2010 media review

Books

This will be long, as I read 124 books and gave 20 of them 5 stars and 38 of them 4 stars. I'll break it up so I can include more. My favorite authors were Stieg Larsson (the Millenium trilogy), Roald Dahl (especially Matilda and Danny the Champion of the World), and Nancy Werlin (Extraordinary and Impossible). My favorite genres were dystopian literature (The Giver, Matched, Mockingjay, Birthmarked and 1984), and non-fiction (The Family Dinner, Earth, Half the Sky, White Like Me and Adventures in Gentle Discipline). Outside of those groupings, I also loved The Help, A Fine Balance, These Is My Words, and The Phantom Tollbooth. Note: I'm able to remember all this thanks to the wonderful website Goodreads.

Movies

Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows Part One, Easy A, The Social Network, Tangled, How to Train Your Dragon, The Town, Iron Man 2

Ones that would likely be on the list if I had had a chance to see them: Toy Story 3, Despicable Me, The Kids Are All Right, Black Swan

TV

Modern Family



Glee



The Sing-Off



Also: House, The Office, Community

Links

100 Best Signs at the Rally to Restore Sanity

G is for Gumption

Fictional feminist icons

I have read countless blog posts, stories and articles on breastfeeding, but this one has to be one of the most heartwarming and inspiring.

And I'll end with this, one of my favorite clips of the year. PSA: If you don't know Colbert's schtick, don't get offended. He is a devout Catholic in real life and even teaches sunday school. This is just a character he plays.

2010

I debated writing a wrap-up post for 2010. In all honesty, it's been a little "blah," especially compared to 2009. I'm starting to accept it though. Not every year is meant to be full of massive growth and big events like graduations, home buying and babies, right?

If I had to pinpoint one way I have grown, however, it has definitely been in what I will call "parental adaptation." Being the parent of a toddler is a lot different than being a parent of an infant. Harder, in my humble opinion. Toddlerhood is intense. I'm only kind of joking when I say that they are bi-polar. I love it though, and wouldn't trade it for anything in the world. He's getting so big, in fact, that the dreaded baby fever has set in (just for me so far though).

We've also done really well with home ownership so far. We could have gone on a big vacation this year (and I so wanted and debated for it), but we both came to the decision to pay extra on our loan. We've also started to make small improvements and will continue that in 2011.

I have had definite moments of "mommy brain," but I've worked all year on keeping my mind fresh. I have read 124 books, joined a book club, and I have kept up on social issues (sometimes blogging about them but almost always discussing/debating them with someone).

After writing this, I am more than okay with 2010. We survived, and we even thrived (especially Brayden).

Trust

Trust is a funny thing. I trust my husband. I trust him to keep us safe driving. I trusted him to support me during labor. I trust him with our son (well, I'll admit that was a process). Today, I had to learn to trust him in a new way.

We went indoor rock climbing today. We both assumed that an instructor would be with us the whole time. Most importantly, we both assumed that the instructor would be belaying us. Nope. We got 15 minutes instruction, and then we were sent off on our own. It was amazing. Amazing workout, adrenaline rush, and "trust experiment." I had to trust he wouldn't let me fall if I lost my grip (which I didn't, thank goodness).

I definitely recommend it. We usually do the typical movie date, and it was nice to change it up a bit. I doubt I'll recommend it tomorrow though. I can already tell my arms will be SO sore, and blisters are already forming on my palms. Just kidding- it was worth the pain.

"Be cool to the pizza dude"

Some of you probably don't know this, but my husband has been a pizza driver for 4 years now (usually a second job). I've learned a lot and changed my mind about many things. One of them is on my mind tonight as he's working in the storm tonight.

I wouldn't have batted an eye at ordering pizza to be delivered in a storm. Now I really think it should be avoided. And believe me, it's not. They get so busy during storms. When we lived in West Jordan, he even had to drive out to Copperton. If you don't want to drive in it, and you know it's not safe you probably shouldn't ask someone else to drive in it. If your kitchen is anything like mine, you can throw a meal together easily. Another thing is that people (in general) don't seem to tip accordingly. Not that money matters, I would definitely rather just have him home safe. On the subject of tipping, we definitely tip more now. And what's funny is that the lower income area of the two stores he has delivered for tipped higher on average. I wonder if some people don't realize that drivers don't realize a full reimbursement for gas, and maintainance does cost more (oil changes mostly, but we also have to buy tires more often that most people). It's a job though, and one we greatly appreciate. I just hope the storm isn't as bad as the news has said it will be.

For another (better written) piece on treating pizza drivers kindly, go here. NPR used to do this amazing series called This I Believe. I enjoyed listening to the podcast, and they have also put together two books of essays.

