Anyone who knows me, knows that I fully support breastfeeding. And like the WHO and the American Academy of Pediatrics, I believe that breastfeeding is ESSENTIAL for the first six months of life, and that prolonged breastfeeding up to two years is beneficial; both to the mother and the baby. OK, so I am not going to stand on my soapbox any longer. It is what I believe and everyone knows it. Besides, that isn't the object of this post, not even this blog!
Abigail's sister Amanda, who is 16 months old, continues to breastfeed. She likes the comfort, but it clearly provides her with benefits since she recently had the Chicken Pox and it was a light case that didn't get too nasty with too many blisters. Hooray for my breasts.
As Amanda climbed into my lap one morning recently just after she got up, Abigail watched and said, "Why do babies get milk from their own mamas?" And of course I explained the whole mammal thing, about how each mother makes the perfect food for each child, how other milks might not be as good for babies (like cow's milk for humans).
Abigail listened, and once she realized I had stopped, she said, "Why do babies only drink milk? How come they don't have to eat other stuff?" And again, I launched into an explanation of the 'perfect food' and pointed out that Amanda doesn't just nurse anymore but eats loads of other things. (Loads... two older sisters have shown her the way to the ultimate delights in life... Emily didn't have her first ice cream until she was nearly two years old... Amanda, well... she learned three months ago that she can go to the freezer, make the sign for 'please' and then nod her head vigorously and we usually get the message... sigh.)
Abigail is my most skeptical child at this point. I hope that all three of my girls will breastfeed their children. I know that I have likely 'converted' Emily, and of course the jury is out on Amanda (I suspect if you could poll her she would strongly recommend nourishing children with mini-ice cream cones, see above paragrah...).
But Abigail, well, she is different. She needs to be convinced, and this with good reasons and clear logic. Once she is convinced, she is faithful but getting her convinced is another story.
Is that why she asks so many questions?
Sunday, February 27, 2011
Saturday, February 26, 2011
The importance of being Abigail
Once again, in the car, Abigail listens to They Might be Giants with her father. The song: Meet the elements.
Iron is a metal, you see it every day
Oxygen, eventually, will make it rust away
Carbon in its ordinary form is coal
Crush it together, and diamonds are born
Come on come on and meet the elements
May I introduce you to our friends, the elements?
Like a box of paints that are mixed to make every shade
They either combine to make a chemical compound or stand alone as they are
Neon's a gas that lights up the sign for a pizza place
The coins that you pay with are copper, nickel, and zinc
Silicon and oxygen make concrete bricks and glass
Now add some gold and silver for some pizza place class
Come on come on and meet the elements
I think you should check out the ones they call the elements
Like a box of paints that are mixed to make every shade
They either combine to make a chemical compound or stand alone as they are
Team up with other elements making compounds when they combine
Or make up a simple element formed out of atoms of the one kind
Balloons are full of helium, and so is every star
Stars are mostly hydrogen, which may someday fill your car
Hey, who let in all these elephants?
Did you know that elephants are made of elements?
Elephants are mostly made of four elements
And every living thing is mostly made of four elements
Plants, bugs, birds, fish, bacteria and men
Are mostly carbon, hydrogen, nitrogen and oxygen
"Huh??! What did they say, Daddy? What? Are we made of elephants???!"
Alas, Abigail seems to be suffering from what Jon Carroll referred to as Mondegreens. Yes, Abigail, like so many of us, heard 'elephants' after TMBG made the poetic suggestion, instead of 'elements'.
Who hasn't wondered why Bob Dylan sang, "Dead ants are my friends, they're blowing in the wind" or followed Crystal Gayle's advice in trying to prove that, 'Doughnuts make your brown eyes blue'? (At least that experiment has the merit of careful empiric testing...)
So, welcome to Mondegreens, Abigail. It is all part of growing up.
Come on come on and meet the elements
You and I are complicated, but we're made of elements
Like a box of paints that are mixed to make every shade
They either combine to make a chemical compound or stand alone as they are
Team up with other elements making compounds when they combine
Or make up a simple element formed out of atoms of the one kind
Come on come on and meet the elements
Check out the ones they call the elements
Like a box of paints that are mixed to make every shade
They either combine to make a chemical compound or stand alone as they are
Copyright, 2009, They Might be Giants
Iron is a metal, you see it every day
Oxygen, eventually, will make it rust away
Carbon in its ordinary form is coal
Crush it together, and diamonds are born
Come on come on and meet the elements
May I introduce you to our friends, the elements?
