For ![[profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/user.png)
awelkin and aome
Jul. 26th, 2008 10:51 amA letter a librarian wrote to a library user who complained about a book featuring gay marriage:
Uncle Bobby's Wedding
Via Bitch, Ph.D.
Uncle Bobby's Wedding
Via Bitch, Ph.D.
Quick Child Language Blog
Jun. 21st, 2008 02:03 pmI have the luxury of a sleeping toddler and a content baby being held by DH, so I will use the opportunity to note down some observations on DD's recent language development.
But before I start, hugs to![[livejournal.com profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/external/lj-userinfo.gif)
miriammoules, she needs them.
( Boring linguisticy stuff )
Apologies for the general lack of comments by the way - I mostly have a child on my lap these days, and when I'm at a computer, I either have a baby strapped to my front or am nursing. Answers to last entry meme will follow shortly.
But before I start, hugs to
miriammoules, she needs them.( Boring linguisticy stuff )
Apologies for the general lack of comments by the way - I mostly have a child on my lap these days, and when I'm at a computer, I either have a baby strapped to my front or am nursing. Answers to last entry meme will follow shortly.
from actionreplay ...
May. 12th, 2008 08:32 pmComment and I'll do my best to
1. Tell you why I befriended you.
2. Associate you with something - fandom, a song, a colour, a photo, etc.
3. Tell you something I like about you.
4. Tell you a memory I have of you.
5. Ask something I've always wanted to know about you.
6. Tell you my favourite user pic of yours.
7. In return, you must post this in your LJ (actually I don't mind whether you do or not...)
1. Tell you why I befriended you.
2. Associate you with something - fandom, a song, a colour, a photo, etc.
3. Tell you something I like about you.
4. Tell you a memory I have of you.
5. Ask something I've always wanted to know about you.
6. Tell you my favourite user pic of yours.
7. In return, you must post this in your LJ (actually I don't mind whether you do or not...)
Baby blues
Apr. 25th, 2008 06:27 pm... not the comic strip (well, the comic strip, too) but the real kind.
( potentially sensitive material )
Touch wood that's the worst over and done with, but I guess that's only the case because I acted very quickly, and because I was used to hearing about baby blues / PND. I knew the stats (1 in 10) and I knew what to watch out for. That probably saved me from going further down. And that's why I'm sharing this in a public post.
( potentially sensitive material )
Touch wood that's the worst over and done with, but I guess that's only the case because I acted very quickly, and because I was used to hearing about baby blues / PND. I knew the stats (1 in 10) and I knew what to watch out for. That probably saved me from going further down. And that's why I'm sharing this in a public post.
A quick update from me
Mar. 27th, 2008 08:49 amFirst of all, apologies to those who wanted an email and didn't get it - there were problems both with my email list and with MS Outlook. I've now switched to Thunderbird and will resend those announcements some time in the next few days.
DS is a great wee boy. He feeds well, goes up to 4 hours between feeds at night, is very alert, and surprisingly similar to his sister. long and slim, nice round read, button nose, slight tongue tie, jaundice that is taking a while to clear, loves being held. he has a very strong startle reflex, so we'll be getting some swaddling blankets today.
DD loves being a big sister. She wants to hold her brother a lot and thinks he's much more fun than her dolls. Long may it continue. I'm trying to give her special time with mummy too.
The birth and the hospital stay went really well. i was second on the list; went into theatre at 12pm, spinal went in at 12.24, adam was born at 12.58, back on the ward by 14.00 in time for first visit by little sister at 3.30. stayed in for four days, home on sunday. I coped quite well in the four-bed room, despite it being quite busy. and, same as last time, I got very weepy for a couple of hours when my milk came in, on the evening of the 21st.
DS is a great wee boy. He feeds well, goes up to 4 hours between feeds at night, is very alert, and surprisingly similar to his sister. long and slim, nice round read, button nose, slight tongue tie, jaundice that is taking a while to clear, loves being held. he has a very strong startle reflex, so we'll be getting some swaddling blankets today.
DD loves being a big sister. She wants to hold her brother a lot and thinks he's much more fun than her dolls. Long may it continue. I'm trying to give her special time with mummy too.
The birth and the hospital stay went really well. i was second on the list; went into theatre at 12pm, spinal went in at 12.24, adam was born at 12.58, back on the ward by 14.00 in time for first visit by little sister at 3.30. stayed in for four days, home on sunday. I coped quite well in the four-bed room, despite it being quite busy. and, same as last time, I got very weepy for a couple of hours when my milk came in, on the evening of the 21st.
Time to get serious ...
