There have been giants on the earth during my lifetime -- Dorothy Day, Elie Wiesel, Saul Alinsky, M. Scott Peck, Studs Terkel. . . .

Bye, Studs ~~ You Done Good. . . .

FRIDAY, OCTOBER 31, 2008 05:12 PM, EDT

Happy Halloween

Ally is 1/2 done with radiation!!!

Things were a little delayed today, apparently not uncommon with the anesthesiologist she had today. That is annoying.

She did well in the clinic today; weighing in at 19 pounds!!! These are pounds she has put on all by herself!

We were told today that after radiation Ally would be scanned. Many times.

Trick or Treating has just begun and Ally is not so sure what to make of it.

The weather where
you are
Is not the weather where
I am

For you are far away
and I am not
I am just here

Snow falls, wind picks up in one place
Pumpkin vines wither, glazed
with frost, in another

Vast sweep of plains and mountains
Gold and purple between us
and time, and time, and time

And yet, the weather
of the heart is steady
and sweet




jjl
30 October 2008

WEDNESDAY, OCTOBER 29, 2008 05:38 PM, EDT

Another good day for Ally. We are seeing very little side effects (she is eating a bit less and has cut down on her apple juice consumption).

The report from the Grandparents is that things went very smoothly at the hospital today. I am glad things have seemed to settle down there. It was tough when things were delayed and messed up because we have received awesome care at the NH hospital 98% of the time in the past and we expected the radiation to go just as smoothly.

We are now looking forward to Ally's reaction of the trick-or-treaters she will see through the window!

I hope she doesn't cry!

If. . . .

I'm not unhappy with my life at all. But if I knew then what I know at this moment, it would be very different. I'd have given up writing and painting, and I'd be an entomologist. Studying these critters. Known as Orchid Mantises. What a way to spend a life!

Green Pumpkin, Shrimp and Surimi Casserole

1/4 cup coconut oil

1 7-pound green pumpkin, peeled, one inch cubes
1 cup finely chopped purple onion
1/4 cup finely chopped garlic

2 tsp basil

2 tsp dill weed
2 teaspoons salt
2 teaspoons freshly ground black pepper
2 pounds shrimp, peeled and deveined and minced
1/2 pound lump Surimi

1/4 cup finely chopped green onions
1/4 cup finely chopped fresh parsley
1 pound Gruyere, or mozzarella, finely grated
.

Place the pumpkin in a large pot and cover with water. Cover and bring to a boil. Continue to cook over medium-high heat until the pumpkin is very tender, about an hour. drain in a large colander. Using the back of the spoon, press on the pumpkin to release as much liquid as possible. Discard any liquid.

In a large frying pan, heat the oil over medium-high heat. Add the onion, and cook, stirring, until soft, about 4 minutes. Add the garlic and cook, stirring, for 1 minute. Add the pumpkin, salt, and pepper, and stir to combine.

Add pumpkin mixture to the shrimp,Surimi , green onions, and parsley and gently stir to combine. Taste and adjust seasoning as necessary. Transfer to the prepared dish and spread the grated cheese evenly over the top. Bake in a 350 degree oven, until the cheese is bubbly and lightly browned, about 20 minutes.

Serve immediately. 8 to 10 servings

*Cooks note: any type of bland squash can be substituted for the green pumpkin in this recipe (merlitons, yellow squash, or zucchini). Long green Italian squashes would work great too. Regular pumpkins can also be used (not the kind for pie, but the big, bland ones more often used for Jack o'lanterns). Butternut or acorn squash does not work with this recipe. The original recipe uses 1 (7 pound) green pumpkin.

** Surimi is "faux crabmeat" -- real crab can be used also. Surimi fits my budget better. . . .

*** This is based on an Emeril recipe with a lotta changes

New Moon, Tuesday, October 28, 2008 at 7:14 PM EDST

MONDAY, OCTOBER 27, 2008 03:25 PM, EDT

Ok....so we had a few scary moments today. It all started last Friday when we noticed Ally's central line looked a little different. It looked like it had pulled out a couple centimeters. We were able to flush her lines and her night time IV fluids went in okay, so we were not that concerned. This morning when I pointed it out to the radiation nurse she put a call in to the cancer clinic. Ally's oncologist said we needed to contact the surgeon who placed it. The surgical team requested an x-ray. So...after explaining to the x-ray receptionist that no, Ally can't wait in the waiting room because she has no immune system 3 times we were finally led to the back. The nurse practitioner that was with me took a look at Ally's line and said it might have to be replaced (with only 3 weeks of treatment left) which would mean surgery. AHHHHHHH!

