O Christmas Tree...

Adam (farthest), Jack (middle), and Patrick (nearest) taking our tree to the pick-up point

The tree barely fitting into the living room

We finally went to get a Christmas tree yesterday afternoon. We drove up to Sherwood Pines with Adam's parents and his youngest brother, Patrick, and picked out a nice spruce for the living room. It turns out the tree was A LOT bigger than we thought and, despite the VERY high ceiling, we still had to cut off the top to get it to fit :/

Zeke was a little fussy during the trip (I'm sure his nose and chin were cold, and I've always wondered if babies' gums can freeze), but a rousing game of Peek-a-boo with his daddy helped a lot and got the smile back.

Here I'm wearing Zeke in a borrowed GypsyMama (Wrapsody) batik wrap
and a Peekaru vest to keep warm :)

GoodMama, Kiwie Pie, and Thirsties, Oh My!

Another great giveaway from Kelly's Closet:

indiscreet breastfeeder

I'm tired of modesty. There, I said it. I'm fine with keeping my belly covered, my rear end well above my skirt hems, and my necklines appropriate for school, but if anyone EVER tells me to cover up while feeding my child I might very well lose my cool. People don't ask a bottle-feeding mother to put a blanket over her child's head or to move to a "more private" area or bathroom (yuck!). They don't stare or point at bottle-feeding mothers and their babies, nor do they make rude or condescending comments ("That is inappropriate or disgusting or unnecessary", "You have no business flaunting yourself that way", "Why don't you just make him a bottle for when you go out?", etc.).

Just for the record, I've personally never been harassed in any of these ways. Reactions at every place I've nursed publicly have ranged from indifferent to admiring; never have I been hassled (though some people probably DID stare or point when I wasn't looking). I don't make a point to emphasize what I'm doing or "flaunt" it, but neither do I cover up or try to hide anything. My baby eats when he's hungry or needs settling regardless of where we are or what we're doing, and I will NEVER apologize for doing the best thing I can possibly do for my child.

And, by the way, it's not my (and definitely not Zeke's) problem that our culture has hypersexualized breasts to the point that their intended purpose is completely masked by their perception of being available to and used by men. *Rant over*

See From Bashful to Brazen: The Indiscreet Breastfeeder's Manifesto

For what it's worth

For those who are interested in how we're going about vaccinating Zeke, I have an alternative vaccination schedule here. We're not eliminating any shots, just spreading them out to avoid giving him lots of needle-sticks at a time. Also, if he DOES have a reaction, it'll be a little easier to determine which vaccine caused it. We have every intention of giving him the flu vaccine yearly once he's old enough for it, too (it's not recommended for children under six months).

This schedule comes from The Vaccine Book: Making the Right Decision for Your Child by Dr. Bob Sears (copyright 2007).

2 months: DTaP, Rotavirus
3 months*: Pc, HIB
4 months: DTaP, Rotavirus
5 months*: Pc, HIB
6 months: DTaP, Rotavirus
7 months*: Pc, HIB
9 months: Polio (IPV)
12 months: Mumps, Polio (IPV)
15 months: Pc, HIB
18 months: DTaP, Chickenpox
2 years: Rubella, Polio (IPV)
2 1/2 years*: Hep B, Hep A (start Hep B at birth if any close relatives or caregivers have Hep B)
3 years: Hep B, Measles
3 1/2 years*: Hep B, Hep A
4 years: DTaP, Polio (IPV)
5 years: MMR
6 years: Chickenpox
12 years: Tdap, HPV
12 years, 2 months*: HPV
13 years: HPV, Meningococcal (once Meningococcal vaccine is approved for age 2, Dr. Sears will move it there and delay Hep B by 6 months)

*indicates a "shots only" visit

new giveaway from Kelly's Closet!

Try this on for size (hehe)...

Click the picture to go to the blog!

best cooking magazine ever!!

I absolutely ADORE Fine Cooking.

It covers everything from simple, quick meals ("Make It Tonight" section) to complicated recipes like making homemade sausages. This week I'm hoping to try the Noodle Soup with Kale and White Beans (p106), Honey-Lemon-Glazed Cauliflower (also p106) and Chicken Adobo with Rice (p108). Some of the Christmas cookies and other desserts will be fabulous when that time of year rolls around, too.

It's expensive ($30 for 6 issues per year), but totally worth it when I think about how much better my cooking has been since I started getting it.

Sooooo much better!

Zeke is MUCH better today! He was better yesterday, too, but I didn't get to post at the time :)

We put a few drops of peppermint oil in our bedroom humidifier and used Kid's Xlear nose drops before he went to bed. I also put him in his bouncy seat on the bathroom floor while I took a shower on Wednesday, and that seemed to really help break up the gunk. Of course, we also used a bulb syringe ("booger-sucker" in the vernacular) to suck out the goop. All of these things in combination were enough to help him feel much better, but I think the nose drops were the biggest help overall. Adam bought them (on Barbara's recommendation) at Harvest Moon and they seemed to dry Zeke up really quickly. He's back to daycare and his usual self!