Tooth decay is contageous to babies.

I was very shocked when I read about this new discovery about tooth decay and babies. Many studies have been conducted over cavity-causing bacteria that can actually travel from a mother to a baby after a kiss on the mouth, sharing eating utensils, or blowing on the babies food just to cool it down. I guess it wouldn't be a "new discovery", since there has been publishing on this matter for 30 years. Dentists do recognize it as a problem now. Strepptococcus is the main bacteria that spreads from a person with tooth decay to a baby.

Colonization of the bacteria Strepptococcus in baby teeth will even stick around after the baby teeth have all fallen out and terrorize the replacement adult teeth. Teeth are the most susceptible when they first break through the gums. The enamel is very soft and just hasn't built up a good defense. Allowing a baby to drink juice, milk, and other drinks containing sugar from a sippy cup all the time contributes to the problem. The bacteria uses the sugar and creates acid, the acid in turn breaks down the enamel of the teeth.

It is recommended that women start chewing Xylitol in the 3rd trimester to lessen the possibility of passing this bacteria to the infant. It is also good for an expecting mother to have her teeth thoroughly cleaned in the second and third trimesters. I am sure any mom who has read any of the pregnancy books knows that clean teeth is important to overall health anyway. There is no need to have a low immune system while pregnant. Since it is completely unfathomable not to kiss one's baby, or blow on his or her food, and ultimately to keep bacteria away from the little angels, dentists recommend wiping the baby's mouth, tongue, and cheeks with a clean, wet cloth about as often as you would change a diaper. This keeps colonies of bacteria from ever establishing.

Baby teeth have more importance than one may think at first. A set of baby teeth not only allow the little guys to chew food; they are also needed for a baby to learn to speak, and to save room for the permanent teeth to come. If a tooth falls out unnaturally due to being knocked out accidentally, or a dentist pulling it because it was diseased, the other teeth will move together and not leave a space for the adult tooth. A dentist can put in a space saver between the teeth to ensure the future crown it's rightful place. If this little metal spacer is not inserted, the child will end up with crowded teeth.

Losing baby teeth normally begins around ages 5 or 6, though it can start as early as 4 years or as late as 8 years of age. It can be a scary and exciting time for kids; children even compete over how many teeth they have lost compared to classmates. Before a baby tooth gets loose and falls out, the root will actually dissolve. The reason you shouldn't force a tooth out (say by tying it to a door know and slamming the door)is because if the root is not fully dissolved, it could break and become infected. Wriggling is fine, just don't force it.

A home maybe 10 years from now

I want a home. It does not matter if it is in the city, or out in the country with lots of space. I want to come home at the end of the day and snuggle with my family on our light tan leather couch, watching our forty inch flat screen TV hung over a fireplace made of stone, and eating popcorn. I want the walls and room to be warm terracotta and earth-tones. Not too far from the living area, I want a large kitchen to serve for family gatherings. I want medium to dark gray granite counter tops to wrap around the entire kitchen and come around to a bar, where the counter top will be twice as large. I would like at least a quarter of the kitchen to be open to the rest of the house. The rest needs to be filled with cabinets, high and low. I bake, and I have a lot of cake decorating supplies along with normal household items. I would like these cabinets to be either a medium to dark shade of wood, or black. I would put a lighter color of tile on the floor and back splash to make up for the darker counter tops and cabinets. A stainless steel double bakers oven, stainless steel refrigerator and a beverage cooler built in to the cabinetry, and lets not forget a dishwasher, I have never had one of those. I would like for my boys to have their own rooms designed with their own unique tastes, although they will probably end up sleeping together most of the time anyway :). I would like to have a master bedroom with a bathroom we don't have to share with little boys. The bedroom doesn't have to be ginormous (I love that spell check doesn't say ginormous isn't a word), just enough room for a Queen size bed, and enough room that two people can walk past each other without squeezing up against a wall. A walk in closet would also be great! It would be in our best interest to have an office as well, since Billy is a computer geek, and has all kinds of gadgets that the children shouldn't mess with. It would also give me a quiet place to do my homework. Another room that I have always wanted is library, or study area. I would have the walls lined with book shelves, from children's books to encyclopedias. I would have at least two tables with comfortable chairs, and maybe even some blocks and creative toys for the youngest little guys. Having a fireplace in here doesn't sound too bad either now that I think of it.

