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!  :)