Green - You believe that small economic units should control the goods, and that the government should be permissive of "victimless crimes," respectful of civil liberties and very strict towards big business. You also believe in either a socialist tax structure or more power to local communities. You think that environmental policies should be written into law.

Your historical role model is Ralf Nader.


Which political sterotype are you?
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somehow I'm not surprised...

This is the second week that D been on holidays and it has been so much fun - all three of us hanging out together.
He doesn't have to wake up early and go to work so the three of us just lay in bed until the late hour of 7:30 or so until one of us continues to play with Frank and the other takes a shower.
I've been having such leisurely showers....

Bath time has become increasingly fun not only because D gets in with Franklin and I get to see them both in the tub....
... but because Frank is fascinated with the water that comes out of the tap. We let a little bit trickle out and Frank sits right up and tries to feel it, or catch it.
Whatever he is trying to do it is very cute.

By the way, thanks for all the support about my sensitivity surrounding violence these days - those on the comment board and through email. It's nice to know that I can be normal some of the time. Believe it or not, I like to be normal.

Oh! Hey! I made a sockdog for Franklin and I am now working on a kimono shirt! I was just wondering though - does Martha Stewart regularly make her sewing instructions a little obscure or is my novice sewing ability hampering me?

(and what the hell is a "top stitch"?)

Franklin has recently decided that he now absolutely loves peas but can take or leave bananas. What has happened to the sweet tooth everyone warns you about when you feed your baby fruit before introducing the veggies?
Perhaps Frank has inherited D's love of anything not sweet.

So....

Remember when I said that the war isn't over just because you turn off your TV? Well, I certainly didn't mean that you have to watch it 24 hours a day and worry if Peter Mansbridge is getting enough sleep. I count ourselves lucky to be able to turn our attention to more constructive things.

I am having a lot of trouble with this war for more reasons than what would normally concern me. Ever since I have had Franklin I have been ultra-sensitive about violence. Seriously, I can't even watch Law & Order anymore.

Yesterday I was watching the POW soldiers - both from Iraq lined up and guarded by the American and British military and from America - especially that scared woman. That was enough war - I started to cry. I'm not talking a little welling up like I've just read a sweet children's book or watched a Foster Parent's Plan infomercial cry. I'm talking about a shaking break down that had everything to do with the war and the children there who either can't understand or understand it all at a waaaay to early age.

hmmm, does this mean my dream of working for Unicef is over? I can't break down everytime I see a suffering child.

Now that Franklin goes to bed at 7 PM every night it gives D and I some quiet time before we head off to bed.

So what do I do tonight with this quiet time?
Surf the net while Dix watches hockey of course...

Anyways, married life aside...
I found this wonderful trilogy of movies a couple of years ago and only now do I discover that I missed the last of the set while we were snuggling with our new baby. I'm not regretting the baby part - on no - but I am hoping that Cinecenta will bring a night of all three together so I can go and get completely wrapped up in thoughts of humanity, the environment and technology - my favorite things.

Well, time to get some sleep before Frank needs his first of two night feedings.
Is this normal? Does anyone know? - almost six months old and still needing two feedings? Is it a breastfed thing? Perhaps I don't feed him enough during the day?
He is actually hungry so it isn't just a comfort.

Ahhhh, motherhood. No matter how calm and collected you look on the outside you are plagued with a thousand questions on the inside.

HA!
I've never looked "calm and collected"!

I don't want to talk about the war forever but I just have one thing to say. I know everyone is entitled to their own opinion, however, to those of you who disagreed with my last post (and decided to email me instead of start a discussion on my comment board) I would like you to remember:

It's my weblog...

... and so I have included a special something on the left side of my page to remind us that war is deadly and not over just because you turn your television off - which I know most of you are painfully aware of.

