Walking with Jeremiah

I like to go on walks with Jeremiah most nights. We point and label objects. We say "Bye!" after we pass (parked) cars. We go and stop on cue. We run together, then take little steps, then big steps. It's fun.

Last night when we were walking, he stopped and said, "Ball!," pointing to...the moon.

I said, "Moon!"

He said, "Ball!"

"Moon! Moon!"

"Ball."

Danielle's Four-Month Check-Up

Danielle had her four-month well baby appointment yesterday. She weighs 14 pounds and 3 ounces, is a smidgin less than 25 inches long, and her head circumference is 16.9 inches. (Of course, this is from memory, so the ounces and decimal for head circumference might be off.)

She pulls to sitting, she track from one shoulder to the other, she falls asleep by herself and will sleep for 7 or more hours. She rolled over all the way yesterday on the exam table--back to tummy to back. And she tries to scoot along by herself. She holds her head very well. She had another round of immunizations, and was unhappy last night when she was falling asleep.

She has an appointment with Dr. Stiers in June. Kris told me to go home and brag. "She's perfect."

Monetarism, since my brain is still working.

Last night I intended to write about some thoughts I've had about money, but I got sidetracked which was probably better for everyone. Except it's still on my brain and I would prefer to spare Alison the forced opportunity to listen to me explain this so I'll hurl it at the vacuum of the internet and pretend I have an audience. I should also point out that there is a significant chance this has nothing to do with actual monetarism as espoused by the great Milton Friedman, it's just my pseudo-random thoughts about money as inspired by his last piece in the Wall Street Journal.

Money is convenient. By I that I don't mean when you have lots life is leisurely, what I mean is that money is more convenient than exchanging goods and services. Without currency we have a dual problem 1. do something that some group of people consider valuable 2. They do something that another group considers valuable 3. You hope those two groups intersect. With currency you still have the same problem, but it becomes much easier to work through multiple steps, A does for B, B for C, C for D and D for A without having to negotiate a trade for goods that no one along the chain wants.

So money is handy because it represents goods and services and abstracts away from all the trading (that and its easier to carry), but this is also a disadvantage. Because it abstracts there is the chance that the money ceases to represent the same amount of goods and services. So suppose a barber and a baker would happily trade a loaf of bread for a haircut, but money is such that if the barber doesn't spend it, he could get two loaves of bread tomorrow and the baker two haircuts (whatever that means). If everyone dropped prices by half everyday, very few people would buy anything because by saving you could get double later. So even though the relative price of a haircut and a loaf of bread are always the same, the constantly shifting price would prevent transactions from happening and cause economic trouble. The opposite is true for the more common situation of inflation. If the price doubles everyday, I'll happily buy 128 loaves of bread on credit and pay it off with one haircut in a week.

It's tempting the think that the panacea for all these problems is to stick with hard currency, no paper; understanding why that isn't a sure-fire fix is something that I realized this week. Hard currencies (think Gold Doubloons) are safe from over-excitable printing presses; there is a fixed supply of gold in the world, so the quantity of gold coins is fixed no matter what governments do (sure you could go dig up some more gold, but the price of gold takes into account the gold in the ground - mining costs; it should even include the probable size of yet undiscovered gold reserves). And there is the problem; take for example China. China's GDP grew by 11% last year, so if the number of gold coins is fixed it must be the case that each individual coin must buy 11% more stuff because there is 11% more stuff available to buy. If Chinese citizens can buy 11% more with their money next year by doing nothing other than putting their coins in a mattress, they're not going to spend very much and will save more. So little gets purchased and the economy collapses.

As I understand it the solution, as proposed by Friedman (at least my crude understanding of it), is that an increase in gold coins of 11%, an increase in the supply of money or the money supply, would keep the prices stable and the economy chugging along. So after periods of rapid economic growth its important to increase money supply; if you don't expect a recession. That's what happened up until the internet boom when the recession was quite mild comparatively, a fact Friedman cited as proof the loose monetary policy was a good idea. So, you can't increase the quantity of gold coins but you can increase the quantity of paper money and as long as government can keep the printing presses under control. Of course that's a big if.

