For those who suffered I as did...

maybe we gagged & vomited our kid's way into the "gifted" classes at school...ha, ha.

Morning sickness linked to smarter babies

Thu, Apr 23, 2009 (HealthDay News) -- Children born to mothers who have morning sickness may be smarter than those whose moms don't have nausea and vomiting during pregnancy, suggests a new study.

Researchers found that the children of mothers with morning sickness scored higher on tests designed to assess children's IQ and mental acuity, the Canadian Press reported.

But while this difference was statistically significant, it doesn't mean that children born to mothers who didn't have nausea during pregnancy are developmentally slow, said senior author Dr. Gideon Koren, director of the Motherisk Program at the Hospital for Sick Children in Toronto. It's just that the other children scored higher on the tests.

The study appears in the Journal of Pediatrics.

Nausea has long been recognized as a sign of a healthy pregnancy, according to the CP. Pregnant women who have morning sickness are less likely to have a miscarriage and less likely to have babies with congenital cardiovascular problems.

Howney Sucka'

Langston says this a lot, jokingly, and I have no idea what it really is suppose to be..."honey sucka'"...it sounds more like, "howneeeey suckaaa'!, " when he says it.
I'm not sure if he is going for "honeysuckle," or "honey" and "sucker" or what. We hear it often. "Howney Sucka'!"

Langston: quotes, art & wrestling (?)

Here's a drawing of a boy, shaking with fear, because he's riding a lion who keeps growling (hence all the RRRRRs). :)

And here's a "Rocky story" for y'all:

I think Rocky is already old or not old & still a kid or not a kid anymore. This other Rocky was out there & the toys were there & the other Rocky played with them bc my Rocky forgot to take them with him when he grew up. *He (my Rocky) had a book that he loved so much. He took it with his favorite stuff. This bk was about dinos. He had another thing. That thing was a scribble mouse. You scribble it & it makes the mouse better. It's for kids. It's called experiment.

Leo, my brother & friend, came to visit the other Rocky. Leo watched "Where's Bird?" You try to find Bird, Peekaboo Pig...I hate that movie bc it's like a baby movie. He always watched it. He watched Baby Bam Monster. It's not really for babies. It might scare them. It's a 3-d movie. I loved it. At Rocky's house there are 3-d movies with glasses. Rocky had a thing. It was a huge sunglasses & the computer screen was one eye of the glasses & the other was for the other one. So, it was like glasses withthe thing sticking all the way to the back, but Rocky didn't really love all these toys, only sometimes he played with. They were for a huge Big Bird, which grew huge when you shook it. Rocky's still a kid.

I typed all this as he talked. It was a challenge. ;) He's asking if my fingers are "studdy" (Thanks, Uncle Logan!:) from all that typing. I wish I could convey the cuteness of his "Wocky" sounding stories. There are so many words that are mispronounced into toddlerese. I love it.

So, here are a few cutenesses of recent days....

"Mom, I really love Zora's cheeks. God did a good job making them. I think he put in cotton balls bc they are so big and soft and puffy."

"Here's my drawing. I meant to draw a pig, but it's a bird now bc I accidently added a pecker." (Yes, I laughed SOO hard! He meant "beak" and we usually use the word "penis" around here.)

And, finally, at our parent-teacher conference yesterday we learned that big L. has gained two inches (401/2" right now) and gained 5 lbs. (37 lb.). He's moving on along with all his academic skills & has done much better interacting with the children (not just the teachers & the quiet kids)this semester. He's also wrestling (!) & sometimes they pull him off of other kids & remind him that he needs to make sure that the child wants to wrestle, too. Barclay and I were both laughing as we were hearing this. Langston? Our Langston? He has made a few new (guy, rough) friends & the teachers think that has spawned this behavior. Also, they do pull out mats & promote some rough & tumble, so he isn't just jumping on an unsuspecting classmate. ;) Still, it's funny that my guy is participating in this activity. I guess his "daddy tackle" game has spurred a fearless streak. :)

our Zora fiesta...cha, cha, cha!

Sorry mom! She would NOT keep the hat on at all!
Olivia reading to Amir...I think they took turns. :)
Zora interested in both Madeline & the stacker.
Langston, Andrew, & Zachary playing with the ball thingie.
These two are out of order...we switched to the pink (carrot) cupcake because...
all the "big" kids kept scraping the icing off the small cake. (But I don't think Zora cared.)



