Ok Ok

I'm back to being GF.
Starting today.
I can't deal with my hands and feet being numb all the time anymore...that's one of the main issues. So I pulled out Dangerous Grains and my GF book and it's funny, people on the message board have been talking about it lately as well, so it's interesting the two coincided.

Tonight I made NoSagna. Good stuff. Had a banana for snack and of course lots of water. We'll see what tomorrow brings. :)

Goofy Faces All Around

Man I suck at this. I said I would.

What's been going on....hmmm...

First AF hit in a year, that's no fun.

Conor is getting big and smiley. Whenever you say his name he lights up like a light...

Aiden is loving him and finally hugged him for the first time. He cracks me up daily even when I'm completely frustrated by him.

I took out some unfinished projects, finished a knit hat, started and finished a knit scarf and am knitting another one.

Busy week ahead of us, Playgroup @ Faye's tomorrow, going to Faye's on Tuesday as well, Playgroup here on Wednesday, nothing on Thursday and another playgroup @ the playground on Friday. All fun stuff! Woo! :)

PS - Still not gluten free...

Gluten Gluten you evil Minx...

She'ssss baaaaccckkkkk....

gluten intolerant girl at her finest.

After my raving review at the dentist today I decided to see if there was a correlation between teeth decay and celiac disease and DING DING DING...there is. THAT explains a lot.

Also, it's here, it's happened, it has taken three months for the joint pain, numbness (all the time now) in my hands and feet and abdominal pain to return (not to mention the fun bathroom adventures). Oh pasta, it was good to have you back in my life, cookies and crackers too...but alas, we must bid farewell. *SIGH* (Oh let me also add the irritability is back with a vengence as well)

Sooo I'm going to have a gluten goodbye celebration over the next week while I ween myself and then prepare for detox. Oh joys. I may not even make the next week but we have a TON of items in the house right now that are def. not gluten free...Well I guess I should just say no right. I just need to do some planning for me...my alternative menu and fun stuff like that.

Not looking forward to this at all. NOT at all.

2 Month Check up

Conor had his two month checkup today, which unfortunately involved three vaccine shots and the oral vaccine for Rotavirus. Needless to say, he is not a very happy camper this evening. Poor guy. His left thigh is really bad since that's where he had two of the shots...it's swollen and red all the way from his hip to his knee...poor dude. I put him in a long sleeve onesie to try and avoid his pajamas rubbing up against his thigh. He is doing well though, he looks great and all is well. He weighs 12 lbs 13 oz, up from 9 lbs, 14 oz from his last check up a month ago...He is 25 inches long, up from 23 3/4. :) Poor kid though, I really hope he feels better by tomorrow. I remember this with Aiden, it was a rough night the first time, we were up all night and the only thing that consoled him was his swing. We were supposed to go to a playgroup at WWI Memorial Park tomorrow, but we may not go if he's not feeling better (or if I get no sleep).

Today we went to a luncheon thanking Julie for putting the playgroup together...since she is the one who started it and ran it for the past year. I'm so happy to help out now and organize the 0-12 month and 3+ playgroups. It's a lot of fun. Our moms group is pretty big too, we have 144 members.

Unfortunately I also went to the dentist today...something is up...I have 8 new cavities, from six months ago!! The dentist said it may have been from my pregnancy, something about the PH balance of my saliva, it may have to do with my diet as well. Who knows, it just sucks because now I need 8 fillings! 8!! Uggg... It's not like I drink a lot of sweet drinks or anything, I have a soda perhaps once or twice a week, if that...and I put a lot of creamer in my coffee, but I only have one coffee a day, sometimes two! I don't eat a lot of candy or junk either and I of course brush my teeth and all that...ugg...

The drama continues...

Today we can not pick up puzzle pieces because we are sick and want cookies...complete with fake sneezing and coughing...

I said "Oh, well if you are so sick then maybe you should go to bed...we'll clean up later after you get up and feel better."

Response: "I'm not sick mommy...I'm sad....AhhhChooo"

Convention on the Rights of the Child

Our country is run by evil...

"UNICEF’s mission is to advocate for the protection of children’s rights, to help meet their basic needs and to expand their opportunities to reach their full potential. UNICEF is guided in doing this by the provisions and principles of the Convention on the Rights of the Child.

Built on varied legal systems and cultural traditions, the Convention is a universally agreed set of non-negotiable standards and obligations. These basic standards—also called human rights—set minimum entitlements and freedoms that should be respected by governments. They are founded on respect for the dignity and worth of each individual, regardless of race, colour, gender, language, religion, opinions, origins, wealth, birth status or ability and therefore apply to every human being everywhere. With these rights comes the obligation on both governments and individuals not to infringe on the parallel rights of others. These standards are both interdependent and indivisible; we cannot ensure some rights without—or at the expense of—other rights.

A legally binding instrument

The Convention on the Rights of the Child is the first legally binding international instrument to incorporate the full range of human rights—civil, cultural, economic, political and social rights. In 1989, world leaders decided that children needed a special convention just for them because people under 18 years old often need special care and protection that adults do not. The leaders also wanted to make sure that the world recognized that children have human rights too.

