Help Us Choose a Name

As you may recall, when MacKenzie was gestating Lucy, we gave the fetus a nom de guerre, Nigel. Well, when we announced the impending arrival of baby #2, Amanda reminded us that we should name this one, too. And we want your input, so please vote in the poll below. The first choice is Craig's nomination, the second came from Rachel, and the third from MacKenzie. The final choice is a takeoff on how Lucy says "two," which comes out like "dew," which is appropriate for our second offspring.

We will declare the winner in a week or so.

Note: this poll is non-binding.

Hello Baby

If you look over there on the right side of the page, you will notice that MacKenzie’s birth countdown is at zero.  Well, our baby is a punctual one, because MacKenzie’s labor started soon after the calendar flipped over to her due date.  The result is Lucy Elinor, 7 lbs. 14 oz., 19.5 inches.  Mom and baby are doing well.  Details to follow.

Good News, Good News, Bad News

I feel like I should post something. Not because I have anything interesting to say, but I'm afraid y'all might think I've had a baby since I haven't posted in 6 days. So here's a little update.

Good news #1: We saw the midwife Friday and she checked my hematocrit (iron) levels. They are up from 9.5 to 11.9. Much better! I'm still going to be diligent about eating lots of meat and taking my Floradix but just knowing I'm out of the official anemic zone is a huge relief.

Good news #2: She didn't check me this week but she did last week and I'm 90% effaced and ~3.5-4 centimeters dilated. This is a good sign and points to my having a quick labor!

Bad news: I'm still pregnant and getting exponentially more uncomfortable by the day. And whatever the good news #2 says about my potential for a quick labor once it starts, it says pretty much nothing about when it will start. I've had periods of 1-2 hours with contractions coming regularly but just about when I think I should maybe start timing then, they go away. I told Craig that at this rate I will be having a 48 hr labor, just in 2 hr increments. Intellectually, I don't actually mind because I know my body is preparing and this way I at least get to rest in between and sleep at night but it is doing roller coasters with my emotions. It's tricky because I'm supposed to ignore them but not too much since my midwife doesn't want me to wait to call her as much as she would want most first time moms too. The easiest thing for me to do is just go try to take a nap. I figure if I can sleep through them, it's to early to call her. And so far, I've been right.

Not Me Monday

This is my first stab at participating in MckMama's Not Me Monday but I'm pretty sure I will have ample opportunities for me as I delve into the world of mommy-hood.

But this weekend, I most certainly did NOT start nesting.

I did NOT suddenly feel the need to clean my kitchen so thoroughly I used up half a bottle of cleaner.

I did NOT spend 20 minutes cleaning around the sink with a toothpick and I did NOT then use that toothpick to clean the area between the stove and the counter either (but if I did that would be totally reasonable because a lot of food gets stuck there and a normal wipe-down with a rag doesn't reach it).

I did NOT feel the need then organize my make-up box despite the fact that I wear make-up once, maybe twice a month.

I did NOT then re-wash the co-sleeper sheet because it had a couple cat hairs on it.

When sorting and organizing the birth supplies, I most certainly did NOT stop and stare longingly at the blow-pops because I remembered that I promised myself I wouldn't even consider any natural induction methods until at least next weekend.*

And I most certainly did NOT furiously scrub the wall while getting all frustrated at my oh-so-patient husband for touching the same spot on the wall everytime he goes down the stairs until he forms a big black smudge there. Nor did I tell him he was in charge of making dinner but was forbidden from getting the kitchen dirty because I had just cleaned it! What kind of wife would do that? Definitely NOT me.

Be sure to check out what everyone else has NOT been doing over at MckMama's.

*There is supposedly an acupressure point on the roof of your mouth so sucking on your thumb or a round lollipop can help start/speed things up. Not that I would consider such a thing so I am a firm believer that babies come when they are ready.

Let's play a game!

Since I'm 38 weeks now, I figured it is about time to put up the inevitable baby poll where you guess what day Nigel will arrive and whether he will be a he or she will be a she.

I can't really help you with the gender but I will give you a "tip" on the date. My official due date is May 27th or 40 weeks but since my midwife doesn't induce, she says her average arrival is around the 41st week. Not that we want Nigel to be average but I thought I would pass along the information anyway. Also, as depressing as it is to announce, I'm pretty much showing none of the pre-labor signs, except crankiness. Does crankiness count?

The prize? The pride of knowing that your completely random guess was better than everyone else's completely random guess! With an offer like that, how can you not want to play?

Good News, Bad News

We saw the midwife today. The first news we got was good. My group B strep test was negative. Most first time moms are negative, but even so, I was really worried about it so that was a big relief.

The second news we got wasn't so good. I'm pretty anemic. Normal levels for a woman are 12-15 but pregnancy takes a bit of iron from you so a typical pregnant women runs between 11-12. I'm at 9.1 - not good. And we really want it up before the birth since even if I don't lose a lot of blood, I'll just feel really crappy with a level like that. The plan right now is for me to double how much floradix I'm taking, eat at least one serving of red meat every day (I normally only eat about one, maybe two, servings a week), and increase my other iron source intakes (spinach, walnuts, prune juice?). So now I'm off to the grocery store!

But, other than the iron thing, everything looks great. Baby is measure right on target size wise, I'm not having any other problems, it's just a waiting game. Right now I want baby to hang out until I've had at least a week or two of intense iron eating but there are worse things in the world than "forcing" yourself to have spinach steak salads for lunch every day right?

PS - On another semi-Nigel related note. Mothering Magazine is a awesome hippie-type parenting magazine (in other words - not just a booklet of ads) and right now you can get a free one-year digital subscription by going here and using the code CDIGM. I was actually at Barnes and Noble today and thought about buying it but I'm so glad I waited!

Tutes I’ve tried

Slowly and steadily, I’ve been working on my before baby comes craftiness to-do list but I’ve been pretty lazy about taking pictures until now. So here is a quick recap of what I’ve accomplished.

Lots of burp rags made from random scrap fabrics, some with ribbon trim, some without. My favorite is the top sushi one. I don’t know why but a sushi burp rag really makes me smile. I also like the second one because it matches my purse (which will become a diaper bag) and it’s new coordinating changing pad clutch:

I followed this tutorial and one of the commenter’s suggestions so it can fit anything from two pocket diapers down to just the wipes case.

