The "what's On Your Mind?" Thread -2018

[Alicia88]

It came with a bunch of nice, sturdy wood furniture. I'm very impressed with the quality. There's just one piece - the screw holes seem to have been drilled incorrectly. The screws are super tiny - the shortest screws I've ever seen - so we're going to go to the hardware store and buy a couple of slightly longer screws and give that a try. It's just for a small decorative piece so it's not a huge deal.

 

[Alicia88]

Poor Aedan had to go to the ER tonight. He was standing, lost his balance, and fell. Blood everywhere. I thought his tooth had poked into the inside of his lip and was concerned he might need a stitch. No, the doctor said his lip caught in the fall and pulled the skin. No stitches, but he said to take him to the dentist because he has a tooth trying to poke through right there and the way it tore might make it hard for the tooth to get through. Conveniently enough, I missed his appointment a week ago because I mixed up the days and had already rescheduled for next week. So, I guess my mistake ended up being beneficial.
I showed the picture to a friend and she said it looks like he had a lip tie that tore. Lip ties usually cause problems with breastfeeding, but he's still nursing like a champ - had no issues, even in the very beginning. Apparently those can potentially cause problems with teeth coming in right or speech delays, but the dentist can diagnose it. He's fine, now, but boy it scared me!

 

[Margret]

Oh, poor baby! Please keep us informed. How is Aislyn handling all the excitement?

Margret

 

[Alicia88]

I kept calm - outwardly, inside I was a mess - to avoid upsetting little man even more and freaking her out. John was at work so I called his aunt to take us to the ER and his mom to come stay with Aislyn. She's fine - she was worried about him, but I let her know that he was just fine and by the time we got home, he was happy and smiling and playing again so she's not worried anymore and she's sound asleep.

 

[Margret]

That's good. I'm glad she was worried - it means she's properly bonding to Aidan - but I'm also glad that she's learning that even copious bleeding doesn't necessarily mean something catastrophic has happened. And so are you, come to think of it.

For what it's worth, it'll be easier to cope next time (and there will be a next time - all kids have occasional accidents).

Margret

 

[Alicia88]

Yeah, definitely. I didn't think it was catastrophic - I'm aware that head wounds bleed a lot - but I was afraid of him needing stitches and I was having a really hard time getting the bleeding stopped. Plus, I was worried that the pain would keep him from nursing properly and since he has never been interested in bottles and only somewhat uses sippy cups, I was worried about possible dehydration. But he's still nursing just fine and if he did have a lip tie and there was a chance of it causing problems, this will draw attention to it and it can be taken care of. Silver lining.

 

[Alicia88]

With all the chaos tonight, I forgot to mention my praises of Aislyn! I've complained several times about the issues with getting her to do a few simple chores around here - clothes in the hamper, toys picked up, bed made, dishes in the sink. Well, while we were at the ER with Aedan, Aislyn cleaned up the living room - mostly Aedan's toys, which aren't even her responsibility so that was just awesome. Every time we ate today, the dishes made it to the sink. Her bed was made. I gave her a bath tonight and after her bath, she went and got into her jammies and immediately went to the bathroom and picked up her dirty clothes - without even being asked! The toys were picked up the first time I asked! I'm so proud of her!!!

 

[Graceful-Lily]

What a lovely dollhouse! I bet she LOVES it!

I almost kinda sorta want one of those hobby ones, that you decorate and buy real furniture for, but I think that could become an obsession real fast.

That's an obsession I think I could live happily with.

 

[Alicia88]

I've been doing some additional research into the lip tie possibility. Apparently, a lot of times if lip ties don't affect nursing, pediatricians leave them alone to tear "naturally" when the baby falls because they tear easily. I thought that was interesting and it honestly eases my "mom guilt" about him falling quite a bit. Definitely asking the dentist about it when we go in. The appointment is either Tuesday or Wednesday; I need to check.

 

[kashmir64]

Man Oh Man, pump troubles. Last night it got so cold the heater in the pump house wasn't even making the place warm. No problem, shut the pump off, drained the tank. No water, no ice. This morning I turned the pump on and there was a leak. Not from the pipes, but from the wellhead itself. Removed all the insulation and found that the 'plug' from the wellhead is missing. I mean gone. It's nowhere to be found. Called my pump guy, who was just walking into church. He will call me back when he gets out, but he did say it was just a threaded plug and no adjustment is necessary when I find a replacement. He may have one, but he didn't know at this time. Problem is, I have no idea what size it is. I'm glad I did turn my pump off or else it could have been leaking all night and there would be bigger problems than just a plug. At least it's an easy fix if I can find the part.
I did for a moment think maybe someone stole it because theirs broke, but there were no footprints in the snow suggesting that, except for rabbit. (unless a rabbit stole it).

