2014 Books

I had this list on an electronic sticky note on my laptop, and when it was re-cloned it was one of the few files that disappeared. Thanks to the large amount of ebooks I read this year, I was able to recreate the list with the exception of 4! (I knew that I had just logged in book #30 before the computer switch.) This is not the order I read them in, but rather the order I remembered them in (or found in my ebook files).

2014 Books I Can Remember

1. Upstairs at the White House
2. Prep
3. Arranged
4. Goldfinch
5. OITNB
6. Fault in our Stars
7. King Peggy
8. The Good Nurse
9. This Is Where I Leave You
10. The Husband’s Secret
11. Divergent
12. Insurgent
13. Allegiant
14. Labor Day
15. American Wife
16. Sisterland
17. Leaving Time (Picoult)
18. All We Had
19. Short and Tragic Life of Robert Peace
20. Close your Eyes Hold Hands
21. Gone Girl
22. Keep Quiet (Scottoline)
23. Save Me (Scottoline)
24. Defending Jacob
25. Visible City
26. Five Days At Memorial
27. ?
28. ?
29. ?
30. ?
31. The First Family Detail
32. The Selection
33. The Elite
34. The One
35. The Queen (Novella)
36. The Prince (Novella)
37. NPH Autobiography

No, Really, The Common Core Isn't That Evil

Yesterday at the grocery store, someone wanted the clerk to price check how much it would be for 2 items that each cost $1.96. The girl couldn't do it. Someone else in line said "Just do 2 dollars times 2, then take away the 8 pennies." I giggled and said that's how my brain did it too.

This caused the original confused person who wanted the checker to do the math to launch into an anti common core rant because "that's not the way math should be taught."

But the person who offered the suggestion was easily older than my parents - so they didn't learn the CCSS way. And I'm in my 30's, so I didn't learn the CCSS way. The confused person was between us in age. The education world goes in cycles. We're currently in a cycle that believes in understanding the "why" behind things ... the previous cycle believed in figuring out the answer with formulas.

Since the last set of people to go through school were taught long division, we know the formula. But not everyone can explain why it works. Can you explain why when you divide fractions you just flip it over and multiply? For some situations, maybe you don't need to understand why things work. But if you know why they work, you'll have the number sense to figure out that maybe you pushed a button wrong on the calculator.

#1 - We'll go through more cycles so don't get yourself all worked up about it

#2 - The federal gov't didn't tell us to teach this. Teachers & ed experts from multiple states wrote them, reviewed them, and they're actually decent if you take the time to look at them. No, seriously. Look at any random language arts standard. Read what they have to do in 12th grade, and then read backwards how they mapped it all the way down to what we can teach a 5 year old to prepare them for high school eventually. It's really interesting how the littlest things like asking questions about a photograph can help them in the long run.

#3 - If you hear someone admit to being a doctor or a lawyer, do you feel the need to tell them how to do their job? Because it's getting to the point where I'm scared to let the general population know I'm a teacher, because immediately they launch into the evil empire that is the CCSS. It's scary.

We'll teach your kids. They'll learn. They don't care how we learned it when we were kids. We can teach them a lot of things. It's no different than teaching them anything else they don't know yet. That's why we went to college. Teaching is different than just talking in the general direction of kids. But when you tell your kids that their teacher is stupid and doesn't know what they're talking about, your kids don't want to learn anymore. How is that helping?

Breathe deep people, it'll all be ok.

The Illness That Took Down Our Family

Last Thursday, our friends had the worst day ever and then it ended with their kid getting the tummy bug. As soon as I knew their kid had it, I figured it was in our kid's future because they spend 40 hours a week in the same building. And indeed, 48 hours later our kid got it. And thus began A VERY LONG WEEK THAT IS NOT OVER YET.

(Warning - I'm writing this down now because I've had to recreate this timeline multiple times for multiple health care people. It's way too TMI.)

1 Year Old! (11 days late - why break tradition now?)

Size: 20 pounds and 30 inches. He has gained weight in the last couple months but hasn't gotten longer since his 9 month appointment. (We could have kept the infant car seat those extra 3 months!!)

