Cole is practically the next Justin Bieber...

Jamestown Hospital is using Cole's birth story in a print ad set to run in The Jamestown Sun.

Cole was born with a potentially life-threatening condition of his lungs, called a pneumothorax. Learn more about it in this post and this video staring the young Mr. Anderson. Physicians at Jamestown Hospital diagnosed him immediately, saving his life. Today, Cole is just fine. Doctors say they can't even tell he had a lung problem and when he grows, he'll be playing sports just like all the other kids.

We are forever grateful to Jamestown Hospital. Check out this ad in the Nov. 11 and Nov. 23 Jamestown Sun.

Click on the ad to see a larger size.

PS: Best get baby Cole's autograph now before he's too busy walking red carpets.

Guest post: Smile for me baby

At six weeks of age, my son has many expressions including: angry teenager, fish face and IHaven'tEatenInTwoHoursI'mFlippin'Starving. He's gifted us with brief grins all too infrequently, according to the mommy books, true smiles, not just brain synapses, occur sometime between four and 10 weeks. One smile occurred the day after my birthday. Baby tooted soon after, but I'm sure it was still a smile specifically for me. Surely, baby's true smiles aren't too far away. Until then, I'll take whatever I can get, even if followed with a full diaper.

Certified business coach, Annie Kirschenmann, writes about the power of smiles. A baby's smile is like a reward for a job well done. Smiles mean a baby is comfortable and cared for, she said. 

According to Annie:

Every proud parent knows the exhilarating instant I am about to describe:

You have been wondering. . ."Is she really looking at me?  Is he curling his lips because of gas?”  Then - the magic moment when there is no doubt – you know your precious infant recognizes YOU.

Exactly how do you know?  While gazing with focus right into your eyes. . .she smiles.

In The Psychological Birth of the Human Infant, psychologist Margret Mahler describes it this way, “. . .(the infant’s) smile gradually becomes the specific, preferential smiling response to the mother, which is the crucial sign that a specific bond between the infant and his mother has been established.” (Italics are Mahler’s). 

Thus the first relationship is born.  I love that we, as human beings, announce our arrival in the interpersonal world with a smile.  It is one of our first – and most primal – communications.  It says we are safe, cared for and accepted.  In a smile, the baby is expressing and receiving a “pre-verbal” communication – before he has the words to name what is happening.  And so pleasurable is the activity she will actively seek to smile and be smiled at – often.

This means smiling is rooted deeply within each of us.  Because of its social origins, the smile is so basic to our communication structure that we can become anxious when this signal is absent in those around us.  Smiling can reduce stress – in both the smiler and the receiver.  Research also indicates that you can improve your attitude by the simple act of putting your face muscles into a smiling position.  It can also have a positive impact on our vital signs. 

Of course, all this makes smiling powerful stuff!  (And these data points are only the tip of the iceberg – there is much, much more going on in that simple facial movement.)  But back to you and your kids.  Armed with this little bit of information, you can make some choices about enhancing your relationship with a smile.  

A friend I hadn’t seen in several years had become a father in the intervening time.  I asked how he liked being a Dad.  He said, “Oh, my stomach hurts.”  (!)  My look of curiosity must have been compelling, because after a pause he continued, “I am laughing all the time!”  This did not surprise me.  You see, kids smile / laugh naturally and frequently.  Adults?  Not so much.  In fact, children laugh over four hundred times in a day -- compared with the adult average of 15 per day.  Ouch.

So parents and caretakers, you might be a bit out of practice!  Fortunately, kids are experts.  Start by making a choice to really observe her.  When she smiles, look directly into her eyes and smile back.  Often.  Make a point of initiating a smile toward your little loved one.  Often.  Not only will you strengthen your relationship with him; as a side benefit, you are going to feel better and be healthier yourself.

The first language for all of us is non-verbal.  For a while it is the only communication your baby has and she is speaking volumes all the time.  So are you.  Further, this powerful non-language exchange is shaping her experience and sense of self.  More on this in my next blog -- I See You See Me.