TSA and Glenn Beck

Yes, here comes another political post. It's a first, though, because it's one in which I agree with Glenn Beck. When the news first started coming out about the full body scanners and TSA pat-downs, I thought the fuss was stupid (honestly). I have a friend who just took a trip, however, and if what happened there is going to be the norm, I'm not happy about it. They were doing "random" selections and those people had to go through both the scanner and the pat-down, her husband being one of them. And for the 20 minutes they were in line, my friend said it was every 4th person. Not so random. I don't like either one of them really, but I get that some security has to be in place. I don't like that you apparently don't always have a choice between the two. I think you should have a choice (unless they notice something suspicious and need the other test to help verify).

I don't care as much about the radiation. It's unfortunate, but we are exposed basically all the time. That's just our world now. I don't like that the screens can be saved, but I doubt that there will be an influx of perverts trying to get TSA jobs just to see the full-body scans or do the pat-downs. In fact, I don't like that implication, because these agents are just doing their job, doing what they are told to do.

I guess, then, I don't agree with all of what I've heard Glenn Beck say. I do hope that this policy of people having to do both eventually changes. I think people have the right to choose for themselves what the lesser of the two evils is. I don't travel much, but I would choose the scanner and would be upset if I had to do both.

Harry Potter

(As long as power doesn't go out, you can expect multiple posts from me as I try to catch up on what's been going on.)



So.... Harry Potter. Was. Amazing! I should have expected it to be, but I didn't. Why?

Well, I had heard about the "nude" scene and I was worried about it. Not appropriate for one, not in the book for two, plus I had heard who it involved and I was just angry about that. It was so not a big deal. I should have known, since it was KSL that was reporting on it. Both Ann (Adam's sister) and I were worried about it until it happened, and for me it actually ruined a really touching scene where Harry and Hermoine dance because I thought it might happen then.

I also wasn't sure I could handle the midnight premiere. I am getting older, you know. I never even came close to dozing off, which I have been known to do before (but never during Harry Potter).

It was so good and I loved so many things about it. As I mentioned, I loved the dancing scene (and will appreciate it even more when I'm not worried about it turning into something else). I loved the animated telling of the tale of the three hallows. I loved the acting, as always. The kids have gotten better with each one and the adults (Alan Rickman and Helena Bonham Carter especially) have always done well.

I cannot wait for the next movie but at the same time I will be so sad when it is all over. I do have introducing Brayden to the wonder that is Harry Potter to look forward to though. And how I will love that. Ann and I have decided that we (Adam's siblings) will all go the Harry Potter theme park when that happens.

Lessons learned...

just this week alone.

We went to SLC's live broadcast of Jon Stewart's Rally to Restore Sanity, and his speech made me realize that I am sometimes part of the problem. It's important to be respectful, even when we have differences. I will admit to not having the best attitude towards pundits like Glenn Beck and their fans. The signs were pretty fun, the music was entertaining, but Stewart's speech was amazing. Please watch it if you haven't already. It all had an effect on me, butit felt like a punch in the gut when he said "If you amplify everything, you hear nothing." I have been guilty of that. I have a lot to learn apparently, as if that wasn't clear already. On a side note, here are some of the signs I liked (from the SLC rally):






The next lesson I've learned is from this new blog (vlog?) I've been watching called Mompetition. It's all about the "mommy wars." Which is admittedly, another trap I've fallen into. The first video is the best. I've learned from this blog that no mom is perfect and that we (for the most part) are all trying our best. I do believe in things like natural birth, breastfeeding, etc but need to remember that my way doesn't work for everybody.


And lastly... don't go watch Life As We Know It on a date with your husband if you are prone to having anxiety about either losing your baby or leaving your baby parentless. Cute romance, but I was crying for half the movie.

Vote

Make your voice heard. I know the system isn't perfect. I feel strongly that informing yourself (at least about the senate, governorship, president, etc) and voting is a duty as well as a right. If you don't vote, you shouldn't complain.
Now that my spiel is over, how about this cuteness...





Can you believe the difference a year makes?!

Book review: Half the Sky by Nicholas D. Kristof and Sheryl WuDunn

Preface: I know this review is long, but this was an amazing and eye-opening book. I highly recommend it.

The authors of Half the Sky make the case that the oppression of women globally has been our era's worst human rights violation, and they make that case persuasively. They focus on three things: sex trafficking and prostitution, gender-based violence (mass rape), and maternal mortality. From the beginning, it is made clear that this is not just about discrimination, this is true oppression:

"In the wealthy countries of the West, discrimination is usually a matter of unequal pay or under funded sports teams or unwanted touching from a boss. In contrast, in much of the world discrimination is lethal. In India, for example, mothers are less likely to take their daughters to be vaccinated than their sons- that alone counts for one fifth of India's missing females... All told, girls in India from one to five years of age are 50% more likely to die than boys the same age."

I dog-eared so many pages. They did an amazing job of putting faces and names to the horror of rapes, forced prostitution and fistulas. That was exactly their point, because they say studies have proven that individual stories carry more impact than statistics in getting people to donate their time, money or effort. Here are some of the stories than impacted me.