Clothes: Still firmly in 12 months. Of all the sizes, we have the least amount of 12 month clothes because the girl who generously handed down her kids' wardrobe gave the 12 month bag to another appreciative girl at school, and I bought a couple variety packs of onesies and some pants and called it a day. Luckily it will start getting warmer soon and he'll get to wear the cute short sleeve 12 month ones too. I was worried that if he grew too fast he'd miss those, and he has some great ones!

Eating: We experienced 8 glorious days of having a downright normal kid when it came to food. Starting on Feb 28 (3 days pre birthday) we got the all clear to challenge dairy using a baby serving of yogurt a day as well as allowing him to eat foods that have hidden dairy. We didn't have a complete free for all - no cheese, ice cream, milk, or true hard core dairy things other than yogurt, but it was a whole new world! About 10 days before that, he finally was able to keep whole food down without the gagging and vomiting which is what gave us the all clear to try. Since vomiting and stomach bug style symptoms are what he'd get if he was allergic to dairy, we had to get that under control before the challenge. It's like his body just decided to cooperate one day. He ate, and then ate more...he had likes and dislikes, but was willing to try pretty much everything and just shook his head no instead of puking it everywhere. He was even able to eat almost all the center food for those days, and loved it (especially snack time. He very much has a sweet tooth!) A stomach bug after 8 days derailed everything, but those 8 days were great and give us something to look forward to hopefully soon.

Sleeping: He has totally given up the morning nap at daycare or when things are fun (like grandparents visiting.) When it's just us here at home, he still takes a morning nap and just adjusts his afternoon one to a little later. Regardless of nap times, durations, or quantity, he wants to go to bed around 7 or 7:30.

Physical/Talking: He finally has started physically mimicking us. Not all the time, but we can get him to do some things. He spontaneously does some things like clapping, but won't do them on command. This is apparently part of learning language and is tied into his lack of trying to speak. The food situation may have affected his physical ability to make certain letter sounds, but his language skills are delayed in general, so this is something we're working on. He's very good at going up stairs but hasn't figured out how to come down. One too many face plants on the single step into the family room put that skill on pause for awhile. He still makes lots of D sounds and not much else. He says Da for Daddy when Daddy comes home in the evening or when he's been out of the room for awhile, so we know he does know how to use it appropriately at times, but he also uses it just for random reasons.

Other: He was evaluated by Infants and Toddlers the week before his birthday. Originally they were brought on board to help with the eating issues but since he got those under control he didn't qualify for services in that area. They were the ones that officially ID'd his language delay though and he is getting language services 2x a month. We're starting with teaching him how to mimic which is interesting. I wouldn't have thought that clapping when Mommy claps is a precursor to talking, but it is! I thought it was a physical thing. This also explains why we've been doing certain signs for most of his life and he has yet to react to one or make one himself. If I say "I see Daddy outside! He is home!" it gets no reaction or response whatsoever, but as soon as he hears the key in the lock he goes nuts and gets all excited. That always baffled me, now I know what's going on. Hopefully in the next few months we'll learn some tricks of the trade and get him on his way. This seems to be his MO ... not do something forever and then explode in skills. Fingers crossed!

A FB Post that stuck with me

I don't always click on FB posts that take me to blogs, especially if they're hot button topics. I know that many people choose to use FB to share the things they feel strongly and deeply about, and if that works for them then that's ok with me. Many people want to share things they feel strongly about in the widest way possible. I've chosen to take a different approach and (in my opinion) that's ok too!

I chose to click on this one because the title made me curious. Why would miscarriage matter more or less to a pro-life person or pro-choice person? I've heard a lot of arguments for both pro-life and pro-choice in my lifetime, and I don't think I've ever heard a pro-choice person that is anti-babies or anti-humans.

At a CCD class in middle school, the parent who was teaching the class read us a VERY graphic medical description of an abortion. When I had my first miscarriage, the same procedure had to be done to me. All I could think about was that awful thing she read to us. That made me keep thinking for a long time how even though some people choose that procedure and some people have bodies that make the choice for them, it has the same ending.