Reading does happen to be the key to education, and I hope by watching me graduate college, my boys will see the change in lifestyle that can come with an education. It i so hard to convince kids to go to college when most of the students insist that it is so much easier to go get a job and make money. Even if my boys happen to graduate and get a high paying production job, it will run out eventually. I can't do much to choose his friends, but I can set the best example possible.

Chocolate Addiction

After foraging through my cabinets, fridge, and boyfriend's candy drawer, I became more and more discouraged; we don't have chocolate! It's my own fault for making the decision to shop healthier last week. I finally realized that I do have cocoa powder, powdered sugar, cappuccino mix, and milk. I threw together my satisfying concoction, and then wondered: what is in chocolate that is soooo addictive, that nothing takes its place? So, I looked at the Hershey's Cocoa label. Well, it has 20 calories, .5 grams of fat, 3 grams of carbohydrates, 1 gram of dietary fiber (compared to only 20 calories, that's really high), and 4% iron. That wasn't a big help. So what are the ingredients? (INGREDIENTS:COCOA)Hmmm...

Medical Mystery: Chocolate and Women. There are many theories as to why women crave chocolate, usually before and during a menstrual cycle, but no set in stone solution. One reason is the release of serotonin in the brain, which calms feelings of depression and anxiety. While other chemicals released raise the heart rate, stimulate the nervous system, and cause a euphoric effect. Hmmm, this sounds almost illegal. Another reason could be that women see it as an indulgence, and it's just part of our culture. And yet another answer could be that it's just the sweet creamy texture that is craved and not the cocoa itself. A study was done where they gave cocoa capsules, which had no effect on calming the craving for chocolate. However when a creamy bar was given that contained no pharmacological components of chocolate, the craving was soothed.

There is some scientific evidence of the addictive properties of chocolate. The same alkaloid compounds are shared by alcohol and chocolate. For this reason, alcoholics anonymous suggest the use of chocolate as a substitute for alcohol addictions. Italian scientists discovered a link between the effects of chocolate and marijuana. The compound anandamine is among other substances believed to mimic the effects of marijuana (I thought that chocolate was sounding illegal!). Women seem to be more effected by the addictive properties of chocolate. According to The Diabetes Association, only 15 percent of men are addicted to chocolate, while 40 percent of women are addicted. Of these people, 75 percent say that chocolate is the only solution for the craving.

Now that I have you thinking of chocolate, Here is a site to throw you over the edge. If you have never been to The Candy House in Joplin, it's definitely worth a trip. I can definitely vouch for their chocolate truffles that cover the palm of my hand, and their English toffee. The candy house also reminds me of a cute story about my dad: Usually about twice a year he would go to the candy house and buy sugar free dark chocolate covered lemon cremes for my mom. She would only eat it if she knew it was sugar free. So after dad died, I went to buy her sugar free dark chocolate covered lemon cremes from The Candy House. When I requested them however, I was informed that they do not make dark chocolate covered lemon cremes in sugar free. I didn't know whether to laugh or cry, between missing him, and realizing how like dad it was for him to just tell mom they were sugar free, so she would stop worrying. So I bought her her "sugar free" dark chocolate covered lemon cremes, and told her what dad had been doing. She got a good laugh/cry out of it as well.

He's almost 1!

I wouldn't suggest reading this post, if you happen to be sickened by mushy baby memories. In only one week and two days my baby boy will be a whole year old. We tried for three months to get pregnant. Billy even began to assume he was unable to have children. He had suffered through two miscarriages in a past relationship, and wasn't even sure if they were his to begin with. He really wanted a baby of his own. The day I found out I was pregnant, I waited for him to leave; I didn't want him to be disappointed if it came out negative. That was a mistake! I was so excited, I couldn't stand still, I couldn't even breath properly. He had gone for an hour drive to pick up his nephew, and planned to keep him overnight. I didn't want to tell him over the phone either.
Unable to tell Billy he was going to be a daddy, I had to go on with my day, containing my enthusiasm. I had a birthday party at the bowling alley to take my boys to, so to the bowling alley we went. About an hour later, Billy finally showed up. I still couldn't tell him! The jaw locking smile on my face should have been a hint that something was up, but couldn't figure it out, and I didn't want to tell him with all those people around. So I had to wait at least two more hours, which seemed more like ten, before we finally made it home. There are times where a man's tears can be the sweetest thing in the world.
Billy took the boys and I everywhere to shop for the baby. When I say everywhere, I don't mean just Joplin. We went to Webb City, Carthage, Springfield, Tulsa, and a couple places I hadn't heard of, and don't remember exactly. He had to be sure we weighed ALL of our options.
He was borne 4 weeks early. It was a normal day; I woke up at 5a.m. worked-welding and grinding, I got off early to see my kindergartner in his first school program at 2p.m., Billy and I then went to my doctor "check up" appointment at 3:15 p.m. As the doc went to check how dilated I was, he was joking with a nurse and asked if the nurse guessed I was at a 5 or 6. The nurse laughed, because that would mean I was going into labor. Right after he said that, he said "she is! 5 to 6" I was told to meet him at the hospital. Do not pass go, do not collect $200. I had to argue for time to go home and pack a bag to take with me.
He was born at 10:23 p.m. Beautiful baby boy 6lbs-8.8oz. By midnight, I was still awake waiting for a nurse to unhook me so I could shower. Bradley had put daddy to sleep in the chair next to me. They had both had a long day.