We partied hard, folks. :) Above are the "most important guests" (minus baby Benjamin & baby Amelia, who are too small to crawl around & into a picture :) Thanks to all who came! We had fun celebrating our baby girl & spending the late morning/early afternoon together.
Zora is now on nap #2 (actually everyone is napping but me...darn insomnia...I tried!). She had naps, cake (for the 1st time), played with "big kids," & noshed on some delish hummus (Yum, Tim!) & bean burritos. What a great 1st birthday!
*Disclaimer for my fellow germ phobs...after most of the small party guests sunk their sticky little fingers into Zora's mini cake, we removed it from her tray & served the un-touched parts to them. Z. got homemade carrot cake from Erin. I'm still praying I can keep this baby well for at least a few weeks!

brown noser

Calm down, everyone. It's just beans. :)
Langston used to cross his little feet just like this. Z's just tall enough to begin foot crossing in the same seat. :)

neat, cheap kiddie tunes

Download 150 Fun Songs For Kids--three CDs worth--for .99 right now at Amazon.

I found this at Baby Cheapskate. Thanks, Jen.

*three posts in one day is what you do when a baby is on your boob snoozing, I guess. :)

I do know something about birthing babies...

I was just scanning my post from Zora's birth and wanted to say once more...
if you are pregnant, want to become pregnant, or think you ever will become pregnant please, please take about an hour & watch this film.
The Business of Being Born
As in all things, read, think, talk to people, & know your options.

one year ago today...

I was in labor at MDH at this moment. (Whew. Glad I'll never "say" that again!) Even though it was tough times, I got the sweetest reward. (click to read Z's birth story)
Happy Birthday, my sweet girl! You are more fun & sweet & funny than I could have imagined. I'm so thankful that I got the little one I prayed for...and more. I love you!

Ah-ha!

I seriously think this might be (have been) my problem...
C.Difficile sounds like the root of my pain. All my "symptoms" fit, according to this article.
*When Z. was 6 weeks or so, I got mastitis, which I was on an antibiotic for.
*I then got a wicked bout of vomiting-loose stool for many days, which was treated as an H. Pylori infection (Scary Prevpack...tons of pro-pump inhib with tons more antibiotics)
*I continued to get these "viruses"...four more times within about 9 months.
Hmmmm. The things in this article sound too familiar. (OH, and my family didn't get these ailments when we were at home...I cleaned things with frightening bleach, washed bedsheets frequently, had "my own" bathroom, etc.).
The only time we all had sickness was when we were in AL.
hmmm. hmmmm. hmmmm.
thanks for the info, honey.

L the baller

Z the baller

First and maybe foremost, turn down your volume! I had no idea how loud I was cooing. (I guess I couldn't hear well over the musical ball droppings (ha, ha...sounds like a bird ate an instrument & you know...).
Anyway, this is one of my fav toys for small people. I took back a few things that L. got two of when he was a baby & came home with this lovely creation by Tiny Love toys. It has cute stacker parts on the outside & an elephant head, but the ball thing is the most interesting. Zora finally mastered it a few days ago & she's been fascinated ever since.
Excuse Langston's dumbfounded look...he's just waking up from a nap. :0)

thanks, grandparents gray

mom made Zora this "birthday" tutu & hat for her 1st b'day pix. :)


That last post reminded me that I never did a post to thank my folks for coming to help me when Z. and I were sick & without our boys. Thanks so much, mom & dad. We had fun & it really helped me so much. It's always so nice to watch y'all with the kids. I know they miss you, too. Love you!

immune system, sexism & a breather

my new computer background...lovely.

