Firsts

Dylan is getting his first tooth! Very exciting...except now I have to break him of the habit of biting my chin when he's excited. That was cute and now it's not so cute anymore.

Dylan also went on his first swing ride this weekend, and is a little adrenaline junkie. He laughed and laughed until Grant swung him too high and then he stopped laughing, and looked a little sick. Leave it to dad to push a little to hard! :)

As Dylan is only 8 months old, this was also his first Thanksgiving. So, he had his first bites of turkey, sweet potato casserole, mashed potatoes and gravy and biscuits. Even without teeth he chowed down.

I am so thankful this Thanksgiving to have Dylan in my life. Having a baby has opened me up to viewing the world minute by minute, as it goes by, instead of constantly planning ahead. When I'm out with Dylan, I always take the time to have him smell a new flower, feel the wet grass or watch a seagull fly around (he thinks that is really funny). These times are priceless.

I'm also thankful for my wonderful, supportive family and my great job. I am blessed to have so many caring people in my life and to have security at work when so many other people are living through hard times.

Speaking of hard times, I read that a WalMart worker got run over by an over-anxious crowd of shoppers. I don't shop at WalMart anyway and this just confirms my desire to avoid that store. Not only does it underpay workers and add to our taxroll by making sure that they all qualify for government health care (instead of providing them affordable, or hello you make enough money WalMart, free health care), but I can't stand the WalMart culture. If anyone reading my blog has ever been in a Walmart in northern Cal. you'll know what I'm talking about. Tweaked out, spandex and looney-toon shirt wearing, teeth missing, yelling at their children loosers. 'Nough said. I can't stand to ever go in another WalMart after shopping in the one in Oroville. I have seen people on their worst behavior in that store. I can't believe what low prices can do to people.

Grant and I watched a documentary about WalMart a couple of years back and if you shop there, I highly suggest you check it out. There's a Web site about the movie: http://www.walmartmovie.com/. It may not change your mind about taking advantage of its low prices, but at least you can see what your hard earned dollar is supporting.

No Deletion Allowed

Well, for my one (or two) loyal readers, I have some news...blogspot does not allow, or as they put it, does not have the function for blog deletion. The alternative is to go through every blog and delete it individually and then delete my personal information. I have no time to write a blog, let alone delete each one, one at a time! So, I'll just try to write during my spare time and see where it takes me. I hate to have things floating around in Internet land, but so be it!

Speaking of spare time, I am still pumping at work! I have made it five months now (Dylan is a bit over 8 months) and let me tell you, it is not the pinacle of motherhood. I HATE pumping at work. I have to walk across campus to the lactation room (I do have my own office, but I am paranoid of someone peaking in) three times a day. I have to attach myself to a machine and try to relax when all I can think about it the press release I have to write, the marketing proposal I have to finish, the ad deadline that is a day away, the virtual tour that's never going to get done...etc., etc. Over the past couple of months, I've pumped less and less and so Dylan has to get a bottle of formula once a day. It was that or be a slave to my pump at home as well. I decided my freedom from those sucking horns was more important than Dylan getting three full bottles of breast milk each day.

I have tried to not give myself a hard time about the formula bit, but it's difficult not to have "formula guilt." I'm already working away from home, meaning Dylan is left with a care provider. Then, on top of it, my body has failed to produce what he needs, which makes me feel even more like a terrible mother. Now, I find out today that there's some terrible chemical that's used to strip paint off cars and manufacture metal that's been found in a sample of U.S. formula. Great.
Send me to bad mom jail.

Can't anyone make clean baby products anymore? We have toys painted with lead, bottles made with toxic chemicals, cribs that collapse, blankets that suffocate, and now baby formula tainted with other bad stuff.

It's a full time job keeping up with all these recalls! What's next? I shuddder to think of what else I now have to worry about.