A female medical tech in South Africa was told by a rape victim "If only I had teeth down there." Some time later, a man came in to the hospital in pain because his penis was stuck in his zipper. Because rape is such a huge problem there, the medical tech put two and two together and made a product she calls the Rapex. It's inserted like a tampon, but is a tube with barbs inside! In response to critics, she said "A medieval device for a medieval deed." I honestly wasn't sure what to think about this story, and I'm still unsure. But it has stuck with me since I read it.

The stories of maternal mortality got to me. I know I'm an advocate for natural birth, but there is still a place for the medical community in birth. The World Health Organization's statistics are that 536,000 women died in pregnancy or childbirth in 2005, and that number is hardly different then the number thirty years ago. That means that in thirty years with all the medical advances we have come up with, about the same amount of women are dying. It's because they aren't getting the care they need, especially in the developing world (although sadly, America's maternal mortality rate is high for developed countries). An Ethiopian girl named Mahabouba is a sad, but perfect example. She was sold into slavery and became a second wife. She was raped by her "husband" and beaten by the first wife. She got pregnant and was able to run away when she was seven months along. Her uncle let her stay in a little hut by her house. She went into labor by herself, because she couldn't afford a midwife. Her labor was obstructed because her pelvis hadn't grown enough to accommodate the passing of a baby (she was 13). After a week, she fell unconscious and some finally called a birth attendant. The baby was dead, and she had developed a fistula, or a hole. She became incontinent, as many fistula sufferers do. The nerve damage was so bad she couldn't walk for some time. She was lucky and eventually made it to a fistula hospital (yes, there are so many that they have hospitals just for their treatment). She was able to learn to walk again, but will have a colostomy the last of her life.

The last part of the book is spent discussing things that have made a difference. Things like iodizing salt. I had no idea. 31% of households in the developing world don't get enough iodine. This can lead to brain damage while still in the womb, and apparently female fetuses need iodine even more so. I liked this quote: "According to one estimate, just $19 million would pay for salt iodization in poor countries that need it, This would yield economic benefits that another study found were nine times the cost. The result is that while salt iodization is one of the least glamorous forms of assistance possible, development geeks rave about it."

Another thing that has helped is paying families to keep their girls in school. Girls getting educated not only boosts the GNP of countries, but it also puts off motherhood and reduces the number of children born to the girl. And studies have found that females work harder to help pay for the education of relatives or their children.

At the end, there is a section of what you can do to help in the broader sense, and then four easier steps you can make in the next ten minutes. Some of them simply have to do with awareness, but www.kiva.org is also mentioned, because microloans are another simple thing that is making a big difference.

Dr. Brayden

Here are just a few of the many "psychiatric tips" Brayden has taught me, some serious and some silly:

-Slow down and enjoy life. How has he taught me this? Well, for one, he is growing up too fast and I don't want to miss anything. Also, when he tries to be independent everything takes longer so I've learned to enjoy watching him learn over being annoyed that we are "wasting time."

-Nursing him taught me to have faith in myself that I was providing the best for him and enough as well.

-He's taught me to say no. I don't like saying no to people, but I've had to do it quite a bit now that he's around.

-Walk around like you own the situation and people will respond (of course, that could just be because of the cuteness of said baby).

-And lastly (for this post anyways), he's taught me to embrace my inner child. I love kicking the ball with him, or reading him a book, or even watching Sesame Street. He really does just live life to the fullest, and I'm glad I get to tag along.

Book Review: The Daily Show with Jon Stewart Presents Earth (The Book): A Visitor's Guide to the Human Race

Some of you might have the idea that I like Jon Stewart. That's more than true. I LOVE him. I'm reminded of a quote from Stuff White People Like by Christian Lander (hilarious book by the way): "White women all consider Jon Stewart to be the most perfect man on the planet. This is not a debate, it is law." What is there not to like? Anyways, now that you all know how I feel about him, I'll get to the book review. The book is written by all the writers of the show, not just Jon Stewart but to simplify things I'll just use "he."

Earth is written for the aliens that will come to our planet in the future after we have been destroyed. It turns out to be a biting and funny commentary on our beginnings, our history and especially our current society. The first page (a note to alien readers) has the perfect example: "Nothing would have united us as a species like the perceived existential threat posed by you. Not that we had reason to assume your intentions in coming here were anything but honorable. It's just that in general, our own first-time interactions had a certain "killing each other" feeling-out period." So true, such a serious subject, and both sad and funny because it is true. He goes on to mention how some people believed aliens had come many times before, usually kidnapping rural residents and that "these humans also believed our governments, known mostly for bureaucratic incompetence, had somehow made your alien presence the one thing they could keep masterfully secret." Here are some other gems:

North America
Nickname: "The Landmass That Kicks Landass!"
North America was Earth's newest continent, formed c. 1492. Blessed with abundant freshwater and fertile soil, it was settled remarkably quickly thanks to the extermination of one race, the enslavement of a second and the can-do attitude of a third.