 

[Margret]

I did for a moment think maybe someone stole it because theirs broke, but there were no footprints in the snow suggesting that, except for rabbit. (unless a rabbit stole it).

Harvey!

Margret

 

[kashmir64]

Harvey!

 

[Katie M]

The other day, I thought about my family's Encyclopedia Britannica set for the first time in many years. When I was little, I would occasionally pull out a volume and attempt to read it. I had learned to read fairly early, but I wasn't *that* good. By the time I would've been able to, we no longer had the set-we moved around a lot, and the set finally got to be too cumbersome.

I brought this up with my mother today. She admitted that those attempts to read it were likely the only times the books were opened She and Dad bought them before I was born, not because they needed them, but because they just wanted to start a home library and figured this would be a good starting point.

This led to a discussion about pre-Internet research. I brought up a report on Alabama I had to do in elementary school. Mom and Dad had suggested writing to the state government to get materials, so I did-they actually did send me stuff. That and an almanac were my research materials.

I do like how easy it is to find things online, but I can't help feeling like I missed out on something. I had a taste of pre-Internet research in elementary school, and then everything changed.

Since I have to write a paper for my electronic health records class, maybe I'll try not to rely on the Internet so much for my research

 

[Alicia88]

My high school always insisted that only half our sources be internet based.

 

[Graceful-Lily]

This is Dionne. Get it? Because it's Dionaea muscipula!

(No idea why these come out sideways - I apologize in advance for any neck pain in the viewing of this photo)

 

[artiemom]

The other day, I thought about my family's Encyclopedia Britannica set for the first time in many years. When I was little, I would occasionally pull out a volume and attempt to read it. I had learned to read fairly early, but I wasn't *that* good. By the time I would've been able to, we no longer had the set-we moved around a lot, and the set finally got to be too cumbersome.

That reminds me: When I was very young, I was kind of starving for things to read. My parents had purchased an encyclopedia. The books were in a box in the cellar.

I got so bored, one summer, that I started reading them.. from A-Z... Yes, I was crazy..

It took a while, but I did read it all.. and learned a ton...

I guess Iw as really weird... and still am...

 

[Katie M]

That reminds me: When I was very young, I was kind of starving for things to read. My parents had purchased an encyclopedia. The books were in a box in the cellar.

I got so bored, one summer, that I started reading them.. from A-Z... Yes, I was crazy..

It took a while, but I did read it all.. and learned a ton...

I guess Iw as really weird... and still am...

If you’re weird, so am I. My aunt gave me my own set of encyclopedias when I was five. I read them all cover to cover. They were almost like a treasure to me.

 

[Alicia88]

Normal is overrated. I assume. I don't actually know what it's like to be normal, but it looks boring.

 

[LTS3]

I remember my parents taking us to the Encyclopedia Britannica store in the old Jordan Marsh mall downtown in the early 80s. artiemom you probably remember the mall part. They bought a huge set of encyclopedias and a monthly subscription for additional volumes. I remember getting a free pen that was shaped like a lollipop (mine was purple) and pretending to lick on it while a store employee showed me a set of encyclopedias for kids my age and helped me read. I was behind in reading skills for my age group because both parents barely read or understand English so there wasn't anyone who actually taught me basics like reading. Sesame Street doesn't count. The encyclopedias were supposed to be an investment in our education

The initial set of encyclopedias (copyright date of 1986) we got took up two bookcase / entertainment units that we bought specifically to hold them. I believe there were 4 sets: Compton's, Britannica, a set for young readers, and a set for pre-schoolers.

I think we used the encyclopedias up until the early 90s and then just went to the library to get books with newer information. My parents still have the original encyclopedia set and probably a bunch of the Year In Review books in their house More junk to toss out when the time comes. I doubt a set of encyclopedias would be worth anything.

This is Dionne. Get it? Because it's Dionaea muscipula!

Nice plant

 

[kashmir64]

I am so ready for this year to be over.
I found the part needed, but something else is not right. The pump kicks on, but there is no water getting to the tank. I figure that maybe a pipe did freeze. I have the pump off and the heater on, so maybe with any luck I will have running water tomorrow. Good thing I prepare for emergencies. I have about 30 gallons of water stockpiled in case anything happens and am currently melting snow (there's around 4-6") for the toilets.
I remember my grandmother's cattle ranch not having running water, but I was so much younger then.
At least I have a toilet and don't have to tromp through snow to the outhouse like we did back then.