Here it is opened. The purple is a little girly but I had leftover terry cloth from a Christmas project and didn’t want to waste it. I also used the same terry cloth and some leftover flannel to make some baby wipes. The ones on the left are double sided heavy duty type while the right side are just basic flannel, cut and zig-zag stitched to prevent unraveling. They are pretty ugly but functional.

I also made some mama cloth and nursing pads.

and this fun fabric box for Nigel’s toys that will go on

Nigel’s living room shelf with his/her books and blanket.

It’s a pretty small box but that was intentional. If I have a small toy box, we can only have a small number of toys, right? That box followed the tutorial’s dimensions but I used the same technique to make a bigger rectangular box to hold diapers and wipes.

It’s overflowing right now but after Nigel is born, they won’t ever be all clean at once so that won’t be a problem!

I also made a swaddle blanket from some soft thin cotton fabric my mom found in my old fabric stash from her basement. I have no idea why I had a baby alphabet fabric in there but I won’t complain. It is 42x42 since that is supposedly a better swaddling size that the smaller receiving blankets size although when I tried to swaddle a teddy bear it seemed like a lot of fabric. Now I need to make another one but am torn about what size to go with.

I think my favorite project though was this set of baby legs. The original tutorial I linked to was a bit confusing but this one describes it better and it really is a super easy project. It probably took my less than 10 minutes and the socks only cost me $3 at Wal-mart. The hardest part is finding non-girly socks but I recently noticed that Target had a new stand with really cute socks for $2, several of which would work for boys too if you're interested :-)

One month to go!

Two days ago was April 27th. My due date is May 27th. With just a little bit of calculation, one can see that my due date is now less than a month from now. In just a week I will be at 37 weeks which is no longer pre-term and my midwife can see to us here if I go into labor. Another week later I'll be at 38 weeks which is considered full term (no, I do not understand what that in between week is supposed to be called but nothing about pregnancy calculations really make sense). But most first-time moms deliver close to or after their due date so I'm pretty sure I've got a while yet.

Some of me is happy about that, some isn't. Practically speaking, we are ready. We finished our Bradley class, got our child/infant CPR certification last weekend, made our birth plan and poster, received the birth kit and gotten the rest of our supplies ready. Clothes and diapers are washed, the freezer is getting full (although I have a few more meals to make) and I'm almost out of craft projects. We still need to re-install the car seat (we already installed it to make sure it worked in our car but took it out since it was so big), make a rice sock and get the ingredients for labor-aid ready but considering I could do all that in about 30 minutes, I'm not worried.

Emotionally, I'm getting there. Until last week, I wavered between "I'm so excited, the baby is almost here!" to "Ack, everything is going to change. I don't like change! I'm not ready for this!" But I'm pretty quickly getting over that.

Why the big switch? Mostly because I'm way more physically uncomfortable now. It seemed like one second I was fine, now I'm not. Nigel has apparently grown big enough that the last remaining space my stomach has is used up now and I feel nauseous most of the time. It's also gotten to the point where I can't stay in the same position for very long but it is difficult to shift without pulling something. Once I stand up for any reason, I go ahead and go to the bathroom because chances are I'll need to some time in the next 30 minutes and once I've sat down on floor (if I'm being good) or the couch (if I'm being bad), it takes way too much energy to get up again. I can't breathe very well (don't tell, but I had to fake breathe into my dummy during the CPR class when the instructor wasn't watching, it's hard enough breathing for two let alone three) and while I used to think baby hiccups were cute, they are now getting to be kinda irritating. It's nice to know Nigel's diaphragm is getting lots of practice but enough is enough already. I'm ready to meet and hold Nigel and more importantly, let Craig do some carrying and holding for a change.

So basically, everything is just how it should be and I am thankful for that. I figure it's all part of nature's plan. I'm still a bit nervous about labor but right about 40 weeks I''m sure I'll be reaching the point where I don't care if wild horses have to drag this kid out of me, I do not want to be pregnant any longer. Until then, I'll be here. Waiting.

New Mama Cookies

So maybe tea isn't your thing. Well, these "lactation cookies" might be a better fit. Don't be scared by the name though, they won't spontaneously make you start lactating. They just contain a few ingredients that supposedly increase your milk supply if you already are nursing. So new mom or not, try these cookies!

There is a basic recipe floating around the internet but I don't really like it as it contains a lot of white flour and sugar (it has the same amount of sugar as flour!). But once I figured out that the main milk making ingredients are just oatmeal and brewer's yeast, I decided I could adapt it as needed. So I reduced and changed the type of sweeteners, switched out white flour for wheat, bumped up the nutrients with a few additional ingredients and added a bit more pizazz with some spices and nuts.

I don't often like fully whole wheat cookies but I think these work because the honey's moisture offsets the dryness you can get with 100% whole wheat flour. They are a great grown-up version of a chocolate chip oatmeal cookie although when I told Craig this and he tried them, he said he likes his cookies more childish. That could be done by leaving out the orange, cinnamon and nuts - but don't do that because that is what makes them good! I made a batch last week but of course, I had to try them to see if they were good, then I had to try them out of the freezer to see if they thawed well and now I need to make another batch :-)

The one thing I can't say is if they work. You might have more luck just eating a bowl of oatmeal for breakfast, some popcorn with brewer's yeast as a snack and nursing a lot. Still, I figure that it can't hurt and well, what new mom doesn't want some nice warm cookies to snack on!

Cream until fluffy:
2 T unsulphured molasses, the darker the better (Blackstrap is best but pretty strong)*
1/3 - 2T honey (put the 2T in a 1/3 measuring cup then fill the rest with honey)
1/3 cup sugar (white, brown or rapadura/sucanat would all work)
1/2 cup butter

Add:
1 egg
1 T milk
2 t vanilla

Set Aside. In another bowl, mix:
1 cup wheat flour (I like white wheat)
3 T Brewers yeast* (also called nutritional yeast, I got mine from the bulk section of HEB)
1/2 t baking soda
1/2 t baking powder
1/2 t salt
1 t cinnamon

Incorporate dry ingredients into wet. Then mix in:
1 cup rolled oats*
3/4 c chocolate chips
1/2 cup walnuts*
zest of a orange

Drop by rounded teaspoons onto cookie sheet.