Like a box of paints that are mixed to make every shade
They either combine to make a chemical compound or stand alone as they are
Neon's a gas that lights up the sign for a pizza place
The coins that you pay with are copper, nickel, and zinc
Silicon and oxygen make concrete bricks and glass
Now add some gold and silver for some pizza place class
Come on come on and meet the elements
I think you should check out the ones they call the elements
Like a box of paints that are mixed to make every shade
They either combine to make a chemical compound or stand alone as they are
Team up with other elements making compounds when they combine
Or make up a simple element formed out of atoms of the one kind
Balloons are full of helium, and so is every star
Stars are mostly hydrogen, which may someday fill your car
Hey, who let in all these elephants?
Did you know that elephants are made of elements?
Elephants are mostly made of four elements
And every living thing is mostly made of four elements
Plants, bugs, birds, fish, bacteria and men
Are mostly carbon, hydrogen, nitrogen and oxygen
"Huh??! What did they say, Daddy? What? Are we made of elephants???!"
Alas, Abigail seems to be suffering from what Jon Carroll referred to as Mondegreens. Yes, Abigail, like so many of us, heard 'elephants' after TMBG made the poetic suggestion, instead of 'elements'.
Who hasn't wondered why Bob Dylan sang, "Dead ants are my friends, they're blowing in the wind" or followed Crystal Gayle's advice in trying to prove that, 'Doughnuts make your brown eyes blue'? (At least that experiment has the merit of careful empiric testing...)
So, welcome to Mondegreens, Abigail. It is all part of growing up.
Come on come on and meet the elements
You and I are complicated, but we're made of elements
Like a box of paints that are mixed to make every shade
They either combine to make a chemical compound or stand alone as they are
Team up with other elements making compounds when they combine
Or make up a simple element formed out of atoms of the one kind
Come on come on and meet the elements
Check out the ones they call the elements
Like a box of paints that are mixed to make every shade
They either combine to make a chemical compound or stand alone as they are
Copyright, 2009, They Might be Giants
Monday, February 21, 2011
It was only a matter of time
"Why doesn't Gracie ever have puppies?"
What a great question. And it requires not only some background, but also merits a real in-depth analysis.
First off, for those who do not know, Gracie is our 6 1/2 year-old Labrador female. She came to us as a puppy, when Zoe was around 6 years old, and they were quite good friends up to the end of Zoe's life. Since Zoe has left, Gracie has been a bit more nervous, and at times, a bit less happy. For the most part, however, Gracie is a wonderful dog.
For both Zoe and Nike before her, we made the choice to have them spayed as young dogs (less than eight months old). Although Zoe would have made an excellent mother (and often stood in for the blogger when the babies were crying... a photo of her trying to nurse a very agitated Emily 11 years ago comes to mind) we always felt it was for the best.
Gracie, however, was quite sick at around 7 months of age, and it took her several months to fully recuperate (it turned out she had eaten a Wisteria pod... HIGHLY poisonous as it turns out and we didn't take note in time). With the help of our excellent veterinarian, she recovered (he came in special on Sundays to give her shots as she got better!).
So, Gracie did not get spayed as was common practice for us. Then life got busier with the actual arrival of Abigail (Gracie had her first heat while we were in England for Abigail's arrival -- much to the shock and consternation of our house-sitter). And then, for some reason, it was hard to organize.
Fast-forward to 2011. February 19th to be exact, when we are sitting around after dinner watching the human girls run around the living room with the canine girl. And Abigail queries, 'Why doesn't Gracie ever have puppies?'
It wasn't just a question about Gracie... because I know from experience that her older sister, Emily, was quite interested in reproduction at this age. Emily was Abigail's current age (5 1/2) when Abigail was born. And the questions (too bad I didn't blog those!)... suffice to say that Emily was quite clearly instructed on ALL aspects of human reproduction at that age, and has since asked some questions for clarification, but she seems to have grasped the essentials from the questions she asked and the answers she received at age 5 1/2.
When Amanda arrived in 2009, Abigail did ask the usual questions about her origin but I noted a distinct lack of understanding, and she seemed almost unable to follow the detailed information we gave her. Apparently, she wasn't ready to hear about the reality -- perhaps we should have expounded on something about cabbage leaves?
Again, fast forward to the present and out came the book about 'how babies are made' and a discussion about how the whole process occurs; additional details about how dogs and humans are quite similar and ultimately explaining that Gracie needed a male dog to help out with conception. As anyone who knows us is aware, males are in short number in our house, particularly those who are of canine origin.
Abigail seemed largely satisfied with this response, but then so was her sister when we provided a first full explanation of the 'birds and bees'. I think it is only a matter of time, as Abigail assimilates this new information for which she was finally ready, that she will continue to ask questions, just as Emily did, for additional clarification.
