Flashback

And because she's just so darn cute:
She helped herself to the leftover pizza in the fridge! And this is Meggie with her Grandpa (my Dad).

This giant bear was from Grandma and Granddad with the Pear Trees for Megan's birthday. I know she looks a little frightened here, but she really loves it now. She loves most stuffed animals, but hasn't had one for her own until now. It takes up about a third of her crib. Then I realized she could easily climb out (or, more likely, fall out) on top of it.
Oh, speaking of falling...last night Megan fell into Lucy's bath. Fresh jammies and diaper on of course. It's never when she actually needs a bath, LOL.

This was originally posted on my knitting blog, Nov 28, 2006.  Meg had just turned one, Lucy was 4, and Hugh was 6.  Ahhh.  The good old days...

Remembering the Old Days...

November 26, 2006!!  From my knitting blog originally.

Baby Olypmics

Beware of the silent moments:


No baby was harmed in the making of these photos, although a disk of green paint has been rendered useless! 

I'm having a hard time editing since these were cut and pasted from my knitting blog.  Sorry for the crappy layout.  Miss Meggy is still a messy girl, but at least now, she doesn't eat non-food items!

 

Trees

I got this email from my MIL :)

Find your birthday and then find your tree. This is really cool and somewhat accurate. Find your tree below and see what you are like...

Jan 01 to Jan 11 - Fir Tree  This is me!
Jan 12 to Jan 24 - Elm Tree
Jan 25 to Feb 03 - Cypress Tree
Feb 04 to Feb 08 - Poplar Tree
Feb 09 to Feb 18 - Cedar Tree
Feb 19 to Feb 28 - Pine Tree
Mar 01 to Mar 10 - Weeping Willow Tree
Mar 11 to Mar 20 - Lime Tree
Mar 21 (only) - Oak Tree
Mar 22 to Mar 31 - Hazelnut Tree
Apr 01 to Apr 10 - Rowan Tree
Apr 11 to Apr 20 - Maple Tree
Apr 21 to Apr 30 - Walnut Tree
May 01 to May 14 - Poplar Tree
May 15 to May 24 - Chestnut Tree
May 25 to Jun 03 - Fir Tree
Jun 04 to Jun 13 - Hornbeam Tree
Jun 14 to Jun 23 - Fig Tree
Jun 24 (only) - Birch Tree
Jun 25 to Jul 04 - Apple Tree
Jul 05 to Jul 14 - Ash Tree
Jul 15 to Jul 25 - Elm Tree
Jul 26 to Aug 04 - Cypress Tree
Aug 05 to Aug 13 - Poplar Tree
Aug 14 to Aug 23 - Cedar Tree
Aug 24 to Sep 02 - Pine Tree
Sep 03 to Sep 12 - Weeping Willow Tree
Sep 13 to Sep 22 - Lime Tree
Sep 23 (only) - Olive Tree
Sep 24 to Oct 03 - Hazelnut Tree
Oct 04 to Oct 13 - Rowan Tree
Oct 14 to Oct 23 - Maple Tree
Oct 24 to Nov 11 - hornbeam Tree
Nov 12 to Nov 21 - Chestnut Tree
Nov 22 to Dec 01 - Ash Tree
Dec 02 to Dec 11 - Walnut tree
Dec 12 to Dec 21 - Fig Tree
Dec 22 (only) - Beech Tree
Dec 23 to Jan 01 - Apple Tree

TREES (in alphabetical order)

Apple Tree (Love) -- quiet and shy at times, lots of charm, appeal, and attraction, pleasant attitude, flirtatious smile, adventurous, sensitive, loyal in love, wants to love and be loved, faithful and tender partner, very generous, many talents, loves children, needs affectionate partner.

Ash Tree (Ambition) -- extremely attractive, vivacious, impulsive, demanding, does not care for criticism, ambitious, intelligent, talented, likes to play with fate, can be very egotistic, reliable, restless lover, sometimes money rules over the heart, demands attention, needs love and much emotional support.

Beech Tree (Creative) -- has good taste, concerned about its looks, materialistic, good organization of life and career, economical, good leader, takes no unnecessary risks, reasonable, splendid lifetime companion, keen on keeping fit (diets, sports, etc.)

.Birch Tree (Inspiration) -- vivacious, attractive, elegant,friendly, unpretenti ous, modest, does not like anything in excess, abhors the vulgar, loves life in nature and in calm, not very passionate, full of imagination, little ambition, creates a calm and content atmosphere.

Cedar Tree (Confidence) -- of rare strength, knows how to adapt, likes unexpected presents, of good health, not in the least shy, self-confident, a great speaker, determined, often impatient, likes to impress others, has many talents, industrious, healthy optimism, waits for the one true love, able to make quick decisions.

