Well it's true! This particular naptime, I just had to snap some shots.
Poor Gigi wasn't there to enjoy the attention.
Tuesday, October 13, 2009
H1N1
It took me less than a second to make the decision not to vaccinate Gigi for H1N1. We aren't vaccinating her for anything else, firstly. Also, H1N1 vax contains thimerisol.
I won't get started on vaccinations other than to say that the companies who provide them are legally protected from liability should something go wrong. This vaccination is no exception, and was hastily concocted to boot.
I will take my own meager precautions now:
- No more touchy strangers. If you want to see how quickly I can move, step toward my daughter with your hand outstretched while saying "oh she's sooooo beautiful..."
- No high risk places. Gigi was invited to Chuck E Cheese for a little one's birthday. There are just so many reasons to avoid places like this. My conclusion was that they didn't base their business model on how clean they are, and I'll just leave it at that.
- I will periodically sanitize her hands. After the market, after playgroup. I know that there is a anti-hand sanitizer movement out there, but I'm on the fringe. I dont see the harm in a little alchohol now and then.
- And of course, I will KEEP BREASTFEEDING. Gigi has been sick once in her little life, and that was because I foolishly kept her in close proximity to three sick children for 6 hours (I didn't know!) when she was 4 months old. Even when I came down with something 2 months ago, Gigi stayed in her protective BF bubble.
I fully expect to come through this unscathed. However, I won't feel like I neglected Gigi if she gets sick. Ive struggled with the vaccination question already and made my peace with the risks on both sides. I gave the H1N1 vaccination question its due, however, and I still do not feel compelled to cause potential harm to my precious daughter over it.
Apples and Co-ops and Gym Class, Oh My!
Last week was a week of buying and recieving. I probably mentioned to G-Grandma Detkos that I was wanting to buy some more PJs for Gigi and so when they came by... more PJs! And other things. Grandma Bernie came also and brought a gorgeous pair of UGGs (is that what you say when you see the price??) and a pop-up halloween card. I will soon get the camera out and take some modeling pictures.
Also, apples. We have recieved so many apples from G-Grandma & Grandpa that I think we've given up trying to use them for something! We have made Apple Cakes, apple sauce, baked apples, sauteed apples and oatmeal... I cant remember what else, it's all an apple-y blur.
And co-ops. I belong to a buying cooperative and October is the time for holiday shopping. It takes awhile to get your items in coops, and manufacturers and retailers are too busy to deal with coops in December, so October is the time to buy. We ordered a wooden toy for Gigi, clothing for Nick, some stocking stuffer type gifts for various family and friends and some everyday things we've been needing, like a pound of organic Taco mix! It sounds like alot, but since Nick generally gets his way around here, we eat tacos once per week!
We signed Gigi up for Winter gymnastics too. We go "all the way out" to East Amherst for gym mainly because the facility is extremely clean as well as toddler and baby oriented. The gym was running a special for 15% off if we signed up way before the session began and it was worth it. A sign of the times, too. I wish there was an equal facility a bit closer- there isn't. Gigi and I went to a trial class for the toddlers, just to see if she still enjoyed it and yes she did!
A busy, productive expensive week. Maybe we should eat tacos twice a week?
Also, apples. We have recieved so many apples from G-Grandma & Grandpa that I think we've given up trying to use them for something! We have made Apple Cakes, apple sauce, baked apples, sauteed apples and oatmeal... I cant remember what else, it's all an apple-y blur.
And co-ops. I belong to a buying cooperative and October is the time for holiday shopping. It takes awhile to get your items in coops, and manufacturers and retailers are too busy to deal with coops in December, so October is the time to buy. We ordered a wooden toy for Gigi, clothing for Nick, some stocking stuffer type gifts for various family and friends and some everyday things we've been needing, like a pound of organic Taco mix! It sounds like alot, but since Nick generally gets his way around here, we eat tacos once per week!
We signed Gigi up for Winter gymnastics too. We go "all the way out" to East Amherst for gym mainly because the facility is extremely clean as well as toddler and baby oriented. The gym was running a special for 15% off if we signed up way before the session began and it was worth it. A sign of the times, too. I wish there was an equal facility a bit closer- there isn't. Gigi and I went to a trial class for the toddlers, just to see if she still enjoyed it and yes she did!
