My little baby had a horrible rash in her skin folds: her neck skin, and the little folds of her baby fat. The creases were all bright red and stinky. I kept putting Balmex on the skin, and then Vaseline and cornstarch. None of that helped. It didn't dry the skin, didn't do anything. Lame.
Fortunately, after a few weeks, we were due for her 2-month appointment, so I was able to ask her pediatrician about the issue. The doctor said it was likely a fungal infection and recommended some kind of anti-fungal cream to treat it.
Well, guess how interested I was in buying an anti-fungal cream? Um, about 0%. I remembered that tea tree oil is supposed to be anti-fungal, so I came home and whipped something up.
My Awesome Natural Anti-Fungal Rub
1/4 cup coconut oil
1/2 tsp tea tree oil
1/4 tsp lavender oil
3 drops lemon oil
I don't remember why I added the lemon oil.
It's cold here, so I had to melt the coconut oil over a burner. Then I just mixed in the other ingredients and poured it into a container.
Totally worked.
I'm just using it as an all-over body lotion for her. Today it occurred to me that I'd read about cradle cap potentially being a fungal infection--apparently no one knows what cradle cap is or why babies get it? weird--so I think I'll try it on her cradle cap next.
Takeaway: I'm glad I had my essential oils on hand to treat my kid's fungal infection. It worked like a charm.
Saturday, November 23, 2013
gave birth at home! and other fun stuff
I haven't updated here in forever.
Lots of stuff happened since I posted here--my younger sibs both got married, for example. My handicapped brother James passed away. And I gave birth in my living room.
So now we have two kids and we are crunchily raising both of them!
My brother's passing was--a blessing, mostly. For him and for all of us. The last few weeks leading up to his death were excruciating to behold. He just got sicker and sicker and sicker. Eventually it got to the point that he wouldn't hold any food down, so we decided to stop feeding him. I told my younger brother about our decision early in the day. By the time I got Sam's protestations over the decision via text, it was too late: James was already dead. We hadn't even had a chance to not-feed him.
I miss him, but kind of... more theoretically than practically, I guess you could say. I miss the essence of him, I guess. But I don't miss him in pain, or him struggling, or me struggling to care for him, or any of that.
My new baby is awesome. We named her Sarah and she is adorable. Almost 12 weeks now. She smiles, and has tons of dark hair and big blue eyes--slate blue, almost gray. Very pretty. She coos a LOT and has since she was just a few weeks old. We took her in at 4 weeks and she was already kicking and holding herself up really well, and cooing. Basically all the stuff you're not supposed to do until 8 weeks. She's my little baby smartie. Right now she's sleeping next to me in her new Swaddleme. She really loves being swaddled, apparently. Good times. We're in the living room, mere feet away from where she was born right next to my coffee table. I'm really glad I aimed for a homebirth--I would have had one anyway. I was in active labor for 10 minutes in the end. Very intense 10 minutes, I might add.
But the point is, I recently decided I should be more proactive in updating the world about our crunchy life. Some of it might come in handy.
Lots of stuff happened since I posted here--my younger sibs both got married, for example. My handicapped brother James passed away. And I gave birth in my living room.
So now we have two kids and we are crunchily raising both of them!
My brother's passing was--a blessing, mostly. For him and for all of us. The last few weeks leading up to his death were excruciating to behold. He just got sicker and sicker and sicker. Eventually it got to the point that he wouldn't hold any food down, so we decided to stop feeding him. I told my younger brother about our decision early in the day. By the time I got Sam's protestations over the decision via text, it was too late: James was already dead. We hadn't even had a chance to not-feed him.
I miss him, but kind of... more theoretically than practically, I guess you could say. I miss the essence of him, I guess. But I don't miss him in pain, or him struggling, or me struggling to care for him, or any of that.
My new baby is awesome. We named her Sarah and she is adorable. Almost 12 weeks now. She smiles, and has tons of dark hair and big blue eyes--slate blue, almost gray. Very pretty. She coos a LOT and has since she was just a few weeks old. We took her in at 4 weeks and she was already kicking and holding herself up really well, and cooing. Basically all the stuff you're not supposed to do until 8 weeks. She's my little baby smartie. Right now she's sleeping next to me in her new Swaddleme. She really loves being swaddled, apparently. Good times. We're in the living room, mere feet away from where she was born right next to my coffee table. I'm really glad I aimed for a homebirth--I would have had one anyway. I was in active labor for 10 minutes in the end. Very intense 10 minutes, I might add.
But the point is, I recently decided I should be more proactive in updating the world about our crunchy life. Some of it might come in handy.
Monday, June 24, 2013
One! Two!
