SILVER CAN PUT HERSELF TO SLEEP!

Alright, alright.  I know it's probably not too impressive since she's now over a year old.  But for this sleep deprived mama, this is BIG news.  Huge.  Silver has hated sleep from the get-go.  I mean, really just despised the whole sleeping process.  She wails while I rock her because she knows I'm trying to get her to go to sleep.  She'll wail in her crib once I've put her down.

Tuesday, July 12 marks the start of something new and amazing (it's been a full week since then so I feel like it's maybe "safe" to say that and I'm hopefully not jinxing myself :)

We did our usual nighttime routine of Mr. T rocking Silver to sleep, and then she did her all too usual, no, I'm not going to stay asleep once the rocking stops and I'm out of your arms - which is incredibly frustrating to say the very least.  So then I think I gave it a go, and T.J. maybe gave it another go.  And then we decided, this is just ridiculous. She's obviously tired.  Why does she have to fight so hard?  Let's just see what she does.  And so the crying began.  I just kept staring at the monitor and willing Silver to sleep.  Longest five minutes that ever was.  But she fell asleep.  On her own.

This is how she fell asleep
She's on the right side with her hiney up in the air.  :)

Later that night after she woke up, shortly after I had just nursed her and gotten her back down, my sleep deprivation decided we really needed to get this figured out.  So, instead of picking her back up, I grabbed my pillow and a blanket, made her lay back down and I laid down right next to her crib on the floor.  Oh, I think she cried for probably fifteen minutes.  It was terrible.  But I was right there and I knew she was okay and I had just nursed her right before this.  So I talked to her and kept tapping the mattress with my hand through the bars, trying to get her to lay down (because at this point she was standing back up holding the bars as if her crib was her own personal jail cell and she had been terribly wronged).  Crying on and off, she eventually settled down and then fell asleep while staring at me.

And I think that's what did it.

Silver learned how to fall asleep without being rocked, held, or having her back rubbed.

Each night this week, during a couple of her nightly wakeups she has managed to put herself back to sleep after just a minute of unhappy noises.  I'll be getting ready to head down the hall, when she stops.  Bliss.

And, just before I started typing this Silver woke up from her all too short 35 minute nap for just a minute and went back to sleep not even crying.  I just heard some little noises on the monitor and thought, ugh, worst napper ever, and of course there she was, standing.  But as I watched she sat back down, rolled onto her tummy and BAM!  Back out.  Amazing, it was.

THINGS ARE LOOKING UP.  This mama is going to be bragging about a full night of sleep SOON.  :)  Okay, maybe not bragging.  I know she is a year old and some babies are doing this at like, I don't know, 3 months or something crazy awesome like that.  But everyone's different and that just hasn't been us.  And I just don't believe in the shutting the door and not going back in there till morning business.  Or even really crying it out.  Which is why it has been so hard for us and I'm sure some moms think I'm just crazy for not having done that this late in the game.  But... we're getting things figured out in our own time.  :)

Deep Stuff - Our Labial Adhesion Story

So, this is something I haven't talked about yet but I feel like needs to be told because it's something I had never heard about, yet from all the research and googling I have done I know it's not too uncommon of an occurrence.  And I hope Silver will forgive me for sharing her story with the world.

When the PA was taking a look at Silver's lady parts at her 9 month checkup she made a discovery: Silver had a Labial Adhesion.

A what?

An adhesion on her vagina, which means that the inner lips of her vagina — her labia minora — had become stuck together with a clear-ish like membrane that seemed like should just separate, yet was fused together.

Now you want to talk about freaking a mama out, this totally did it for me.  Not to mention that at this appointment the PA had also discovered that Silver had her first and only ear infection.  Completely freak me out, worst doctor's appointment ever.

The PA prescribed us a hormone cream, Premarin, which I of course had plenty of questions about.  A hormone cream?  Really?  Is that safe?  Yes, the PA assured me, it's perfectly safe and better than the alternative - if the cream doesn't get the adhesion to open, when Silver gets older she will have to have it surgically separated.

So I take the PA's info for what it's worth, nodding at all the right times while thinking through my shock, oh my gosh I've gotta get home and start researching this.

And what exactly is Premarin?  Well, to put it simply it's:
PREgnant MARes' urINe

Hmm, the hormones of a horse soaked into the human body... That combined with that it's not approved to be used on children, it's for menopausal women, yeah, where can I get some?  Let's slather my daughter up with some of that, ASAP.

And, further to boot, "Parents should be aware that some girls, and even infants, will experience a small amount of breast development during treatment with topical estrogen cream because the hormone can be absorbed into the blood stream.  If this happens, consult your practitioner.  It may be reassuring to know that the breast tissue usually goes away once the estrogen treatment is stopped."

After learning more about labial adhesions, I found out that as long as the adhesion does not cover her urethra opening or she doesn't have a UTI, it's not dangerous, and that girls will eventually start to create their own horomones around 8-12 years old and that will cause the adhesion to go away on its own.

But, in the meantime, I also read that if the adhesion is severe enough, urine can get backed up in there causing the UTIs, and even making potty training difficult because the urine can dribble out long after the child has finished pottying.  That would be devastating for a child.

Oh my goodness.  So began the search for a natural remedy.  I couldn't imagine having bladder control problems all the way up to possibly 8+ years old.  That would just be terrible.  I wanted the adhesion gone, but no way in heck were we going to use the cream.

