"Nature to a saint is sacramental. If we are children of God, we have tremendous treasure in Nature. In every wind that blows, in every night and day of the year, in every sign of the sky, in every blossoming and in every withering of the earth, there is a real coming of God to us if we will simply used our starved imagination to realize it."
- Oswald Chambers, My Utmost for His Highest
Friday, February 10, 2017
Tuesday, January 24, 2017
Babywearing and I
Having had a difficult time with starting babywearing and everyone seeming to have their own experience, I figured I'd relate mine. You know, for posterity.
Crap, I'm going to be a mommy blogger, aren't I?
*sigh* Think I could market a blog that partly talks about my baby and partly talks about my libertarian political opinions? No?
Anyway, I was planning on babywearing long before Genevieve was born. I have leanings toward being a "crunchy mama," that is very natural, organic, attachment parenting, etc. Not full on, just leanings. For example, I never wanted to co-sleep (although I was willing to recognize the extent I would go just to get some sleep) and Genevieve is not a cuddly baby, so all good. No co-sleeping here. But my mother had made a ring sling for her second child, my younger brother, and proceeded to wear all her subsequent babies and loved it. I'd heard a lot of good things about babywearing. My mother also made me a sling.
When Genevieve was first born, I was scared to do anything with that tiny little scrunchy baby. I had Mom wear her first, then show me. By the time Genevieve was four or five weeks, I thought that thing was magic. She didn't have colic, but she was a fussy newborn. She could be crying and I'd pop her in the sling and start walking and within minutes she'd pass out. I went on so many walks and my body wasn't healed yet... yeah.
Enter week six. It's like right after the first Wonder Week. Genevieve suddenly discovers there is a world outside of the sling. She would plant her hands on my chest and push her head all the way backward, looking at the world upside-down. Instead of sleeping, she'd start fussing within fifteen minutes. I went to a babywearing group. "No, you're doing it right. It's not you, it's her."
My babywearing dreams were shattered. I started using the stroller since she liked the movement and would eventually fall asleep in that. I would get mad at articles like "How Babywearing Literally Saved My Life." She could go hiking and eat at an oyster bar and have her life back and I would struggle to get the stroller up the step into the tea shop. Other moms going to some of the nursing support groups I went to would be babywearing and I would be taking up half the space with my giant stroller. I was reduced to dreaming, "maybe the next baby would let me wear him..."
I picked up a babywearing book through interlibrary loan. Aside from feeling bad since the first several chapters were on how awesome and natural babywearing was (her baby just snuggled down and went to sleep!), there was one helpful note: "Wear your baby in the position she likes to be carried."
Genevieve insisted on being carried facing out. She would fuss if she was turned in toward shoulder or chest or cradled. But the quickest way to calm her down was to face her out, and then apply bouncing, or bouncing to Irish music as needed. But babies don't have much head control and you weren't supposed to face them out until 3-4+ months. There's also some "controversy" where people argue that forward facing can cause hip dysplasia and overstimulation, although generally people now agree that it doesn't cause hip dysplasia (although might not be good if your baby already has it) and you can turn your baby toward you in the event of overstimulation.
So I waited until then and revisited my local babywearing group that had a lending library of many different types of carriers.
This time I walked out with an Infantino Wrap & Tie Mei Tai-style carrier that had a forward-facing option. It's discontinued, but you can still pick it up on Ebay. I loved this carrier so much that I went and purchased one before I had to return the lending library one at the end of a month. Genevieve would sit in it for long periods of time (usually until she got tired and needed a nap), happily looking around, kicking her legs, and smiling at people who would talk to her. She became my companion on trips to the library or grocery store and it seemed like the world opened up. When she would start to get fussy at the end of a wake period, I would strap her on and go on a walk and she would calm down and enjoy the scenery.
Through the lending library, I was able to try several different carriers and finally decided my favorite was the Beco Gemini. It was comfortable and easy. I put it on my Christmas list.
So I waited until then and revisited my local babywearing group that had a lending library of many different types of carriers.
This time I walked out with an Infantino Wrap & Tie Mei Tai-style carrier that had a forward-facing option. It's discontinued, but you can still pick it up on Ebay. I loved this carrier so much that I went and purchased one before I had to return the lending library one at the end of a month. Genevieve would sit in it for long periods of time (usually until she got tired and needed a nap), happily looking around, kicking her legs, and smiling at people who would talk to her. She became my companion on trips to the library or grocery store and it seemed like the world opened up. When she would start to get fussy at the end of a wake period, I would strap her on and go on a walk and she would calm down and enjoy the scenery.