Well, Nathaniel officially gets the concept of "two," as of today. This morning when he got up and went downstairs, he counted his steps all the way down: "One! Two! One! Two! One! Two!"
He counted his baby Crocs a bunch of times (there are two of them!).
He counted bugs.
He counted whatever he could find.
When he ate all his fruit snacks except for one, he held the one up and said, "MOMMY! ONE!!!" over and over again, elated to understand and articulate that he only had one fruit snack.
I'm pretty happy with him!
He's doing well with his pre-reading, too. He loves his Dr. Seuss ABC book (Big A, little a--what begins with A?), and he loves to point at all the letters and say their sounds. On every page, he points to the word BIG and says "B! I! G!" He really enjoys that.
He turns 2 in about three weeks. Pretty crazy!
He counted his baby Crocs a bunch of times (there are two of them!).
He counted bugs.
He counted whatever he could find.
When he ate all his fruit snacks except for one, he held the one up and said, "MOMMY! ONE!!!" over and over again, elated to understand and articulate that he only had one fruit snack.
I'm pretty happy with him!
He's doing well with his pre-reading, too. He loves his Dr. Seuss ABC book (Big A, little a--what begins with A?), and he loves to point at all the letters and say their sounds. On every page, he points to the word BIG and says "B! I! G!" He really enjoys that.
He turns 2 in about three weeks. Pretty crazy!
Wednesday, June 12, 2013
attachment parenting 23 months in
Well! Nathaniel is now 23 months old. I figured it's a good time to check in with you all about our attachment parenting ways, since I haven't been that good at updating about them, and we have another kid on the way. Baby #2 is due in late August, so Carl and I have been talking about what we liked and didn't like about our parenting experiences so far.
Mostly, we've liked them.
As a reminder, there are Seven B's of attachment parenting: birth bonding, breastfeeding, babywearing, bedding close to baby, belief in language value of baby's cry, beware of baby trainers, and balance.
1. Birth Bonding. Did our best with that one, but that went horribly with Nathaniel because of my [unwanted] pitocin induction and epidural, and then the fact that he was so late and so big--he ended up in the NICU for the first day or so after birth. We will do better with this kid because I know now to really work hard at going into labor at 39 weeks (no more 43-week pregnancies, thanks), and we're having Kid #2 at home. So we will bond with this one.
2. Breastfeeding. I still nurse Nathaniel and I am not ashamed. He is allergic to lots of things, and nursing is one way I can be sure he's getting nutrients he needs even though his diet can be... uh, imbalanced due to his dietary restrictions. He only really nurses once or maaaaybe twice a day now--at night right before sleeping, and then before a nap if he bothers to take a nap these days. Mostly he is too busy for breastfeeding. On the pro side, I feel like nursing strengthens our relationship. On the other hand, I'm a little tired of my nursing wardrobe. It's not terrible, but I miss wearing other clothes. On the plus side, as a pregnant person, now it doesn't matter what I want to wear, because everything will be uncomfortable and look weird and I just have to deal with it for another three months. AUGUST!
3. Babywearing. Babywearing is AWESOME and I way recommend it. Nathaniel and I have always been very close--literally and emotionally. When he was just little little, I would wear him as I did my chores. I always wore him to the grocery store and on walks. And on airplanes--SO convenient on airplanes. Now that he's bigger and I'm pregnant, I don't wear him as much, but I still do a little bit. Well, not this month. But last month I did wear him! I fully plan to wear the second one a ton. It will be very convenient while I have to chase Nathaniel around to have both hands free and my little one right next to my body. Best babywearing tool: the ring sling. I got mine on Amazon for like $29.99. So worth it, so much better and more comfortable and convenient and cheaper than anything else I've tried.
4. Bedsharing. We still bedshare. My grandma was like, scandalized by it. And yeah, at this point, it's getting a little bit old. Nathaniel's getting big. But since we have been travelling and still have more travelling to do before the summer is over, we've decided not to move him to a toddler bed just yet. It would be bad to move him over and then have him sleep with us again while we're on the road, and have to have all the battles over again.
Bedsharing has been awesome for us. We've all slept very well, overall--I can count on two hands the times Nathaniel has woken us up with crying in the night. Every time it's been teething or illness, and we were right there to comfort him--no need to get out of bed. It's been amazingly convenient and very cuddly. Also it's been nice because a lot of times Carl doesn't get to see Nathaniel for more than an hour a day--but they can cuddle at night and it's nice. Also, Carl never lost sleep having to leave the room to bring me a screaming baby in the night. We will most likely bedshare with #2 as well. REMEMBER if you bedshare to follow all the rules for safe bedsharing. Look 'em up if you're interested.