I found two great conversation threads on Mothering.com and BabyCenter.com.

I decided to first try Calendula cream.  I applied it a couple of times, but then Silver started teething so I decided to take a break and not put her or her body under any more stress.  I backed off for a month or so.

And then Silver started to crawl!  YAY!  And I get my first period post Silver.  There's just lots going on!  :)  I'm distracted from her problem and actually manage to put it aside for a little bit.  Finally I decide we need to get back to using the cream and take a look.  And, oh my gosh.  The adhesion had started to open.  ON ITS OWN.

A couple days later I look again, and it's GONE.

What can this be attributed to?  Was it that Silver started crawling and all the wiggling helped open it up?  Maybe.  Or maybe it was that my hormones had changed when I had my first period and I'm still breastfeeding, so those got passed onto her...  That's what I think it was.  I read this from a midwife on one of the conversation threads I shared and it makes sense to me:

"Hormones are in your breastmilk and reach your babies. Baby girls are often 'closed' and it is normal for breastfed baby girls. Like a couple pp's said, when their dd's turned 8 yo or so, it went away. Again, normal, because the girls have hit pre-puberty and make their own hormones. Adult doctors in Western medicine seem to think infant girls are supposed to be 'open' like adult women are, and that is just not true."

If the adhesion hadn't gone away on its own, we would have proceeded with the Calendula.  If that didn't work we would have moved to flax oil which is a little more aggressive.  But, flax oil works because it is a phytoestrogen - which means it exerts hormonal effects.

Praise God it went away on its own!  At our one year appointment the PA was surprised to hear it went away on its own without the use of the cream... :)

Black Bean Brownies - No, really, they're GOOD!

While they sound completely random and probably a bit unappetizing, I gave this one a go and they were GOOD!  I found the recipe on DiseaseProof.com and tweaked it just a bit.

Black Bean Brownies

2 cups pitted dates, chopped (I maybe used a bit more than this - added until I thought the batter tasted right)

1 ¼ cup unsweetened applesauce

1 (15 oz.) can of salt-free black beans, drained and rinsed

¾ cup whole wheat flour (I used spelt flour)

½ cup dark cocoa powder (I used cacao powder)
1 large handful of sunflower seeds or 1 T. ground flaxseed
2 t. vanilla
1 t. baking soda

I also added in a ¼ cup finely shredded coconut just 'cause I had it.  Next time, I might put a banana in there, I was just unfortunately out.

Put the first six ingredients in a food processor. Turn it on and then gradually add the 2 cups of chopped dates, a few at a time until blended. Add the flour and continue to mix until everything is well blended.  Spread into a 13” x 9” pan. Bake at 350 degrees for 20-25 minutes.

I put them in a muffin pan instead because I'd like to freeze some to pull out when I'm short on prepared food for the munchkin.  :)

And confession... I haven't been offering Silver as much of these as I have been eating myself.  As a tired, nursin' mama, I gotta have my chocolate fix.  :)





P.S. I meant to buy carob powder instead of the cacao.  After I used it I realized it wasn't what I thought it was... haha.  The joys of learning new cooking things.  I have never used either of them, but found the differences between the two to be pretty interesting.  I think we will be going with carob in the future because it's a "safer" choice.  It's broken down really well on KHolistic Nutrition.

Hip Mountain Mama Review - Imagine Tee

I received my first item from Hip Mountain Mama and I L-O-V-E, love it!  It is the awesome Imagine Tee and it's super cute and comfy too.

I first off gotta say that it runs small, so order up a size.  A small is 4-6, medium is 8-10, and large is 12-14.  I was originally going to go with a small because I'm a size 4 (at Old Navy), but I decided to go with a medium to play it safe.  It was still a bit too snug for my comfort.  I sent it back for another, which was no problem at all because the folks at Hip Mountain Mama totally and completely rock!  :)  I probably could have gone with the medium but feel much more comfortable in this one.

The shirt is really long, which I love.  And while it's not super low cut, nursin' mamas, I was able to nurse by just pulling the top down, which made things very easy for me.

I kinda feel like a goob posing, but ya gotta see the whole shirt, right?  :)

The detail in the design is a-mazing.  It's really pretty cool.  Here's a closeup:

The Imagine Tee is also super soft, as it's cotton, and is great for summer because it's lightweight.  But it's not too thin that it won't last - it's just comfy goodness.

Added bonus:
When you buy the shirt, some of the profits go back to Oceana, Sea Shepherd, Trees For The Future, and Environmental Defense Fund, which I thought was very cool.

Thank you, Hip Mountain Mama, I'm loving my new Imagine Tee!  :)

Side note:
I did everything I could to have "Imagine" by the Beatles playing... How perfect would that have been?!  But I just couldn't figure it out... :(

1st Birthday Extravaganza - It was A HOOT!

I can't believe Silver's birthday has come and gone.  It's just ridiculous. We did it up right though!  And I probably even overdid it quite a bit too.  :)  It was an OWL theme!

We had a playdate birthday party with all of Silver's baby friends, and more importantly my mommy friends :) and then also a family birthday party with a few friends.

We had owl cupcakes, owl sandwiches, owl graham cracker treats, and a sucker tree to eat.