A busy, productive expensive week. Maybe we should eat tacos twice a week?
Monday, October 5, 2009
Babies and Puppies
Gigi has an affinity for dogs, no doubt about it. Cats too. Here we were at a friends house and Gigi spent a good deal of time goading Riley into "kissing" her. Yuck!
Sunday, October 4, 2009
Down on the Farm
This weekend we went to a working farm, Kelkenberg, in Clarence. The experience included a hayride, pumpkin picking, animal visiting and a little pizza party thrown by the MomGroup I am vested in.
Trying to pick my way through the hay maze.
Clydesdales, so beautiful.
Gigi wanted to pet (or grab) those chickens so badly!
This is not a child I know, but I wanted to get a picture of the contraption he is operating. What is it?
We had a nice time there. Gigi especially enjoyed the hayride out to the pumpkin patch, where we were surrounded by green as far as we could see. The air was fresh and the sun shone brightly. It was one of those moments where you feel so happy to be alive.
Trying to pick my way through the hay maze.
Clydesdales, so beautiful.
Gigi wanted to pet (or grab) those chickens so badly!
This is not a child I know, but I wanted to get a picture of the contraption he is operating. What is it?
We had a nice time there. Gigi especially enjoyed the hayride out to the pumpkin patch, where we were surrounded by green as far as we could see. The air was fresh and the sun shone brightly. It was one of those moments where you feel so happy to be alive.
Friday, October 2, 2009
More Clothes!
This is Gigi a few days ago, modeling and generally reveling in a pile of new clothes from Great Grandma.
I feel generally surly about the prospect of buying brand new kiddo clothes, possibly to the point of being negligent.
First off, Gigi is a lucky little girl. She has had up until now 4 sources of hand-me-down clothing. Before I gave birth, I bought a huge lot of used clothes from a mama in West Seneca. I mean huge. 5 boxes all the way up to a few 24 months items, plus she threw in Avent bottles, sheets, some toys, tons of shoes, binkies- you name it. Plus, Gigi has a few important little girls (generous mamas) who contribute really cute stuff to her wardrobe and I am very grateful.
Second off, she has Grandma. Actually Great Grandma. Grandma Detkos has always been a "shopper" from what I can gather. She scours the aisles at TJ Maxx and the like, sweeping the grid like The Terminator looking for Sarah Connor. I need only to have mentioned that Gigi needed socks than she recieved all manner of them. I am grateful. I used to actually begrudge Gigi the deluge of non-essential clothing back when she was 6 months, but now that we actually go places and get dirty it's pretty cool. Now I just feel guilty for the kids in... well, not Africa. They're starving, yes, but it's hot there. I guess I don't know where, but the poor kids with only 10 things to wear is what I mean. They may live just minutes away for all I know.
Lastly, I just dont want to spend the money on new clothes. I have other stuff I want to spend our money on. Or not spend at all would be best. And I dislike TJ Maxx and Marshall's so much that I would actually endure real (minor) physical discomfort as an alternative to shopping there.
What I do is look for second-hand stuff. I want really good condition Pedipeds and Robeez for $15 a pair (still looking)! I want an EUC (excellent used condition) Patagonia snowsuit for $30 (got it)! I want some kind of fleece or wool hat that ties and covers Gigi's ears for $5 (working on it). I don't want a Ralph Lauren jumpsuit for $30 because it used to be $60 (got it from Grandma, though, and it's super-di-cute!).
So it pains me to admit that I'll be buying brand-new slippers for Gigi. And anything that is going to breathe, protect against hardwood slips, last for the next kiddo and not be the cartoon character du jour is $20, minimum. And that's a deep-discount Amazon deal on an Austrian brand called Giesswien that is usually priced at $60.00. For slippers!
This whole clothing thing is a balancing act for me. In attempting to live green, I try not to encourage additional production with my dollars, sweatshop and otherwise. Not to mention my general dislike of shopping. Also, I have many, many bags full of clothing separated by size and season in storage already, too small now. I could open a consignment shop at this point. And it's hard to reconcile what they claim are the "must-haves" with what really are. For instance, does Gigi need slippers? Are they a "must-have?" Shouldn't I just be chasing her down every 10 minutes and putting her socks back on? Or should I just let her navigate the hardwood and ceramic with bare feet after I get tired of the chasing?