Mar. 15th, 2008 08:08 pmSo, Thursday is D-day, second on the list of sections that day. cynthia_black, will you do the posting honours again? Same password as last time ... I can text you a reminder.
If any of you would like to receive the birth round robin email, please comment here - all comments are screened. Probably not much more detail than on here, though :)
cynthia_black, will you do the posting honours again? Same password as last time ... I can text you a reminder.If any of you would like to receive the birth round robin email, please comment here - all comments are screened. Probably not much more detail than on here, though :)
Explaining a Caesarean to a Toddler
Feb. 28th, 2008 11:02 amSo, last night, I was talking to our DD (2.5) about her baby brother's birth. I explained that I would be very sore after the birth, because the doctors were going to cut my belly open right there (I showed her my old section scar) and lift baby out.
Toddler: listens with interest, prods scar, prods navel, prods belly
(This is the same toddler who'll go "ooh incy wincy PIDER" when she sees a real live spider and thinks all snakes are as funny as Ka from the Jungle Book.)
Husband: contorts face, pretends not to listen, and begs for less graphic detail
That's when I realised that my husband genuinely appreciates what I'll be going through to give birth to this baby safely.
Toddler: listens with interest, prods scar, prods navel, prods belly
(This is the same toddler who'll go "ooh incy wincy PIDER" when she sees a real live spider and thinks all snakes are as funny as Ka from the Jungle Book.)
Husband: contorts face, pretends not to listen, and begs for less graphic detail
That's when I realised that my husband genuinely appreciates what I'll be going through to give birth to this baby safely.
We have a date!
Feb. 20th, 2008 07:52 pmOur son will be born on March 20 at the Big Local Teaching Hospital. That is, provided that Big Local Teaching Hospital doesn't shut its doors to any but the most urgent cases, as it has done frequently during the past couple of months. And provided that they can fit me in on the day, seeing that I'm second on the list of planned sections. Despite this, I will have to attend from 7.30am, with an empty stomach and last drinks (tea/coffee/water) at 6am. Well, DH and I love playing games (San Juan, Carcassonne, you get the drift), so we'll have plenty to do.
No, I don't know who will be delivering the baby, it could be somebody I've never met. Yes, I do have a birth plan, but I'll have to discuss it all over again with the midwife / surgeon / anaesthesist who will be there on the day. Did I mention that the Local Teaching Hospital is Big and Overworked?
The only alternative hospital is next to impossible to get to using public transport, which means that it would be extremely difficult for my parents and DD to come and see me during the 3-4 days I'll stay in. Did I mention that my parents are specially flying over from Germany to help with DD while I'm in hospital? I really do hope that I won't be delayed until the 25th, because it does make a difference if you have full-time help with a toddler for 4 days or for 9 days. It would also mean that my husband would waste several days of paternity leave waiting for our son to be born.
My blood sugar is much more stable than last time around, but even so, I will have a signed-off bit in my notes that entitles me to glucose top-ups through my IV canula if I haven't been seen by midday.
Oh, and did I mention I am delaying the start of my maternity leave by a week? Imagine everything going pear-shaped that possibly can, despite having told people between 7 and 10 weeks pregnant and planned like a maniac for an easy third trimester. I think it's time to hear Mr Armstrong sing "We have all the time in the world ..."
No, I don't know who will be delivering the baby, it could be somebody I've never met. Yes, I do have a birth plan, but I'll have to discuss it all over again with the midwife / surgeon / anaesthesist who will be there on the day. Did I mention that the Local Teaching Hospital is Big and Overworked?
The only alternative hospital is next to impossible to get to using public transport, which means that it would be extremely difficult for my parents and DD to come and see me during the 3-4 days I'll stay in. Did I mention that my parents are specially flying over from Germany to help with DD while I'm in hospital? I really do hope that I won't be delayed until the 25th, because it does make a difference if you have full-time help with a toddler for 4 days or for 9 days. It would also mean that my husband would waste several days of paternity leave waiting for our son to be born.
My blood sugar is much more stable than last time around, but even so, I will have a signed-off bit in my notes that entitles me to glucose top-ups through my IV canula if I haven't been seen by midday.
Oh, and did I mention I am delaying the start of my maternity leave by a week? Imagine everything going pear-shaped that possibly can, despite having told people between 7 and 10 weeks pregnant and planned like a maniac for an easy third trimester. I think it's time to hear Mr Armstrong sing "We have all the time in the world ..."
It's Carnival in Germany ...
Jan. 25th, 2008 08:25 pm... so I thought I'd post something funny. I'm from the Carnival area, and boy do I miss it.