Stay tuned, faithful reader(s)!
What a great question. And it requires not only some background, but also merits a real in-depth analysis.
First off, for those who do not know, Gracie is our 6 1/2 year-old Labrador female. She came to us as a puppy, when Zoe was around 6 years old, and they were quite good friends up to the end of Zoe's life. Since Zoe has left, Gracie has been a bit more nervous, and at times, a bit less happy. For the most part, however, Gracie is a wonderful dog.
For both Zoe and Nike before her, we made the choice to have them spayed as young dogs (less than eight months old). Although Zoe would have made an excellent mother (and often stood in for the blogger when the babies were crying... a photo of her trying to nurse a very agitated Emily 11 years ago comes to mind) we always felt it was for the best.
Gracie, however, was quite sick at around 7 months of age, and it took her several months to fully recuperate (it turned out she had eaten a Wisteria pod... HIGHLY poisonous as it turns out and we didn't take note in time). With the help of our excellent veterinarian, she recovered (he came in special on Sundays to give her shots as she got better!).
So, Gracie did not get spayed as was common practice for us. Then life got busier with the actual arrival of Abigail (Gracie had her first heat while we were in England for Abigail's arrival -- much to the shock and consternation of our house-sitter). And then, for some reason, it was hard to organize.
Fast-forward to 2011. February 19th to be exact, when we are sitting around after dinner watching the human girls run around the living room with the canine girl. And Abigail queries, 'Why doesn't Gracie ever have puppies?'
It wasn't just a question about Gracie... because I know from experience that her older sister, Emily, was quite interested in reproduction at this age. Emily was Abigail's current age (5 1/2) when Abigail was born. And the questions (too bad I didn't blog those!)... suffice to say that Emily was quite clearly instructed on ALL aspects of human reproduction at that age, and has since asked some questions for clarification, but she seems to have grasped the essentials from the questions she asked and the answers she received at age 5 1/2.
When Amanda arrived in 2009, Abigail did ask the usual questions about her origin but I noted a distinct lack of understanding, and she seemed almost unable to follow the detailed information we gave her. Apparently, she wasn't ready to hear about the reality -- perhaps we should have expounded on something about cabbage leaves?
Again, fast forward to the present and out came the book about 'how babies are made' and a discussion about how the whole process occurs; additional details about how dogs and humans are quite similar and ultimately explaining that Gracie needed a male dog to help out with conception. As anyone who knows us is aware, males are in short number in our house, particularly those who are of canine origin.
Abigail seemed largely satisfied with this response, but then so was her sister when we provided a first full explanation of the 'birds and bees'. I think it is only a matter of time, as Abigail assimilates this new information for which she was finally ready, that she will continue to ask questions, just as Emily did, for additional clarification.
Stay tuned, faithful reader(s)!
Wednesday, February 16, 2011
Cars
So this time Abigail and I were in the car on the way home from dropping off her sister at a birthday party.
"Why do cars have horns?" she asked.
Let me start by saying that this question disappointed me a bit. First off, it wasn't at the level of her usual questions. Moreover, as I rapidly realized that this was a question I might treat in this blog, I not only wondered about how I felt about such a pedestrian question, I wondered what my reader(s?) would think about this question.
Would s/he/they think I honk the horn a lot? Or not at all? What would they deduce about my driving based on the simple fact that Abigail asked me this question? And, what would s/he/they think of such a boring question coming from this heretofore thoughtful child?
I didn't find an answer to any of that as I evaluated this question of hers. So, I got to the task of explaining why cars have horns, and how they can be useful. I used the horn as a metaphor for language between the big machine on wheels and the outside world, be it other cars or people, with which the car could communicate and make clear its intentions.
As usual, Abigail seemed happy to have this response and spent the rest of the ride looking out the window at the lovely pre-Spring weather we so often have in February.
"Why do cars have horns?" she asked.
Let me start by saying that this question disappointed me a bit. First off, it wasn't at the level of her usual questions. Moreover, as I rapidly realized that this was a question I might treat in this blog, I not only wondered about how I felt about such a pedestrian question, I wondered what my reader(s?) would think about this question.
Would s/he/they think I honk the horn a lot? Or not at all? What would they deduce about my driving based on the simple fact that Abigail asked me this question? And, what would s/he/they think of such a boring question coming from this heretofore thoughtful child?
I didn't find an answer to any of that as I evaluated this question of hers. So, I got to the task of explaining why cars have horns, and how they can be useful. I used the horn as a metaphor for language between the big machine on wheels and the outside world, be it other cars or people, with which the car could communicate and make clear its intentions.
