Google Pictures of My Freaking House

Aron just left a message to close the front shades because the Google van is driving around taking pictures and I probably don’t want them getting a photo of me breastfeeding in my own home. I hate that they take pictures of houses. How dumb. I called him back and told him, “Thanks for my next blog post because that is too funny!”

I already have pictures they took of my house, by the way. My dad found it when he was messing around one day looking for pictures of where I was born and where we lived in Germany in 1970 and 1971. Anyway, on both photos they have the wrong address typed on the top, so I don’t know how anybody finds what they’re looking for anyway!

Back to Sleep Campaign

Okay, so if you're a GOOD PARENT you put your baby on his/her back to sleep, right? I mean, if you don't want your baby to DIE of SIDS, you put your baby on his/her back. RIGHT?

Or did you?

In my vast experience, babies seem to want to sleep on their stomachs. They feel all cozy, snuggled up to the mattress. If you lay them on their back they do that funny thing where their arms splay out to their sides and they often wake up.

Feel free to post as Anonymous on this one. No judgments from me since we have had a family bed for over 8 years (and nobody has ever even come close to suffocating or dying). I'm just curious about what you're actually doing. People don't talk about it much because they don't want to be perceived as "bad parents" if their kid sleeps on the belly.

And yes, the post is coming up on SIDS being linked to a serotonin deficiency. Be patient.

Women and Financial Responsibility

Recently on one of my favorite shows that my mom tapes for me, The Real Housewives of Orange County, Lynne was mad at her husband that she and her family got evicted from their $10,000 a month home they had just moved into. She was mad at her husband that he didn't tell her that he didn't have the money to pay the $10,000 deposit and so he simply hid it from her.

Here's the thing ...

I know what's going on with the bills in my house, and we aren't talking about hundreds of thousands of dollars.

And ... I think that if Lynne knew they were having financial problems, she would have held off on her (unnecessary) facelift and the nose job for her 19-year-old daughter. I think she is a reasonable woman that way.

I think a husband who tries to give his wife EVERYTHING even when he can't afford it is a D.A. (remember how I can't cuss on here anymore b/c I've sold out to Coupons.com, a family-friendly advertising venue?).

What do you think? Do you watch this show? Do you think I am shallow for watching this show? Do you think I really care what you think about my TV habits? Do you know what's going on with the bills in your house? Are you on something right now? Do you want to be?

Yoo Hoo and Friends

Eva calls these little stuffed animals (that make different noises when you squeeze the belly) “Fens” because she can't say "Friends."

Joel discovered his first one in Branson when we were on vacation and got 2 more from my dad and stepmom for Christmas. Dad and Nancy, being awesome, also got one for each of the other kids. So now they have a club. Little do they know, my aunt Ginny found 4 more, and that's what the Easter bunny is bringing.

Sometimes Joel gets made fun of for carrying 3 of them around in his shirt like they are his babies. He’s an 8-year-old boy and is expected to act a certain way, you know. But I think it’s sweet that he can shoot a huge Nerf gun while toting his babies around. He’s gonna snag a cool wife, I’m thinking.

Nosey Nursing NICU Baby

Since Sam had to stay in the NICU for a week after he was born (and I had an infection as well), and my milk didn’t come in for a while, I was worried I wouldn’t be able to nurse him as I had my other kids. I was ready to actually buy my first-ever can of formula (all the other cans over the years had been free samples) and let other people feed him most of the time. I have to admit it was nice to have a break every now and then from trying to nurse nonstop and to have his brothers or sisters or another family member or friend give him a bottle of formula.

But then days went by when he wouldn’t get a bottle, and now it’s been weeks. I have to time my outings carefully or else take him with me when I go places (like to see the movie “Up in the Air” or go grocery shopping). And it’s just fine.

Now he’s almost 5 months old and if I nurse him to get him to sleep because *I* have something to do (homeschool, relax, etc.), he doesn’t always cooperate. Often he would rather wiggle around and stare at the world and see what he can come up with in his hand when he does a quick grab at the air.

I still marvel daily at the fact that he is even alive.