Through the lending library, I was able to try several different carriers and finally decided my favorite was the Beco Gemini. It was comfortable and easy. I put it on my Christmas list.
Meanwhile, Genevieve got older. She learned she could turn her head, she learned how to track moving objects, she learned that things existed beyond her range of vision and how to find them. Gradually, I was able to carry her on my hip. She still wasn't very elegant in front-face-in and would keep trying to look around, but she didn't cry. I could carry her how I wanted. I tend to fall prey to the idea that Genevieve won't change, she will always be fussy or needing constant entertainment or bad at napping or having to be worn face-forward. Babies aren't like that. Babies change.
I got the Beco Gemini for Christmas and broke it in trail-walking with Genevieve on my back. I wore her to the library facing out in a little warm bear suit. She got sick and I carried her around facing in since all she wanted was to be held.
She still has a hard time napping in it. Some babies just pass out or sit contentedly. Genevieve has to be able to see what's going on. She has to be really super tired to fall asleep, and then she doesn't sleep for long. But she's fallen asleep in the ring sling and once on David's back as he was moving his sister, which was pretty cute.
So, all in all, my baby who hated being in the ring sling became a babywearing baby after all. And I love wearing her around.
I got the Beco Gemini for Christmas and broke it in trail-walking with Genevieve on my back. I wore her to the library facing out in a little warm bear suit. She got sick and I carried her around facing in since all she wanted was to be held.
She still has a hard time napping in it. Some babies just pass out or sit contentedly. Genevieve has to be able to see what's going on. She has to be really super tired to fall asleep, and then she doesn't sleep for long. But she's fallen asleep in the ring sling and once on David's back as he was moving his sister, which was pretty cute.
So, all in all, my baby who hated being in the ring sling became a babywearing baby after all. And I love wearing her around.
Tuesday, December 27, 2016
I think I'd look great with Vulcan ears
I wish I was a Vulcan. Cool. Dispassionate. Not given to emotions. Logical. Awesome pointy ears. I know I'm a girl, and that's precisely why I want to be Vulcan. Have you ever broke down crying when your boss yells at you? Being a girl can suck.
I've noticed a new wave of emotions since having a baby. It could be hormonal, I suppose. I had normal girl hormones before and pregnancy is like adding five new ingredients, turning up the heat, and stirring the pot rapidly. Childbirth is where that mixture explodes and your body and hormones may be similar to the ones you had before, or you may carry an eternal aversion to vinegar and a higher propensity to get canker sores and cavities. I'm still sorting out the damage. (Men. Be thankful you are men.)
So I'm not sure if my body is trying to kick start back into normal gear and keeps hitting me with these random emotional spikes, or I am the new owner of a set of supercharged mom emotions, but I keep crying over the littlest things.
I went and watched the Warcraft movie within a few weeks of Genevieve's birth. It's a high fantasy movie based on the high fantasy computer game World of Warcraft. So there are orcs, but they aren't Tolkien's orcs. They do tend to be violent and bloodthirsty, but they are a strong tribal society valuing family and clan and the honor of a good fight. One of the orcs is pregnant and her and her husband go with an invading force, and when they turn against the wrong of their fellow orcs, both her and her husband are killed. The baby, still very young, was in a basket on his mother's back, and, Moses-style, he is cast into the river to save him. And he makes all these little baby noises that I knew now being a new mom and I almost started crying in the theater.
I heard a story of missionaries in China during the Boxer rebellion and when they came for them, the mother hid her six-month-old daughter with a note on her explaining what had happened, went out, and was executed. The baby was found alive two days later, but I cried thinking of the baby all alone, nobody to hear her cries or feed her or change her diaper.
I got mad watching Maleficent and seeing the incompetent pixies give the baby princess carrots to eat by plopping them in her bassinet and then all sleeping that night, deaf to her cries of hunger. FEED THE BABY!
This happens with startling frequency. A baby lives in my heart and so my heart bleeds for babies. I already had this weird protective streak that although I didn't want children for the longest time, something would stir in me whenever I heard of them being hurt or abused or their innocence stolen and childhood ended long before they actually grew up. It's a noble sentiment, but I hate breaking into uncontrollable tears. I hate crying. I hate the weakness of emotions.
So the thing that set me off yesterday and continues to make me cry whenever I relate it to anyone was a stupid .gif on Facebook that was clearly meant to be funny. You could say it "triggered" me. It looks like and old-style painting of a woman stirring her pot on a stove. She moves like a paper doll and lifts her spoon out of the pot. And then, out of the pot, comes a little hand, chubby, fingers spread, reaching, searching. The women then uses her spoon to poke the hand back in the pot.