Bake at 350 for 10-12 minutes. Enjoy!
or
Freeze on cookie sheet until firm then transfer to ziplock bag. When ready to bake, remove desired number and thaw for ~30 minutes before baking. Enjoy!

*Brewer's yeast: There is a bit of controversy over whether this truly is a galactagogue (fancy word for something that increase milk supply) but either way it is a great source of B vitamins, chromium and selenium and is a good source of protein. It's a pretty common supplement among vegetarians and vegans. It's got a cheesy savory flavor and I've heard it's good sprinkled it on popcorn but you can't even taste it in the cookie.

*Oats - Oatmeal is one of the most widely known and popular galactagogues, probably because it is easily accessible, inexpensive and not nearly as scary sounding as other ones I've read about. It's also a good source of iron and fiber, both things new moms tend to need.

*Walnuts - Some recipes call for flax seed meal or flax seed oil. I'm not a big fan of either of those but the reasoning behind them in the omega-3 fatty acids. I used walnuts instead which are also an excellent source of omega-3s and are high in protein and fiber. Plus, they taste better than flax seed.

*Molasses - Not a galactagogue, but an sweet source of iron, calcium and other minerals such as copper and potassium.

This post was submitted into the Real Food Wednesday Carnival. Be sure to check out the others great posts here.

A rant

Okay people, you get to listen to me rant about the inappropriate things people have said to me recently. I know that none of you would even consider acting like this but I can't go off on them so I have to vent here.

I've mentioned a time or two that I keep getting comments on how small I look. I don't think even Craig realized the extent of this until last weekend when we went to the local home and garden show and three vendors in a row made comments.

I'm not really mad at the people themselves. For some reason, pregnant women must send out some sort of shock wave that temporarily kills the internal censors of those around them. That must be it, there really is no other explanation. So I don't really get offended on a personal level.

I am fully aware of the problems this country has with obesity. But there are two categories that get a free pass when it comes to weight gain - babies* and pregnant women. Pregnant women are supposed to gain weight, they are supposed to be "large" - they are growing another person inside of them for goodness sake! If a woman knows she is eating good food and not empty calories, she should not feel bad about gaining 30, 35 or even 40lbs.

So it is quite frustrating that I am told so often that I look "so good." Now I have no problem with people telling me I look good except that when they keep talking it because quite clear that what they mean by that is that I look "so small." We have finally gotten to the point where doctors (well, all except some really old school ones) are allowing women to gain the amount of weight they need to instead of trying to limit them to 15-20lbs, but if the comments I get are any indication, for some reasons society still equates good/healthy with tiny and it drives me crazy.

First off, you don't know how that woman feels about her weight. At this point, despite what people think, my weight gain is perfectly on track so I can let those types of comments roll of my back fairly well but early on in my pregnancy when I was trying (and failing) to gain weight, they were pretty discouraging. And I have a friend that is quite far along but still suffering from really bad h.g. She has lost almost 20lbs so far. Knowing her like I do, she is doing the best she can to eat well and I am fully confident that in a few months she will give birth to a beautiful and healthy baby girl but the very last thing someone should say to her is that she looks small.

Also, it can be hard to allow yourself to gain so much weight during pregnancy, especially for women who have struggled with their weight in the past. Right about 7-8 months, one starts to think about what happens after the baby and it is tempting to want to stop gaining weight since you know in 6-8 weeks you will have to start shedding it again. But the baby's brain goes through a big growth spurt at that time so the very last thing she needs to do is limit her weight gain. So don't sabotage her by telling her how great her being small is!

I'm not suggesting that you go around telling pregnant women that they look nice and big. But most people converse on a weekly basis with dozens of people without ever commenting on their weight, why can't it be the same when you talk to someone who is pregnant? If you just have to comment on the fact that they are pregnant, you can always say something like "Congratulations!" or "How exciting!"

*You'd think society would give babies a break but no, not really. Statistically, by full term, most babies weight between 7.5 and 9.5 lbs but it seems like any baby over 8lbs is labeled "a big baby." And from hearing the moms at La Leche League talk, they often have to fend off bad advice from family members, friends, and even doctors over whether their baby is too big or too small. I'm glad I've gone to enough meetings to know that if your baby is exclusively breastfed and you aren't having real supply issues or medical issues, your baby is probably just the right size.

Pregnancy Tea

I like to drink tea but once I got pregnant, I stopped. Although I really only drank decaffeinated and herbal teas, it was still confusing which ones were okay and which weren't and I didn't want to take any chances.

But I had heard good things about Red Raspberry Leaf tea and was excited about trying it out. There is some conflicting information about taking it during the first trimester so I played it safe and waited until late in my second when I bought some Traditional Medicines Pregnancy tea. It's mostly red raspberry leaf mixed with nettle, mint and a few other herbs. It took a few tries before I liked the taste but I do enjoy it now. It is expensive though and to reap the best benefits you are supposed to starting increasing your intake in the third trimester to 3 cups a day. I needed to come up with an alternative.

So I made my own! Most of the basic recipes I've seen include the same four herbs so this is what I settled on:
8 parts Red Raspberry - Tones and nourishes the uterus
3 parts Alfalfa - High in vitamins and minerals including iron and calcium.
3-4 parts Peppermint - Aids in digestion, covers up flavor of Alfalfa and Nettle :-)
2 parts Nettle (I left out for now, see *) - Increases urine production, helps with bloating, UTI prevention

I made a big batch of the mix using a 1/2 cup as my "part." Once you mix it up, you can prepare it several ways. If you have a tea strainer or infuser ball you could make a cup at a time. I have a little pot with a strainer insert that makes about two cups of tea. Both would be good options for the second trimester but I knew if I had to make more than one batch of tea a day, it just wouldn't happen plus it was starting to get warmer around here so I came up with plan B - Sun Tea!

Isn't that a great idea? I though so but no, apparently sun tea is forbidden now because the water gets warm enough to brew the tea but not warm enough to kill bacteria so you are basically risking your life if you drink it. Who knew? Not me, at least not until I had already bought a sun tea jar.

My final solution? Instead of letting it steep outside, I heat several quarts of water on the stove, add in about a cup of the loose tea mix and let it steep for 30 minutes. (If it is too strong for you, just dilute it later on.) At this point, you could add in sweetener and to be honest, it would probably taste better made southern style with several cups of sugar but since I am drinking so much, I leave it unsweetened :-( It's still tasty sugarless just not as tasty.