20 minutes later, as I am driving down the highway my phone rings...the surgeon looked at the x-rays and everything looks good! YEAH!!!!!!!

Scary moments, but everything turned out well!

love is a limit
never crossed
only gently joined

to say I love you
is to say
I will be gentle



--Phil Specht
26 October 2008

White Grandmothers, Black Grandsons

I've thought a lot about that in this last year. I thought about it when I wasn't supporting Obama. He was my second, almost reluctant, choice. He felt too middle for me. Too conciliatory. Too willing to listen to those who have been destroying my country, our country. I came to support him slowly -- about mid primary season, because I kept watching and listening. This is a man who has kindness, and brightness, and a sense of community and unity. This is a man I am proud to hope will be our next president.

By all rights, he might have been my first choice. Not because of his white grandmother, but because of my black grandson. A little boy I totally adore. And whom I fear for. I watch how far this country *hasn't* come in race relations. I don't have to face that for myself. But I do for my grandbaby -- what will be *his* pain when it first slaps him upside the head? And in what way can I prevent that? In what way can I cradle that hurt, and possible anger? I would love to have a black president just for him. And for what it would mean for how far we have progressed, and a marker on the way to the day when it won't matter any more because it won't exist. Neither the hurt, nor the hate.


_________________

"The world is too dangerous for anything but truth and too small for anything but love."
~~ William Sloane Coffin

SUNDAY, OCTOBER 26, 2008 01:39 PM, EDT

It has been a super weekend. Ally is enjoying the outside, her food and the cat.

Tomorrow we have session 6 of radiation.

FRIDAY, OCTOBER 24, 2008 05:35 PM, EDT

Ally did great again today. She did have to get the IV antibiotic (a 1 hour infusion) and she will get it at least one more time before we can switch her back to the oral medicine. Oh well.....we are at the NH hospital anyway.

Things ran smoothly today and it seems all the kinks are out.

At the Cancer Clinic today Ally was super cute and charming all the people she came in contact with (as usual). Her doctor was gushing over how great Ally looked and how she was responding to treatment. In fact many people were gushing over Ally to the point where it was almost, ALMOST, embarrassing. We know she is the super coolest.

I'll try to post more over the weekend, but if I get busy playing with Ally I might not have time. :-)

THURSDAY, OCTOBER 23, 2008 05:06 PM, EDT

Grammy and Grampa said Ally did really well today and things happened on time. We saw that the anesthesiologist that has been causing us problems is scheduled for only one more day, Monday, the day Mommy is bringing Ally up for radiation.

Today we found out Ally does not need blood tomorrow! (Did I mention the blood drive at my school yesterday was in her name? It was!) Grammy and Grampa are willing to do a 4th day in a row of bringing Ally up to the hospital tomorrow because we are not sure if she is getting an antibiotic or not. She was originally scheduled to get a 1 hour antibiotic infusion, but her blood counts are good enough to switch her to a twice daily oral med 3 days out of the week...something we can do at home! We are not sure if the orders have been switched and the prescription called in though. Grammy and Grampa are willing to go so Daddy doesn't have to miss a lot of work tomorrow.

Ahhhhh the crazy schedule we all keep. Luckily the pump has been nice to us at night (only one beep at 1AM this week) and Ally has been sleeping until at least 4AM. Sleep is good!

I haven't mentioned this before because I was not sure if it would "stick", but back when Ally had massive mouth sores she couldn't really use her pacifier and she hasn't gone back since! She is paci free! She now brings Oscar, her pig, everywhere with her.

WEDNESDAY, OCTOBER 22, 2008 06:58 PM, EDT

So, on top of being late the anesthesiologists decided they did not like to dose of anti-nausea meds Ally has received the last 2 days, so they decided not to give her any today. (Eventually the nurses got her a 1/2 dose.) Showing up later will not work, as the group got a talkin' to when they showed up 10 minutes before she was scheduled to go under. 10 minutes later she was still not under, no anesthesiologist was there. When someone finally showed up there was talk of "traffic". Here is the thing with that: Ally was scheduled to be there for 8:30 today (an hour and a half later than the other days) because they hold a meeting every Wednesday that they REFUSE to move, even when they have very small children who are not allowed to eat, waiting. So, why was this person saying stuff about traffic when he should have been in a meeting? These are the same people who kept Ally in pain for a full day after her surgery. They are not our friends, and if things are not better tomorrow supervisors will be spoken to.

