4 month Shoot

We took Lily for her photo shoot on Saturday. I was not as impressed with Portrait Innovations this go round. For a few reasons

-I had told them when I made the appointment that I was doing individuals of Lily and then doing group shots with her cousins so to make two session appointments. Well when we got there (the first appointment of the day) they were rushing us out of there! They said that they could only spend 15 minutes with us. Well last time they spent an hour! Apparently this is against policy. So I was not happy. They did all of Lily's pics no problem but the group shots were so so.
-They kinda did the same poses with Lily that we got at 2 months. I am not sure if this is because you can only do so much with a baby that can't sit up but I was hoping for something a little different. They did do a fall background with her but the wicker chair they had her in was not my style and she didn't do well in it.
-We asked them to do the group shot on the fall background since we bought them "fall outfits" and we somehow ended up with the white. When we asked them to do an additional group pic in the fall like we asked they said they had already been over their time limit with us so no. We had to wait around for 2 hours for another appointment for them to do the group shot using the fall scene which didn't turn into a group shot because by then Lily was irate. So there were cute pics of Morgan and Renee but none with Lily.

So the pictures of Lily I liked but the group shots were not so hot. Maybe we will have better luck when the girls can sit up. Next time we do a group shoot it will solely be a group session. I think I have learned my lesson. I will probably go back there because I love the CD and the fact you get the pics same day but I think I will expect less. I am going to make an appointment for her Christmas pics so we will see how they turn out and then rejudge. Maybe we just picked a bad day. I did go during the week last time and on a Saturday this time which may be the ultimate difference.

But with that being said here are some cute shots of Lily, Morgan, and Renee from the shoot.

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Want to go Home...

I cannot concentrate at work! All I can think about is the fact I have tomorrow off. We have a busy busy weekend full of fun adult stuff. I have tomorrow off in preparation for EADSFEST 2008. I have to clean, clean, clean and do tons of errands tomorrow. I am going to take Lily to Daycare for a few hours so I can get the cleaning done and then pick her up to do my last bit of errands.

Tomorrow night we have the family coming in to chill. Then early Saturday we have our portrait session at Portrait Innovations with Lily's two cousins. THEN Saturday afternoon is EADSFEST! As you can tell I am a little excited. People are coming from as far as Indiana and as close as next door to compete in the First Annual Eadsfest. I got the tshirts last night. I am picking up the trophies tomorrow, along with the tents, tables, etc. Craziness. I am excited to see all of our great friends and family for a fun filled event of beer, fire (wait til you see what we have in store) and more beer. Did I mention Beer?

I will post pictures of Lily's session on Sunday. Lets cross our fingers they turn out good.

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Drug companies: No cold medicines for kids under 4

FYI to parents with small children. I have put some additional links at the bottom. Moral of the story...let the cough run its course.

WASHINGTON - Children under 4 should not be given over-the-counter cough and cold remedies, drug companies said Tuesday in a concession to pediatricians who doubt the drugs do much good and worry about risks.

The voluntary change in advice to parents comes less than a week after federal health officials said they also saw little evidence that the drugs work. But government officials were afraid that taking the medicines off store shelves might prompt parents to give their children adult medicines.

The drug makers said they will also add a warning that parents should not give antihistamines to children to make them sleepy. These are allergy-relief medications often found in medicines that combine several ingredients to treat a variety of symptoms.

The new measures "reflect industry's overall commitment to the continued safe and appropriate use of children's oral OTC cough and cold medicines," Linda Suydam, president of the Consumer Healthcare Products Association, said in announcing the changes on behalf of the companies.

"We are doing this voluntarily out of an abundance of caution," she added. The new instructions will appear on products distributed for the coming cold season. Last year, the companies pulled medicines for babies and tots under 2 from the market.

Pediatricians, who have been calling for a ban on OTC cough and cold remedies for children under 6, welcomed the industry's latest shift.

"It's a huge step forward," said Dr. Joshua Sharfstein, Baltimore's health commissioner. "There is no evidence that these products work in kids, and there is definitely evidence of serious side effects."

Problems with OTC cough and cold medicines send some 7,000 children to hospital emergency rooms each year, with symptoms including hives, drowsiness and unsteady walking. Many kids overdose by taking medicines when their parents aren't looking.

Since a majority of the problems involve 2- to 3-year-olds, the industry's new instructions, if followed by parents, should help.

"The 2- and 3-year-olds are definitely the highest risk," said Sharfstein. "More than 50 percent of the problem is with these kids. "If they don't have this stuff around the home, they're less likely to grab it and ingest it."

Pediatricians still support recalling the medicines for children under 6, and the Food and Drug Administration is studying their effectiveness for children under 12. But federal health officials said at a public hearing last week that it could take them a year or more to make a final decision and order changes.

