Dear Aggro Prius Driver

Dear Aggro Prius Driver,

I will not drive faster simply because you are tailgaiting me.

When I approach the traffic circle and it says to "Yield," I will not speed in front of the oncoming traffic simply because you give me a meager honk.

When I reach the other side of the circle and stop for the pedestrians in the cross walk, I will not run them over simply because you have added an exaggerated arm-and-head shaking maneuver to your meager honk.

I thank you for enjoying my arm-and-head shaking response, which I clearly displayed for you in my driver's side mirror.

I also thank you for sheepishly backing off once you realized the error of your ways.

I still think you're a jabroni.

Sincerely,
VDog

Facebook Sucks, cre8Buzz Rocks

By now we all know that Facebook sucks. But did you know that cre8Buzz totally rocks?

"The Antman" (kind of like MySpace's Tom) asked all us Buzz users what they should do to get a "buzz" going about their site. I suggested having a breast feeding friendly user policy, unlike those other guys.

The League of Maternal Justice got an official statement from Antman, after I let them know that I was lobbying Antman on behalf of us moms. Here's what he had to say:

...we will absolutely not remove pictures of women breast-feeding from our site and we welcome anyone who feels we are a better alternative to Myspace and Facebook.

Cre8Buzz is the place where people can be seen, heard and found and interact with communities of like-minded folks. We believe that each community has its topics, issues and means of expression that are unique. Therefore, we at cre8buzz accept all means of expression, including photos, as long as they meet reasonable standards of appropriateness for that community. For Moms, breastfeeding is part of motherhood like dirty diapers and sick kids. We have no issue with members of the Moms community expressing themselves with pictures of breastfeeding.

Via League of Maternal Justice

It's not about showing off our pictures -- it's about policies that make sense.

If you'd like to join the Moms community (where I'm a member), send me an email or leave me a comment and I will send you an invite. Otherwise, cre8Buzz goes live on October 7th. You can pre-register at cre8Buzz now. Show them some love and sign up.

Even! More! Awards!

ImpostorMom was kind of enough to bestow these TWO awards (TWO, PEOPLE!!) upon me at the same time. How awesome is that? I thankee kindly, me lady!


Since I received them together, I'm gonna hand them out together. Double the lurve, double the fun!

I deem these ladies lurved by me, and true Blogging Stars:

Cate at Monkeys and Marbles -- also a parent of a preemie; she has two boys and writes about what I'll be dealing with in a few short years. She is simply fabulous.

Angie at A Whole Lot of Nothing -- in a short amount of time, she has truly become a Blogging Star. And I <3 her.

Sheri at My Minivan Is Faster Than Yours -- Sheri has only been blogging since May 2007, but by writing hilarious posts and carpet bombing the mommyblogosphere with comments that beg you to click on her (blog) name, she has become a veritable Blogebrity. Sheri also has a preemie, Crusher, who was a 32 weeker just like the Little Man. I <3 her blog, and love to see how well Crusher is doing now that he's three years old -- I can only hope that Little Man does just as well.

Mishi at Secret Agent Mama -- Mishi is a long-time blogger and a new cre8Buzz friend. Her blog name is awesome (we love us some spy movies up in here) and she is just a cool chick overall.

Mom-Chatter -- she was able to redesign her blog, template and all, by herself. Which makes her a true Star in my mind. She's also my reality TV buddy, so I <3 her totally.

Dana at Life Turned Upside Down -- Dana is one sweet lady. She shows me lots of blog love, commenting frequently, and she has THE MOST hilarious "About Me" section EVER. Go check it out.

Megan at Velveteen Mind -- she writes beautifully, rallies the troops and is a good blog friend. She makes you think she's like, totally all intellectual and stuff, what with that thick book on her banner, but then she goes and says things like, "Let's whip 'em out." Which is why I <3 her blog.

Show these ladies some love and pay them a visit. Tell 'em VDog sent ya.