Annie Kirschenmann is a board certified Dance/Movement Therapist and a non-verbal communication expert; a Nationally Certified Counselor; and a Certified Corporate Business Coach. She holds her M.S. from Hunter College (NY) and her BA from Macalester College (St. Paul).  Annie’s award winning master’s thesis is on the therapeutic benefits of smiling, laughter and humor.  She is the owner and lead coach/consultant for A.K. Coach and Company (AKACoachAndCompany.com).  She can be reached by email at:  Annie@AKACoachAndCompany.com

Fitness secrets I learned from my son, sorry Jenny Craig

Sometimes, all that will console my child is a good jockey on the knee. It's like he's Christopher Robin's Tigger and bouncing is what he does best. 

Although it keeps me from completing various activities requiring two hands... like folding laundry, cleaning toilets and washing dishes in the sink, I don't yet mind... Probably because it means I don't have to do things like fold laundry, clean toilets and wash dishes in the sink.

In fact, my son is sitting in my cross-legged lap right now, snoozing as a flap my legs like butterfly wings.

I can't stay in this spot forever though. In fact, as I held him yesterday, I stood, flexing my calf muscles a million times a minute. Don't worry though, I can multitask. I watched Sex and the City 2 at the same time.

And while getting out of chores and enjoying girl movies is benefit enough, all this muscle flexing and toning is nice too. Come swimsuit season, this new mother will bounce right into another full-time job: hot mama.

Frugal Feast Friday: deer sausage and sauerkraut

Deer gun season opens in North Dakota today and to mourn celebrate, I cooked with the meat of gunned-down Bambi. Nothing is more frugal than free, right?

Note: I don't have bones with hunting as long as the meat goes to a good cause... like my belly. I just don't like scary people with weapons... and the ugly apparel associated with them. Sorry Cabelas. I actually think harvesting and then eating deer, pheasant, etc., is more civil than farm-raised meat... at least those critters lived cage-free. Hey, if hunters can shoot things, I can fire a few jokes, right?

To cook with North Dakota's favorite entree, it seems only appropriate to combine it with the state's favorite side dish: sauerkraut. Like any dish, this one tastes better with the homemade stuff, but the canned goods work OK too.

May I introduce, Katie's deer sausage and sauerkraut creation:

1). Heat sausage link in skillet of water. Slice 1/2-inch to 1-inch pieces once cooked fully.
 

2). In another pan, simmer half a can of kraut and frozen vegetables of your favorite variety. I chose a stir-fry mix and then added additional frozen carrots and corn. PS: If you're nursing, avoid broccoli and cauliflower as they'll make for a gassy/fussy baby.  

3). Combine meat and veggies and let simmer together on low heat until flavors blend about 30 minutes to an hour. 

Normally I'd serve this on a bed of seasoned noodles or rice, but my grandmother-in-law gifted us with fresh baked buns, so that was our carb for the evening. I like the pasta version best, as it takes some of the sauerkraut sting away and allows for just the right amount of tangy flavor. When boiling the noodles, season them with salt or even better, garlic salt.

 Bon Appetit!

day care dilemma

I toured a day care yesterday and drove home in near tears.

It wasn't the day care, it was me.

On the tour, many children played with toys the center rotates so the children have new objects to manipulate and explore. The youngest of them was too small to walk, so she wailed in an automatic swing as a caregiver prepared her bottle.

I'm not ready for that... extended periods of swinging and wailing for my son.

No matter where he goes while I work, he'll inevitably become a lower priority than what he is with me. All caregivers have multiple children calling for their attention, but at my house, my son is the only one. Sure, he cries. But he's never left to cry while I meet the needs of several other small children-- all of whom are not mine.