Please have your pet spayed or neutered

Pets can have many effects on peoples lives. They can be man's best friend, alert their owners of danger, put a smile on peoples' faces, add to the quality of life, help teach children responsibility of taking care of another life, and so much more. I would highly suggest keeping a pet, especially a dog or cat, to anyone, with any household. Before taking on a pet, however, there is ALWAYS research that needs to be done. Every animal has individual needs, qualities, diseases they are prone to, and general attitudes that may or may not suit every family.

There are some things to consider before adopting a pet. Most pets will be around for ten to twenty years, so think about your long term situation. A pet needs attention. They aren't made to sit out on a ten foot leash in the back yard; they need love and attention. I don't mean they need their own bedroom with silk sheets of gold. When looking at dogs, some breeds need even more exercise than others. Money is another problem, animals cost more than just food. The cost of veterinary care, toys, grooming, training, wear and tear on the house while training, and more adds up quick. And in the words of Bob Barker, "Don't forget to spay or neuter your pet". There is already enough unwanted pets going to shelters and being put down because the population is out of control. The RSPCA expected about 3,000 animals during the Christmas period; both because of population and unwanted Christmas gifts.

I found a neat little site that gives a survey to fill out, and it gives a list of dogs that might best suit you and your family. Seven out of eight of my results were variations of Doodles; meaning it is a breed mixed with a Poodle. I assume this is because I selected that I prefer a dog that is more allergy safe. I will have to do plenty more research of my own before buying a dog for my family. I rather enjoy Labradores myself; I'm not sure about the Labradoodle. It looks like their fur might need a bit more care. On the other hand, the Poodle is supposed to be the easiest breed to house train. I will have to see what I get if I leave out the allergen safe dog part on the survey. When taking this survey, it will ask if you have children under the age of five years. There are dogs with good tempers around children, but there are dogs also dogs that could be injured by a small child, just as a small child could be injured by the wrong dog. Here is a site with the 50 most common dog breeds. Just click on one and it gives an overview of that dog, including: Photograph, description, temperament, height, weight, health problems, living conditions, exercise, life expectancy, litter size (please don't plan on puppies), grooming, origin, group, and recognition.