There is a page on incarceration in the Society chapter, and the intro reads: "One of our core beliefs was that criminals could be rehabilitated by locking them up with other criminals in dehumanizing conditions. In retrospect, we believed a lot of crazy s***." He really makes me think about things deeper, both in the book and on his show. Things that I've always just accepted as normal. Not that I'm against incarceration for criminals, but that it's ridiculous to believe it rehabilitates the criminal.

I loved reading this book. It made me laugh, it made me think, it made me cry (kidding on that last one). Now anyone want to sponsor me so I can attend his Rally to Restore Sanity? I so wish I could go.

15 months

I really love this age. Not to say this is an easy age, because he's very demanding... but in a good way. He is pointing and gesturing a lot to communicate what he wants a lot more than he used to.

He is OBSESSED with reading! I love it so much that he brings us books. We both try really hard to stop what we are doing to read to him when he brings us a book. His favorites are: Peek-A-Who?, Goodnight Moon, I Howl, I Growl, and Have You Ever Tickled A Tiger?. Any other board book recommendations? One funny thing he did is have me read a page of Peek-A-Who?, then Adam, then me, and back and forth until it was over. He's usually very specific about which one of us he wants to read to him right then, and we try to respect that and not just brush him off. The last few mornings he has woken up and walked right into the front room to pick a book. He wants me to read a book to him before breakfast, before nursing, before anything else.

He still loves being outside though too. He learned how to kick this week, and I think he would have learned sooner. All it took was me showing him once or twice. We didn't really have any balls until this week (a downside to condo living) and so I know he could have learned sooner since he's been walking for just about 5 months now. I just never thought a 14-15 month old could figure out the coordination needed. He's clumsy at it, don't get me wrong, but he can do it. He is so funny when he runs! Instead of moving both arms back and forth for balance, he only really moves his left arm. I hope that doesn't mean anything bad, but it sure is cute to watch.

We've taken him to storytime at the library and he just hangs in the back playing with the activity tower, but once they all get up and leave to do the craft in the back room, he follows. He loves being around bigger kids at the library or the park.

He is finally feeding himself! I don't know if I wrote much about it, but he never ate much baby food. He was pretty much exclusively nursed his entire first year, not to say that we didn't try. But I have finally found a use for all the baby food (the fruit anyways) we got from WIC that he never ate- I mix it with plain yogurt and he loves it! It is a mess and half of it ends up on him rather than in him, but it's a start. He also likes cheerios and milk, bananas, peaches, and apples.

Time is going by so fast, and I know I'll forget all these little things that mean so much to me right now if I don't document them. We love our little guy so much and we cannot believe we are the lucky ones who get to be his parents (most of the time anyways, he has his moments like all kids of course).

Dystopian Literature

I got sent a link to this article about dystopian literature.
Not that I needed any more books to add to my to-read list or anything...

I will admit I have mostly only read dystopian works that are written for the young adult audience. I've only read a few on this list, but they all sound interesting, especially the older ones. I have to wonder what similarities can be found between the author's imagined future world and our current world, especially in Jules Verne's Paris in the Twentieth Century. Thanks for the link, Emma. You wrote a great article and I'm hoping to read some of these books soon.

I Want To Be The Kind Of Mom Who...

I have a book I checked out from the library called 101 Things Every Kid Should Do Growing Up and looking through it reminded me of a feature on a blog I like to read called Simply Radiant. I decided to copy her idea to keep track of some of the things I want to do as a mom. I really loved some of her ideas, which included having readathons, making at least one homemade gift for birthdays and Christmas (I didn't for Christmas, but made him photo blocks of his family for his birthday), participating in a mother-son book club, having trade-in coupons for Halloween candy(staying up late, a glass of hot chocolate, etc), and printing some of the toys on this Toy-A-Day blog. I also want to check these books out from the library for more ideas: 101 Things You Gotta Do Before You're 12!, 101 Places You Gotta See Before You're 12! and 1001 Children's Books You Must Read Before You Grow Up. Without further ado, here are some of the ideas I got from the book.

-I want to be the kind of mom who helps her family participate in service and make the world a better place. I love this idea for teaching children about donating.

-I want to be the kind of mom who plans fun adventures for her kids like camping in the backyard, going on "pajama rides" where you wake them up for a late-night drive and treat, etc.




I want to be the kind of mom who allows my child to make choices, decisions and mistakes. Easier said then done, right? Especially with the mistakes. I think it's important though.

-I want to be the kind of mom who lets their child decorate their own room.

-I want to be the type of mom who helps facilitate learning. For example, I want to go on a trip to D.C. and other Eastern historical sights after Brayden starts learning about U.S. history.

-I want to be the kind of mom who has fun traditions in place. I love this idea for the Christmas season and I have some ideas for fall I want to do like making caramel apples, painting/carving pumpkins, etc.

Ketchup

Yes, I have been sorely lacking on the blog front. I've been in a bit of a funk lately, but I think I'm past it. I stole the title from my friend Stephanie's blog because I thought it was cute (just to let you know I wasn't creative enough to think of it myself).