As I take a five-ten minute break (I hope...Zora has been down for an hour and a half...her longest nap this ailment), I want to post an "update" on the info I got back from the dr. & all the tests I had done several weeks ago. It seems that fifth virus this year (three of the five lasted for almost a week) was nothing more than a virus (or so they say...I'm probably rotting away on the inside).
Lots of blood work, stool samples (fun times) & questions revealed nada. I asked why I would be getting this sick this frequently & the reply was laughable, "Wash your hands. Exercise. Eat well. Get enough sleep. It seems your immune system is compromised by something."
How about life, lady? I wash like crazy (although I fear mega, super bugs, so no antibacterial soap & organic hand sanitizers). I wash my kids, their clothes, my house, our hands after shopping, before eating, after potty...etc. I love to workout & do it as much as possible, but for now at least three times a week might be it. I eat really well most days. I've never been one to crave fast food or junk. Ah, sleep. Yes, that thing which I cannnot find time for...and once I drift off, I've got these two small people who wake me up.
*and Zora just woke up...with a fever. That's another big thing. When the kids are sick, as she has been for going on two months, I don't sleep. Barclay helps me, but usually they want mom. Z. is better than L. was (much) about accepting daddy, but I'm the main food supply, so we meet a lot if she needs comfort + calories, esp. when she doesn't want to eat actual food.
Aside from the kids waking, there is the kiddie daytime stuff + the house. When they are sick or just bc they are little, cleaning is such a daily job. (Plus cooking, dishes, general picking up of the millionth thing they drug out today, taking care of anything "home" related).
And then there are all the conflicts in my brain: I haven't read to her today! Why am I mopping if we haven't read? He needs me to spend time with him, too. I'm so far behind on scrapbooking! What if I forget something? I want to remember that he uses "Winnie the Pooh" phrases like "goorse bush" right now. She snarls & pokes out both lips just before she cries. I need to measure his closet so we can build shelves, and paint our room...and the living room...and find someone to replace that big window. I feel like I haven't seen my husband in a week. Did I send a thank you card for that baby gift that came really late? Ahhh!
I feel like a failure as a s-a-h mom some days. Other days I feel okay, but I never feel like the champion I once felt like with one kid & a tiny apartment to clean. The two-kid, big house thing has been kicking my butt. I want Zora to be smart, prepared & confident (along with a million other things). I feel like Langston was all those things at two bc he was my world 24/7.
I wonder sometimes if dads ever feel all these conflicting emotions...and if they say, in the words of one of my classmates with two kids, "if mama naps, the house suffers." I couldn't agree with that more! As I type this, I am nursing my wheezing small fry. As I watch an episode on hulu, I nurse or fold laundry, I dust & catch up w old friends or cook & play with the kids (unless B. is both home & willing to "help" me by playing w them). Our days of Barclay asking me, "what did you do all day" seem to be over. (Either he understands or knows not to ask that EVER again.) As I think about starting to work a few hours a week again, I wonder how the house or my body might suffer. Then again, it might be good for everyone involved. The kids are getting older. By the time Z. is two, I know she'll be playing by herself for a little while. I remember when I was getting ready one morning when L. was little & I realized I had time to "fix" my hair or just sit down & breathe...he didn't need me so desperately every minute. When she is well, Zora is generally less needly than L., so I know her independence is on it's way. I just hope my immune system can fight off all bugs until then.

new hiding place

and lots of repairs (finally) finished in the kids' bathroom. $700-800 later...hooray! No more worries over broken handles or dripping faucets. And the bathtoys even have a new home...or Langston has a new hiding place, whatever.

Socca'

Soccer went well on Saturday...aside from the coldness. :) Barclay helped coach & he was really good! (I was very proud of my guys!) Funnies: our team has to be one of the "smallest," that is the kiddos are tiny & young. Once, I had to tell B. to get one kid on the sidelines to stop eating the grass (?!). Another time, a little girl was doing a downward facing dog in the middle of the field...while the game was going on (?! again!). The other team had a few older, bigger, better players, but they also did not even play all their players 'til the game was over...they asked for us to give them one more play so they could play him/her!! (Geeze, it's just kid's soccer! They don't even officially keep score!) Our coaches switched the kids out pretty well, even if some of them ate grass or did yoga while on the field. :) **Btw, L-town ended up wearing a #12 jersey, Barclay's old #. :)

is that...hair gel?

(or cheese dip & snot in her hair?) I'm sure all you who have seen There's Something About Mary can appreciate my Z. in her gross headed fineness. :) Sick again. Poor girl. We started breathing treatments yesterday. Maybe she'll be well by her b'day.

you drive me crazy (but I can't help myself)

My kids' sibling theme song should be just the title of this post. They are constantly annoying each other, but SO much in love. Kids are weird. :) Here are a few "sibling" pix from the past few weeks.
I hope they always love each other this much...and I guess a dose of annoyance is to be expected with our brothers & sisters. Hugs & kisses to my little brothers! Watching Zora & Langston interact makes me appreciate y'all even more.

just trying it on

Z. loves to "try on" clothes. Her faves are my bras, but this day she fished a clean pair of panties out of the (already folded) laundry pile. I have to get a pic of her crawling around, sporting my bra. :)

sweet snarl

One of Zora's most commonly made facial expressions...the snarl. I love it.

with this ring...