I stared in shock as the .gif replayed, the hand continuing to reach, the woman continuing to cook. It is supposed to be funny, I tried to tell myself. A woman cooking a baby is supposed to be funny. Tears started rolling down my cheeks. I know I have a problem with over-analyzing everything, but HOW is this funny? Is it the flagrant disrespect for human life that is in imagining a helpless infant being literally cooked alive? Is the baby reaching out for help, or are we pretending that the baby is actually somehow fine despite the flames under the pot and the baby is just reaching playfully? How many times has my own baby lifted her chubby little hand, fingers spread, to my face to touch it?
Every time I've recounted my horror at this .gif, I've started crying. I'm crying now. It makes me want to cry out to God for forgiveness for our country as we've allowed ourselves to forget that babies, even ones not yet born, are lives, souls, people.
Bah. I hate crying. Even when the situation seems to deserve it.
I've noticed a new wave of emotions since having a baby. It could be hormonal, I suppose. I had normal girl hormones before and pregnancy is like adding five new ingredients, turning up the heat, and stirring the pot rapidly. Childbirth is where that mixture explodes and your body and hormones may be similar to the ones you had before, or you may carry an eternal aversion to vinegar and a higher propensity to get canker sores and cavities. I'm still sorting out the damage. (Men. Be thankful you are men.)
So I'm not sure if my body is trying to kick start back into normal gear and keeps hitting me with these random emotional spikes, or I am the new owner of a set of supercharged mom emotions, but I keep crying over the littlest things.
I went and watched the Warcraft movie within a few weeks of Genevieve's birth. It's a high fantasy movie based on the high fantasy computer game World of Warcraft. So there are orcs, but they aren't Tolkien's orcs. They do tend to be violent and bloodthirsty, but they are a strong tribal society valuing family and clan and the honor of a good fight. One of the orcs is pregnant and her and her husband go with an invading force, and when they turn against the wrong of their fellow orcs, both her and her husband are killed. The baby, still very young, was in a basket on his mother's back, and, Moses-style, he is cast into the river to save him. And he makes all these little baby noises that I knew now being a new mom and I almost started crying in the theater.
I heard a story of missionaries in China during the Boxer rebellion and when they came for them, the mother hid her six-month-old daughter with a note on her explaining what had happened, went out, and was executed. The baby was found alive two days later, but I cried thinking of the baby all alone, nobody to hear her cries or feed her or change her diaper.
I got mad watching Maleficent and seeing the incompetent pixies give the baby princess carrots to eat by plopping them in her bassinet and then all sleeping that night, deaf to her cries of hunger. FEED THE BABY!
This happens with startling frequency. A baby lives in my heart and so my heart bleeds for babies. I already had this weird protective streak that although I didn't want children for the longest time, something would stir in me whenever I heard of them being hurt or abused or their innocence stolen and childhood ended long before they actually grew up. It's a noble sentiment, but I hate breaking into uncontrollable tears. I hate crying. I hate the weakness of emotions.
So the thing that set me off yesterday and continues to make me cry whenever I relate it to anyone was a stupid .gif on Facebook that was clearly meant to be funny. You could say it "triggered" me. It looks like and old-style painting of a woman stirring her pot on a stove. She moves like a paper doll and lifts her spoon out of the pot. And then, out of the pot, comes a little hand, chubby, fingers spread, reaching, searching. The women then uses her spoon to poke the hand back in the pot.
I stared in shock as the .gif replayed, the hand continuing to reach, the woman continuing to cook. It is supposed to be funny, I tried to tell myself. A woman cooking a baby is supposed to be funny. Tears started rolling down my cheeks. I know I have a problem with over-analyzing everything, but HOW is this funny? Is it the flagrant disrespect for human life that is in imagining a helpless infant being literally cooked alive? Is the baby reaching out for help, or are we pretending that the baby is actually somehow fine despite the flames under the pot and the baby is just reaching playfully? How many times has my own baby lifted her chubby little hand, fingers spread, to my face to touch it?
Every time I've recounted my horror at this .gif, I've started crying. I'm crying now. It makes me want to cry out to God for forgiveness for our country as we've allowed ourselves to forget that babies, even ones not yet born, are lives, souls, people.
Bah. I hate crying. Even when the situation seems to deserve it.
Thursday, December 22, 2016
We're sorry. So sorry.
Michael Moore posted this on Facebook. I know because friend of a friend or something.
1. Hello rest of the world! My fellow Americans are asleep right now so I thought we could talk privately and maybe I can explain what happened yesterday.