I made Silver's outfit match the invites I crafted.  It was my most favorite crafting project ever, besides the making of Silver's room. I loved, loved, loved it.  Crafting makes me the happiest.  It really was a hoot.  :)

 

Mother's Day Out, Or Maybe We Should Just Stay In...

I finally decided I was ready to send the munchkin off to Mother's Day Out about a month ago.  With Silver still not being such a great sleeper (including during nap time), I need some time to get stuff done!

So the search of finding the best Mother's Day Out program began.  A few were recommended to me by friends.  I researched and began to sort through them deciding on three that sounded like a good fit for us.  I contacted them and of course they were all full...  So I got us on the waiting list.

Imagine my surprise when last week I received an email stating that one of them had an opening - HOORAY!  So excited and feeling like we totally lucked out in getting a spot.

Today I visited the MDO and picked up the application and information.  While I was there the sweet director showed me the room.  And this is where my hesitations kicked into overdrive.

The room was about the size of Silver's bedroom and there were somehow 8 little tiny people crammed in there with 2 adults.  Which I'm sure, come fall, will be Germapalooza at it's finest.  Not to mention that I came during lunchtime.  What was on their high chairs?  PIZZA.  Freaking pizza from Pizza Hut for one year olds.

Now I know I do things a little differently.  But this was just too much for me.  I really seriously just couldn't believe it.  I know that Silver will be exposed to some germs whether I'm ready or not, and I know she'll eventually eat stuff I might wish that she didn't, but for today, right now, in this moment, I feel a distinct sense of no freaking way.  Get my kid outta there.

Later I read in the guide book that you typically bring your own lunch but since it was summer they did different fun activities, like pizza.  And I don't mean to judge the pizza, it will eventually happen, I know it.  I guess I'm either just not ready or just too entirely judgmental for Mother's Day Out.  Which very well could be the case.  After I left I got onto the other two MDO websites to compare.  One of them has all the age groups in one giant room that is merely separated by furniture... How in the world is that going to work?!  Especially for my non-napper?!  I'm not crossing it off the list just yet, but let's hope we hear from MDO #3...

Happy Birthday Cake! - Apple Spice Cake

So... Call me overbearing, call me paranoid, say I denied my child a certain rite of passage, I don't know - but I just didn't feel like loading my child's tummy up with sugar in commemoration of her first birthday.  Who decided that's what you are supposed to do, anyway?

We've done baby led weaning, which has been a-mazing, and I have always made sure to nurse Silver before offering her food since breastmilk or formula is supposed to be the prime source of nutrition for babies until they're one.  That being said, I'd say Silver is about 75-85% breastfed and the rest is made up of snacks of solid food (mainly veggies and fruit).  Since her diet has been fairly limited I thought it might be traumatizing to her tummy to load it up with so much sugar all at once.

And so... The quest went on to find a birthday cake I would be capable of making myself.  WholesomeBabyFood.com had quite a few recommendations, one of which especially stood out to me because it didn't sound too incredibly complicated :)  And there was no sugar or eggs - PERFECT.

I tweaked this recipe a bit:

Apple Spice Cake

1/2 cup molasses
1 1/2 cup applesauce
1 tsp cinnamon
1/2 tsp cloves (I used Pumpkin Pie Spice because I was out of cloves)
1 tsp baking powder
1/2 tsp baking soda
1-3/4 cup spelt flour
1 tsp ginger

Mix the molasses and applesauce in a large bowl. Add remaining ingredients and mix well. Bake in a nonstick 8 x 8-inch baking pan or one sprayed with a non-stick spray, in a 350° F for 30 to 45 minutes, or until it tests done.

As with any "non traditional" cake, the batter for this cake will not seem "right" so don't panic!

I used an oversized muffin pan so I reduced the cooking time quite a bit.

For the frosting I mushed up a banana and combined it with some pureed strawberries.  It didn't look too shabby (at least I don't think)!  :)

I sawed off the top of one of the oversized muffins with dental floss and then used a cookie cutter on one of the other muffins to cut out a little flower to put on top.

NOTE:
If this is your first time cooking with molasses (as it was mine) it is kinda stinky and smells like soy sauce.  At first I thought it must be bad or something but then googled and found out this is normal.  :)  I expected it to be sweet smelling...

Things I might have done differently:

I'm thinking I should have remembered to add the chopped dates I had in the fridge.  Might have made a nice addition and made the cake seem sweeter and a little spice-y.  Or I might have left out the cinnamon and just used the Pumpkin Pie Spice.  Either way, it still turned out quite delicious.  And Silver LOVED it.

More on the party to come!  :)

Banana Cookies - YUM!

Just made the BEST (and healthy!) cookies!  They are vegan and sugar free so suitable for the munchkin too.  Quite a bit easier than the other cookies I've made for Silver as well.

I found the recipe on allrecipes.com and adapted it based on people's suggestions:

Healthy Banana Cookies

3 ripe bananas
2 cups rolled oats
1 cup dates, pitted and chopped
1/3 cup applesauce
1/4 finely shredded coconut
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
Sprinkle of cinnamon

Directions

Preheat oven to 325 degrees.
In a large bowl, mash the bananas.
Stir in oats, dates, applesauce, coconut, vanilla, and cinnamon.
Mix well, and allow to sit for 15 minutes.
Drop by tablespoonfuls onto a greased cookie sheet.
Bake for 15 minutes in the preheated oven, or until lightly brown.

