Things I'm Thinking About (Or, one of those list posts cause I'm busy as fuck all)

1. Julie's possible good news. Squee!

2. This makes me very sad. For some reason, mostly because I haven't been to the Smithsonian in years, I had no idea they were all free admission. Last year they collected only $90,000 in donations at the door. This is just embarrassing. Sure, there was mismanagement and all (it IS government run, after all) but this is our heritage, people. Step the fuck up.

3. Five of my 12 pounds came back, courtesy of Thanksgiving and too many meals out. Eh.

4. Funny how everyone thinks Tori looks like me when she's screaming and crying. Why is that? I'm always smiling in the photos I post here. Maybe it's the double chins? Speaking of that, I have a post brewing about projecting my weight issues on Tori (I've been worrying about her pot belly; it's fucking me up). Will get to it this week.

5. New post up at the work blog (or will be very, very soon). Oh, and would you guys do me a favor? Can you all go and "Digg" this article for me? It's a work thing. I know you have to register, and if you don't want to, I totally understand. But thank you anyway!

Comments

[Tiffany]

WOW - I am the first one to post a comment - I think that has never happened. Don't worry about Tori's belly. Mikayla started out at 5 pounds and quickly put the weight on - at one point she was in the 75% for weight and less than 50% for height. Now at 2 1/2 she is in the 50% for weight and 95% for height! The doctor I take her to won't tell me her percentiles unless I ask and even then he always tells me don't worry. If she is still chubby once she hits maturity then we will talk. I am also always concerned about her weight since I have to watch mine so closly. Also my husband once a chubby baby - it was shocking to see the pictures - since he struggles to keep weight on (I wish I had that problem).

[Melissa]

I'm so with you on number #4. I wonder how not to pass that stuff on...

[Melessa]

Sadly, I'm not surprised by #2. I just finished a Master's in museum studies and work at a small local museum. Yes, people should step up, but will they? Wish I could say "yes" for sure.

[Sarah]

Yay for Julie on #1.

I'm not surprised at all about #2. The museums are free to the public and I was a very frequent user for years -- it never occurred to me to give a donation. They certainly don't have collection bins out when you visit so it is not as if they encourage it widely. They are publicly funded institutions and like many others that focus on the arts and sciences, their funding has suffered. Especially in the last 7 years. I'm not sure what the solution is but enterance fees should not be part of the solution -- many of the collections were gifts to the U.S. for the sole purpose of being on exhibit to the public for free.

[SassyBelle]

huh. I'm a history/political science major so of COURSE I ADORE the smithsonian but it never occurred to me to donate. I mean... I pay a lot of taxes. I thought it was taken care of. The government should stop spending a gazillion dollars on unjust wars and fund things to educate poor people and improve museums. just a thought...?

also, thanks for responding to my comments. it's so cool and it makes me really, really happy. i feel SPECIAL. yay!

[Anny]

I grew up and still live outside DC so I've been to the various Smithsonian museums quite often but like the others I have never seen a donation box or anything resembling one(or mentioned on the websites I checked out to plan the outings). My dad and I took my kids to some Richmond,VA museums this summer and several had donations requested/recommended. They even gave a recommendation of 1-2 dollars per person but we happily threw in a $20 for our group of 5. I considered it well worth it. I would gladly make a donation to any museum I visit but they have to make it easily known and accessible! I would rather give a reasonable donation or fee than have to fight my way through the unbelievable number of gift shops some of the Smithsonians have sandwiched in between exhibits!

[Stephanie]

I was in DC last April and we went to several Smithsonians. It never even occurred to me to donate. I had heard they were free to the public and I don't remember seeing any boxes in front. It was actually one thing that made the trip so affordable - all these great museums (and the zoo!) and we didn't have to pay.

[Chickenpig]

A LOT of museums that you think need a paid admission are actually free, with a donation. I was shocked a couple of years ago when I went to the Metropolitan Museum, and a man in front of me just walked right past the ticket counter. The staff member told me that the admission price for the general collection is actually a suggested donation. You can walk around Colonial Williamsburg and see tons of what it has to offer without paying a cent. So many museums are in serious trouble right now, including the one I used to work for, because ppl just don't seem to be interested in museums, and 60 cents on average of every dollar goes directly to staffing and collections. The Smithsonian, like most museums, pays for a big chunk of its operating costs through membership and store sales, so if ppl want to help the museum, become a member and shop their catalog at Christmas. (donations at the door don't hurt either, if you live in DC).