On a better note my school held a blood drive in Ally's name. There were 60 slots open for the whole drive. By the looks of the list about 30 teachers throughout the district signed up. Plus many people from the public just showed up. So, my appointment for 3:20 to give blood really happened closer to 4:20. Then, because I almost passed out I hung around for about 40 more minutes sipping juice, snacking on cookies and putting my feet in the air. Good Times! I made a video of Ally that was playing in the background, that everyone found cute! I am hoping for the full results of the blood drive soon (how many people and how many successful donors, etc.)

Time to bathe the little one.

TUESDAY, OCTOBER 21, 2008 06:10 PM, EDT

Ally did well again today, despite the delay. They want us there 15 minutes before she is supposed to go under, but so far they have been late both days. This is a problem, because Ally can't eat until after radiation each day. The longer she has to wait at the hospital (with nothing to do) the more she realizes she is not eating yet. By next week we will have the system working FOR us...either by some talkin' to or by not showing up 15 minutes early.

No side effects yet...they said they would be cumulative. We are not sure if that means she will be puking by Friday, or if that means she will be puking by session 16 or 17.

Ally has been LOVING to dance. Mostly she likes Mommy or Daddy (and I assume Grammy or Grampa during the day) to hold her while one of us dances. Who needs a gym membership?

2 down 18 to go!

MONDAY, OCTOBER 20, 2008 11:04 AM, EDT

This morning went well. Of course they were running a little behind. Ally didn't go under until 7:20. They had to do some extra scans (for the first day only) so it took about 30 minutes for her to come back. When she returned she was snoring loudly. When she woke up she was very groggy and unstable, but want to sit up right away. She had a popsicle before we left, and we were out of there around 8:30. She ate yogurt on the way home and then took a nap. When we got home she wanted pancakes and was playing all around the house by the time we left for work. They expect things to run this smoothly each day!

SUNDAY, OCTOBER 19, 2008 03:02 PM, EDT

Ally has had a super weekend. Lots to eat, lots of energy and last night....drum roll please.....she slept through the night AND the pump didn't beep! First time!!!!! Yeah...I am so well rested I feel I should have done more around the house today than I actually have.

Radiation begins tomorrow at 7:15.

Click chart to see whole version

FRIDAY, OCTOBER 17, 2008 07:57 PM, EDT

Ally did well at the hospital today. She had some blood drawn, her dressing changed and her caps changed on her tubies. She did very well. She actually opened her mouth wide when the doctor asked her to. She (the doctor) was very impressed.

We got a call from her doctor this evening...we feel very important that one of the smartest people in the whole world gives us house calls....anyway...we are able to cut Ally's night time fluids to 300mls (about 10 ounces). This is good, because we don't think she will need a diaper change in the middle of the night.

They were impressed with Ally's eating. She is up to 18.6 pounds! (She was about 17.6 two weeks ago.)

Ally continues to be in a good mood. She is very talkative and energetic.

She is a go for radiation on Monday. Daddy and Mommy are taking the morning off work, leaving the house at 5:30AM to be at the NH hospital a little before 7AM. Radiation begins at 7:15 and lasts for about 15 minutes. Then we will have to wait for her to wake up, then we can bring her home. And then go to work :(

Our medical log site will be down (for renovations) tomorrow, and we are not expecting anything exciting to happen over the weekend, so I will update again after radiation.

Have a super weekend!

The *easier* explanation is that he's really Wormtongue. . . .

Strange McCain Post-Debate Moment Caught In Photo
The Huffington Post | Nico Pitney | October 16, 2008 03:57 PM

http://www.huffingtonpost.com/ 20...t_n_135325.html

One of the comments on it was quite arresting:

"AS A PSYCH NURSE FOR OVER 30 YEARS, I BELIEVE MACAIN EXHIBITS TARDIVE DYSKENESIA. TARDIVE DYSKENESIA IS A NEUROLOGICAL SIDE EFFECT OF LONG TERM US OF THE OLDER ANTI PSYCHOTIC MEDICATIONS SUCH AS HALDOL. THE MOST CHARACTERISTIC TIC ASSOCIATIED WITH ANTI-PSYCHOTIC MEDICATION IS THE INVOLUNTARY TONGUE THRUST. OTHER TICS ASSOCIATED WITH ANTI-PSYCHOTICS ARE EXCESSIVE BLINKING AND JAW GRIMACE. IT IS UNMISTAKABLE AND IRREVERSIBLE. I TOLD A COLLEAGUE SEVERAL WEEKS AGO THAT I THOUGHT MCCAIN HAD TARDIVE DYSKENESIA AND HE AGREED." --bluewater32

