Go Red for Ladybugs!

Yesterday, March 14, was Robert's late cousin's 26th birthday. Kyla passed away last year, and at the time was a spokesperson for the American Heart Association's Go Red For Women campaign.

In order to celebrate her birthday, her mom, Aunt Karla, decided to release 26 red (Kyla's favorite color, and honoring her cause of "Go Red") balloons at noon on her birthday. Of course, since Aunt Karla lives in Colorado Springs, we were not able to share in the activity with her personally.

Robert and I wanted to release something, too. Robert came up with the idea to release red ladybugs in the garden at noon on her birthday. That way, the garden benefits, and every time we see a ladybug we can think fondly of our cousin and the wonderful memories we have of her.

Why Ladybugs?

The ladybug is a predator of aphids, mealybugs, spider mites, whiteflys, thrips, and other soft-bodied insects that typically invade gardens and are a menace to crops. A single ladybug is capable of consuming up to 50 to 60 aphids per day!
We purchased a box of live ladybugs from our local farm center, and the box contained at least 1500 live ladybugs. They should lay their eggs in the garden, and when they fly away, a new generation begins to take over the "natural pesticide control" work.

Garden Update- March 2009

Our garden is growing bigger and bigger everyday (much like I am!). We have the following growing: Carrots, beets, onions (different varieties), lettuce (different varieties), garlic, fava beans, cucumber, hot peppers (different varieties), bell peppers, tomatoes, herbs, lavender, rosemary, and avocado and palm trees.

We have had to construct several cages over the garden to protect from the many bunnies, birds, and other critters in our backyard who feasted on our garden with the apparent thought of "Thank you so much for planting this wonderful salad bar for us!"

Most of the cages are not permanent. We simply raise them off the plants when we want to garden, and lower them back on for protection.

A new permanent structure is being built over an empty bed, and that will have doors that we just walk through.

28 Week Pic

Ok, folks, here is my belly at 28 weeks prego! I am in my 7th month now, and it feels good to be in my 3rd trimester and at the 7th inning stretch!

Baby's really moving around, and I've been watching my belly at night look like waves in the ocean! I can't wait to meet this little guy I've been growing in my belly!

18 Week Pic

Here is my belly from week 18 (5 weeks ago). It's a little bigger now, but with my brain apparently on a baby vacation these days, I keep forgetting to take another picture!

Crib Bumper Pads Dangers

(The picture above is not my crib- just one I found on the 'net)

I was told by a couple of doctors that bumper pads (the little pads that frame the bottom inside of the crib) are unsafe and not to use them. I wondered about this, since every baby store sells them, and it just seems so normal to use them. It turns out that many infant safety organizations are warning against the use of them (see http://pediatrics.jwatch.org/cgi/content/full/2007/1114/1 and http://parentingsquad.com/crib-bumpers-not-worth-the-risk). Goodness- don't we have enough to worry about as parents?!

The following is an article that I found interesting on the subject.

Crib bumper pads are a very common baby product, and parents often use bumper pads thinking they are increasing the safety of their child's crib. However, many health agencies and Sudden Infant Death Syndrome (SIDS) awareness groups are now recommending that parents skip the crib bumper, saying the need for crib bumpers has passed and that using these products may actually put children at greater risk for suffocation or death.

Why Do We Use Crib Bumper Pads?

Crib bumper pads became popular in older-style cribs where the slats were far enough apart that a baby's head could become trapped between the slats, posing a suffocation risk. Today, all cribs sold in the United States and Canada are required to have slats close enough together that it's nearly impossible for an infant's head to fit through. So why do we still use the crib bumper pads? For some parents, the reason may be as simple as liking the way the bumper pad looks. The matched crib bedding sets in stores are often cute and the package deal makes for a nice coordinated nursery. Other parents are worried about their child's arms and legs sticking through the crib sides, and some worry that the baby will hit his or her head on the crib sides and cause injury. According to Health Canada, it is nearly impossible for an infant to hit his or her head hard enough on the crib to cause bruising or injury. Health Canada also reports that serious injury is not likely when a child puts his or her arms and legs through the crib slats. The baby will either remove their arm or leg from the slats if possible, or make enough noise to alert a parent for help.

