Yarn Along

Something about a new baby makes me extremely crafty.  I'm not sure why.  Something about trying to make the home cozy for him, probably.  Either way, I have an incredible To Do list, among them three or four knitting projects. 

Yes, I've found the knitting habit.  I'm just learning and having tremendous fun.  So I decided to play along with the Small Things Yarn Along - since I so enjoy reading everyone elses WIPs.

It's not very romantic looking with a Nook, is it?

Technically I took these photos last week and the project has already come off the needles.  It's a wool diaper cover.  It's all stitched up but I do still have a couple rows of ribbing to knit for the leg holes.  It was fun and didn't take terribly long... I think about two weeks from start to finish?  (Assuming I finish the legs by the end of this week.)  My mother helped me pick out the wool.  It's a worsted weight malabrigo and very soft. 

Right now I'm reading (or trying to -- who has the time with all this knitting?) The Wet Nurse's Tale by Erica Eisdorfer.  It might not sound like a terribly fascinating topic but it's remarkably entertaining!  Very well written, with a warm, engaging heroine who is chubby and good hearted and matter-of-fact.  I get the sense that the author did a lot of research to make it historically accurate... and I appreciate a book that writes about the Regency period through a point of view other than the aristocracy.  It's fun to read about what life was like for the lower-middle class.

And in other news, I'm making this for dinner:

Spicy Corn Cheese soup. 

I hope it turns out as good as it smells!



A Day of Milestones

It has been one of those days, a trying sort of day. Both the baby and I have been out of sorts for a couple days. We haven't been sleeping well and Deacon's tummy has been upset. So we've had a lot of fussing and tears... but we've also had good things. Lots of good things.

Today was a day of firsts. Deacon did a full roll from back to front! I misses it, of course. I set him on his sheepskin with a toy, turned to clean the table, turned back and it took a minute to register that he was in an entirely new position - and playing with a different toy! My excitement made him smile and look so pleased with himself.

He also found his toes. He was grabbing them all night.

He also had his first taste of something other than milk. We're delaying solids until he shows he's ready for it... but my pediatrician recommended some very diluted pear juice to help his constipation. He just seems so uncomfortable so I gave it a try.

He loved his bottle! Every time I pulled it away he grabbed it with his chubby hands and pulled it back to his mouth. No progress on the poo front but I'll repeat the bottle tomorrow if nothing happens.

It was a hard day but a good day. These new milestones serve as a reminder that he is changing so fast and that even cranky days are things to cherish.

did ya see it mom? did ya?!

i rolled!

yummy

does this taste good?

(Very) Happy Birthday To Me

Today is my birthday.

I've never cared much for my birthdays and, to be honest, I forgot about this one completely.  My mother reminded me about two days ago. 

Thinking back on my 28th year, however, I feel nothing but peace and satisfaction.  It was a rough year, to be sure, but growing is always painful.  One year ago I had just found out I was pregnant.  It was not a welcome surprise.  I went through months of godawful vomiting and was so depressed I barely wanted to crawl out of bed.  I moved.  I had a baby.  I discovered faith.  I moved again.

Life going into year 29 is so completely different than year 28 that I can hardly recognize it as the same life.  I certainly don't feel like the same person.

I could never have imagined the journey God set me on last year... and I am so very thankful he did.

Here is my 28th year in pictures:

 not looking particularly happy?

baby shower, feeling better but still not thrilled

 family visiting after delivery

joy looks like this

we're having fun now

29th birthday

Breastfeeding Update

I didn't want to only document the hard stuff so I thought I would do an update on our breastfeeding.

Basically, the struggle is over.  Things are going really well and have been for some time!  There are no more nursing strikes, no more breast refusal (the baby is always willing to nurse), no more pulling off and crying (though we do pull off to stare at pretty things these days -- distractable baby!)

I've been taking domperidone for two and half months and my supply has evened out.  I have plenty of milk for the baby throughout the day and night... but he does still need an evening bottle.  He takes about 2.5oz before bed.

Bah, breastfeeding advocates will say, that's such a miniscule amount.  You must only be doing that for convenience.

That's what I would think.  But the fact of the matter is, I have tried multiple times to wean him off this last bottle.  He doesn't get cranky or fuss or cry, so it's certainly not a convenience issue.  The fact is, he can go a day or two on breastmilk alone.  But by the third day he is ravenous.  He nurses nonstop (with no swallowing) and just can't get enough milk.  So I break down and give him a bottle and he positively chugs 4oz in one go.

Clearly, while 2.5oz isn't much in a single day, doing without it every day is just slightly less calories than my growing boy needs.  So the lack of calories adds up and a few days into it he's starving.

I figured out this pattern last month.  Since then, I have accepted the fact that my baby is almost completely breastfed but really does need that last little bit.  If my right breast had more milk producing glands I would be able to make up a 2.5oz difference easily.  But as things stand, I'm just slightly short of the goal of exclusively breastfeeding.

I'm ok with that.

I'm proud of how far we've come, he and I.  Our breastfeeding relationship was so rocky and full of frustration (for both of us, I'm sure) that to have this easy, playful, bonding time now means the world to me.  I'm grateful for what we have and I'm not asking for anything more.