Here's some more information:

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/ Tar...dive_dyskinesia

Indications for Haldol:
http://www.rxlist.com/cgi/ generi...haloper_ids.htm
(notable use: schizophrenia)

Side effects of Haldol:
http://www.rxlist.com/cgi/generi.../ haloper_ad.htm
(just like blueater32 said)

Certainly if McCain were suffering from schizophrenia and suffering the undesirable side effects of the medicine to boot, that would explain an awful lot. It also should disqualify him from the presidency, I think, although it should inspire a certain degree of sympathy.

Alan in CA [Thank you!!]

Dear Red States…

We’ve decided we’re leaving. We intend to form our own country, and
we’re taking the other Blue States with us.

In case you aren’t aware, that includes Hawaii, Oregon , Washington ,
Minnesota, Wisconsin, Michigan, Illinois and all the Northeast. We
believe this split will be beneficial to the nation, and especially to
the people of the new country of New California .

To sum up briefly: You get Texas , Oklahoma and all the slave states.

We get stem cell research and the best beaches.
We get Elliot Spitzer. You get Ken Lay.
We get the Statue of Liberty. You get Dollywood.
We get Intel and Microsoft. You get WorldCom.
We get Harvard. You get Ole’ Miss.
We get 85 percent of America’s venture capital and entrepreneurs. You
get Alabama .
We get two-thirds of the tax revenue, you get to make the red states
pay their fair share.

Since our aggregate divorce rate is 22 percent lower than the
Christian Coalition’s, we get a bunch of happy families. You get a
bunch of single moms.

Please be aware that Nuevo California will be pro-choice and anti-war,
and we’re going to want all our citizens back from Iraq at once. If
you need people to fight, ask your evangelicals. They have kids
they’re apparently willing to send to their deaths for no purpose, and
they don’t care if you don’t show pictures of their children’s caskets
coming home. We do wish you success in Iraq , and hope that the WMDs
turn up, but we’re not willing to spend our resources in Bush’s
Quagmire.

With the Blue States in hand, we will have firm control of 80 percent
of the country’s fresh water, more than 90 percent of the pineapple
and lettuce, 92 percent of the nation’s fresh fruit, 95 percent of
America’s quality wines (you can serve French wines at state
dinners), 90 percent of all cheese, 90 percent of the high tech
industry, most of the U.S. low-sulfur coal, all living redwoods,
sequoias and condors, all the Ivy and Seven Sister schools, plus Cal,
Stanford, Cal Tech and MIT.


With the Red States, on the other hand, you will have to cope with 88
percent of all obese Americans (and their projected health care
costs), 92 percent of all U.S. mosquitoes, nearly 100 percent of the
tornadoes, 90 percent of the hurricanes, 99 percent of all Southern
Baptists, virtually 100 percent of all televangelists, Rush Limbaugh,
Bob Jones University, Clemson and the University of Georgia.

We get Hollywood and Yosemite , thank you. Additionally, 38 percent
of those in the Red states believe Jonah was actually swallowed by a
whale, 62 percent believe life is sacred unless we’re discussing the
death penalty or gun laws, 44 percent say that evolution is only a
theory, 53 percent that Saddam was involved in 9/11 and 61 percent
of you crazy bastards believe you are people with higher morals then
we lefties.

By the way, we’re taking the good pot, too. You can have that dirt
weed they grow in Mexico.

Peace out,

Blue States

Hattip to Reed in Vt and HEP

THURSDAY, OCTOBER 16, 2008 08:16 PM, EDT

Tomorrow Ally heads up to the NH hospital for a quick check in. It is kind of a final once over to make sure she is ready for radiation on Monday.

She continues to have good days with lots of food and energy. She has picked up a couple new words as well: Juice and Grampa! Of course we are probably the only ones that can understand what she is saying, but she is making progress!

I'll update about her weight (it should be up, with the amount of pancakes and Mrs. Butterworth's she has eaten in the last week!) and anything else going on tomorrow.

Okay. Vote.

Wed Oct 15, 11:15 PM ET

TUESDAY, OCTOBER 14, 2008 06:36 PM, EDT

Ally slept through the night (in her crib) last night!!! Now, if only that STUPID pump would stop beeping in the middle of the night!

