1m2aSandbox

I don't usually post over the weekend,
but thought this warranted a news bulletin. Several of you have
written to me to make sure I'd seen this recent news story, which
tells me I'm not the only mommy out there who would be interested
in this.


Veggie Booty Snack Foods has issued a voluntary recall of all size
packages of Veggie Booty due to concerns of salmonella poisoning.
51 cases in 17 states have been reported so far of salmonella,
though none have been directly linked to Veggie Booty. The company
offered a voluntary recall after the CDC notified them that several
infected persons had eaten the snack food. So while it's not a
proven link, it's best to go ahead and be cautious and throw your
supplies out.


The company is offering a reimbursement for any food you have to
throw away - call 1-800-626-7557 to find out more.

Thanks to all the parents who made sure I had the scoop! Click
href="http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/19489593/ ">here to
read the whole story -

With warmer weather here, parents are
spending more and more time outdoors. I’m always one for
traveling light, and since I live in an urban setting I walk
everywhere. That means that the stroller is our primary mode of
transport for errand-running and park-playing, and that I try
really hard not to carry a diaper bag.


Every day before we hit the park, I get the stroller out and pack
it up. As I gather snacks, etc., for the day, Maddie unpacks all my
“regular” items – a helpful little “see
what you’ve got” sort of thing, I guess – and
then repacks them for me. I’m amazed at the amount of gear
I’m able to keep as a “permanent collection” in
my stroller and wonder if I’m the only one like this. Curious
how the obsessive-compulsive mom packs heavy yet travels light?
Here’s the breakdown:

To give Gamma a big thank-you for how much
she’s been helping out recently, Maddie and I decided to
surprise her at work yesterday with a plate of cookies.


In most cities, that’d be pretty easy – hop in car,
park at work, give cookies, go home. But in New York City, such an
endeavor is either time-consuming and involving several modes of
public transportation, or costly as you pay $40 to park for an
hour. Being unemployed, we chose time-consuming.

Maddie’s been practicing her Jedi
Mind Tricks on people again – a trick she used to use before
she actually spoke English. Back in the babble days, she’d
stare intently into your eyes and wave her hands before you while
speaking hypnotically, as if willing you to understand and obey.
These days, with a common language between her and the other half
of the conversation, she’s become much more direct.

When I was pregnant with Madeleine,
everyone told us, “The first two weeks are the hardest. If
you can survive the first two weeks, you can survive
anything.”


Everyone lied.


I’m not sure where this myth got started – probably
some first-time, sleep-deprived parent who couldn’t imagine
it could get worse. But the truth is, the first two weeks are
relatively easy. Newborns are in this intense sleep/eat mode, an
almost hibernation, for the first couple of weeks, and are pretty
basic in their needs. Yes, there’s the “how do I change
a diaper” crisis, and yes, the whole
nursing-for-the-first-time thing is very traumatic and yes, as a
first-time parent, the sleep deprivation is a huge shock those
first two weeks. But you know what’s worse?


Week three. When baby becomes more alert and colic kicks in.

Madeleine takes her role as Big Sister
very seriously. I think she hovers around Cora more than I do, and
would probably inadvertently smother the poor kid if I didn’t
hold her affection back sometimes. I see Maddie mimic me whenever
Cora needs tending to: if Cora starts crying and needs to be picked
up, for example, I’ll start pacing with her and gently
bouncing her only to notice Maddie’s rushed to her doll
cradle, picked up a dolly, and placed the dolly over her own thin
shoulder, energetically patting it on the back and saying,
“It’s ok, dolly.” She’ll watch me closely
and follow me around until Cora’s once again calm, at which
point Dolly’s miraculously better and back in her own cradle.


Maddie still loves holding Cora and begs for a chance several times
a day. She also helps give Cora a bottle any time I’m out and
Daddy’s on duty, and will solemnly hold the bottle firmly in
Cora’s mouth until the bottle’s bone dry. But by far
the cutest Big Sister job Maddie’s selected for herself is
Pacifier Duty.

You know how, when you have a second child, you think about how much money you’ll save because you’ll be able to use all your old stuff again?

Ok, set that thought aside for a second and think about this: remember how, when you stopped nursing your first child, you swore you’d gleefully burn all your nursing bras, so much did you hate those stretched-out, fugly, sour milk-stained things?

See where I’m going with this?