This person puts it more eloquently. I would have put less religion in mine, but it's true. EVERY SINGLE ONE of the examples she gives of how people treat miscarriages was said to me. All in loving, caring, ways, but still. It's interesting to look at the thoughts side by side because it really is how people act.

http://thelewisnote.blogspot.com/2014/02/why-miscarriage-matters-if-youre-pro.html

11 months long overdue of course

Size: No idea! This is the first time in awhile that there were no doctor's appointments of any type anywhere near the 3rd. We measured him ourselves and don't think he got much longer this month, but he's starting to feel a little heavier.

Clothes: Still in 9-12. A couple pairs of pants/sleeves are getting shorter, but not a lot. He'll probably be ok in 12's for awhile before needing to move up into the 12-18 month set. This is the last size that is sized for approximately 3 months of growth so I guess all babies start growing slower around now.

Eating: So frustrating. No change. 5 bottles, 3 foods. Sometimes more food. Never texture. He did eat a few puffs in mid January but then he learned how to crawl and stopped eating texture again. We *think* soy is ok, but he hasn't really eaten enough to be sure. (Note: written as if it really was 2/3. Getting a tad better mid Feb!)

Sleeping: We went through a rough week or so right around when he learned to crawl in mid/late January. It was painful. Now we're back on track!

Physical: He learned to get on his knees, then rock, and then crawl in a very short (less than a week or so) time. So exciting!

Talking: Another thing that disappeared when he learned how to crawl. Wondering how direct of a link there is between not using a mouth for eating and not using a mouth for talking. He verbalizes, but not consonants anymore except for D.

Adjustable Crib Skirt

As I mentioned before, I wasn't sure how to work with a traditional crib skirt. They look beautiful set up, and I registered for (and received - sorry, gift giver! :) a red one to go with the Mario theme. At the last minute, I bought some red fabric with white dots in case I had time to do this.

http://www.viewalongtheway.com/2012/04/silliest-little-adjustable-crib-skirt-tutorial-on-the-web/

I thought that I could do that, even without a sewing machine. I have a sewing machine, but I thought her version would be easier. Then it didn't happen. Then my mom was here and I showed her the concept. Maybe I just told her the concept. I forget if I showed her the pictures and blog post. Point is, we never got around to making it.

But then I went into labor at 3:30am, tried to deal with it for an hour, and then got super grouchy and mean and left for the hospital at 5am or so. By then, my mother was awake and waiting for a grandkid. At some point (post epidural, when I was a functioning human again) I remember saying "I bet my mom is pacing, vacuuming the stairs since I said I wanted to do that, and making that crib skirt." (I was right on all 3 accounts.)

It came out really well! We have the spring type of foundation in the crib so she used red ribbon type things and then some fabric strips when that ran out. She just tied it to the springs and then when we dropped the crib I adjusted where it was tied. I think it looks nice in both versions. It hides the storage containers that live under the bed!

Higher mattress - before baby was using the room & it still looked all staged and pretty.

Current day lower mattress (Plus boxes of clothes because we're constantly in between sizes and our boxes are organized by size meaning we always have more than one out)

Baby Gear Review - Bathtime, Toys, Clothes, & the Misc Things

Bathtime:

Baby Tub: We use this every other day (and more on pukey weeks). We have a basic plastic model with one end contoured to recline the baby and the other end is a little deeper so he can sit up in it. It also has a sling that we used in the beginning. I guess you could do it in the sink, but I would have felt the need to wash the sink before and after each bath, and that would have been a pain. We put the baby tub in the big tub. I’d put this in a must buy category, HOWEVER, I would never pay store price for this. Some places want $20 or more for the basic model! We even saw one that I joked about being like something out of an American Girl catalog with jets and sprayers. (Confession – a friend was handed down that fancy one and I can’t wait to see if it works as advertised) (Status: I paid $2 at a yard sale. Probably would have paid $5.)

