Let me add a disclaimer to this post - you can't study toxicology without going a little crazy (or at least I couldn't)! I took a developmental tox class where I learned that sometimes it takes one small exposure to something at the right time in development to have disastrous effects - with pictures and everything. So armed with that and other scary knowledge, and an abundance of time while I was pregnant to do research, I went crazy.
I don't share a lot of this craziness on here because it is a struggle for me to keep it all in perspective. Scott and I want the safest and healthiest life for Orrin, to be environmentally responsible, and maintain our budget. I make it my job to find ways to improve on these things, especially when it comes to Orrin. But I have to try hard to not obsess over every little thing (ie organic foods, the safest non-toxic toys, and making sure he is not exposed to harmful chemicals in our house). I have to remember that the absolute most important thing we can do by far is to make sure Orrin is raised to know and love Jesus. I have to take a deep breath and remind myself of this almost daily.
But a friend posted this link on facebook today and I'd like to share. (It essentially says that many sunscreens actually accelerate cancer, don't actually offer the amount of protection that they claim, and can cause hormone disruption - so you are protected from sunburn but not cancer.) (Something else to consider that is not mentioned - vitaminA/retinol are in lots of products, not just sunscreen - like cosmetics and acne and anti-aging treatments and are already known to cause birth defects in higher doses)
Earlier this year, I did a ton of research on sunscreens for Orrin and paid a crazy amount of money for the one I thought would be best (incidently, I did pretty well because it is on the safe list). But most people don't have time or energy to do that research (or the money to buy the safe stuff) and trust that what is in the stores is safe. And it should be! I get so frustrated by these things. Read this if you would like to get angry (and especially if you have little kids). And am just left to wonder what is in store for my future as a result of all that I have been exposed to (yes, I remember playing outside while the crop dusters sprayed practically in our backyard...) And I worry about Orrin's health because no matter how hard I try to protect him, he is being exposed to things out of my control. This is when the perspective comes in I guess.
But anyway, read that article please and take from it what you will. Go here if you would like to see which sunscreens are safe - basically the chemical-free ones which use titanium dioxide or zinc oxide are safe because they are not absorbed through the skin, they just sit on top. A warning, though, they are expensive and go on very thick and leave a white residue.
And if you are really feeling brave, go ahead and check this site out. You can look up all of your household cleaning and bathing/cosmetic products. I use it frequently, but it does need to be taken with a grain of salt.
And since I'm on a roll, I could seriously fill this blog with the information I've found, and the changes we've made to our household over the last year and a half. But I don't write that well, and there are several other great blogs that do just that. Here are a couple of my favorites:
Passionate Homemaking
Mindful Mama
SafeMama
Tuesday, May 25, 2010
Thursday, May 13, 2010
9 months (a little late)
Orrin has really grown over the last month! Not so much in size, but in everything else. At our appointment yesterday, he weighed 20 pounds, 8 ounces (50th percentile) and was 29.75 inches long (90th percentile). So he's slowing down a little bit (or he's gearing up for a huge growth spurt soon). But we have so many new developments:
He can feed himself pretty well - finally! I would say about 80% of his food actually makes it into his mouth now. He eats everything we give him so far. We're moving on from baby food to chopped up versions of what we eat for dinner (depending on what we're having of course).
He can move quite quickly across the room backward. He isn't even as mad about it now that he has figured out how to spin and go where he wants to. He's having a great time exploring.
He loves to clap, wave, and those things where you pat your hand across your mouth or run your finger up and down over your lips (what do you call those things??).
He makes noise constantly! All different kinds of noise, from babbling to growling, he seems to like to experiment.
Spot and Orrin are becoming buddies. Orrin loves to pull on him and Spot is trying to figure out how to play with Orrin. Its great fun to watch.
He picks up on new things very quickly so everyday there is something new!
He doesn't sit still anymore, so getting a photo with the cow is near impossible. The remote buys me about 15 seconds.
He backed across the living room one day and somehow backed up under his chair. I'm such a great mom, he's giving me a panic look and instead of helping, I grab the camera. :)
Preparing for screaming meltdown.
Orrin likes goats! Just imagine how much he would love a donkey!
At the zoo in April with the Griffins.
He is showing you the puff in his hand (actually I think its stuck there, those little things are like glue)
We like to enjoy the nice weather.
Monday, May 3, 2010
Way down South
Scott, Orrin and I headed to Baton Rouge to visit Andrew last week. We were pretty tired on Saturday after driving straight through, so we rested up while Uncle Andrew taught Orrin how to play guitar hero.
Then he showed us around downtown Baton Rouge.
Sunday, we went to the Baton Rouge zoo. It was a lot of fun!
Monday, we wanted to see authentic Louisiana, so we headed to the swamp and took a tour. This is going under the I10 bridge. It goes on for miles!