Then I strain it as I pour it into my non-Sun Tea jar and keep it in the fridge. The strainer doesn't take all the little particles of tea out but it gets most of them and the remaining ones float. Since I take the tea from the bottom of the jar, I don't ever get floaters in my glass.

The big batch lasts all week and since it is kept cool and ready in my fridge, it's easy to get several large glasses down a day. And it isn't real tea but just an herbal drink, I can count them as hydrating liquids too!

*I get my coconut oil and castor oil from Mountain Rose Herbs and would have ordered my herbs from them too but they were out of Red Raspberry Leaf at the time so I ended up ordering from Bulk Herb Store. Unfortunately, B.H.S. was out of nettle so I left that out for now and will add it next time I place an order with M.R.H. I would recommend either company but the shipping is kind of expensive to try to get everything you need from one or the other if you can :-) You can also order it pre-mixed from the B.H.S. but I plan to use all three of the herbs I bought to make a batch of Mama's Milk Tea later on.

A New Arrival

We had a special arrival at our house last week. No, not a baby, it's not quite time for that yet. A freezer! Not only do I do a lot of stocking up on meats and things when I find a good deal, but I also love freezer meals and for a long time I've had to balance the two or risk head injury when I go to retrieve a bag of peas. But not anymore, I now have space for everything I want to keep cold! I'm so excited.

We had been looking for a good deal on Craigslist but realized that the prices weren't great and since we would have to rent a truck to go pick it up, we would be better off buying new since a lot of stores deliver for free. We got a 7 cubic foot one which will leave plenty of space not only for meals and deals but also buying grass fed beef in bulk which is something we hope to do soon.

For now though, I'm all about stocking up meals for when baby does come. I've planned six weeks worth of meals (well, three but they will be repeated to make six). Some are frozen, some are pantry meals whose ingredients I can keep on hand. I've already made a list of all the ingredients so when deals come up, I'll know what and how much I need. And I'll be trying to make similar meals together to save time.

I've also made a list for each week of the fresh items we will need. That way whoever is around to help me that week (Craig if he is still on leave, my mom when she is here, etc.) can know what we have and what we need and can put it together easily. I know our Sunday School class also brings meals for new parents so with those and the days when we need to use up leftovers, I think we will end up with at least 2 months worth of meals.

Last week chicken and pasta was on sale so I made two meals worth of Chicken Packet filling and Chicken Spaghetti (using homemade cream of chicken soup) as well as Shepherds Pie.

This week I'll use the bones and veggie scraps from last week to make Chicken Broth (to keep in the freezer for the pantry meal Lentil Rice Casserole) and I hope to make lasagna, corn muffins and a big batch of lactation cookies.

Are there any great freezer meals or snacks that you know of that I should try?

Books of March

It seems a bit lame to put up a "Books of March" post when we are half way through April but oh well. Here is it:

Saving CeeCee Honeycutt - Beth Hoffman

As a military brat, I'm not really from any area of the country but I have spent more time in Texas and the South than anywhere else. That means that when someone asks, I feel like I can say I'm from the South, but I cannot say I'm a Southerner. The distinction is big. This is one of those books that really makes me wish I was a Southerner. I just love the characters and the way they handle situations. The rapid change from being total real with those they love to putting up that southern hospitality facade. It is sweet but not too sweet. And despite the plot being about how a young girl deals with her mother's death and starts her life over again, it's a happy story. I like happy stories. Why do some people think that they only way a book can be good is to be filled with tragedy and end with everyone miserable? (Sidenote #1: I will never again read an Oprah Book Club book for this reason). The only problem with it was that I read it too fast.

Those Who Save Us - Jenna Blum

That doesn't mean a book can't be somewhat tragic and still be good either though. I found this at the library and picked it up because of the cover. That is a dangerous way to go about life but in this case it worked. Due to the subject matter, it contained a lot more violence and sexual scenes that what I typically read and I can't say I really enjoyed it for the same way it seems odd to say that one enjoyed watching Schindler's List, but I am very glad I read it. Flashing back and forth between the story of a young German women living through WWII and the choices she must make, to her now grown daughter's struggle to understand her childhood memories of the experience, it really captivated my thoughts for the several days I spent reading it. My heritage is German and I do wonder what my relatives experiences were and how they viewed them, what decisions they had to make and how they made them, and overall just how it was allowed to happen. This book didn't answer those questions but it did help me think it through a bit more.

A Walk to Remember - Nicholas Sparks

I was listening to classical music on Pandora while searching the library's website for books to put on hold when that Mandy Moore song from the movie came on. This was obviously a huge Pandora Fail but it did make me think to check for the book. I like Nicholas Sparks books for certain occasions, like on airplanes and when I finish a heavy read so this was great for after the last book as I knew just what to expect from it. (Sidenote #2 - If you want a good upper body workout, accidentally pick up the large print version. You will be forced to turn the page approximately every 30 seconds and bicep burning will commence shortly)

The Spellman Files - Lisa Lutz

A Rachel Recommendation, I was worried at the beginning I wasn't going to like the main character and I have a hard time enjoying a book if I don't feel the way I am "supposed to" about the main character. But I shouldn't have doubted Rachel, I did end up liking the character and this book, quite a bit. It's quirky and humorous and I can't wait to read the next one even though the estimate wait time at our library is 77 days. (Sidenote #3 - The author actually came to a nearby bookstore for talk about this series but alas, she spoke at the same times as the A&M/Purdue b-ball game so I didn't go. Seeing how that game worked out, I think I would have enjoyed her talk more.)

Some Amish book - some Amish book writer
I can't even remember what it was or who wrote it. Craig read an newspaper article about this genre (Amish romance) and its popularity and asked if I had ever read any. I hadn't but thought I would give one a whirl. I didn't like it very much and don't think I will ever read another but at least I can say I tried.

The Vaccine Guide - Randall Neustaedter

This one was better than the last vaccine book I read. It was still definitely anti-vaccine but more of a practical guide than a philosophical book. It goes through each vaccine and gives information about the disease and the vaccine as well as statistics so you could make your own choice. After Craig and I finished it, I think we felt more informed and closer to a decision on each but we still want to do more research.