1. Hello rest of the world! My fellow Americans are asleep right now so I thought we could talk privately and maybe I can explain what happened yesterday.
2. Hillary Clinton won the election on Nov 8 by 2.8 million votes over Donald Trump. Which is to say, she lost. You are correct, this is not a democracy.
3. Back in the 1700s, in order to get the slave states to join the USA, the founders gave those states "extra votes", letting them count their slaves but not let them vote.
4. So yes, it is ironic that this racist idea called the Electoral College has, 225 years later, ended up benefiting the candidate who spewed racism hate.
5. Trump is not president until he's given the oath of office at noon on Jan 20th. So we will continue to fight and hope to find a legal, nonviolent way to stop this madness.
6. Ok, people are starting to wake up in the US. I wish I could give u better news. As bad as it seems, I'm sorry to tell you, it will be worse. We are a broken country at this point.
There seems to be a lot of stupid in this and it bugs me so much that I want to address it.
1. Obviously you know that posting it on Facebook in English hardly makes it private from your "fellow Americans" so the whole framing of the post is just a story you're telling yourself. Got a lot of the rest of the world following you on Facebook, Moore?
2. Clinton did not win the election. She got more votes. And no, it's not a democracy. It's a Republic. "A democracy cannot exist as a permanent form of government. It can only exist until the majority discovers it can vote itself largess out of the public treasury." It's purposeful.
3. I don't know of the validity of this. I would think that since it's population based, it would be current to today's population? Anyway, just because something has bad origins doesn't mean it's a bad idea. The slavery part aside, that doesn't mean the electoral collage is bad.
4. Ironic. And irrelevant.
5. What are you going to do? I know leftist think that Obama was the best thing since sliced bread, but you know some of us felt like the world was ending under him and we didn't throw a hissy fit. I hope you think he is bad enough to rip the country apart over, because denying our laws and process and a valid election (Russia may have tried to change your minds, but they didn't reopen the investigation) would destroy our civilization.
6. It's funny that you think the rest of the world is sitting around with bated breath being like, "Will Clinton, the defender of LGBTQs, abortion rights, and everything good in the world manage to make a comeback or will the evil racist narcissist Trump get into the White House?" Because, point #1, you aren't actually talking to the rest of the world, you're telling a story to America. And this is a Facebook post... you have plenty of space to spell out "you."
But the one idea that really strikes me wrong is the idea that the rest of the world cares. The rest of the world is somehow comprised of bleeding heart liberals who are appalled at those right-wing Republican Trump voters. Ah yes, we, the kind and gracious leader of the world were corrupted from inside. We are no longer worthy of you following us.
Maybe there's a few countries like that. I don't know which ones they are. But a lot of the world doesn't give a crap about LGBTQ rights and abortion rights and whatever is in the liberal agenda for today. A lot of countries are very racist. They treat women as second class citizens. They practice female genital mutilation. They kill dissidents and protesters and journalists who publish articles disagreeing with them. And LGBTQs. I'm sure they're all torn up about it.
Don't get me wrong, the US drives me crazy sometimes. I think taxes are just short of theft and our basic rights, including the right of association, are being quashed. We're reaching the level of thoughtcrime with our PC patrol of speech.
But this is one of the best places to live if you are a woman. Or a Christian. Or black. Or Jewish. Apologizing to the other countries for that?
Most of them probably only care what's in it for them. Can they pay enough money to buy out Clinton? Can they "make good deals" and have Trump give their evil a blind eye? We're sorry, we're sorry, some people are against trans people using the bathroom they want. Think that goes over in Saudi Arabia? They're all tore up about it.
Syria and Iran and Ukraine probably care. The US has their fingers really deep in those pies, so it does directly influence them. I wonder who they actually rooted for.
There seems to be a lot of stupid in this and it bugs me so much that I want to address it.
1. Obviously you know that posting it on Facebook in English hardly makes it private from your "fellow Americans" so the whole framing of the post is just a story you're telling yourself. Got a lot of the rest of the world following you on Facebook, Moore?
2. Clinton did not win the election. She got more votes. And no, it's not a democracy. It's a Republic. "A democracy cannot exist as a permanent form of government. It can only exist until the majority discovers it can vote itself largess out of the public treasury." It's purposeful.
3. I don't know of the validity of this. I would think that since it's population based, it would be current to today's population? Anyway, just because something has bad origins doesn't mean it's a bad idea. The slavery part aside, that doesn't mean the electoral collage is bad.
