Life on our corner

Well, I was right Reuben was NOT 36 lbs like I was told a few weeks ago; he is a trim 27-9! Now all my fears that he would be classified as obese, never be able to get on private insurance, end up on a government run health care option and not get him the treatments that he would need are eased! I'll sleep better tonight! :) While the doctor was quick to remind me that he is not yet skinny he is slowing down and back on the charts at 96%. He is 29.5 inches (50%) and has a 75% head circumference. (And we did discuss the problem with the scale at the other clinic. He was actually more upset at the doctor who should have caught the 10 pound discrepancy. He was very happy that I didn't listen to the other doctor and did not give Reuben the prescribed drugs!) The doctor and I had a nice chat about government regulations of vaccines and testing. Interesting that he is frustrated as a physician and a tax payer! I talked to the doctor about the lack of fat in Reuben's diet since h...

A few people have asked for the recipe that I used this winter for ear infections.  I bought it at first, but then got this recipe from a friend.  (Thanks Christine!)  I know that this looks a little crazy, but antibiotics weren't working for Reuben and this did!  The only down side was that he always smelled like he just ate at The Olive Garden.  (He is either going to love Italian or hate it when he grows up!) 1/4 cup olive oil or sweet oil 4 cloves garlic finely minced Put in a pan on low heat and let warm for 15-20 min ~ the idea is not to cook the garlic but to release the oils.  Strain into a jar (preferably glass-I just used a baby food jar) and let cool. Drop 2-3 drops in each ear 2 or 3 times a day and put a small bit of cotton in the ear. Should clear things up in a day or two. The mixture will keep in your fridge for 3 - 4 days then you will need to make a fresh batch.  I don't put cold oil in the ears, but warm it up in a hot water...

Not exactly how I had planned in my head but it worked, and I didn't hear anyone complain about it being dairy free cake!

I had a huge week this week.  I told myself that I would get my Spring Cleaning done before Reuben's birthday party, and while "a woman's work is never done"  I can say that I successfully crossed everything off my list!  I am so happy with what got done, but I am toast now! Jonah has recovered great from his surgery, and is back in action.  No more living on tv, no more living on frozen sugar.  Wednesday he looked at me pleading "Mom, I need ice cream.  I haven't had it ALL WEEK!"  He made me laugh this week so many times.  I love just watching his wheels spin.  This week he looked at me and said "Mom, cows poop, and cows give milk, right?"  "Yes."  "Can we get milk from goats?"  As if goats don't poop?  Spring has sprung in Audrey's heart this week and she wants to wear shoes with no socks all the time.  We went to a baby shower for my cousin "just gurls, no boys."  Then she spent the night at...

I cannot believe that Reuben turns one this week!  I was looking through pictures and said to Jordan "Long nights, but a short year!"  Aunt Tori gave him his first haircut this week and now he looks like a little man.  I started to get a little sentimental about it, but it was actually short lived.  (Jordan is encouraging me to look a little more "glass half full"!)  Here is why I am happy to have a one year old: I know my baby so much better than I did a year ago. I know his personality and a few of his opinions!  He can communicate more effectively.  It helps to meet a baby's needs when he can tell you directly. A summer with a 1, 3 and 5 year old sounds exciting.  Swimming and walks, we are going to have a good time! Fewer all nighters!  He is doing so well with his nights!  He is more of a Jonah napper, but hooray for the nights! Reuben is working on his walking skills.  He took is first baby steps this week....

Chubbers got into a fight with the fireplace.  The score after round one: Fireplace-1 Reuben -0.  So glad it missed his teeth!

Today was the big day! Our day really started last night. My mom came up so that we didn't have to haul Reuben and Audrey anywhere so early in the morning. Not that they were not up before the crack of dawn, but it was awesome not worrying about them. Thanks Mom!  Before bed I read the booklet that the doctor had given Jonah explaining what was going to happen. He seemed unphased and asked me to read it again. Then came the night. He came in our room around 1:00am asking if it was time to go. Jordan climbed into bed with him a little after 3:00 because he still was awake and very worked up! We got to the surgical center at 6:30 and we were done with paperwork, taking back to meet the Dr before 7:00. They wheeled him away at 7:15, his lip quivering. I managed to keep my tears hidden from him! They had him wear the "space mask" right away and then they put in his iv. I was so thankful that we didn't have to do the iv awake! The Dr came to find us a little before 8:00 t...

This may be a boring blog entry, but no one is forcing you to read this so here it goes! A friend asked me a few years back "Have you ever thought about switching to cloth diapers?" "Are you crazy? No!" was my oh too quick response.  I had been around cloth diapers just enough to know that they were no longer pins and rubber pants like the good old days, but I had no intention of going down that road. I had heard people talk of wet bags and hemp inserts and did not wish to complicate my life in that way. Something changed, however, somewhere in during my third pregnancy. I think it was fearing that I would be buying diapers the rest of my life. I looked into it, but just enough to be sticker shocked by the "Cadillac" of cloth diapers ($20 a diaper!) I thought that it was going to be a huge investment and not worth the hassle since I hadn't started with Jonah.  I did however go back to my friend and tell her that I no longer thought that she was crazy...