Don't click on this if you don't like Nazi jokes - for those of you who do, let me introduce to you the legendary Alfons Hatler, former butler, now psychiatrist. One man, one mike, one life, one song - "My Way". Pure genius.
Incidentally, the actor, Christoph Maria Herbst, plays the Ricky Gervais role in "Stromberg", the German version of "The Office".
Don't click on this if you don't like Nazi jokes - for those of you who do, let me introduce to you the legendary Alfons Hatler, former butler, now psychiatrist. One man, one mike, one life, one song - "My Way". Pure genius.
Incidentally, the actor, Christoph Maria Herbst, plays the Ricky Gervais role in "Stromberg", the German version of "The Office".
Question and meme
Jan. 13th, 2008 07:27 pmNow that the US 2008 presidential race has really kicked in, which newspaper / magazine would you recommend for following developments? I only really have time for one, so please help me choose:
- Time
- Newsweek
- New Yorker
- New York Times online
- Other source
I deliberately haven't made this into a poll because I'd love to see the reasons for your rec.
( and the meme )
- Time
- Newsweek
- New Yorker
- New York Times online
- Other source
I deliberately haven't made this into a poll because I'd love to see the reasons for your rec.
( and the meme )
Candidates meme
Jan. 5th, 2008 08:14 pm80% Barack Obama
78% Mike Gravel
77% Dennis Kucinich
76% Hillary Clinton
75% John Edwards
75% Chris Dodd
75% Bill Richardson
73% Joe Biden
46% Rudy Giuliani
40% John McCain
35% Ron Paul
34% Mitt Romney
29% Mike Huckabee
26% Tom Tancredo
19% Fred Thompson
2008 Presidential Candidate Matching Quiz
78% Mike Gravel
77% Dennis Kucinich
76% Hillary Clinton
75% John Edwards
75% Chris Dodd
75% Bill Richardson
73% Joe Biden
46% Rudy Giuliani
40% John McCain
35% Ron Paul
34% Mitt Romney
29% Mike Huckabee
26% Tom Tancredo
19% Fred Thompson
2008 Presidential Candidate Matching Quiz
Useless little poll
Jan. 3rd, 2008 10:41 amA little baby name poll to start off the year ...
We've already settled on a name for our son, but we won't reveal it on LJ until he's born. He will get two names, which fit well with our daughter's names.
[Poll #1114984]
The answer will be revealed in the week before Easter :)
We've already settled on a name for our son, but we won't reveal it on LJ until he's born. He will get two names, which fit well with our daughter's names.
[Poll #1114984]
The answer will be revealed in the week before Easter :)
Happy New Year!
Jan. 1st, 2008 04:33 pm... and apologies to prettyannamoon, sannalim, stereo_m and awelkin. I was very busy in the run up to our trip to Germany - as a result, I didn't manage to make it to the post office in time. You'll get your parcels / letters some time in January; I'll post them on Saturday, which is my usual day for Post Office runs.
I hope all of you had a relaxing festive season. We certainly did - spent 10 days of quality time in Germany, where I did NO work WHATSOEVER (yay!). On the other hand, I'm now looking at a very stressful two months before I go on Maternity Leave. I don't know whether I already mentioned it, but two (groups of) people I work with are/were a couple of months behind with data that I need for analysis and writing up. If you're working to as tight a deadline as I am, with as little wriggle room as I have, that's Not Good News (TM). Plus, I wasn't too well for most of December, but that seems to have passed (thankfully). My husband is an absolute star and does a lot of child care, while I do housework / work-work or try to recover from the latest stupid cold.
Roll on 2008!
prettyannamoon, sannalim, stereo_m and awelkin. I was very busy in the run up to our trip to Germany - as a result, I didn't manage to make it to the post office in time. You'll get your parcels / letters some time in January; I'll post them on Saturday, which is my usual day for Post Office runs. I hope all of you had a relaxing festive season. We certainly did - spent 10 days of quality time in Germany, where I did NO work WHATSOEVER (yay!). On the other hand, I'm now looking at a very stressful two months before I go on Maternity Leave. I don't know whether I already mentioned it, but two (groups of) people I work with are/were a couple of months behind with data that I need for analysis and writing up. If you're working to as tight a deadline as I am, with as little wriggle room as I have, that's Not Good News (TM). Plus, I wasn't too well for most of December, but that seems to have passed (thankfully). My husband is an absolute star and does a lot of child care, while I do housework / work-work or try to recover from the latest stupid cold.
Roll on 2008!
We had a 4D scan today, and it's a ...
Dec. 16th, 2007 08:15 pm... BOY!
Unmistakeably, very clearly, a little brother for our daughter. One of each. Wow.
