Red Beans & Rice Noodles

The girl who wouldn't nap

Forty minutes total on Saturday. Twenty minutes total on Sunday.

We've read about 5 books on the subject, tried all sorts of things. The "cry it out" method has not worked (we didn't try this until a month ago). The books we read on CIO seem to always tell you that it works after three days. Pah! Not for this toddler. Now that she's walking running she wants nothing to do with naps. We watch for cues, keep her on a schedule, she just doesn't want to sleep during the day. Too much fun stuff to do! Places to run, toddler chairs to wrestle, little Playzones to climb, things to take off shelves!

Yesterday after her 20 minute nap, after she cried for 15 minutes, I decided to try to take a nap with her like we did back in the good old days. So I got her out of her crib and we laid down in the bed. She drank from her bottle, and with wide-eyed intensity she stared at the window. I thought she was sleeping with her eyes open a couple of times... but no. She was, it seemed, concentrating as hard as she could on not being sleepy anymore. She fought it so hard, and she won.

We laid there for another hour and then some, she got really sleepy a few times, flopped around a bit, cried a bit, but then would do the focusing on the window thing again. I got Chuck to come in and drape a dark sheet over the blinds. But it was too late, she'd gotten her second wind. And for the 4th day in a row, she had practically no nap and was very very very very cranky for the rest of the day. Ugh!

She's too motivated for her own good sometimes. She's not a big fan of meals either. And now that she only wants to feed herself ... whew! She obviously needs more sleep, and she goes to bed at night just fine. We keep telling her that she's gonna be 15 1/2 lbs forever if she sleep more. But does she listen? Instead she dances, spins, runs, reads talks to her books, she sings along with the Ting-Tings, she wrestles her chair a little more, and enjoys all of the perks of being tiny and mobile.

te he he

The Great Schlep from The Great Schlep on Vimeo.

McCain's new logo

All image, no substance. No surprise.

From (gasp!!) FoxNews' web site:

Palin Media Blackout Continues

Excerpts:

It has been widely reported that Sarah Palin has yet to give a news conference or even answer a few questions from the traveling press that follow her from city to city on her plane. But, today the Palin camp went to new lengths to control the media, which is covering the GOP Vice-Presidential nominee.
...
This means that the Palin camp has the benefit of pictures of her shaking hands with world leaders and have that video broadcast all over the world, but there would be no risk of her having to answer even one question from a reporter at the beginning of the meetings. It is many television network’s policy, including Fox News Channel to not provide a camera if an editorial presence is not allowed in. Once the campaign realized that these pictures would not be seen they relented, but the print pool is still not allowed to enter the Karzai event, which is about to begin.

Why so shy, SP?

Lies, Lies, Lies, Yeah! – Part 1, inflated energy figure

Why lie? Why do they think the public is so stupid?

Fact Check: McCain-Palin energy figure inflated

An excerpt:

THE SPIN: Palin and the McCain campaign repeatedly have claimed her status as governor of an energy-producing state as a national security credential, most recently in the interview with ABC News anchor Charles Gibson. But Palin has been sloppy in how she states her argument that Alaska is a major player in the energy market.

In the interview, she claimed the state "produces nearly 20 percent of the U.S. domestic supply of energy." McCain, too, has said Palin is "in charge of 20 percent of America's energy supply." More recently, Palin modified her claim to "20 percent of the U.S. domestic supply of oil and gas."

THE FACTS: The statements are exaggerated, some wildly so, according to figures from the U.S. Energy Information Administration.

The most recent figures show Alaska produced 3.4 percent of the nation's total energy output in 2005. The state's largest contribution to that figure was its oil production, which runs about 14 percent of the U.S. total. Alaska contributes about 2 percent of the nation's natural gas production. It produces negligible amounts of coal and renewable energy, and has no nuclear energy.

The only way to get close to the 20 percent figure is to look at Alaska's proven oil reserves, the amount they have determined to be underground and available under current conditions, which amount to 18 percent of the U.S. total.

Where Republican leadership has left us

Broke.

http://money.cnn.com/2008/09/14/news/economy/greenspan/

Greenspan told ABC's "This Week" that the situation "is in the process of outstripping anything I've seen, and it still is not resolved and it still has a way to go."

"Indeed, it will continue to be a corrosive force until the price of homes in the United States stabilizes," Greenspan said. He predicted that would not happen until early 2009, and said the odds of U.S. recession have gone up in recent months.

McCain says he is for change, but he voted the same as Bush 95% of the time. Doesn't sound like change to me.

In fact, McCain said just today at a Florida town meeting that "the fundamentals of our economy are strong."

http://www.salon.com/tech/htww//

September already?

The Peanut is 13 1/2 months old now. Walking, dancing, has four teeth which she enjoys trying to brush after her nightly bath. She likes to try to feed herself, and loves grapes, tomatoes, cheese, pasta, strawberries and blueberries. The scabies itch died down a couple of months ago, naps are still a struggle, but she doesn't fight bedtime in the evenings. She's weighing in at 15 1/2 lbs. Small and mighty!

And that is it for the Peanut update.

Other things I'm doing these days:

1. Being terrified of the possibility of Sarah Palin becoming the vice president. Ugh. How many days til the election? I'm worried about, from the few things I know about this person, having her a heartbeat away from the presidency. So now I think I'll try to present an idea a day to mull over regarding the election:

   Today's food for thought: Why so mum with reporters? I know so little Sarah Palin, and what I have heard sounds very controversial. It seems the McCain/Palin campaign either pulls the gender card or attacks the media when trying to get more information. Last night she was finally interviewed by Charles Gibson on ABC, she seemed to be faking her way through the "Bush Doctrine" question; didn't seem she had any idea what that even is. Oh, and she's only been to Mexico, Canada, and a very recent trip to visit troops in Kuwait and Germany. Makes me really confident in her foreign affairs knowledge... uh, not. Ooh, but she can see Russia from her window. Come on...

2. I've been back to work since July 1, and Chuck is currently on paternity leave with baby Peanut. Ho hum ho hum... I miss being home with my girl, but we need the money... "And so it goes", as Kurt Vonnegut often wrote

3. I'm excited about getting a baby costume for Halloween. Maybe I'll even get her two. I'm digging the Princess Leia costume and the Wonder Woman costumes the most. I'm trying to think of ideas for my own costume (we have a contest at work, last year I went as "Little Dead Riding Hood", didn't win, so maybe this year will be my year. ideas, anyone?). I love the new life that is brought into these holidays now that we have a wee one. Can't wait to do Halloweeny stuff like trick or treating and going to the local pumpkin festival and hay maze for toddlers. Fun fun!

I'll leave you with a photo of the recent Cottage Cheese Incident:

Updated to add: Oh boy... Palin can't pronounce "nuclear" correctly either. Great. Bush part II.