She is still loving Monti being home. Ally likes to follow her from room to room until Monti jumps up on something high.

Ally is doing well with her eating. Hopefully her weight will be a little better on Friday when she goes to the NH hospital for a quick check in.

Strange...things are kind of.....normal. If you can call wrapping your kid in plastic wrap for a bath, hooking her up to fluids and using a pink, mint flavored sponge to clean her teeth because her platelets are still too low to brush her teeth normal!

Full Moon ~~ Tuesday, Oct. 14, 4:02 p.m. EDST

Full Hunter's Moon -- October With the leaves falling and the deer fattened, it is time to hunt. Since the fields have been reaped, hunters can easily see fox and the animals which have come out to glean.

Sometimes a Great Notion. . . .

The evidence is perhaps equally strong, however, that the Bradley Effect does not exist any longer. As can be seen in the Hopkins paper for Harvard University that I have referenced many times, at some point during the mid 1990s the Bradley Effect seems to be disappeared.

http://www.fivethirtyeight.com/


Thinking back to the early 70's in Maryland, when busing was making peeps very angry. My second grader asked, "Mom, what's busing?" I said: "When kids get on a school bus to go to school." "No it *isn't* " he said. "If that's all it is, why is everyone so upset?" So I told him.

A couple of years later, he had a good friend in school. I was constantly hearing about this friendship. I was delighted for him (not a child who made friends easily). It wasn't until parent-teacher conference that his teacher told me that this friend of my son was a black child. A direct result of busing, which I absolutely supported. Something similar happened to my younger son in fifth and sixth grade.

During that period I read a study of the results of busing in other areas. The gist was that, in fact, neither group got a better education from the practice. But that what *did* change was that neither group was any longer *afraid* of the other group.

These children are 44 and 42 -- no longer even young voters. . . . And I have a very hard time imagining either of them voting on the basis of race. And I also imagine that much of America now fits that same paradigm. . . .

MONDAY, OCTOBER 13, 2008 11:06 AM, EDT

Monticore is HOME! (Our kitty has been living with Grammy and Grampa since February.)

Ally is having a fun time following her (Monti) around the house. Of course Monti is exploring and sniffing everything, and running away from Ally.

This weekend Ally has been eating, eating and eating! Her oncologist called us this weekend and told us we could cut back on her night fluids...which in theory is a good thing, but that means if her fluids start at 8PM they end at 4AM.

She has been gaining more energy and independence as well. She will play by herself for about 5 minutes sometimes without needing Mommy or Daddy to be with her! She is LOVING going outside. We went to the park yesterday and she was very happy to go down the slides with Mommy and Daddy. Of course the other adults were looking at us like we were crazy when we purelled our hands about a dozen times.

It has been a GREAT weekend!

FRIDAY, OCTOBER 10, 2008 04:30 PM, EDT

Today Ally had a number of things happen at the NH hospital.
1. Blood Draw - still no results from that.
2. a one hour infusion of an antibiotic she gets every 2 weeks for 3-4 months.
3. Her dressing changed
4. A kidney scan. Her left kidney works better than her right. They injected her with a super small amount of radioactive material and then scanned her. We were originally told she would have to be held down for about 2 minutes while the scan was happening because she needed to be still. Turns out she was their best patient today (they actually said that) and she sat still for them all by herself. Results: both kidneys are good, so as long as nothing else happens radiation is a go for the 20th.

Her oncologist is a little concerned about her weight (Ally's, not her own). Ally still weighs about the same as she did when she was diagnosed (in February). She would also like to see Ally drinking more, with the knowledge that Ally gets fluids all night long.

Have an awesome long weekend!

WEDNESDAY, OCTOBER 08, 2008 04:43 PM, EDT

Nothing new to say.

Ally continues to eat ALL day (a tiny bite here, a tiny bite there).

She is in a good mood most of the time. She loves helicopters, airplanes, lawn mowers and cars!

She goes to DHMC on Friday. I will post how that trip went.

A year

. . . . . for Sarge



feel the earth turning
toward that meridian

and the child you were
looking for the edges:
sky, knives, leaves, love. . . .

how shy we were
tongue-tied almost
trembling

one eye opens
the sunglight glimps'd
through lash fringes

heart runaway
simply t h u m p i n g
then still, so still

waiting
breathless
sweet


jjl
8 October 2008

Go, Peggy!!