5. Belief in language value of cries. I have always felt like Nathaniel's cries were important communication. Babies, at least as far as I can tell, don't cry because it's fun. They cry because they're scared, or tired, or lonely, or hurting, etc. All of those feelings are valid and crying is the only way a baby can express them. We have been very, very responsive to his cries and we do not let him cry it out. As a result, I believe, he's been a very chill dude, and he trusts us a lot. We will definitely work to be as responsive to #2 as we were to #1.
6. Beware of baby trainers. Eh, I was already doing this one. We'll keep being wary of baby training.
7. Balance. Been working on this one. I feel like life is pretty imbalanced right now, thanks to my pregnancy and travelling and weddings and Nathaniel's allergies and everything. Who knows. But we're trying. And we'll keep trying with the next one!
In other news, I'm excited to cloth diaper #2. Our cloth diapers have been fantastic and I way recommend them. They have saved us so much money. And now that Nathaniel's approaching potty-training age, he's really aware of everything going on down there, because cloth diapers are less comfortable than disposables. I think it will make potty training him a lot easier.
Anything else I'm missing? Anyway, attachment parenting isn't for everybody, but so far, it's been great for us.
Mostly, we've liked them.
As a reminder, there are Seven B's of attachment parenting: birth bonding, breastfeeding, babywearing, bedding close to baby, belief in language value of baby's cry, beware of baby trainers, and balance.
1. Birth Bonding. Did our best with that one, but that went horribly with Nathaniel because of my [unwanted] pitocin induction and epidural, and then the fact that he was so late and so big--he ended up in the NICU for the first day or so after birth. We will do better with this kid because I know now to really work hard at going into labor at 39 weeks (no more 43-week pregnancies, thanks), and we're having Kid #2 at home. So we will bond with this one.
2. Breastfeeding. I still nurse Nathaniel and I am not ashamed. He is allergic to lots of things, and nursing is one way I can be sure he's getting nutrients he needs even though his diet can be... uh, imbalanced due to his dietary restrictions. He only really nurses once or maaaaybe twice a day now--at night right before sleeping, and then before a nap if he bothers to take a nap these days. Mostly he is too busy for breastfeeding. On the pro side, I feel like nursing strengthens our relationship. On the other hand, I'm a little tired of my nursing wardrobe. It's not terrible, but I miss wearing other clothes. On the plus side, as a pregnant person, now it doesn't matter what I want to wear, because everything will be uncomfortable and look weird and I just have to deal with it for another three months. AUGUST!
3. Babywearing. Babywearing is AWESOME and I way recommend it. Nathaniel and I have always been very close--literally and emotionally. When he was just little little, I would wear him as I did my chores. I always wore him to the grocery store and on walks. And on airplanes--SO convenient on airplanes. Now that he's bigger and I'm pregnant, I don't wear him as much, but I still do a little bit. Well, not this month. But last month I did wear him! I fully plan to wear the second one a ton. It will be very convenient while I have to chase Nathaniel around to have both hands free and my little one right next to my body. Best babywearing tool: the ring sling. I got mine on Amazon for like $29.99. So worth it, so much better and more comfortable and convenient and cheaper than anything else I've tried.
4. Bedsharing. We still bedshare. My grandma was like, scandalized by it. And yeah, at this point, it's getting a little bit old. Nathaniel's getting big. But since we have been travelling and still have more travelling to do before the summer is over, we've decided not to move him to a toddler bed just yet. It would be bad to move him over and then have him sleep with us again while we're on the road, and have to have all the battles over again.
Bedsharing has been awesome for us. We've all slept very well, overall--I can count on two hands the times Nathaniel has woken us up with crying in the night. Every time it's been teething or illness, and we were right there to comfort him--no need to get out of bed. It's been amazingly convenient and very cuddly. Also it's been nice because a lot of times Carl doesn't get to see Nathaniel for more than an hour a day--but they can cuddle at night and it's nice. Also, Carl never lost sleep having to leave the room to bring me a screaming baby in the night. We will most likely bedshare with #2 as well. REMEMBER if you bedshare to follow all the rules for safe bedsharing. Look 'em up if you're interested.
5. Belief in language value of cries. I have always felt like Nathaniel's cries were important communication. Babies, at least as far as I can tell, don't cry because it's fun. They cry because they're scared, or tired, or lonely, or hurting, etc. All of those feelings are valid and crying is the only way a baby can express them. We have been very, very responsive to his cries and we do not let him cry it out. As a result, I believe, he's been a very chill dude, and he trusts us a lot. We will definitely work to be as responsive to #2 as we were to #1.
6. Beware of baby trainers. Eh, I was already doing this one. We'll keep being wary of baby training.
7. Balance. Been working on this one. I feel like life is pretty imbalanced right now, thanks to my pregnancy and travelling and weddings and Nathaniel's allergies and everything. Who knows. But we're trying. And we'll keep trying with the next one!
