Day 49: Happy Seven Weeks!

 Popcorn is 7 weeks old!
My little snuggle bug has been here nearly two months!  She is quite the little roller now and has to be watched carefully.  It gives the big kids something to do.  She is really a joy!  I don't want to wax on poetically about how much my Snugs (that's what I call her because she is such a snuggly little baby) but she really is a sweet baby.  She goes to sleep around 12 or 1 am and doesn't wake up until 7 am. That's right; 6-7 hours every single night! The best thing about this is that the school kids leave at 6:20, but Side Salad doesn't get up until 8ish so it's our special time for her to cuddle and nurse uninterrupted.

Already a fashionista!

Popcorn is starting to fit in Side Salad's old dipes which is a plus. I do have a few girly dipes on the way for her-an AIO and 2 fitteds. I'll post pics when they get here.  I'll post a stash pic then, too.  Here's a preview-her in a little Thirstie's warm stripe cover that matched her outfit perfectly.  I'm serious. This little outfit had yellow bloomers but the diaper cover looked even better so I ditched it.  I think it's much cuter this way-don't you agree?


We live a pretty chill life.  She's usually hanging out in the ring sling. It gives her a primo view of the world and my arms a break. I don't know how I raised kids with out it. We've been trying to get out a bit, going to the zoo and parks a lot.  P has heinous cradle cap-all the way down to her eyebrows-and sunshine seems to help it quite a bit.   Today we went to a local park and discovered that it had a splash pad!  Win!  I know where we'll be in the mornings this summer. I say mornings because the heat index 'round these parts gets over a hundred. My summer plan is park or zoo in the mornings, library in the afternoon (books and free a/c),  stove-free dinners in the evenings. I actually found a fantastic new recipe involving rotisserie chicken and yummy tomatoes at Publix this past week. We'll be eating it tomorrow for dinner.  I'll post it below!

Tomato Chicken Stack Salad from Publix

Ingredients
12–15 fresh basil leaves, thinly sliced
1 tablespoon fresh Italian parsley, coarsely chopped
1 small shallot, finely chopped
4 large red and yellow (or heirloom) tomatoes
1 Deli chilled rotisserie chicken (plain or flavored)
2 tablespoons white balsamic vinegar
1/3 cup extra-virgin olive (or avocado) oil
1/2 teaspoon dried Italian seasoning
1/4 teaspoon pepper
1/2 cup crumbled feta, goat, or blue cheese 

Prep

• Slice basil; chop parsley and shallot.
• Cut tomatoes into 1/4-inch-thick slices.
• Remove meat of chicken from bones and chop coarsely (2 cups).

Steps

1. Prepare dressing by whisking vinegar, oil, Italian seasoning, pepper, parsley, and shallots until well blended.
2. Arrange salad on serving plates, alternating tomato slices, chicken, basil strips, and crumbled cheese. Drizzle with dressing and serve.

CALORIES (per 1/4 recipe) 400kcal; FAT 32g; CHOL 110mg; SODIUM 380mg; CARB 11g; FIBER 2g; PROTEIN 23g; VIT A 20%; VIT C 60%; CALC 10%; IRON 10%

What's your favorite no-cook recipe?

Day 45: First time at the Zoo

Popcorn had her first zoo visit!

She's 6 weeks and 3 days old.  Side Salad and my mom came along, too.  She was the cutest little thing around.  We didn't see the hedgehog this time.  She slept for most of the visit, but woke up toward the end. I wore her in my Comfy Joey Marrakech ring sling.

Here are a few pics.

Side Salad, the mama, and Popcorn

And Meme

Snack time!

Check out that sweet flower and my sweet necklace

This kid makes the craziest faces

Day 36: AP-gotta say my piece

By now, I'm sure you've seen this:

It is for a piece on attachment parenting from next week's Times.  

What's Attachment Parenting?

Attachment parenting is a phrase coined by Dr. Sears that describes a parenting philosophy.  Basically, it means that you practice a child-led sort of parenting that focuses on making sure the child feels safe and secure.  Instead of reinventing the wheel, I'm just going to cut and paste the 8 principals of AP from Wikipedia:

1. Preparation for Pregnancy, Birth and Parenting
2. Feed with Love and Respect
3. Respond with Sensitivity
4. Use Nurturing Touch
5. Ensure Safe Sleep, Physically and Emotionally
6. Provide Consistent Loving Care
7. Practice Positive Discipline
8. Strive for Balance in Personal and Family Life

That is what guides attachment parents. How they interpret it is up to that family.  It can also change over time as the family changes.   Here is what AP can look like:

• co-sleeping/bed sharing/family bed
• breastfeeding 
• baby wearing
• cloth diapering
• homeschooling/unshcooling
• homeopathy/herbal remedies
• non-circumcision
• natural childbirth/home birth
• organic/local food
• non-vax
• etc

This doesn't mean all APs do all of these thigns.  I highlighted the ones I practice or have practiced.  The focus isn't on the practices, though. It's the guiding philosophy.  Again, the focus is the baby/child. There is no checklist or set of rules to being an AP


My Parenting
I subscribe to AP because of my beliefs about parenting.  God gave me these perfect little people.  He entrusted me with their care so I do my very best for them. Their needs are simple, though they can be confusing due to the communication barrier-I don't speak cry-so I have to listen to their non-verbal cues.  My kids come first to me.  I was an AP before I knew what AP was.  It is the simplest, most primal form of parenting. I keep them close and care for them the way that feels natural to me.. I protect them from harm, environmental or otherwise. I didn't hear the term until about 2 or 3 years ago, on Cafe Mom, but it described what I did to a T.


The Cover
I'm not a big fan of the cover as a picture but I understand the purposed. The woman is standing in an empowered posed.  It's meant to be provocative and to encourage dialogue, and by golly I did!  The same people finding issue with extended breastfeeding have no issue with those icky Hardee's commercials or beer commercials or any other exploitation of women's bodies.  I think the most interesting thing about attachment parents is that (in my experience) don't judge other parents. We parent the way that is right for our kids, our families.  We aren't telling other mamas what to do, yet many people feel it necessary to vocalize their utter disdain.  Then if we counter criticism with criticism, they get angry. If we counter criticism with research, they get angry. If we counter criticism by ignoring them, they get angry.


 I was interviewed by our local NBC affiliate. Here is a link to the article and the video clip is below.  In the clip, I am actually breastfeeding Popcorn at one point, but you'll miss it if you blink.  You can see Side Salad playing on a backhoe, too.

Day 30: Happy 1 month, Popcorn

Today, Popcorn is officially one month old.  We went to church today, my first time since she was born and her first time ever.

The day started off with her being naughty. Instead of nursing, she wanted to make faces and stick out her tongue at me. I sternly reminded her that there was no eating in the car and she got her act together

We finally made it to church, about 15 minutes late.  Popcorn nodded off a bit by then.

However, once church started she made her presence know. I've said it before and I'll say it again: this chickadee has some pipe on her!  I have been working on a nursing room at church and I made use of it today.  It needs a little more work. I want to have some emergency diapers in there. I'm going to donate the diapers from my diaper cake, since we use cloth, and a pack of wipes. I already put a play yard in there.

You may wonder why I didn't nurse her in church.  Nursing an itty bitty is involved. Sometimes she needs  little help with latch and lots of support.  It's easier to bare a boob so I used the room. When she's a little older and can get herself on well all the time, NIP is much easier.   

Even though she was fed and changed, she was still fussy.  I ended up putting her in the sling. She quieted down and went to sleep, and I took communion.

Who needs a headband when you're asleep

After service, she got to meet the pastor who will be christening her in a few months (as soon as she can fit Squirrel's gown).

We had a little photobomber in the shot ;-)

Anywho, tomorrow is a busy day so I need to detach this baby and put her to bed, do some laundry, and make me some cookies.

Day 18: The Screamer and 2 things I love

I know you can't tell from the video but Popcorn is a bit of a screamer. She has these crying jags. They aren't super long, but they are long enough, maybe 15 to 20 minutes. I don't want to use the c-word, but I don't know. It's really frustrating but honestly, I feel like nursing brings me emotionally closer to her and helps me function.  This may sound crazy, but breastfeeding clearly defines my goal. I provide sustenance.  No one else can do this. This prevents me from feeling like others aren't doing their share. It may not be like that for other people, but it keeps me grounded when I'm feeling worn thin.  I have a couple of tools to help me cope, my nursing pendant and my slings.

The Seville *drool*

Yesterday, my ring slings from Comfy Joey arrived.  I ordered my slings during Ayesha's (the CJ mama) April Fool's Day sale, before Popcorn was born so I tried to pick gender neutral colors.  I only opened the Marrakech for now. I am only one person with one baby, after all.   I love the color, a warm terra cotta, and the name, a city in Morocco.  Morocco is my number one dream vacation, so it was clearly meant for me. The second sling is Santorini, a deep sea linen.  It is named for the Greek island of Santorini and Greece is my other dream vacation.  Ayesha picks the best names for her slings!  The colors I like are all places I want to visit. I wish I'd ordered the Seville, a spicy olive, though (guess who wants to visit Seville, Spain? Me!!!!). Green is my absolute favorite color but I thought it looked too autumn-y.  Silly me. Oh, well-I guess I'll have to order another in the fall!