Chestnut Tree (Honesty) -- of unusual stature, impressive, well-developed sense of justice, fun to be around, a planner, born diplomat, can be irritated easily, sensitive of others feelings, hard worker, sometimes acts superior, feels not understood at times, fiercely family oriented, very loyal in love, physically fit.

Cypress Tree (Faithfulness) -- strong, muscular, adaptable, takes what life has to give but doesn't necessarily like it, strives to be content, optimistic, wants to be financially independent, wants love and affection, hates loneliness, passionate lover which cannot be satisfied, faithful, quick-tempered at times, can be unruly and careless, loves to gain knowledge, needs to be needed.

Elm Tree (Noble-mindedness) -- pleasant shape, tasteful clothes, modest demands, tends not to forgive mistakes, cheerful, likes to lead but not to obey, honest and faithful partner, likes making decisions for others, noble-minded, generous, good sense of humor, practical.

Fig Tree (Sensibility) -- very strong minded, a bit self-willed, honest, loyal, independent, hates contradiction or arguments, hard worker when wants to be, loves life and friends, enjoys children and animals, loyal in love, faithful, sexually oriented, never forgives or forgets unfaithfulness, great sense of humor, has artistic talent and great intelligence.

Fir tree (Mysterious) -- extraordinary taste, handles stress well, loves anything beautiful, stubborn, tends to care for those close to them, hard to trust others, yet a social butterfly, likes idleness and laziness after long demanding hours at work, rather modest,talented, unselfish, many friends, very reliable.

Hazelnut Tree (Extraordinary) -- charming, sense of humor, very demanding but can also be very understanding, knows how to make a lasting impression, active fighter for social causes and politics, popular, quite moody, sexually oriented, honest, a perfectionist, has a precise sense of judgment and expects complete fairness.

Hornbeam Tree (Good Taste) -- of cool beauty, cares for its looks and condition, good taste, is not egoistic, makes life as comfortable as possible, leads a reasonable and disciplined life, looks for kindness and acknowledgment in an emotional partner, dreams of unusual lovers, is seldom happy with its feelings, mistrusts most people, is never sure of its decisions, very conscientious.

Lime Tree (Doubt) - intelligent, hard working, accepts what life dishes out, but not before trying to change bad circumstances into good ones, hates fighti ng and stress, enjoys getaway vacations, may appear tough, but is actually soft and relenting, always willing to make sacrifices for family and friends, has many talents but not always enough time to use them, great leadership qualities, is jealous at times but extremely loyal.

Maple Tree (Independence of Mind) -- no ordinary person, full of imagination and originality, shy and reserved, ambitious, proud,self-confident, hungers for new experiences, sometimes nervous, has many complexities, good memory, learns easily, complicated love life, wants to impress.

Oak Tree (Brave) -- robust nature, courageous, strong, unrelenting, independent, sensible, does not like change, keeps its feet on the ground, person of action. Olive Tree (Wisdom) -- loves sun, warmth and kind feelings, reasonable, balanced, avoids aggression and violence, tolerant,cheerful, calm, well-developed sense of justice, sensitive, empathetic, free of jealousy, loves to read and the company of; sophisticated people.

Pine Tree (Peacemaker) -- loves agreeable company, craves peace and harmony, loves to help others, active imagination, likes to write poetry, not fashion conscious, great compassion, friendly to all, falls strongly in love but will leave if betrayed or lied to,emotionally soft, low self esteem, needs affection and reassurance.

Poplar Tree (Uncertainty) -- looks very decorative, talented, not very self-confident, extremely courageous if necessary, needs goodwill and pleasant surroundings, very choosy, often lonely, great animosity, great artistic nature, good organizer, tends to lean toward philosophy, reliable in any situation, takes partnership seriously.

Rowan Tree (Sensitivity) -- full of charm, cheerful, gifted without egoism, likes to draw attention, loves life, motion, unrest, and even complications, is both dependent and independent, good taste, artistic, passionate, emotional, good company, does not forgive.

Walnut Tree (Passion) -- shy, fun, loving, compassionate. Believes in quality not quantity of friends. Loyal, dependable partner. Loves travel and adventure. Cautious, dependable, tend to worry about the little things. Likes to be in control, but willing to bend when necessary. The importance of family. Partnership very important.

Weeping Willow (Melancholy) - likes to be stress free, loves family life, full of hopes and dreams, attractive, very empathetic, loves anything beautiful, musically inclined, loves to travel to exotic places, restless, capri cious, honest, can be influenced but is not easy to live with when pressured, sometimes demanding, good intuition, suffers in love until they find that one loyal, steadfast partner; loves to make others laugh.