Which Groups Have Recommended Against Bumper Pads?

Some major children's safety organizations have recently suggested that parents and child care providers should remove crib bumper pads from baby cribs. The groups include: American Academy of Pediatrics, Health Canada, National Center for Health and Safety in Child Care, the Consumer Product Safety Commission and the First Candle/National SIDS Alliance. Some state and regional Back to Sleep campaigns now recommend removing bumper pads, as well.

Why Do These Groups Recommend Against Crib Bumper Pads?

One reason child safety organizations recommend against crib bumpers is that they pose a risk of suffocation. Just like a pillow or thick blanket, crib bumper pads can restrict a baby's breathing if the bumper is up next to the baby's nose or mouth. Suffocation risk is greatest when babies are very young and unable to move themselves away from potential hazards.Rebreathing of air is another concern with crib bumper pads. The bumper reduces the flow of fresh air around baby during sleep. The American Academy of Pediatrics suggests that some infants, when they are overheated or lack sufficient oxygen during sleep, are unable to arouse themselves enough to prevent hypoxia and death. The AAP states that re-breathing of air may in fact be a contributing factor to SIDS.

Solutions

Since many infant safety organizations now recommend that nothing be inside the crib at all, the safest route for parents and babies would be to remove crib bumper pads altogether. For day care centers, the push for increased sleep safety may soon result in states mandating that child care providers no longer use crib bumper pads. For parents who are still concerned about their child sticking arms and legs through the crib slats, and feel that they must use a bumper pad, there are new mesh crib bumpers on the market today that allow more air to flow through the crib.

(http://babyproducts.about.com/od/recallsandsafety/a/bumpersafety.htm)

Tiny (Break)Dancer

I finally know that I am feeling the baby move now, rather than just thinking that it may be the baby or it may be gas. In fact, I think he just may be break dancing around in there! Sometimes when he moves, I can see my stomach move as well, which is just so wild! Other times, he gets his little head in the corner of the front of my tummy, and I can actually feel it with my hand.

Boy, Oh Boy!

I went in for my monthly check-up yesterday and went over my second trimester screen blood tests and fetal anatomy ultrasound reviewed by the radiologist, and everything is perfectly on track, and my little one is very healthy!

I asked about my due date, and since the earliest ultrasounds are the most reliable, and those dates were just a few days earlier than the May 24th date, they are going to keep my due date at May 24th. I don't expect him to arrive on the 24th, but it's a nice number since both my dad and my sister, Nancy, were born on the 24th (September and March).

So about Bubba- I am not earlier than thought; he is just a big, tall boy!

It's a Boy!

(click on pics to make them larger)

We went in for our 18 week fetal anatomy scan. What we had suspected for weeks was confirmed- it's a boy! Ok, so the first pic is a little misleading. His "parts" are circled, and the larger thing to the left is actually a leg! He has continued to measure big, so I may be further along than previously thought, and my due date may be pushed back from May 24th to May 13th or so. I'll post an update when I know for sure!

Everything in his little body looked just perfect- from his heart to the brain to the kidneys and badder to the placenta. Robert and I were holding hands the whole time, and I kept saying to him, "I can't believe we made that!" It's such a miracle.

He was posing with his hands behind his head, then one hand on his chin like "The Thinker," then he would suck his thumb and remove it and make funny faces, including a smile (2 pictures above).

Is it just me, or do I spot Robert's lips and my long upper lip and strong chin?!

Beet It!

Our vegetable garden is really looking good! Our beets, carrots, onions, romaine, greens, potatoes, garlic, and herbs are getting bigger and bigger.
We've begun a new gardening method: The square foot garden. The idea is to maximize the garden space by planting only what we need in an orderly fashion. So far, it looks really nice.
Robert starts some veggies and herbs from seed and keeps them in the house for a few weeks, then transplants them outside in the garden. It's a very delicate transfer process, and some can die from the shock. So far, most of the transplants have held up well.