4. Ironic. And irrelevant.
5. What are you going to do? I know leftist think that Obama was the best thing since sliced bread, but you know some of us felt like the world was ending under him and we didn't throw a hissy fit. I hope you think he is bad enough to rip the country apart over, because denying our laws and process and a valid election (Russia may have tried to change your minds, but they didn't reopen the investigation) would destroy our civilization.
6. It's funny that you think the rest of the world is sitting around with bated breath being like, "Will Clinton, the defender of LGBTQs, abortion rights, and everything good in the world manage to make a comeback or will the evil racist narcissist Trump get into the White House?" Because, point #1, you aren't actually talking to the rest of the world, you're telling a story to America. And this is a Facebook post... you have plenty of space to spell out "you."
But the one idea that really strikes me wrong is the idea that the rest of the world cares. The rest of the world is somehow comprised of bleeding heart liberals who are appalled at those right-wing Republican Trump voters. Ah yes, we, the kind and gracious leader of the world were corrupted from inside. We are no longer worthy of you following us.
Maybe there's a few countries like that. I don't know which ones they are. But a lot of the world doesn't give a crap about LGBTQ rights and abortion rights and whatever is in the liberal agenda for today. A lot of countries are very racist. They treat women as second class citizens. They practice female genital mutilation. They kill dissidents and protesters and journalists who publish articles disagreeing with them. And LGBTQs. I'm sure they're all torn up about it.
Don't get me wrong, the US drives me crazy sometimes. I think taxes are just short of theft and our basic rights, including the right of association, are being quashed. We're reaching the level of thoughtcrime with our PC patrol of speech.
But this is one of the best places to live if you are a woman. Or a Christian. Or black. Or Jewish. Apologizing to the other countries for that?
Most of them probably only care what's in it for them. Can they pay enough money to buy out Clinton? Can they "make good deals" and have Trump give their evil a blind eye? We're sorry, we're sorry, some people are against trans people using the bathroom they want. Think that goes over in Saudi Arabia? They're all tore up about it.
Syria and Iran and Ukraine probably care. The US has their fingers really deep in those pies, so it does directly influence them. I wonder who they actually rooted for.
Friday, October 21, 2016
Why yes, I would like some cheese. And definitely some wine.
This isn't a "mommy" blog. I don't have some grand conclusion that affirms all your hard work or decisions or whatever. I don't have beautifully lit photos of baby shoes or whatever.
I could get you a video of her polka-dot butt rocking around in her crib as she fights a nap.
This is real. This is raw. This is beautiful. This is a sad baby who doesn't like naps.
Basically, I'm just here to gripe.
I'm past the days where I wish I wasn't a parent. I have entered the days of wishing I could take a break. You know, maybe use a vacation day, take the day off, go away for the weekend, or even just have her take an hour and a half nap instead of a forty-five minute nap.
I fantasize about it, about giving her to Grammy for the night, but to be honest, if Genevieve doesn't wake me up by like 03:30, I wake up on my own and worry until she does. So I won't be getting any sleep if I gave her away for the night. Which I've already made pretty much impossible by exclusively breastfeeding anyway (partially a desire to give my baby the best, partially pure laziness cause it's super easy). And if Grammy does take her for a few hours, gradually my mind won't think about anything else until she's back in my arms. Heck, if she's in bed asleep for a few hours before I go to bed, I'm already kind of looking forward to her waking up and nursing her.
Until she actually does wake up, of course. What, it's not even midnight! Seriously, baby!
The past couple of days, she's seemed extra fussy. She'll play with a toy until she gets frustrated and throws a fit and nothing makes her happy except to be carried around bounced. I, of course, try and find the reason. Stomach troubles? Teething? Wonder week? Tired? Or, worst of all, a highly opinionated baby with no attention span who needs to be constantly entertained and will be like this for the rest of her life?
That's about the time I want to check out. Pray about it, is advice, but God is probably getting sick of my "please please please let her take longer than forty-five minute naps." He certainly hasn't done anything about it. Although, she has also lived through every night, so he's answering some.
It's just, this Friday, it's hard to have her scream in my ear and know I have to deal with it. Until nap time. Until bedtime. Until tomorrow. Until next week. Until next month. Until next year. Until high school graduation. I don't get to tap out, I don't get to take the weekend off.
Oh sure, "it gets better" and "this too shall pass," but honestly unless it gets better tomorrow, it might as well be high school graduation for me.
Things have gotten better, way better since the beginning. Dang it brain, I wanted to just complain, why do you have to bring that up?
Whatever. Basic point, Princess Fussbudget is hard to deal with and it's too cold outside to go on walks and I want the weekend off. With whine, wine, and cheese.
Edit: I think her naps are getting shorter.
