Part 2-B - Gulliver's Travels Audiobook by Jonathan Swift (Chs 05-08)

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Part 2-B - Gulliver's Travels Audiobook by Jonathan Swift (Chs 05-08)

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Ideas for a Baby Shower Theme

There are people who prepare not to select a theme when they prepare for a baby shower. However, having a baby shower theme makes the celebration more organized.

When you have chosen a theme, you can easily think about what decoration you are going to use for your preferred theme. Without a theme, you are prone to picking several items that you feel will look good, combine these, and get an unorganized look.

Selecting and preparing a baby shower theme is not a complicated task. Here are some suggestions to give you an idea on how to create a theme for your baby shower.

Teddy Bears

Since the teddy bear is one of the first toys your child will own, it is nice to have a teddy bear theme. You can use med-sized teddy bears to design the baby shower party area. It is not necessary to buy the teddy bears; you can borrow these from friends and family members. Also, you can purchase small teddy bears as party favors to give to your guests.

Stars

Stars represent dreams. "A star is born," they say. You can decorate the place with stars hanging from thin strings. You can also design the walls and the ceiling with stars and heavenly bodies. The program may also include wishes for the baby on how he or she will be a dazzling star.

Diapers

This is the basic need of the newborn baby. The baby shower organizer can decorate the area with diapers, especially those with cute colors and designs. You can even prepare a diaper cake by neatly stacking the diapers together.

The organizer can also ask the guests to bring diapers as gifts. A better idea would be to have a raffle for a special prize in which the raffle entry will be a diaper. This will help the guests since they wouldn't have to think on what gift to buy. It also helps the parents a lot, since they will have a supply of diapers for several months.

Books

Baby and kid books are good gifts for the baby. With a collection of baby books, the parents can have a small library for the baby.

The decorations can be anything related to books. You can place books on the table, or design the walls with books. You can even have a book-shaped cake and cookies.

Noah's Ark

This is a good idea if the parents are expecting twins. The guests will be requested to bring a pair of gifts for the babies. Pairs of stuffed animals may be used to decorate the place.

Prince/Princess

Everyone wants the new baby to feel like a prince or a princess. You can adorn the place with fairy tale concepts pertaining to royalty. You can create miniature towers and castles, a garden and shining stuff fit for a royalty.

Fairy

This is a good option if you will be having the baby shower in the garden. You can enhance the garden surroundings to make it look like the home of fairies. You can include vines, arches, bees and butterflies, as well as small fairy-like decorations to create a fairy garden.

Characters

You can choose a storybook or cartoon character as a theme. How about a superhero? There are lots of options, and once you have selected one, you can think about what items the character is associated with that you can use for the party.

With these simple ideas, you can conceptualize a special baby shower theme that will be remembered by the parents and the guests.

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Maternal Scheme

Maternal Scheme Undelivered

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Making the Best DVD Slideshow

Below I have given some pointers to keep it interesting:

When you think of DVD slideshows you often think Wedding, Birthday or Anniversary, I have covered all three below:

• Weddings

Every bride and groom is unique and has a different story to tell. Use that uniqueness to select photos both personalized and interesting to watch. If the bride and groom are complete opposites, then use pictures, backgrounds, to show how they compliment each other.

• Birthdays

This of course depends on whether your loved one is a child or a grown adult.

For a child, this is the great opportunity to show them growing up, how they got their nickname, what are their favorite past times (sports, pets, camping, etc.). You can also select music and backgrounds that relate to their character.

For an adult, a great idea would be to incorporate notes of well wishes from past birthdays. You can also show major accomplishments from years gone by through photos, awards, music and memorabilia.

• Anniversaries

One of the best things you can do for an anniversary slideshow is to gather memorabilia that the couple has most likely forgotten about. Talk to friends, neighbors and relatives that would be willing to share photographs and other memories. Putting this into a DVD slideshow is sure to be a hit with the couple. Again, be sure to incorporate music from the couple favorite genre.

Other popular DVD Slideshow ideas

Newborn babies, childhood and family events are all great sources of slideshow subjects. Here are some suggestions to keep these productions interesting and eye catching:

• Newborn Babies

All babies are precious, but most slideshows about them are boring. To keep it interesting remember to include photos of more than just the baby; don’t forget about mom, dad, grandma, brothers, etc. etc. Another great idea is to incorporate fun facts about the date of birth (i.e. what happen on the same day 10, 50 or 100 years ago); this can be done by using carefully placed title slides within your DVD Slideshow.

• Kids

For younger children, you can help them put together a slideshow of their favorite things, using their own thoughts and ideas. Let them record a few sound bites to be included within the show.

• Family & Friends

Family vacations, camping trips, family reunions and school plays are all great contenders for slideshows. Don’t forget to include dated title slides so you’re not trying to guess ten years down the road.

So, whether you are creating a slideshow on your own or hiring a professional, keeping it creative is just a matter of detail. Have fun with this, the reward is like none other.