The compost bin is slowly filling up. The soil is looking dark and rich, and we can't wait to use it in the garden- the plants are going to love it!

All Is Quiet...

(click on the pictures to make them larger)

Our nursery is finished! All organic sheets, blankets, mattress pads, and mattress, as well as organic, non-toxic, and sustainably-grown furniture! What a relief! Now if we can only figure out how to keep the bunnies out of the garden and the kitties out of the crib...

And just to get an appreciation of the prodigiousness of work involved, here is a before and after:

PBDE's: The Silent Poisoners

Do you ever wonder why so many once rare ailments are becoming more and more common? The cause could be hiding in your own home!

PBDE's are commonly-used fire retardants that are proven to be very dangerous to our health. Below is a really informative article that explains the dangers of PBDE's pretty well.

Levels of Common Fire Retardants in Humans are Rising Rapidly

MARLA CONE / LA Times April 20, 2003

Cause for Alarm Over Chemicals (Excerpts)

Toxic chemicals used as flame retardants are rapidly building up in the bodies of people and wildlife around the world, approaching levels in American women and their babies that could harm developing brains, new research shows.

The chemicals, PBDEs, or polybrominated diphenyl ethers, are used to reduce the spread of fire in an array of plastic and foam products in homes and offices, including upholstered furniture (and bedding), building materials, televisions, computers and other electronic equipment.

This year, the European Union banned the two PBDE compounds that have been shown to accumulate in human bodies. Some European industries had already begun to phase out the chemicals, and levels in the breast milk of European women have begun to decline. But in the United States, no action to regulate the flame retardants has been taken, and their use continues to rise. About half of the 135 million pounds of PBDEs used worldwide in 2001 were applied to products in North America.

A single, small dose of PBDEs fed to newborn laboratory mice and rats disrupts their brain development, altering their learning ability, memory, behavior and hearing, according to three studies, two conducted in Europe and one at the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency. Mice fed less than 1 part per million of PBDEs performed poorly in maze tests and were hyperactive and slower to become habituated to new environments. The brains of newborn mice are altered when their bodies contain concentrations that are 10 to 100 times higher than levels already seen in some people in the United States today.

"That is not a comfortable margin of exposure," said Linda Birnbaum, director of experimental toxicology at the EPA's National Health and Environmental Effects Research Laboratory. Because concentrations in Americans are doubling every few years, it won't take long to close the gap.

Researchers say the effects on children are likely to be subtle -- not mental retardation or disability, but (rather) measurable changes in a child's intelligence, memory, hyperactivity and hearing. "We're concerned about learning and memory and some behavioral effects and hearing loss," Birnbaum said.

Exposure is probably highest in North America because it is the only place still using the form of PBDE most likely to accumulate in humans and the environment. That compound, penta-BDE, is banned in Europe but is used in the polyurethane foam of furniture (bedding) and building materials in the United States. Much less is known about any health effects of PBDE compounds that are applied to computers and electronics equipment and whether they accumulate in bodies.

What disturbs scientists the most about PBDEs are their striking similarities to PCBs, which were widely used as insulating fluids in electrical transformers until they were banned in the 1970s because they were collecting in the tissues of people and wildlife. Like PCBs and the pesticide DDT, PBDEs are slow to break down, persisting in the environment and accumulating in human and animal fat. PBDE concentrations increase as the chemicals move up through the food web, peaking in top predators such as whales, dolphins, birds of prey and humans.

PBDEs mimic thyroid hormones, which regulate the growth of a baby's neurological system. Because of that, if exposure comes during a critical phase of brain growth, it can alter how the brain develops, said Eriksson, the Swedish toxicologist. "There is a window of development when these compounds cause effects," Eriksson said. In humans, that period lasts from the third trimester of pregnancy to a child's second birthday.

Although EPA Administrator Whitman maintains that not enough is known about the effects of PBDEs to warrant regulating them now, Birnbaum, the EPA's director of toxicology, said "there is no question" that the chemicals are altering thyroid hormones. Altering thyroid hormones during fetal development "can affect how the brain functions," she said.