The Convention sets out these rights in 54 articles and two Optional Protocols. It spells out the basic human rights that children everywhere have: the right to survival; to develop to the fullest; to protection from harmful influences, abuse and exploitation; and to participate fully in family, cultural and social life. The four core principles of the Convention are non-discrimination; devotion to the best interests of the child; the right to life, survival and development; and respect for the views of the child. Every right spelled out in the Convention is inherent to the human dignity and harmonious development of every child. The Convention protects children's rights by setting standards in health care; education; and legal, civil and social services.

By agreeing to undertake the obligations of the Convention (by ratifying or acceding to it), national governments have committed themselves to protecting and ensuring children's rights and they have agreed to hold themselves accountable for this commitment before the international community. States parties to the Convention are obliged to develop and undertake all actions and policies in the light of the best interests of the child."

http://www.unicef.org/crc/


The United States is one of only two countries in the world that have not ratified the United Nations Convention on the Rights of the Child (CRC). Somalia—a country without an internationally-recognized government—is the other. The Children's Rights Division has focused its efforts on U.S. practice in three areas that fall measurably short of standards included in the Convention on the Rights of the Child—conditions for children in the justice system, detention of children by the Immigration and Naturalization Service (INS), and the use of children as soldiers.
http://hrw.org/children/us.htm

Ishmael Beah -

Tonight I went to a discussion at my college by Ishmael Beah, author of "A Long Way Gone: Memoirs of a Boy Soldier". Wow. All I can say right now is Wow. I have been suffering some serious insomnia lately, so I do not want to comment on it right now because my over tiredness could never do it justice and I can't speak as eloquently as I wish to on the subject of child soldiers, okay not eloquently...that's not even the word I want to use. This man is 26 and he is being the change he wants to see in the world, I need to do the same. A lot of discussion was focused around the fact that so many people see people doing nothing, so they do nothing. This is true...This quote from during Hilters Regime was one I had never heard before, but I want to put it on here, I will comment more at a later time when I have my mind about me better...

First they came for the Jews
and I did not speak out
because I was not a Jew.
Then they came for the Communists
and I did not speak out
because I was not a Communist.
Then they came for the trade unionists
and I did not speak out
because I was not a trade unionist.
Then they came for me
and there was no one left
to speak out for me.

Pastor Martin Niemöller

Here is a link to an article Ismael wrote for the New York Times. More on this at another time...btw, I've already informed Sam that we are adopting a Child Soldier one day...

Moms..

I've been completely absorbed in my moms group lately...I'm having such a great time with it. I've scheduled our latest playgroup at the local fire department, they will be showing off the fire truck to the 3+ crowd. I can't wait for our first 'crafternoon' and am hoping it goes off without a hitch. :) I've gotten a lot of compliments on my ideas for my recent playgroups and that makes me even more excited! I have moms whose kids are three saying they can't wait until they are three years old! I'm such a dork! LOL I've made a good friend with a few of the ladies and am looking forward to making some more, Aiden gets along really well with the other kids and has a blast so that's great.

This morning we went to a playgroup at the park close by...Aiden skinned his knee and arm pretty bad but he had a good time. :) Tonight I'm going to Stonehill with Marie for a book discussion, should be fun. :) Some adult time is always great!

I'm just rather stumped on some playgroups for the Infant group...I want to have a signing group but need to make sure I have a working video before scheduling it. :)

The Drama of Being Three...

I was just down stairs changing over laundry when Aiden came down to ask to play Sonic (XBox). He had been playing nicely all morning so I figured I'd give him a few minutes but told him that he needed to help me with the laundry - just help move the stuff from the wash to the dryer...not a huge task, I was there helping him but told him he needed to help with chores and cleaning up around the house. He refused. Down right refused and started to cry. So I told him he needed to either help so he could play Sonic or go to his room. He said "Go to room!" BAWLING...so I said okay, go...He replies with "See you later" through his tears and heads up the stairs. I finish and meet him on the stairs where he is repeating..."It's soooo far away...It's sooo far away." Ahh, it's tough to be three...

Toxic Baby and Peanut Butter & Jelly

Conor was just sitting on my lap and did his poo for the day. Now that he's mostly on formula he only goes once a day, vs. once every ten minutes (seemed that way) with breast milk. OMG He's toxic. TOXIC! That was one of those diapers that immediately went into a plastic bag and outside into the trash can. I really wanted to get Sam to change it, but considering he was in the middle of painting the side wall of the garage I didn't think he'd go for it. When I came back into the house and was changing over the laundry I realized that I could still smell it, not one of those it's burned into my nostrils forever smells, I meant it was still 'with' me. AND I was right. The smell permeated my dress and was stuck to me...I just had to douse myself with fabrize (I could change but this dress is sooo comfy...hehe). Now I need to burn down the room he did it in...uggggg Maybe I should try and get that breast milk supply back up. LOL

Can I comment on Uncrustables. I mean seriously. I was looking at them in the frozen food isle at the grocery store today and wondered what the hell the point of those were. I mean really...convenience? Is it really hard to make a peanut butter and jelly sandwich? Have we gotten that lazy?? And we spend how much on them??? Iif you are buying Uncrustables you need to sit down and think about maybe donating some of that to charity...and slow down huh - not that tough to make a PB&J...sorry Smuckers.