Happy Mother's Day

THE New Family wishes all Mothers a very Happy Mother's Day!

This is the NF Mom's first Mother's Day. She is thankful for her children and for the influence of her own mother.

Dianne Neuss with the Lord 10/11/2006

Mom and her mother both loved tulips and the color purple.

The New Family spent part of Mother's Day at the outlet mall.

" ♫ We're goin' on a car trip!"

"Car trip a car trip. ♫"

Mom got a new watch ($39.99 clearance, woo hoo!).

And a twins and family pendant (an early Mother's Day gift from her dad).

The kids expressed their opinion of Mom with their outfits.

Buggy and Buddy spent some time in the sunshine. Buggy had to squint because no one thought to bring her sunglasses.

Happy Mother's Day!

"I do it myself Daddy!"

THE Twins have entered a new phase- self feeding. Sounds wonderful right? Wrong. They will eat very little that is spoon fed to them. Liesel usually gives up after two spoonfuls. So Dad has given them finger foods like oat, cheese, and other puffs. The problem with this is that puffs have low nutritional value and are high in sugar and salt. They need the nutrition that comes from veggies and protein.Sure they need the energy from carb sources. But they get plenty of simple and complex carbs.

The Parents try to supplement with formula, but they have lost interest in bottle feeding except first thing in the morning. They want to feed themselves hand to mouth.

What to do?

Dad decided to mix their solids in with oat puffs and let them feed themselves. It seemed to work, even for Little Miss Finicky. But it made a terrible mess. Dad is still washing food out of their hair.

UPDATE: Lahdle Lahdle Lahdle Lahdle Lahdle

BUGGY'S new thing is to mimic her parents. Wherever she is, whatever she is doing (except sleeping or eating), within in eyesight or in another room, when she hers Mom or Dad make a sound, one created by their moving their tongue quickly across their upper lip, she imitates it. This sound sounds very close to "lah' dle."

It is so cute.

She'll actually remove her binky to do it.

So far EJ has not mimicked any sounds. But he does make very loud interjectory sounds and will watch his Parents for their reaction.

EJ's most common refrain is a sound made while inhaling and vibrating his vocal cords. It makes Mom think he is choking.

Update: Mom insists that EJ has imitated her before. And indeed just last evening, EJ was doing that. He imitated her making a sound that sounds like "Keh, keh, keh, keh." Interestingly, Sadie, their deceased kitty, used to make the same sound when she spotted a bug on the wall and wanted to play with it.

Update: Help Your Baby Build His Immune System

SWAP saliva with him.

The New York Times health blog has the headline,

Sucking Your Child’s Pacifier Clean May Have Benefits

By ANAHAD O'CONNOR

"...[babies of] parents [that] sucked on their [baby's] pacifiers to clean them developed fewer allergies than children whose parents typically rinsed or boiled them. They also had lower rates of eczema, fewer signs of asthma and smaller amounts of a type of white blood cell that rises in response to allergies and other disorders."

"The findings add to growing evidence that some degree of exposure to germs at an early age benefits children, and that microbial deprivation might backfire, preventing the immune system from developing a tolerance to trivial threats."

Read more:
http://well.blogs.nytimes.com/2013/05/06/why-dirty-pacifiers-may-be-your-childs-friend/

Once you get past the "ick" factor, (and Mom is adamant that she is not sucking anyone's pacifiers) it is interesting to speculate how mothers fed their infants solid foods in the days before modern food processors and prepackaged baby food. Dad thinks that pioneering mothers of yore would masticate food and share it directly with baby mouth to mouth. It is likely that only because our modern conveniences have so far removed us from the practice through the generations that it today makes us squeamish.

Dad would not be at all surprised to observe a movement in the future by certain mothers to reintroduce the practice on the claim of its immunological benefits. Will they be as obnoxious as the Nurse-In protestors?

Update: But some moms think breastfeeding is incky.

Shanna Moakler: Breastfeeding is 'gross'

Read more:
http://www.foxnews.com/entertainment/2013/05/07/shanna-moakler-breastfeeding-is-gross/

When it comes to raising their own children, Dad gives wide latitude toward differing opinions on what are the best rearing methods suitable for both parent and child. That is what is great about liberty. Dad and Mom can implement their strategy, Ms. Moakler can pursue hers.

There are some constraints on that liberty. A parent cannot murder, abuse, or neglect their child. Moreover, others cannot impose a uniform rearing method on everyone else. But those are minimal limitations necessary for an ordered, civil society.

A First

THIS is the first time either of them have fed themselves from a bottle while sitting up.

Typically Dad has to recline them to get them to feed themselves. Liesel has tried before, but she didin't understand the need to tip the bottle forward.

EJ tried but gave up. He prefers his bottle with a side of huggy-lovey.

Uh Oh, SpaghettiOs

THIS is not for them, though they think it is. This is really for the New Family Parents.

Let the mess begin!

Dad placed a small amount on their trays and stepped back to film. They took over a minute before putting it into their mouths.

EJ liked it well enough, but he is not a discriminating eater. She had a few and that was enough.

Remember the commercials?

Up and Up

DESPITE (because of?) having hundreds of toys to play with, EJ wants the one that Dad doesn’t want him to play with, Dad’s remote.

Just before this series of photos, Dad was encouraging him to climb up (Dad was on the couch and EJ wanted to be on Dad’s lap). EJ tried, and failed to get up. He tried again, and failed again. He tried yet again, and failed yet again. He finally gave up and began to whine. Dad left him on the floor and walked away.

But then, EJ spied the elusive remote, and almost within grabbing distance!

What came next is self explanatory.

The unusually warm day left arms and legs exposed. That provides much more grip than a slippery sleeper. While not his first try, it was his first success.

Buggy sees the danger in this and moves away.

Come on Buddy. You can do it.

Push!

Success!

 Dad is happy and EJ can be justly proud to have done it by himself.

Spring has Sprung

GOTTA get these pictures before the rabbits get to them.

A Message

DAD found this on the counter this morning when he went to make his coffee. He thinks it is a secret coded message.

Sweetener packets carry hidden meaning.

Does someone you know deserve a secret coded message?