Watching Tam sleep

Watching Tam sleeping is so sweet and a bit funny at the same time :-)

Is latest trick is flinging his arms above his head ...Wave them in the air like you just don't care!

And then there are his baby dreams.  He tends to smile randomly while dreaming and then laugh out loud.  These laughs are a hoot to watch because they seem to be big belly laughs.  He hasn't really laughed like this while awake, so I wonder if he is just practicing?  What IS he dreaming about?  My guess is his dreaming about milk and boobies :-)  Or maybe dreaming about the funny faces Brian and I make at him.  Or maybe he is laughing while making a poopy diaper in his sleep!

Sheesh.  Too cute!

Oh, how true this is in our Intro Biology courses ...

I have gotten the feeling that many of our students don't really want answers. Instead, they just want to ask questions to hear their own voices. This is because either
1) They have stopped thinking about the question as soon as I start giving an answer.

or

2) They are asking the question because they are too lazy to look in their book themselves for the answer.

or

3) They want to know the bare minimum knowledge and not a degree more and are asking about where that line might be.

Examples:
"What are we doing in lab today?" - Ah, read the syllabus - that's why I write it.

"1ml and 0.1ml is the same, right, so I can add either to this broth and get good results?" - Sure...please promise me you won't become a doctor and control anyone's medicine dosages.

"Is this going to be on the exam?" - It wasn't, but since you asked, I'll make sure to write a really difficult question about it now.

So...my inquisitive mind wants to know if this trend is local or prevalent across this generation?
Is this a product of the video age? Or is it just because my college here isn't drawing the cream-of-the-crop kiddos? Hmmm...You can tell that it's Friday and I'm in dire need of chocolate.
Now, what was I saying again?

New blog to follow :-)

I stumpled across this blog written by a fellow techno-geek father...
It's great for a laugh!
www.thingamababy.com

If you scroll down a bit you'll find an entry pertaining to the "the potty trainer from hell". It's a youtube video of an invention to "help" with potty training. My Word! I would hate to have to learn with that!

Anywho...its good for a laugh or two, especially for my friendly geeky friends out there (with or without kiddies).

And now the world of Car Seats

Out little guy is growing like a weed and getting long and heavy for his current infant bucket car seat/ carrier.  Technically, according to the specs on the carrier, he should be able to be safe in it until 22lbs or 28 inches.  On most babies (50 percentile), this should be about 6-9months.  Fast growing baby Tam, might be out of this sucker within the next couple of months at age 4 or 5months.  So now I have entered . . . 

THE CAR SEAT MAZE

What is something that every child must (by law) have and used?

What is different from model to model as one baby is from another?

What is made only by a handful of manufactures who have a corner on the market?

What should be purchased after trying to see how your baby fits in it and how it fits in your small car... BUT many stores don't carry many models or won't let you try it in your car before you buy?

Yes...car seats!

I've at least figured out that I need the following specs:

Convertible - No, not that it's missing a top, but that it converts between rear-facing and front-facing in the car as the little one ages.

Rear-facing to at least 30lbs - Safest for little guys to be backwards until 1 year at least.

EPP foam protection on sides - Safety for side-crash collisions

Small footprint - Dude, our car is small!  This needs to FIT in the backseat even though our car is not a SUV.

Deep seat - for lower center of gravity, again, for better fit of baby in seat and better safety.

5-point harness - Safety, yet again...BUT I would like the crotch strap to have two separate snaps instead of the two fitting together like a puzzle before snapping. (Just easier to snap).

Removable & washable fabric - Car sickness = 'nuff said.

Wait...did I mention Safety?

Other stuff that may be on a car seat depending on how much you want to spend...

Arm rests - What?  Is kiddo really going to "rest" his arm when his older?

Funky fabrics that cost more - Um, plain is fine and I'll just make sure he's in funky clothes.

Cup holder - Really?  I may just tell him to suck it up if he's thirsty and wait until the next rest stop.  As a kid, we didn't have ANY cup holders in the back seat.

So here's what I'm considering:

First Years True Fit Compass

Pros - Rave reviews, High safety rating, Removable head rest for better fit in small cars (BIG plus), Not too pricey at $180ish and price may drop soon 'cause newer model coming out.

Cons - Newer model to come on market end of March 2009...And I too impatient to wait?  Newer model also costs more than $200.  May be pretty wide in our back seat.

Apparently the Britax brand is very popular too: 

Britax Marathon

But do I want to shell out this money for about the same as the Compass?

And then there is Sunshine Kids 65 or 80:

Sunshine Kids

Good about this one is rave reviews, safe to 65 or 80lbs (depends on model), and it FOLDS UP? What?  Yep, a transformer-like car seat.  This means it has a smaller width in the backseat of the car too.  Cost between the above two at about $216.

But how to decide?  We'll cruise the shops this weekend to see if any these models are in the locals stores to have Tam "try" them :-)

I still totally thought John Lennon :-)

Questions that may never be answered . . .

Here's a list of ramblings that I was thinking about while feeding Tam this morning 'round 6 am. The mind does crazy stuff early in the morning...

• Why do they put functional pockets on baby clothes? It's not like they are putting anything in them.
• Why don't we have a type of pavement that is impervious to potholes? The inventor of this would make millions!
• If someone says "Whoa! That smells horrific...here smell this", why is it that the next person ALWAYS smells it too?
• Why don't humans have wings? It would cut down on airplane prices, but probably up the "terrorist threat."
• Why is it that your finger conveniently fits in up your nostrils? There is nothing up there for them but trouble. Tam has just figured out this great trick.
• Why are there nipples on men? They aren't for milk. Are they only there as a place to put clamps?
• Why does nearly everyone try to eat crayons at some point early in life? Admit it...we've all done this. So now, crayola has this crayon that sits inside a big plastic holder. Supposedly it is easier for small hands to hold this fat crayon holder, but is it preventing the gnawing on crayons as well?
• Not only can you wonder how many angels can dance on the head of a pin, but what kind of dance do they perform? I think it might be the line dance to "Personal Jesus."
• And a friend randomly asked me: "In what shape would you make a device capable of destroying the Earth, and where would you keep it?" I would totally make a stealth device that look convincingly like a cute harmless puppy or maybe make a mind control device that was placed in all Blackberry devices or maybe even a big honking ray gun like Marvin the Martian had and I would keep it on the roof but tell people it was merely a telescope for studying the sun :-)