It's hard to tell sometimes if these ideas of what she needs come from me or the media that has targeted me as a middle income, stay at home mom that wants the best for her little bundle and is willing to pay for it. And I do get targeted - even without the benefit of television, which I do not watch.
So...
Best I can tell, the girl should have some slippers. They're in the cart, ready to go. Of course, I can get Super Saver Shipping if I just spend $5 dollars more...
First off, Gigi is a lucky little girl. She has had up until now 4 sources of hand-me-down clothing. Before I gave birth, I bought a huge lot of used clothes from a mama in West Seneca. I mean huge. 5 boxes all the way up to a few 24 months items, plus she threw in Avent bottles, sheets, some toys, tons of shoes, binkies- you name it. Plus, Gigi has a few important little girls (generous mamas) who contribute really cute stuff to her wardrobe and I am very grateful.
Second off, she has Grandma. Actually Great Grandma. Grandma Detkos has always been a "shopper" from what I can gather. She scours the aisles at TJ Maxx and the like, sweeping the grid like The Terminator looking for Sarah Connor. I need only to have mentioned that Gigi needed socks than she recieved all manner of them. I am grateful. I used to actually begrudge Gigi the deluge of non-essential clothing back when she was 6 months, but now that we actually go places and get dirty it's pretty cool. Now I just feel guilty for the kids in... well, not Africa. They're starving, yes, but it's hot there. I guess I don't know where, but the poor kids with only 10 things to wear is what I mean. They may live just minutes away for all I know.
Lastly, I just dont want to spend the money on new clothes. I have other stuff I want to spend our money on. Or not spend at all would be best. And I dislike TJ Maxx and Marshall's so much that I would actually endure real (minor) physical discomfort as an alternative to shopping there.
What I do is look for second-hand stuff. I want really good condition Pedipeds and Robeez for $15 a pair (still looking)! I want an EUC (excellent used condition) Patagonia snowsuit for $30 (got it)! I want some kind of fleece or wool hat that ties and covers Gigi's ears for $5 (working on it). I don't want a Ralph Lauren jumpsuit for $30 because it used to be $60 (got it from Grandma, though, and it's super-di-cute!).
So it pains me to admit that I'll be buying brand-new slippers for Gigi. And anything that is going to breathe, protect against hardwood slips, last for the next kiddo and not be the cartoon character du jour is $20, minimum. And that's a deep-discount Amazon deal on an Austrian brand called Giesswien that is usually priced at $60.00. For slippers!
This whole clothing thing is a balancing act for me. In attempting to live green, I try not to encourage additional production with my dollars, sweatshop and otherwise. Not to mention my general dislike of shopping. Also, I have many, many bags full of clothing separated by size and season in storage already, too small now. I could open a consignment shop at this point. And it's hard to reconcile what they claim are the "must-haves" with what really are. For instance, does Gigi need slippers? Are they a "must-have?" Shouldn't I just be chasing her down every 10 minutes and putting her socks back on? Or should I just let her navigate the hardwood and ceramic with bare feet after I get tired of the chasing?
It's hard to tell sometimes if these ideas of what she needs come from me or the media that has targeted me as a middle income, stay at home mom that wants the best for her little bundle and is willing to pay for it. And I do get targeted - even without the benefit of television, which I do not watch.
So...
Best I can tell, the girl should have some slippers. They're in the cart, ready to go. Of course, I can get Super Saver Shipping if I just spend $5 dollars more...
Thursday, October 1, 2009
Words Gigi says and understands
I thought it would be fun to document the words Gigi is using these days. She understands a bunch more words and concepts, but these are just the words that she clearly says and associates with things or concepts:
She may or may not understand the word "up." She seems to use it for alot of things, including when something is particularly interesting and she needs to use an exclamatory word, kind of like "wow!"
- dada
- momma
- imums (breastfeeding)
- duck
- da (dolly)
- popop (CocoPop snack)
- eyes (comes ouxt "eesh")
- nose
- brush (comes out "ush" or "bish")
She may or may not understand the word "up." She seems to use it for alot of things, including when something is particularly interesting and she needs to use an exclamatory word, kind of like "wow!"
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)