Saturday, April 28, 2012

Lets Get Physical

I think the one thing that I really wasn't prepared for with having a little kid is how physical things can get. At any given time, I'm being pinched, bitten, scratched, head butted, slapped, punched, kicked, squirmed at, and least of all, drooled on.
Oh, and the hair pulling. Oy.
Sometimes I feel like I've gone 5 rounds with an MMA fighter.
My rational mind knows that all of this is exploration, and instinct, and, that he doesn't yet understand gentleness with his motions. He's learning. So I take the abuse as well as I can, with soft words to remind him to be gentle, and lately, saying "no", firmly, because we are at the point now where he responds to tone of voice, and body language. He gets very concerned if I have a stern look on my face.
When I'm tired after having been up all night at work, though, its tough. The hair pulling really hurts. I actually went and got my hair cut shorter than I wanted it to be, because I want to prevent more hair pulling than necessary. I'm really hoping he will learn the meaning of gentle quickly.....

Sunday, April 22, 2012

He's a Person

Its so funny!
The last week or so has just been PACKED full of changes....
MB is about 10 months old now, and suddenly, he IS.
He is present
he is entertaining himself
he is entertaining US
he is mobile
he is eating MY food. (hogged all my mashed potatoes the other day)
he is making his needs and desires wanted
he is exploring the world, both in the house, and outside. We've been spending time in the back yard, in the hammock, on a blanket on the ground. We have sun block, and sun hats, and pirate shorts, and swim trunks that match the sun hat
We even have a PLAYDATE. With a GIRL.
Suddenly, he isn't the baby thats been always on one of us, touching us one way or the other, grasping, always needing contact.
gaining independence
almost ready to walk, (he stood on his own, for the first time, today)
I don't know if I'm ready for this!

Thursday, April 19, 2012

Surprise, a Mieography!

Pick your jaws up off the floor, now.... I know it's a shock. But this woman is AMAZING....

Elisabeth Kubler was born in July 1926 in Zurich, Switzerland, the oldest of the Kubler triplets. She weighed 2 pounds. Her father was very strict, and before his daughters were even teenagers, he had their future mapped out for him. Elisabeth, (or, as she was known, Betli), was going to be the secretary for his business. Betli, however, had an entirely different future mapped out for herself. Instead of becoming her father's secretary, she found herself standing up to him, and, with dreams of becoming a doctor, she first labored as a maid, then, found herself jobs in various lab's in Zurich. Along with working for these labs, she also did refugee work in war torn Europe after WW II, working in both Switzerland, and in Poland. Eventually, she found her way into medical school, and graduated. While there, she met a young American man, and they married. After medical school, she wanted to go work in India. He wanted to return to the United States. Her Indian job fell through, so, she emigrated with her husband. They started out in New York, where he was from, where she wanted to initially specialize in Pediatrics. She got a fellowship, but during this time, the higher powers that be did not want any pregnant women, and, she was pregnant. So she took the last availiable spot, and ended up doing a psychiatric rotation. (How on earth can psych be a better place for a pregnant woman, I ask you!). Sadly, she had a miscarriage. She actually had 4 miscarriages, but two healthy children, a boy and a girl. She continued her psychiatry specialty, and, eventually found her way to Colorado, then, to Chicago. She began to be more and more drawn to the patients who were terminally ill, and before long, she was doing something no practitioner had ever even thought of doing. TALKING about death. She held seminars of medical students, doctors, nurses, clergymen, social workers, and more, where she would bring in a terminally ill patient, and have the patient educate them on how it felt to know you were facing death. Her lectures quickly became popular, though some of the older MD's were not thrilled with this, and would even refuse to admit their terminally ill/dying patient's were actually, ah, DYING. (hello?!!! is this thing on?!!!).
She began writing books of her experiences, and her first book, "On Death and Dying" proposed the now, widely accepted 5 stages of grief. (Denial, anger, bargaining, depression, and acceptance). She then became a huge proponent of the hospice movement. She and her husband bought property in California, and opened the Shanti Nilaya (home of Peace). It was a healing center for the dying, and their families. She also co-founded the American Holistic Medical Association. She also began to become involved in assisting the patient's with AIDS. She moved her healing center to Virginia, with the intention of adopting AIDS suffering babies and letting them live their lives out in peace. Sadly, acceptance of AIDS during this era was minimal, and, her farm was burnt to the ground maliciously before she could enact her plan.
She died in 2004 in Scottsdale, Arizona, after suffering a series of strokes, but not before writing her last book, her own biography ( "The Wheel of Life", which I am now reading and highly recommend). Her works are highly regarded in any hospice organization, and we practice her tenants in almost all that we do. The depth of study, and compassion that she had for the death and dying are astounding, and she has changed the face of medicine for the better. She wrote 23 books on the subject matter, (varying topics), one being a photographic journal. ("Real Taste of Life").

Tuesday, April 17, 2012


My poor, poor, neglected blog.

I've been thinking about it a lot, lately. How I used to post regularly, then semi regularly, and now, so sporadically. I've gone back and forth, on just to "end" it, or keep it, or, what?
The memories here are some things I've already forgotten, and many I'll never forget. And for that reason alone, I am leaving it here, until I decide I don't want to anymore.
I don't want to print it. Somehow, it just seems wrong to do that. I didn't start this with the intention of printing any of it. Except maybe the recipes, for other people if need be.
So, it's here, for me to sporadically type at. It still has some life in it. And I do like to go visit the other blogs I've made friends with. I know I don't get to comment much anymore. Having a squirmy boy on my lap prevents me from typing anything that would make any sense, usually. He's discovered Mama's keyboard does neat things. MM thinks he's already practicing code. He may be right.
So, here I am, with my neglected blog that has been through so much. Maybe as MB gets older I am going to gain a semblance of freedom back again (ha ha). Or I will at least have a place to quickly dash off a humorous story of his antics. (So far my best one might just be that refried beans make for an explosive diaper... but I digress). We shall see what it evolves in to.
For now, for anyone keeping score, MM and I are still sickeningly happy with each other, being married hasn't ruined that :)
Mustang Girl is graduating high school VERY soon. That just makes my heart palpate looking at it. She is considering going to school in another area of the state, meaning, she's possibly going to leave and fly on her own.. (that really makes me palpate)
MB is doing what babies do. Drooling, growing teeth, and crawling all through the house, usually leaving a trail of havoc and drool in his wake. He's also teaching MG's new cat what it's like to live with a wee one. Good times...
So, I'll still continue to sporadically post. But I am reading.... and if you get a comment from me that looks like GLKJBGVFHBNBGVHN
then you'll know that MB had an opinion on what we read that day. And I've got sticky boy fingers and drool all over my keyboard...