I've Got Something In My Pocket

MommyK over at The Great Walls of Baltimore has awarded me the You Make Me Smile Award. I am only too happy to accept. One of the reasons I blog is to make people smile, myself included, if only for a few minutes while you visit my site.
The following bloggers make ME smile:

Special K Toni -- her banner alone is enough to put a smile on my face.

ImposterMom -- Her son Boogie is a few days older than Little Man -- it's awesome to have another blogger in the same mommy place as I am (and we're almost the same age, too!). Her pictures of Boogie are too adorable!

The Nap Warden -- she has an awesome Superhero avatar and her son is The Little Man. What's not to love?

Mine -- my girl in elimination diet hell with me, she has two adorable little boys who make me smile. :)

FuseMoms -- Lyssa is a new cre8Buzz friend -- she contacted me because she calls her son "B-Dogg," so she thought we might be on the same wavelength. Her blog has a happy layout and color scheme, and her posts are hilarious.

Enjoy the bling ladies, and don't forget to hand it out to some of your favorite bloggers.

Stay Tuned...

I have awards to give out later! Maybe it'll be YOU!

We're off to Mom's Group this morning, so I will try to get these awards out this afternoon. Happy Thursday! (Survivor night, baby! Woohoo!)

Little Man and CC, His Girlfriend

It's Wordless Wednesday.

I Forgot to Tell You!

My mad interviewing skillz are on display over at Playgroups Are No Place For Children. Go check it out. I'm sure it you'll be dying to have me interview you next.

Throwin' You A Freakin' Bone Here, People

Maybe this is only adorable to me, but...

I know some of you only come to see the Little Man anyway. :)

So...

I've been working on sprucing up the place a bit in conjunction with super artiste #7 (my friend from the NICU, not to be confused with se7en, from Blogs Gone Wild (who I am in talks with for a layout redesign). #7 did this for me for FREE! 'cause she loves me! How cool is that?).

Whattaya think?

It's not totally done yet. I have to figure out how to center the banner and do a few other things, but it's a start!

My new friend Mom-Chatter was playing around with her colors and layout, and I got totally jealous. ;) A few other friends spruced up their pages, too, so you know, I've got to keep up!

I'm getting over a fever and general crappiness, so the posting schedule will probably be a bit lazy for a day or two. :)

More Fun With Haiku

It's been a long week
Bill Maher, illness, and more
Thank God it's Friday

Click here to play along.

This ____ Is Bananas (Literally)

Guess who needed a bath this morning at 4am?
Apparently the jarred bananas didn't agree with the Little Man.

Funny, just last week I was thinking, "we haven't had a vomiting in the bed experience yet." Way to set myself up.

The first photo reminds me of this.

All Worked Up

This is what I wrote yesterday on my Cre8Buzz blog:

We are off to the GI doctor where he can tell me how horrible of a mother I am for not feeding my son enough (seriously). I'm afraid he hasn't gained enough weight for the doc to give me a good review.

I am beginning to HATE this doctor. I feed Little Man WAY more often than any of my friends. I can't force him to eat more. He will just bite my nipple. Grr.

He also eats 4oz three times a day of solids, pretty good, no? Can't force him to eat more in this regard either.

To learn why we are going to the GI, go to my blog and hit the label, "elimination diet."

This concludes my rant. Thanks for listening. Suggestions and empathy welcome.

-VDog

I was much relieved when our visit went way more smoothly than I was anticipating. I had worked myself up into a nice frothy frenzy, only to defend myself haphazardly to an unimpressed audience. I felt like a tool crazy person.The nurse practitioner that works in conjunction with the Doctor even said, "you're doing a great job." The Doctor, not so much. I think he knows I'm not fond of him, and he thinks I'm some crazy hippie nut job. Which maybe I am. But seriously....

Doctor H. did NOT win any points with me on a previous visit by saying, "I know you don't like medications." I had NEVER said anything like that to him, so I was very surprised to hear that statement. He motored along with his spiel before I could defend myself, and our relationship has been downhill ever since.

What I didn't like, and where he probably got the idea that I was super-crunchy granola girl, was the 57% CORN SYRUP hypo-allergenic formula he was peddling to me as THE answer to the Little Man's problems. Little Man wouldn't take it, of course, so our only course of action was to try to continue my elimination diet and the breastfeeding and hope for the best. Luckily, it worked.