I thought it was a neat thing!  What tree am I? Fir tree (Mysterious) -- extraordinary taste, handles stress well, loves anything beautiful, stubborn, tends to care for those close to them, hard to trust others, yet a social butterfly, likes idleness and laziness after long demanding hours at work, rather modest, talented, unselfish, many friends, very reliable. I'm not sure what about that all makes it/me a fir tree, LOL, but sounds good anyway :) I used to be very into the Zodiac, but don't have time now. What ever happens, will happen. And it happens however it should. I don't know that I believe in 'fate' but I just believe that things happen when and how they do for a reason. It's a great excuse for a procrastinator :)

IKEA

Originally posted on Nov 19/2006 on my knitting blog

Not much going on. Bought a new sofa and a loveseat last night at IKEA. What we really need is an entertainment unit. We went to IKEA in early October to look at them. Rob wanted an Ektorp sofa. Our futon and loveseat, while used heavily are still okay. I have no where to put things like candles/plants/pretty things. I don't have the piano in the house anymore, and we gave back the china hutch, so I have no where to put things out of kid reach. We looked back then and liked something. We looked in the catalogue.
We went back to IKEA a few weeks ago with the trailer, intent on getting the entertainment unit. Rob decided we should wait and measure the walls and see just where it's going to go.
We went BACK to IKEA last Sunday (as well as to Idomo) but didn't take the trailer. The Ektorp line is on sale--buy one, get one half price. I really want the leather one, but it's not part of the sale. We agree to buy the Ektorps instead of the entertainment unit (hoping it comes on sale too).
So we GO BACK TO IKEA LAST NIGHT to buy the Ektorp sofa and loveseat. I really like the chaise, but it's too 'weird' for Rob. We've been married nine years, and have bought 2 chairs in that time (besides a few little things). Everything else is inherited, hand-me-down, or bought used/Freecycled. It's time for grown up furniture. Even though the grown ups are out-numbered, LOL.

That couch (and covers) did NOT last very well. Springs have poked through the couch cover (not the separate, decorator cover), and this wore holes into the separate cover. Something on the frame of the loveseat broke. When you sit on the couch, you really sink down now. We inquired about getting it replaced, since it has a 10 year warranty. Well. You have to take the couch and loveseat to the store and they'll decide if it'll be fixed or replaced!! So, we never did.

B12?

Originally posted in November 2006 on my knitting blog.

I got a great book from the library, and I just wanted to share some of it. "Could it Be B12?" by Sally M. Pacholok, RN and Jeffrey J. Stuart, DO. Why did I get this book out?

I knew that B vitamin deficiency is quite common. On the back, there's a blurb...and the word 'autism' caught my eye. Before Huey started talking, there were suspicions of Austism. Then I see the word 'fertility'. No, I'm NOT trying. But you never know....I did have a miscarriage once, with no clear reason.

There is something in this book for just about anyone who has anything wrong with them. That's NOT to say that B12 deficiency is the cause for every malaise. But it is an easy thing to be deficient in, and easy to check. But doctors sometimes forget that easy and common should be starting places.

The first couple of chapters didn't do anything for me (Aging vs B12 def., Mental Illness, MS). Chapter 5 is about Strokes, Heart Disease, and other Vascular Problems.
I have high blood pressure, and high cholesterol, despite being a decent weight, a non-smoker who exercises, and eats a reasonably good diet. I know I have a genetic situation passed down from my Dad. I asked my internist about my risk for a young age heart 'incident'. He said my risk is no greater than anyone else's, and women don't have to worry till menopause. Now, he's a nice doctor and all, but I get the feeling he's checking off days until retirement. While I'm doing as much as I'm willing to reduce my risks, I'm not too sure about that no risk yet idea of his.

This book goes into detail about the connection between B12 and Homocysteine. I have heard that homocysteine is a factor in heart disease...but with everything else to consider, knew nothing else. I won't go into too much detail, but if you are deficient in Vit. B12, your homocysteine levels go up, and that is apparently a greater predictor of heart attack than cholesterol levels. Okay, I'll add this bit "Excess homocysteine causes your blood vessels to lose their elasticity, making it harder for them to dilate, and damaging their inner lining. That damage, in turn, allows cholesterol, collagen, and calcium to attach to the inner walls of your blood vessels, where they can form sticky deposits called antherosclerotic plaques. These plaques narrow your arteries, and drastically increase your risk of suffering deadly disorders...." Guess who's calling the doctor? Folic acid gets mentioned a lot in heart health discussions, but research is showing that you need both folic acid and B12 to lower homocysteine levels. It's recommended that anyone at risk for B12 deficiency and anyone in their list on page 86 (including pregnant women) get tested for homocysteine levels.