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The 1-2-3 Search For Your New Baby�s Name

The Think Tank

Get the views of your spouse/partner, your family, your spouse’s family, and all your friends. Write down all the names suggested. This is diplomatic because, even if you have no intention of naming your child after your father’s uncle Mangelwurzel, they’ll all think you are considering their wishes or suggestions.

Both parents need to set aside time with no interruptions, at a time when you are both relaxed and with clear minds, to consider the names that appeal to you and write them on a piece of paper. You will also want to discuss and eliminate all the unattractive names suggested by well meaning relatives and friends. Even if you think you know the gender of your baby (scans can be wrong), you should select a name for both boy and girl, even a unisex name.

· You may want to honor a favorite aunt, grandparent or close friend.
· You may want to choose a name with a religious meaning.
· Or perhaps you have heard a name before and thought to yourself that’s a nice name.
· Or you may want the name to have a specific meaning, for example ‘strong,’ or ‘precious.’ If this is your idea, then buy a book of name meanings, or do an internet search, or even look it up in a book at your local library.

Next, you should study the most popular baby names lists for the last few years. These will give you a good list of names that are being used. For a growing child, conformity can be a comfort, and while Mangelwurzel may appeal strongly to you, your son has to go through kindy and many years of school with a host of John’s, Billy’s, Roger’s, Derek’s, Peter’s and Tom’s. You will do your son a disservice if you make him an object of ridicule by saddling him with an outrageous name.

Another reason for checking the list of popular names is that many names that you thought were unique are actually very popular. We named our youngest daughter Emily because we liked the name, it is very feminine, but also because it is an old fashioned name that we thought had gone out of style. We were surprised to find another seven Emily’s within our local community. The same applied to our first daughter’s name. We named her Yvette (after an old girl-friend) then discovered my boss had a daughter almost the same age, also named Yvette. Since then we have met dozens of other girls and women with the same name. But we still like both names because they were chosen because we liked them then, and they are durable names.

But, if you really want an unusual baby name, you can surf the internet for sites with free or paid baby name wizards, usually you answer a few questions and the wizard suggests possible baby names, for more ideas. Or you can combine two names that you like into one, e.g. Mary and Anne can become Maryanne, Ann and Elizabeth can become Anneliza, Julie and Marie can become Juliemarie.

Bear in mind that children can be both cruel and vulnerable to ridicule. My first name is Leslie, which my mother liked very much. She planned to have a girl whom she intended to name Lesley, but got the second prize, me. So I was named Leslie with the boy’s spelling of the name. But this same spelling is also commonly used for a girl, so I went through school being laughed at because I had a girl’s name. It gave me an inferiority complex that took years for me to shake off. To this day I go by the name of “Les” because of that early experience. Another, famous, person was given the name Marion, definitely a girl’s name. I can imagine the discomfort and ridicule he suffered as a child. When he went into movies, the studio immediately changed his name to John Wayne.

Remember too, that cute sounding baby name may not seem so cute when your baby is a strapping 6ft 6in, 25 year old professional footballer. So please, be empathetic of your child’s feelings when you give him, or her, the name that will last a lifetime.

The Elimination Round

By now, I expect you have a good-sized list of potential baby names. Put it aside for a few days to allow your subconscious mind to sift through them and ponder them all.

After a few days, return to your list and strike through every name you really do not want your child to bear. It’s surprising, but several names that appealed to you a few days ago, now sound outrageous or unsuitable (I was going to name my first son Royce until I realized he’d get the nickname “Rolls.”)

Now, on a fresh sheet of paper, write down the top 20 or 25 choices for a first name. In another column to the right, write down your top 20 or 25 choices for a second name (some of these may actually be in the list of first choices). Now, if you are English and would like your child to have a third name, do the same again in a third column.

Next, eliminate names in which the last letter of either the first or middle name ends with the first letter of the last name. Why, because it makes pronunciation difficult because there is no clear distinction where the last name begins and the first name ends, running the two names together. Examples: Tom Mix, Melvin Nelson, and Pat Thomas. Also eliminate names whose initials spell undesired acronyms; e.g. Robert Arnold Thomas = RAT; Samantha Iris Nelson = SIN; Michael Andrew Dobson = MAD. As mentioned before, kids can be cruel and you surely don’t want to make it easy for other children to poke fun at your child in school. Lastly, do some research to find out the meanings of your remaining names. You may want to eliminate names with undesired meanings, for example ‘naïve’, while you may discover others that are definitely keepers, for example ‘brave’. You can research the meanings of names on the internet or borrow a book from your local library.

D Day. (Decision Day)

At this point, again put your list away in a drawer for a few days. Deciding on your new baby’s name is not an easy task. It takes serious thought and some meditation. It’s a gift for a lifetime for your child and he, or she, has no input. After a few days break, reassess your list. You’ll probably be able to eliminate a few more.

Other considerations! Do you have a long surname, such as Featherstone? Then keep your child’s first name short. Jill Featherstone rolls a lot easier off the tongue than Samantha Featherstone; Ann Wilkinshaw than Elizabeth Wilkinshaw; or Jim Dobrzynskiiy than Jaroslav Dobrzynskiiy.