On this tour, we saw 4 alligators. Apparently, they are just coming out of hibernation and are very hungry! (Our guide was tossing them chicken pieces) This guy came right up to the boat.
After the tour, we went to a national park a few miles down the road and wandered. It was fun to see lots of turtles and jumping fish (the asian carp). This bird was very friendly, it sat a few inches above our heads and sang to us for quite awhile.
We headed down to New Orleans on Tuesday. This is the view from the Marriott right on Canal in the French Quarter- thank you priceline!
That afternoon, we went to the Audubon aquarium. This was definitely the highlight of the trip for Orrin - he loves fish!!
Wednesday morning, we walked around the French Quarter, stopping at Cafe du Monde for cafe au lait and beignets. Yum!
We walked up Bourbon street and watched them clean up from the night before (yuck!). Scott had never been in a casino before, so we walked over to Harrahs. We had to leave Orrin outside while we gambled. (I'm kidding, but they really wouldn't let Orrin in)
That afternoon, we drove the Mississippi coast, stopping in Waveland, which is where I was when I came down after Hurricane Katrina. For the first couple weeks I was there, we worked in military tents in a parking lot in front of a grocery store until they declared it a biohazard (because of the rotting food and flies). That grocery store is still boarded up, and the hotel that was next door is still empty.
You can see that almost none of the houses along the coast have been rebuilt! There is a lot of land for sale there. Its kind of crazy because you can still see all the front steps that used to lead to houses, and some driveways going to nothing.
Thursday we stopped at the Space and Rocket Center in Huntsville, AL. Let me just say, I want to go to Space Camp! I was very jealous of the kids running around there.
Its pretty amazing how huge the rocket is.
A side note: Why does Darryl Waltrip own a honda dealership?
We briefly stopped in Nashville on Friday morning. This was all flooded two days later!
Mammoth Caves later that afternoon.
Apparently the cool, dark cave is perfect for a nap - Orrin slept the entire tour!
These things were above our heads the whole time, but you couldn't see them until you took a flash picture. We saw a bat, too but it just looks like a small blob in the picture.
We walked around a pond near the caves. See the frogs? They were everywhere!
Some snakes curled up together.
Doesn't Orrin take great pictures?
Pulling into the garage - 2578 miles!
And almost 48 hours total spent in the car!
Then he showed us around downtown Baton Rouge.
Sunday, we went to the Baton Rouge zoo. It was a lot of fun!
Monday, we wanted to see authentic Louisiana, so we headed to the swamp and took a tour. This is going under the I10 bridge. It goes on for miles!
On this tour, we saw 4 alligators. Apparently, they are just coming out of hibernation and are very hungry! (Our guide was tossing them chicken pieces) This guy came right up to the boat.
After the tour, we went to a national park a few miles down the road and wandered. It was fun to see lots of turtles and jumping fish (the asian carp). This bird was very friendly, it sat a few inches above our heads and sang to us for quite awhile.
We headed down to New Orleans on Tuesday. This is the view from the Marriott right on Canal in the French Quarter- thank you priceline!
That afternoon, we went to the Audubon aquarium. This was definitely the highlight of the trip for Orrin - he loves fish!!
Wednesday morning, we walked around the French Quarter, stopping at Cafe du Monde for cafe au lait and beignets. Yum!
We walked up Bourbon street and watched them clean up from the night before (yuck!). Scott had never been in a casino before, so we walked over to Harrahs. We had to leave Orrin outside while we gambled. (I'm kidding, but they really wouldn't let Orrin in)
That afternoon, we drove the Mississippi coast, stopping in Waveland, which is where I was when I came down after Hurricane Katrina. For the first couple weeks I was there, we worked in military tents in a parking lot in front of a grocery store until they declared it a biohazard (because of the rotting food and flies). That grocery store is still boarded up, and the hotel that was next door is still empty.
You can see that almost none of the houses along the coast have been rebuilt! There is a lot of land for sale there. Its kind of crazy because you can still see all the front steps that used to lead to houses, and some driveways going to nothing.
Thursday we stopped at the Space and Rocket Center in Huntsville, AL. Let me just say, I want to go to Space Camp! I was very jealous of the kids running around there.
Its pretty amazing how huge the rocket is.
A side note: Why does Darryl Waltrip own a honda dealership?
We briefly stopped in Nashville on Friday morning. This was all flooded two days later!
Mammoth Caves later that afternoon.
Apparently the cool, dark cave is perfect for a nap - Orrin slept the entire tour!
These things were above our heads the whole time, but you couldn't see them until you took a flash picture. We saw a bat, too but it just looks like a small blob in the picture.
We walked around a pond near the caves. See the frogs? They were everywhere!
Some snakes curled up together.
Doesn't Orrin take great pictures?
Pulling into the garage - 2578 miles!
And almost 48 hours total spent in the car!
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