Adventures in Teething

As babies grow up, teeth grow in.  Some babies are very obvious with their teething...some babies aren't.  My sweet pea turns out to be the latter.  As we prepped for a trip to Yankee Land, I discovered that AP had cut a tooth!

Whaaaaaa???

Aside from the drooling - something that has become a constant thing - I had NO clue that she was ready to cut a tooth, much less that it had popped out.  She was gnawing on the lid to her bottle and when she pulled it out of her mouth, I heard a strange sound.  Confused, I took the top away, stuck my finger in her mouth and was greeted with a drooly smile and a pokey tooth!  I'm glad she kept that thing away from certain body parts!

It took me a couple of days to get a decent shot.  By this time, we were hanging out in Pennsylvania with the family...

Now that we have one tooth and I fear another is coming.  Little did I know, these wet farts and early morning "presents" are also signs of teething; aside from the usual drooling, gnawing/chewing, fever, and fussiness.

She's really proud of that tooth. :o)

Half a year already?!?!

As I write this, I realize I haven't dedicated the time I wanted to this blog.  It's been over a month since my last post.  So much has happened!  My sweet baby girl is half a year and a day old and she's grown SO much!

We're still making baby food.  Austyn loves her carrots and sweet potatoes.  Squash and zucchini are always a hit with her as well.  HOWEVER!  Green beans...sorry, she's not a fan of you!  I mixed up some green beans this week and thought they'd go over great.  Nope.  Not happening.  Austyn very rarely gets fussy, very rarely cries, and normally eats everything. 

This is what happens when you feed her green beans.

Needless to say, the next day I mixed her green beans in with some sweet potatoes.

She's getting mobile.  She has mastered rolling over from front to back and from back to front.  She can roll to the right.  She can roll to the left.  She now spins on her belly like one of the Three Stooges and can get to where she's going with just a few spins and rolls.  We have discovered that her skin is not a fan of carpeting.  So can you imagine the fun we're having with trying to keep her on a blanket?  Especially with her being as quick as she is?  Whew!  She's a fast little bugger!

I do have to say, I've never seen a happier baby.  This child hasn't met a stranger yet.  She smiles at everyone and let's anyone hold her.  She laughs and giggles and it's just so damn cute!  She's ticklish and she loves "You Are My Sunshine."  Even if she's feeling a little blue, a little song and dance cheers her right up!  She loves to wiggle and dance.

I can't put into words how much I love this little girl.  She is completely worth all the cold dinners, all the late nights (Not because she wakes up, but because I spend every one of her waking moments watching her, enjoying her, etc... and I don't get my chores done until after she goes to bed.)  She makes it so easy to be a mama.  I couldn't have asked for a better baby.  I just hope she stays this way.

I still can't wrap my head around the fact that it's been six months (and a day!) already!  It seems like just yesterday I was home with her all day.  She's gone from being my sleepy little baby that I begged would wake up just so I could see her pretty eyes to this beautiful baby girl who I just can't leave alone, who fills my heart with so much joy, and makes my heart ache when I have to leave her for work. 

She's my everything and she is certainly the very best of me.

3 weeks vs. 26 weeks (6 months)

Getting crunchier...

HOLY COW!!  It's been almost a month since my last post.  I apologize for the wait.  I know how much you all LOVE reading this blog!  Hee hee.

Today (or should I say, tonight), I shall discuss my adventures in baby food making.

Yes!  It's that time!  Austyn is growing faster than I'd like (Please, Father Time...take a break...or at least a nap?)

In any case, the American Academy of Pediatrics suggests waiting until 6 months before introducing a baby to solids.  However, a lot of parents choose to start their child on solids at about the 4 month mark.  After discussing it with Austyn's doctor, we got the ok to start her on vegetable purees.  Now, if I really wanted to get crunchy with it, I'd wait until six months and try the whole baby led weaning process.  But I'm impatient.  And I'm tired of my child staring me down during meal times.  It's creepy.