"What don't you know and how will you learn it?"

from Peggy in Amherst, New Hampshire

MONDAY, OCTOBER 06, 2008 06:19 PM, EDT

Things are pretty much going the same. The nights are not so fun, she is very persistent about having Mommy (and sometimes Daddy) snuggle with her. It is better when she cries at 3AM rather than 11PM, because then we get a longer block of sleep. It is trickier to get good sleep with a baby head smashing into yours. Okay....I am done talking about the rotten sleep we are getting. The next time I talk of sleep will be when we get some of the good stuff.

Ally enjoys the following to eat:
english muffin with cream cheese
waffles and syrup (or pancakes or french toast)
yogurt and whipped heavy cream
grasshopper cookies
apple juice, milk, pediasure (about 2-3 ounces a day)
It is great she likes all these things, but she likes them a couple bites at a time, over an hour period, and then she will want to switch to something else. She eats ALL day, and it amounts to as much as I could hold in my hands.

She is cracking us up with all of her chatter and games. She is very big at hiding on people who come home, she rips any paper product she can get her hands on and likes to peer out the window and spy on the neighborhood dogs.

Wild Hearts. . . .

Hugz, baby, hugz!!

SUNDAY, OCTOBER 05, 2008 07:40 AM, EDT

So, the sleeping thing is not going as well as we would have hoped. The pump was good last night and Ally did make it by herself until about 3AM this morning. She is very persistent and wants to snuggle with someone...emotional reasons I suppose and perhaps because it is COLD in our house! We will keep trying. I can't wait until she no longer needs night fluids...although I think I remember them saying something about being on fluids throughout radiation.

Ally is trying to eat and drink more!

Hattip to EasyBakeCoven. . . .

FRIDAY, OCTOBER 03, 2008 08:22 PM, EDT

Here is a lot of random stuff:

The report is that Ally did well today at the NH hospital. She ended up not getting platelets. They moved up to 28 all by themselves. A nurse will come and draw blood on Monday to check her levels again.

She did get some magnesium through her central line today, and they changed her nighttime fluids to include magnesium.

Of course she was super cute with the nurses and doctors today. The word is she gave and extra special kisses (she makes kissing noises and sometimes brings her hand to her mouth) to her primary oncologist as she was leaving Ally's room.

Ally ate more today than she has since she has been home. She decided to take one long nap in the middle of the day, so she went to bed a bit early tonight.

Here is some extra good news: The last round of chemo she had included a chemo drug that damages hearing when given in high doses. She got a super high dose of it. BUT.....when I whisper to her she hears what I am saying! She may have some hearing loss, but it seems, at least at this point, that she will not need a hearing aid!

One more thing...they told us Ally would get 5 tattoos. I counted 7 last night when we were getting her ready for bed. Maybe we can connect them into a cool pattern when she turns 18.

Here is to a "restful" night as we try to let Ally do her best by herself.

FRIDAY, OCTOBER 03, 2008 07:38 AM, EDT

We got a call last night from Ally's doctor. The blood they took from her on Wednesday showed her electrolytes were acting funny. Also, her platelets dropped to 26. She is on her way to the NH hospital this morning for more blood work and probably platelets. They are going to order her some new fluids for the evening with the electrolytes she needs in them (that way she won't have to take yucky potassium or magnesium orally).

Pretty good sleeping last night.

THURSDAY, OCTOBER 02, 2008 06:34 PM, EDT

Ally had a good day with Grammy and Grampa. She got to go for a walk (and got caught out in the rain...poor Grammy and Grampa were wet, but Ally was bundled up nicely).

Last night Ally was sleeping well and then at 11:00 we were woken up to beep beep beep beep beep beep....
Her pump had air in it. Daddy looked it all over, could find no air bubbles (tiny ones are okay, big ones, not so much), finally made it stop beeping. We were sure Ally would need a grown up to sleep with for the rest of the night, but she went right back to sleep.....until 11:45 when it happened again. Stupid pump, just a tiny air bubble and it beeped like crazy. This time she needed someone to sleep with. It was Daddy's turn, because Mommy had to get up earlier. Ally wanted Mommy. We switched, and then when it was time for Mommy to get up Daddy had to do another quick switcharoo and take my place. Our girl Ally is smart. She rolled over, felt Daddy's face and was not fooled.

Wish us luck for quiet pumps and a baby who sleeps at least most of the night by herself. We have decided to "break the habit" starting tomorrow night.


listener sent along those words of wisdom:
"A habit is easy to break; a need is not."
Sure hope they are all sleeping well soon!