2^nd Baby Tub: He’s getting close to growing out of the baby tub, but when slippery with soap, he could easily fall down so we don’t want him in the big hard tub yet. I bought an inflatable duck tub (basically like a baby pool) to use next. I'm also planning on packing the duck if we vacation in a hotel before he's older. (Status: bought new because it wasn’t much money and inflatable things that get wet are usually a little gross used. They tend to look like they were put away wet and have yucky spots.)

Baby Towels: I wish I had known that the cute ones are a waste of money. They don’t absorb water past a few drops and it can take 2 towels to dry the baby even when it’s new. I’d recommend either using an adult towel or buying one better, thicker, baby one. We happen to have a Cookie Monster one with a hood. The hood doesn’t fit his head, but the towel is good and absorbent. I feel bad that I registered for and received some of the standard cute baby ones and don’t use them often.  (Status: received many as gifts. Feel bad. Only use Cookie.)

Baby Bathrobe – I didn’t get one. They are SO CUTE hanging there in the bath section with their little matching baby slippers. But we get him out of the tub, put him in the towel, dry him off, and diaper/dress him. There’s not time for a robe and another outfit change. (Status: Don’t own. Glad I don’t because it wouldn’t get used even though THEY ARE SO ADORABLE.)

Baby washcloth sets – We have two types – a thinner set made by Carters that match the cute towels, and a set that is thicker that is BRU brand. The BRU brand has different fabric as the actual cloth and the border because the first time we washed and dried them everything changed size. We went through 10+ of these things at the beginning. We used them as bibs when we only used bibs for feeding, we used them for spit up, drool, face wipes, diaper changing shields, bathtime, etc. Now we only use them during bath time and for that we could use a regular adult washcloth. (Status: received as gift. Useful. Would probably have purchased one pack new and used ones we had. When we were using 10+ a day for awhile there, I thought we could never have too many. Now we have too many.) I’m not into buying these and towels used because I find that towels get a little funky after years of use and washes.)

Misc/Etc.

Diaper Bag – We got a Fisher Price brand one from BRU. It has a ton of pockets including most importantly (to us) an insulated one that holds ice packs and bottles. I know many people make this their splurge, but I just wanted a zipper on top and lots of pockets. Beyond that, the label or look didn’t matter to me. (Status: purchased ourselves, new, for the features we wanted. Would not have bought used unless I decided I wanted a fancy brand and found a deal.)

Cover for seat under car seat – This has done a great job of keeping my back seats from getting messed up from the carseat being strapped tightly to them. They have a rubbery grip to keep the carseats from sliding, too. If you don’t care what happens to your seats then it’s not a necessary item. I have leather seats in my car, and want to keep them as nice as I can to resell or trade in the future. (Status: Received as gift. Would have purchased one for my car but not for his car. In fact I don’t think his car has one. Would have considered used.)

Medicine kit – Eye dropper, nail clippers, baby toothbrush, medicine spoon and dropper, etc. – We’ve used many things in here and it does seem to be pretty complete. We haven’t gotten anything more than an extra thermometer so it must have everything we need. (Status: received as gift. Would have purchased it or something similar.)

Diaper rash cream – Burts Bees is expensive, but it works the best out of the 3 we got as gifts. Well, it worked the best on the 1 rash he’s had. I can say that at least. J (status: received as gift. Bought more when I ran out.)

Thermometer - Two different doctors recommended the Braun ear one when I asked whether they thought we should get an ear one or a scan the forehead one. So that's what we got. (Status: purchased ourselves. New.)

Toys - We got lots of cute little things new as gifts, and people bought him Christmas presents, but I think we've only purchased him a couple new toys and that was during Black Friday and surrounding sales. This is where we save the most money buying used. But again, I have found that yard sales have been more fruitful. I went to a local consignment sale and people were asking more for their jumperoo than Amazon wants on a regular day. We got the Little Tykes activity garden in great condition for just $10 at a yard sale, and a train table for $20. I do follow a couple local consignment shops deals once in awhile because there are some things that are really hard to find (A cozy coupe in good condition, for one!) at yard sales. In October I almost jumped on a Push Behind Buggy for $30 because I wanted one so badly, but BFAds told me that 2 stores would have it for $25 on Black Friday. So they're not off my radar completely!