No seriously.  It's really creepy to be stared down like that while you're eating.  And then I feel bad.  Like I'm torturing her.  Its hard to tell if the drool is from her teething or from her wanting what I'm eating.

So, in order to get myself ready for this next step in WannaBeCrunchyMommyhood, I hit up Barnes and Nobles.  They have a bunch of books on feeding baby and how to do it.  All the books said to wait until 6 months before starting them on purees.  (Baby led weaning says to start giving them chunks of whatever you're eating at 6 months and if they eat, they eat.  If they don't, they don't.)  After perusing through the numerous book, I decided on this book:

The author really pushes for the use of organic foods for baby foods and even includes a list of the top 20 most heavily loaded fruits and vegetables when it comes to pesticides and insecticides.  She also goes over the various ways to cook the foods and which method is better and why.

After Austyn's doctor's appointment, I hit up the grocery store.  I wasn't going to spring for the organic vegetables, seeing as it does cost quite a bit extra.  But then I started thinking about that sweet little monkey face and said to hell with it.  Only the best for my baby, right?

So I purchased two sweet potatoes, two large yellow squash, three small zucchini, and a bag of "baby" carrots.  I also picked up four ice cube trays and a steamer basket.  As soon as I got home, put the groceries away and got Austyn settled, I washed everything I got from the grocery store.

I first started with the sweet potatoes.  I baked them in the oven at 350 (as per the book).  The book said to bake them for 30 minutes...I ended up having to bake them for about an hour.  FYI - put some foil on your baking pan when you do this.  Apparently, when sweet potatoes get all hot and baked, they like to secrete their sugary goodness on the pan.  For those who knew this, don't laugh.  For the ones who didn't, FOIL!

After the sweet potatoes were done, I cut them in half, scraped out the good stuff and smooshed away with a fork.  After a few minutes, I said, "screw it," and busted out the hand mixer.  The hand mixer did a wonderful job with whipping the potatoes into a nice creamy, smooth texture.  Which is what the book says you want.  However, it is definitely thicker than what you would feed your baby, but we'll address that later.

After the sweet potatoes, I sliced up the squash, steamed it, and tried the hand mixer.  No go.  The hand mixer did nothing for the seeds, much less the skin - which I left on because all the good nutrients are always in the skin of the vegetable!  So out came the food processor. (Thanks Lessie!)  The food processor made the squash smooth and took care of those pesky seeds and skin!

Next were the carrots!  The carrots took a little longer to steam.  The book calls to boil the carrots, but I figured I was already set up to steam so everything was going to get steamed!  Steamed the carrots, blend the carrots.  Note to self...don't try to blend the entire bag of carrots at once.  Carrots aren't as smushy as squash, so smaller batches at a time or else you might blow the food processor's motor.  Also, carrots don't hold as much water as squash does, so feel free to add some cooled boiled water to the carrots as you blend.  It makes the mixture much smoother than without the water.

Finally, the zucchini were tackled.  Zucchini was easy, like the squash.  I really like the color of the zucchini the best.  It turned out to be the prettiest shade of green, flecked with darker green bits from the skin.  Steam and blend.

To store all this food I just made for Austyn, I spooned the mixture into ice cube trays.  Each cube is about 1 ounce.  After spooning the blended veggies into the ice cube trays, I covered them with some PressNSeal stuff and stuck em in the freezer overnight.

Clockwise:  Sweet potatoes, squash, zucchini (frozen) and carrots

Today, I popped them out of the ice cube trays and put them in freezer bags, labeled them and put them back in the freezer!

When it was time to feed Austyn some sweet potatoes, I took a cube out, put it in a small bowl and let it defrost.  I mixed it with about an ounce and a half of breast milk that I had previously pumped to thin out the sweet potatoes.  She really loves her sweet potatoes.  I'm thinking of trying her on zucchini next week!

Fresh sweet potatoes on Monday!

Cloth diapers!? Really?

Disclaimer:  I am by no means, an expert in cloth.  In fact, I still have NO CLUE what I'm doing.

