poppfamily 's Home Page

Well, at long last, my Mommy finally found some time to update my website! It's been so long since the last update, there's a LOT to report, so sit back, relax, and get ready for a LOOOONG update!

First of all, we moved into a new house at the end of May! This is the very first house Mommy and Daddy have owned, and they're very excited about it! It's a really pretty house, and we have a beautiful backyard, and even a little POOL! I especially love the pool - I spent a lot of time in it over the summer! To see pictures of our house and our yard, click HERE.

Another great thing about our house is that we're right up the street from my Grandma Peggy and Pop-Pop Billy! I get to see them all the time, and Mommy and Daddy say they're a big help to us, since they're so close. But wait - it gets even better! Our wonderful friends, the Rooneys (Ben, Dena, and Emily), are buying a house on our street, too! They're going to move in sometime in the next couple of months, and Mommy and Daddy can't wait!

We were moved into our new house in time to have my first birthday party there! We had a barbecue out in the backyard, and lots of family and friends came, including Mommy's friend Kerry from her June Moms' email list and her family! Mommy was so excited to finally meet Kerry in person, and I liked meeting my June-buddy Sarah and her big sisters! Mommy gave me my very own piece of cake, and everyone watched me eat it! Luckily, Mommy had the idea to "strip me down" to my swim diaper before she gave it to me, 'cause I made a pretty big mess!! After I was done, Daddy just took me in the pool to clean me off! Talk about fun - first cake, then a swim! It doesn't get much better than that!

I got lots of great gifts for my birthday, including several different walking toys. Those toys really did the trick, 'cause I started walking about a week after my party, even though I hadn't really been pulling up or "cruising" much before then! Now, I'm not only walking like a champ, I'm RUNNING! Mommy and Daddy say I can be pretty exhausting, but hey, there's a whole WORLD out there just waiting to be explored!

Another piece of big news is that my Aunt Wendy and Uncle Jon got married in July! It was fun to see so many of our family members and friends all at once - I especially liked getting to see my cousins Sam, Seth, and George! Sam and I wore matching outfits, and the "big boys," Seth and George, wore matching outfits, too. Unfortunately, we didn't get a picture of all of us together, but believe me, we looked pretty darned cute! Everyone looked really nice all dressed up, but Aunt Wendy outshined us all -- she looked like a PRINCESS!

The wedding was beautiful, and it was made all the more memorable by the several faintings and near-faintings that occurred during the ceremony! Mommy sang one of my favorite John Denver songs, "Annie's Song," and she said that all the fainting made her a lot less nervous, 'cause she was ahead of the game just by staying on her feet! Sam and I slept through most of the reception, but Mommy and Daddy said it was a lot of fun. Seth and George had fun dancing - I wish I coulda stayed awake, 'cause I LOVE to dance!

We went on vacation a few weeks ago with the Rooneys and our other dear friends, the Christmans (Scott, Lisa, and Alyson). We went to Deep Creek Lake, in Western Maryland, and we had a wonderful time! Mommy has lots of fond memories of going to Deep Creek Lake with her family and the Wadles when she was younger, and it was fun to make new memories together.

While on vacation, I FINALLY decided to start talking! My first real word was "ball," and I quickly learned several other words, including "book," "banana," and "tree." (My "Uncle" Scott taught me "tree.") I also say Mama and Dada, but not always in reference to Mommy and Daddy. Before I said these "real" words, I was "talking" a little bit - I said "uh oh," and I said "ni-ni" to tell Mommy when I wanted to nurse. That made Mommy so happy, since she had to work so hard to breastfeed me because of her breast reduction surgery. (For more information about breastfeeding after reduction surgery, go to the BFAR website!)

I had my fifteen month pediatrician's appointment last week, and I went to see a new pediatrician, since we moved too far away from my old doctor. My new doctor's name is Dr. Baldwin, and Mommy and I both liked him a lot! We also liked getting to see my "Aunt" Sue Aaron, who works in Dr. Baldwin's office. At my appointment, we found out that I weigh 23 pounds, 10 ounces, and am 32 inches tall. I also had conjunctivitis (pink-eye), but I was considerate enough to wait to get it until a day that I had a pediatrician appointment anyway! I didn't want Mommy to have to make a special trip! :) Dr. Baldwin gave me some eye drops, and my eye cleared up right away!

Well, that's enough of an update for now! Thanks for stopping by! Mommy's going to *try* to update more often, so check back occasionally, or sign up for my email list by clicking on the "Listbot" button below! Mommy and Daddy recently got a digital camera, so look for lots of new pictures to be added in the future!

Mommy has been pretty upset lately about the recent Consumer Product Safety Commission warning regarding parents sleeping with their babies. She worries that most people will just take the warning at face value, rather than taking the time to educate themselves about this issue. Mommy thinks that the warning is based on a flawed study that failed to take into account many important factors, and she thinks the CPSC has overstepped its jurisdiction by trying to give parenting advice rather than product safety information. If they really wanted to give safety information, they should have issued recommendations as to how to SAFELY sleep with your baby, rather than simply warning that parents should NEVER do so. (Babies die in cribs every year, but the CPSC doesn't react by saying that no-one should ever put their baby in a crib; it issues recommendations about making sure your baby's crib is safe!)

Safe Co-Sleeping by Dr. William Sears. A pretty comprehensive response to the CPSC warning by Dr. Sears, one of the "patron saints" of co-sleeping and attachment parenting. Contains some really good information in easy-to-understand language.

Sleep Safety by Rebecca Cooper.
This is a great article by Mommy's friend Becca, which points out some of the flaws in the CPSC study, and includes information not only on safe co-sleeping, but safe crib-sleeping as well.

Get Out of My Bedroom! This is another good article by Peggy O'Mara, editor of Mothering Magazine.

Here are some other links to general information about the many benefits of co-sleeping, aka Family Bedding: