Raleigh & Cary Moms, do you know your Kids are Drinking This?

Moms in Raleigh and Cary, how much have you heard about this?
Article -- This is YOUR Drinking Water
Its pretty scary what Durham is doing to the water you and your kids have to drink. There are a few of us in Durham who are trying to fight this but we can't stop them, unless Moms in Raleigh and Cary start putting their foot down, and standing up for themselves and the health of their kids. What do you think about this? Is this the first you've heard about it? Have any of you talked to your town council representative, county commissioner, or mayor? What did they say to you? Have you seen any coverage at all in the media?

I'd like to hear from everyone on this!
LaDawnna

Who offers Part-Time Child Care?

Hi ~
I've just found this site today and am so excited!
I'm due in January, and am going to need Part-Time Child Care, 2 days/week, starting around April.
I'm in East Raleigh (Hedingham), so something nearby would be best.
Any and All suggestions would be very appreciated.
Thanks so much,
Patti

Fan Could Prevent SIDS

There's an interesting story about a study that found that fans - maybe even just open windows - could prevent Sudden Infant Death Syndrome. They allow the air to circulate, the story says, and SIDS is believed to be caused by exhaled air pooling around a baby's mouth and noise.

Infant rolling over in bed

Now that Jackson is an experienced roller he has started rolling over in the middle of the night. He can't get himself from front to back so he ends up sleeping on his stomach. The scary part is that three times last night I woke up to find him on his stomach with his face straight down in the mattress. He's too tired to turn his head so he can breathe. I had a hard time sleeping because every time I dozed off he'd roll over. He's only 4-months-old and I worry a lot about SIDS. How do you handle your infant rolling over at night?

Teen Social Bullying

"Bullying" is a term that will bring different pictures to the minds of people.  We all know toddlers and young children will 'bully' each other with and without menace, as they are trying to figure out the social rules as they grow.  But bullying in the teen years has changed dramatically since this mom was that age.

Teens today deal with all the 'usual' social angst and insecurities that we grew up with, but today it's compounded by instant communication via phones and Facebook.  A situation that would cool down by separation of angry teens is extended and expanded exponentially through these electronic medium.  And today, sadly, the consequences of bullying are far too often traumatic for not just the child bullied, but innocent bystanders as well.

Recently, my son's group of five close friends went through a bad stage.  It seemed that each week one of the guys was on the outs with the rest.  Too often lately, it'd been my son.  It peaked on a day when first the rest avoided him around the neighborhood and then, when they met up at a park, them leaving him there alone.  It ended that night with Facebook exchanges that definitely upped the ante.  It was devastating for him, and heartbreaking for me.

I realize our kids need to learn how to deal with such situations, but I have also learned in 20 years of parenting that we parents need to step in much more often than we're led to believe, because the fact is our teens are NOT adults, and they need guidance throughout the teen years.  I have learned that even when I was sure they weren't listening, they were doing so closely.

So after I said goodnight late that night to an extremely sad young man, I decided to email one of the boys' mothers, one I knew better than the rest; one I had learned through casual discussions on the sidelines had a similar parenting philosophy.  This was not a decision I made lightly.  You never know today how parents will react to being told their kids have done something wrong.  I have been called a liar, told my son was one, told I just needed to let them handle it and all too often been told there was no way their child could've done what I said.  So I was trepedatious, but I wrote it anyway.  I explained what had happened,  and admitted that the next time it could very well be my son who'd be one of the bullies instead of the 'bullee'.  I said I knew we could not force them to be friends or to talk, but that we could guide them to either be friends to each other or not, and stop the emotional roller coaster they'd been putting themselves on.  I asked for her advice and opinion, and requested that she tell me if she knew of ways my son had contributed to the current situation.  And then I sent it off, trusting cyberspace to convey my heartbreak, my fear and my questions the way I felt them, borne of a piercing pain deep in my heart and soul.

The next morning, I found a new 'village.'  You see, I've always believed in the idea of it taking a village to raise a child.  I grew up in a blue collar area where every mother was my mother, or just as well was, since I couldn't take a wrong step without it being back to mom before I got home.   Well, this mom called me first thing.  Her son had already told her the night before what they'd done, and she'd been appalled.  My note was the icing on the cake.  She called the other mothers and told them what had happened, and they too were on the same page.  The group of us talked and realized we each had found a heretofore unknown support system, right in our neighborhood.  They made it clear they agreed that it had reached the point for parental guidance, and handled it with each of their sons. 

