My Little Gardeners

For the fall we planted peas and spinach in the boys' little garden plot. Alex took quite a bit of interest in it, and really enjoys watering the plants. I think he might be ready for some more hands-on work come Spring.

Getting the bucket to go water the plants.

We're working on which direction is best to dump the bucket. :)

Putting on Mommy's gloves to get to work.
He even got the kneeler on his own.

Locke isn't much of a green thumb just yet,
but he likes the sunshine either way.

Happy Birthday, Alex!

Our little guy turns two today! It's been a wonderful journey watching him learn and explore. He's a giant ball of energy, sweet, caring, and incredibly inquisitive. Happy Birthday, Alex!

Locke's Surprising Birth

A little after 3:00 in the morning of January 30th, I woke up having some minor contractions. They seemed to be sticking around so I timed a few. They were about a minute long, coming every eight minutes. Well, we had seen that pattern almost daily for the past month so I rolled over and tried to get some sleep.

Around 4:30 the contractions got bad enough they would wake me. I stayed in bed until about 5:00 then decided to get a shower. Being up and moving, the contractions got stronger and closer together and by the time I got out of the shower I knew tis was the real deal.

I made my way to bed and woke Philip up. Alex had had a rough night that night and Philip had been up with him most of the night (stupid teething!). Needless to say, Philip wasn't too thrilled to be woken up and hour early, but that quickly changed when I explained the reason for the early wake up.

We got Alex up, dropped him off at daycare, and headed for the hospital. On admission I was dilated to 3 cm and 100% effaced. Doc broke my water and said he'd see me in a few hours. (He wasn't joking!) It took a little while to get a room as they were full and had to wait for one to be cleaned.

Once they got me back and all hooked up, the nurse immediately started prepping for delivery. I thought that a bit premature but she said she wanted to be ready as second babies can surprise you. I'm telling you, everyone else seemed to know something I didn't.

Anywho, I let Philip nap for awhile. Contractions weren't too bad and I was dealing just fine looking at funny memes online. Around 11, I woke him up and told I was probably going to start needing him soon. If I hand't woken him then, he would have been awake pretty soon thereafter. It seemed like all of a sudden the contractions got really strong and were coming rather fast.

I started feeling a slight urge to push, but thought that maybe I just needed to use the restroom. Not wanting to be mistaken, I called the nurse. The nurse said I was at a 7 and if I felt I needed it, she would bring me a bedpan, but she didn't want me to go to the restroom as she didn't want me to have the baby on the toilet. The urge to push started coming and going with the contractions a few minutes later. The nurse said I needed to wait; that I wasn't dilated enough.

It wasn't long after that I had Philip calling her back in the room. At this point I told her I had to push. She quickly called out to the nurses station to have her back up come in and for them to page my doctor because "She's pushing and she's not stopping."

I don't even really remember the doctor or the other nurse getting there. I felt like I couldn't really focus on pushing, that I just had this insane urge to get the baby out. I remember yelling for someone to "just get him out". Well, somehow we got him out, in less than thirty minutes of pushing.

I looked up and saw his little bottom and a brief moment of panic came over me. "Why isn't he crying?" The doctor told me he was just fine and to just give him a minute. Apparently, they hadn't suctioned him yet. As soon as they did he let out his little cry and I saw him. "He looks just like Alex!"

Philip cut the cord and after a quick glance over, the nurse brought him to me and laid him on my chest. She placed a few warm blankets over us and told us that she would be back in about an hour to check his vitals. We had a wonderful cuddle and Locke pooped all over me and the blanket- the surest sign of motherhood!

The nurse came back and checked Locke out. He was perfectly healthy. He came in weighing a whopping nine pounds, 15 ounces and measuring 22 inches in length! We all agreed that had he not pooped all over me, he would have been at least an even ten.

I still find myself sitting back in a bit of shock. Not only did I just have a ten pound baby, but in less than ten hours of labor! It seems like the whole pregnancy and then delivery were here and gone in the blink of an eye!

Locke is healthy and I've recovered well. Alex is adjusting as well as can be expected and has actually had fewer issues than I expected.

Locke
1/30/2013, 1:09 pm
22 inches
9 pounds, 15 ounces

7 Goals for 2014

I'm not a big resolution person but here are some of my goals for this year. I share these with you lovely readers so that you can help keep me accountable! We've moved into our lovely new house and soon we will have our second little boy here with us. With all the change and transition, it just feels like a good time to start building up some new, better habits. Without further ado, here are some of my goals for 2014:

• Keep the house clean enough. I'm not shooting for Martha Stewart, picture-perfect every day here. I just want to keep the cleaning manageable and not feel like I need to apologize if someone stops by unexpectedly. I'll be posting a cleaning schedule later. I wrote it out today and will start enforcing it tonight!
• No more medical debt. With all of Alex's health issues from last year and having two babies in two years, we've got more doctor's bills than I would like. We've been paying them off as we can, but I hope to have them all paid off by the end of the year! (Alex's pediatrician was paid off this month!)
• Try new recipes. I'm in a rut. I cook the same 7-10 meals over and over again. Once new baby is here and we get a decent rhythm down, I want to try one new recipe each week. Each recipe will be a whole foods recipe and will hopefully help expand my culinary skills (I'm getting better!) as well as increase our dietary variety.
• Make fitness a priority. This will be hard with two littles and a full time job, but it's very important to me! Yes, I'd like to lose some weight (maybe a lot of weight), but I really want to focus on helping my body to function better.
• Decorate the house. I am not a big decorator. Home decor is one thing that just kinda didn't get downloaded into my programming. However, I want to decorate our little house and have it looking good. I'm giving myself a year here and it's gonna take me some time.
• Build up a garden. I'm so excited to have a yard! Not only will the boys have a place to run and play, which Alex already enjoys, but we can have a garden! I want to grow many of our own fruits and veggies and herbs. Be watching for details as our plan unfolds!
• Make our lifestyle more sustainable. While our lifestyle is already pretty "green" in some respects, I'd really like to make even more improvements. One area I really want to focus on this year is eliminating one-time-use products and extra plastics. I don't think this will be a difficult goal, but it will take some time to build up a stash of reusable items to replace our commonly used disposable stuffs.

Alrighty, that's quite a bit! Check in with me and keep me honest! I'll be posting about each of these goals through out the year and hopefully we can inspire and motivate one another along the way!

What goals do you have for this year?

Review: Dr. Bronner's Coconut Oil

Coconut Oil is a natural living go-to. You can eat it, put it on your skin, put it on your baby, and even paint with it. We use coconut oil as our primary baby skin care. We use it to prevent diaper rash and treat the few that pop up and it's completely safe! We've never had build up issues. We also use it as Alex's "lotion".

You want to find an unrefined coconut oil for use on the skin. My favorite is Dr. Bronner's.

Photo from drbronner.com

Not only is it unrefined, but it's also organic and fair trade. It just doesn't get better than that! Ok well, maybe it does. Dr. Bronner's is generally available in most markets. (Here in little ol' Abilene you can find it at Drug Emporium and Natural Grocers. It may be available elsewhere but that's where I've seen it.) Dr. Bronner's also doesn't fetch as hefty a price as some of the comparable coconut oils. Off the Dr. Bronner's website it's about $11 for 14 ounces. That's not a bad price!

Miracle Skin Script!

Some of you may know that Alex has had his share of skin troubles. We started with a little "cradle cap" that ended up being a full blown eczema flare out! At his four month visit we talked with the doctor about it and he prescribed a miracle in a tube: Triamcinolone Acetonide Ointment

We try to keep only natural products in our home and really limit what we expose Alex to, but his skin was so bad, I was willing to try just about anything.

Here's the little guy's face before we used his medicine.

Here he is after just two uses. I couldn't believe how fast it worked!

We still have some of the cream and use it when tough spots pop up and it takes just a little dab to get him all fixed up!

Not every medication works for every person. Always discuss your child's medical issues and history with your physician and do not make medical decisions based off what you read on the internet.

Baby Eczema- Not So Cute Spots

Alex had pretty bad eczema when he was little. I thought I would share our tips for helping maintain his skin. As an adult I have had eczema and it gets so sore so fast. When Alex's skin flared up, I was eager to get it cleared up.

Here's my little guy at the height of his flare ups.
Come back tomorrow to see what's happened since!

• Minimal baths- Especially when they're really little, babies don't get really dirty very often. Try giving a bath every 2-3 days unless it's a really messy day.

• Baths don't have to have soap- This goes with the point above, babies don't get that dirty! Only use soap once or twice a week unless you have reason to use more.

• Choose the right soap- Not all soaps are created equal. Look for one with simple ingredients without dyes or fragrances. We use the soap I make in the shop without scent or color and it works well for us and a few families we know. Don't be troubled if you have to try a few different brands though, it may take a while to find what works for your baby.

• Maintain moisture- Healthy skin has just the right amount of moisture. Skin that's too oily or too dry will be prone to problems. Find a simple lotion (dye and scent free again) to use as needed. Some babies will need lotion every day, others only after baths, others may only need a little here and there. Coconut Oil is also a great option and is generally non-irritating. For Alex we use coconut oil only as needed which isn't very often for him. (Another tricky skin item is sunscreen, same principle though- no dyes or scents.)

• Be careful with clothing and diapers- Your laundry detergent can also trigger flare ups as residue on the clothes rub onto baby's skin. Look for a gentle laundry detergent (once again, skip the dyes and scents). Just like lotion and soap, you may need some trial and error here as well. Once you find a good one, stick with it. We use a homemade soap you can find here.

• If these things don't work, talk to your doctor about getting a script for a prescription cream that works wonders. (I'll post on that tomorrow.) 

