Raspberries

My daughter and my husband had me cracking up in the car last night.

My daughter is nine months old and is extremely verbal. We can't understand a word she's saying, but her babbling is a wonderful sound. She also loves making raspberries. Ever since she learned how to do it before she was even three months old, she has been having fun blowing air through her lips and sticking out her tongue and getting very wet in the process.

On the way home from Grandma's last night, Baby Girl started making very loud raspberries. My husband, in response, began making them right back at her. She'd pause a second, smile and raspberry again. They did this all the way home (about a 15 minute drive). It made me laugh.

Happiness is raspberries in stereo.

Jon & Kate + 8

The only question I have for Kate Gosselin after watching the "Big Announcement" last night is "Why do your 5 year olds still wear bibs?"

New Kids on the Block

Today's irk has to do with New Kids on the Block. Not the band itself, which I adore, but the so-called fans. I keep reading about these fans who are the biggest fans, yet they were fans when they were 5 years old. Or they put aside their fandom when it wasn't cool anymore. Sorry, chicks, but you aren't fans. Stop kidding yourselves. You, once again, are bandwagon jumpers. Jump on when it's cool. Jump off when it's not.

Did you buy the "Face the Music" album? Did you go to a concert during the "Face the Music" tour? Do you even know there was a "Face the Music" album and tour?

Did you support the members of the band after the break up? Did you buy Joe, Jordan and Danny's solo albums? Did you see any of them in concert? Did you watch "Boomtown" or "Boston Public" or any other big or little screen (or stage) performance by Joe or Donnie? Did you watch certain reality television shows just to see Joe or Jordan? Did you care?

I would venture to say most "fans" of today aren't true fans. Those who are true fans never gave up hope. We supported and supported. We followed. We believed.

My little girl

You know I only have one photo on my blog. I've been talking pretty frequently about my daughter, so here's a picture of her:

She's my little cutie. If you want to know more about her, you can visit her Web site (yeah, she has her own Web site) at www.gretafulton.com.

My baby is normal weight...your baby is fat!

This is a bit of a rant and a definite rave.

Thank God for the Kelly Mom Web site! As a breastfeeding mom, I've found this site to be invaluable. I like how the information is easy-to-find and very balanced. The other breastfeeding Web site out there for La Leche League I have found to be very skewed toward almost being fanatical about breastfeeding. That's just not my thing. I support, but I'm not crazy!

Kelly Mom has kept me sane with my daughter's growth patterns. It's the only place that has the newer WHO growth charts as well as the CDC growth charts. I always get a little freaked out when my daughter goes to the doctor and is in the 25th percentile. Or was in the 40th percentile then drops to the 25th percentile. I go to Kelly Mom and find that her growth rates are perfect for a breastfed baby. The CDC charts are based on both breastfed and formula-fed babies. Thus, inaccurate for any baby! The WHO charts are based on only breastfed babies. (WHO figures if it is going to advocate breastfeeding, the growth charts better reflect that.) My daughter falls right along the 50th percentile on the WHO charts. I see that and I can breathe a sigh of relief.

Plus Kelly Mom has the CDC charts with the mean curve for breastfed babies printed on it. These CDC charts came out in response to the WHO charts. It shows that breastfed babies weight gain slows down dramatically right around 8-9 months, while if you look at the mean for all babies, it curves more up. Thus, why my little girl went from the 40th percentile to the 25th percentile on the CDC charts. Again, she stayed at the 50th percentile on the WHO charts. I notice that and breathe a sigh of relief.

So my rant is about the CDC growth charts being inaccurate for all babies. Breastfed babies cannot be compared to formula-fed babies and vice versa. And seeing that so few women still are breastfeeding at six months, let alone a year, there need to be charts to reflect how a baby is actually fed at the time that they are weighed. It would solve a lot of anxiety on breastfeeding moms. It may even keep some moms breastfeeding an entire year to know that their baby is just fine instead of hearing these crazy percentiles that aren't even based on breastfed babies! I'm sure some moms quit because they don't think their babies are gaining enough weight just because of the stupid charts or perhaps because of stupid doctors who don't understand that it's normal for a breastfed baby to fall in the lower percentiles on the CDC charts.

My rave, of course, is for Kelly Mom. Thanks for giving breastfeeding moms a factual, balanced place to go with all our questions!

Why?

Why is it the organization at which I work does not understand what communications is and what falls under communications? Why is it no one seems to think I know how to do my job? Why do certain people insist on trying to make me look like an idiot just to cover their own asses?