Marrakech sling

Santorini sling

I put Popcorn in the sling tonight during her crying jag.  She was refusing to nurse at the time. It wasn't her first time in it. I had her in there while I made dinner, too.  Anywho, she was crying and Lettuce couldn't get her to stop either.  She bobbed around on his chest like she was looking for a nipple, then refusing to nurse when I put her to my chest.  So, I put her in the sing and talked and swayed.  She fussed at first, then quieted down.  I sat down on the couch and she let me nurse her until she fell asleep.  She's still in the sling now, napping quietly.

Nursing in the sling

Finally nodding off

In nursing news, I am still super leaky.  I feel like a milk fountain. The big kids love to point out the wet spots as the appear.  It's annoying and I have to remind myself that it's temporary.  My nursing pads are never ever nearby, but that's my poor planning.

A plus to using the sling is that not only can I nurse in it, the free edge makes a great nursing cover, if that sort of thing interests you.   I personally think my breasts are fantastic and that you haven't lived until you see them.  I'm just kidding.  See how it covers up my upper portion? It's pretty wide so I can drape it over her and have as much coverage as I need.  The fabric is linen, which is breathable.  It can get in the triple digits here in the south, and the heat index is unbearable.  Linen is a natural fiber with a kind of open weave. As far as security, she feels super secure, not like she's going to fall out at all.  The sling came with a DVD to help novice mamas learn how to wear their babies.

Way back when Side Salad was born [4 years ago], I had a pincher on my hands. He'd nurse on one side and want to pinch the other. This was a point of contention for us as I don't like my nipples to be pinched. I heard about the Nurse Purse, the nursing pendant from Lori at Risky Beads, on another blog and decided that it was cheap enough to try out.

NEWS FLASH!! 

I am super frugal and won't buy something unless I know I can use it or it's cheap enough to justify it failing me.

So I order the nurse purse from Lori and it worked like a charm!  You can read about it here.  Then he weaned and I never saw it again.  It's been gone like 2 years.  Right before Popcorn was born, we moved.   Then, literally days before she was born, I found it!  I've been wearing it all the time.  Today, her little roving hands finally found it. It's really smooth and feels warm because I wear it all the time. 

I caught a pic of her holding it.  WARNING: This is a nursing pic! If you offended by my magnificent multitasking bosom, don't scroll down!

Baby Wearing: The Next Frontier (giveaway alert!)

I’ve flirted with baby wearing over the past 11 ½ years of mommying. I had a Snuggli with the Astronaut, but he was a bit of a chunky dunk and grew quickly. It was heck on my back and I gave it up. I used a Snuggli with the Squirrel, too. It lasted a little longer because she was a lot smaller than he was. I wasn’t truly crunchy IMO until Side Salad arrived. I wore him in a Hot Slings pocket sling (the old fashioned sized one, not the new fancy adjustable). It was great. I pulled it out today and he wanted to get it. (of course I let him!)

Now that Popcorn is due in 10 weeks, I am trying to start to consider thinking about getting things together. We’ve had several kids so we have a lot of stuff. The only things we need are an infant car seat, a few newborn dipes (bamboo prefolds preferably), a couple of new snappis, and carriers.

Baby wearing is great because it keeps your LO close and comforted while also allowing you to have your hands free. This is a plus when you already have your hands full with 4 other kids. They are convenient because you can just tuck them in your purse or diaper bag. It’s also far less bulky than toting an infant seat around. Plus many carriers are just plain pretty.   For a breastfeeding mama like me, they also let you nurse your bambino.  They give you some coverage to abate those who are aroused by babies eating, too.

I know that I definitely want to gett two carriers for this LO, maybe three. I know I want a stretch wrap and a ring sling and it might be nice to have a SSC/buckle, too.   I’ve been researching carriers for the past couple of weeks. I think that Comfy Joey has the prettiest ring slings I’ve ever seen and I’m am hearting one in the Seville linen. It’s an olive green, and green is my fave color. The Cleopatra silk and Terra Cotta linen are gorgeous, too.  I think a Moby wrap in a nice olive or a brown would be pretty fancy, too, but my heart belongs to ring slings. They just fit my style and my lifestyle. I still have my camo pocket sling.  I haven’t picked the SSC I want but I’m going to a playdate with a local babywearing groups so I’ll try a few there and see what flies.

Anywho, I said there’d be a giveaway alert. Renewable Mommy blog is giving away a Comfy Joey sling (or a $75 credit for a custom sling).  Mosey on over there and see if you win.

And if you do, get the Seville and send it to me!

Do you baby wear?