I was worried that Doctor H. would get all up in my grill about Munchie's weight gain because he had previously done so. Munchie came off his Zantac (for acid reflux) at six months because a lot of babies will outgrow their GERD at that point.

Not Munchie. Off the medicine, he proceeded to spew forth meal upon meal, and coupled with his increasing activity level (the boy won't stop!) and the fact that we were waiting to get the okay to start solids from Doctor H., Munchie barely gained any weight. So when we saw Doctor H. at six and a half months, Doctor H. assumed I wasn't feeding Munchie, and was really negative and condescending towards me. It was AWFUL.

So, the point of this story is to say, "Wow! I made it through the appointment without crying or getting all aggro on the Doctor! Woohoo!"

And the really good news:

We don't have to go back to see Doctor H. for two months! (He had been making us come every month.)

I get to add back SOY!! WooFREAKIN'hoo! Doctor H. even said we needed to be more aggresive with what we are adding back to my diet. I was assuming we would add soy back second to last, right before dairy.

And best of all:

My baby knows how to tear apart an exam table in 2.3 seconds flat!

Profile

It's Wordless Wednesday.

Document Examples of Bad Parenting, Part Deux

#8, the BigGuy, enjoys a Sammy.

Previously: Rookie Moms Activity #437.

An Explanation, In Pictures

MamaMojo shows us why all of this NIP (nursing in public; just learned that one today!) brouhaha is ridiculous.

We seriously need to leave the Puritanism in the past.

Preemie Powers, Activate!

On the left, #8, the BigGuy, and on the right, #5, the Little Man.

They are totally conspiring against us for future Code Brown's (aka "blow-outs") and up-all-night ragers.

Boycott Bill Maher!

The Mommybloggers are PISSED.

On his HBO show on Friday night, Bill Maher compared breastfeeding in Applebee's restaurant to MASTURBATING in same restaurant. Which, of course, has all us moms up in a tizzy. As it should. This is one of THE MOST ludicrous things I have ever heard.

Sara over at Suburban Oblivion sums it up perfectly. And there's an interesting discussion going on in the comments as well. Go on, read it. I'll be right here waiting for you.

Maybe Erin's open letter on the Huffington Post will inspire Maher (also a Huffington contributor) to step up to the plate and own up to his hypocritical, misogynistic rant of Friday night. Maybe it won't.

But what Maher's public rant shows is that we breastfeeding -- and bottle feeding -- moms need to change the views of many about how we feed our babies. Why should bottle feeding moms get flak for NOT breastfeeding, and breastfeeding moms get flak FOR breastfeeding? The ways in which we punish women in our society for the choices we make is completely ridiculous.

Maher makes fun of us breast feeders for, essentially, being like animals. He makes fun of parents in general by calling us "breeders," and to further his point, says that dogs can also have babies. Which is neither here nor there.

Maher seems to be bothered that "lactivism" is overshadowing "more important" issues. Somehow I doubt that women fighting for their right to feed their babies is going to cause all the anti-war activists to give up their agenda.

Maher even says that breasts and food go together well -- but only at Hooters restaurants. I can guarantee you that the Hooters waitresses show much more skin and cleavage than I do when I feed my son in public.

It's been a tough week for breast feeders. First Facebook and now Bill Maher. We need to get on board with the CDC recommendations and assert our right to bear breasts (in the name of food) in hopes that we can demystify breastfeeding and remove the stigma attached to it.

Either way, we can't win. If we bottle feed, we're horrible mothers who don't want what's best for our babies. If we breastfeed, and do it in public, we're nipple-bearing, attention seeking whores.

Is this proof enough that our society is skewed to discriminate against and belittle women?

Sherry F. Colby says it best:

...why are some people so hostile to public breastfeeding?

The answer concerns more than just breastfeeding. It is about women's bodies and the customary rules that demand shame, also known euphemistically as "modesty," from females.