Clothes - I think this is where a consignment store could definitely come in handy. If labels are something that makes you happy, then you will find fantastic deals at consignment stores as well as places like TJ Maxx and Marshalls. There's a reason that clothes from baby stores like Gymboree are more money - they definitely hold up better. Rather than pay crazy prices, you could dress in last season's collections for super cheap. I am lucky and have had to buy very few clothes thanks to being at the end of a generous hand me down chain at school but I keep my eye on prices and I always look for fun!

Clothes Sizing From What I've Experienced: Carters runs long and skinny. Their standard cotton fits more true to size than their 'kakhi's' and other material pants. (They're even longer.) Oshgosh tends to be shorter legs. Circo (Target) is bigger. Gerber is tiny. (SUPER tiny.) Gymboree runs smallish and has odd sizes. Old Navy has big sizes (6-12 months is a big difference) in babies. Children's Place is wider in onesies and shirts but thinner in zip up PJs. 

Baby Gear Reviews - All Things Related to Eating

We knew that even if nursed for a year, we'd be using bottles and all their doo-dads because of going back to work. However, we wound up having to switch to the medical formula so most of my breastfeeding "gear" was only used for 2+ months. I decided to review it anyway since I did have an opinion on most of it!

Space Saver High chair - Our kitchen is pretty small floor space wise and has a step down into the family room. Due to that step down, we didn't want extra furniture crammed in there that could fall. Even an adult sitting at the kitchen table doesn't feel like thinking about a step being right behind their chair. Every "real" high chair we looked at just had such a big footprint that we couldn't imagine it fitting easily in the kitchen without getting a smaller kitchen table. It seemed more logical to get a high chair that just went right on one of our extra chairs. Extra pro: Ours reclines, so he was able to sit in it with us at the table from a pretty early age. It was amazing how many more meals we were both able to eat hot once we moved him into the high chair! It also had removable shoulder straps. We don't use them anymore, but they were great for when he could only kind of sit up. (Status: Received as gift. Would have purchased. Would have considered new if I could find a clean one. A lot of food related items don't look clean no matter how many times you wash them due to the extreme beating they take!)

Portable high chair – We haven’t used this yet, but that’s because he hasn’t been sitting for super long and the places we’ve been have had high chairs. We had it packed to take to a friends house that doesn’t have a baby and can see how it will be useful eventually. (Status: received as gift. Would have waited until we needed it to buy it for ourselves.)

Pump – I started hearing rumor of these being covered under the new healthcare laws and made some phone calls. With my insurance plan, I was able to walk into a semi local pharmacy and walk out with a double electric one for free. At the time I was thinking I’d need it for school, which is why I wanted double and electric. In the long run, I wound up not needing it very long but it did buy me the extra 10 days where I tried to clean my milk of dairy and soy enough for the baby to not react. (Status: received with insurance. Would have purchased one. Probably would have even splurged on the one insurance bought me. Although the milk does not go into the machine and from everything I can get a visual on it doesn’t appear that you’d need anything other than tubes with someone else’s, I wouldn’t do used.)

Pump bra – A friend who was in the midst of a couple weeks of marathon pumping gifted me with this because she could see the benefit. It was GREAT for the 10 days that I pumped around the clock. To have hands free was life saving that week, since I often had to be feeding the baby or entertaining the baby while I was pumping. If you are planning on pumping, I highly recommend something like this. I’ve seen DIY versions where you can cut holes in a sports bra or something, but I will say the real deal was nice. (Status: received as gift. Would have been my first purchase during my pumping marathon week. Would have bought new since it’s technically underwear.)

