…people like lists (vol. 14)

1. Earlier this week, we attended a friend’s birthday potluck picnic at a park. There was lots of good food and good people who brought yummy treats to share. Tommy found a container of homemade chocolate chip cookies and helped himself. Unfortunately, that cookies were packaged next to homemade peanut butter cookies. Tommy is allergic to peanuts.

Cross-contamination is real and it can get ugly, fast. Fortunately, I had Benedryl in my purse so I was able to give a dose to him immediately. I felt like he needed one more pill, which I didn’t have, so a friend helped out from her Benedryl stash. My husband took Tommy home to watch him. Luckily, he didn’t need the epi-pen, but he developed some itching and a bad headache. Giving Benedryl immediately probably saved him a trip to the ER.

My PSA: Please package peanut-laden foods separately from other foods. Also, labels are nice. I’m not one of those peanuts-must-be-banned parents because I understand people truly love peanuts. They are an iconic food in the US. Can we try to take care, though? I’m not angry at the people who brought the cookies. Parents who have kids with allergies bear the responsibility in policing what their kids eat, including me. But in a hectic, zany party atmosphere, it’s nice to know we have each other’s backs.

2. Almost a year ago, I went on bed rest. At the time, I had no idea it would end up being a month. The reason was very low amnionic fluid, but not low enough for immediate delivery. 5 is the magic number and I bounced around at 6 or 7. They wanted it to be over 10. Also, my history of deliveries because of low fluid (Joel, Beatrix, and Archie) made them put me on bed rest. The hospital had just instituted a policy that no c-sections or inductions could be performed before 39 weeks unless lives were in imminent danger. I thought it was dumb, but the OB assured me it was for the best. Pediatricians had been pushing for the change because they were seeing babies born between 37 -39 weeks being admitted to the NICU.

Lately, I’ve been seeing many articles backing up the research. Here’s a clearinghouse of sorts in case you or someone you know is heavily pregnant and thinking of asking for an early induction or a c-section. Summer is especially brutal on the very-pregnant, but try to hang in there for the sake of your sweet baby.

Doctors to Pregnant Women: Wait at Least 39 Weeks

Mothers-to-be Cautioned to Wait Until 39 Weeks for Scheduled Delivery

Two More Colorado Hospitals Ban Elective Births Before 39 Weeks

Too Many Babies Are Delivered Too Early: Hospitals Should Just Say No

March of Dimes: No Non-Medical Inductions Before 39 Weeks

Doctors Say Planned Early Births Can Be Risky

3. From the makers of Dippin’ Dots: Coffee dots? Imagine the possibilities. Can you imagine if your job was Ice Cream Scientist? They are moving beyond flash-freezing to make ice cream dots and into other dreamy frontiers.

4. Here’s a list of The 26 Most Disturbing Kid’s Movies. I’ll add one to the list: Rango. The animation was spectacularly detailed. Truly stunning. The kids thought it was weird and creeper, but they laughed. It’s rated PG because small animals smoke. “Smoking” is actually given as a reason for the PG rating. Rango is more suitable for older kids and teens, but even they might scratch their heads at the post-modern themes and over-the-top characters. Normally, I love Isla Fisher, but her character in the movie, Beans, made my skin crawl. Her voice was nauseating.

With that, I’m rolling out my new movie review rating system: Clean Diaper, Wet Diaper, Dirty Diaper.

I give Rango a Wet Diaper.

5. More Fall Fashion 2011 trends for you to adopt. Ladies, start filling your closets with mustard and roadkill. Shroud your bodies in Gulden’s yellow jacket and wear stuffed wharf rat on your noggin. Tres chic! Pair it all with baggy cropped dijon-yellow pants and look like a real live New York City hot dog cart.