I could get you a video of her polka-dot butt rocking around in her crib as she fights a nap.
This is real. This is raw. This is beautiful. This is a sad baby who doesn't like naps.
Basically, I'm just here to gripe.
I'm past the days where I wish I wasn't a parent. I have entered the days of wishing I could take a break. You know, maybe use a vacation day, take the day off, go away for the weekend, or even just have her take an hour and a half nap instead of a forty-five minute nap.
I fantasize about it, about giving her to Grammy for the night, but to be honest, if Genevieve doesn't wake me up by like 03:30, I wake up on my own and worry until she does. So I won't be getting any sleep if I gave her away for the night. Which I've already made pretty much impossible by exclusively breastfeeding anyway (partially a desire to give my baby the best, partially pure laziness cause it's super easy). And if Grammy does take her for a few hours, gradually my mind won't think about anything else until she's back in my arms. Heck, if she's in bed asleep for a few hours before I go to bed, I'm already kind of looking forward to her waking up and nursing her.
Until she actually does wake up, of course. What, it's not even midnight! Seriously, baby!
The past couple of days, she's seemed extra fussy. She'll play with a toy until she gets frustrated and throws a fit and nothing makes her happy except to be carried around bounced. I, of course, try and find the reason. Stomach troubles? Teething? Wonder week? Tired? Or, worst of all, a highly opinionated baby with no attention span who needs to be constantly entertained and will be like this for the rest of her life?
That's about the time I want to check out. Pray about it, is advice, but God is probably getting sick of my "please please please let her take longer than forty-five minute naps." He certainly hasn't done anything about it. Although, she has also lived through every night, so he's answering some.
It's just, this Friday, it's hard to have her scream in my ear and know I have to deal with it. Until nap time. Until bedtime. Until tomorrow. Until next week. Until next month. Until next year. Until high school graduation. I don't get to tap out, I don't get to take the weekend off.
Oh sure, "it gets better" and "this too shall pass," but honestly unless it gets better tomorrow, it might as well be high school graduation for me.
Things have gotten better, way better since the beginning. Dang it brain, I wanted to just complain, why do you have to bring that up?
Whatever. Basic point, Princess Fussbudget is hard to deal with and it's too cold outside to go on walks and I want the weekend off. With whine, wine, and cheese.
Edit: I think her naps are getting shorter.
Friday, October 14, 2016
The Two Evils
I posted this on Facebook:
It's almost funny (if it weren't so sad) how every new Clinton cover-up or Trump being disgusting seems so shocking to everyone from the other side. We all know by now that Clinton is a lying corrupt crook and Trump is a crazy chauvinist pig. Good luck convincing the die-hards, they don't seem to care.
I admit, I have voted the lesser of the two evils before. It has a twisted, compelling logic. But this election, I can't stomach either candidate. They are both simultaneously the worst possible candidate ever. I don't share ideals with Clinton (and don't think she's honest enough to enact anything that doesn't benefit her at the moment) and while Trump occasionally says something useful, he tends to change his mind several times and forget he ever said anything to that effect and is also untrustworthy (and very dangerously thin-skinned).
So I can't vote for either. And I urge everyone else to vote their conscience. The two-party system uses and abuses it's voters for their own ends and if we swallow our pride and morals and keep falling in line with the party we think might align the closest, we both lose our integrity and strengthen the stranglehold the parties have over us.
If one of these candidates represents you, like you really actually agree with or like them, then go for it.
But the only way we'll ever escape this trap of huge political parties dictating down to us, giving us "democracy" while depriving us of making choices we actually want to make is to take the power from them. If people stop going along with the corruption and start voting third party or getting involved locally or writing letters or something else to make a change, we might eventually get through to them. Eventually topple the giants. It might not happen this election. I think the Republican party could be mortally wounded and the Democratic party has lost faith with many of their followers. But say we pour our votes into other candidates. Maybe one of the crooks would still win. But they'll see the trend. They'll see we are starting to question what they always told us. Maybe they'll soften back toward their base. Maybe they'll tighten their grip until we slip from them.
I also urge you to vote for someone actually running for president. If you feel the need to write in a candidate, if nobody really matches, then go ahead and do that. But I think that if other candidates surge, if enough of us throw our support behind them, it will make more of an impact (of course, Mickey Mouse could end up being president this year).
I've seen Gary Johnson's name tossed up a lot. I'm a libertarian by philosophy, but not part of the the Libertarian Party, and honestly I've heard he's not that good of a libertarian, so I probably won't support him.
Jill Stein is running for the Green party. Not my party, but it could be yours.