Research teams at Stockholm University and other scientific institutions in Sweden have led the investigation of the flame retardants. The chemicals, developed in the 1970s, were first detected in the environment in 1981 in a river downstream from a textile manufacturing plant southwest of Stockholm.As demand for flame retardants in electronics and furniture grew in the 1980s, PBDEs began to build up in nature and people, but few scientists thought to look for them. Then, in the mid-1990s, Swedish scientists checked women's breast milk and discovered that levels of PBDEs had increased sixty-fold.

Stockholm University researcher Daiva Meironyte-Guvenius said the growth in breast milk "was very scary. The reaction here in Sweden was very powerful." Facing public and political pressure, companies in Europe began to voluntarily phase out use of the most persistent flame retardants in the late 1990s.

PBDEs also are showing up in wildlife worldwide, settling in oceans and lakes just as PCBs and DDT did. Even polar bears near the North Pole and sperm whales feeding in deep ocean waters are contaminated with them. The effects on wildlife are unknown.

Some environmental scientists say the discovery of PBDEs near the North Pole proves their global spread, and that this should be an impetus for U.S. regulators to take precautionary measures as soon as possible. Many say they are dismayed that industry and society have forgotten lessons learned from the toxic legacies of the past.

Some Little White Lies about "Natural" Rubber

Common Talalay Rubber: Most latex rubber mattresses are made from this type of Talalay rubber which is a blend of man-made synthetic rubber (derived from petro-chemicals) with a percentage of real natural rubber. For instance, Latex International's very popular product, Talatech Latex, is a blend of 30% natural rubber and 70% synthetic rubber (also known as Styrene Butadiene Rubber or SBR). You will find this type of rubber used often in mattresses offered by most conventional furniture and sleep specialty stores. Legally, they can call it a "natural" latex bed.

Beware of "Natural Latex" mattress claims: Don't be fooled. Most latex mattresses are comprised of 70/30 or 60/40 Syntethic/Natural Blend. In addition to this, almost all contain high-density foam cores at the base as well as foam quilting and foam encasements (around the latex core for edge support). They can call it "natural latex" since the mattress does contain a bit of natural rubber, but remember that much of the bed will be constructed from foams and/or visco-elastic memory foam made with 100% petro-chemicals.

Organic Cotton

Robert and I got our nursery all set up, complete with wonderfully soft organic cotton sheets and blankets.

Why go for organic cotton over conventionally-grown cotton? It is not as simple as the fact that it is safer for baby's delicate respiratory system and maturing organs...

"Cotton has a good reputation. The soft, absorbent, breathable and natural "fabric of our lives" makes wonderfully comfortable clothing, bedding, towels, and (of course) cloth diapers. Unfortunately, modern methods of growing cotton are anything but natural. Conventional cotton production accounts for nearly 10% of the world's pesticide use and 25% of the world's insecticide use, as well as requiring a high amount of chemical fertilizers and synthetic soil additives. The alternative? Organic cotton.

Grown by farmers who use alternatives to chemical pesticides and insecticides, the quality of this friendly cotton is at least as good as the conventionally grown stuff. Like organic produce, organic cotton of course costs more, due to the extra effort and lower crop yield, but the environmental savings offsets the added expense. And as popularity continues to increase, the prices will fall." (Courtesy of http://www.babyfit.com/)

One small step...

All Clear!

I got my blood tests results! I do not have diabetes, am not a carrier for Cystic Fibrosis, and the chance that the baby will have Down Syndrome or Trisomy is 1 in 5,000 and 1 in >10,000, respectively.

Of course, only the diabetes test is 100% accurate at ruling anything out. But there are enough things to worry about during pregnancy, and having these simple tests done allow us to breathe a sigh of relief and set some of the worry aside.

Now I am going to go heat up the tamales and artichokes that I bought from the Farmer's Market today! Yummmmmmmy!

15 Week Pic

Here I am at 15 weeks. It's very cruel to take a close-up belly shot the Sunday after Thanksgiving, by the way! ;)

Our Baby Furniture!