In other news, I'm excited to cloth diaper #2. Our cloth diapers have been fantastic and I way recommend them. They have saved us so much money. And now that Nathaniel's approaching potty-training age, he's really aware of everything going on down there, because cloth diapers are less comfortable than disposables. I think it will make potty training him a lot easier.
Anything else I'm missing? Anyway, attachment parenting isn't for everybody, but so far, it's been great for us.
Friday, April 26, 2013
Tuck.
Nathaniel has a NEW favorite word, and it is "Tuck." As in, "stuck." I never realized how many things are stuck in this world until my toddler started pointing out every single time anything is stuck.
He lets me know when he is properly buckled into his carseat: "Tuck! Tuck!"
He lets me know when his toys are stuck inside each other: "Tuck! Tuck!"
He likes to have me and Carl grab him and not let go: "Tuck! Tuck!"
His first sentence, if you can call it that, was "More tuck!" He wanted me to keep grabbing him over and over and not let him go.
He's a silly one!
He lets me know when he is properly buckled into his carseat: "Tuck! Tuck!"
He lets me know when his toys are stuck inside each other: "Tuck! Tuck!"
He likes to have me and Carl grab him and not let go: "Tuck! Tuck!"
His first sentence, if you can call it that, was "More tuck!" He wanted me to keep grabbing him over and over and not let him go.
He's a silly one!
Tuesday, March 19, 2013
Buck.
Nathaniel has a favorite word. Unfortunately, no one has any idea what it means.
The word is "buck." No, it does not mean "book." Here's how a typical buck-conversation goes:
Nathaniel, coming up to me and getting my attention: Buck.
Me: You want a book?
Nathaniel: *shakes head* Buck.
Me: You want to read a book?
Nathaniel: *shakes head, looks around the room for ideas of how to explain what he wants* Bu-u-u-u-ck. Buck. Buck. *with hand gestures*
Me: You want... to eat food?
[insert him saying "Buck" 25 times while I make random guesses and he shakes his head like I'm an idiot, over and over again]
Nathaniel: Buck! Buck!
Me: You... want to go to Mamie's house?
Nathaniel: *nods like I'm the stupidest person he knows and why did it take me so long, anyway??*
~~
Unfortunately, it doesn't always mean "take me to Mamie's house." This morning he came down for breakfast, and sat in his seat, and pointed out the door saying "Buck! Buck!" Who knows??
Two days ago, my sister and her fiance took Nathaniel out on a walk. As it turned out, the fiance was wearing a shirt with an actual buck on it--like a male deer. They were teaching Nathaniel words as they walked, and they pointed to Elliot's shirt and said, "Buck!"
And he got SO excited--"Buck! Buck!"
But I'm pretty sure that's not what he means when he says the word.
The word is "buck." No, it does not mean "book." Here's how a typical buck-conversation goes:
Nathaniel, coming up to me and getting my attention: Buck.
Me: You want a book?
Nathaniel: *shakes head* Buck.
Me: You want to read a book?
Nathaniel: *shakes head, looks around the room for ideas of how to explain what he wants* Bu-u-u-u-ck. Buck. Buck. *with hand gestures*
Me: You want... to eat food?
[insert him saying "Buck" 25 times while I make random guesses and he shakes his head like I'm an idiot, over and over again]
Nathaniel: Buck! Buck!
Me: You... want to go to Mamie's house?
Nathaniel: *nods like I'm the stupidest person he knows and why did it take me so long, anyway??*
~~
Unfortunately, it doesn't always mean "take me to Mamie's house." This morning he came down for breakfast, and sat in his seat, and pointed out the door saying "Buck! Buck!" Who knows??
Two days ago, my sister and her fiance took Nathaniel out on a walk. As it turned out, the fiance was wearing a shirt with an actual buck on it--like a male deer. They were teaching Nathaniel words as they walked, and they pointed to Elliot's shirt and said, "Buck!"
And he got SO excited--"Buck! Buck!"
But I'm pretty sure that's not what he means when he says the word.
Tuesday, February 26, 2013
Chocolate isn't hats!
Nathaniel has been learning words like crazy! Some weeks it feels like he picks up a new word every day.
He loves to make pretend phone calls to his dad; anything rectangular suffices as a phone, and if he doesn't have anything that fits the bill, he'll just use his hand. He mostly spends his fake phone conversations talking about balls and trucks (or, as he says, "bahs" and "gucks"), his two favorite things. He'll just sit there with his fake phone, saying, "Dad. Bah. Bah. Bah. Guck." And then hang up. It's pretty funny.