I don't remember what prompted me to look into cloth diapering.  I don't even know what possessed me to tell Sky, "I want to try cloth diapering."  But the fact of the matter is, I said it.  Sky researched it (He always has to research stuffs...its nice.  Saves me the work.) and eventually came on board with my "wacky" idea.  The benefits of cloth diapering far outweighed the the benefits of disposable diapers.  Although disposable diapers are very convenient, I wasn't happy with the thought of filling up a landfill somewhere with all the diapers.  Not only are cloth diapers a greener option, the amount of money saved in the long run was enticing.  Who doesn't want to save $1500-$2500?!

The world of cloth diapering is overwhelming!  I'm not going to lie...I think I put off buying diapers a little because of how overwhelming it is.  I still haven't figured everything out, and I certainly don't pretend I'm an authority.  We started off with gDiapers (www.gdiapers.com).  I ordered the newborn bundle.

www.gdiapers.com

These were very cute!  I liked the idea that they secured in the back.  The disposable inserts sounded like a nice way to ease into the world of cloth.  I figured if I could handle these, I could definitely handle going fully cloth.  There were 12 newborn g's and 6 small g's.  Inside each gPant was a snap in liner that you would stuff with a disposable insert (or a gCloth insert).  When the baby did her business, all you had to do was change out the insert, or if it was a dirty diaper; unsnap the liner from the pant, dump the insert, and put a fresh diaper on the baby.  The gPants and snap in liners are machine washable, so they went into the washing machine on laundry day.  Sometimes, I would have to rinse out the poo from the liners; especially since that breast fed baby poo is so watery.  Overall, I was happy with the gDiapers.  

The cost of the disposable inserts is comparable with disposable diapers. Not exactly saving money this way.  I should have looked into the gCloth inserts, but by this time, I was ready for a "real" cloth diaper.  I had already purchased a handful of pocket diapers that I had found on sale online.  Then someone had mentioned Diaper Swappers to me.  It didn't take long before I was buying and selling (gDiaper Newborns) on there.  For all you cloth diaper mamas or you mamas who are interested in cloth diapering, I highly suggest checking out the boards and forums on Diaper Swappers.  There are lots of ladies with great advice and they are super helpful!

So, there I was...ready to start our first day of cloth diapering.  It was a Saturday and I have to admit, I was a little nervous.  I had only ever had experience with disposable diapers.  And while I loved the cute prints of the cloth diapers that I had already purchased, I wasn't so sure I would actually be able to go through with it.  But then I figured I had to.  I had already bought some diapers and invested money in this.  I chose a cute little Rumparooz diaper.  This one had an aplix (velcro) closure as opposed to snaps.  The diaper had been prepped and stuffed and was ready to go.  I have to admit, she looked pretty cute in it!

The diapers I chose to go with are called pocket diapers.  Just like clothing, there are different brands of diapers.  I bought a variety of brands to see which ones I liked the best.  Some of the brands I had purchased were:  Rumparooz, Kawaii Baby, Maude Mama, Fuzzibunz, BumCheeks, Grovia, and Flip.  Out of these, think the Rumparooz, Kawaii, BumCheeks, Grovia and Flip are my favorites.

All the diapers I use have microfiber inserts, with the exception of the BumCheeks and Fuzzibunz.  The Fuzzibunz diaper came with minky inserts and the BumCheeks have bamboo inserts. The BumCheeks have become my go-to diaper when it comes to overnight diapers.  Austyn has gone almost 12 hours in a BumCheeks with no leaks!  And this kid of mine pees a LOT!

The Grovias are very trim.  These are considered AIOs - All In One diapers.  This means the insert is attached, everything is in the diaper, no stuffing or folding required.  These are super trim compared to some of the other diapers.  When Austyn is in her night time diaper, you know it!  Fluff butt is too cute!

I could write so much more about the different diapers that I have, but then this post would become like my birth story and it'd be fifteen posts long.  LOL!  I will however, start talking about my opinions on cloth diapers.

