Tag + Thumb = Baby Bliss

Baby "K" started sucking his thumb around three months of age.  Mr. Fixit and I were quite ok with this, because a thumb in a baby's mouth means quiet, or more importantly - no crying.  We were both quite thankful for that fact, and a thumb can not be lost, unlike the pacifier.

The newest development in the thumb sucking department has been the addition of a tag.  Baby "K" wears a bib nearly all day, due to the large amounts of drool associated with teething.  So, he has discovered that his bib usually has a tag on the left side.  He sucks his left thumb, so this is perfect.  Baby "K" will grab the tag with his left hand and stick it in his mouth.  It is an interesting sight!  So, here is a pic of the tag and thumb together.

My Mentors

The career that I have is always interesting, and a dull moment simply does not exist.  We deal with some difficult stuff, and as the only professional of my type in my county, sometimes it can get a bit lonely.  When I entered this profession, I was assigned several mentors.  One of my assigned mentors is in the left of this photo.

I have also selected some additional mentors, and one of my picks is in the photo, on the right.  The fact is this: I could not be successful without mentors to offer advice and assistance. Thanks ladies for making a positive difference in my life!

Tasty Table

Getting teeth must be quite the painful process, I have decided.  Drool is constant, along with a runny nose, swollen gums and well, lots of other things that just make sleeping, playing and eating without fussing next to impossible!

Baby "K" really likes the Oak coffee table in our living room.  He has started to pull himself up, by grabbing onto the table.  First before he pulls himself to a standing position, he takes a little gnaw to make sure the table is sturdy.  I hold my breath, because I am not really certain that I am ready for the tooth-mark finish that is likely inevitable!  Mr. Fixit says that we can sand it and refinish it some day - with Baby "K," helping, of course, since he designed that now permanent engravings =)

Corn Mash

Our KARL class had quite the adventure, as we trekked through the Ethanol plant, located in Garden City, Kansas.  Did you know that ethanol can be created from Milo or Corn?  The plant has two silos, one to hold milo and one for corn.  However, corn was in action the day we visited.

Grain trucks deliver the dry (or mostly dry) grain.  The grain is unloaded into storage silos.  The ethanol process begins when grain and water are added to a mash machine.  The mixture is heated and mixed to begin the fermentation process.  The plant definitely has a very yeasty smell, due to the fermentation process.

The mixture moves from mash mixers to fermentators and eventually out of the plant.  The ethanol is extracted, and a very, bright, hot, moldable mixture remains.  This is referred to as distillers grain.  This photo shows a close up shot of the grain.  It looks almost like Play-Doh!  This bi-product is hauled, by another truck, to some very hungry cattle.  Tasty?

On the Move

Baby "K" is officially part of the moving world - he started crawling across the daycare living room floor around November 10!  All the kids at daycare, were quite the cheering fans.  They would continue to move toys farther away from him, to get "K" to crawl further.  I told Mr. Fixit that the tv remote is no longer safe!  For some reason, this is his favorite!

Hay Wall

Running a dairy operation with 14,000 mouths to feed takes a lot of hay.  Let me say it again, A LOT of hay!  This is just one row of hay.  I called it a "Hay Wall."  The hay is part of the feed rations for cows at Royal Farms Dairy.  Lots of roughage = lots of good producing milk cows.

The bales are larger than the hay bales that we had on our farm growing up.  We just had the traditional round bales, and Dad would move them with the tractor fork.  I am not exactly sure how these are moved.  I did not get to witness the action, but I am sure the cows run right up to the bale when it arrives in their lot!  I think the commodities location was my favorite part of my tour to Royal Farms.  It was such fun to see the different types of foodstuffs for the bovines!

Last Call

Last call was announced at about seven months, and Baby "K" was the "Last Call" designator!  We gradually went from about five feedings a day down to one, and eventually, none.  So, this is the last remaining drink of milk.  Baby "K" drank it quickly, and then enjoyed a snack of some applesauce!