Brief Personal Update

[mabfan]

Life has been very busy recently, what with my need to campaign to keep my Library Trustee seat on top of the usual things that occupy life. So for those of you who have been wondering what we've been up to (other than working), here's a brief update.

On Sunday, Nomi's parents came over to spend time with the kids. I also discoverd the movie camera feature on my PowerShot camera and so have started to make home movies of the kids.

On Monday, Nomi and I both worked from home, which allowed us to take the kids outside to watch the 114th Boston Marathon.

On Tuesday, Nomi bought us more formula for the kids. She had a dentist appointment in the evening and so a friend hung out with me to help me watch the kids. We talked about writing, which was good.

On Wednesday, Nomi filed our campaign finance report with the Town Clerk. It's now public record how much money we raised and spent, and where it all came from and where it went.

On Thursday, I took a personal day so we could take the kids to their nine-month pediatrician appointment. This is the one where they do a blood test for hemoglobin and lead, and I had to hold the kids down while the technician drew blood. They cried, of course, and I felt bad about having to restrain them. In the afternoon, Nomi and I paid a shiva call to a friend who just lost her father.

Today I'm planning for our Sunday campaign meet-and-greet in Coolidge Corner.

That's the week in a nutshell. Any questions?

Comments

[desperance.livejournal.com]

One question, one complaint:

Why do they do a routine test for haemoglobin and lead in the blood? (I know nothing, me: I assume that they hope to find the one and not find the other, but further than that, am all ignorance.)

And: you don't post enough about the kids. We want twinspam, damn it...

[mabfan.livejournal.com]

Hemoglobin because they want to make sure that the kids are getting enough iron in the blood. It's necessary for oxygen to get around the body.

Too much lead in a child can cause developmental issues, so they want to make sure that children are not eating lead paint or being exposed to lead some other way.

Twinspam! Well, there was the photo today. Most photos get posted in the Flickr group, which I think you are on. Unfortunately, we have no way of emailing all the members to tell them when new photos are posted...

[desperance.livejournal.com]

Yup, I do see the pix (and thank you!). I just feel you should talk more, in that obsessed-father kind of way. Other people's parenting is a constant pleasure.

I'm not sure if we have routine tests for these things over here in the UK. 'Specially since they took lead out of petrol: opportunities for exposure would seem few these days. Still, better safe than sorry. I trust the kids passed with flying colours...

(Also, best of luck in the election! There should be more writers involved in libraries...)

[cathshaffer.livejournal.com]

These aren't normally routine tests unless you have reason to suspect anemia or lead poisoning. I would ask the pediatrician why he feels the need to screen all babies for this. (Especially given that it's a painful poke for parents and babies.)

[mabfan.livejournal.com]

Really? All the new parents in our area tell us the tests are routine and have had them. (Maybe it has to do with how much lead paint was used in apartment buildings in the Boston area over the years.)

[cathshaffer.livejournal.com]

We have just as much pre-1978 housing here. It may be a regional thing. I read an article a while back about how these sort of regional medical customs develop--doctors conform to a local norm in their practice. It's not a big deal. A blood test won't hurt.

[abbasegal.livejournal.com]

Lead paint is endemic in Massachusetts, so part of the state code of public health is that all children are to be tested between 9 and 12 months, and then again at 2 and 3 (see for example http://www.mass.gov/?pageID=eohhs2terminal&L=6&L0=Home&L1=Consumer&L2=Community+Health+and+Safety&L3=Environmental+Health&L4=Environmental+Exposure+Topics&L5=Lead&sid=Eeohhs2&b=terminalcontent&f=dph_environmental_lead_c_faq&csid=Eeohhs2).

I don't know if lead paint is worse in MA than in other places around the country/world, or if MA just has a more activist Public Health department, but there it is...

[cathshaffer.livejournal.com]

Ah, that explains it. Lead paint is equally common in other places. It's just not a mandatory test most places.

[jamietr.livejournal.com]

I swear 9-10 month old kids go through formula like it's sugar or something. I don't see what they see in it. It smells bad and tastes even worse!

[mabfan.livejournal.com]

Our doctor told us that we could start transitioning the kids off formula and onto whole milk now, even though they're not a year old yet.

[jamietr.livejournal.com]

We've had to wait because some of the eczema he's had might be an allergic reaction, so he's on super-hypoallergenic formula. Still, I suspect whole milk wouldn't really hurt him.

[badgerthorazine.livejournal.com]

Question? Am I on the Flickr photo site? I'd love to see more pictures of y'all! ( Yes, I'm a well-known baby hog, but that doesn't mean I don't want to see my adult friends smiling too ) Drop me a note on FB with any info I might need!

[mabfan.livejournal.com]

If you're not connected to me on flickr, you should be able to find me using my standard handle (the flickr handle is the same as the LJ handle).

[somehedgehog.livejournal.com]

By the way, I am insanely busy per usual but wanted to contribute to your campaign regardless. Are you accepting Paypal donations, or is it dead tree check and post only?

[mabfan.livejournal.com]

I was having problems with PayPal, so I temporarily turned off the ability to receive PayPal donations. We can talk offline about donations.

And thanks!

[surakofb5.livejournal.com]

I've been meaning to let you know I met your editor (Jason Sizemore of Apex) about two weeks ago. They had a table at Conglomeration.