I believe breastfeeding is vitally important, physically and emotionally, for both mommies and babies.  Choosing formula is anyone's right and it doesn't make them bad mothers.  Their children will still grow up healthy and happy.  But it does make me sad on their behalf for the precious experience they and their children will miss out on.

Funny thing: lately he loves to grab my nose and hang onto it while he nurses. It is hilarious.

Stripping

No, I haven't taken up a new career.

I mean stripping diapers.

For some reason when I began cloth diapering I ignored all this talk about stripping. I didn't know what strange things other people were doing with their diapers but I was sure I wouldn't need to strip mine any time soon.

Fast forward two months.

I'm not sure which change caused the problem. We moved, so we have slightly harder water and a new HE washer. We switched detergent... but is it the new detergent (Country Save) or is it that the new low residue detergent has loosened all the gunk leftover from when I used a Free and Clear brand? Is it too much detergent or not enough? And what is that smell, anyway? It's not ammonia or barnyard. It's just... musty. I suspect a possible buildup of urea? But wouldn't that lead to ammonia? Its most definitely not ammonia.

Oh dear.

The laundry situation is definitely the most confusing part about using cloth.

So I decided to strip my diapers. My first attempt failed utterly but this time around I seem to have gotten it. The diapers smell fresh and clean. So I decided to write down my stripping method because, knowing me, I won't remember the next time I need it.

First I did a deep clean with Tide Ultra (in case it was a not clean enough problem.) Rinse. Hot wash with 1 squirt of Dawn and 1/3 cup of bleach. Rinse, rinse. Overnight baking soda soak. 1/2 cup vinegar rinse. Rinse, rinse, rinse, rinse, rinse, rinse, rinse... so many suds were coming off. It was amazing. Maybe that baking soda soak really loosened deep residue. Anyway, I rinsed the whole day until I didn't see any more soap. Tumble dry.

Fresh diapers.

It's a real pain in the ass though and I hate to see what it does to my electric bill. So hopefully I only have to do it every few months.

Grammy's House

We really enjoy visiting Grammy's house.  She always gets a huge smile out of the baby.  Plus she feeds us and lets us sit on the swing in her garden.  Today there was a gentle breeze and we had a nap on the swing.

I've been threatening her with making a Pinterest for her for a while.  She has a definite interior design touch.

Happy 4th of July!

We spent a low key holiday at the park and at grammy's house.

Happy 4th of July!

Blog Change

I decided to change the title of my blog. 

The old title is too clinical and really doesn't describe what this blog is all about.  It's not about a parenting method.  It's about the life I'm trying to build with my son. 

But I can't think of anything good.

Hmmm...

How Can He Be This Big Already?

My little man is getting so big these days.

We just bought a highchair and he is enjoying sitting in it with a favorite toy and watching while we eat dinner. 

He's also quite interested in toys and blowing spit bubbles on mama's neck.

He has learned to arch his back when I'm trying to change his diaper or put him in the carseat.

Speaking of carseats, he was too tall for his infant carseat and has now graduated to a big boy Graco convertible.  He looks a lot more comfortable in this style... but SO BIG!

He has begun to (loudly) express himself when something displeases him.

He is wearing 6-9 month onesies and 12 month pants.

He loves to move his feet (walk) while I hold him by the arms.  He will direct me where he wants to go.  (Usually to his toys or on adventure clear across the room.)

He adores naked time.  He lays on a sheet with some toys and kicks around there for a half hour at a time, happy as a lark.

He is finally enjoying tummy time.  He wriggles like a worm and actually manages to move about a foot in any direction.  I'm very glad that I followed my instincts and held off on "enforcing" tummy time when he was younger.  Neither he nor I was ready for tummy time at one month old!  He hated it.  He loves it now.  He has hit all his developmental milestones without forcing him to do something he was not ready for.

He has found his knees.  He pats them.  Next up: feet.

He loves books.  He sits in my lap and we read six (short) books a night before bed.  His favorite is Dr. Seuss "The Things You Can Think."

Every day with him is more of a blessing than anything I ever expected in life.

Little Routines

As we settle into our new home, we also settle into a routine of sorts. Anything can happen during the afternoons but our mornings and evenings have a rhythm to them.

In the evening, once we finish dinner dishes, its time to play with toys. Then we read books, have our evening bottle, and a bath. Then jammies and bedtime.

Our mornings start with a little snuggling in bed, then the baby sits in his bouncy chair with a favorite toy (a cow rattle) while I shower. I am so grateful for a baby who lets me shower! Both of us are dressed, we come downstairs so he can sit in his swing and play with toys while I have coffee and breakfast.

Its a simple routine that works for us... that is, unless the baby wakes up at 4 in the morning with a leaking diaper. I changed him and cuddled up to him again, thinking he would go back to sleep. No such luck this time. To his credit, he's a happy baby in the wee small hours, and he let me sleep off and on (more off than on) until 8. If you can call it sleep.

So this morning instead of a shower and getting dressed, I wrapped my naked baby i na Winnie the Pooh blanket and stumbled downstairs for coffee first thing. At first he seemed bewildered by this change but he's going with the flow (babies are good at that.)

So much for starting church this week. I can't wait for our morning nap!

my little monkey

breakfast while working

on meal plans

he loves that giraffe