-We went to the ranch two more times in September- once on our own (some of Adam's family came up for a day) and once with my family. These are from the first time. I'll post pictures of my family's weekend later when I get them.





-I read Jane Eyre for the second time, the first being in high school. As before, I loved it. I've met so many women lately who don't enjoy books like the romantic classics of the Bronte sisters or Jane Austen. I'm sure glad I do.

-I'm finally getting started on a scrapbook for Brayden. I had forgotten how messy scrapbooking is! I'm not as good at it as I used to be, nor do I have the money to spend as much as I used to, but I hope he enjoys having something.

-I'm in a small book club and we read Mockingjay. Out of the four of us I probably liked it the most. One of the women really didn't like it. I know some of you have read the first two... so what did you think?

-I was totally a domestic goddess today (if you don't count cleaning anyways). I canned peaches and made peach jam (thanks to Karen for showing me how earlier this week). I also made zucchini bread, chocolate zucchini cake, and froze grated zucchini. Still to do: figure out what to do with all the tomatoes my dad gave me (I want to make tomato sauce but don't have a sieve) and make peach muffins or cobbler with the peaches I had left.

Brayden at 14 months

Brayden is 14 months old today. It seems like his birthday was just yesterday, even though he's experienced and learned a lot since then. So here we go...

-He experienced his first fireworks show the night of his birthday party. He was even awake for all of it but the finale.

-We took a mom and tot swim class in July that he loved (except for the part we put them under).

-We joined the zoo. His favorite part has the be the gopher holes because one of us stays outside to wave at him.

-He's ridden on a 4-wheeler multiple times since his birthday at Adam's grandparent's ranch. It's exciting at first, but if the ride lasts too long he starts to get bored. He even fell asleep on the way back from one of the longer
rides, even with all the bumps.

-He is trying to talk more, but it's definitely in his own language. :) Here is what he has said for sure: mama, dada, duck, jackson, and no go (luckily only one time). We think he's come close or at least tried to say: up, outside, outfit, and adam.

-He is climbing everywhere!

-He's doing so good at walking down the stairs outside of our condo. Twice now, he has even done it only holding on to the railing and not my hand (I'm sure that terrifies my parents, but I'm really careful with him).

-He is a total goofball. He definitely takes after his dad. One thing he does is purposely take really tiny steps because he knows it makes us laugh. It sounds dumb trying to explain- I need to get it on video. He also hates hats, but willingly wears these play ones I bought him (army, fireman and construction worker hats from the $ spot at Target) because he knows it makes me laugh.

-He did pretty well on the flights to and from Houston. He fell asleep both times so I actually did have time to read!

-He can identify the duck and the frog from the bath toys. He also is starting to play with himself more and more in the bath. Oh, the joys of being a mom of a boy (not).

-His favorite foods are bananas and graham crackers. We're really working on getting some more color in with smoothies, beans, etc.

Love the way you lie

Warning: This video depicts domestic violence, so I wouldn't watch it with kids around.



[Chorus - Rihanna:]
Just gonna stand there and watch me burn
But that's alright because I like the way it hurts
Just gonna stand there and hear me cry
But that's alright because I love the way you lie
I love the way you lie

[Eminem]
I can't tell you what it really is
I can only tell you what it feels like
And right now it's a steel knife in my windpipe
I can't breathe but I still fight while I can fight
As long as the wrong feels right it's like I'm in flight
High off of love, drunk from my hate,
It's like I'm huffing paint and I love it the more I suffer, I suffocate
And right before I'm about to drown, she resuscitates me
She fucking hates me and I love it.
Wait! Where you going?
"I'm leaving you"
No you ain't. Come back we're running right back.
Here we go again
It's so insane cause when it's going good, it's going great
I'm Superman with the wind at his back, she's Lois Lane
But when it's bad it's awful, I feel so ashamed I snapped
Who's that dude? I don't even know his name
I laid hands on her, I'll never stoop so low again
I guess I don't know my own strength

[Chorus]

[Eminem]
You ever love somebody so much you can barely breathe
When you're with 'em
You meet and neither one of you even know what hit 'em
Got that warm fuzzy feeling
Yeah, them those chills you used to get 'em
Now you're getting fucking sick of looking at 'em
You swore you'd never hit 'em; never do nothing to hurt 'em
Now you're in each other's face spewing venom in your words when you spit them
You push pull each other's hair, scratch claw hit 'em
Throw 'em down pin 'em
So lost in the moments when you're in them
It's the rage that took over it controls you both
So they say you're best to go your separate ways
Guess if they don't know you 'cause today that was yesterday
Yesterday is over, it's a different day
Sound like broken records playing over but you promised her
Next time you show restraint
You don't get another chance
Life is no Nintendo game
But you lied again
Now you get to watch her leave out the window
Guess that's why they call it window pane

[Chorus]