"Of course the people don't want war. But after all, it's the leaders of the country who determine the policy, and it's always a simple matter to drag the people along whether it's a democracy, a fascist dictatorship, or a parliament, or a communist dictatorship. Voice or no voice, the people can always be brought to the bidding of the leaders. That is easy. All you have to do is tell them they are being attacked, and denounce the pacifists for lack of patriotism, and exposing the country to greater danger."
      -- Herman Goering at the Nuremberg trials

Also, I would like to pass on this very interesting blog (found through others links).
He is an Iraqi citizen in Baghdad - his daily blogs....the sights and sounds from his home, literally going out on the streets for their daily bread, etc.

The other night (March 16th) I was a registered volunteer for the Global Vigil for Peace here in Victoria. Unfortunately, I wasn't able to make it and therefore have no pictures for MoveOn.org. However, if you go to the website you can see other pictures from all over the world.

Now, there is something I can do from home. I hope that some of you out there will want to do it with me. MoveOn.org is asking people to put a light in their window to show their support for peace:

"It now appears that a war may be very close. This is a very sad day.
We must remember in this dark moment that we have
come a long way. By working for peace around the globe,
millions of people have successfully challenged the justness
of this war on a world stage. It will change everything.
And in the end, we will win.

One simple way to show your continued commitment to this
vision is to put a light in your window. It could be a
Christmas string or candle, a light bulb, or a lantern. It's
an easy way to keep the light of reason and hope burning, to
let others know that they are not alone, and to show the way
home to the young men and women who are on their way to Iraq."

My Mother is here for a visit. We had such a great day today shopping for a highchair and carseat. As well, we perused the used consignment stores for cool things for Franklin. He's such a hip little kid.
I'm a little nervous about the carseat. I didn't worry about the cost as I supposedly have $250.00 to work with from the insurance money when our van was stolen. I am hoping that it will not take forever to be compensated. I don't like the guy I have to deal with. He tried to tell me that I was delusional for thinking our van was worth more than $3200.00. I should not have responded so nicely back. What can I say, I'm such a sweet girl.
(and I also didn't want him to change his mind about the carseat coverage)

Chair sent me a You Grow Girl postcard which I thought was very nifty. Especially since spring is here and there are daffodils and crocus' everywhere. It smells so nice to walk outside the front door.
Although we are thinking of moving sometime in the near future I am still excited to plant some herbs in the back yard.

Hey!

One more week or so and Frank is six months old! That means I can get back to my morning jogs! According to the woman in the store, any earlier and I risk giving him "shaken baby syndrome". However, looking at the U.S. National Center on Shaken Baby Syndrome there is no danger from jogging and/or riding.

- whatever, I'm not taking any chances.
hmmmm, I need to go bra shopping. I definitely won't be fitting in my usual bras. Argh, I hate sports bra shopping. It's boring.

There is nothing like the smell of my baby's breath.

After one especially horrific mastitis infection D and I gave Franklin formula for a couple of days. Curiously enough, we both thought he no longer smelled the same. Perhaps it is the breast milk that exudes that delicious baby smell
- kind of like how Kentucky Fried Chicken pumps out that greasy smell to beckon you into their fast food restaurant (yuk).
For competition, the city cut the grass along the streets yesterday and even it doesn't compare to the smell of Frank's breath.

While we are on the subject of Frank's qualities...

I am so impressed that his eyes are actually olive! My favorite colour.

Dare I say it?    Will I jinx us?    Can I even believe it? Franklin slept in his crib all night. We only went in there twice - to feed him at 11 pm and again at 4 am. I am not as well rested though - due to worrying about him all night. There were a couple of tears but about 50% of them were mine.

I really should credit a book I've been reading:

Healthy Sleep Habits, Happy Child

It's not that I needed a book to tell me what to do. I know letting him cry wasn't for me but was it for Frank?
It turns out, he only cried for about 20 minutes! He has gone down for both naps today without rocking or nursing - and no crying! I needed a book to tell me all the advantages of getting him to learn to fall asleep on his own and the first half of the book does this so I read it while he cried and it helped me get through it.

The second half of the book I haven't even got to yet...

Franklin and I went to see The Quiet American yesterday afternoon.
Frank thought it was so good he gave a deep guttural growl throughout the entire show. I can't believe he's not hoarse. We call this sound "Frank-zilla" and I usually give background noises of people fleeing for their lives. However, yesterday I was mostly giggling.