Happiest Baby on the Block - Harvey Karp

This book made me feel a lot more confident in my ability to handle a newborn which is good because at this point I'm oscillating between feeling really ready for this pregnancy to be over so I can meet Nigel and sheer terror at the idea of being completely in charge of keeping a newborn alive. But I have to say right now that the first half is annoying. He basically talks about how smart he is for figuring out this idea when no one else in the world, except this one indigenous tribe that makes clucking sounds (!), has ever thought of it before and how if it doesn't work for you, it isn't because your baby may not fit into his box but because you as a parent are failing to implement his ideas correctly. Now to be fair, I think my annoyance at his being a know-it-all might be exacerbated by my own tendancy towards know-it-all-ness since Craig didn't seem to be nearly as bothered by the first part.

In the second part, when finally gets to actually describing the 5 techniques [Swaddling, Ssshhhing, holding the baby Sideways, Shaking and Sucking] and how to use them, I forgave him. I've heard a lot of new parents say his techniques work well, although they all mention tweaking them for their kid, so I'll take his tips and leave his snarky attitude. This week is our last Bradley class so we are talking about newborn care and I've heard we will watch the video that goes with the book. I look forward to it.

The Baby Book - Dr William Sears

Unlike Dr. Karp, I love love LOVE Dr. Sears. Even if you aren't into attachment parenting, I don't think you can fault him for his attitude. He has tons of experience, both as a parent and a doctor, but he still insists that you know your kid better than him so take what he gives you and adjust it to your life. I'm not really sure how he does it, but he manages to take stances and not be wishy-washy on important issues while still insisting that moms not feel guilty about certain things. This book covers pretty much everything from the weird sounds and fluids that might come out of a newborn and which ones you should and shouldn't worry about to the more standard baby issues like breastfeeding, sleep, starting solids, developmental stages. I think I need to it for a reference because as fascinating as the pages about the different types of diaper rashes were, I will not remember them 3 months from now.

Ina May's Guide to Childbirth - Ina May Gaskin

Ina May is one of the nations most recognized and respected midwifes and there is a reason. I mean, she even has a birth technique (the gaskin manuever) named after her. This book was "required" for our Bradley class. The first half is first hand birth stories. Craig got a bit tired of them after a while but it is easy to move on to the second half then go back and read the stories a little at a time. I think it's important to read about all the normal ways a birth can unfold and this is a great resource for that when the media overall fails miserable at portraying birth.

The rest of the book talks about more practical things like interventions and techniques. Some hospital birthers may feel like this book doesn't apply as much to them because her experiences are based on the births at "The Farm" (the commune where her midwifery center is located) but I think they can still gain a lot from this book, mostly the idea that you can trust your body. I'm not gonna lie though, she is a total hippy and some stuff is out there. There were parts that left me speechless and other that had me telling Craig to reread a section because I must have misunderstood, but considering she lives on a commune, what else can you expect!

The last of the wooly wonders (for now)

This is my latest wool project which is funny since the reason I first wanted to start crocheting and knitting again last year was to make some wool diaper covers. I finally got around to making some and let me tell you, they were easy-peasy!

My first was a soaker using Amy's Little Fire Crochet Soaker pattern in size small (although thanks to Craig they are now firmly embedded in my mind as those Fire Crotch pants, darn that boy!).
I didn't know how to do stitches into posts or a no-chain foundation but neither is hard and the whole thing only took a couple of hours. It's not perfect (my fault, not the pattern) but I really like it. I thought it looked big originally but once I tried putting it over a small fitted I realized that it won't be. Of course, I can't tell you how it will work on a baby, but I have high hopes. I had heard a soaker takes about one skein of wool but they must be talking about a smaller skein because I didn't even used half of a fisherman's wool skein.

Since I had planned to only get one soaker per skein so I had a little "free" wool to play with and wanted to try dyeing it. There are a lot of ways to dye animal fibers but they pretty much all involve dye, acid, water and heat. I used kool-aid as my dye since it's cheap, non-toxic, and already contains citric acid. Craig picked out the colors (orange and lemon-lime) using a chart I found online. I can't find the chart I used but this one is even better since it shows how you can achieve a more adult friendly color scheme. I love the bright colors for baby clothes but I don't know how many tooty fruity colors I would want to wear myself.

I wrapped the wool very loosely, tied it loosely with a small piece of wool then soaked it in water for a few hours to prepare it. The water doesn't soak in evenly but I was wanting the mottled effect so that was good. If you want a more consistent color, supposedly you can add a drop of dishwashing liquid to the soaking water.

Then I mixed the kool-aid with water to dissolve in a glass. It doesn't matter how much water you use as long as it covers the wool. The depth of the end color depends on the dye to wool ratio. For a little bit of orange, I used one packet of orange. I was dying a larger amount of wool green so I used two packets of lemon-lime.

To heat the wool and allow it to absorb the dye, I used two different methods - the double boiler and the crockpot. You can do it on a pot directly on the stove or in the microwave but you want to make sure the water doesn't boil or the wool with felt and you'll be left with a big mess. The crockpot is just what it sounds like, I put the wool and green dye in a crockpot on high. For the double boiler, I put the orange dye and wool in a mason jar inside a pot with a couple of inches of simmering water. The mason jar method is good for if you want to do sections of different colors, you just put part of the yarn into different jars all sitting in the same pot. I might try that later. Both methods took about 30 minutes. It's really easy to tell when it is done, the water will be clear because all the dye has been absorbed.

Once that happens, turn off the heat and let it cool. Don't try and mess with it now or it may felt. Once it is cool, rinse well in room temperature water. Then hang to dry. Since it is just kool-aid, the clean-up was pretty easy although you might want to wear rubber gloves so you don't end up with green hands. The hardest part really is having patience and waiting for it to cool, then dry. But the end results were worth it.

I really like the way the orange turned out. I used the extra for some practice knitting which looks awful but you can see the colors variation well.
The green was too light initially so I redid it using a couple more packets of green. The end result was a nice bright green although it wasn't as variegated due to the second dying. Here it is turned into a pair of Amy's Little Fire Longies with them.

The side view shows the nice shaping this pattern has.
They are very bright but I do like them. If Nigel turns out to be a boy, I think it would be really cute to add orange cargo-type pockets on the side.