[Eminem]
Now I know we said things, did things that we didn't mean
And we fall back into the same patterns, same routine
But your temper's just as bad as mine is
You're the same as me
But when it comes to love you're just as blinded
Baby, please come back
It wasn't you, baby it was me
Maybe our relationship isn't as crazy as it seems
Maybe that's what happens when a tornado meets a volcano
All I know is I love you too much to walk away though
Come inside, pick up your bags off the sidewalk
Don't you hear sincerity in my voice when I talk
I told you this is my fault
Look me in the eyeball
Next time I'm pissed, I'll aim my fist at the drywall
Next time. There won't be no next time
I apologize even though I know its lies
I'm tired of the games I just want her back
I know I'm a liar
If she ever tries to fucking leave again
Im'a tie her to the bed and set this house on fire
I'm just gonna

[Chorus]

I mentioned a few weeks ago in a post that I really liked this song. However, the more I hear it (and I hear it a lot on the radio), the more I wonder. I kept thinking about how troubling it is in so many ways and how it would have made a perfect topic for my Theories of Pop Culture final project.

First issue I have is that Rihanna was a part of this. Megan Fox was also in this, and that disappoints me as well but she hasn't been a victim of domestic violence as far as we know and she donated the money she made from the video to a shelter for abused women. Rihanna has been a very public victim. She was strong and left Chris Brown, but that scenario doesn't happen in this video. No, she's singing in front of the burning house mentioned at the end of the song.

Second, as I already mentioned, the video is very graphic. It worries me to think of how many young people have now seen this video on YouTube.

Third, what is the "message" of this song? It glorifies violence. They fight and passionately make up. She does not leave the relationship. The last words Eminem sings are about murder, which happens far too often to abused women. I'd like to know what Eminem's defense is to these complaints (a lot of other bloggers have also written about this).

signs of toddlerhood

My parents watched Brayden last week for us to go to a movie. I tried to put him down for a nap before they came, but it didn't happen. He was too excited playing with them that he finally crashed around 3:00-3:30 on the pillow in the front room. I definitely think of toddlers and preschoolers when I see pictures where kids have fallen asleep in random places.

-By the way, head here for some amazing pictures. She is so creative! I might just have to try some of her ideas if we have another baby.

zoo

1st haircut

Ashley suggested trimming Brayden's hair behind his ears before the pictures, so we did that on Saturday night. I'm starting to think I may not have been ready- those hairs were the only curly ones he did. I keep looking in the box I have the hair in wistfully, which I know is weird.


This picture shows the length the best. It started to curl a but after that picture. It's funny because it was only long behind his ear and goes up to the center.


He looks a little worried, almost like he has an idea what is in store for him.


He didn't know what was going on, but he sure hated it.


Ashley offered him a sucker and that made it all better.

Here's his now-neat trim:

the good and the bad

I've got a game of catch-up to play since it's been a month since I wrote last. I'm going to start with the bad and get it out of the way so I can focus on the good.

The list- I know this is last month's news but I'm still sad about it. This is mostly because I read the comments on the articles on ksl.com and sltrib.com. My friend Stephanie wrote an amazing post about it here.

Gay marriage- I'm just sick of the hatred (this goes for the immigration debate too).

Bursitis- Evil, evil bursitis... I shouldn't complain too much, because the flare-ups only last 2-4 days but those days are hell. I could hardly hold Brayden, I couldn't sleep, and the pain was constant because no matter how I tried I couldn't immobilize my arm.

Lights- Or the lack of, I should say. Adam's started to re-do the lighting in our kitchen and it's taken awhile. He's still not done. Our original plan (or I should say mine, Adam knew it wouldn't work but attempted anyways because I wanted him to) didn't work. I think now we just need to agree on fixtures and it should be easy after that since he's done the prep work.

Moving on to the good...

My sister has a blog again!

Brayden and I are heading to Texas in 10 days to visit the wonderful family I used to nanny for. I'm so excited to see "my twins" play with my boy.

The Millenium trilogy by Steig Larsson- A friend warned against them, but I decided to start it and see how I felt. Well, I got hooked. I will say it's not a series I would recommend to anyone. In fact, I might write a post complaining about something to do with the movie based on the 2nd book.

Brayden and I did a Mom and Tot swim class at our rec center. Twice a week for two weeks. Brayden loved it, except for the going under part. I'm so glad he likes the water so far. I just don't want him to be uncomfortable swimming like I was (and still somewhat am).

Adam's family reunion was on July 24th. We had a good time as usual, but the notable part is that we had Brayden in a really cute cowboy outfit and he got to go on his first ATV ride. (pictures to follow)

We finally joined the zoo. We've been a few times already. I'll post some pictures from when we took our neighbors Ashley and Bennett.

We got family pictures taken today by Ashley and I am in love! These top my wedding photos (they pretty much sucked) and the Target ones we've had done twice since he was born. I have no idea how I am going to decide which ones to print. And we will finally be putting pictures up on our walls!

