seven quick takes

1. We've been looking for ways to make Josie's crib less abhorrent to her, so when I was at the store the other day I decided to look for a crib activity center. But it turns out they all made me want to claw my eyes out. Apparently you can't get one like the one my brother had as a baby, with spinning and sliding parts-- they're all buttons with battery-operated lights and sounds. Which is not only more annoying, but less developmentally helpful, it seems to me.

This awesomeness is no longer available.

2. Moms, did you ever wonder why the smell of babies makes you so happy? Turns out it lights up the reward section of your brain, like drugs to an addict. Newborn baby's smell is as addictive as drugs or food: study. (The photo caption at the top of the article has nothing to do with the rest of the article, FYI.)

3. Good article: If I Can't Accept You At Your Worst, Then Maybe You Should Stop Being So Horrible. It brings to light this ridiculous "I'm okay, you're okay," I-don't-need-to-change cultural attitude that's so prevalent. And it's just how God treats us-- He loves us even with our faults and imperfections, of course, but challenges us to overcome them BECAUSE He loves us. Just like a good parent-- you love your child when they're eating dirt, but it's not okay for them to eat dirt, even though they'll cry when you wash their mouth out. You love your child before they can walk, but it's not okay for them to crawl forever (barring medical issues, duh), even though they'll fall and bump their head a bunch of times while they're learning.

4. Doctor to Dads: You're Doing It Wrong. Obviously this doesn't apply to ALL dads, or ONLY to dads. But I can't tell you how frustrating it is when a dad (or occasionally grandma, older sibling, etc.) brings in a child and has NO IDEA what's been going on with them. The patient/parent interview, or the "history" as we call it, is probably the most important part of making a diagnosis (physical exam is usually less important, and labwork and imaging are even further down the importance scale). I'm not Beverly Crusher with a freakin' tricorder that I can just wave over your child and immediately tell you what's wrong with them. 

Yup, the nerd factor just increased exponentially all up in here.

5. One more pediatrician PSA, complete with cool graphic: Does my baby really need to ride rear facing until age 2? (Hint: the answer is "yes.")

link to larger image

6. We had a playdate with our next-door neighbor and her cute 20-month-old daughter the other day. By the end of it Faith was whispering conversations with her (the mom, not the baby). Faith's progression of talking-to-new-people goes as follows:

1. Silence, no interaction, minimal eye contact.

2. Silence, makes eye contact, waves, points, nods yes/no.

3. Whispered "baby talk" gibberish.

4. Whispered conversation.

5. Out-loud "baby talk" gibberish.

6. Out-loud conversation, but a little subdued.

7. Her normal self-- talking, yelling, singing, etc.

So, you know, making it to step 4 in a two-hour playdate ain't bad.

7. Aaaand, I've run out of interesting things to say. (Let me maintain my delusion that all the above quick takes were SUPER INTERESTING.) So I'll cheat and use my seventh take to link back to Conversion Diary, where you can read everyone else's quick takes too-- I'll add the link as soon as it's available. Oooh, and here's ANOTHER link to Conversion Diary, for the 7 Posts in 7 Days Challenge!