Women's breasts today are viewed presumptively as sexual and accordingly as dirty and taboo.

Ms. Colby goes on to state that we need to get out there and expose the public to breastfeeding, to normalize it. I wholeheartedly agree. As I stated previously, "With my Hooter Hider and my legal right to do so by my side, we are an unstoppable nursing pair!"

So get out there, ladies! No need to hide at home. We have NOTHING to be ashamed of, and ONLY our babies to nourish.

Check out my follow up post and to see what other fabulous women are saying, go to the round-ups here, here, and/or here.

I know a lot of you are reading this post, so please leave a comment, let me know what you think (and then go look at the cute baby pictures on my other posts)!

This Week, In Numbers

7: Times Little Man has bitten me with his new teeth while nursing.

7: Number of times Little Man has smiled in glee at me after being admonished for biting.

101.9: Highest recorded temperature.

6: Hours that Little Man was MISERABLE from the fever (and who knows what else).

2: Number of times Little Man got up last night (YAY!!).

16lbs1oz: Number on the scale at the Cardiologist's yesterday.

28: Number of inches the Little Man measures now! Big boy!

1: Number of future visits likely with the Cardiologist (SUPER YAY! It went well).

2: Number of weird poops before the diarrhea set in.

5: Number of diarrhea diapers.

1: Worried mommy because her baby has never had diarrhea before.

1: Unworried Pediatrician (heh).

1: GranCracker who thinks fever + diarrhea could mean another tooth (anyone experience this?).

3: Number of days I've been thinking about doing this post.

1: Number of bloggers who beat me to the punch.

The Day I Had Been Waiting For

Five years ago today the Warrior asked for my hand in marriage. Actually it wasn't that formal. There was no getting down on one knee. No elaborate set-up of roses and champagne. What we had was each other, sitting side-by-side on the beach before sunset, and a ring, wrapped in an sunglasses cleaning cloth, smuggled to our engagement in the depths of Warrior's pocket.

Planning and formality have never been our strong suits. So it was appropriate that Warrior proposed marriage in true Cracker style. He looked over at me and after a huge gasp of confidence-building air, said, "VDog, will you marry me?" (Replace VDog with an embarrassing pet name we call each other.)

So I started laughing. Almost uncontrollably. Because he had been giving me this long spiel about us, and partnerships, and good teams, and all sorts of ridiculous things that somehow in his mind made a good case for us getting married.

I also laughed because he had taken a confidence-building gasp of air a few minutes earlier, but chickened out. Poor, nervous Warrior. It's not like he didn't know what my answer would be -- we had been talking engagement for a year, and had been dating four and a half years -- I undoubtedly was gonna say "yes."

He slipped the ring on my finger before I could even utter a word -- I was still too busy laughing. It was the funniest, cutest, most vulnerable moment I had (and have) ever shared with my husband. Eventually I got around to saying, "Yes, of course, you silly Warrior!" (Replace Warrior with embarrassing pet name as above.)

To celebrate, we were going to go to the restaurant overlooking the beach. But, of course, the restaurant had closed. Hmmph. So we went home to our teeny, dank apartment and made fish sticks. Yup. That's right. Fish sticks. And I really couldn't have cared less.

I DID make him get down on one knee twice that weekend. Once that night, and once the next day. Just because I wanted him to, and he was happy to oblige. (Because, you know, people ASK YOU if he got down on one knee when you get engaged!)

Confidential to Warrior: Thanks for being my (insert embarrassing pet name)! I love you!

Warrior sent my favorite flowers the morning of our wedding

It's Flashback Friday.

Hye (Roller) Koo (Koo Roo Chicken) Fry (Bread) Da(il)y (Show)

She's ten years older
My New Neighbor, my new friend
But oh so like me

-----

Fever, oh fever
Please go away and give me
Back my Boo today

-----

I can't clean your face
Baby oatmeal is like glue
Wish you'd stop screaming

*

Wanna play along? Click the button above.

We Decided To Call In Sick

Yesterday, Little Man and I had had enough. We really needed a break from our busy stay-at-home schedule. So we took a sick day. That's right, we're allowed. I think we have five left for the rest of the year. We better use them wisely!

