Sunday, May 23, 2010

Greetings from the Land of the Itchies

While I'm temporarily un-itchy and unmedicated (there's a brief window like this every day), I thought I'd quickly post about a couple of things that I need help with.
  • My cousin is graduating from high school on Friday. We can't make it to her open house, but I want to send her a gift. What do you give 18-year-old girls these days??? I've already been on anthropologie.com looking around, but I've had to dismiss all items there as too quirky and/or too personal. I really don't want to do a gift card, because I can remember burning through those when I graduated and couldn't tell you now who gave gift cards. I DO remember, however, the gifts. A big basket of Bath and Body Works soaps and lotions for going away to school, from an old friend of my parents' (actually the lady who set them up on a blind date!). Oh the things you remember. In any case, I want to give a gift that Leeann will use, love, and of course, remember that I gave her. :) HELP?
  • When do you introduce a pillow into your child's sleeping routine? I've been using a makeshift pillow (of folded sheets) under Will's crib sheet for aiding him through nights of yucky congestion, but now I'm wondering if I can just get him a really shallow pillow? When do you do this?
  • I need any/all advice for introducing table food to a child who's a champion gagger. Anything with any texture beyond the most pureed of pureed foods seems to gag Will and this is frustrating for us, because I'd love to get him beyond baby food by the time Lucy comes, so we can cut out that expense and simply feed him what we're eating for dinner, at least.

I will probably hear from the doctor tomorrow concerning the blood/liver bile test results, so until then I'm just trying to keep busy and not worry. That is, when I'm not passed out from the effects of prescription-strength antihistamine or so itchy that I can't sit still or think straight!

9 comments:

Anonymous said...

I agree about the graduation gift dilemma. I remember for my high school graduation, Phil and Lisa gave me a ton of school supplies, some of which I still have and use regularly. It was an awesome gift, and I've never forgotten it! Maybe we can go in on something together. I would suggest something practical rather than sentimental. She'll be living away from home, so what about some necessities? You would know better than I what she would need. What do you think?

Unknown said...

An ADORABLE shower caddy! I just saw one in the thirty-one catalog for teens this month. (http://31direction.dirxion.com/WebProject.asp#) You can pick out your own fabric (they have awesome fabrics) and have her name embroidered on it. Totally beats the junky plastic one I had my freshmen year of college -- and it's something I don't think a freshmen in college would spend the money on! :)

As to the baby food. I have no ideas. We have a stellar eater on our hands! We rarely did baby food from a jar though - we just put our food in the blender. Have you tried that??? The flavor of real food might entice him and then you can start blending it less and less??? I don't know - like I said we didn't have a gagger! :)

Glad to hear you have a few momentary reprieves from the itchies now and then! We're still praying for you!

Unknown said...

Rowan is a gagger, too. We still have issues with that! I gradually introduced more textured foods using the different stages of baby food and eventually made it to the soft meats and bite-sized veggies. It got much easier after he had several teeth and could chew things up.

ashley said...

For my sister's high school graduation, I made her a first aid kit to take to college. I got a small plastic bin and put bandaids, neosporin, tylenol, etc. in it - anything a college kid might need. It was fun to put together, and I think she liked it.

Of course if your cousin isn't headed to college yet, that does change things!

Another gift I got that was cool was a neat mesh laundry bag and a roll of quarters. Heh :-)

Kate said...

I always like to give a somewhat grown-up gift to grads...for girls, something like a luxury make-up bag for weekend trips home or a pretty purse mirror. I guess nowadays a laptop case would be a good idea, too. Or what about a beautiful wallet that has a gift card in it?

Kate said...

Oh, sorry, forgot to read the other 2 before commenting!
I didn't get Adele a pillow until she moved to her big bed. I don't trust any un-breathable blankets or pillows until 2. Maybe I'm weird....
Do you have a easy baby-food grinder? I agree with Emily above - grind up whatever you're eating. Saves you the cost of baby foods and gets him used to regular food tastes but it's still pureed so he can eat it. My baby food grinder can turn anything into basically a thin paste, so gagging is averted.

amy (metz) walker said...

I read about your itchy thing and then ended up seeing a post by Angie on audreycaroline.blogspot.com and it was eerily similar. Hope everything comes back ok!

Unknown said...

About the pillow question...

I kind of let the boys dictate when they were ready. They have very different sleeping styles, but I think they were both somewhere between 12 and 18 months when I started introducing a pillow.

And then I started with one that was kid size (like a travel pillow) so it was easy for them to push out of the way in their sleep. I also made sure it was a firm pillow so they wouldn't sink down into it.

Also, I started them off with a pillow at naptime so I could keep a close eye on them and make sure they did okay with it. When I felt like they had the hang of it, I let them have it at night.

I didn't switch them to full size pillows until they were two or three years old.

Dawn Williams said...

Pillow: I also start mine in the 12-18 month range. And definately with a firm pillow. I've found a product I LOVE called Pillow Pets. (online) They fold out to be a firm, yet cozy pillow, or kind of fold up to be a pet and easier for travel. They aren't a full sized pillow either, just perfect for kids. I feel very safe with my kids sleeping on them and they all love them! Drew has always loved using a pillow and it definately helps when they are sick/congested.