*NOTE:
This was my first time cooking with dates.  I figured it would be easiest to chop them up in the food processor - and it was!  However, I kept chopping and chopping them until they coagulated together and looked very much like a Larabar.  So... don't over do it with the food processor.  :)  It made it more difficult to stir it all together.

They look granola-y but are really pretty soft.  Perfect for Silver who just has her six teeth in the front.

Carrot and Bean Cakes

These reminded me a lot of the Oatmeal and Bean Waffles but were WAY easier for me to make.  Will be doing them again soon.

Found the recipe on Homemade-Baby-Food-Recipes.com

Carrot and Bean Cakes

4 oz (1/2 cup) cooked, mashed carrot
8 oz (1 cup) cannellini beans (or other white beans), mashed well
1 garlic clove, crushed
4 tbsp flour
olive oil

Mix the carrot puree with the mashed beans, garlic and flour.
Form the mixture into little patties with your hands - if the mixture is too moist, add a little more flour.
Heat a little olive oil in a frying pan/skillet.
Fry the patties for 3 to 4 minutes on each side, until golden.
Serve with applesauce for dipping!

These were great and Silver loved them!  I omitted the garlic b/c I thought it might be too much flavor, although next time I think I'll do it b/c there wasn't a lot of flavor to them.

Also, I used spelt flour and think it turned out okay.  These cooked up a lot differently than the Oatmeal and Bean Waffles - much less hearty.  Probably easier for Silver to eat too.  I tried some in the waffle maker but think they did better as pancakes.

Hip Mountain Mama Sisterhood

While I like to consider myself to be a hip mama, :)  come to find out, there is actually an a-mazing company out there called Hip Mountain Mama, and I have been given the most awesome opportunity to review some products for them! 


Hip Mountain Mama is a family-run business that offers great natural and eco-friendly clothes, home accessories, and all kinds of other goodies!


Hip Mountain Mama and the family behind it promote natural parenting techniques such as breastfeeding, babywearing, and attachment parenting.  They also promote green, reusable and natural products and use renewable energy and recycled packaging materials.  Right up my alley, huh?!  :)  Love it.


The owner, Suzie, was looking for some mamas with a commitment to the Earth who were interested in sharing their experiences with her products.  

So... Stay tuned for some super fabulous reviews of great hip, handmade, free trade, natural, sustainable, make your heart happy sorta stuff!!!  :)  In the meantime, go visit the Hip Mountain Mama page on Facebook and be a fan!  And hop on over and check out the Hip Mountain Mama Blog.  I'm feeling kinda famous today... :)


"Hip Mountain Mama is a Natural Attitude for any Altitude."  Heart that.

I confess...

Okay.  So... I suppose my first confession would be that I watch 19 Kids and Counting.  And really love it.  A lot.  On this show, they have a sweet little girl who has the cutest pigtails that I was totally amazed with until I realized she was completely bald.  How did her mom do her hair in such awesome pigtails?  I did some thinking and realized they just couldn't be real - a few episodes later her brother pulled the piggies off of her head - and yes!, they were fake!  I couldn't believe it.  I was intrigued so I jumped onto google, which leads me to my next confession.

After some googling I discovered Bebe Doos Perfect Ponies.  I think they are hilarious!  But so stinkin' cute too!  They also have an Etsy page which made me like them even more (support your local artist!)  I did some contemplating.  I know it is totally ridiculous.  So not my natural self.  And yet... They were calling to me.  My mom was totally on board.  My best didn't think I was too crazy...  And so, I DID IT!

I mean, really though.  Check. her. out!  I seriously like 'em.  Not to be worn everyday, but every once in a while, Silver will totally rock them.  :)  

Blanket on a Budget

Aden and Anais blankets seem to be all the rage right now although they're pretty pricey.  I just found a pretty fabulous knockoff for like a quarter of the price I think.

Imse Vimse Muslin Square Diapers

I got 4 for about 10 bucks.

One of the reasons I hear that people like the A and A blankets is because they're larger - 44x44.  The Imse Vimse come in two different sizes 31.5" and 35.4".  Even though they're a bit smaller, they're totally working for my 10 month old and are perfect for summer.  I think they would dye pretty well too...

Made By: Imse Vimse

Made Of: 100% Certified Organic Cotton

Made In: Sweden

Oatmeal and Bean Waffles

Some of the moms in my mom's group have raved about their little ones loving these waffles/pancakes, so I had to give it a go.  I made waffles and Silver loved them!  :)

Oatmeal and Bean Pancakes

1 cup beans, soaked overnight in plain water (I used black beans)
1 2/3 cups water
1 tablespoon agave nectar
2 teaspoons canola oil
1 teaspoon vanilla extract or 1 teaspoon maple flavoring
1/2 teaspoon salt (I left the salt out)
1 1/3 cups old-fashioned oatmeal
I added a handful of spinach

Place all ingredients except the oats in a blender and blend for 90 seconds on high speed. Add the oats and blend for 1 minute.

Use a little oil or non-stick spray - cook in waffle maker.

We ate one and froze the rest!

Sweet Potato Chips

I made sweet potato "chips" today. Silver LOVES them!