Seriously though, Little Man was rockin' a wicked fever, which was causing him to want to ditch out of the office altogether. No phone calls or faxes to return. No, it was all PJ's all day for the Little Prince and his Queen Mommy.

Luxuriating in bed nursing (yes, we have finally mastered that! Woohoo!!), lazing around the house, having a nibble of food here and there. Despite the screaming that punctuated the early morning, it was a very nice way to spend the day indeed. And a day of rest was just what we both needed -- recharged the batteries, you know?

We both felt better (not 100% though) and more well rested by the late afternoon. I am hoping that the time off has cured what ails him. If not, we may just have to take a half day today.

We go to check in with the cardiologist this afternoon. Wish us luck!

Wordless Wednesday: Little Man and his GranCracker

For a list of all the Wordless Wednesday participants go here.

On such a heavy day...

How do we teach our babies about this day? When is too soon? Age 2? Age 3?

The greatest National tragedy of my lifetime, and the Little Man has no clue it even happened.

It's amazing to me how much he doesn't know, and how much I have to teach.

If you have older children, how are you handling it? If you have younger ones or don't have kids, how will you/would you explain the significance of this day and the events that make us remember it?

On Feeling Sad: A Reflection

I am sad you are no longer my tiny baby.

I am sad I did not fully appreciate those fleeting first few months.

I am sad I could not be as patient with you then as I am now.

I am sad I will never have this experience again, with you or any baby, my first born child.

I am sad our pregnancy ended early.

I am sad I did not get as much time wishing, hoping, thinking and planning about you and your arrival as I would have liked.

I am sad when I see largely pregnant women out and about, shopping for baby clothes, unencumbered by another child, because I know they are in the dream-filled state of not yet being a parent, something I did not get the time in which to relish.

I am sad when I see these women because I imagine they are more than thirty-two weeks pregnant; a state of being I never got to experience with you, my first baby.

I am sad you had a tough start to your life. But I am so proud of how strong you are.

My Amazing Boy, One Week Old

Haiku Friday

Oh, my Little Man
One day you'll be big and tall
Now you're cute and small

My First Bling

*Now updated below 9.12.07*

Yes, it is true, I am now a blogger with an award. Oh. Muh. Gaw. I can barely contain my excitement.



The extremely awesome Jennifer over at Playgroups are No Place for Children bestowed me with my very first bling, the Nice Matters Award. I am so proud! And to think, I'm nice! (Well, most of the time I am, but there is that matter of the poor elderly neighbor lady. Oops. I'll try to clean up my act and live up to this award.)

My own favorite "nice" post thus far: Thankful

Now I get to bestow this on some other bloggers:

Cathy (Mine)

ImpostorMom

MamaK (MamaK NJ)

Andrea (SuperHeroJournal)

Angie (A Whole Lot of Nothing

Enjoy the lurve, ladies!

UPDATE:
I just found out the meaning and origin of this award, and now it just warms my heart. :)

I learned that, "This award will be awarded to those that are just nice people , good blog friends and those that inspire good feelings and inspiration! Those that care about others that are there to lend support or those that are just a positive influence in our blogging world!"

I also learned I am supposed to pass the award on to seven people, so now I add:

Glennia (The Silent "I")

The Redneck Mommy

It Continues...

As if we didn't have enough to worry about, now we need to fear microwave popcorn and so-called "popcorn lung."

Anyone still use an air-popper?

I swear, the modern world is conspiring against us. Next you're gonna tell me that I can't even drink the water....

Oh, right.

Tooth Number Two

Is Popping Through!

Finally some serious progress on this whole teething thing. Seems like it's only taken, oh, about FOUR MONTHS!!!

Phthalates, Bisphenol-A, and PBDE's - Oh My!

