Raq: Re Hec's advice, you're not supposed to give either corn syrup or honey to children under one year of age. Both contain Botulism spores which older children and adults kill off, no problem, but infants don't always have the necessary enzymes or whatever.

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You are a smitten kitten, my friend. In deep smit.

Yep. Met her for the first time tonight. There's doomage afoot.

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Susan, Dylan is a gorgeous writer himself, isn't he?

Oh, absolutely. I keep trying to make him sit down and write some of the ideas for short stories and novels he keeps having. Totally different from anything I'd write, of course--he starts from the idea or theme, while I build from characters. He once spent half an hour over dinner explaining his idea for a sort of half-dystopian, half-utopian future world. Absolutely fascinating worldbuilding, but when I asked him who the protagonist was and what the plot would entail, he didn't know that part yet.

Your dad sounds like someone I would have liked very much, had I met him. And the picture was wonderful. That's one to keep for Annabel.

It's one of the last of the two of them together. It struck me, when we were home in June, how Annabel would be content to sit quietly in his lap when she had no patience for that with anyone else. She'll sidle up to you for comfort or a brief cuddle every so often, but she'd rather run and explore than snuggle, on the whole. But somehow she knew that Dad was in no shape to chase her or romp with her on the floor, and that her presence was comforting to him.

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You are a smitten kitten, my friend. In deep smit.

Yep. Met her for the first time tonight. There's doomage afoot.

So....details! Spill, please.

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my sad little brain is overwhelmed by all it's "doing" without the body. Also? Because so much of my work now involves so little physical work, I feel like a giant slacker, even when I'm doing (that is--when I have caused to happen) 5 things at once.

yup. When DH is getting overwhelmed by the world - I ask him when was the last time he ran? Or went for a walk. It gives him perspective. For me to. Most of my gardening is manual - no power tools. It help immensly in my state of mind, my diabetes management, and general physical health. We are 90 odd % water - we are made to move ( think about what happpens to sill water) and it is one of those tasks that when I am in the garden , I am in the garden. - yes a load of laundry might be in the washer - but gardening is what I am doing. so my brain gets to stay in one place for a while.

hey, no fair getting more adorable fay!

and now I am going to read Dylan's tribute.

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the last line - wow. very nice. I think I learned a lot about your father Susan, in that very short piece.

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Oh, Susan. Dylan's beautiful tribute made me cry. I am glad you have been and are loved by such men.

>It's one of the last of the two of them together. It struck me, when we were home in June, how Annabel would be content to sit quietly in his lap when she had no patience for that with anyone else. She'll sidle up to you for comfort or a brief cuddle every so often, but she'd rather run and explore than snuggle, on the whole. But somehow she knew that Dad was in no shape to chase her or romp with her on the floor, and that her presence was comforting to him.

That's a sweet memory. I'm glad you have it. I hope you include it in your stories you tell Annabel, about your father. Chris was older than Annabel (a few months shy of 3) when my father passed. Where I knew Ben and Julia (then 7 and 4.5) would have more vivid memories of interacting with him, I knew it was likely Chris wouldn't, particularly as he wasn't then very verbal. So when I tell him Grampy stories, I try to include ones from my memory, moments between them that touched me (and I highlight Chris's actions, because at this age, that's what they're thrilled by--stories featuring them) or tickled me in some way, to help him feel like Grampy was his Grampy, too.

Deena,

I think the corn syrup is a less sure case than honey. Honey is never supposed to be given. Corn syrup has tested positive for presence of the spores in the past, and then mostly negative. Because botulism often exhibits with constipation, it has been hard for doctors to be sure whether it is a culprit or coincidence. If it came down to it, I'd use plain, old table sugar, or ask about a laxative, first, in a baby under a year. I know we all probably had corn syrup mixed in our drinks and were fine, but it's just one of those why-risk-it things, in my book.

I do have to say again, strained pears are a great, gentle way to address this problem, and I think the doctor's probably spot on about the olive oil. I still don't get the lemon juice recommendation.

Signed,
Shitologist

We are 90 odd % water - we are made to move ( think about what happpens to still water)

Oh! beth! That's brilliant.

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Dylan's writing was beautiful, Susan.

I have no input (or output) on the baby poo thread. Aside from, yeah, they can be very good at making it.

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We are 90 odd % water - we are made to move ( think about what happpens to still water)

That is the one thought that gradually penetrated my couch potato ways. I reliezed the last tiem I was sick - I don't sit still for long periods of time anymore. Sitting down for a couple of hours durring the day to read or watch a movie - very rare.

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We are 90 odd % water

Actually, I think we're a lot less -- brain and blood are very watery, but most bodily estimates I've read have been in the 55-70% range.

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