Here's how I did it:

•  Preheat oven to 400 degrees
•  Wash and peel sweet potato
•  Cut the sweet potatoes into thin slices
•  In a large bowl, add a tiny bit of olive oil
•  Put the cut up sweet potato slices into the bowl and stir so the potatoes
   get coated with the olive oil
•  Dump mixture onto a baking sheet
•  Cook for 7 minutes
•  Take out and flip chips over
•  Cook for 7 minutes more

If you really want them to be like chips, you should probably cook them a bit longer.  I still wanted the potato "meat" to be mushy instead of crispy so she could eat it more easily.  I ended up eating quite a few too... :)

The Great Cloth Diaper Change

Silver and I celebrated Earth Day by participating in The Great Cloth Diaper Change!

On Saturday, April 23rd, 2011 at 11 am, we helped set the world record for the most cloth diapers changed at one time!  Crazy right?!  And completely random... But we were there, along with 105 other Oklahomans.

This is us, front and center!

Photo by Melanie Webb Photography
http://www.facebook.com/pages/Melanie-Webb-Photography/108752999191058

In the two minutes it took for everyone to change their children, 120,000 disposable diapers were thrown away in the United States and Canada... That's a ton of diapers in our landfill. I can't wait to hear how many total people participated in The GCDC across the world.

After the event was over there were some giveaways.  And who one $100 worth of free stuff?  This girl!  It. Was. AWESOME!!!  I won a goodie bag (I could have gotten one if I had preregistered but didn't preregister because I didn't think I could come to the event...silly for not doing it anyway, but so blessed to win - I would have been disappointed in myself otherwise!)  It had all kinds of awesome stuff - coupons, free samples of cloth diaper soap, an adorable hair bow...  All kinds of amazingness. My name got to stay in the hat for the actual door prizes, and I was shocked to win a ring sling from The Green Bambino!  HOORAY!  I just so happened to be wearing a ring sling when I won their prize, so the owner said I could come in and exchange it for something else if I wanted.  It had a $88 value!!!  Couldn't believe it.

Here's a link to an article about The Great Cloth Diaper Change in Oklahoma City.

I'm a Believer! Chiropracting at its Finest.

With the exception of her second to third month in life, Silver has never been a good sleeper.  We recently 'dropped' her crib and the past couple of nights she has been an even worse sleeper than normal.  Actually sitting up and grabbing the bars instead of just tossing and turning.  Because she is now more mobile?  Because her crib is dropped and she can grab the bars to stand?  


Imagine my shock when we took her to the doctor for her 9 month checkup and the PA says, "Well that's the problem," while looking into her ear.  Oh my gosh, what?!  She had just discovered that Silver had her first ear infection...  I felt. Like. Crap.  I had been so frustrated the past couple of extra sleepless nights, when really it was because she was in pain.  Ugh.  Big time mommy fail.


We were prescribed some antibiotics.  I'm not a fan of taking meds unless you really need to, so I wanted to check out our natural options first.  We went to the health food store and got some of Hyland's Earache Tablets and Earache Drops.  I also asked some advice from the amazing girls in my mom's support group at Birth Matters about visiting the chiropractor for ear infections.


Yes, you read that correctly.  The chiropractor.  For an ear infection.


I too was a bit surprised at first, but my mommy friends were such huge fans and are such an amazing outsource of knowledge!  After some research I decided it was definitely the way to go.  I wanted Silver to feel better, and FAST!  Basically babies just get their neck gently adjusted to help mobilize the drainage of their ears - it is safe and non-invasive.  That way they can build up their own antibodies and recover more quickly.

So I took Silver to see Dr. French (who came super highly recommended) at Livewell Family Chiropractic Center.

I LOVED him.  That's right.  Those of you who know me know how HUGELY HUGE of a deal this is because of my general distrust for pretty much everyone in the medical field.  But he was really, truly awesome.  Dr. French gave me lots of information, is all for natural alternatives like elderberry juice and colloidal silver, and doesn't vaccinate his kids and will tell you why.  Amazing, he is.  Love, love, love him.

We went to see Dr. French everyday and by Silver's third visit, POOF!  No ear infection.  And we needed antibiotics huh?

My friend is studying to be an audiologist in Illinois and she shared with me that they are no longer teaching them to prescribe antibiotics for ear infections anymore...

Who Knew I Was a Prefold Gal...

What people fail to realize when I tell them I use cloth diapers on Silver, is that the process has evolved quite a bit over the years.  There are no safety pins.  I don't spray my diapers in the toilet.  And there is even velro (aka hook and loop).  We rented our diapers in the beginning and my hubby and I were drawn towards pocket diapers.  These can probably be the most similar to disposables.  You just put the stuffin' in and go.  Great for grandmas.  Great for babysitters.  Great for outings.  The future of cloth.  However, due to my apparent addiction to cloth diapers (in that we totally have enough to function but I still can't seem to resist the newest thing that comes out or cute pattern), and because I needed a better overnight solution (we were combating leaks...) I have recently discovered my love for good old fashioned prefolds.  This is when you lay a folded piece of fabric into a diaper cover and then reuse the cover a couple of times before  you have to wash it.  And... I tell you, it pretty much rocks.  While it wouldn't be my favorite while we're out and about, I very much love it while we're in, which is a lot of the time.  And especially for naps and overnight.  Essential for overnight.  It just seems to catch the pee a little quicker I suppose.  And a lot more of it.  But how cute are these?  How could I possibly resist?  I originally went gender friendly in my purchases, but have since let go.  I mean, these are just too adorable to say no to... :)

Thirsties - Alice Brights 

Weehuggers - Flower Child

And, I just felt like I needed to share this because it is cute and hilarious...!