He's developed an obsession with cooking utensils, especially spatulas, which he likes to use as sort of makeshift golf clubs. He is still very obsessed with hats, and uses anything he can find to make a hat out of. He wears pots, pot lids, bowls of all sizes and materials, and iPad cases, as well as baskets and anything else that looks vaguely hat-like.
For Valentine's Day, Carl's mom sent us some amazing chocolates (Thanks, Ann!), and a whole row of them were filled with coffee. As Latter-day Saints, we don't eat/drink coffee. So I gave them to a student I tutor, on a plate. Well, Nathaniel saw the plate, and freaked out because each little chocolate looked like a tiny hat and in the moment there was nothing he wanted more than to wear those little hats. I ended up having to send my student home early so I could put Nathaniel to bed because the hat tantrum was so out of control. Sorry, kid! Chocolates are not hats and no, you cannot wear them!
Carl's been working hard and writing in the evenings. He likes his job and his coworkers and he is working on a very interesting story right now--it utilizes a lot of rhythm in the storytelling. I'm interested to see how it turns out.
I've been sick a lot lately, and my house/life have suffered for it, but yesterday I was feeling well enough to actually clean the kitchen (...sort of) and straighten up our bedroom, which had really fallen apart. Now it is mostly clean. I need to vacuum today. I've been trying to write on my novel, but I've been feeling so sick and spacey it's been hard to be coherent at all, so it's been slow in coming. Normally I'd be at least halfway done with the draft by now, but right now, I'm barely at 9000 words.
I did sign a contract for the second book in my Body Electric series, though, so that's good, and that'll be coming out sometime this fall. Excited to start editing it! And hopefully I can finish the rough draft I'm currently working on so I can just get this series over with. I really want to work on Spidermaiden now.
I've not been super good at updating this blog, but I have been all right at updating my writing blog. You can check that out here.
He loves to make pretend phone calls to his dad; anything rectangular suffices as a phone, and if he doesn't have anything that fits the bill, he'll just use his hand. He mostly spends his fake phone conversations talking about balls and trucks (or, as he says, "bahs" and "gucks"), his two favorite things. He'll just sit there with his fake phone, saying, "Dad. Bah. Bah. Bah. Guck." And then hang up. It's pretty funny.
He's developed an obsession with cooking utensils, especially spatulas, which he likes to use as sort of makeshift golf clubs. He is still very obsessed with hats, and uses anything he can find to make a hat out of. He wears pots, pot lids, bowls of all sizes and materials, and iPad cases, as well as baskets and anything else that looks vaguely hat-like.
For Valentine's Day, Carl's mom sent us some amazing chocolates (Thanks, Ann!), and a whole row of them were filled with coffee. As Latter-day Saints, we don't eat/drink coffee. So I gave them to a student I tutor, on a plate. Well, Nathaniel saw the plate, and freaked out because each little chocolate looked like a tiny hat and in the moment there was nothing he wanted more than to wear those little hats. I ended up having to send my student home early so I could put Nathaniel to bed because the hat tantrum was so out of control. Sorry, kid! Chocolates are not hats and no, you cannot wear them!
Carl's been working hard and writing in the evenings. He likes his job and his coworkers and he is working on a very interesting story right now--it utilizes a lot of rhythm in the storytelling. I'm interested to see how it turns out.
I've been sick a lot lately, and my house/life have suffered for it, but yesterday I was feeling well enough to actually clean the kitchen (...sort of) and straighten up our bedroom, which had really fallen apart. Now it is mostly clean. I need to vacuum today. I've been trying to write on my novel, but I've been feeling so sick and spacey it's been hard to be coherent at all, so it's been slow in coming. Normally I'd be at least halfway done with the draft by now, but right now, I'm barely at 9000 words.
I did sign a contract for the second book in my Body Electric series, though, so that's good, and that'll be coming out sometime this fall. Excited to start editing it! And hopefully I can finish the rough draft I'm currently working on so I can just get this series over with. I really want to work on Spidermaiden now.
I've not been super good at updating this blog, but I have been all right at updating my writing blog. You can check that out here.
Wednesday, January 30, 2013
cast iron, stainless steel, broken toe, new word
1. I just ordered my first cast iron skillet! It was preseasoned and cost only $18, with free shipping. Now I feel stupid for waiting so long to buy it--in my head, a good cast iron skillet would have to cost at least $50, because they are so versatile and last so long. Um, yeah. No. Apparently you can get them cheap. Mine was even made in the USA. I'm really excited to use it.
2. Also just ordered a bunch of stainless steel cups to try. My plastic cups are starting to make our water taste plasticky, which is disgusting on so many levels and probably also carcinogenic. So, stainless steel it was. I'm pretty pleased with the cups I ordered, and just went ahead and ordered a few more. Yay!