I am loving some top 40 songs right now. This is a good thing because it's Adam's favorite type of music and not mine so we usually fight over what station to play. It's also good because these songs do have more of a beat than my usual alternative and Brayden loves dancing to them. The ones that get him dancing the most are "California Gurls" by Katy Perry and "Your Love is My Drug" by Kesha. They are very silly songs in my opinion, but they are catchy to Brayden. The ones I am enjoying are "Airplanes" by B.O.B, "Love the Way You Lie" by Eminem, and "Halo" by Beyonce.

Josef Frank

This is Google's logo today:



Until just now, I had no idea who he was. Now, however, I am in love with his designs. He is a Swedish architect/textile designer and here are some more images I found that I adore:









I love when Google does different designs with their logos, especially the ones that help me learn about more obscure people/historical events/etc.

Brayden's party

To Kill a Mockingbird

It's hard to believe that in over two years of blogging, my favorite book has only gotten a passing mention in a list of books that everyone should read. That will be remedied today, on the 50th anniversary of it's publication. It's hard to put into words how I feel about this book. It's almost scripture to me.

This was on the news earlier. I have so much respect for the author and the characters she has created. I've said before that I wish she had written more, but I see her point about attempting to top TKAM being a futile attempt.

I love the names Harper, Atticus, Jem and Scout and used to want to possibly use them in a child's name (before Adam vetoed them). Atticus is hands down, my favorite. I have a reading journal where I kept track of some of the life lessons learned in TKAM, and most of them are from him (although I can't discount Calpurnia).

Here are some of the lessons from TKAM I strive to follow:

"Atticus Finch is the same in his house as he is on the public streets."

"Simply because we were licked a hundred years before we started is no reason for us not to try to win."

"Most people are (nice), Scout, when you finally see them."

Looking at these and some of the other lessons I had written down, I think it's time for me to relearn some of these. It's a good thing I bought the book yesterday (my first copy from 9th grade fell apart).

Birthday Suit

Wheeler Farm

We went to Wheeler Farm on Brayden's birthday with our neighbors Ashley and Bennett.


Bennett giving Brayden a birthday kiss


Family picture

Burp rags and bibs

After Brayden fell into his much-needed naptime slumber, I set about cleaning up after the awesomeness and mess that was yesterday. After finishing the front room, I began working on his room since I needed to find places for and put away all of his gifts he received for his very first birthday. I was having a hard time finding homes for everything when I realized... there was a whole drawer full of burp rags and bibs that hadn't been touched in months.

I've always been emotional when packing up the clothes he has grown out of, but I was even more so today packing these bunches of cloth up. Their dismissal brings about another finale of his babyhood, they are a prop he no longer needs. Just before I started to cry however, my boy awoke and wanted to nurse immediately. I remembered what I wrote on his birthday and looked at him cuddled up to me and realized he's still my baby for a little while longer.

1

I cannot believe my beautiful boy is one year old today. I'm reminded by parenting advice I received when he was a newborn: the days make feel like they go on forever, but remember that the years fly by.



I love him so much. Seeing his bed-head golden hair every morning makes me happy even if he woke up earlier than I had wanted. Seeing his toothy grin makes me grin. Hearing his laugh while I tickle his chubby tummy or thighs is one of the small highlights of my life that matter more than the "big" ones. And while I'm on the subject of his legs, they really are chunky. Chunky enough for my neighbor Ashley to mention that B's calves are as big as Bennett's thighs!



I love this picture of him. To me, it embodies the life he has ahead of him, the possibilities that await him. The way he seems to be shrugging his arms seems to be him saying "Now what?" I cannot wait to see the person he becomes.



I love seeing his little hand in mine, especially since I know he won't want to at some point. In some ways he seems so big, and in some ways he is still such a baby. I guess that is what toddlerhood is all about, right? It almost feels like my present is composed of glimpses of his babyhood and foreshadowings of his future. I love being his momma.

Like sands through the hourglass, so are the days of our lives

No, this isn't a post about the soap opera Days of Our Lives (although I used to watch that in high school thru my early 20s. This is just a catch-up post, things I want to remember about my mostly mundane and repeatable days with some gems thrown in.

-Our 7th anniversary was on June 19th. Luckily, there has been no hint of the 7 year itch yet. :) We've definitely settled into a more mature phase though- we celebrated my going out to lunch at Cafe Rio and we took Brayden, our neighbor Ashley and her son Bennett with us. It was still a lot of fun though.

-Also on the 19th, Ashley took some amazing one year old photos of Brayden that are so precious to me... and don't even get me started on the fact that he is one tomorrow (that will have it's own post).

-Father's Day was nice. Adam had to work, but I made a yummy chicken and black bean casserole for his break and we had my parent's over as well.

-We went to Lagoon on the 22nd. It was so much fun! I love that some things from my childhood are still around for Brayden to enjoy, especially since so much has changed. I do miss the Fun House, but I'm glad Fascination is still around because it reminds me of my grandma. She would play all day while we went on rides.

-I've started pumping again because I'm donating milk to an adoptive mom who is trying to induce lactation but in the meantime wants to give her son donated milk. On that note, Brayden isn't even one until tomorrow, and I've already been judged for my plans to continue breastfeeding him (one was actually months ago, sadly enough). I tried to educate both of these women that the World Health Organization actually recommends breastfeeding until two, and besides it's an extremely personal decision that they shouldn't judge me for.