Roger Ebert supplants my thoughts on Monetarism

I'm going to go a little meta for a moment and blog about blogging. My thought is; blogging is easier than journal writing and cooler than scrap-booking (no offense intended for all the creative memories representatives in our circle of friends).

So Alison and I watched Fever Pitch again yesterday; at least most of it. Fever Pitch one of many examples that prove Roger Ebert is the only film critic worth paying attention too. It has been shown that financial analysts tend to anti-herd, they try to stand out just enough to get noticed without getting too far off that they get squashed when they're wrong; either way they appear to act with a lot of credence given to the average opinion of other analysts. When you're Roger Ebert though, and you have your own TV show and are the biggest name in film criticism, you can do what ever you want and the remainder tend to herd around you. Fever Pitch is one of those romantic comedy/dramas with a bunch of baseball thrown in to keep the guys interested; that's all most critics saw in the film and it tended to get mediocre ratings, 2 stars or so.

When I saw the movie, I really enjoyed it but I couldn't really identify why I liked it so much or what set it apart from the voluminous library of similar romantic drama/comedies. In my opinion the other critics were wrong, but I couldn't identify what it was about the movie that was so right it warranted more credit than it was given.

Roger Ebert gave Fever Pitch three and a half stars (his review). What sets Fever Pitch apart, what I couldn't identify and he puts so eloquently, is that the movie is authentic, the baseball sure, but more significantly the struggle between two people to understand each other. Authentic representations are educational, even (one might say especially) when the work is fiction. In life there are some things you learn by rote, like history and punctuation rules, and some that are learned by experience. Authentic representations in film and literature allow us to vicariously experience things and learn; things we might not be able to otherwise.

By the same standard, non-authentic depictions are damaging. We learn, by experience, incorrect things that distort our perceptions of reality. You can think of one navigating through life collecting data points on how to live day to day; non-authentic immersing experiences add biased or false data points.

I think an important dimension of talent in creating media of any sort is its ability to convey reality/authenticity/truth. A dimension that is frequently overlooked. And Roger Ebert better beat cancer or I'm going to have to find some other way to justify liking romantic comedies.

Blanket Wrestling

Isaac and Jeremiah like to play in/under/on blankets together. They pretend they are a train, running up and down the hallway. They jump on each other. They hide from each other. They think it's really fun--I always take bets on how long it will take for one of them to start crying. Today Jeremiah was the "pouncer" and Isaac was the "roller."

They're pretty cute together. They have a ton of fun. And they laugh and laugh and laugh.

Tuesdays and Wednesdays

Yesterday was Tuesday.

Last night John said something like, "It's fun that today is Tuesday. Except it means that tomorrow's Wednesday." Except it sounded a whole lot stupider when he said it.

Wednesdays are the worst days for us. John's away until a little after 6, then he needs to leave by 6:30 to go to Scouts, and he doesn't get back until sometime after 9 (which is usually closer to 10). I have a hard time keeping the little ones happy and fed and civil(ish), let alone really do anything for me. John doesn't really like to be gone that long (partly because he knows it's hard on me).

So it's nice when I can divide up my day on Wednesday, have someone over or something. Today Kristin came over to do speech with Jeremiah, and I try to be involved so I can learn from someone who knows more than I do. But Isaac was being too rambunctious. So I was mostly refereeing. And it wasn't fun. I guess that it can't always be thrilling.

But then Isaac fell asleep (during a time out he climbed into Jeremiah's crib and I found him asleep when I went to get him out), and Danielle fell asleep, and so Jeremiah played by himself for a little while and I made Indonesian Peanut Chicken and chocolate chip cookies. So when John came home he was pleasantly surprised and we had a nice dinner (yes, with salad, too) and a happy relaxed 25 minutes before he went to Scouts.

