Songs and Signs & Katen vs the cat

Katen started her Songs and Signs class tonight along with her friends Maya,Ella and Jacob. We'll do this on Thursdays for six weeks. I'm not sure how much she got out of it. She was pretty tired but did some flirting with Jacob and gave hugs to Maya. The songs were very simple and repetitive which is great for Mommies who have short memories and to be honest it's great for the little ones too. I appreciated the mix of standing up, sitting down, dancing around, and playing with instrunments that Katen could hold. There was just enough movement to keep her from getting too antsy. ...and enough to make Mommy sweat. Great workout! Anyway, it's too early to tell if Katen is going to learn anything about very basic rythm and tone but the instructor assures us that babies of all ages learn it by the end of class. Sounds like a good challenge to me!

In other news...

Katen's newest trick is whining. It's like she's faking a cry. Her face doesn't indicate she's upset but she does this little quiet cry when she's getting bored or wants something. If she doesn't get what she's after, she'll up the volume to an all out cry. Who knew a kid started whining before they could even talk?

She's also become very communicative with animals and other kids. When she wants to call the cat she makes this "cah!" sound until Swiffer stolls by. I'm not sure how Swiff knows that's her cue, but she almost always comes when Katen calls. weird. To be honest I'm not even sure why Swiffer comes within 10 feet of our Pickle. The kiddo is absolutely fascinated with the cat and will pull her tail or her fur almost any time she gets hear enough. If the cat thinks Katen is going to play nice, she's got another thing coming. She'd also better watch out once Katen starts crawling because Pickle loves to stalk that cat.

[oohhh cat! scoot, scoot, scoot] [YES! I've got you....] [Hey! Where are you goin'?]

[ Come back!] [Was it something I said?]

The same sound is made when Katen sees another baby. She erupts in a wide smile and greets the baby with a "cah!" (Which tells me that Cah doesn't mean cat exclusively or that she's trying to say the correct word.)

A few mornings ago I left Katen playing with her activity gym and when I returned she was trying to communicate with the baby on the Pampers box I'd put in her nursery. I almost died laughing. She just kept talking to it and touching the baby's face. How cute is that!? I need to start cutting out pictures of babies and give her an audience of friends for her play mat. She'd have fun for hours! (Okay let's not kid ourselves. Katen has the attention span of a flea. Busy, busy, busy...)

Speaking of the play gym, this is what happens when the gym isn't entertainment enough. It looks like she got into a wrestling match when the boppy and the curtain ganged up on her. I think she came out on top though. ;)

whew!

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Smoking Ban

I am happy to report that A ban prohibiting smoking in most public places goes into effect today across Iowa. According to the law, someone caught smoking in a public area must pay a $50 fine (which might actually be worth it to some addicts - just a thought.)
The new restrictions provide exemptions for casinos, veterans organizations and other areas such as fairgrounds.
Many business owners are angered by the exemptions, saying they don't seem fair. Some have been raising money to file a lawsuit that seeks to strip the law of the exemptions.
Under the new law, a person caught smoking in a banned area is subject to a $50 fine.
Businesses that don't enforce the law face a $100 fine for the first offense and the fines increase from there.
Americans for Nonsmokers' Rights, a lobbying organization based in Berkeley, Calif., said 13 states including Iowa now have smoking bans in workplaces, restaurants and bars.



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Sunscreen and other "Dangers" ::wink, wink::

Have you ever tried to nail Jell-O to the wall? That's what it's like trying to apply sunscreen to my wiggly little pickle. You'd think from the shrieks and wails coming from our house that I'm subjecting her to turture. In reality I'm just trying to preserve Katen's lily white skin. That doesn't impress her though.

For you sun babies out there, the EWG recently published a report rating the safety and effectiveness of sunscreen. You can use this link to see if your sunscreen measures up. (Or to pick out a new one!)
We use California Baby sunscreen which seems to be a winner. Whew!