Evan McMullin is a name I've heard and he seems pretty good on some of my issues and seems level-headed.
Darrel Castle is running for the Constitution Party. I agree with the Constitution, but their key issues seems to be a little narrow in focus, leaving off some other issues I care about.
I don't know, there could be others. Find them. Read about them. Maybe still vote for Mickey Mouse or Ron Paul or Bernie Sanders or your pastor or your dad. But I'd like to at least start showing the two-party establishment that we're not always just going to bow our heads and go along when they get farther and farther away from representing us.
Oh, and I'm not part of the Republican Party. I only joined back up to vote in the caucuses and left again. It will not be my fault if Trump loses. It will be Trump's fault for alienating so many people and being so seriously flawed.
Non-Facebook, now. I just wanted to add that this election might seem dire, close to apocalyptic. Certainly the commentators and newscasters and candidates themselves try and sell that line. But, like my father always said, "Christ and the Church." Volunteer locally. Spend time with your family. Attend church. Do God's work where you can. Pray. PRAY. Christians have been through much worse and we've been blessed to have a country so aligned to our ideals for these past couple hundred years. If it comes to an end, know it's been bad before, it could be bad again, but our faith is not up for election and Christ will not cease to be if the "wrong" person gets elected. See the beauty in the fall leaves and pray.
It's almost funny (if it weren't so sad) how every new Clinton cover-up or Trump being disgusting seems so shocking to everyone from the other side. We all know by now that Clinton is a lying corrupt crook and Trump is a crazy chauvinist pig. Good luck convincing the die-hards, they don't seem to care.
I admit, I have voted the lesser of the two evils before. It has a twisted, compelling logic. But this election, I can't stomach either candidate. They are both simultaneously the worst possible candidate ever. I don't share ideals with Clinton (and don't think she's honest enough to enact anything that doesn't benefit her at the moment) and while Trump occasionally says something useful, he tends to change his mind several times and forget he ever said anything to that effect and is also untrustworthy (and very dangerously thin-skinned).
So I can't vote for either. And I urge everyone else to vote their conscience. The two-party system uses and abuses it's voters for their own ends and if we swallow our pride and morals and keep falling in line with the party we think might align the closest, we both lose our integrity and strengthen the stranglehold the parties have over us.
If one of these candidates represents you, like you really actually agree with or like them, then go for it.
But the only way we'll ever escape this trap of huge political parties dictating down to us, giving us "democracy" while depriving us of making choices we actually want to make is to take the power from them. If people stop going along with the corruption and start voting third party or getting involved locally or writing letters or something else to make a change, we might eventually get through to them. Eventually topple the giants. It might not happen this election. I think the Republican party could be mortally wounded and the Democratic party has lost faith with many of their followers. But say we pour our votes into other candidates. Maybe one of the crooks would still win. But they'll see the trend. They'll see we are starting to question what they always told us. Maybe they'll soften back toward their base. Maybe they'll tighten their grip until we slip from them.
I also urge you to vote for someone actually running for president. If you feel the need to write in a candidate, if nobody really matches, then go ahead and do that. But I think that if other candidates surge, if enough of us throw our support behind them, it will make more of an impact (of course, Mickey Mouse could end up being president this year).
I've seen Gary Johnson's name tossed up a lot. I'm a libertarian by philosophy, but not part of the the Libertarian Party, and honestly I've heard he's not that good of a libertarian, so I probably won't support him.
Jill Stein is running for the Green party. Not my party, but it could be yours.
Evan McMullin is a name I've heard and he seems pretty good on some of my issues and seems level-headed.
Darrel Castle is running for the Constitution Party. I agree with the Constitution, but their key issues seems to be a little narrow in focus, leaving off some other issues I care about.
I don't know, there could be others. Find them. Read about them. Maybe still vote for Mickey Mouse or Ron Paul or Bernie Sanders or your pastor or your dad. But I'd like to at least start showing the two-party establishment that we're not always just going to bow our heads and go along when they get farther and farther away from representing us.
Oh, and I'm not part of the Republican Party. I only joined back up to vote in the caucuses and left again. It will not be my fault if Trump loses. It will be Trump's fault for alienating so many people and being so seriously flawed.
Non-Facebook, now. I just wanted to add that this election might seem dire, close to apocalyptic. Certainly the commentators and newscasters and candidates themselves try and sell that line. But, like my father always said, "Christ and the Church." Volunteer locally. Spend time with your family. Attend church. Do God's work where you can. Pray. PRAY. Christians have been through much worse and we've been blessed to have a country so aligned to our ideals for these past couple hundred years. If it comes to an end, know it's been bad before, it could be bad again, but our faith is not up for election and Christ will not cease to be if the "wrong" person gets elected. See the beauty in the fall leaves and pray.