Leading cough and cold brands include Dimetapp, Pediacare, Robitussin, Triaminic, Little Colds and versions of Tylenol that have ingredients to treat cold symptoms. U.S. families spend at least $287 million a year on cold remedies for kids, according to Nielsen Co. statistics that do not include Wal-Mart sales.

The industry also said it is expanding an educational campaign aimed at getting parents to be more careful about giving their kids cough and cold medicines.

Parents should never:

_Give adult medicines to a child.

_Give two or more medicines with the same ingredients at the same time.

_Give antihistamines to make a child sleepy.

Parents should:

_Give the exact recommended dose, using the measuring device that comes with the medicine.

_Keep OTC medicines out of sight and out of reach.

_Consult their doctor if they have any questions.

Colds usually clear up by themselves after a few days, and many doctors say rest and drinking plenty of fluids are all that's needed.

More info
http://www.webmd.com/cold-and-flu/cough08/kids-cold-medicine
http://www.webmd.com/cold-and-flu/cold-guide/kids-cold-medicine-safety-information

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Mommy Tip...

For those daycare Mom's out there. Do you hate the sticky stuff left on all your bottles from the endless labeling you have to do? Well I found something that takes it off. Magic Erasers! If you don't have one of these get one! I use them on everything from walls to stoves. They even remove the nasty scummy stuff in the bath tub and showers. Now I can add sticky gunk remover to the endless uses. I sometimes buy the BJs brand of Magic Erasers in bulk and they work well too and a little cheaper.

Now once a week I use the magic eraser on her bottles to destick them and then wash them in the dishwasher. Tad-dah!

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17 weeks

Today Lily has "school pictures." How funny is that?! Even funnier is when the daycare had us selling cookies for a fundraiser. I thought I had at least five years before this stuff started. In anticipation of the school pictures I went shopping with Lily this weekend while Michael did some yard work in preparation for Saturday's Eadsfest. The shopping experience was pretty much miserable and reminded me of why I hate going out alone. She was asleep the first thirty minutes of the trip (which just happened to be the thirty minutes that NONE of the stores were open-malls on Sunday don't open til noon-oops!). Then she was done with the stroller. So I had the chunky monkey strapped in the baby bjorn, pushing the stroller with my bags in it, trying to find her a "fall" dress, meanwhile she is grabbing clothes off hangers in babyGap and yelling every thirty seconds. Yeah it sucked. So I just grabbed three dresses hoping I liked one of them by the time I got home. We will see how the pictures turn out!

This week also marked an important milestone for Lily and the lucky parents. Her first cold! Daycare germs have officially entered the premises. Michael noticed a snot nosed kid earlier last week and sure enough Lily came home with boogers galore. As far as first illnesses we fared well. She continued to sleep through the night, and seemed okay demeanor wise. She was eating a little less and you could hear baby "snoring" at night. One night we elevated her matress on one end. I laid her in there after she nursed and left the nursery. Michael asked me if I put her in there right (head higher) and I made some glib comment about not being stupid. So of course in the morning he went to change her and she magically rolled sideways so her head and body were at the same level. Well Michael thought I laid her like that! "Well I guess you are stupid!" She is still being swaddled so it freaked me out that she might have rolled into that position so no more elevating until she weans off the swaddling. Smothering risk is too great at this point.

A few new behaviors this week. Lily's new favorite thing to do. Pull Mommy's hair! Ouch! Most of you know I love short hair but I grew it out during pregnancy to about shoulder length to have ponytail convenience during maternity leave. I also stopped dying it during pregnancy which would explain why I look like a hooker with a bad dye job. But I really liked the color it changed too while I was hormone crazy. And although Michael loves the long hair, if this behavior continues the hair is getting chopped off! Is this why Mom's inevitably get the "mommy do" of short hair? It is every man's worst nightmare-your wife gets fat and chops off all her hair. Poor Michael his nightmare is slowly become reality. It wouldn't be so bad but when she gets a hold of it you have to pry her fingers off the hair that she is shoving into her mouth! Gross. Which leads me into the next behavior. Everything goes straight into her mouth. Her hands, her blankets, her toys, my hair, my shirt, my hand. You name it she grabs it and eats it. I have been trying to replace her hands with a pacifier which may not be constructive, but no worries it isn't working. She prefers the taste of her own hand.

This week I am starting a weight loss group at work in hopes of losing the last ten pounds of baby weight, plus the weight I should have lost before I got pregnant. I will start keeping you guys up to date on that! Old jeans here I come.

This week we have family in town, Eadsfest 2008, and a portrait session with Lily. Until next week!

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