-Brayden really loves playing with Ashley's son Bennett... and I don't mind that I now have someone to watch my totally guilty and shameful pleasure with (The Bachelorette).

-I took flowers up to my midwife today since she delivered Brayden a year ago tomorrow. I just love her so much. And yes, I still refer to her as "my midwife" even though I haven't been a patient for about ten months. She told me I better go up there (she practices in Park City now) for my next and asked when that might be. Well, it does seem that once they hit one, the baby bug does begin to show up, but time will tell.

Happy Father's Day

I'm lucky I got one of him looking at the camera, although he had already crumpled the paper at that point!










I'm so grateful for Adam. He has been an amazing dad to Brayden, and a wonderful partner in this new parenting gig. Brayden also has two wonderful grandfathers who I am also extremely grateful for.

Mohawk Monday

Fraud and a sleeping babe

On Wednesday night, I got a phone call from our credit union's fraud protection program asking me to verify some charges. Best Buy, Target and Holiday Oil all in Sandy, Utah and all purchases we did not make. I had them put a block on the card and called Adam at work. Sure enough, his credit card was missing. I'm thankful it was our credit card rather than debit card... at least we don't have to wait for a refund of our actual money, just credit we aren't using at the moment. While it makes me sad we live in a world where this is becoming more and more common, I'm glad there are protections for people once it has happened.

We walked to the credit union the next day (June 3rd) to get the forms to dispute the charges. I had tried putting Brayden down for a nap before hand, but it didn't work so we decided to just go. This is what happened on the way back:




Seeing this somehow made the whole annoying trip to the credit union worth it!

Sophie Nicole Barlow

Here's Sophie's birth story copied from Facebook:

The story starts on June 4th. I got a call at work at 8:00, Nicole thought she was in labor. I ran home to take her into the hospital. As we rushed into Salt Lake Nicole's whole stomach was tight, stuck in a contraction. We got to the hospital, Grandma Linda waiting with a wheelchair. The nurses frantically hooking up equipment an IV. They checked Nicole, tonight was not the night for the baby. Nicole was passing another kidney stone, they offered Nicole an induction of labor. As long as you are here, let's get things going. After an hour of pain meds, we decided to go home. We made it home at 2:00 am, and tried to sleep. Nicole passed the stone in the night, with a lot of relief.

The next day we got up like normal. We had a slow, restful morning resolute with waiting another week. We drove into Salt Lake to pick up Jackson, he spent the night with grandma. We went to some yard sales, and drove by the place a church used to be. We picked up a brick that was left over, we got married in that church. We picked up Jackson, ran some errands and got lunch with Nicole's parents. Fried chicken, mashed potatoes, and a biscuit. A meal Nicole would soon regret. Nicole started having contractions, about 15 minutes apart and irregular. We dismissed them, and went home. We tried to rest at home. By 7:00 the contractions were regular and 7 minutes apart. Back into Salt Lake we went. We arrived at the hospital at 8:30. At 9:00 Nicole was checked, she was dilated to a 5, no turning back now. After a few walks, by 10:10 she was almost at an 8. She progressed quickly, by 11:10 a 9, and 11:35 fully dilated. After many contractions, and various positions seeking comfort, at 11:43 a miracle happened. Sophie was born; 7 pounds 9 ounces, 21 inches long, with a full head of dark curly hair. Baby Sophie immediately went onto Nicole's chest while she went from purple to pink. Sophie let out a few whimpers. As Sophie and Nicole were getting to know each other from the outside, daddy cut the cord.

Nicole managed the entire birth naturally. She handled the contractions like a pro, and only had to push twice. Everyone was so proud of Nicole, she handled the birth so well.

I was privileged to be there for her birth, and I just still am in awe of how amazing my sister did. Her husband too- both of them were unsure of natural childbirth although Nicki was definitely intrigued after being at Brayden's birth. It went fast, but she was helping it along- she didn't stay in any one position for more than 5 minutes, she walked the whole circle of halls, used the birth ball, the tub, vocalized when she wanted pressure on her tailbone during contractions, applied pressure herself on her pubic bone during some contractions, opened her mouth and relaxed her shoulders, etc. In short, she was a rock star! And this whole pregnancy hasn't been easy for her. She's dealt with pneumonia, swine flu, UTIs, kidney stones (including the one she passed just short of 8 hours before giving birth!), etc. Luckily, this birth went a lot faster than her first... which gives me hope! Not that mine was long, it was actually pretty good for a first-time mom, but still it would be nice to cut down on the pushing time.

Sophie is so beautiful with all that dark hair! After taking a minute or two to latch on, she nursed for a good 15 minutes within half an hour of her birth.

This was the 4th birth I've been present at. Each time, it just amazes me all over again. How miraculous the whole process is, how strong women are and how perfect our bodies are for bringing babies into this world.