Boys and their Toys

I recently sent one of the wooden bulldozers to my 15 month old grandson. He’s his fathers son. He loves to play in the dirt.

He’s just like his dad. We used to call his dad “Mr. Dirt” when he was a kid because we could never keep him clean. Seems like our grandson is following in his father’s footsteps.

He promptly took his brand new wooden bulldozer outside where he spent the afternoon pushing dirt around the yard and having a ball. Toy was christened and stood up to all the abuse. Of course, after a hard day of playing in the dirt it took his mom a while to get him and his cloths clean and ready for his next adventure.

The wooden toys are more than ornamental. They really are fun to play with!

You’ve Got Mail

This morning I got a picture of my granddaughter in her new blue under the nile dress sent via text message by her Dad. She looked like a little princess spinning on one foot. If you could only see the smile on her face. Being a grand dad is great.

List of BPA Safe Sippy Cups

In a follow-up to my post on the BPA bottle issue, we found this great list that was compiled by SafeMama that lists the BPA-safe sippy cups. That said, this may not be a comprehensive list, but it covers the most popular brands.

BPA Free Sippy Cups

A Gift Only A Child Can Give

For a very long time it seemed as if I’d never become a Mommy. Too many failed attempts at assisted reproduction, holdups with the adoption process. But when Ella came home five months ago I was finally able to fulfill my dream. Since then it’s been the cliched roller coaster of emotions, but there is one standout moment that has made it all worthwhile.

Last night, while Ella was cradled in my husband’s arms, she pursed her lips, leaned down, and gave me a big kiss on the lips. She’s been blowing kisses (with the appropriate “MmmWah!” sound) ever since she figured out that it is virtually the same motion as saying “thank you” in sign language. And she’s been known to hug and kiss her stuffed animals, books, helium balloons, etc. But last night is the first time she initiated with one of us. Do I really need to write how my heart leaped (another cliche, but true) and that I had to brush tears from my eyes? How that one kiss makes up for every fuss and long night since she’s been home? Yes, but only because she’ll be a teenager all too soon, refusing to do something as uncool as showing affection to a parent.

So thank you, Ella, for showing me that I really am your Mommy, not just in title, but in your heart.

Bill Proposed to Protect Breastfeeding Moms

I was lucky when I went back to work – I had an office with a door that I could close when I needed to pump. I have many friends, though, that tell stories of having to sit in bathroom stalls or try to hang a makeshift ‘door’ in front of their cube because adequate space wasn’t provided. Others have told me how their managers would give them a hard time for taking the time out of the day to pump.

With statistical surveys of families showing that over 50 percent of mothers with children less than one year of age are in the labor force, I was very happy to hear that there is a Bill currently in Congress to address this issue. (This was reintroduced in 2007, so I apologize to anyone thinking that this is old news. But as it has not yet been enacted, I felt it was worth getting the word out.)

The Breastfeeding Promotion Act is a bipartisan bill at the national level that will protect breastfeeding mothers from discrimination. HR 2236, introduced by Rep. Carolyn Maloney (D-NY) and Christopher Shays (R-CT), will amend the Civil Rights Act of 1964 to protect all women from being fired or facing discrimination in the workplace because they make the decision to breastfeed their children. In addition, the bill provides tax incentives for businesses that establish private lactation areas in the workplace; it establishes a performance standard that is currently non-existent for all breast pumps on the market; and permits families to take breastfeeding supplies as tax deductible items.

Read the full Bill Here. If you’re interested in supporting this Bill, please contact your local Representative…pressure from constituents is a powerful way to get things done!

BPA / Baby Bottle Controversy Escalates

We’ve been aware of the BPA issue in baby bottles for several months now, but with the recent spate of news stories regarding the potential for ‘bisphenol A’ (BPA) in baby bottles to cause harm to infants, I became increasingly concerned about our baby daughter and did some research on the web. The news stories relate to studies that have indicated an increased risk of adverse reproductive and liver health effects from exposure to BPA.

Just yesterday, the government of Canada announced they are initiating a 60 day public comment period on banning all baby bottles containing BPA. Click here to read. Their proposed action is based on a risk assessment performed by the government. They also have a useful fact sheet, that indicates the main risk of BPA leaching from baby bottles is with having very hot liquids contact the baby bottles.

Just over a year ago the European Union’s Food Safety Authority disputed some of the findings of the research that has shown high risks related to BPA – but they certainly admit that infants who are using polycarbonate bottles can have a much higher exposure rate to BPA than do adults, and that such infants can be exposed at 26% of the new (in 2006) ‘Tolerable Daily Intake’ level. Interestingly, this exposure rate exceeds the old (from 2002) ‘Tolerable Daily Intake’ by 30%! Check it out here.

Although we previously used bottles that do have BPA, we have been using the using the ‘Green to Grow’ (BPA-free) bottles since she’s been 8 months old, so hopefully our daughter will have a low enough exposure to BPA to avoid any issues. Scary stuff.

Tea for 2

This past week end grandma and I spend time with our little granddaughter. She’s 2 ½ now. She walks, she talks, she dances, she sings, she’s a little lady no longer that little helpless baby we held in our arms just a few short months ago.

You see the commercials on TV with grandpa having tea with his granddaughter and you think “Man, that looks hokey”. Well it might be hokey but one can derive great pleasure in sitting on the floor and pretending to drink tea and eat cookies being served by your granddaughter who is dressed in a ‘twirly skirt’, pink clogs, and a tee shirt with a ballerina on the front. Ok so it took me five minutes to get back up on my feet but it was worth every ache and pain.

Organic Priorities for Baby

I recently had an interesting conversation with a mom and grandmother who made wonderful organic baby bedding and blankets about ‘why organic’ and she felt very strongly that, when prioritizing what to buy that is organic, to start with food. Anything that you can do is of course beneficial to your baby and the environment, but when looking at what will be of the most benefit, food is it.

So, when prioritizing which food is most important to go organic with, which is most beneficial? The Environmental Working Group (www.ewg.org) lists the 12 fruits and vegetables with the highest amount of pesticide residues and the 12 with the lowest. The 12 highest (focus on these first): peaches, apples, sweet bell peppers, celery, nectarines, strawberries, cherries, lettuce, imported grapes, pears, spinach, and potatoes.

The 12 with the lowest residues: onions, avocado, frozen sweet corn, pineapples, mangoes, frozen sweet peas, asparagus, kiwi, bananas, cabbage, broccoli, and eggplant.
Check out http://www.foodnews.org/ for a list from the EWG of 43 fruits and veggies.

So why buy organic clothes? Lots of reasons that I’ll focus on in my next blog entry.