I LOVE THEM.

Seriously, I love them.  I really wish I hadn't been so chicken shit and bought a bunch before I had Austyn so that I could have her in cloth all day long, every day.  They're super adorable, super green, and just plain super!  They hold in a poosplosion like nobody's business!  I can't count how many times Austyn has had a blowout in a disposable diaper...I'm talking up her back and out the leg holes!  She hasn't had a single blowout in a cloth diaper.  It's all contained!  Even the watery breast fed poo.  Granted, Sky prefers us to tag team the poosplosions (He holds her legs and I get to wipe her down.).  This is probably my favorite thing about cloth diapers aside from their cuteness.  There's nothing worse than looking down at your lap because it's suddenly warm and then realize it's poo.  Poor Sky.  She always seems to poo on him!

What I don't like - the extra fluff butt calls for her to wear clothing that's slightly bigger so that it will fit over the fluff butt.  Pocket diapers can also be a pain in the hind end to stuff...And worrying about matching the insert with the right diaper...Oh brother!  And let's not get into how you can't wash hemp diapers and hemp liners with microfiber because the natural hemp oils will render the microfiber useless. 

For mamas who are interested in cloth diapering, I say just try it.  There are cheaper options than pocket diapers...and if you scour Craigslist, eBay, Diaper Swappers, and other boards, you can find some previously loved diapers for cheap.  I just picked up a giraffe print one off of Diaper Swappers for cheap the other day.  This summer, I plan to master prefolds and flats.  Just don't ask me about them yet, because I'm still learning!

I apologize if this post isn't quite as entertaining as the rest.  I just wasn't sure where I was going with this post other than talk about cloth diapers.  If there's something specific you want to know more about, then please leave a comment and I'll address it in my next posting.

To Crunch or Not to Crunch

So lately I've been seeing this term a lot.

Crunchy Momma/Mom/Mama/Mommy

What exactly is a "Crunchy Mama"?  Well, here's a meme to help.

And here's Urban Dictionary's definition of a Crunchy Mama:

crunchy mama	138 up, 14 down
	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!

And Urban Dictionary's definition of a Crunchy Mom:

Crunchy Mom

6 up, 1 down

A member of an increasingly growing group of moms who are neo-hippies. They generally believe (for varying reasons) that there is something bad or less beneficial about buying mainstream products or doing other common activities in the mainstream way. You might be a crunchy mom if you: ...bake all your own bread ...make your own jam, jelly, pickles, applesauce, etc. ...gave birth at home -- by CHOICE! (With a midwife, doula, or unassisted!) ...prefer to teach your children yourself at home instead of letting the public or private schools do it for you. ...grow your own food as much as possible, and buy the rest at farmer's markets or health food stores. ...are vegan or vegetarian. ...choose not to use birth control. ...don't wear a bra or shoes. ...don't use shampoo or soap, but instead maybe sea salt or a variety of other things. ...had your placenta chopped up for an anti-depressant pill or smoothie. ...have no television in your home -- and actually read BOOKS for entertainment! ...grind your own grain to make your own bread with (did you know that wheat looses about 90% of it's nutrients within 7 days of being ground?) ...don't cut your hair or wear pants (not going around half-naked, but wearing skirts! Silly people! Get your mind out of the gutter!) ...can add 10 more things to this list that I didn't even think of! If it were a spectrum, on the extreme far end you would find Amish.

Let's see how well I fit into these descriptions...

We cloth diaper.  Granted, right now it's only on weekends because we don't have enough diapers to do it full time, but we're working on it.

I breastfeed.  Yes, I supplement with formula because I don't make enough, but she's getting some and that's what counts.

I'm definitely NOT a vegetarian.  No, I like chicken, beef, and turkey.  Serve me a burger, steak, or chicken fingers any day!

I did not have a home birth, nor do I ever plan to have one.  HOWEVER, I wouldn't say no to trying an all natural type birth in a hospital next go around.

