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Growth charts have grown up

Posted by hiccups
on August 11, 2009 at 4:00 pm

We all remember the ways our parents charted our growth … pencil markings on the inside closet door, using a marker on a yard stick or just buying a growth chart poster to track our progress. 

With technology a staple these days, some parents are taking a different direction when documenting how fast their kids grow. 

One couple tracked it using a camera, taking a picture each day during their baby’s first year.  The result?  Click here.

-Erica Smith
esmith@opubco.com

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You can help feed a hungry baby

Posted by hiccups
on May 4, 2009 at 12:10 pm
 
 
Imagine you have a newborn or toddler, but you can’t afford to feed and diaper him on your own.
 
Diapers are expensive even if you buy the more economical brands. And, while breastfeeding a baby – so your little one can receive needed immunities and nutrients – is preferred, it’s not always possible.
 
If you have children, you know these “little” expenses are reoccurring. When my children were born, we were buying diapers, formula, baby food and baby wipes every week. It was worth it, even though we would talk about the amount of money we were spending.
 
But to some families, even getting the barest of necessities for their children is difficult.
 
You can help make a difference in the littlest of lives at 5 p.m. Tuesday, May 5, and beyond.
 
Infant Crisis Services is dedicating its new 17,000-square-foot building at NE 42 and Lincoln Boulevard. The new facility and its furnishings were made possible by a grant from the Donald W. Reynolds Foundation.
 
But they still need the public’s help to continue assistance to more than 1,000 young children.
 
You can help stock its new shelves with diapers, formula, baby food and more. Your contributions will go to families who need assistance in caring for their babies and toddlers.
They also need pacifiers, baby baths, bath wash and lotion, shampoo, sippy cups, children’s books and toys.
 
The larger building is expected to allow Infant Crisis Services to serve double the amount of children they do now. The nonprofit organization also does not receive any state, federal or United Way funding.
Go to www.infantcrisis.org to learn more about Infant Crisis Services, donating or receiving help. Or call (405) 528-3663.
– Linda Lynn
llynn@opubco.com
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Do you have your child’s birth certificate?

Posted by hiccups
on May 5, 2008 at 3:29 pm

I knew where it had to be. Yes, I did have Cade’s birth certificate, or, at least that’s what I told the school officials as we planned for my 3-year-old to begin school.

But after sifting through stacks of papers, opening legal-sized envelopes, digging through my cedar chest and emptying drawers, I decided I really, truly had never ordered copies of Cade’s birth certificate.

I felt guilty, disorganized. Why hadn’t I taken care of this? But then I started thinking about some of the little obstacles we had to overcome when Cade was born, how he had to undergo light treatment for about a week for jaundice, how his blood had to be tested constantly for about two months because the numbers were not exactly where they were supposed to be, and how we had to go through a liver scan … We were a little busy.

And then, life kind of evened out. Trips to the hospital became less frequent, and we went on about our business, dealing with normal everyday “stuff.”

When I found my middle daughter’s birth certificate last week, guess what? I had ordered her’s right before she started school. … Maybe I wasn’t such a bad, forgetful mother, after all.

So, today, I went to the Oklahoma Department of Health and stood in line to get what I should have gotten a few years ago. It wasn’t a great experience, but it wasn’t so terribly awful either.

I stood in a long line – it was a Monday and other parents were having to enroll their kids, too, and they needed their children’s birth certificates. Yes, the man behind me carried on a colorful conversation peppered with every expletive you could imagine on his cell phone, and after standing in that line, I had to stand in another line to pay … and then I had to wait for my number to be called. But the people assisting everyone were friendly.

And then it was done. I had my son’s birth certificate – four copies – you never know when you’re going to need an extra.

So, here’s some advice. If you have children and you haven’t gotten their birth certificates, go ahead and take care of that today. You can mail in your request or you can go to the Health Department, 1000 NE 10th St. If you go in person, print off the form ahead of time, fill it out, and then all you have to do is step into line. You won’t have to worry that you’ve forgotten information or misplaced your ID, because you’ll already know you need it.

And, then, when you enroll your kids in school, and someone asks if you have their birth certificates, you can say, “Yes,” and know that it’s true.    - Linda