Kids and talking - updated

I'm a rather quiet person but have made it a point to talk to and with my son as often as possible; sometimes to the point of sounding silly to myself. But I know this is good for him as he learns how to communicate, speak and identify the world around him.

I came across an article titled Children reaching age 3 without being able to say a word, survey finds with concern. After reading it I found a disturbing sentence within it:

The survey of more than 1,000 parents found that a child’s background was not a factor in how quickly they learnt to talk. Working parents who put their babies in day care are just as likely to have a child whose speech develops late
as those who leave their baby in front of the television.

LOL. Those are the only two choices? Really? All this time as a housewife and mom I have been interacting with Rooster by talking with him, playing games, reading, rough-housing, following him around the house as he does laps, etc. and I could have instead just plopped him down in front of the TV.

Those silly Brits.

Update: A fellow Dr. Laura reader/listener notices the same.

original post 01/03/10 at 7:40 pm

Resolutions

They can be fun. Back in 2006 and 2007 my New Year's resolutions were to try a new wine every month. I know I hit it in 2006...most likely 2007 was a success as well. I don't think I made one in 2008. Last year I resolved to cut out processed foods and am glad to report it has stuck.

This year I resolve to be more primal. Thanks to Mark Sisson and his website and book I have a lot of information and guidance to be successful.

In a nutshell I aim for these goals:

1. No grains/sugar/legumes
2. More long walks
3. Increase weight lifting and body weight workouts
4. Play more!

I love the last goal and Rooster will definitely appreciate that one :)

I will be posting primal recipes and other information at my other blog soon. See you there!

We are going to whip these people out of their boots!

A new beginning.

A must watch...in fact, watch it several times!

Merry Christmas

May the love of Jesus Christ reach you this wonderful season!

How can I make it more likely that Rooster ends up in prison than graduating high school?

By moving to Detroit.

In exchange for decades of entitlement programs and government spending, the people of Detroit have been rewarded with record high unemployment, failing schools, very little economic activity and a blighted landscape. Steven Crowder reports from the Motor City.

To give you a taste, the average home price is now at $5,700.00.

Once a great city, Detroit is now in ruins because of leftist governmental policies. Watch the video.

Vaccines

We know the importance of vaccinations, but my husband and I are also very hesitant to allow Rooster to have 6 shots at once with 8 different vaccines. So since birth we have been on a selective vaccine schedule that sorta follows Dr. Sears' guidelines.

This article I came across today is quite interesting although rather long.

But getting back to the safety issue, it is my contention that the science used to ‘prove’ MMR does not cause autism is simply inadequate. And I’m not the only person who thinks so: In my research yesterday I came across this video interview where you can see and hear Dr Bernadine Healy, former director of the National Institutes of Health in the USA, express her concern about the way in which a link between vaccination and autism has been so readily dismissed. She accuses the US Government health officials of deliberately not doing the scientific which would show, once and for all, whether vaccines can cause autism, and if so, what the extent of the risk is (so that parents can make an truly informed choice about whether to have their child vaccinated or not). And Dr Healy also suggests that the reason for why the US Government has not done the definitive scientific work is because it is afraid of what it might find when it looks. The interview concludes by Dr Healy stating that the question about whether vaccination can cause autism has still not been answered.

I have read that this vaccine debate is over - there is proof that there is no link. This is false, of course. There is no definitive proof either way. That makes it very, very curious as to why there aren't more studies out there looking into it. Perhaps because there aren't enough non-vaccinated children to study (a theory of Dr. Sears).

Rosie O’Donnell’s knowledge of materials engineering: B+

The funniest thing I have read in a long time! Frank J. is a genius.

A possible end to insulin injections?

My sister emailed a video about nanotechnology and its applications with diabetes. Very cool stuff!

Insulin injections may soon be a thing of the past for diabetics thanks to nano-technology. At UCSF Professor of bioengineering, Tejal Desai, implants millions of pancreatic cells that secrete insulin into tiny capsules that can be implanted into the body in an effort to create an artificial pancreas. When blood sugar flows inside the capsule, it stimulates the cells to produce insulin to control sugar levels. The device has nano pores, pores so small that the body's antibodies cannot get in to attack the cells, but large enough that the insulin can flow out and into the body.

This hits close to home as my husband, niece and nephew all have type 1 diabetes. As Glenn Reynolds always puts it, FASTER PLEASE! Watch the video and let me know what you think!

Reason #1 to homeschool

This is disgusting. Safety is mentioned often - what about nutritional standards?! Our kids deserve a better meal than what they have been provided by the government.

Thanks to Roscoe for sending the article.

13 months

Rooster is walking, talking and pointing all the time now. It's just an amazing sight.

He's also mostly sleeping through the night without me needing to help him back to sleep. Last night he fell asleep at 6:45 pm and he awoke this morning at 6:15 am! What a journey this has been! A wonderful, sometimes tiring journey that, I am pleased to say, did not require any sleep training. If you are a mother who nurses to sleep and/or co-sleeps with your infant rest assured that a time will come when your baby is ready to do it on his/her own. It may take baby steps (we've had so many!). Be patient - your baby will let you know when he/she is ready to move on to the next step. It will happen!