Coupon Clipper Extraordinaire

So, since making the decision to be a stay at home mama, I have picked up couponing to help save some money.  And I've become addicted!  Love, love, love finding, clipping, and organizing coupons.  It's kind of like a game.  A game that I really want to win...

I've been following several coupon blogs, including Organic Deals, and an amazing local blog, The Coupon Closet.  The girl who runs it, Carrie, is absolutely incredible.  She posts the best deals and always tells how you can get things for FREE if you use the right coupons and get it at the right store!  She also always posts pictures of how much stuff she buys and says how much it should have cost and how much she paid.  There will be like 20+ items and she'll be like, "I spent $6.37 and most of it was tax."

Well, last night I actually went to a coupon clipping class.  That's right, a class.  Taught by the famous Carrie.  And I loved it!  I feel like I learned a TON!

I'm SO going to get to be that good.  Look out world, I'm on it.

Quinoa and Black Beans

Made another quinoa inspired recipe last night that was pretty yummy. And SUPER quick and easy. Wish I would have had fresh beans I had soaked overnight and had a fresh tomato... but, still. It was good like this! :)

Quinoa and Black Beans

1 c quinoa
1 can black beans (drained and rinsed)
1 can diced tomatoes with onion
5 chopped green onions
1 avocado, cubed
Juice of one lime

Place quinoa and 2 cups of water in a sauce pan and bring to a boil.
Reduce to a simmer, cover, and cook until all of the water is absorbed, approximately 10-15 minutes. (Quinoa is done when all the grains have turned from white to transparent, and the spiral-like germ has separated.)
Add green onions, black beans, lime juice and tomatoes.
Serve with avocado on top.
Yum!

The Change in Me

There are so many things you know will change when you have a baby and yet so many things that are surprises of which you just begin to adapt.  For instance, I no longer wear the long necklaces I used to always wear because Silver is constantly trying to grab them and put them in her mouth.  My necklace I miss the most was made in Uganda by a woman/man/orphan that rolled magazine scraps by hand and I figure that really can't be very hygienic for her to chew on.  :)  (But it is a great cause and the necklaces are awesome - Beads of Hope Africa).  But, anyway, I'm thinking about getting one of these necklaces from http://www.smartmomjewelry.com/ because I miss wearing necklaces!!!  And I bet Silver would love it.

I'm also no longer wearing bracelets for the same aforementioned reason.  *Sigh.  And I'm constantly late.  Even when I'm sure I'm going to be on time, I'm late.  Sometimes five minutes, but usually closer to fifteen.  If it looks like I'm going to be on time, there will certainly be a last second spit up, diaper leakage, or something of that nature.  Minus the time we made it to church on time and left the diaper bag at home... :)

In addition to the time it takes to get out the door, you don't realize that a 15 minute grocery store trip takes 30 minutes by the time you've got the cart cover on, the kid out of the car, the toys in the cart with her, you slow down periodically to distract her, then you've got to pack all of her stuff up and get her back in the car before you unload the groceries...  Everything just takes a bit longer these days.  :)

Another change that I wasn't aware of is the sleepiness factor.  You expect to be tired during the first months, but you don't hear as much about how 8 months later, your baby might still not be sleeping through the night.  DISCLAIMER: if you're judging me right now b/c Silver isn't sleeping through the night, STOP.  I do not believe in the 'cry it out' method and Silver is still pretty much exclusively breast fed.  So, if you're miracle child was sleeping through the night at this point, then good for you.  But I bet he/she was bottle fed and did some crying those first couple of nights... So, to each their own.  :)  I know I'm not alone in this because the mamas in my Mom's Support Group went through the same thing with their little ones and they've got my back.  :)

You'd think at 8 months things would seem 'normal' and I would be in the groove of things.  And some days I am in the groove, knocking things out like you wouldn't believe.  Like I've been doing it my whole life even.  But other days, maybe the majority of some days, I still feel like a first time mom who is a total mess... And you know, I'm okay with that.

So I'm a Crunchy Mom

I hadn't really been sure what the word "crunchy" meant in terms of parenting, but have heard it quite a bit.  I did some research today and discovered that the world apparently fits me pretty perfectly.

The Urban Dictionary definition for Crunchy Mama:

Mother who supports homebirth, breastfeeding, baby wearing, cloth diapering, co-sleeping, gentle discipline, etc.  One who questions established medical authority; tends to be vegetarian and/or prepare all-organic foods.  See crunchy and hippie.

That crunchy mama is breastfeeding in public again!


Hmm... Pretty right on!  Maybe that's what I should have named the blog... I had a hard time committing to something.  I think how they used it in a sentence is kinda funny though and I wonder if people have thought that about me since I don't hesitate to nurse Silver wherever, whenever.  Oh well.  More on the "tends to be vegetarian" bit tomorrow.