As usual, Abigail seemed happy to have this response and spent the rest of the ride looking out the window at the lovely pre-Spring weather we so often have in February.
Monday, February 7, 2011
Boys and girls
"How does a mommy make a boy?"
This was asked of Abigail's father this morning as they were driving to school. He was impressed with the question; but he didn't, apparently, bother to respond (boy, he sure missed a chance!).
It is easy to understand where this comes from. Abigail lives in what I like to refer to as "Estrogen land". She is the middle child of three, all girls. Her mother is female, obviously. For various reasons, we have always had female pets (many will remember Nike, then Zoe, now Gracie -- all three female labradors) and all the rats have been girls.
Beginning with Emily, all the childcare people have been female; two years ago we started hosting au pairs in our house to not only benefit from a cultural exchange but to provide much needed help in dealing with all the crazy scheduling and they have all been female.
Eric is the only male in the confines of our residence. I suspect that he suffers for it, but he does so with little comment, positive or negative.
In the last week alone my friend Amélie came to visit AND our former au pair, Ilona is also visiting. Talk about estrogen land!
So, Abigail is right to wonder... how does one manage to get a boy? From her perspective the odds must appear pretty slim.
This was asked of Abigail's father this morning as they were driving to school. He was impressed with the question; but he didn't, apparently, bother to respond (boy, he sure missed a chance!).
It is easy to understand where this comes from. Abigail lives in what I like to refer to as "Estrogen land". She is the middle child of three, all girls. Her mother is female, obviously. For various reasons, we have always had female pets (many will remember Nike, then Zoe, now Gracie -- all three female labradors) and all the rats have been girls.
Beginning with Emily, all the childcare people have been female; two years ago we started hosting au pairs in our house to not only benefit from a cultural exchange but to provide much needed help in dealing with all the crazy scheduling and they have all been female.
Eric is the only male in the confines of our residence. I suspect that he suffers for it, but he does so with little comment, positive or negative.
In the last week alone my friend Amélie came to visit AND our former au pair, Ilona is also visiting. Talk about estrogen land!
So, Abigail is right to wonder... how does one manage to get a boy? From her perspective the odds must appear pretty slim.
Saturday, January 29, 2011
Cells
So we are driving home and we are listening to They Might be Giants, 'Science is Real', and this song comes on:
Life is made out of cells
Cells make copies of themselves (copies of themselves)
And they make copies of themselves (and they make copies of themselves)
And they make copies of themselves
"MOMMY," yells Abigail (we like to rock out to these songs a bit... if you know They Might Be Giants, you would understand, but not to worry, I don't do any harm to my children's ears...). "MOMMY," she yells again, and I turn down the music, slightly...
Different cells have different jobs
But they all have one thing in common
Inside of every cell is a twisted ladder
A recipe for life called DNA
The directions are written out in the ladder's rungs
Where they can be found
In every cell of everything that lives
"Is this song real? Does that really happen?"
A cell knows what it has to do
To grow into some moss or a shrew
Algae or a kangaroo
Bug or a sunflower
Dwight David Eisenhower
A frog, a fish or you
Cells are small, too small to see
But together they can make a tree
"Yes," I answered, "this song is real and this is all true."
Within the cell there's a tiny spiral staircase
That tells the cell just how it's going to grow
The instructions are spelled out in letters
One on every step
In a language that the cell knows how to read
That was all she said. She listened to the rest of the song.
Inside the cell is a tiny double helix
Another fancy word for DNA
Which could also be a spiral staircase
Which could also be a twisted ladder
Which could also be a spring
Which could also be a spiral staircase
Which could also be a twisted ladder
Or a crazy looking spring*
And I wonder... what the five year-old mind is doing with THIS information.
(Shameless advertisement: If you aren't familiar with They Might Be Giants, I highly suggest you become so...)
*Copyright, They Might Be Giants, 2009.
Sunday, January 23, 2011
This will knock your socks off
Just when you think a child is not paying attention, or is too wrapped up in watching mindless TV, you realize that her mind is always working. No, not just thinking about the next snack she wants to eat, not thinking about Tom and Jerry... really thinking. Really processing what she knows, what she doesn't know, and what she needs to ask about to better understand her world.
Yesterday was a day where Abigail showed us her ability to really think. She asked, 'Can the world spin in the other direction?'
Whoa. I can't even grasp where this might have come from. But it is pretty deep, and I will leave it at that.
Yesterday was a day where Abigail showed us her ability to really think. She asked, 'Can the world spin in the other direction?'
Whoa. I can't even grasp where this might have come from. But it is pretty deep, and I will leave it at that.
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