• Work with your doctor if you suspect a food allergy may be at the root of your baby's skin issues. Sometimes a milk or soy protein allergy can cause eczema flare up.

Just a reminder: I am not a doctor nor a medical expert of any kind. I hope my posts can help give you some tips but see your healthcare practitioner for any medical questions. Do not rely solely on internet sources for medical care and advice!

Simplicity Sunday

I hope you're enjoying your Sabbath. Here are some sleeping baby pics to help you relax.

Fell asleep after a long walk.

Little guy sleeps on his tummy now. (His doing.)

Here's an oldie, but a goodie.
It's crazy how bad his eczema was!

Adventures in Baby Food Making

Even before Alex was born, I had my mind made up to make his baby food. The store-bought jarred food can sometimes have all these nasty fillers and chemicals that just don't seem like they belong in baby food. Those little jars are awfully pricey too. So it seemed like a win-win to make our own baby food.

Boiling up baby carrots in the crock pot.
A giant bag of baby carrots will run you about $4 at SAMs.

In general, I've really enjoyed making Alex's food. Not only do I know exactly what's in it (a little mommy-control), but I've gotten to expand my culinary skills as well. I want Alex to enjoy a variety of fruits and veggies, unlike his momma, so I've made him veggies that I would never eat! I do take a taste each time though so maybe his good eating will rub off on me.

Cooking up plums!
Plums are great for constipation, should your
little one get a little stopped up.

Alex really loves it too! He's a great eater. He doesn't like the green veggies so much (and they tend to upset his tummy). Alex will eat his carrots, kiwi, squash, yogurt, avocado, and so much more!

Our favorite foods and how we cook them:
Baked Butternut Squash; Steamed Zucchini; Boiled Carrots and Chicken (with organic broth); Mashed Banana, Kiwi, Avocado
Alex also has been trying more chopped "finger foods". He doesn't usually succeed in getting much in his mouth on his own, but is chewing rather well. He's had green beans and raisins this week (chop the green beans about the size of baby's thumbnail and the raisins into 1/2-1/4s).

Alex finishing off his zucchini!
He loves zucchini!
Just steam and blend.

One thing I couldn't live without in making Alex's food is this website. Homemade Baby Food is a website run by a British mom living in the Caribbean and she is a wealth of information! Not only does she list suggestions on what foods at what age, but also gives recipes and cooking tips (great if you've never touched butternut squash before), and tips on baby-led weaning should you go that route.

One thing you don't need: any special baby food appliances. We use our regular kitchen blender and freeze purees in ice cube trays. I do recommend some small tubs or reusable food pouches for travel if you want to take your homemade purees with you on outings.

Do you make your baby's food? Have a favorite recipe you'd like to share?

Great Cloth Diaper Change in Abilene

Ok, another late post, but I just realized I never posted these photos!

The Great Cloth Diaper Change is an event put on by the Real Diaper Association to raise awareness of cloth diapers. Each year we try to break/set a new world record using cloth diapers. In 2013, each site through out the world hosted their change at 11:00 am local time.

At exactly 11:00 each baby was changed into a 100% reusable cloth diaper. This was Abilene's first time to participate and we had 46 babies changed at our location. Worldwide we had 8,331 qualifying babies changed!

I'm already planning for next year's event on April 26th. I'm hoping we can go even bigger and better (and maybe make the top 10 locations!)

Here are some photos from last April

Alex and I were very honored to be on KTAB 4U to promote the GCDC.

Before the change, everyone holds up their 100% reusable diaper.

Afterwards, everyone holds up their freshly changed baby!
It's not a race, but Philip was very proud to be one of the first to finish. ;)

We were blessed to have a great photographer offer family photos and take our official before and after shots. Emerald Lemmons is a wonderful lady and great photographer.
You can find more about Emerald here.

Here's Alex in his outfit for the big day!

We were blessed with a number of sponsors who provided samples and coupons for our participating families.
This was when I first learned about Milkin' Cookies. You can find more info on them here (affiliate link).

We had tons of great giveaway sponsors including local WAHMs,  Kid's Village, Baby K'tan, Nose Frida and so many more!

Here is a complete list of our local sponsors. (Links provided if available.) Thanks again to everyone who helped out and changed their babies for making Abilene's first event a huge success!

Kid’s Village 
Chickapea Baby 
Baby K’Tan
Frida Baby
Casa Campbell Soaps

Little Turkey Baby
Seconds Count CPR
Angels of God Doula Care
Twice Upon A Time
Amanda Pope Beach, DoTERRA Essential Oils
Hayle Cochran, Scentsy
Bamboobies
Undercover Mama
The Gathering Place
Milkin’ Cookies
Unique Maternity
Whetsel’s Wearables
Kristen Patterson, Discovery Toys
Chick-fil-A North Abilene
Snappi Baby
Big Country School Supply
gDiapers
Glad Rags
MotherLove
Spray Pal
Abilene Zoo
Stork Vision
Happy Family