3. Broke my toe last night, I think. I tripped in the dark and heard a crack, and my toe has been swollen up like a sausage ever since. Yow.
4. Nathaniel learned a new word today: Truck. He says it "guck." And to him, it refers to anything with wheels. Trains, cars, and trucks alike. He's been very pleased with himself and he likes to bring me pictures of wheeled things and tell me "Guck! Guck!"
2. Also just ordered a bunch of stainless steel cups to try. My plastic cups are starting to make our water taste plasticky, which is disgusting on so many levels and probably also carcinogenic. So, stainless steel it was. I'm pretty pleased with the cups I ordered, and just went ahead and ordered a few more. Yay!
3. Broke my toe last night, I think. I tripped in the dark and heard a crack, and my toe has been swollen up like a sausage ever since. Yow.
4. Nathaniel learned a new word today: Truck. He says it "guck." And to him, it refers to anything with wheels. Trains, cars, and trucks alike. He's been very pleased with himself and he likes to bring me pictures of wheeled things and tell me "Guck! Guck!"
Tuesday, January 29, 2013
baby is a sickie
Nathaniel has been sick. It's been a real pain for everyone, especially him. For the past several nights he's just coughed all night. Sometimes he sleeps through it, but I sure don't! Ha! I've been napping with him during the day to make up for it, though. He won't accept any medicine except for raspberry flavored Dimetapp children's decongestant, so I give him that when I can. He loves it and always asks for more.
Last night I made some incredible pork chops--I breaded them, then baked them at 350 for an hour. After the hour was up, I covered them with a mixture of cream of mushroom soup and milk, covered that with foil, and baked for another half hour. The chops were SO TENDER. It was incredible. Usually I am not a huge fan of pork chops because I think they're tough and hard to eat. But I like to think that it was that amazing recipe I tried last night that made the difference with those pork chops.
Last night I made some incredible pork chops--I breaded them, then baked them at 350 for an hour. After the hour was up, I covered them with a mixture of cream of mushroom soup and milk, covered that with foil, and baked for another half hour. The chops were SO TENDER. It was incredible. Usually I am not a huge fan of pork chops because I think they're tough and hard to eat. But I like to think that it was that amazing recipe I tried last night that made the difference with those pork chops.
Monday, January 28, 2013
learning letters
Nathaniel is learning his letters! He obsessed with StoryBots on YouTube, and we watch them at least once a day, every day except Sunday. He loves them to the extent that now the only way we can get him to wear jammies is if they have robots on them.
Anyway, I used to feel bad that he watched StoryBots so much all the time (ALL the time), but he's actually learning his letters. When he sees an L, he gets excited and says "lah!" And when we draw him a bunch of letters, he can successfully point out things like L and N and X. He loves letters and calls them 'bots,' as in StoryBots. When we sing the StoryBot songs to him, he sings along. It's hilarious.
Anyway, I used to feel bad that he watched StoryBots so much all the time (ALL the time), but he's actually learning his letters. When he sees an L, he gets excited and says "lah!" And when we draw him a bunch of letters, he can successfully point out things like L and N and X. He loves letters and calls them 'bots,' as in StoryBots. When we sing the StoryBot songs to him, he sings along. It's hilarious.
Friday, January 18, 2013
vaccine times
Nathaniel had his 18mo check up yesterday. He's doing well. He is 23.25 lbs (25th percentile), 33.5 inches long (80th percentile), and his head is in the 70th percentile.
We got him vaccinated. He was very good about it, and only cried for literally about ten seconds, at which point the nurse asked if he wanted a bear. He just perked right up--yes! He wanted a bear! And he clutched that bear all the way home.
And then ever since, he has been doing one thing.
Nursing.
Nonstop.
Okay, with a little stops. But let's put it this way. He literally nursed without stopping from midnight until two in the morning this morning.
And just now, he nursed from 8:15 until 9:45. WITHOUT STOPPING. He unlatched once for like two seconds and then latched back on.
So, all my nightweaning is undone, and that kid is a milkhead fiend. I'm assuming it's residual stuff from his DPT vaccine or whatever, making him uncomfortable and fussy. Right now he's down for a nap. Here's hoping he naps for a while...
We got him vaccinated. He was very good about it, and only cried for literally about ten seconds, at which point the nurse asked if he wanted a bear. He just perked right up--yes! He wanted a bear! And he clutched that bear all the way home.
And then ever since, he has been doing one thing.
Nursing.
Nonstop.
Okay, with a little stops. But let's put it this way. He literally nursed without stopping from midnight until two in the morning this morning.
And just now, he nursed from 8:15 until 9:45. WITHOUT STOPPING. He unlatched once for like two seconds and then latched back on.