Anatomy and Physiology

If it's OK, I would like to use this writing opportunity to both complain and to study my Anatomy and Physiology. I do like this class very much, I find it interesting, however, it is difficult and there is a lot of material to go over. Not only do we study each bone and muscle, etc. We look at what makes everything work all the way down to what each cell is doing to accomplish every move our bodies make.
Right now we are studying skeletal muscles. Since we do not have the facilities to support a human cadaver, we are dissecting cats. Cats have many of the same muscles, but of those that are the same, some look different, and some have different names. In addition to taking this poor cat apart muscle by muscle, we are required to find time to identify muscles on a plastic human model. There are 200 muscles and we have to identify muscles on the cat and on the human...I'm not going to veterinarian school! As if 200 muscles isn't enough, at home on our own time we have to study 4 different chapters over muscle fibers, the muscular system, parts of the endocrine system and the autonomic nervous system. The lecture test is this coming Thursday (the parts I need to learn from lectures on the computer and in the book).
So here we go, a small taste of some skeletal muscle tissue. A skeletal muscle is surrounded by epimyseum, which is made of collagen fibers,and seperates the muscle from surrounding tissues. Inside the epimyseum there are several fasicles, which are bundles of muscle fibers. Each of these fasicles are surrounded by a coat of perimyseum. The perimyseum also contains collagen, but also includes elastic fibers, blood vessels and nerves; this maintains blood flow and innervates the muscle fibers. Each muscle fiber inside the fasicle is surrounded by endomysium, which interconnects muscle fibers, and contains cappilary networks that supply blood to the fibers. Endomysium also contains myosatellite cells which are stem cells that can help repair damaged muscle tissue. Nerve fibers are also located in the endomysium layer which communicate through neuromuscular junctions (which is a whole other monster). At each end of a muscle, collagen fibers from the endomysium, perimysium, and epimysium come together to form either a bundle known as a tendon or a sheet known as an aponeurosis. These connect the muscle to the bone.
A muscle fiber is surrounded by a coat called the sarcolemma; in a normal cell it would be called the plasma membrane. The fluid inside a normal cell would be called the cytoplasm-but someone decided to be smart and make us remember that muscle cell fluid is called sarcoplasm.A muscle fiber is filled with rods called myofibrils. Each myofibril is made up of thick fibers called myosin and thin fibers called actin (we also have to break down what these are made of in order to understand how muscle contractions work, but I will leave that out). These rods have sarcoplasmic reticulum (Same as smooth endoplasmic reticulum in other cells), t-tubules. which help spread signals through the muscle faster, terminal cisternae, which releases calcium to communicate muscle contractions, and sarcomeres. Sarcomeres are made up of bands of those thick and thin filaments which create a pattern of an I-band, z line, A band, H band, and M line.
When a muscle is told to contract, it of course has to go through a process. First, nero stimulation causes excitation-contraction coupling, the cisternae releases the calcium which triggers interactions of the thick and thin filaments, which consumes ATP (energy) and causes tension. Blah blah blah...The neurons send information from the brain or spinal cord, telling the muscle to contract. The thick and thin filaments slide together, shortening, or contracting the muscle.

I sure hope you enjoyed today's A&P lesson, have a great weekend!

What's in my kids breakfast?

What are our children getting for breakfast? If the answer is Trix, Reese's Puffs, Corn Pops, Cookie Crisp etc. Cookie crisps? Parents will feed their children Cookie Crisps for breakfast, but would probably protest feeding children regular sized cookies and a glass of milk. At least with a bowl of strawberry ice cream they will getting a fruit, berries are even high in antioxidants which helps to prevent cancer and other illnesses. Sooo is the difference in the size? Why don't we just hand over a bowl of ice cream? Here is a website containing cereal facts directed at children's cereal.It has the top 10 cereals with the poorest nutrition rating that are frequently advertised. Of these top 10 worst cereals, eight of them are also on the top ten most frequently marketed to children on the television. Meaning while watching Saturday morning cartoons, commercials pop up telling the kids how much better life is when they are eating those sweet, delectable, morsels every day. These commercials of course also lead to "Mom! Come look at this! Can we have some please please please?!". General Mills is the worst about catching the kids attention spending 107 million dollars on marketing their children's cereals. Kellogg is next in line spending 39 million dollars. Many of these cereal boxes display misleading phrases such as "better-for-you" or "Smart choices". As we learned in English Comp1, any information may be twisted to sound good or bad. At the top of the children's cereals for healthiness is the Mini Wheats. Good stuff too, I used them as a snack during my last pregnancy; they are very high in fiber compared to calories. A good way to judge if a product has the fiber it is advertising is the fiber-calorie ratio. For 100 calories there needs to be at least 1 gram of fiber. Frosted Mini Wheats has 203 calories and 5.9 grams of fiber.

Back to the ice cream suggestion, there is an actual ice cream for breakfast holiday which is supposed to be held on the first Saturday of every February. It was started by a New York mother who wanted to give her children another thing to look forward to in those long, cold, northern winters. And here are some suggestions to make your ice cream for breakfast a slightly healthier choice.

Breakfast for a child is important for more reasons than one might imagine. A good breakfast gives children the energy they need. A child who eats breakfast is less likely to become tired, irritable, or misbehave in school. Kids who eat their daily breakfast have better scores in math and other areas as opposed to those who get poor or no breakfast. A good breakfast can also assist in weight control and vitamin intake. This site from the Diet Channel also has a good morning routine to help prepare yourself and your child with a good breakfast and start for the day. ahead. It also includes quick healthy on the go breakfast foods for those of us with the "I don't have time" or "I hate breakfast foods" excuses.