Jealous that I didn't come up with this awesomeness,
but will probably be reading her blog now :)

First Trip to the Zoo

We had such a great time at the zoo with my Mom's Support Group!  Silver, my non-sleeping munchkin, managed to sleep for quite a chunk of time though.  She is continuously surprising me...

First time standing up by herself...!

Einstein Never Slept

Some days when I try to get Silver down for a nap I am convinced that DHS is going to show up at my door at any given moment.  Why?  Because Silver is not, nor has she ever really been, a good sleeper.  Our 'routine' of late involves me letting her scream her head off for a bit in attempts to put herself to sleep.

Other days, I am convinced that someone else on our block has the same video monitor we do and has picked up our signal.  The mom is watching us, shaking her head at our situation and 'tsk, tsk-ing', while judging me.  She's probably even calling her stay at home mom friend up to talk about me.  "Can you believe this mom is just letting her baby cry like that?!  Listen (Holds monitor up to phone)."  I'm not even kidding. I really feel she's out there.

I am not a fan of letting Silver cry it out.  And I don't believe in the cry it out method.  To be honest, I think the Baby Wise method is entirely crazy because when babies cry it's because they need something.  But when I KNOW Silver's exhausted because she's 'sung her sleepy song' as I call it, she's not hungry, she's had a diaper change, and she is merely pissed off at the world (or probably just me), because she can't fall asleep, what else am I left to do?  She has to figure it out.  Because when I rock her, she just wails (while trying to latch on to me through my shirt).  When I nurse her, she falls asleep and the second I go to lay her down, we're back to wailing.  So she has to figure it out.

I'm a researcher at heart.  I've read most of The No-Cry Sleep Solution.  I've started reading The Happiest Baby on the Block, and even have the DVD set to ship to me on our next video queue... I've read about sleeping solutions on quite a few blogs and parenting websites.  All of which were extremely helpful and filled with the most fantastic ideas... yet don't seem to be working for us just yet.  But we're working on it.  We've been working on it.

The second Silver wipes her eyes, gives a yawn, or buries her head in my chest it's go time.  I'm not even kidding.  I practically sprint to her crib.  No, not really, but time is definitely of the essence.  And some days Silver actually goes to sleep without putting up a fight.  Those days are little miracle days where I do an oh my goodness, freak out with excitement dance, while looking into the video monitor, smiling with awe and joy at the miraculousness.

What did I do to make that go so well?  Is it because we played on her bouncer instead of on her play mat before heading to her crib?  Is it because she is swaddled extra perfectly?  Maybe the little musical soother played the most perfect combination of classical music and rainforest sounds.  Perhaps it was that the sun was a little overcast so it's darker in her room...  All of the factors can drive a mama crazy.  I've become ritualistic and don't even know for sure what my rituals are.

She usually eventually does figure it out.  Sometimes it's after just a couple minutes of yelling at me.  Sometimes, on the bad days, like today, it's been an entire hour of her trying to work it out with me intermittently checking on her so she knows she hasn't been abandoned.  I'm probably going to have to go in there and let her think she's won.  We'll try to play for a little bit, but she will be so darn grumpy, we'll go straight back to her crib, where she will probably quickly cave.  And when she does cave, it is so bizarre, she will go from screaming, with her eyes squeezed tight, to silence with the sweetest sleeping face you've ever seen.  You wouldn't think it was the same baby who had been screaming in protest just moments before.

My mom gets Silver to fall asleep without much fighting almost every time she watches her.  Although my mom does have to work her magic.  She tells me she thinks that Silver must just be a genius, like Einstein, who never slept... And I love her for that.  Finding the beauty in our exhausting situation.  All I know, is that eventually Silver will learn to fall asleep without hating me and every second of our 'routine'.  Because she has to.  And, I now more than EVER cherish those beautiful moments, from the time she was maybe about 2 months, until she was about 3 months old.  When she would sing herself to sleep at any given moment and actually take naps.  Lots of naps.  Beautiful, glorious, angelic naps.  And she even slept. through. the. night...

Germs on Parade

T.J. and I both wanted to go the gym this morning.  We had a full day, and it would make sense that we would go to the gym all together.  As a family.

But... no.  I had huge hesitations.  That would mean putting Silver in the nursery.  On a Saturday?  Um... I just don't know about that.  There are babies with kids all the way up to age 10 in the nursery.  All in the same room... We're in the midst of flu season.  It's like Germapalooza in there.

We have been so blessed with Silver only having a cold so far, while T.J. and I have both been sick (thank goodness for breastfeeding so she can get my antibodies).  Despite her healthiness, I feel certain that if I take her to the gym, on Monday she will definitely be coming down with something.

T.J. thinks I'm insane.  And maybe I am.  Okay, he says, we'll just never leave the house.  Then he brings up a great point - but babe, he says, we check her in the nursery at church every Sunday.

And we do.  And I feel completely okay with that and confident in our decision.  Is it because I know most of the babies who might have the cooties and that makes it okay?  Is it because she's only with other little people of about the same age?  I don't know.  But what I do know is that I realized Silver couldn't go to the gym anyway, because it was time for her nap.  :)

Back in Cloth

Silver is back in cloth diapers today for the first time in a couple weeks...  She had gotten diaper rash from a combination of a laundry mishap from me (drying her diaper inserts with a dryer sheet, hence making them un-absorbant) and teething.

We have always felt extremely loyal to our cloth and started with all the natural remedies we could try first.  We tried coconut oil (it's antibacterial and antifungal).