Today was Wednesday.

Process of Elimination

This afternoon Isaac and Jeremiah were having a tough time getting along. I was having a tough time figuring out what to do about it. They were pouncing and running and putting their heads in a box. And then crying and fussing and whining. But it was tricky to know what to do because neither of them were really being mean or bad or disobedient. Just frustrating. It finally came to me that since it wasn't Jeremiah stirring up all kinds of trouble, it must be Isaac. I knew that the process of elimination was going to come in handy some day!

Hnnn and Myee

Jeremiah has speech dyspraxia, which makes it hard for him to say words. He often uses word segments, or doesn't voice vowels (i.e., he always whispers "mom").

When I'm holding Danielle, Jer will come over and look at me, then say, "Hnnn. Hnnn." And it very much means, "I would like to hold my sister and give her hugs and pat her head." He always, always hnnns first. He's telling me what he's going to do, or asking permission. And it's really very sweet.

Today we were leaving church, and Jeremiah started saying "Mye! Myee!" It took me a second, but I realized he was saying "bye" to everyone we passed. Sadly, nobody was saying "bye" in return. And nobody noticed that he was talking. I know that I'm more sensitive to it, and I notice every time Jeremiah says anything. It would just be so great if others noticed as well.

Rolling Over!

Danielle rolled over! I didn't see her do it, but I had laid her down on her back, and then when she started making noise I looked over at her, and she was on her stomach! I guess getting stuck on your stomach because you rolled over is a pretty effective way of getting tummy time.

Danielle's getting so big! (I know I had said before that her check-up was going to be today, but I was mistaken: it's next Friday.) She tries to sit up (from laying down) by herself. I put her on her tummy, and first she tried to push herself up with her arms, and then she tried to push herself forward with her feet. She "talks" all the time. She usually falls asleep by herself and sleeps for 7-10 hours straight at night.

Danielle is my little angel girl. She's always so sweet and happy. She smiles and laughs. She is content to be by herself, and so excited when I come see her. She lets her brothers hold her and hug her and lie next to her, never getting upset. She lets strangers adore her. She'll grace them with a smile. She's perfect, perfectly...everything to me.

Running into Things

I usually pay enough attention to my surroundings that I don't run into things. But sometimes I get distracted, and sometimes I don't notice things.

Yesterday I ran into a tree. That is, I almost brushed some tree branches with my ear. It was pretty close. Yes, it was a short tree, but that's not the point. The point actually is that there were little leaves about to burst forth from the branches, and I've been waiting so long to see anything green on trees, and it was so wonderful to actually run into springtime.

There are little clusters of leaves with jaggedy edges and I could see maybe an inch of green in some places. Today as I was driving I noticed that the barren brown trees are turning a puky sort of yellow-green. (It was actually pretty ugly. Hence the "puky.") It's almost spring!

Fourscore and Twenty Years Ago...

It's fun to teach Isaac phrases. He quotes Star Wars randomly as he's playing with his toys. He repeats phrases that we say. John got him to say "secret Russian base." I was thinking that it could be really fun to teach him the Gettysburg Address. I taught him "fourscore and twenty years ago" two days ago, and then today in the car he said it again! I didn't think he'd remember or say it without prompting, but he did.

Stripping Wallpaper

We have had this pastel peach and teal wallpaper with large flowers on the wall in our entryway and along one wall of our living room since we've lived here. And I really don't like it. I think it's hideous. So today I took it down. I'll need to strip the backing off the walls too, and that might take a little longer. But at least there aren't any more peachy flowers on the wall.

I've been thinking it will be fun to see when John notices. Will he as soon as he walks in? When he sees the extra bag of garbage that's incredibly light? When he next looks at our blog? (It's supposedly for both of us to write in, but it's mostly just me...)