The boys?  Well, let's just say that each of these parents got to see that the seeds of conscience that they'd spent 15 years germinating in their boys flower that week.  On the bus home from school, before they'd even heard they were in trouble, they had apologized to my son, righting his world with a few words.   They weren't off the hook at home, but the fact they'd owned up to their actions on their own was huge. 

It was, after all was said and done, both the best and worst of weeks.  All of us involved grew a bit more, and our boys took a few more step toward being responsible, compassionate young men.  I feel a sense of support I'd not felt before, and know the others feel the same.

Our boys will fight again, and no doubt they will drift in and out of friendship over the coming years.  We parents can't control that and shouldn't.  But through this incident I was reassured that no matter how fast society tries to hurry our kids along to adulthood, it's too early to throw in the parental towel during the teens.  And I have kindred spirits out there who have learned the same thing.  As I always say when talking about parenting teens, there's safety in numbers. 

Bassinet or crib?

Right now I have my 4-month old son in a Pack 'n Play bassinet in my room. I moved my older son into his own room and crib at 4 months.

I can't bear to send Jackson off on his own yet, partially because he still gets up to eat most nights and partially because I want to hold on to the little baby days just a little longer.

How long did you keep your little one in your room?

Sex and the City

So, who's going to see Sex and the City this weekend? If you're going, are you dressing up? Are you going with friends? To a party first or after?

My sister saw it last night in Denver and said it was great. She loved the show when it was on HBO. I never had HBO but I've caught reruns, late at night when I can't sleep. I'll go see the movie, but I'm not sure if I'll get there this weekend.

Pediatrician Reccomendation for new moms in Raleigh and Brier Creek

I thought I'd share my our family's experience with Blue Ridge Pediatrics-  info below.Blue Ridge Pediatrics
3124 Blue Ridge RD # 102 (near Rex)
Raleigh , North Carolina 27612
Phone: (919) 782-0021or Brier Creek Location: WakeMed Medical Plaza, Suite 104 • 919-226-0662I have two boys, and both have been seen by Blue Ridge since they were born. The pediatricians there- Dr. Louis Allen, Dr. Ellen DeFlora, Dr. Nicholas D'Avanzo, and Dr. Deepa Vijay- have all treated my sons for various childhood aliments and injuries over the years. I cannot recommend the practice more highly.  The pediatricians, nurses, and office staff set a tone that puts the child first, and make it easy to get answers and treatment. If you call them after hours, one of the pediatricians will call you back (not an answering service or a nurse, but one of YOUR doctors). They will see you on a Saturday if your kid is ill, and you call and need to come in. They will do blood tests for white cell counts, strep tests, flu tests, and other basic tests there in the office, negating the need to go to an offsite testing venue with a sick child. They will come to Rex or WakeMed when you deliver, and are supportive of nursing moms. They have a phone nurse available Monday-Friday to coordinate care if you have a referral to a specialist or need a refill. These nurses are all extremely knowledgeable and helpful.  One other benefit- the pediatricians are packed with personality. Dr. DeFlora is the practical, Birkenstock-wearing Dr. Mom.  Dr. D'Avanzo is the soothing, "it will all be OK, let's just see what happens, and I'd like to see you back..." doctor, who was probably always the smartest kid in his class. Dr. Vijay is the approachable mom- she is petite and sweet to the kids, and can practically diagnose your kid just by looking at him.  She switches into no-nonsense mode during an emergency, so don't worry about her not being tough enough.  And Dr. Allen is a character out of a novel. He is hilarious, and will spend most of the visit telling you about his kids while observing yours. He will act quickly and decisively if need be, and to great effect.  He put my baby in the hospital after one elevated white count for what turned out to be an infection that would've been serious had he not acted so fast- and my child is perfectly fine today.

I'm a big fan of this practice, and they just opened another location at the WakeMed Brier Creek medical park. I thought I'd share because they've been really good to my kids, and they are the kind of doctors who deserve to be successful. Thanks for reading.