A day in the life...

Noah is the Master of the Non-Sequitur. Some of my favorites from today:

"Mom, I'm going to need something to drink because I'm going to cuddle with Mabel now."

Me: "Noah, this is Dennis. He's gonna clean our gutters for us." Noah: "Mommy, sometimes I don't like it when mushrooms grow."

"Daddy, I need some juice because my finger hurts."

Other children -isms from today that I feel I need to share:

Luke recently learned the word "no." (He's a late talker, to say the least.) This is literally the only word that comes out of his mouth that anyone but his parents could understand. Clear as a bell. So this afternoon, he strolled up to Mabel, sat down in front of her, and said, "No!" Mabel walked away. Luke got up, followed her, sat back down in front of her and again said, "No!" Again, Mabel departed. Again, Luke followed, sat down and told her, "No!" I have no idea what Mabel was doing that Luke didn't like, but this all went on for about 5 minutes. Hysterical. Matt says I need to video these things and post them. We'll see about that...

Matt and I took the boys out for a "walk" tonight. I filled a plastic cup with a glass of wine before we left the house, because I knew this wasn't gonna be easy. We first spent the 30 minutes of the "walk" assembling a push-trike that we bought for Luke. We figured he'd enjoy being pushed around on his own bike while Noah rode his big-boy bike. We leashed the dog, grabbed the wine and the bikes, and headed down the driveway and out of the cul-de-sac. It took us 45 minutes to go the length of 3 houses. Luke only wanted to hold Mabel's leash. Then he wanted to hold her leash while he sat on his bike. Mabel only wanted to pee in the neighbor's yard. Noah didn't want to pedal his bike -- he only wanted to be pushed. Then Noah wanted to ride Luke's bike and Luke wanted to ride Noah's bike. Then they fought over who was going to hold Mabel's leash. Then Luke abandoned his pursuit of the leash when he realized Noah's bike was unattended. He made a mad dash for the big-boy bike, but he apparently forgot he's only 21 months old and can't reach high enough to climb on. This fumbling took just long enough for Noah to figure out what was going on, drop the leash and furiously attempt to reclaim his bike. So Luke starts screaming. At this point, we decide to abort our mission of cruising the block and just head back home. We ended up walking home with Matt carrying Luke and holding Mabel's leash, while Noah pushed Luke's bike and I pulled Noah's bike, wishing I'd filled my glass a little more.

Both of these stories likely fall into the category of "you had to be there," but Matt & I are about to open our second bottle of wine right now, so who the hell cares.

Info on the bad stuff in plastics

In response to the Media Dude's "kind" request for further information, I had my servants compile the following:

1) Phthalates (and DEHA): These are found all over the place -- perfume, iphones, plastics, shower curtains, nail polish, lots of things that have "fragrance" on their ingredient list (cosmetics, baby lotions, household cleaners, paint, etc.). In plastics, they are used to make the item "flexible." (Some of you, ahem, may also need to know that they are commonly used in jelly-rubber sex toys.) As usual, Europe is ahead of the U.S. on dealing with these substances -- many of them are already banned in children's toys and cosmetics. Studies are being conducted on the effects on metabolic, endocrine and reproductive functions. For instance, a study this year on baby care products containing phthalates showed that among infants using the products, researchers found the levels of phthalate-concentration had increased. And a 2005 study on baby boys whose mothers were exposed to phthalates during pregnancy showed "a shortened anogenital distance." And the authors of a study of Finnish boys with undescended testis hypothesized, based on their findings, that exposure to a combination of phthalates and anti-androgenic pesticides may have contributed to their condition. And in 2007, a study of men conducted by researchers at Rochester School of Medicine and Dentistry concluded that urine concentrations of four phthalate metabolites correlate with waist size and three phthalate metabolites correlate with the cellular resistance to insulin, a precursor to Type II diabetes. All that being said, no one has said conclusively that this stuff can mess with your body, and there are lots of organizations out there (like the Phthalate-Users Association of America, otherwise known as NAMBLA), that says they are perfectly safe.

2) BPA: Bispenol-A is used to make plastics hard, and it's also found in the lines of most canned goods (including organic canned foods), soda cans and plastic water bottles. From The Green Guide, "According to its critics, BPA mimics naturally occurring estrogen, a hormone that is part of the endocrine system, the body's finely tuned messaging service. 'These hormones control the development of the brain, the reproductive system and many other systems in the developing fetus,' says Frederick vom Saal, Ph.D., a developmental biologist at the University of Missouri. Endocrine-disrupting chemicals can duplicate, block or exaggerate hormonal responses. 'The most harm is to the unborn or newborn child,' vom Saal says." And recent studies on rodents have linked bpa to cancers, early-onset of puberty, obesity and type-II diabetes. The U.S.'s National Toxicology Program found that even low levels of bpa can alter brain behavior and can cause changes in the prostate and mammary glands. Based on these findings, Canada is banning bpa use in baby bottles. And now our favorite NY senator, Chuck Schumer, is trying to do the same in the U.S.

Euphonious Phantasm

I'm proud announce that my brother is for sale on Amazon! His CD, that is. Check it out if you have a chance. This is my youngest brother, Matt, who's currently working on his master's degree in historical preservation from Clemson University (studying in Charleston). And he's also been a frequent commenter on this very blog! I know he's my brother, so I'm not exactly objective, but we're all totally impressed. Yay Matt!

And Noah got a "medium size guitar" for his birthday yesterday (he requested that size because, in his words, he is "a medium size boy -- not too big and not too little"). He's says he's gonna be a rock star when he grows up (and a "scuba diver who studies whales" and "a scientist of the volcanoes"). So I'll post the link to his album as soon as he's finished recording.