The next chapter is "Lost Children: When B12 Deficiency Causes Developmental Disabilities or Learning Problems". So, we all know Huey has a Pervasive Developmental Delay (PDD) called Sensory Integration Dysfunction. He's also showing signs of auditory dysfunction and has always been troubled with social skills issues. The first page of this chapter states "...it's often the most health-conscious mothers who put their children at greatest risk." (page 92). WHAT? A B12 deficient pregnant mother who breastfeeds, passes on a B12 deficiency to her child. Yes, most pregnant women take Folic Acid to lower their risk of Neural Tube Defects, but in order for folic acid to work, there has to be enough B12 around.
And only newly-absorbed vit. B12 readily crosses the placenta. So...a pregnant woman who is so nauseous that meat is mostly off the menu...(and I thought I had screwed him because I couldn't stand fish while pregnant so he's probably lacking in the Omegas as well). And breastfeeding while B12 deficient just results in a deficient child. B12 deficiency in infants shows when they lose their speech, social skills, and motor skills.

The women most at risk are vegans and vegetarians. While trying to be healthy in other ways, they can have such low levels of B12 that regular vitamins won't do any good. Vegan B12 supplements are made from plants, and the body doesn't recognize/use the ingredients as the same as animal protein B12, and these 'pseudo-vitamin B12' analogues may actually block the uptake of real B12 (which vegans/vegetarians aren't really getting anyway). The trouble is, Psuedo-B12 shows up as real B12 in blood tests. If you are a pregnant/nursing vegan/vegetarian, you should get a urine MMA regularly during pregnancy and nursing. And test your infant too. Even women with no risk factors can be starving her baby of B12. This is particularly true for infants who were not first-borns.
The good news is that an infant who gets tested positive for B12 def. will respond very quickly to treatment.

It's not just women who are at risk. Many children get put on veg. diets to improve their health. These children are now at high risk for B12 def. If they have been veg. for several years, just changing their diet will not replenish lost stores, even after numerous years. In fact, they may never reach optimal levels. These children need to have their urine MMA status checked regularly, and usually need B12 injections if high-dose oral supplements (ie--not a multi-vitamin) Flintstones vitamins contain 6 micrograms of B12, but 1000 micrograms are needed to correct a deficiency. That's a lot of Rubbles to swallow.
Other children at risk are those with Crohn's disease or any gastrointestinal disease ro surgery, any autoimmune disorder, celiac disease, gluten intolerance, iron deficiency, exposure to nitrous oxide...(and since reading "Wheat Belly" and realizing how crappy wheat is....)
There are also genetic conditions that affect the absorption of B12.

Now for the Autism/B12 connection. We all know that autism diagnosis rates are skyrocketing. Many theories abound. In Britain, it's the rapid decline of cold-water fish in the diet. In Japan, it's TV and video games. In the US, it's vaccines. Autism is actually a description rather than an actual diagnosis, because the cause (and there can be several) is rarely identified. Researchers are finding that many autistic children are improving with B12 injections, even if their MMA is within a 'normal' range. Pediatric B12 deficiency symptoms are also many autism symptoms. And many geriatric B12 def. symptoms are the same as autism.

The question is also asked, if there really is a link between vaccines with thimerosal (a preservative that is approximately 50% mercury) and autism, why don't all children who get the vaccines develop autism? Genetic predisposition is one factor. Another key piece of evidence is that when mercury is introduced into the body, B12 will bind to it in order to remove it. It's possible that the children who react adversely to mercury containing vaccines have undetected B12 deficiency or B12 defects, and their B12 def. is worsened when exposure to mercury causes additional stores to bind to the mercury and be removed from circulation. If a child has an undiagnosed inborn error of B12 metabolism, B12 transport defect, or just a deficiency....  (Also, since then, it's been found that Tylenol depletes the brain of gluthione, which is needed to remove heavy metals--such as those in vaccines.  And doctors routinely recommend tylenol for babies, including prior to vaccines).

If you would like the list of Red Flags for B12 def. in infants, children and teenagers, let me know. It's on page 109.
Guess who's getting his MMA and homocysteine levels checked?

Still more to scare you. B12 and fertility. A deficiency in B12 can be associated with recurrent early fetal loss, reduced sperm counts and sperm motility. Before going for any expensive fertility treatments/testing, get both partners tested for urine MMA and homocysteine levels checked (high homocysteine levels have been linked with recurrent early miscarriage). There is also a the MTHRF gene that causes abnormally high homocysteine levels.