So for $5 worth of yarn and not even $1 worth of kool-aid, I've made two covers and I still have some of both colors left. Not enough for another soaker but I'll save it for the waists and trims of future soakers. Dying wool was so much fun, I can't wait to try again. Perhaps something in Blue Moon Berry or Lemonade?

PS: For those of you non-crocheters/knitters, you can use the same kool-aid technique to dye play silks for much less than you can buy pre-colored ones. I love the idea of play silks as a great opened ended toy.

If you love 'em then you better put a sling on 'em.

Even more than diapering my baby, I'm excited about wearing my baby! I've read lots of things that talk about the benefits of babywearing and I do believe it will help with breastfeeding and bonding and all that but I didn't really need a list of reasons why I should do it. It just sounds smart. I want my baby close by and I still want to be able to get stuff done. Baby wearing allows that. What's not to like?

But again, how to do it? There are pouches and wraps, ring slings and mei teis. They can be made of knit, cotton, linen, silk. Do I want a name brand or do I want to support a WAHM? Now I'm glad that there are so many options out there that there should be able to find something that works for anyone that wants to give it a try but it can be overwhelming.

I was given a pouch which I think will work well later when Nigel has head support but supposedly quite a few newborns only like to be worn upright so it is important to have a sling that can support their head initially. Ring slings and wraps are the best at this. For a long time I thought I wanted to go with the a wrap like the Storchenwiege Wrap but after talking to a couple babywearing mama's I decided to go with a ring sling instead. They didn't seem like they would be as versatile but I watched a couple youtube videos from Sakura Bloom and you can do a lot more with them than I thought without having to deal with the complicated methods of the wrap. Plus they are supposed to be great for nursing since the tail can be used as a cover-up.

We actually went to a great consignment sale last weekend where I found a Maya wrap for $10! (Don't let the name fool you, a Maya Wrap is really a ring sling not a wrap). They normally retail for $65 and I don't think this one was ever used, it even came with the still shrink-wrapped instructional dvd. It's one of the striped fabrics so it definitely looks a bit more "granola" that the others but it was such a steal and I think it will be great for around the house baby wearing.

I still want a Sakura Bloom sling. Sakura Bloom slings are like the BMW of babywearing devices and I love love love their linen kiwi sling. They just look so stylish and I think I would be more comfortable using something like that when I'm out and about and want the convenience of a sling but don't want to look like I should be wearing Birkenstocks - like when I'm attending church, MOPS, a wedding, etc.

I still like the idea of a wrap, though, for the newborn period. I've heard wonderful things about the moby. It's made of jersey so it's super soft. That same softness means it isn't so comfortable after the baby has gained a few months of poundage though so it won't have the same longevity as a ring sling, but for those first few months, it can't be beat. Since I'm spending more on the ring sling, I think I'll have to pass on the moby unless I can find a good deal on ebay or a fabric sale so I can make my own. Making your own is easy and not really that expensive if you consider that you get two or three wraps from just 6 yards of fabric but since it is cut lengthwise, even if you only want one wrap, you still have to buy 6 yards. I guess I need to find two other moms around here to go in with me and then it would be easy to make them for less than $10 each.

Now in theory, kiwi is a man-safe color so Craig could use the ring sling, but I'm not sure how comfortable he will be in it. Once we hit 3-4 months, I'm planning on getting an Ergo too for him and times when we want to hiking or go on longer expeditions to museums, the zoo, etc. New they are $115 but there are normally lots on Ebay so I'm pretty confident I can get one for much less than that ($60 seems to be the going rate).

Now I know that occasionally we might want a stroller too but we aren't planning on using it much so we didn't want to spend a lot. And strollers are expensive. That is actually the main reason we went to the consignment sale I mentioned before. We volunteered to work for a few hours so we could attend the pre-sale and were able to snag this great Peg Perego Stroller for only $40. At 10lbs it's lightweight and easy to collapse but more substantial than an umbrella stroller and it leans back for younger/sleeping babies.

Even if we end up getting all the slings I mentioned (maya, sakura, and ergo) and the stroller, we will only be spending about $200 on baby transportation which is probably what we would have spent on a new stroller if we weren't planning on doing so much baby wearing but we'll have quite a bit of flexibility.

If you made it to the end of this super long post, here is a little reward. It's a video made for a competition Sakura Bloom had. Just try and watch it without smiling.

Dirty Baby Business

I am so excited about cloth diapering it is ridiculous. Sometimes Craig has to remind me that I'm getting all giddy about something that will soon be covered in poop. But I can't help it.

We pretty much knew from the beginning that cloth diapering was something we wanted to at least give a try. For one, it's better for the environment. Most studies, as well as common sense, say that washing and reusing a diaper is more environmentally friendly than making a new one and having to dispose of it. Otherwise we would all be wearing disposable underwear, right? But as nice as I think our planet is, environmental reasons weren't really that big of a factor for us.

For me, it was the health factor. Neither of us have a good track record when it comes to skin issues so genetically, this kid has no chance and the idea of putting a chemical filled plastic sack on his/her skin just doesn't sound appealing. One argument I've heard several times as a negative to cloth diapering is that they need to be changed more often. Now, a baby in cloth diapers shouldn't be peeing more than any other baby so for me that is a plus. It will force me to make sure my baby isn't sitting in a dirty diaper just because I don't have to worry about leaks.

For Craig, it was definitely the money factor. Cloth diapering is so much cheaper. Even factoring in additional water usage (3-4 additional loads a week) and accounting for coupons and sales for disposables, we are going to save quite a bit. And the more kids we have, the more we save!

Yes, it will be more work but there is so much additional household work that comes with a baby that, I figure what's a few more loads of laundry? And since I won't have daily access to a car, at least I won't have to worry about running out of disposables and being stuck. The dealing with poop issue isn't a big concern to me either since the changing of the diaper is the worst part and that is the same no matter what type of diaper you use. All I have to do is take the whole wet bag, empty it into the washer, toss in the bag itself and run the load. I don't even have to touch anything until it's all clean again.

I think the biggest thing about using cloth diapers is that you have to want to. If you don't, no amount of saving money or health issue will make it worth it. Right now, as about to be evident by my excessive number of pictures, I'm really excited about them and most cloth diapering mamas I know are just as excited as me. But there may come a day when other things have to take priority or it really weighs me down and I have to be willing to adjust.