Monday, September 26, 2016
Why did babies get a startle reflex and not a sleep one?
Naptime with the swaddle:
Ginny: I'm so sleepy...
Me: Let's wrap you up and put you to bed.
Ginny: No, I'm fine! I don't want to nap.
*give her the pacifier and place my hand on her chest*
Ginny: Pacifier is fun. And woah, I'm tired. Actually, here's the pacifier back. My eyes aren't opening anymore. Zzzz...
Naptime without the swaddle:
Ginny: I'm so sleepy.
Me: Here is your crib.
Ginny: No, I'm fine, I don't want to nap!
Me: Umm... here's the pacifier?
*tries to give pacifier*
Ginny: You're doing it wrong. Let me hold it. And hold your hand. With both my hands. And wait, I can roll over. *rolls over* I don't want to be in the crib! *cries*
*tries to give pacifier*
Ginny: Hmm, pacifier. Let me hold it. No, wait, I'm on to you. I don't want to be here! *cries**gets head up, moves head to the other side* I don't like this side! *cries**gets head up, moves head to other side*
Me: Pacifier?
Ginny: I hate your stupid pacifier! And now my sheets are wet! *cries*
Me: They wouldn't be wet if you stopped crying on them. *moves baby*
Ginny: I don't want to nap! You can't make me! *cries*
Me: You sound completely exhausted...
Ginny: But I hate sleeping! *cries*
Me: Let's try your back.
Ginny: Hey, you moved me. Am I getting up?
*put hand on her chest and offer pacifier*
Ginny: Oh, that pacifier thing again. Nah, I want to roll over. Your hand is holding me back. I want to roll over! *cries and struggles*
*remove hand*
*rolls over* Man, I'm so tired. I'm so tired it makes me upset. *cries*
Me: You need to sleep, little girl.
Ginny: I don't know how to sleep! I'm so tired! *cries*
*pats back ineffectually. Offers pacifier*
Ginny: I don't want it! I'm too tired! *cries**blinks heavily**starts just fussing* This sucks! *cries hysterically, pushes head up*
*stands there ineffectually*
Ginny: I'm so tired I can't sleep. *cries exhaustedly**cries hysterically**cries exhaustedly**cries hysterically**cries exhaustedly*
Me: *cries*
Ginny: I'm so sleepy...
Me: Let's wrap you up and put you to bed.
Ginny: No, I'm fine! I don't want to nap.
*give her the pacifier and place my hand on her chest*
Ginny: Pacifier is fun. And woah, I'm tired. Actually, here's the pacifier back. My eyes aren't opening anymore. Zzzz...
Naptime without the swaddle:
Ginny: I'm so sleepy.
Me: Here is your crib.
Ginny: No, I'm fine, I don't want to nap!
Me: Umm... here's the pacifier?
*tries to give pacifier*
Ginny: You're doing it wrong. Let me hold it. And hold your hand. With both my hands. And wait, I can roll over. *rolls over* I don't want to be in the crib! *cries*
*tries to give pacifier*
Ginny: Hmm, pacifier. Let me hold it. No, wait, I'm on to you. I don't want to be here! *cries**gets head up, moves head to the other side* I don't like this side! *cries**gets head up, moves head to other side*
Me: Pacifier?
Ginny: I hate your stupid pacifier! And now my sheets are wet! *cries*
Me: They wouldn't be wet if you stopped crying on them. *moves baby*
Ginny: I don't want to nap! You can't make me! *cries*
Me: You sound completely exhausted...
Ginny: But I hate sleeping! *cries*
Me: Let's try your back.
Ginny: Hey, you moved me. Am I getting up?
*put hand on her chest and offer pacifier*
Ginny: Oh, that pacifier thing again. Nah, I want to roll over. Your hand is holding me back. I want to roll over! *cries and struggles*
*remove hand*
*rolls over* Man, I'm so tired. I'm so tired it makes me upset. *cries*
Me: You need to sleep, little girl.
Ginny: I don't know how to sleep! I'm so tired! *cries*
*pats back ineffectually. Offers pacifier*
Ginny: I don't want it! I'm too tired! *cries**blinks heavily**starts just fussing* This sucks! *cries hysterically, pushes head up*
*stands there ineffectually*
Ginny: I'm so tired I can't sleep. *cries exhaustedly**cries hysterically**cries exhaustedly**cries hysterically**cries exhaustedly*
Me: *cries*
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)