There was a woman there with a baby about one month old and right before the movie started she warned me that her baby was pretty loud and that I might want to sit further away. I laughed - more scoffed actually. Loud? Wait until you hear mine!
She was giggling at Frank too.

I suppose you could say Frank countered the film with his best impression of The Loud Canadian.

Oooooh, marathon walk today for Frank and I.

We are so lucky to live by the ocean. It was a breezy day but not too breezy that you'd get an earache from the wind. The ocean had small waves but no white caps and it smelled great. Frank and I walked for about four hours total. It wasn't a planned outing - to go that long - but it just happened. He was awake for about half the trip and had a good nap on the way home.

On the feeding front, we have discovered that Franklin enjoys food that is either yellow or orange (rice cereal, bananas, yams) but really doesn't like anything green (avocados, peas).
I suppose we just try them at a later stage. Too bad - now I have little containers of mashed peas in the freezer and I'm not sure what to do with them.

It's snowing quite heavily here! It never snows here!
Of course, the only white stuff that is on the ground is from the cherry blossom trees that line our street but it's nice to watch it fall. I feel so cozy inside when it is snowing - something I miss from living in Edmonton.

Right now Franklin is in his crib for his afternoon nap and is not sleeping. He is babbling:

niah niah
squeal
bleah
ayah ah ah delah
uh uh

extended squeal
....

It is very cute and so much better then crying but he is hyper because his morning nap was not as long as he usually takes.
I am going to a bookclub meeting tonight and D is staying home with Franklin to make sure we set a consistent bedtime for him (Frank). I think it may be a struggle tonight. I'm not sure if I should go.

From the number of emails I got the other day it looks like what I thought was teething was probably an episode of pre-teething. Apparently this happens for quite awhile before the actual teeth appear. I knew something wasn't quite right...

With Frank growing so fast these days it's almost everyday that he seems to outgrow clothing or is able to reach something more firmly. Last night as I was leaning over to put him in his crib I lamented that I am just that little bit too short to be able to put him down as gently as I would like. I need a stepping stool. It's not that I'm so short (I'm 5 foot 4 inches) but I think our crib is also on the tall side.

Anyways, I thought to myself,
"It won't be long now and I'll be tall enough to place him in there with no problem!"

hmmm, not really separating myself from the little one am I?
I had a good laugh at myself.

So it looks like I can really project my feelings well. I don't think Franklin is about to sprout his first tooth anytime soon. In fact, I think the "Niah Niah Niah" sound is his new word for the week. He was doing it half asleep last night in his crib.

Yes! You read right! In his crib!!!

We got him to sleep from 7:30pm to 2:00am in that cage, I mean crib! Of course, it required us to visit him and sooth him to sleep every hour or so but there was real sleep in between! That is progress! I am very impressed with us parents!

and, ahem, D and I got to have some of our own time.

so nice.

I have a feeling that poor Franklin is teething.
He keeps knawing on his fingers in a desperate kind of way, making sounds like, "Niah Niah Niah". His facial expressions make my mouth sore and he looks at me like he's asking me to fix it... why can't you fix this?... Mama! What's gong on?!?!
- of course, this might be all my projections... you think?

He is usually such a happy baby. I feel so sorry for him. Teething can't be fun. I want to help him out as much as I can but all I can do is hold him and snuggle and hope this passes soon.

So a while back I signed up for Swappingtons and traded two vinyl's, "Sefronia" by Tim Buckley and "The Sting Soundtrack" - two records that I will never listen to. Off they went and I gained some valuable points in order to receive this.

oooooh, many happy times ahead!

By the way.... if you sign up and say that dirtyolive referred you I will get some extra points in order to trade for even more great stuff like some Franklin the Turtle books for Franklin!

Everyone... meet Jamal!!!!

His full name is Jamal Edward Best Herron and he was born on Feburary 14th.
He was 9lbs 2 oz!

Now there are two babies to squeal to their hearts content during our bookclub meetings!