My biggest dilemma when it came to cloth diapering was what type I wanted to use. There are soooo many options out there. There are a 4 main types and withing each type there are different options such as sized or one-size, material options, and different brands to choose from. It's a lot to take in.

In the end, we decided to do a mix to start out with. The least expensive option is pre-folds and covers and that is what I am planning on doing for the bulk of my diapering. This is the old-school style but better (no pins and way more options than just gerber plastic pants). I've heard the pre-folds from green mountain diapers are some of the best quality. They come in more sizes than traditional pre-folds which means a bit more expense but the fit is better. I hope to get 1-2 dozen of the infant size to start out with. Pre-folds need covers to be waterproof but don't need that many covers since they are just the outside protective layer and can be reused a couple times unless you have a big blowout.

Here are my two flip covers which are one size. They will work from itty baby to toddler but I plan on also getting one of each of the most popular types of sized covers in small to see what works best with our baby. (Some work better on chunky thighs, others with long torsos, etc). I've also made a few wool covers to use too. (More on those in an upcoming post!)

Then I got a few fitteds. Fitteds are shaped like a diaper but still need a cover. They are one of the more expensive options so I wasn't planning on getting any but my mom and I were able to find some great bumgenius bamboo fitteds for 50% off since they were seconds. And the only reason they were seconds was because there is an extra tag!

They are supposed to be the best for the younger stage at holding everything in when it is more, uhm, flowy. Plus, the bamboo is really soft. They will use the same covers as the pre-folds.

Then I wanted a few one-sized pocket diapers. These are normally $17-20 a diaper but they can be used from ~8lbs up to toddler and work basically like a disposable except you wash them so they are handy for when you have a babysitter or grandparent who is confused by things that need to be folded or pinned/snappi-ed. I'm planning on using these for overnight since the pocket can be filled with extra absorbency pads (called doublers) and seem like they would be the quickest thing to try to use in the middle of the night when I'm barely coherent.
I'm now got two BumGenius ones and hope to get at least one from each of the other two brands I've heard great things about: Happy Heinies and Fuzzibunz.

I've also got this one as a gift.It's really neat but I'm not sure what to call it, it's not quite a pocket but it does have a snap-in liner and doubler so it's a complete diaper or I can use just the yellow wool part as an additional cover over pre-folds/fitted.

So that's my little but growing stash. As you can see, when I said before that I had finally decided what I wanted to use, I meant I didn't decide, I'm just going to go with them all! Once baby grows out of the smaller size pre-folds and covers, we will see what has worked best and go with that for the next size. I think the key to making cloth diapering work is being flexible and willing to try things to see what works best for us. (Well, that, and not going crazy and buying a lot more than we need.)

List of Wishes

I've talked in generalities about the types of things I want and don't want to buy for our baby but when I mentioned cloth diapers last week, I realized I never have gotten into specifics. Mostly because I have been very indecisive. There are so many types of diapers and baby wraps and fun stuff that while I knew I didn't want a whole lot of stuff, I couldn't pick what I did want! I'd decide and then the next week change my mind. But I've pretty much settled on everything and I can't change it too much since I'm about to make the registry public.

Which brings us to the baby registry. I think it's a fairly new concept, but one that has become pretty popular. I'm not sure how Miss Manners feels about them but overall, I think I like the idea.

They do have their negatives. For one, it's a bit awkward to make one because it seems like you're saying "Hey, you, buy me stuff. And not just any stuff, buy this exact stuff that I've already picked out!." Nobody owes us a present and while as a new mom, I've done a lot of research on what I think I want and don't want, if a experienced mom wants to enlighten me with a gift that I wouldn't have thought of, I'm all for that too. Some of my favorite wedding gifts, like my Willow Tree Nativity set, were non-registry items that I wouldn't ever have thought to list.

But they can be nice too. When someone else has a baby or gets married, I like to use their registry. It makes it easy on me. And a lot of the things we want to use are odd and it would be hard for someone not familiar with them to try and figure them out (diapers!). So after wavering, we decided to make one. You can check it out on the sidebar. This way our parents can easily send people to it without having to remember anything.

We decided to go with the website Wishlist.com. I had never heard of it before but it's pretty neat. You can add all sorts of items from different websites and stores unlike the most popular registries like Babies R Us and Target, but it should still be easy for our out-of-state family to track them down, which wouldn't be the case if we went with a smaller boutique. Another plus is that you don't have to rely on the store to scan something and update the website. The gift giver just puts it on reserve and after they buy it, changes the reserved status to bought status. This means if they find the same item on another site or want to go buy it at store and mail it themselves, they can. Another cool perk of this registry is that you can rank items, meaning you can put that cute but not totally necessary wooden mouse toy or the Rush Baby on Board sign (yes, that was a Craig pick :-) on the registry without feeling bad because you ranked it below the more necessary items like diaper covers and receiving blankets.

There is a downside though, because you aren't ordering it directly from the registry's site, there is no way for it to automatically put in our mailing address. In theory everyone who will be getting you a gift should know where you live but I was still a tad annoyed at first since we just moved and I felt like it would annoy people to have to ask our address. But the birth announcement will have our new address and I guess you can't have everything.

So to summarize: Wishlist.com is neat. Check out Nigel's Wishlist here. And stay tuned for an update on baby things we think are cool.

A week in review

I feel like I just put the blog on automatic pilot last week, I was so busy.

Tuesday was my first MOPS (Mothers of Preschoolers) meeting. I had emailed to find out information about when and where they meet but wasn't expecting them to be so prepared for me - I already had a name tag and table assignment when I got there. I felt very welcomed and had a great time meeting my fellow table mates, learning some cake decorating skills, and working on a crafty service project for military families.

Thursday was a fun Bradley class where we were able to meet the previous class and their new babies. They told us their birth stories and we were delighted to meet someone who had delivered with our midwife. They had a great experience with her which was good to hear.

Friday was Craig's day off but it didn't really feel like it. He had a bunch of errands and then we toured our backup hospital. It wasn't strictly necessary but we wanted to know where to go in case we need to. If that happens we will be stressed out enough as it is and we don't want to make it harder on ourselves.

When we got to the hospital, we asked the information desk man where labor and delivery was and he freaked out for a second then cautiously asked if we were wanting to visit someone. I think he might have thought I was in labor but after we reassured him that we were just there to take a tour, he calmed right down.

