold meds to babies and young children.

So I decided to put honey to the test to help Bean's cough. I dissolved a teaspoon of the golden sticky goodness in lukewarm water, and she stopped coughing after a couple sips. And of course she liked the taste. My hubby had a sore throat, so I made him a gargle with honey, lemon juice, and water, and that gave him some relief, too.

It's good to have this natural, inexpensive, safe remedy in my mommy arsenal. (Please note: honey is NOT safe for children under one year of age.)

Personally, I became addicted to honey while reading Sue Monk Kidd's The Secret Life of Bees, eating it by the spoonful straight from the jar. Do all those good qualities counteract the calories??? Judging by the size of my...hive...I'd guess not. ;-)