We ordered our baby furniture! They are all made from solid pine harvested from sustainably managed forests in New Zealand, and are finished only with certified non-toxic finishes and paints.

We decided to go with the oak finish on all of the furniture (the crib, 2 level dresser, and changing table are all shown in oak).

For our crib bedding, we are getting a plain white organic/chemical-free cotton crib set. Not only do we like neutral colors (including for our Pack 'n Play, stroller, and car seats), but it will be good to re-use if we decide to have another baby whose gender might be different!We got a conversion kit, so the crib can turn into a bed like below:

Flutter?

Robert and I went out to dinner and I think that I felt a little flutter from the baby! So exciting!

Nursery Woes

(The Nursery- "Before" Photo)

We decided to convert the upstairs office area to a nursery. I moved my office downstairs into the guest bedroom, and it actually works out pretty well. I thought that it would be too congested, but there is plenty of room for everything. Actually, working with a smaller space forces me to be more organized and keep only the things that I need on a consistent basis (not my greatest strength!).

Now we need to clear out all of the excess junk upstairs to make room for the baby's furniture. We are going to box everything up tomorrow to put in storage, to give to Goodwill, to recycle, or to trash. I am tempted to just say, "throw it ALL away!"

This is where the crib will go (against the wall where the cat box and cat house are)...

Wish us luck!

Sugar Rush

This morning I went in to get some blood tests and to have a 1 hour glucose test, which tests for gestational diabetes. I have read that it is standard to give the 1 hour glucose test around week 28, but my doctor likes to give them early.

So they made me drink orange sugar water- 5o grams of sugar to be exact. I felt like a hummingbird! I had arrived fasting, so there was nothing protecting my stomach or body from this intense sugar rush. I felt kind of dizzy, nauseated, and wired- all the same feelings that I get from too much sugar. I really don't eat much sugar, so it hit me like the Tasmanian devil (which, they said, is normal). After 1 hour, they took my blood and told me that if the results were abnormal, I'd have to come in for a 3 hour glucose test. Oy vey.

The good thing was that the sugar rush only lasted about 40 minutes. I felt fine when I left!

Registries

Robert and I made the trek over to Babies R Us, which is a ZOO! We're so glad to have most of the registering out of the way. When you haven't had a baby before, there are so many items that you just wouldn't think of being helpful or needed. But a couple of our friends have been REALLY helpful in steering us in the right direction! One friend suggested to register on amazon.com since they have such a large selection at competitive prices, and that was a great tip.

Many items are available online only, which is kind of nice anyways because dealing with wrapping and searching for things in a huge store is a pain.

It's nice for Robert and I to have a list of all the things we want, so that when it comes time for us to buy them, we can do it quite easily and quickly!

So here they are:

http://www.amazon.com/gp/registry/baby/1HQ8T9ZRYHJJR

http://www.babiesrus.com/ControllerServlet?registryNumber=57496749&target=search

Pardon Our Garden!

Robert and I have started a vegetable garden. We are growing onions, beets, potatoes, garlic, and carrots. Inside the house, Rob has planted tons of different veggies and herbs in small containers that he will transplant when they get bigger (some are ready). We've got mesclun greens, romaine lettuce, red and yellow onions, lemon balm, basil, chamomile, thyme, and some others.

Rob has also begun a new hobby of finding volunteer trees (trees not planted, but that are growing from droppings of birds or seeds of trees that have fallen). He looks around the property and the Irvine property (shhhhh) for palm fronds and avocado trees- and even found a trumpet plant.

It's actually amazing how many palm volunteers are around, most of which will die if not properly cared for. At first, I scoffed at the idea, thinking that it was a waste of time. But then I realized how much fun it is to "save" a tree, nurture it, watch it grow, and then be able to either plant a nice, healthy tree that will survive, or give one away as a much-loved and cared for gift!

Rob and I are really excited to teach our little one to garden. It really helps kids understand patience, as well as the cycle of life and the metaphor of having to take time with a relationship and nurture it and watch it slowly grow.