After the hospital tour I was craving a milkshake so we stopped by Steak & Shake for happy hour. I really enjoyed my mint cookies and cream shake and when I was looking up the protein information online for my nutrition journal, I was delighted to find out it contained 22 grams of protein (I'm supposed to have 100 g/day) but was a little less delighted to see it also contained 1000 calories. Yikes, I don't think I'll be having to many more of those!

Saturday was La Leche League. It was my second time going although this time most of the questions were about working and pumping so I didn't find it as informative. I have to say hats off to you moms who pump; just hearing all the things you have to deal with wore me out. I think it is so awesome you are willing to do that for your babies. Even though I didn't get as much practical information as last time, I still enjoy the experience of hearing stories and growing more familiar with how everything works plus if/when I need help, it will be nice to know who I can turn to. And it is held at a fabulous cloth diaper store and I can always use a good excuse to spend some time looking around there.

That was last week, this week should be fairly busy as well since my mom is coming to visit for a few days while the boys (my younger brother and dad) are off traveling for spring break. I'm not sure what we will be doing but it will probably involve lots of eating, tea drinking and shopping.

Third Trimester!

Ah, the third and final trimester has arrived! When I think about the time left until little Nigel's arrival in weeks (9-13) it seems really soon. Then I think about the time left in months (~3) and it seems like forever! How can I possibly be expected to remain pregnant for three more months?

Physically, all is going well. Another belly shot has been requested so here it is:
I actually don't think I look that big considering I've gained about 22 lbs and am measuring three weeks ahead, fundal wise. Maybe it is because I have a long torso so the baby is spread out...or maybe I'm just delusional and am really the size of whale but don't realize it.

But just because I don't think I look that big, that doesn't mean I don't think baby is big, oh no, I did not need the midwife's measuring tape to tell me that Nigel has definitely had a growth spurt recently. And his/her head is down already! Of course, if Nigel really wants to be born breech, there is still time and space for more flippage to occur but in general, it's a good sign. But that good sign also means that feet and ribs/lungs tend to occupy the same space sometimes, leaving me with the feeling that I can't breathe. When I calmly relate this to Craig he doesn't really know what to say seeing as how I am normally sitting next to him breathing and not turning blue at the time but he tries to hide his skepticism and appear sympathetic.

I'm definitely feeling the aches and pains of the third trimester already too. Mostly hip pains. The best way for me to sleep without excruciating hip pains is sitting upright with my legs straight in front of me. Unfortunately this often leads to neck pains from being slumped over or a general inability to sleep since I have grown accustomed to sleeping while lying down these last 25 years. So I try to sleep on my side but will inevitable wake up on my back, which is expressly forbidden, then panic that I am depriving my baby of oxygen. Worrying is also not good for sleeping so basically, I'm not sleeping. But my 2-3 hours of napping during the day helps make up for that.

Craig is a fan of my napping too. He often calls me on his way home from work to see if I had a good day and got a good nap. He does this under the guise of letting me know he is on his way but I think he has noticed a correlation between napping and grumpiness and is really trying to gauge my emotions - will I greet him with a kiss and a smile or a evil death glare when he arrives home and asks how I'm feeling? 4 out of 5 afternoons I can give him the thumbs up so I'd say I'm doing good.

I've had an increase in pregnancy brain incidents. I left my keys in the ignition, locked the car and went grocery shopping. It wasn't until I was back at the car with a cart full of groceries that I realized what I had done. It's lucky that we have AAA, and that I didn't buy that ice cream that was on sale.

I sat down on the curb and waited for the AAA man. I was starting to get really hungry and couldn't imagine having to wait 20 more minutes before he arrived home and I could go get lunch when I realized that I had food with me! I felt better after I ate a granola bar :-)

That same grocery trip, I forgot to take the tomatoes out of front of my cart ( I had put them up by my purse so they didn't get smooshed) so even after the AAA guy came and unlocked the car, I had to go back into the grocery store to pay for them. After paying for them at the self-checkout, I almost walked away without the change from my twenty dollar bill - it was a long day.

I took a shower and mid-scrub remembered that my hands contained shampoo and not body wash. This wasn't a big deal but less than 30 seconds later, I proceeded to put a big glob of body wash in my hair. Shampoo washes off skin pretty easily, body wash with exfoliating beads does not come out of hair easily.

I have also had a few panicky moments. Like when I insisted late one night that we needed to order a car seat immediately (Craig talked me out of that) or when I completely freaked out because I couldn't remember the words to any lullabies and how was I supposed to take care of a baby if I didn't know any lullabies? (Craig tried to talk me down from that too by suggesting other less-than-appropriate songs I could sing to the baby instead but I did not find it amusing at the time). These have been few and far between but seem to be increasing in frequency so who knows what's next.

Trend Avoidance

We don't think of ourselves as trendy people. We don't watch American Idol, see Avatar, or buy iPhones. In fact, the more something becomes trendy, the less interested in it we often are. Of course, we're generally just not very interested in these type of things to begin with. Rush Limbaugh often states, wisely, I think, that when you see a media consensus forming, you should run the other way. That pertains to subjects as varied as "the Colts will easily win the Super Bowl" or "eggs are bad for you." We can be like that with trends.

For this reason, MacKenzie let out a cry of agony (maybe literally, maybe figuratively) when she saw this story in the paper over the weekend. It states that "owls are everywhere this season." Most aggravating is this example:

One of the stars from Bravo's "The Real Housewives of New York City," Kelly Killoren Bensimon, tinkered with the owl craze last year. She designed owl pendants decorated with Swarovski crystals.

(As you might guess, we don't watch that show.) Owls, of course, are MacKenzie's nursery theme. Of course, it could be that owls caught her eye because they're popular now. But we don't want to do what everyone else is doing. If she had seen this article before seeing owls everywhere, she might have gone with something else.

Another baby-related area where we fear trends is in baby names. We keep an eye on lists like this when weighing post-fetal names for Nigel. This is a more practical example of trend avoidance, though. We don't want several other kids to have the same name as our child. That creates difficulties in places where kids congregate. "Hey Bill! Oh no, not you, the other Bill."

We are not willing, however, to go to extremes to avoid this. We will not be selecting a "unique" name like Lemonjello or Bracken. Our avoidance of trends only goes so far, unless you consider odd kid names to be a trend of its own.