This is what I was tellin' y'all about, girls. The ring from Elena's pinata has gone with him to school, stayed on during nap, & been through many sessions of hand washings. I can only convince him to take it off at night. Here he is...in all his ring-bird finger glory.

L's dance...again

for Kristen & our mom's night out group...
http://sonyagraykey.blogspot.com/2008/06/this-was-seriously-funny.html

This is a repeat post of sorts, but for any of you who haven't seen it or need a laugh...enjoy. It's wonderful. Langston was 3 1/2 & the world was his dance floor...follow the link.

workin' woman

my current tiny boss & I pose in our jeans & jackets :) photo by the 4-yr-old boss


I talked to a friend, Catherine, the other day about subbing for some classes (yoga/pilates) at the Y & she talked me into asking about it. So, today, after my pilates class I asked my instructor, Sara, if she ever needed a sub. Her reply was, "Yeah, for Wednesday." Well, that wasn't exactly what I expected! After meeting with my possible new boss (& breastfeeding my current smallest boss, while checking in with my 4-yr-old boss), I determined that I might start teaching pilates on Wed.!
There is also a possibility that I'll have a few more classes this summer (Zumba, Body Burn...) when the college kids go home. Nothing is for sure & I want B to be able to trade off with me so that the kids don't spend 6-10 hours a week in the Y childcare, but I'd LOVE to teach & have a few hours with grown-ups. My current bosses are the loves of my life, but it's nice to have a small break from all that cleaning, poo, playing, reading, finger sweeping, etc. :) S-a-h moms everywhere give me a virtual "amen!"

Langston-n-Olivia

If Langston could be a girl...a red-headed, really sweet one with lots of personality...he'd be Olivia. This pal of his has been coming over to our house for playgroup for the past 3-4 weeks. We have really enjoyed getting to know her family. The dad is interested in the same history stuff that Barclay is interested in, the mom is so laid back & fun, & they just added a new baby to their fam, who is a sweet, smiley little guy.
But the similarities between L & Olivia are crazy. They are talkers** & dancers. They both have imaginary friends & poo problems (although ours seem to be over for the moment, thank you, God! What an answered prayer!).
We had "Easter basket cupcakes" as our craft this past playgroup. Here are the results of L & O's treats. And their same cheesy smiles. :)
**We overheard them telling each other how they liked to listed to a story-on-tape pre-nap or bedtime. Then Olivia says, "My mom turns the volume down." Langston replies, "OH yeah, I hate that!"

style it, please.

This is just what I was posting about yesterday! She gave me a cute photo op chance last night as I dried my locks. Sweet girl! She crawls around with hair brushes or telephones right now. :)
Just look at those cheeks! I could eat 'em up! That's pretty much the 1st thing my midwife said about a year ago..."what cheeks!" :)

hello? eyes?

Note that she has a pretend phone in one hand & a walkie-talkie in the other. Multi-tasker.

Zora is doing new things at an amazing rate right now! She recently began picking up any phone; her pretend phone, my cell, our home phone...and 'talking' into it. ;)
She also loves to comb or brush her hair...and Langston's! And when L & I dry our hair at night, she tries to take a turn. (In fact, I caught her with a comb in one hand and the dryer in the other...she's already learning how to "blow out" her locks...she'll be champion of the round brush by age 2, right?)

This past week she has also said, "uh-oh" as she dropped some food on the floor from her high chair (yea, it began). She's continued that one daily.

And...(here's a big one in my opinion), she was touching my eye lashes as we were laying in bed yesterday (while she was waking up/nursing from nap) & she touched her eye & declared, "eyes" in that sweet baby lisp! I then cheered for her & asked, "where is your mouth?" She opened her mouth & stuck out her tongue...so I had to say, "Yes! And that's your tongue!" When I asked, "where is your nose?" She grabbed my nose, but I think she gets it!
I've been pointing out these & all other parts for months, of course, but I think it's grand to see her locating them & talking about them a smidge shy of a year! Yeah, verbal Zora!!