The Robinson's are stripping wallpaper from their bathroom and hallway, too. I was thinking that maybe we could have a contest to see who could get the walls painted he fastest. They had a couple layers in their bathroom, but they also have more helpers. Well, I do have two helpers who are around more often, but they're also shorter. It could be fun...!

First Foods

Danielle tried her first solid food today: a green goldfish cracker, fed to her by Isaac. I was at the computer, and Isaac ran over, saying, "I give Danielle green cracker-fish!" He had tried putting it in her mouth, and about half of it came out easliy. I keep telling Isaac that Danielle can't eat foods because she doesn't have any teeth yet, but he loves her so much he wants to share his favorite things with her. His "little blue blanket," his trains, his Star Wars toys, his rainbow cracker-fish...So sweet. I was thinking that baby oatmeal might be a little more appropriate.

Ball!

This morning I took the boys to Wal-Mart while John and Danielle were sleeping in. We bought some crackers and juice and diapers. And then we went to get some toys for the summer. We got some bubbles and some more Play-Doh. And then we passed the balls. Jeremiah said "Ba-ll!" I didn't buy one. We kept going to the bigger balls (those ones were normally sized) and we got a huge purple ball. Isaac held it in the back of the cart; after we bought it, Jeremiah held it in the front of the cart. They like their new ball.

Tortillas and Quesadillas

"Mom, I want a quesadilla!" Isaac said, looking into the fridge.

"But we don't have any cheese, Isaac," I replied.

Thoughtfully, he suggested: "A tortilla?!" (His thoughts are typically enthusiastic.)

I think it's fun to have a little guy who didn't talk very much a year ago (i.e., "Cast off?") saying "quesadilla" and "tortilla" without being prompted. (He also quotes paragraphs from Star Wars and sings all the words to "Child of God." His dad and mom, respectively, are proud of him.)

Milestones

I was reading through developmental milestones for four-month-olds; Danielle has her four-month well-baby appointment on Friday. I wanted to make sure I knew the answers to all the questions. (I was stumped on "Can Jeremiah bunny-hop three times?" And, yes, he can; I saw him bunny hop six times the next afternoon.)

I knew she was on track for all but one of the milestones. She coos and babbles. She smiles. She laughs. She makes eye contact. She turns toward voices. She watches things. She wiggles really very well (I think she's getting ready to roll over soon). She likes to play on her tummy for a few minutes a few times a day. She sleeps wonderfully at night. But, does she reach for things?

I set up an experiment. Since I'm not watching her all the time when she's on the floor (I'm usually playing the piano or doing housework if she's having floortime), I put her on a blanket and set two large stuffed blocks next to her, one on top of the other. And lo and behold, the next time I passed by, the blocks weren't stacked anymore! Yes! She can and does reach for things!

Of course, I saw her reaching for Jeremiah's glasses today when he was giving her a hug. And I saw her reaching to grab my shirt. And reaching to grab my arm. And reaching to hold her blanket. So, she's right on track.

Slipping

"I'm slipping! I'm slipping!" Isaac exclaimed. He was ecstatic. He definitely was slipping. As was Jeremiah. As was John when he went in the broken eggs to retrieve the boys and get them into the bathtub. But that wasn't the mess that John had referred to when he said I'd soon find out why things were just okay and not great and not good. That was the beans and wheat and flour that the boys got all over the kitchen, before they emptied the 18-pack of eggs. My shower was sure eventful.

Jer's First Speech Therapy Session

Today Kristin, Jeremiah's speech therapist from Birth to 3, came over. She and Jeremiah played in (not with, but in) the blocks. They scrambled the blocks with their hands until she said "Stop!" and then Jeremiah waited until she said "Go!" to start scrambling them again. He also put blocks back into our box when she said "In!"

Then we got out some wheat and scooped and poured and found alligators and dinosaurs lurking underneath...Isaac helped. Maybe Isaac won't help us during speech next time, but only between sessions.

