GUEST POST: Gen Thompson, Pat Brown Profiler

I am entirely too cranky to blog today, so I'm putting this blog in the capable hands of Gen with a G, hilarious new blogger and high school friend.  If you haven't had the pleasure of reading her stories, do yourself a favor and click over and read.  This one is my favorite, so far.  She's awesome.  Her posts make me laugh out loud like a crazy person. 

In case you missed all the Pat Brown brou-ha-ha, you might want to read this and this first, to catch yourself up. ~Amy


I totally wish that I had gotten to read what Pat Brown, Criminal Profiler actually said on AOL because based on Amy’s posts and your comments, it sounded like it was riveting. I’m always behind on these things, but it doesn’t stop me from having an opinion. And Pat Brown, Criminal Profiler knows what that’s like. My educated guess leads me to believe she said something along the lines of this: “PPD is for pretend. I am Pat Brown, Criminal Profiler, so you know I’m right.” But since AOL was all “whoops, our bad!” and pulled her quote before I could read it firsthand, I had to go do a little profiling myself to get a better sense of the woman.

As any good investigator will tell you, if you want to be in the know, go where all the cool kids hang out. So, I went to visit Pat Brown, Criminal Profiler’s Facebook page and found two status updates of intrigue. Pat Brown, Criminal Profiler says:

“More stupidity. Studies say kids who get less sleep are fatter. Probably because they are up eating in front of the television.” AND “Woo hoo! They shot the bastard at Discovery Channel and the hostages are safe!”

So, what I’ve learned: not only is Pat Brown, Criminal Profiler an expert psychologist, she is also a brilliant scientist that can explain the causes of childhood obesity by suggesting every child suffering from a lack of sleep is obviously just staying up late snacking in front of the tv. Plus she is super smart and well spoken, because she begins updates about complicated situations like the violent deaths of dangerous people who take hostages with the words woo hoo!

Very interesting. I must know more.

So of course, experts like me always make Wikipedia their second stop. This handy source tells me that, a while back, Pat Brown rented out her room to a murder suspect. This event inspired her to go into her line of work. Clearly, Pat Brown, Criminal Profiler is an astute judge of character.

So, I’m beginning to wonder, does Pat Brown, Criminal Profiler know everything about everything? Cool!

But then, I hit a bump in the road. Somewhere in my investigation, (I’m not sure where, but who needs facts? I’m Gen Thompson, Pat Brown Profiler!) I learned that Pat Brown had some babies of her own. And now I’m just utterly confused. Because I can understand and accept how a self-proclaimed psychiatrist, scientist, super smart, well-spoken woman (who is an astute judge of character AND, let us not forget, CRIMINAL PROFILER) can bend her mind and proclaim that PPD is a hoax. I mean, a lot of well-meaning people do this all the time – state their opinions as facts. But how can a MOM proclaim that? How is that even possible?

She has to remember bursting into uncontrollable tears at the slightest provocation. She has to remember hiding in the bathroom, running the shower and singing at the top of her lungs to drown out the baby’s incessant crying, if only for a minute. She has to remember a body that literally ached for sleep. She must recall the complete and utter desperation that accompanies the joy of new motherhood. Come on Pat Brown, Criminal Profiler. For real? You don’t believe in PPD?


You’re lying and you know it.

Claire's First Day of School

It's nice that Mary Grace started on Tuesday and Claire started today, because that meant that everyone had her own special first day of school.

The sun was as bright as our smiles.

Claire was so excited to have her very own cubby for her "pack pack."

Big Sis was on hand to show her the ropes.

Bye Daddy!

Bye Mommy! Get lost, I have a lot to do! No tears here!

After school we went to Noodles for lunch with Grandpa Ben. The kids sang "Sticky Sticky Bubblegum" for us.  Claire showed us the worksheet the kids did about their first day of school, that showed different emotions they might be feeling (sad, scared, etc.).  I asked Claire which face was like hers.

"Happy!" she replied.

Mary Grace's First Day of School

Today was Mary Grace's first day of school. 

Claire could hardly stand the excitement!

The best pictures of Mary Grace are the ones where she's spinning or jumping, so her hair is all flippy.  Here she is at her cubby, looking fabulous.

It only took me half an hour to get up from this position. 

Daddy came along for Day 1 Drop Off too, of course.

She tried out her new carpet square, then the sit and spin, and she got really dizzy.  But her hair looked amazing! 

Claire's first day is tomorrow - stay tuned!

Babble and Breastfeeding

Busy weekend for the PB family, so in lieu of a real post, I ask that you click here and read this article at Ph.D. in Parenting about Babble and Similac.

Breastfeeding is a political issue - and formula companies make billions of dollars while compromising the health of our children.  Yes, thank God formula exists for women who can't breastfeed, or for women whose circumstances make it difficult or impossible.  I agree that breastfeeding isn't possible for everyone, and that it's to everyone's benefit that there exists an alternative for women who must work, women who adopt, women who have to take medication that's incompatible with nursing, etc. etc.

I'm not writing this to judge YOUR individual choices.

However, formula companies have spent years actively engaged in the process of sabotaging healthy mothers who could choose to nurse because they make money when you choose formula over breastfeeding.  It's been well documented and it's been going on for years.  It's especially egregious in poor nations around the world.

Please take a moment to click through to see how formula companies are currently engaged in breastfeeding sabotage, and then use your voice to do something.  I'm sharing this post here and on Facebook, and I wrote a letter to the two Babble e-mail addresses that Ph.D. in Parenting listed, and I told them that they should be ashamed of themselves.  What are you going to do?

Mary Grace has her first loose tooth!