Not rushing to a screaming child isn't necessarily bad. I'm sure caregivers aren't neglecting any children. And waiting a few minutes for food and attention likely teaches patience. But the thought of him in an automatic swing all day make me sick. My son can't crawl or walk yet. He's easy to care for, and therefore, likely won't receive as much of it.

If staying at home were an option, I'd take it. At least for a while longer. I *LOVE* my job and almost missed it this election season. Plus, financially, my little family can't get by on one salary.

I want a day care where someone will hold him and read him books. I want somewhere clean and loving and where the caregivers have years of experience plus children of their own. If anyone has any suggestions, I'm open.

I'm very fortunate. My son will be three months old when I return to work. Many mothers don't get that long. But even still, my son seems too young a boy to go full days without his mom. Or maybe it's I'm too new a mom to go full days without him.

postpartum depression reflection

So The American College of Obstetricians and Gynecologists is now recommending ob-gyns screen for depression in pregnant and postpartum moms because depression symptoms not only affect mothers, but their children as well. 

According to the College, as many as 25 percent of women will experience some form of depression. This says nothing of the less severe baby blues, in which a woman bawls over something as insignificant as spilled breast milk. I don't think this finding is all that OhMyGoD shocking given a woman drowned her children in a bathtub and was found not guilty by reason of insanity. Not every mom's experience is (obvs) as severe as Andrea Yates', but surely, after giving birth many women feel:  


* solitude: suddenly she's alone everyday when she was previously surrounded by coworkers and friends 
* exhaustion: babies wake every two to four hours to feed... and that's assuming they aren't colicy or unneccessarily fussy
* helplessness: calming a crying baby isn't always an easy task
* anxiety: in case caring for a newborn isn't daunting enough, new mothers have to learn to do this without the earning power she once had. The United States and Australia are the only industrialized countries that don't provide paid leave for new mothers nationally, though there are exceptions in some U.S. states., according to USA Today.

I know I had those feelings, and I have a happy, healthy baby who's cries I can typically calm with a hot meal, a firm burp or a clean pacifier. Plus, I had an arsenal of adults to help me.

I'm not qualified to make this judgement, but here's a theory.... based on my own experience and relatively no other, outside evidence. Perhaps postpartum depression is part situational... the way a person gets depressed when they mourn the death of a loved one, lose a job or experience some other life-changing event. If a mother had more support, say maternity leave but for daddies, the U.S. would see fewer cases of postpartum depression.

Dads can take parental leave too and ensure a job remains for them when they return, but with zero income for an extended period of time, many families would flounder. So dads don't. Maybe they take a couple days or even a couple weeks, but given the huge life alteration that is a newborn, perhaps it would behoove their family life, work life and all around contribution to society if they took more.

I am very fortunate. My husband can't work right now due to injury... OK, that's not so fortunate. What's great about it though is he keep me company in the middle of the night when baby needs a feeding, diaper, cuddle-time, etc. My husband can take over when baby's fussiness frazzles me. And, most importantly, he is a trampoline I can bounce ideas and issues off of. I don't have to feel bad interrupting him from work or waking him at night since he doesn't have the pressure of an 8-5 right now either.

If more mothers had the luxury of another adult at her aid during the day, perhaps the incidence of postpartum depression would decrease.

Through its studies, the College determined postpartum depression can adversely affect a child's cognitive, neurological and motor skill development. Perhaps we owe it to the children and their families to research treatment like this, rather than the kind that comes in a pill. I'm not saying pills have no use, I'm just saying its possible some mothers might not need them if they had adequate support from the beginning.

And the Frugal Feast Pampered Chef winner is...

The Frugal Feast winner, as generated by random.org, is No. 1, Kevin Cleary of two become one. a blog he and his fiance write about their wedding-planning adventures. In his latest post, Kevin writes about saving money on his TiVo by meeting up with some creepy guy in a Walgreens parking lot. Kevin maybe goes a little too far to save a buck... :) I hope these Pampered Chef cookbooks from Heidi Bear save him both money and time. Congratulations Kevin! I'll need your address for shipping :)