Now, the kicker. Are you at risk, and B12 and surgery chapters. I'm thinking...I've only ever had a D&C after a miscarriage (this was written before my breast reduction). But in reading that chapter--the risk is NOT the surgery, but the use of nitrous oxide. Apparently, the use of laughing gas short circuits the body's ability to use B12. Prior to getting pregnant with Huey I had a lot of dental work done. With laughing gas. While being told to not push for over 3 hours with Huey, I consumed a LOT of laughing gas (but who exactly, was laughing?).  And recently Hugh had laughing gas at the dentist and I totally didn't remember this...

Two Minutes

Originally posted on Nov 11/2006 on my knitting blog.  I haven't checked the links, but if they don't work, just google :)

My aunt is an email forwarder. You know those types. I love her dearly, but I am not an email forwarder and I apologize now to everyone who has had bad luck because I've broken the chain :)

She sent another one this week. "After witnessing an episode where one man in a supermarket (it's also been reported to be in a Shopper's Drug Mart) loudly demanded to be served during a November 11th two minute silence, Terry Kelly went home and composed this song. Someone has expanded it into this short video. Terry, who is a blind Canadian, is currently touring in New Zealand. He is currently a member of the National Board of CNIB. " That was the content of the email, with an attachment that our antique computer couldn't open.

Now, I love music. Studied it in university. I'd rather listen to unfamiliar music than silence. And I'm proud, in a Canadian way, to be Canadian. But I've got to admit, sometimes Canadian music can be ...rough around the edges? Cheesey? Especially theme/charity type songs.

This morning I was listening to Barrie's rock station, 95.7FM as I took Huey to school. They were talking about a Red Rally today to support the Canadian Troops. They talked about this Terry Kelly and the song. Ho Hum I thought.

Oh. My. Soul.

This is one of the best Canadian songs I have heard in a long time. Beautifully written, produced, and sung. While it has a definite East Coast/Maritime folk feel, Terry's voice is distinctly Canadian and distinctively good. It reminded me of ..oh shoot...the Edmond Fitzgerald guy.
I'm not known for being an outwardly emotional gal, but I was glad it was just me (and the kids) in the truck.

When I got home, I tried to find the song on the internet. I found his website and lyrics. Click on Pittance of Time on the left. If you know more about MP3 than me (and that would mean just about everyone out there), you might be able to hear the song.

So, remember. Tomorrow, November 11, 11:00AM. Shush.

Early Experience with Trolls

This post is originally from Nov 8/2006, and posted on my knitting blog.  It's still sort of funny, so I thought I'd repost it here!

 I posted to a Yahoo group I'm in about Lucy turning 4 (remember, this was 2006), and linked to here. That group is "Slightly Crunchy Attachment Parenting". Slightly Crunchy being of the 'granola head' mindset--organics, cloth diapers, minimal impact, etc--it's 'slightly' crunchy because not every one who attachment parents is a granola head extremist, hugging endangered trees on the weekend. Attachment parenting is a parenting philosophy that respects the needs of babies/children, by respecting/responding to their communication, breastfeeding, babywearing, co-sleeping...etc (someday I'll post more about it).

Just before I put my link on, a woman joined the group and started giving her opinions on fertility, conception, pregnancy, birth, and beyond. Very strong opinions, telling one member to not go to any of her doctor's appointments, not to listen to her husband...(I can't find what post she was replying to as she didn't include any of it). Women need to do it like it was done before modern medicine took over. One woman posted that modern medicine prevented her from dieing in childbirth and saved the life of her newborn, who was in the NICU, and she was recovering from a C-section the day before. That woman has been a member throughout this troubled pregnancy, and we are well aware of her situation. The new member had the nerve to tell her that that was crap and she wouldn't die, doctors lie.

So, I get a little 'in her face' about her lack of respect and disbelief that she thinks she knows more than that woman's doctors. She reads my entry about Lucy's birthstory, and writes back that she disagrees with my birth!! OMG!!
I was going to copy the ensuing discussion to here. She's so adamant about 'taking back birth' to the way it used to be, it's almost hilarious. But I'm going to wait till later...see what happens today (back in 2006...the messages were actually deleted from the group).

You want to know the real kicker about her? She's never had a baby. Is not even pregnant. Not even trying to get pregnant, not even planning on trying. Cracks me up.

We realized later that this woman was most likely a "troll"....looking for hot-button topics on the internet just to create a stir.  Never do people change their minds about a topic when confronted in the ways that trolls do it.  Never.  But yet, they're still out there!