So, all my nightweaning is undone, and that kid is a milkhead fiend. I'm assuming it's residual stuff from his DPT vaccine or whatever, making him uncomfortable and fussy. Right now he's down for a nap. Here's hoping he naps for a while...
Saturday, January 12, 2013
new car!!
No pictures yet, but they're on the way eventually!
On Saturday of last week we finally got a new car. A new old car. It's a 2006 Toyota Avalon. Our last car, the 2001 Oldsmobile, ended up needing like a zillion bucks in repairs in order to pass inspection next month, so we had to get a new car. It was kind of sad, because if we didn't live in a nanny state, we probably could have gotten another year or two out of the car. But of course, we live in tyrannical Maryland, so, there we go. New car time it was.
We're pleased with our Avalon purchase. It has tons of room in the back, so if we ever need to put more than one carseat back there, that'll be fine. It drives really smoothly and is basically just a good, reliable, old person car. Everyone I tell about it is like, "oh! My grandparents have that SAME CAR!"
Yep.
When we drove it home from the dealer, we parked it in our garage and Carl wondered if the front right tire was a little low. I said no, of course it wasn't, because our crappy Oldsmobile always had low air in that tire--it was probably all just in our heads because we were used to that from our old car.
On Thursday, so five days after I bought it, I drove up to Urbana for a hair cut and to visit my mom. On the way, I got THREE (3) flats. On 270.
So, drama. I only discovered this as I left--I've never had a flat before, so I just thought our car was being retarded. I legitimately didn't get it, until I was on my way home driving super slowly to Subway for lunch, and people watching me started freaking out--"hey lady! Hey lady! All your tires are flat!"
So I drove at 10 mph with my baby screaming in the backseat to the closest auto shop, where I promptly had a breakdown and just wept in their lobby. I had to be home in an hour to get my severely disabled brother off the bus, and it was a new car, and my baby was crazy. The repair guys took pity on my poor self and inspected the car, pronouncing it the strangest thing they'd ever seen--only three tires were flat, and for no obvious reason. Why not all four? What the heck?
So I ended up calling a tow, and hitching a ride home with my sister. It turned out that the dealer had put on all new tires when they acquired the car--and the tires had faulty valves. Well, three of them did. So they were slowly leaking until at last, they all went out on me essentially at once on the freeway. The dealer replaced all the tires for free and we got the car back last night.
It's been a fun time with the new car, but hopefully that was the last of the car's issues for a while.
On Saturday of last week we finally got a new car. A new old car. It's a 2006 Toyota Avalon. Our last car, the 2001 Oldsmobile, ended up needing like a zillion bucks in repairs in order to pass inspection next month, so we had to get a new car. It was kind of sad, because if we didn't live in a nanny state, we probably could have gotten another year or two out of the car. But of course, we live in tyrannical Maryland, so, there we go. New car time it was.
We're pleased with our Avalon purchase. It has tons of room in the back, so if we ever need to put more than one carseat back there, that'll be fine. It drives really smoothly and is basically just a good, reliable, old person car. Everyone I tell about it is like, "oh! My grandparents have that SAME CAR!"
Yep.
When we drove it home from the dealer, we parked it in our garage and Carl wondered if the front right tire was a little low. I said no, of course it wasn't, because our crappy Oldsmobile always had low air in that tire--it was probably all just in our heads because we were used to that from our old car.
On Thursday, so five days after I bought it, I drove up to Urbana for a hair cut and to visit my mom. On the way, I got THREE (3) flats. On 270.
So, drama. I only discovered this as I left--I've never had a flat before, so I just thought our car was being retarded. I legitimately didn't get it, until I was on my way home driving super slowly to Subway for lunch, and people watching me started freaking out--"hey lady! Hey lady! All your tires are flat!"
So I drove at 10 mph with my baby screaming in the backseat to the closest auto shop, where I promptly had a breakdown and just wept in their lobby. I had to be home in an hour to get my severely disabled brother off the bus, and it was a new car, and my baby was crazy. The repair guys took pity on my poor self and inspected the car, pronouncing it the strangest thing they'd ever seen--only three tires were flat, and for no obvious reason. Why not all four? What the heck?
So I ended up calling a tow, and hitching a ride home with my sister. It turned out that the dealer had put on all new tires when they acquired the car--and the tires had faulty valves. Well, three of them did. So they were slowly leaking until at last, they all went out on me essentially at once on the freeway. The dealer replaced all the tires for free and we got the car back last night.
It's been a fun time with the new car, but hopefully that was the last of the car's issues for a while.
Monday, January 7, 2013
NIGHTWEANING!!!