Bottles – We chose to use Playtex Vent Aires in the standard width. I wanted the thinner bottles to fit in the diaper bag, but I understand why many want the wider bottles and nipples since they supposedly are similar to the real thing. I thought the vents were a gimmick at first, but in comparison to the bottles that came with the pump, he definitely got less air into him and burped less. (Sometimes he didn’t need to burp at all – we can hear the air coming out of the vents while he eats.) The down side of these is the amount of parts. Cap, nipple, ring, bottle, vent disc, and bottom. That’s a lot of washing. I would use these again if we have another kid. Suggested amount: The number of bottles you use in a day x2 +1. We use 5 a day and have 11 and that works well. That way the bedtime-not-yet-eaten bottle is in the fridge waiting and I can prep tomorrow’s bottles which have been drying since last night’s washing. (Status: purchased ourselves. Bought new.)

Sterilizing bags – I honestly don’t use these at all. I bought them because I was looking for a way to save time with bottle washing. But you have to wash them first before using the bag! We run them through the dishwasher once in awhile instead. (I also wanted the sterilizing kit that went in the microwave, but decided against it since I don’t use the bags which were the cheapy option.) (Status: purchased ourselves. Purchased new, however I’ve seen boxes of them sealed at yard sales and I’d probably buy them.)

Milk freezer bags – These were quite useful, and would have continued to be if I could have kept nursing after going back to work. I highly recommend Target brand rather than Medela brand. They’re thicker plastic and cheaper. I did notice that I couldn't really trust the ounce markings on the bag because it changed depending on how wide you opened the bottom. I just marked it with sharpie since I was freezing them flat anyway. (Status: purchased ourselves.)

Nursing pads – Must have. I know some people buy the washable ones for comfort or to be more green, but everyone at work recommended the disposable ones for longer term (work day amounts of time without having to remember them) use so that’s what I bought. I never had one fail and I just used BRU brand. I did have a sample pack of a nicer brand and they were shaped a little nicer to fit in a more rounded way, but the BRU did the trick for me. (Status: purchased. New.)

Bottle drying rack – Must have, especially if you’re bottle feeding. We have the most basic model and it does the trick. (Status: purchased new. Did not consider used, but ours was so cheap I didn’t think twice about buying it new.)

Dishwasher basket for bottle parts – Useful. We don’t use our dishwasher every day, usually only about 2x a week. On those days we try to get bottle parts in there. (Status: received as gift. Would have purchased. Probably would have purchased a 2 pack of a cheaper brand but rarely do we even fill the one basket and this one has held up nicely. Maybe it was worth the extra couple bucks. I find that very few 'Munchkin' brand products hold up, even though they're cheaper and tempting.)

Bibs – Ones that have plastic on the back or have a waterproof inner layer. We didn’t use them much at first and just used a washcloth as a bib during feedings. Then the teeth started. For each tooth, there’s 10-14 days of constant drool. The waterproof bibs keep us from having to change him multiple times a day. (Status: purchased ourselves, with a couple as gifts here and there. Would buy new because they’re wearing out already with constant use. Will buy new if we have another kid. Tired of every picture having a bib sometimes!)

Bottle brush – We have a couple. The Dr. Brown’s one is worth the extra money. The sponge part is softer than the cheaper ones and it foams better so I use a lot less soap. (The Munchkin ones are blech. Very scratchy. I may not have noticed that if I hadn't had the Dr. Brown's one first.) (Received as a gift.)

Formula pitcher – We use our Dr. Brown’s formula pitcher every day. If it broke, I’d buy another the same day. Formula can only be made in specified amounts because it’s 1 scoop to 2 ounces of water. When your baby is eating amounts in between 2 ounce increments, it’s no fun to waste formula. This allows us to make his daily amount all at once and pour it into bottles. (Status: purchased ourselves to solve a problem. Would buy it again if it broke. Bought new.)

Formula canister – There are different versions. The new Munchkin one is more pumpkin shaped and the different sections of the canister aren’t sealed as well. The formula moves from one to the other. What’s the point, then? The old Munchkin flat top one isgreat. We used to use this a lot, once he changed amounts that he eats in a sitting and we got the pitcher, we stopped using this. If you’re a formula person, I’d recommend having one. On the go, it’s easier to have this and some water than a pre-made bottle since you don’t have to keep it refrigerated or with an ice pack.  (One of the few Munchkin things we got that I like!) (Status: received 1 as gift, bought another for vacation. Bought new.)