Then I bought some raw silk liners (raw silk retains some of the silk's natural sericin (a creamy wax given off by the silkworms) which is supposed to be both soothing and antibacterial! It's also great at pulling moisture away from the skin).


At one point, I even leaned over the changing table so I could squirt some milk onto her heiny.  Breast milk has got some amazing healing capabilities!  But it didn't seem to work for us and our situation...


Her diaper rash was never terrible (minus when it first popped up, when I hadn't realized I had messed up the diapers), but it just wouldn't seem to go away.


So then I bought some disposables.  I so didn't want to do it.  Not to mention the fact that the situation was particularly irritating because of course I have received some flack about using cloth.  So I now feel like I need to defend it!!!  But back to the diaper rash, some family members had suggested that maybe the cloth was the problem because 'they can't ever really get sanitary, disposables are so much more absorbent, and maybe disposables would even help her sleep better at night' (that's a whole other issue...!) blah, blah, blah...


Alas, I went with some more 'natural' disposables, from 7th Generation, and then also plowed through some Huggies Pure and Natural (I have no idea how you disposable diaper using people do it!  They are expensive!)  I tried Desatin (I have no idea how people use that stuff daily either!  It's a mess).  Tried Triple Paste.  Tried A&E.  The diaper rash would always fade away yet still be there, and at times it was occasionally more noticeable than other times.


Did some more research.  Bought some cornstarch, though never used it.  Re-read up on coconut oil.  Um... Hmm... I had bought the kind at the health food store that was specifically for the skin, when come to find out, it was deodorized.  There goes man, messing around with nature again.  Are you kidding me?  So then I went back to the health food store, bought some cold pressed coconut oil used for cooking, slathered it on Silver's bum, and BAM!, couple of diapers later and the rash is almost gone.  For real this time.  And she smells like a pina colada.  :)  So... Life is good.  We love our cloth.


And, as a P.S., let's just say holy cow to the blowouts that Silver had while in the sposies.  She has only maybe had a couple while in cloth.  Those disposables just didn't work out for us so well.  Love cloth.  So much.  The end.

Baby Led Weaning - Quinoa

Made  a dish for the fam that Silver could enjoy too!  The recipe called for brown rice, but i'm not giving Silver that just yet, so instead I substituted quinoa.  Have you heard of this amazing stuff?

Quinoa (it's pronounced keen-wa) is an amino acid-rich (protein) seed that has a fluffy, creamy, slightly crunchy texture and a somewhat nutty flavor when you cook it.  It is a recently rediscovered ancient "grain", dating back over five thousand years and once considered "the gold of the Incas."  It's cool because it contains more high quality protein than any other grain and contains no gluten.

Loved it!  It cooks up just like rice - a cup for a cup.  When you cook it do one part quinoa and one part water, stir it and cover.

I bought the kind from Ancient Harvest because it is pre-washed, so you don't have to rinse it (with other kinds you need to rinse it to remove the natural bitter saponin coating - I thought this might be difficult because they are pretty tiny.)

http://theamateursdish.com/wp-content/uploads/2010/06/quinoa2.jpg

I made a pilaf with the quinoa and left out some of the things that Silver shouldn't have just yet, like almonds and soy sauce (salt).  So... T.J. thought it was pretty bland.  My mom likes bland though so I gave her some to try and after tasting it she sweetly asked, is it pretty healthy?  Lol.  Yes, it was pretty much straight up vegetables.  :)

That's one thing that's going to be great about baby led weaning for all of us - it's going to keep our healthy eating in check!

Baby Led Weaning - Rolled Oats

Made Silver some rolled oat bars today!  I also learned why it is important to soak oats before you cook with them.

The merits of soaking oats

All grains contain an organic acid known as phytic acid. Phytic acid stops our bodies from efficiently absorbing essential minerals like iron and zinc, which can eventually lead to mineral deficiencies.  Soaking grains reduces their phytic acid, which means that their nutrients can be properly digested and absorbed by the body.

This is by no means a modern concept - our ancestors either soaked or fermented grains before cooking with them - and it is still common practice to do so in many parts of the world.

So, I prepared the soaked oats last night, then this morning I added some water and then boiled it for a bit.  Then I sprinkled a little bit of cinnamon into it and put it into a small 8x8 pan and pressed it down flat with a spatula.  Baked it on 350 for 5 to 10 minutes (just wanted it to thicken up a little bit so that I could cut it into pieces that Silver could pick up without them falling apart too badly).

It was a success!

Baby Led Weaning, Day 1

Silver ate some real food today!  A little bit of cucumber and avocado, more of the avocado.  She made a mess and got more of it on her than in her mouth, but it was so cute!

We're doing baby led weaning, which I've posted about before, but basically Baby Led Weaning means offering your baby (age appropriate) foods that are soft-cooked and sometimes cut or mashed into small easily manageable pieces. You then offer the food to your baby to eat, and then, this is the important part - your baby does the rest. In short, Baby Led Weaning is skipping thin and runny purées and not feeding your baby with a spoon – it's where you rely on your baby to self-regulate and lead the way.

It will be a bit before she's actually eating, instead of playing and discovering, but we will be giving her the opportunity every once in a while.

Yeah... next time mama will remember to roll her sleeves up.