I also learned that babies don’t sweat in the way that adults do, so you shouldn't slather thick layers of sunscreen on them. (Oops! who knew? Maybe that's what Katen was trying to tell me.) The recommendation is to use a broad spectrum sunscreen and an SPF of 45 or higher. It's also recommended to avoid PABA containing products. In reading the findings, the thing that worries me most is that the FDA actually hasn't set standards on sunscreen and there are a few major brands who make sunscreen that can absorb into the baby's blood and raise toxicity levels or act like estrogen when broken down by the sun and cause hormonal imbalances. Double yikes!

Seriously. If it's not one thing, it's another. Be sure to check out your sunscreen, I guess. ...and your bottles, and the wipes you use. Oh and the containers that hold those items, and... You get the idea.

I hate to make light of a serious topic but honestly what can you buy off the shelf without reseraching its safety?

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Independence Day

We started off the 4th of July with some muffins from My Favorite Muffin. Only the crumbs remain. Yum! For those of you who don't have one nearby, you're missing out. With flavors like Cherry Cheesecake, Pumpkin Spice with a big dollop of cream cheese frosting piped on top, deep dish apple pie with real apple pie filling in the middle, and more, these muffins are definitely something special. We're hooked.


After a trip to the muffin shop we started making the side dishes we'd be bringing to the BBQ's. The original idea was to bring taco salad but a quick talk with Daddy confirmed that we were going directly from the BBQ at Grampa's house to the BBQ at our friends' house. Chopped lettuce wasn't going to last that long. So... this new recipe substituting pasta was born:

Taco Pasta Salad

1/2 can of black beans drained and rinsed
1 can of rotel - pick the heat of your choice
1 can of Mexicorn - it's corn, red peppers, and green peppers
1 pkg of colby jack cheese crumbles (or mexican shreeded cheese is fine too)
1 lb of ground beef
1 taco seasoning packet
2 Cups of small shell pasta (or whatever you have in the pantry)
Doritos (optional)

Start pasta boiling until al dente. (about 10 mins)

Brown the beef along with the seasoning packet.

While the beef is browing toss the beans, rotel, and mexicorn into a bowl.

When they're finished add the drained pasta, the browned beef and stir.

Then add the cheese crumbles right before serving and crunch up some doritos to put over the top if you want.

Katen had a good time watching the kids run around at our friends' house and really thought her sparkler was pretty neat. She kept staring at it and smiling now and then.

The one thing she didn't like was the screamers. Our friend Toby set of three sets of screamers which were just too loud and Katen cried. We have a running joke that if someone makes your kid cry, you own them a dollar. (I think it started when Mike made Toby's daughter cry once actually.) So Toby offered up his dollar for Katen's savings fund.

The firworks were pretty good and Katen really enjoyed them too. She was completely still as she sat with me in her Moby watching and every once in a while she'd just grin at them.

After a while she looked around and noticed our friend DJ was sitting next to her. If you don't know DJ, he loves kids. He's kind of like the pied piper of children. They're always drawn to him. Katen is no exception. Once she caught sight of him, she started flirting. She's smile at him and when he noticed she'd let out a loud giggle. It was so cute!

Needless to say Katen went to bed waaaay too late. I got her down around 11pm and at 12:00 on the dot some neighbors lit off a bunch of fireworks setting Katen into wails of terror. It took me forever to calm her down and she refused to sleep in her crib so it was a long night. She slept on my chest most of the night. I love to snuggle with her but I don't get a lot of sleep that way.

I did luck out and caught a second wind when she took a very rare three hour nap in the afternoon. We were just refreshed enough to head to Lake Red Rock for another BBQ Saturday evening.

Overall, it was a good weekend. :)

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6 month pro picture slide show

Ohhh baby pickle was in true pickle form so there aren't many good ones, but it's done. Six month pictures - check!

I think I'll do another photo shoot at home maybe this weekend. I seem to have better luck when it's just pickle and me at home. My awesome camera (that Daddy gave Mommy for mother's day) makes it look easy too. It all but takes the picture for you. Stay tuned!