which turkey?

last week we spent six days in durango for the thanksgiving holiday.  although we had planned to spend much of our time outside, we hadn't planned on the cold weather.  we had enough forethought to bring kota's new snowsuit, but on our first outing we discovered that he is already too tall for it!  he was a good sport and he walked around in the snow for a good ten minutes, but we couldn't stop laughing because he looked like a bright red starfish.  he couldn't bring his arms down and he couldn't get his feet together!  but he was warm and that was the important part!

so, we learned that kids have a much lower tolerance for and excitement about snow than us adults.  notice kota's lack of excitement after ten minutes of play.  why is that?  is it mental or is there some physiological reason?

here are a few pointers about babies and cold:
-your baby will generally need more layers than you will, since he or she is not as active, therefor not producing as much heat
-humans lose more heat through their heads than anywhere else.  this is especially true for babies, who have proportionately bigger heads than adults.
-babies and toddlers need extra layers on their legs since they don't move at all, or, in the case of toddlers, they don't move very fast
-glare can be especially bad on snow, so consider a pair of sunglasses for your tot.
-periodically test your baby's warmth by touching his nose, cheeks, or fingers.  at the end of each adventure, as you unbundle your child in indoors warmth, immediately test his hands and feet, particularly to see if he's dry and warm.  this is the test of whether your outing has been successful and will give you clues to what may be needed on your next winter trip.


as in all cases, babies need special care and attention in the snowy world.

it's just nerves

that's what rob says when he tickles me. "it's just nerves!"  when he has captured me between his legs and stimulated my ticklish self to a point of either wetting my pants or simultaneously combusting, he says calmly, "it's just nerves."  when i have finally recovered (read: caught my breath and returned to a state of more love than fear) i try to retaliate.  but, of course, rob is not ticklish.

what is it that makes me so ticklish and rob so immune?  was it the years and years of "abuse" from my two older brothers?  was it that from an early age i enjoyed the laughter that accompanies tickling?  was it learned or is it inborn?  these are questions to which i have to know the answers.  if i could learn to like tickling, perhaps i could learn to be immune.

my internet research revealed some interesting results:
-tickling is probably limited to humans and primates, but it is not understood why some people are more ticklish than others.
-tickling is commonly accepted as an integral bonding activity, particularly between parents and children.  when expressed between siblings it is usually used for punishment and intimidation.  between friends and lovers tickling is the fifth and highest grade of social play and illustrates deep intimacy.
-perhaps we are ticklish for the purpose of bonding, perhaps it is an evolutionary adaptation to protect those particular areas of our bodies, or perhaps it has helped us develop combat skills.
-and the reason we can't tickle ourselves is not entirely understood, but it is likely that the cerebellum sends precise information about the position of the tickling target to the somatosensory cortex, voiding the element of surprise, which is required for tickling.

this is what it looks like when my brother tickles me:

notice that my headband is in his hand, i am totally stuck under his arm, and still, i am laughing.  it is an odd thing, tickling.  and i think i will be ticklish for the duration...