Then there’s alliteration! What’s that? It’s the repetition of initial consonants in neighboring or following words. In names, this means first and other names have the same consonant sound as the first letter. Here are a few examples: William Wordsworth, Candy Campbell (Cynthia doesn’t work because the “C” is sibilant, like “S”), Bill Baxter, Sam Simpson. Walt Disney knew what he was doing when he named Mickey Mouse and Minnie Mouse. On the other hand, Cindy Solomon will work because the “C” is sibilant like the “S,” as will Jim George and Roger Wright.

Will you name your son Andrew, because you want to call him Andy? Why not name him Andy; or Drew if you like Drew? Why name your son William, if you want to call him Bill? Edward for Ted? Or your daughter Samantha, if you want to call her Sam; Rebecca, if you really like Becky?

Finally, you need to decide on the spelling. Casey, Kasey, Kaysey, Kaisee, or Caisee? It’s your choice and the way you can “individualize” an otherwise common name. Peter is good for a boy, Peta is good for a girl. But Petr is also OK for a boy, and Peetah is nice and unusual for a girl. Then of course, there are the national variants, such as Pedro, Pietro, Pierre and so on.

Just remember though, if you use an uncommon spelling, your child may have to go through life (as I have) constantly correcting the spelling of his or her name.

And in closing this article, I want to remind you this one thing; the most important thing is that YOUR CHILD will be happy with whatever name you choose. It is she or he that has to bear the wisdom or the folly of your choice of name.

Want more help with choosing your baby’s name? Then go to
http://www.babynamesetc.com for a free and unique baby name generator.

© 2006 Leslie H Sprankling. Leslie Sprankling is a veteran author of several books. He is also a veteran father of numerous children, and the survivor of many pregnancies (not his, his wife's). They say experience is the best teacher, and Leslie certainly has plenty of hands-on experience; he also holds a Master’s Degree from the University of Hard Knocks (smile). His websites http://www.pregnancy.monetarylogistics.com and http://www.babies.monetarylogistics.com contain a wonderful range of up-to-date articles on pregnancy and baby topics based on the experiences of his wife and himself, and his daughters over three decades. Website owners as well as on- and off-line publishers are welcome to reprint this article providing this resource box remains intact and the article remains totally unchanged. Please email me at leslie@monetarylogistics.com if you use it.

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Baby Language

Most parents wish that their baby would grow up without crying. But remember that without crying your baby will not be able to communicate anything with you.Accept the fact that crying is a way of developing the baby language. Especially, in the first six months, babies cry to communicate their needs. As a parent, you cannot always tell, but many mothers in due course will be able to recognize their baby's needs from the type of cry.

The most common reason for babies to cry is hunger. But there are many more common reasons for them to cry too. If your baby cries after a feed, do not jump to the conclusion that the feed was inadequate; instead look for probable reasons other than hunger. Babies cry to express their needs as they cannot communicate otherwise. Given below are the various reasons for which a child/baby cries. As a parent it is important to comprehend the baby language i.e. the reason of cry.

Some common reasons are:

Hunger: In the early part of their lives, babies may need to be fed at short intervals, sometimes in even less than two hours. Frequent feeding will help and over time your baby will space out his/her feeds.

Thirst: Usually not seen in breast-fed babies, but can happen to bottle fed babies, more so in summer.

Diaper-change: If the diapers are left on too long, it can cause painful and uncomfortable rashes. Frequent changing of diapers can prevent these troubles.

Too hot, too cold: Since babies are unable to change their clothes or uncover themselves on their own, they will cry to let you know that they are uncomfortable. The proper way is to feel your baby's body. If it feels cool, add a blanket. If he/she is sweaty or hot, remove a layer of clothing.

Uncomfortable clothes or positioning: Check to see if there is anything poking your baby like a price tag or a piece of Velcro. Change his/her clothes or give him/her some time being naked or swaddled in a warm blanket. Also, change his/her position of sleep. If he/she is lying on the back put him/her on his/her back.

Bowel movements: Some babies will cry, scream and get pink in the face just before passing urine or bowel movement. Once they are done they will be okay.

Anxiety and fear: Sudden movements and loud noises can trigger crying. Be gentle with your baby.

Boredom: Babies who are bored cry to get your attention. Picking up your baby and interacting with him/her can put a quick end to the crying spell.

Tiredness: Babies always don't know that they need to sleep when they're tired. It's your job to calm them down for naptime, not stimulate them.

Sometimes you and your baby can get into a crying cycle. When babies cry, you get anxious and start panicking. Your baby senses this, feels uncomfortable and cries even more. If you find yourself getting into these cycles, talk to your doctor.A sick baby will cry, but will also have other symptoms of illness like runny nose, fever, tugging the ear or diarrhea. Generally a healthy baby will have a strong, loud cry. If your baby's cry becomes weak, contact your doctor right away.

Crying is almost synonymous to baby language. A child primarily expresses it's emotions by crying, making sounds, laughing etc. In the initial stages, it is no cakewalk for a parent to comprehend their child's needs. But with passage of time, the message is communicated effectively and it is an important step in bonding between a parent and child.


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