This week we'll be working on "more." We'll be working on eye contact and either a gesture or movement, possibly a sound, to demonstrate that he wants more of anything. Apple slices, blocks, crackers, bubbles, spinning, running, bouncing. We'll also be working on "Go!" That one will be fun...fun things go.

Easter Egg Hunt

We had an Easter egg hunt after church Sunday. Sarah helped Jeremiah find eggs and Hannah helped Isaac. Jeremiah wasn't very interested in finding eggs and putting them into a basket; I opened the first egg for him, thinking he might be more interested if he knew there was candy inside. He was more interested all right...in eating the candy. Isaac liked finding eggs. Each time he found one, he put it in his basket, then called out, "E-ggs, where are you?!" and ran off to find another egg.

The Goose Girl

Yesterday I read "The Goose Girl" by Shannon Hales. It was so good and so fun! I loved it, just reading a good story again. And I recommend it to anyone who is looking for a "bedtime novel." I think that I'm going to start reading Isaac books during bedtime, to listen to instead of look at. This might be one of them.

Running--Attempt 3

This morning I did my loop, only walked once (and it was after I had ran for 5 minutes) and felt great! My legs are getting used to this running thing again. And it feels so good to use my body again, to sweat, to...live. I'm proud of me. Soon I'll really be running. Unfortunately, I'm pretty sure that my loop is under a mile, not over. It took me 9 minutes even today, including my walking.

Running--Attempt 2

This morning I only walked for 2 parts of my loop! It felt good to run, in a painful sort of way. My muscles aren't used to working like this for me, but they're being a little more cooperative than they were on Monday.

I think that maybe running and then showering will be my "me time" a few days a week. It's nice to be alone. It's nice to do something good just for me. It's nice to be outside (even though it was snowing and windy this morning--good precedent). This is good.

Running--Attempt 1

Yesterday I ran. Or at least, I tried to.

I have a loop around a few blocks in my neighborhood that I've been walking most days, and usually it takes about 20 minutes. I figure it's a little over a mile.

I had to stop walk for a few houses, three times. Ouch.

Ouch to my ego, not my feet. Although I now have sore muscles that never were sore when I ran in high school or college. My thighs, for example. And my calves. Oooh, my calves were thinking I was crazy when I tried to make them keep pushing me forward, and they may have been right.

So tonight I'll have another good long stretch. And again in the morning, before I try again. And maybe next week I'll only stop twice. And maybe next month I'll run two, or even three, loops without stopping at all. And soon, I'll feel like a runner again. Soon.

Birth to 3 Early Intervention Report

Today Susan and Kristin came over to present Jeremiah's early intervention team report to John and I. Lisa (an ECSE teacher) and Kristin (a Speech-language pathologist) played with Jeremiah a couple weeks ago, and this is what they observed:

Cognition
demonstrating skills to the 15-month level with scattered skills to the 24-month level of development

Gross Motor Skills
Skills typical of other children in the 30-36 month range.

Fine Motor
Demonstrating solid skills to 18 months with scattered skills to 30 months.

Social
Demonstrating solid skills to 24 months with scattered skills in the 24-30 month range.

Self-help
Demonstrating solid skills to the 24-month level with scattered skills to 30 months.

Receptive language
Demonstrating scattered skills to 15 months.

Expressive Language
Demonstrating skills at the 9-month age level.

For the next 6 weeks, Lisa and Kristin will each come play with Jeremiah once a week (separately). And after that, we'll reevaluate. It will be interesting to work with them and use their ideas to help Jeremiah talk.

New News

So... We've got news...

Yep, you guessed it! Exciting, isn't it? I think I'll keep all the little girl clothes, just in case. I think that December is about right. We'll let you know soon!

Also, we've been pretty good at keeping this one a secret, but John's actually been a stay-at-home dad for the past year while I've been working on a patent for colored bubbles. They're called "Zubbles," and you can find them on-line at zubbles.com