Mom-101 wrote about this yesterday, the same day I received this well put together email from a mommy friend (and neighbor) of mine:

I've mentioned to many of you about my concerns about everyday environmental contaminants and [how they affect my son] (or maybe you called me when I was freaking out and throwing out all our tupperware and plastic wrap to avoid phthalates & PVC in my breast milk). I thought I'd forward some of the information I've researched regarding (possibly) harmful chemicals. Peruse these links if you are interested. If you are anything like me, the info will upset you. Please bear in mind that research about the effects of these chemicals is still young. Most of
us were exposed to many of these chemicals and worse, yet we've survived to adulthood. Okay, enough disclaimers… here are the links:

Inside Bay Area article - this is a short, reasonable overview of a few areas of concern.

Skin Deep - this is a comprehensive review of personal care products. Click on the categories listed at the top to view their evaluation of specific products. I recommend starting with only one or two of the products you use…it can be overwhelming. I plan to replace "bad" products with better products as they run out. The database also lists whether each company tests on animals (as crossed listed by PETA). Nice to have it all in one place, if you are concerned about both chemicals and critters. Ladies- see also the Campaign for Safe Cosmetics for more info on cosmetic specific concerns. Ed: These are fascinating!

MOMS- Environment California page on toxic baby bottles.
Also, SafeMilk.org - I find this site most useful for learning about advocacy, rather than research.

TOY BUYERS- Environment California page on toxic toys.

Another site that has helpful info on many topics is The Green Guide. It provides a wealth of info on the personal health and environmental impacts of various products, chemicals, etc. What I really like about this site, as opposed to others that kept me up all night, is that after it gives you a good scare, it offers solutions. There are shopping tips, product recommendations (and warnings), as well as additional referrals and resources if you want to do more in depth research.

For example, here's solutions page for laundry products and solutions for toys.

There are also archived articles on creating "green" kids rooms, infant & child care, reducing dioxins in milk, safe cleaning products, etc.

It is reassuring to me to know that there are things that I can control & change to make our home a bit safer for [our family], because there are so many more that I can't. I am no longer freaking out. I just have a very long list of things to do.

Edited and redacted to include hot links and exclude personal information.

This SFGate article has a balanced narrative with other informative links at the bottom.

I've heard that polypropylene (aka PP, #5 recycling symbol) bottles are safe. Medela makes PP bottles. I've also looked at my GladWare and Ziploc tupperware, and they are made out of PP.

Also, here is an article which summarizes the recent news of lead in toys and bibs.

Check out the links and inform yourself. Some of it is truly shocking, while some if it I find totally intriguing (like the cosmetic/body product safety info).

You can pull your fingers out of your ears and stop yelling "LALALALALA, I can't hear you!!" when you find out there are things you can do to reduce your exposure to these potentially harmful chemicals.

Thanks to my neighbor for doing so much leg work and helping to inform us all. :)

Um...

"How could you not smell that stench?"

"Oh really? I thought something was a little odd...you know my sense of smell is really bad."

Little Man woke up screaming at 1:30 this morning, then promptly went back to sleep. Warrior went to check on him, and somehow missed the overwhelming smell of pruney poop. Since Little Man realized he was being checked on, he decided to wake up for a little party.

I went in there, smelled the stink before I even got to his door, and did what mamas do -- changed his diaper, fed him, and put him back to bed. Oh, Little Man...always a surprise with you!

Little Man Meets the Beach

 

Little Man got his first taste of California goodness last Friday.

 

Unfortunately for him, the water was FREEZING!!!

 

Once he got past the thrill of the sand between his toes, and the rush of the water towards his feet, he too got cold. And scared. And we ended the beach trip as quickly as it began.

 

A little hug from Mama, and all was right with the world again.

Doesn't he look like one of those cartoons of old men on a Florida beach? Except the bib, of course (though some old men really could use a bib).

Photos by GranCracker

The End of an Era

 

 

 

Say goodbye to the gorgeous gummy smile -- we've got teeth on the way!

Little Man's first tooth broke through at eight months and one day (yesterday). The bottom right was first, and it appears that the bottom left will follow in short order.

I'm going to miss those adorable little gums!

Photos by GranCracker

Happy 8 month Birthday, Little Man!

 

Mama Loves You

Photo courtesy of GranCracker