Friday, August 31, 2012

The Day When My Daughter Insisted Upon Her Own Personality

My oldest daughter is going to run cross country this fall. I want to start running again to get into shape, so we have been running together this week. The benefits: mother-daughter bonding time! Motivation to get outside! Other stuff!

It has been good. We have run intervals, done sprintwork at the track, and are supposed to go for a longer, easy jog today. (Meanwhile, I'm on my third cup of decaf and she's eating a late breakfast. It's also Friday, which means there's more than an incredibly precise chance that we'll do pretty much anything else than a longer, easy jog today. Like, not run at all.)

One interesting thing has popped up over this past week's running. My 11-year old has decided it's time to start "growing up" and "separating herself as an individual" a bit. This has taken the form of questioning much of what I ask her to do during our run workouts. She questions me, and has a tiny attitude. Which is normal, I get it. But yo, you wouldn't do this when your DAD coaches you, would you? No. I guess it's just moms that get to see the full force of the fancy hormone-changing grump-tasticness?


Not being grumpy, just reading.


Which I guess, makes me special. With her mom, she feels like she can be herself, even if that self looks more like a cat getting a bath rather than the sweet kid we've raised from birth.

I tell myself that it's okay. It's a phase. It's supposed to happen this way. And besides, that's why God invented wine, for when our progeny do their hardest growing* and we need something to prop us up for the process.

My husband tells me our daughter wants to do things her way, just like me. (We'll deal with THAT characterization later.......crap, it's true.)


* (And we're not even to the years that end it -teen...)

Sunday, August 19, 2012

Baby Food

Found out that the cereal I've been feeding Evvie is giving her constipation. Turns out that cereal, commonly used as baby's first food, should be one of the last foods introduced to a breastfed baby for a number of reasons. 

It is a processed food that has to be fortified. The iron it contains is not necessary for breastfed babies. The iron it contains is not as readily absorbed as that contained in human milk (10% vs. 40% absorption rate). The extra iron can cause constipation. The nutrition it delivers is substandard when compared to human milk...the list goes on. (Information courtesy www.breastfeedingbasics.com)

I have two children. Why did I not know this?!?



Evvie's not too fond of solid foods yet. She liked her cereal room temperature. If her fruit was refrigerated, it had to be warmed up first. She hasn't loved anything in particular, except breastfeeding, God love her.


Forget the cereal. She's getting bananas and applesauce now. The only thing coming out of this butt will be pure fruit.


And maybe popsicles.



Minus the stick.

Friday, August 10, 2012

Rant

So, there's this topic I've been immersed in for a few months. Most of us don't have a clue about the farming practices that go into our food, and let me tell you, it's a scary thing. But we've got to know, and we've got to find a way to fix it. Much like a hot dog factory, it's disgusting.

Who reads the Congressional Record, unless forced to as a condition of release from hostage-takers? Not me. Government language is boring, full of "strike line 9 and amend line 13....". I've included a little bit from the latest farm bill which addresses genetically modified foods, and consumers' right to know what we buy.

It's a dirty job, trying to do the right thing. Highly-paid lobbyists are outside the doors, panting and clouding up the windows of Congress with their hot, nasty breath. Meanwhile, regular Americans are at work, at home, and busy taking care of children and doing dishes rather than paying attention to the details of all that legalspeak.

But, there is a reason you should care about the farm bill recently under consideration in Congress. Why should we care? Isn't the FDA on top of things? Well, if by "on top of things" you mean on top of opening the door to hiring regulators directly from the biotech companies they are supposed to regulate? Then yes, they are on top of that.

It's not the first time government and business are in bed together, but this is what we eat. This is what we feed our children, and it affects our health. There are no studies that consider genetically modified foods and their affects, but there is plenty of anecdotal evidence that it is harmful to children by causing severe allergic reactions, among other things. If you've read "The Unhealthy Truth" then you know what I'm talking about. If you haven't read that book yet, you should.


BORING, YET CRITICALLY IMPORTANT TEXT FROM THE BILL:


   SA 2256. Mr. SANDERS (for himself and Mrs. BOXER) submitted an amendment intended to be proposed by him to the bill S. 3240, to reauthorize agricultural programs through 2017, and for other purposes; which was ordered to lie on the table; as follows:

    On page 1009, after line 11, add the following:


SEC. 12207. CONSUMERS RIGHT TO KNOW ABOUT GENETICALLY ENGINEERED FOOD ACT.
    (1) surveys of the American public consistently show that 90 percent or more of the people of the United States want genetically engineered or modified foods to be labeled as such;
    (2) a landmark public health study in Canada found that--
    (A) 93 percent of pregnant women had detectable toxins from genetically engineered or modified foods in their blood; and
    (B) 80 percent of the babies of those women had detectable toxins in their umbilical cords;
    (3) the tenth Amendment to the Constitution of the United States clearly reserves powers in the system of Federalism to the States or to the people; and
    (4) States have the authority to require the labeling of foods produced through genetic engineering or derived from organisms that have been genetically engineered.
    