Yes: we're still breastfeeding. Since Nathaniel is allergic to egg, soy, peanut, and all cow products from steak and ground beef to milk and yogurt, I feel like it's an important thing to do. Not to mention that the international medically recommended minimum time for nursing is two full years, and Nathaniel is only eighteen months. But whatever.
Last week I decided that the time had come to nightwean Nathaniel. Since he was born at around ten and a half pounds, I've always fed him multiple times at night: he's got a big body but started out with a little tummy, and in the night I could hear his little tummy rumble. Plus, since we bedshare, it was just so easy to feed him at night, and neither of us would really have to move or fully wake up. It was very convenient.
But Carl wants us to move him to his own toddler bed, and so the first step in that process was making it so he could fall asleep without being in the process of nursing--a project that took a few weeks, but now works fine. Before, when I wanted him to sleep, I would just lay down with him and nurse him to sleep in the dark. Now, I nurse him for night in the light, and then turn off the light and cuddle him to sleep. He hates it when Dad cuddles him to sleep, so we still have something to work on, but at least he is physically capable now of falling asleep without nursing simultaneously.
Anyway, step two has been to cut out night feedings entirely. Two weeks ago, Nathaniel was getting up like clockwork at 1 am and 4:45 am for nursing.
One week ago, I decided that after 1:30 am, the milk is asleep.
So for a few days, Nathaniel just cried when I told him he couldn't have the milk because it was sleeping. I held him, and rocked him, and kissed him, and offered him water which he rejected, and just generally felt sad for him, but not too sad, because he only had to wait for an hour, since we get up at six every morning anyway.
After maybe three days of that, Nathaniel learned that it is actually important to eat real food at dinnertime, and now when it's bedtime he always asks to eat after he's in his jammies. So we go back down and fill up that baby tummy, and then do a good night nursing, and cuddle to sleep.
Anyway, after he learned that particular lesson, I told him that milk had to sleep in the night just like he did--all night long. And then that night, when he woke up at 1 o'clock, he just signed for water, drank like half a cup of it, and went back to sleep. Same at 4:45.
And he hasn't gotten up at night since then. That was maybe on Friday.
So, happy day: I think we're nightweaned. It's only been a few days, so maybe not, but so far so good.
In related news, Nathaniel's eighteen-month birthday is next Sunday, so he gets to start NURSERY! I just can't wait. This last week at church he was totally crazy. He is definitely ready to be able to play with toys and eat snacks and think about Jesus with other kids his same age, instead of disrupting Gospel Principles and Relief Society with me.
Last week I decided that the time had come to nightwean Nathaniel. Since he was born at around ten and a half pounds, I've always fed him multiple times at night: he's got a big body but started out with a little tummy, and in the night I could hear his little tummy rumble. Plus, since we bedshare, it was just so easy to feed him at night, and neither of us would really have to move or fully wake up. It was very convenient.
But Carl wants us to move him to his own toddler bed, and so the first step in that process was making it so he could fall asleep without being in the process of nursing--a project that took a few weeks, but now works fine. Before, when I wanted him to sleep, I would just lay down with him and nurse him to sleep in the dark. Now, I nurse him for night in the light, and then turn off the light and cuddle him to sleep. He hates it when Dad cuddles him to sleep, so we still have something to work on, but at least he is physically capable now of falling asleep without nursing simultaneously.
Anyway, step two has been to cut out night feedings entirely. Two weeks ago, Nathaniel was getting up like clockwork at 1 am and 4:45 am for nursing.
One week ago, I decided that after 1:30 am, the milk is asleep.
So for a few days, Nathaniel just cried when I told him he couldn't have the milk because it was sleeping. I held him, and rocked him, and kissed him, and offered him water which he rejected, and just generally felt sad for him, but not too sad, because he only had to wait for an hour, since we get up at six every morning anyway.
After maybe three days of that, Nathaniel learned that it is actually important to eat real food at dinnertime, and now when it's bedtime he always asks to eat after he's in his jammies. So we go back down and fill up that baby tummy, and then do a good night nursing, and cuddle to sleep.
Anyway, after he learned that particular lesson, I told him that milk had to sleep in the night just like he did--all night long. And then that night, when he woke up at 1 o'clock, he just signed for water, drank like half a cup of it, and went back to sleep. Same at 4:45.
And he hasn't gotten up at night since then. That was maybe on Friday.
So, happy day: I think we're nightweaned. It's only been a few days, so maybe not, but so far so good.
In related news, Nathaniel's eighteen-month birthday is next Sunday, so he gets to start NURSERY! I just can't wait. This last week at church he was totally crazy. He is definitely ready to be able to play with toys and eat snacks and think about Jesus with other kids his same age, instead of disrupting Gospel Principles and Relief Society with me.
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