Medicine of Immortality "It's a cold, and it's a broken, 'Hallelujah!'"

Trick or TreatPosted by Rachel on October 31st, 2007

This was really fun to do. Kyrie had a blast. She wouldn’t say trick or treat no matter how much we prompted her, but after we left each house, she’d say “I shy.” Then she’d giggle. It was really cute. She had a great time and totally wore herself out. She’s already tucked in bed for the night.

The coloring is kinda weird in this picture…I think the dress looks more like the color in the subsequent pics.

Her candy stash (Rick and I will likely be consuming most of it…:))

Kyrie’s french braidPosted by Rachel on October 30th, 2007

Just had to share this because I was rather proud of myself for french-braiding her hair the other day. It’s not an easy task on a wiggly two-year-old!

Cloth diapers, detergents, and high efficiency washersPosted by Rick on October 30th, 2007

Anyone have any detergent suggestions for washing cloth diapers in a high efficiency front loader? I’ve been reading, and everyone recommends detergents that you have to order online. I get that, and a biodegradable detergent is ideal, and I don’t think I’d mind doing that; however, it’s not very realistic, considering our past history. It seems like we don’t remember to buy detergent until it’s almost too late…so I am mostly curious about detergents we could actually buy in town.

OuchPosted by Rick on October 29th, 2007

In class today, each student had a peer partner “grade” their paper based on certain criteria. In each section, students gave a grade of 0-4, which corresponded to F-A. One student, gave another student a 1/0. If you know anything about algebra, his response upon getting his paper back was pretty funny.

“What the heck? She gave me an ‘undefined.’ I should have given her a negative pi.”

Enjoying Autumn WeatherPosted by Rachel on October 27th, 2007

What women aren’t being told about ChildbirthPosted by Rachel on October 26th, 2007

Disclaimer: This is not intended to spark a debate. I just thought it was an interesting read.

The United States is also one of the only wealthy countries where the maternal death rate is climbing. In 2004, the most recent year for which information was available, the maternal death rate in the United States jumped to 13 deaths per 100,000, according to the National Center for Health Statistics. This marks a significant increase from just four years earlier when it was 11 deaths per 100,000 births. Maternal death rates continue to be significantly higher for African-American and Hispanic women.

Why are women in the United States more likely to die from childbirth than their peers in other industrialized countries? The rising rates of medical intervention and surgery in birth and their attendant risks are a big part of the answer.

Random 32,363Posted by Rick on October 25th, 2007

I like krumping and clowning. Everyone makes fun of me for this, but I think krumping is incredible. I like to watch rap music performed. It’s captivating. I can’t listen to the stuff if I can’t see it being rapped.

FACT: The Office is great this year. I’m so excited it is a Thursday. My co-worker (who thinks I’m like Stanley) bought me some cheap Dwight sticky-notes. They say “Information is Power” and have a picture of Dwight. They’re awesome.

The Scrubs premiere is tonight. The previews look musical. The musical Scrubs are my favorite. I’m hoping.

I’ve already made too much money this year to get an Earned Income Tax Credit, which means our refund is going to be sad and pathetic. This makes me very sad. I was hoping a second child/new child would give us a big refund.

When I woke up this morning, Kyrie was sleeping with her head and chest on her bed and her feet on the floor. It was hilarious. She ends up in all sorts of weird positions by morning. She’s like her mother.

I’ve read six books this week, graded five sets of essays, and gotten to bed before 1 AM every night. I am hoping to finish one more book tonight, grade a set of essays, and get to sleep before midnight (but let’s face it, Conan runs long on his monologue a lot of times, or the guest is just too good).

One more week of less busyness.

That is all.

DiapersPosted by Rachel on October 25th, 2007

I want to try out cloth diapering, not because I think it will save me tons of money (the average savings that most cloth diapering folks claim you’ll experience from CDing is totally exaggerated, in my opinion) nor because I ever had a bad experience with disposables (I’m pretty sure there will be more leaks & blowouts with cloth, if I’m being realistic).

I just want to do something that’s healthy for my baby and the earth. Oh, but the thing that really sold me is the total cuteness of cloth.

I got the gdiaper covers in the mail yesterday. They’re so cute and so tiny! I can’t wait to see what Antonio will look like in them.

Here’s some pics of them, prestuffed with prefolds (I ended up buying unbleached Indian preemies, which are also quite cute just because they’re so tiny):

The “g” actually goes on the back, though I’ve seen it worn both ways—it doesn’t really matter.

I got 6 covers in all, but just four colors.

Wow..Posted by Rachel on October 23rd, 2007

It’s about 10 degrees colder than they had forecasted. It’s in the low 50’s right now and the next couple days are supposed to be in the 50’s too. We currently have our heat running, and Kyrie’s wearing a hoodie sweatshirt. I’m realizing that I only have one long-sleeved maternity shirt and absolutely no maternity jackets or hoodies. Guess I might actually need some!

Maybe Autumn will come after all!Posted by Rachel on October 20th, 2007

The forecast looks promising. Yesterday was a nice day. Today and tomorrow are supposed to be warm, but after that, weather in the 60’s and 70’s is predicted. I hope I hope I hope!

Am I the only one who’s obsessed with weather.com?