I don't question all medical trains of thought.  However, I do have some issues with labor and delivery practices.  But that's just because I'm biased and was cheated out of a birthing experience. >.<

Organic food is just too rich for my pocket.

We have done some co-sleeping and I definitely enjoy being able to snuggle my lil bug in bed and snoozing together.

Placenta encapsulation - one word.  EW!

Homeschooling - heck no!

Birth control - YES!  No more bebes just yet.

No tv?
HAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHA

No bra?  Whatever.  Have you seen these milk makers?  I need them secured.

And I certainly don't have enough time to make my own food.

So, I don't think I'm a completely crunchy mama, but we'll go with I have "Slightly Crunchy Tendencies."

How about you?  Do you have "Crunchy" tendencies?  Are you a Crunchy Mama?

Reflections

So, there's my birth story.  Who knew it would be so long?  Ha ha ha.

When I think about Austyn's birth, I feel a mixture of happiness, pride, and disappointment.  I feel cheated out of the whole experience.  I know that things don't always go as you plan them, but in this situation, I feel that there were several things that could have been done differently that would have led to a different outcome.

First, I wish my doctor had been a little more personable and that we had actually discussed what I wanted as far as my birth plan.  Unless I initiated the conversations, we never really discussed my birth plan or any of that stuff.  He was always so brusque and to the point.  He never asked if I had had any questions.  I suppose part of that is because of his personality, but at the same time, as a doctor, you'd think that would be something that he would discuss with his patients.  I know I should have said more than I did, but I suppose I was ignorant in my thinking that I still had another week or so to go and I would be able to discuss it then.

Secondly, I should have told the nurse to stop the pitocin.  I had already made up my mind that I didn't want any pitocin during labor.  Between all the documentaries and research that I had read up on, I had decided I didn't want to risk it and have them use the pitocin unnecessarily.  I mean, my water had broken, contractions were going, why on earth did they feel the need to "speed up" my labor?  I really think that if they hadn't used the pitocin, my labor would have progressed as it should have and I would have had the vaginal birth that I wanted.  I think in my nervousness of being in labor and being alone, I just went with what was going on.

Last, I wish I had waited a bit longer on the epidural.  I wasn't quite at 5 cm when I had the epidural, so I really wasn't in any discomfort the entire labor.  I did feel the pressure as the contractions got worse as I dilated to 6 and 7 cm, but nothing that was too terrible.  Perhaps I would have decided that I didn't need the epidural at all. Three months after having Austyn, I've noticed a dull ache in my back where the epidural was placed.  Some days are worse than others, but it's really rather annoying.  As if I didn't already have enough aches and pains.

So, my advice to all you future mommies is this:  SPEAK UP.  Don't be a turd like I was and tell your doctor what you want, what you expect, and how you want YOUR labor to go.  It's your labor, not theirs.  I think if I had been more outspoken about these things, I would have had a different birth story.  Go figure, me, of all people, not speaking up about something.  I was a weenie.  I thought I had more time, I thought the doctor knew best.  I was a little scared at the whole prospect of giving birth and then when I realized I was cheated out of the experience, I wanted to kick myself for being such a chicken shit about it.  So speak up!  Do your research, make your birth plan and don't be afraid to stand up for you, your baby, and your labor.

For our next Neiman, I'm going to search for a doctor who is open to VBAC's (vaginal birth after cesarean) and is more personable.  I'm not going to make the same mistakes I made with Austyn's birth.  I'm going to follow my own advice and speak up...like I should have in the first place.

Part 4 (Who knew I'd drag it out this long?!)

Alone again.

Down the halls I went.  Around corners, through doors, blurry faces whipping by.  I had that stupid little hat they put on you...you know the one.  The one that makes your head look like a gauzy mushroom.  A blue hair net of sorts.  Heaven forbid if a strand of hair makes it from my head to my abdomen and gets sewn up inside!  Sheesh.