Enough of my museum rant. Whew! Sorry about that. I think Tori looks like you in the picture above, except for the nose. :)

[chrystal]

Oooh! Can't wait for number 4.

I remember being bothered at particular stages about the wee one's body shape. I think it was just a case that I hadn't observed a child closely through it's development. Maybe we don't know what a toddler is supposed to look like.

Since the wee one is in day care, I do check out all the other children to see if she's within the range there.

[Tessy]

I was one of those who said she looked like you in the screaming photo. You're right, though. Your photos here are always pleasant, so I can't say why that is.

As for her pot belly, I'm sure you know it's normal for her to have one at her age. I think it probably bothers you because you don't want her to have to struggle the way you have, not that you think there is anything wrong with her. I guess the only think you can do is to make sure you don't comment about her weight to her. As a matter of fact, you should not comment about your weight in front of her either. She'll hear you and take it in and think it's normal to hate your body. I've got to try my best to do this too.

[Anny]

Oh and the toddler tommy/belly thing. I think each of my 3 kids had a least a little of that til about age 5. My youngest is now 6 and I'm wondering where he got those abs all of a sudden :-)

[Andrew]

Tori looks nothing like you. And probably won't. She is Charlie all the way. And, if you look around, you will see that a lot of first-born girls look a lot more like their fathers than their mothers. I read somewhere that this is nature's way of making sure the father sticks around, because this way he knows the baby is really his. Possible.

As for the belly, babies tend to grow in one of two directions - up or out - but not at the same time. If Tori is putting on weight, she is just building up for a growth spurt, and some, or all, of that will go away. Then she will stop growing up and put on more weight for the next spurt. You are projecting, but don't worry about it.

[Cari]

Dugg it!

[Valerie]

Babies and toddlers have large livers, my son is now 15 and has 6 pack abs. He was never fat or chubby, always filled out for his frame but not more than that. But his belly was not flat, though he had no fat under the skin. She'll be fine, just watch habits and obsessions, they do notice those. As for 1st born girls looking like dads -- uh -- no way Andrew! It's all a function of sperm-and-egg and one of them is dominant and one is not. That is all.

[Maria]

Re: #4
First, I have to admit I am not a regular reader. But one thing that struck a cord a while ago was that you were letting Tori eat on the go, while watching TV, in order to "get her to eat". That suggested to me that you were the ones deciding when she was done, not her. I think the healthiest thing you can do is set regular mealtimes where she sits at the table, eats, and is done when she is done. Especially when they get to be 18 mos -3 years old, there are days when they eat hardly anything, and then days when they are ravenous. It's hard for parents to put their child to bed when they've eaten only three bites for dinner and then the power struggle starts. Like I said, I am not a regular reader, so you may be doing this already.

[Gry]

I can totally relate to #4. Carla is only a couple of months younger than Tori, and she has always been a CHUB CHUB, and now that she is running around she has lost a lot of her thigh reserves, but they seem to have migrated to her belly, so that she too has a pot belly.

I realize fully that there is no need to worry. But I can't help it! I'm fat, and of course I don't want her to be fat (oh please, may she never have to struggle with that on top, well, life!) - but that means I've got to stop fretting and projecting.

I never hide my body, I never talk derogatory things about myself, I never talk about dieting and I won't ever EVER talk to Carla about her weight. I'll cook healthier meals for her/us and get active with her if it comes to that - but her weight is NOT the issue! I hope it'll work.

[Lex]

Wow. That Smithsonian thing is really sad. Your right. it is our heritage, and its such an awesome museum. They gotta make that work. I think they should start charging, people should just pay for one pass to go to all the museums. I think they should keep it low since they started off with people not having to pay. But hopefully the problem is remidied

[Eliza]

Urgh. I was a scrawny kid and have been everything from a scrawny to a pushing-it-to-call-it-zaftig adult, but allll of my husband's full siblings have weight issues that started in childhood, and I will admit to having eyed my kids' pudge suspiciously here and there. So far it seems to go something like "get fat...get tall...get fat...get tall" with lots of incessant eating in between. Except for the baby, who doesn't eat by mouth and is a fat little sucker. We're already giving far FEWER calories than the nutritionist says she's ever seen a child get by on based on height, weight, age, and form of nutrition, but still, the kid's BMI is in the 92nd percentile! That one I don't mind it so much, because I've seen how horrifically fast it can melt away when they're sick while they're tiny. I'd much rather see a pudgy preschooler than a bony one. And all little kids have "potbellies" due to posture, especially after a big meal :)