Strange Machines

The little one showed without a doubt today that she is a girl. The sonographer declared it so, very emphatically, showing us (grandma, Wolf, and I) the folds of the labia. I never knew babies had such pronounced ones!

She’s doing well, very active, and moving around a lot.

Now all I have to do is take good care of us and choose her a nice name.

Allegedly normal, I have been having heart palpitations daily since some 5 days ago following an extended period of stress and the addition of new potential stress.

Still, it is alarming to experience it and it has caused me some sleepless hours at night because of it. And yeah, anxiety worsens it. Let’s see if it goes away after I give birth. Meanwhile I feel like a squashed cabbage. Sigh.

Breastfeed a Toddler – Why on Earth?

Because it is the most natural thing on Earth! Women have been doing it since we crawled out of the ocean and stood on 2 legs. Why is it suddenly unnatural now?

Children breastfed are less sick, bond better with their mother, are generally happier, more secure, and more independent.

It is hilarious what notions the superstitious and ignorant can come up with about breastfeeding when they are the ones supposedly more old-school. I think Shen wrote it best.

With the nightmare of phthalates in our children’s toys and no help from the government to ban them, despite Canada and Europe already taking the lead, what can a concerned parent do?

Stick to the safe brands I figure.

So far, Playmobil and Ikea, which we can find here. Playmobil toys are produced in their own factory in Malta and not in China, and have banned PVC from their toys since summer 1992. Ikea has a strict environmental policy that extends worldwide to all their stores.

I’ve been buying Playmobil for Wolf off Ebay and at Toys R Us and he loves the animal figurines most. A bunch are en route from Europe for Christmas.

Why is PVC so bad? Here’s a refresher.