2011, year of the babes

What in the hell happened to 2010??!! I know it's cliche, but I truly have no idea what happened to this year. Oh wait, maybe it was happening whilst I was busy jamming my head full of knowledge while trying to hold down two jobs. Unforntunaltey, when you try to do too many things, you end up doing all of them half-assed. Which was my case this semester. Oh well. You live and learn and then overeat and over imbibe during the holidays and hope you don't get fired and hope you do pass your classes.


So now it's 2011. I'm officially declaring 2011 the year of the baby. Almost everyone I know is getting pregnant or has just had a baby. I mean EVERYONE. It's a little strange to be the only one of your friends who will never be pregnant. Oscar and I decided long ago we are far too selfish and irresponsible (read self-absorbed and stupid) to have kids.Thus far it hasn't really been an issue but suddenly, everyone around us is el preg and we can't even decide what kind of dog to get.It's slightly disconcerting when you realize everyone around you is taking giant leaps into adulthood while you are still mucking around in late adolescence. Don't get me wrong, I'm really very excited for my friends to start having kids. I used to refer to kids as sticky, whiny balls of neediness, but I'm beginning to realize it's all in the parenting.

I've really warmed up to kids quite a  bit. The last few years, especially this year, has forced me to come to terms with the fact that some children can be all right, particularly if they have the right parents. Fortunately I generally tend to surround myself with awesome people, therefore I also tend to be surrounded with awesome kids, even if they do invade my every sense of self.  For example, I adore Oscar's niece and nephew whom I believe have seen me naked over the holidays  more times than I care to count due to the fact they have no sense of privacy. They walked right into the bedroom every time I was changing and just waltzed on into the bathroom not once, not twice, but three times in the same day. I even love them even though his nephew climbed into bed with us every night and snored directly into MY FACE. I also love, love my niece who is the picture of adorable. However I still struggle.  I don't really know how to talk to kids. I tend to treat them like adults. I also tend to forget they don't understand sarcasm. This Christmas, Oscar's niece Kayla came into our room and asked me "Do you like Nino Oscar"? I dead panned replied "No." Kayla:"What? Why don't you like my Nino? I love my Nino?" She was on the verge of tears. Me: "I'm kidding!! I love your Nino! He is so great!" Kayla was  unconvinced and I noticed her eying me suspicously between bouts of Hello Kitty coloring sessions the rest of the night. Do you see what I mean? Sometimes I feel like I am going to break children, or lose them. They are so damned interested in everything! Also, since displays of emotion in general freak me out, I am instantly terrified when kids start to cry. I usually start laughing out of sheer nervousness, which honestly has a pretty good turnaround rate.

Anyway, I'm definitely excited for all my friends who are expecting kids. As if in a mockery to me, NPR aired a great show today on the importance of folic acid for expectant moms. According to the Institute of Medicine, certain requirements for women will increase during pregnancy due to the synthesis of the new fetal tissue as well as maternal tissue. Amongst these increased requirements are kcalories (+10 during the 1st trimester, +340 during the second and +452 during the third), protein & vitamin C but the one that receives the most attention is folic acid. Folic acid needs rise during pregnancy in response to mom's making extra red blood cells as well as the prevention of neural tube defects (NTD). Folic acid is traditionally found in things like spinach, broccoli and lentils but in the 1990s grains began to be enriched with folic acid to thwart the rise of NTD. The RDA for folic acid is 600 micrograms (mcg) for pregnant women. The Institute of Medicine recommends that 400 mcg of the 600 should come from  folate fortified foods or supplements as it is better absorbed, the remaining 200 mcg should come from food and drink. The tolerable upper intake level (UL) is 800-1000 mcg a day. I really liked this table which shows the RDA's as well as foods which contain them.

I won't pretend to understand the ins and outs of a pregnancy, but a little awareness and good nutritional habits will benefit both mother and baby.