The tears never stopped coming.  I think I even had a wee bit of a panic attack thrown in there just for fun.  I was transferred to the operating table, things were hooked up and there were more people in the room.  This was definitely a new experiece as I had always been asleep during my other surgeries.  I certainly had never been awake long enough to be able to notice people's faces or things in the room, much less the entire procedure.

And why is it that they stretch your arms out to the side and strap 'em down?  I wondered if that's how Jesus felt.  I guess they were expecting me to flail my arms in a wild panic or something.  By that time, I just felt defeated.  Nothing about my labor had gone as I had wanted and now I was having a c-section.  The tears kept running down the sides of my face, my breath started to catch.  Hyperventilating wasn't too far away at this rate.

I searched the room for my husband, wanting him there.  NEEDING him to be there with me.  I knew he had the bunny suit and knew he was going to be there, but I didn't see him anywhere.  I think that's really where the panic started to sink in.  I knew he wasn't going to let me do this alone, but at that point in time, I was still very much alone.

Finally, he was there.  He sat on the stool next to my head and held my hand.  My breathing slowed just a fraction, but the tears were still flowing.  All I could say to my husband was "I don't want this.  This isn't how it's supposed to be."  (Ugh, I'm tearing up just thinking about it.)  He kept saying, "I know, I know."

The rest was pretty much a blur.  They gave the local anesthetic and the nurse gave a play by play of everything that was happening or going to happen.  So when she said they were going to start the incision, I certainly didn't expect to feel it.  I'll be damned if I did though.  I let out a whimper and the nurse asked what was wrong.  I told her it hurt, and she stopped the doc.  They gave it another minute and sliced away. 

As Sky likes to tell it, when doing a c-section, the doctor "unpacks you like a suitcase."  Apparently all my guts and innards were in my lap as doc made his way to my uterus.  I, of course, didn't feel a thing between the local anesthetic and the epidural.  Soon, I felt the tugging sensation the nurse said I would feel.  And they tugged and tugged.  I swear it was like that story "The Enormous Turnip" where it took several people to pull the damn thing out the ground. 

Then, as Austyn took her first breaths, I heard the cry of my baby girl.  I cursed the damn blue curtain that hid everything from my view.  I wanted to see my baby girl.  I NEEDED to see her.  The tears flowed faster as I heard her wailing on the other side of the room.  Not being able to see her was torture.  All I wanted was my baby.

I heard them call out her weight - 7 pounds and 11 ounces.  The first thing I said to Sky was, "She's a gas station!"  Eventually, they brought her to him and he held her next to me so I could finally see her angry little face.  (Hell, I'd be angry, too.  Being pulled out like that.  I'm sure she was nice and cozy.)  All I could do was touch her sweet little face with a finger.  I wanted desperately to hold her.  And because I couldn't, I cried some more. 

It seemed like it took forever for them to put me back together, get me cleaned up and on my way to the recovery room.  I cried the entire time.  Sky had already left to go show my parents our sweet little miracle and I was alone again.  (I had had enough of being alone dammit!)  Finally, I made it to the recovery room.  The nurse asked if I wanted my baby and before she could finish her question, I was already saying "YES!"  Sky came in with our daughter and I finally got to hold her, an hour after they took her from my womb.  That skin to skin contact was the best feeling in the world.  I finally had her in my arms and no one was taking her away from me again.

I just stared at her little face, her peanut head (she really was stuck), and all that hair.  You could clearly see my features in her little pudgy face.  I was surprised.  I had expected her to be all wrinkly and smooshed.  I guess that's the upside of a c-section, the babies don't get all smooshed on their way out.  Everything about her was perfect, from her black hair to her little mouth to her long fingers and her little monkey toes.  All appendages were present and accounted for and there were no extras hanging about either.  A perfect baby. 

Aside from a little jaundice, Austyn was in perfect health and after three days, we were finally released to go home.  We packed everything up, loaded up the car, secured the baby, and we were off!  Three days earlier, I had walked in that hospital alone.  We left the hospital that day as a family.  My family.  (Awww...cheesy ending!)