    (d) Right to Know.--Notwithstanding any other Federal law (including regulations), a State may require that any food, beverage, or other edible product offered for sale in that State have a label on the container or package of the food, beverage, or other edible product, indicating that the food, beverage, or other edible product contains a genetically engineered or genetically modified ingredient.


AND FINALLY, LANGUAGE TO PROTECT REGULAR FARMERS FROM MASSIVE COMPANIES WHO LIKE TO PICK ON PEOPLE, THE BASTARDS:

   SA 2257. Mr. SANDERS submitted an amendment intended to be proposed by him to the bill S. 3240, to reauthorize agricultural programs through 2017, and for other purposes; which was ordered to lie on the table; as follows:

    On page 1009, after line 11, add the following:
   SEC. 12207. AGRICULTURAL PRODUCER PROTECTION ACT.
   (1) IN GENERAL.--No agricultural producer shall be liable to a biotech company under any provision of Federal, State, or local law, including for injury, monetary damages, or patent infringement, resulting from the contamination of the seeds, crops, products, or plants of the agricultural producer by a genetically engineered product that is created, produced, or distributed by the biotech company.
    (d) Private Right of Action by Agricultural Producers of Nongenetically Engineered Products.--Any agricultural producer of nongenetically engineered products whose seeds, crops, plants, or products are contaminated by a genetically engineered product may, in a civil action in a court of competent jurisdiction, bring an action against a biotech company for monetary damages for injury to the agricultural producer caused by the genetically engineered product.

* * * * * * * * * * * * * * *

Did you see the part about pregnant women having toxins from genetically modified foods in their blood? How about 80 percent of those women's babies had detectable toxins in their cord blood? How would you like to give birth knowing your baby had toxins in his system? Thank Monsanto for that.

I know, I just had a baby seven months ago, and I read "The Unhealthy Truth" and I'm angry. Nevermind opinion, those are some nasty statistics. Just because I'm a mom doesn't mean I don't know what I'm talking about.

There is good news. That part toward the end about "No agricultural producer shall be liable to a biotech company..." means that farmers cannot be sued when their fields are contaminated, from wind or insect, by a genetically modified seed from a neighboring field, which are patented and considered "stolen". Not only that, but a farmer whose fields DO get some crappy GM seed blown onto it CAN SUE.

And yes, CONTAMINATED is the right word for it.

I'm no tree hugger. I grew up in rural Oregon with Republican parents who were by all accounts quite reasonable people who wanted nothing more than healthy, happy, and productive children. They disliked waste of any kind, and respected hard work and people with integrity.

Europe, Japan, and Russia - Russia, for godsakes! - won't allow these crops to be grown in their countries without further study. Why not America?

It should be harder in the U.S. to plant unstudied, genetically-modified crops than it is to farm in the old-fashioned, healthy way. Like it or not, oppressive, well-financed biotech and bioagricultural companies care most about money and selling its products than to bother studying them and selling an ethical product. What's worse is to NOT TELL CONSUMERS what they are purchasing. You want to grow GM crops? Fine. Make a label that reflects the ingredients, and Republicans and Democrats alike will tell you, LET THE MARKET DECIDE,  MOTHERF&#%ERS.

Monday, August 06, 2012

Bonding over Bumbos

At my high school reunion, there was a lot of catching up to do. After the initial How are yous and What have you been up tos, there's not much to say unless you find something in common.

There were people there that instantly bonded, even though they had never met. Four month old Jordan and seven month old Evelyn had a lot to say drool about.



Hey, I see you've got a Bumbo seat, too.



Yeah. It's hard to poop in, but other than that, I like it.



Cool.

I am not the only one having babies at this stage of the game. Besides Jordan, there was a six-month old boy, a 10-year old girl with a toddler sister, plus an expectant mom.

Cool.

Wednesday, August 01, 2012

Seven Months

Tomorrow the baby turns 7 months old. Tonight she started scooting. 


I was washing dishes at the kitchen sink, so had my back to her. Evelyn was sitting on the floor with the pillow behind her in case she decided to recklessly throw herself backwards. Babies do the craziest things.  



When I turned around, she was sitting on the floor, but turned away from the pillow. She hadn't rolled, there wasn't enough space. As I exclaimed, "The baby has moved! She isn't where I left her!" husband came into the room.


How did she do that? We were both wondering, when she started scooting. She kicked her little chubby legs and she scooted backward.



Today we went to the fair. We looked at all the animals except horses and cows. I ate an elephant ear, a burrito, and a cinnamon roll (good grief, why am I sharing all THAT?). Evvie watched it all. Who knew that all the while she was thinking, when I get home I'm going to scoot backwards and REALLY blow their minds!