Category: General Family News

No, I’m not in Australia.

Or working on Capitol Hill.

Or playing a violin.

Or flying a plane. . .

But my hair is 10 inches shorter today, after growing it out for about 18 months! I’m donating my hair for wigs for cancer patients, something I’ve wanted to do as long as I can remember. (If you’re interested in donating, click here. This website lists links to several websites of organizations that handle hair donation for wigs.)

And I was amazed that after cutting off ten inches of hair (yes, it really was ten inches) . . .

There was still plenty of hair left in back for a cut that I was very pleased with!

I love getting a drastic haircut now and then! And short hair is great for the summer. Thanks, Becky! (Salon Becky–not to be confused with Me Becky.)

I am donating my hair in honor of two very special cancer survivors: Kandice Robinson and Kristi English.

If you’re in the baby/toddler stage like me, you probably find yourself on occasion holding a feverish child and asking, “How much tylenol should I give her this time? . . . Is she still at the 0.4 ml level? or is it 0.8? or maybe up to 1.2 ml?”

If it’s a particularly high or persistent fever, I may find myself calling the pediatrician or the pharmacist to determine how much tylenol or ibuprofen to give.

Dr. Sears wrote a very helpful post about the use of acetaminophen, which you can read here. With the simple equation “7 milligrams per pound of bodyweight,” you can determine exactly what dose your child needs. This Works for Me!

He even discussed if (and when) you can double up on the tylenol for a really high fever and alternating between tylenol and ibuprofen in an effort to reduce a stubborn fever.

The most helpful part of his column is a Dosage Chart which lists weight in the left-hand column, and then showing the milligrams needed and the “translation” for infant drops, children’s liquid, and children’s soft chewables.

Yesterday I checked this chart to see how much tylenol Carissa should have after her shots. (I have copied a portion of Dr. Sears’ chart below.)

Carissa is 15 lbs., 4 ozs., so I gave her 1 dropper (.8ml).

With three under four, I know I will be referring back to this chart often!

Last week our family vacationed in central Pennsylvania with my husband’s family. Although I had too many “favorites” to sufficiently cover them all, I hope to hit a few of the highlights here in my blog.

Certainly one of my favorite things was the butterfly garden outside our cabin. Of course, we saw flowers–every color imaginable, as well as bumble bees, hummingbirds, caterpillars, butterflies. And Mara asked me what all the drops of water on the grass were–she learned about the morning dew!

My pictures don’t do it justice, but here are a few snapshots:

Though it is not completely Wordless, I’m linking up to Wordless Wednesday today!

My “little” Carissa Marie is 15 lbs., 4 ozs., now and 25-3/4 inches long. . . still falling in the 75th+ percentile for weight and 85-88% in height.

She did great for her shots. She cried literally 3 seconds after the second needle–only till I lifted her to my shoulder.

This, after all, is the baby who smiles when you aspirate her nose.  You have to wonder about a kid like that!

I’m so very grateful! Especially after Micah–what a screamer! Hours of screaming each night for the first 4 months–with strangers (well-meaning, I suppose) telling me how they would never “let” a child cry that way. . . What a relief to have such a very happy child!

“I find that, typically, the personality that you see at four months is the personality you’re going to see through the teen years,” the pediatrician remarked. “Not always. But typically. If you have a really picky, easily irritated four-month-old, you’ll probably see a particular teenager. If you have a easygoing, happy four month old, you’ll probably have a teenager like that too.”

I’m sure that’s a generalization, but hey, I’d love to have a happy, easygoing teenage girl!

I’m SO. VERY. Grateful for this little girl!