Some photos are in this gallery
Unmistakeably, very clearly, a little brother for our daughter. One of each. Wow.
Some photos are in this gallery
I know it's late, but we only got the child pictures this week, and I've been very busy at work and am now resting for the day with a cold and without a voice. Ugh.
I've been meaning to write a larger post on some bible-related reading I've been doing over the past few months, but that will have to wait until I'm feeling a little better.
However, I'd like to comment on something that cropped up onrivka's LJ a while ago: gender-stereotyping of activities. Having mulled this over for a while, I think that a lot of this may just be in people's heads. For example, as soon as they see a little girl with a doll, or a little boy with a digger, it's genetics. What they fail to notice is the little girl putting the doll down to build with her blocks, and the little boy putting his digger to bed like a favourite teddy. My own daughter is fairly balanced overall. She loves pushing a pram, puzzles, painting, putting toys to bed, building, and horsing around. Let's see what happens when peer pressure really kicks in ...
Language-wise, she now mostly strings 3-4 words together, but is still woefully lacking in all the little particles that are such integral parts of most sentences. German is, surprisingly, by far her dominant language. I hope that with some more one-to-one time in nursery and more contact with older toddlers, that will change. She's very social, too, but not in a butterfly way. She watches, observes, and approaches other kids when she sees an opportunity to join in the fun. Very interesting. She's also quite patient (except with mum and dad, obviously.)
I've been meaning to write a larger post on some bible-related reading I've been doing over the past few months, but that will have to wait until I'm feeling a little better.
However, I'd like to comment on something that cropped up on
rivka's LJ a while ago: gender-stereotyping of activities. Having mulled this over for a while, I think that a lot of this may just be in people's heads. For example, as soon as they see a little girl with a doll, or a little boy with a digger, it's genetics. What they fail to notice is the little girl putting the doll down to build with her blocks, and the little boy putting his digger to bed like a favourite teddy. My own daughter is fairly balanced overall. She loves pushing a pram, puzzles, painting, putting toys to bed, building, and horsing around. Let's see what happens when peer pressure really kicks in ...Language-wise, she now mostly strings 3-4 words together, but is still woefully lacking in all the little particles that are such integral parts of most sentences. German is, surprisingly, by far her dominant language. I hope that with some more one-to-one time in nursery and more contact with older toddlers, that will change. She's very social, too, but not in a butterfly way. She watches, observes, and approaches other kids when she sees an opportunity to join in the fun. Very interesting. She's also quite patient (except with mum and dad, obviously.)
It's Christmas Card Time!
Nov. 24th, 2007 05:47 pmAll comments are screened. If you'd like a card, please comment with your full name and address - or say that you'd like one, and your address is the same as last year. If you'd like my address, comment with your email addy or point me to your LJ card entry. I'm trying to keep up with most of these, but may not see all of them.
Beanscene policy
Nov. 24th, 2007 05:38 pmThere's a chain of coffee shops in Scotland, Beanscene, who has now posted an explicit policy on child visitors:
- Children are to be fully supervised at all times.
- Toddlers and small children have to sit at the table for the duration of the visit.
- Children must not sit on the floor.
All well and good, and perfectly fine, but ...
... Beanscene's Unique Selling Point is that they are a place where families with small children can go and relax a little. This is how they are marketing themselves - a destination cafe for mums and babies/toddlers/small kids. We used to love it when our DD was tiny! Any hot drinks to sit in are served by the staff, not taken away from the counter by the customers themselves. I don't know about you, but when I take my toddler to a cafe, I find that a bit of fully supervised floor time or a closely supervised trip to the toy box can work wonders, especially when there's more than one adult.
They do have toy boxes, but last time I visited one, half the toys were broken/unusable. The Stirling Beanscene is said to have no more toys.
Beanscene are expanding south of the border into England now. Will you believe the hype?
- Children are to be fully supervised at all times.
- Toddlers and small children have to sit at the table for the duration of the visit.
- Children must not sit on the floor.
All well and good, and perfectly fine, but ...
... Beanscene's Unique Selling Point is that they are a place where families with small children can go and relax a little. This is how they are marketing themselves - a destination cafe for mums and babies/toddlers/small kids. We used to love it when our DD was tiny! Any hot drinks to sit in are served by the staff, not taken away from the counter by the customers themselves. I don't know about you, but when I take my toddler to a cafe, I find that a bit of fully supervised floor time or a closely supervised trip to the toy box can work wonders, especially when there's more than one adult.
They do have toy boxes, but last time I visited one, half the toys were broken/unusable. The Stirling Beanscene is said to have no more toys.
Beanscene are expanding south of the border into England now. Will you believe the hype?
