Apathy, and My Question of the Day

I promised you the rest of the story today, but find that I'm not in the mood. Does lack of sleep always lead to apathy?

Several questions came to me in the night that I was going to pose, but I don't even remember what they were. Oh, yes, I just remembered one of them:

At what age did you let your children climb on the playground equipment and go down the slide entirely on their own? Did you let them start small and work their way up? How did they get the training they needed to do such an independent thing?

More on Living with Baby

Here's another question for the moms and dads.

Parker is at the age where he's ready to become a little more independent. After taking him in for his check-up on Tuesday I discovered how wonderful (though messy) it is to let your child feed himself. It's great! I can put him in his highchair with his food, and enjoy my meal in relative peace. I can talk to him, or read to him, instead of spoon feeding him through every meal or snack. I can wash dishes while he works on his oatmeal. I can edit articles while he munches on an apple.

The problem I have at this point as that we potentially waste a lot of food this way. He ate a good bit of oatmeal this morning, as evidenced by his first dirty diaper of the day, but I'll be scraping the rest of it into the trash as soon as I finish this post. I can't really save it for later under the circumstances.

Any advice?

Coffee Questions

How would one make coffee out of burnt toast (See Dillard post below)?

On Little House on the Prairie Caroline often offers to make coffee for Charles. What do you imagine this is that Charles drinks every night after supper? What I'm really asking is how was coffee prepared in the years immediately following the Civil War.

While I'm asking questions, do you think it would traumatize Parker if his mother got a shorter haircut after 15 months of seeing it long?

Right now I'd rather be reading or catching up on Lost while the first three seasons are posted on the network's website. Not very conducive to writing projects, I'm afraid. Meanwhile I have another project that I'm working on, so don't be surprised if you don't hear anything out of me for several days.

Question of the Day

How often should I change the sheets on my baby's bed?

Because of the way the crib is constructed, changing the sheets on the bed can be quite the challenge. In most instances I have to pull the crib away from the wall entirely to get the job done, which is complicated by the fact that I store my supply of diapers and wipes under Parker's bed. (The job has become easier with practice, of course.)

When Parker was younger the sheets didn't seem to me to be a big deal because Parker slept on his back, and rarely did his diaper leak onto the bed. I didn't worry much about the hair he was losing, and it was hard to reach over and into the bed to deal with bedclothes. Now Parker prefers to sleep on his stomach, which leads to drool marks on otherwise clean smelling sheets. If you think I am slovenly in this respect (and sometimes I suspect it myself), see the quotation near the end of "Favorite Books, Part II" posted earlier today.

What kind of sheet experience have you had with your own babies, and then--what do you recommend?

Another Question of the Day

(Note: Since I'm writing to a mixed audience, I don't intend to make breastfeeding a common topic of discussion, even though it remains an important issue in my life. However, occasionally questions need to be asked.)

Parker is almost 14 months old now, and as such, he is able to drink cow's milk in place of breast milk or formula. It has only been in the last couple of days that he has shown much interest in drinking milk through a straw.

So here's my question:

How much milk would he be drinking if he were getting all of his daily milk from a cup?

This becomes a crucial question as the price of milk increases, and Parker and I get closer and closer to a semi-total wean.

Poor Little Runny Nosed Boy

Parker has an encrusted nose this morning, and I can see where his lips and nose are getting red from all the rubbing. I'm saving my political question for later (if ever), so here's my question for moms and dads: What do you do to give your little ones relief?

I wonder whether the encrusted snot on his upper lip is protecting or irritating the delicate skin underneath. I put a little chapstick on his lips this morning, which as you can imagine wasn't very effective. I put a little Aveeno Baby Lotion on the tip of his nose, though he thought I was trying to give him something to eat.

He looks pretty pitiful. What can I do to protect his face from chapping?

The himidifier in his room should help some. He won't stay still long enough for me to put saline drops in his nose.

Question of the Day

Does anyone have tips on how to deal with snaps that won't stay snapped on children's clothing? Is there any way that they can be refreshed?

Parker wore an adorable footballer outfit all day yesterday that looked so handsome on him and was in navy colors besides (my Dad graduated from the Naval Academy), but everytime I looked around it seemed as though his diaper was entirely hanging out. I worried from time to time that his legs would get cold. I'd rather not pack the outfit away, but how can I let him wear it as the weather gets more and more cold?

It's amazing how many football outfits Parker has considering his Daddy doesn't care for the sport! But they look great on him.