Tasting the ingredients...
Getting a really good look at his dough...
Every good baker makes sure it tastes good on the way...
An assistant for the assistant...
Thursday, December 19, 2013
Little Helper
Some of my fondest memories growing up are of my mom and my siblings in the kitchen. One thing I love about my mom, and something that made her a great mom, was her lack of fear of mess. Children are messy. Good fun is messy. And I too want to be a fun, messy mom. Today, I've established that messes are so worth it in the name of fun! I've waited for the moment that Henry would be old enough to "help" me in the kitchen. Today was our first time making something together from start to finish. My little helper is currently napping while I smell fresh banana bread coming from the oven. I know as we enjoy that banana bread together, it will be extra special knowing that he helped, and that we did it together. Oh, the joy of being a mama!
Tasting the ingredients...
Getting a really good look at his dough...
Every good baker makes sure it tastes good on the way...
An assistant for the assistant...
Tasting the ingredients...
Getting a really good look at his dough...
Every good baker makes sure it tastes good on the way...
An assistant for the assistant...
Wednesday, December 18, 2013
Monday, December 16, 2013
Saturday, February 2, 2013
Henry's list of registry must-haves
It has been fun looking back at my pregnancy and recording the things that I have learned. Now that I have made it through the newborn stage, I can see which items I appreciated having, and which items were not used.
During my pregnancy, I enjoyed spending hours scouring the internet and doing research for my registry. When it comes down to it, every baby and mama like different things. So while this list will be generally helpful, your baby may or may not agree.
1. Video monitor. These suckers are expensive but extremely helpful. If I didn't have the video monitor, I wouldn't bother with a sound one at all (unless you plan to have your baby in a room not within hearing distance). In the early days, every sound you hear will lead to a glance at the screen. Every sound you hear with your sound only monitor will lead to a trip to the nursery. Now, that's tiring!
2. My Breast Friend- Get this AND the Boppy. One will be for nursing, the other for holding your wee one. The breast friend is a MUST have for nursing.
3. Burp Cloths-Pick your style and design. Have lots on hand because a baby's spit-up power is no joke. I loved these.
4. Swaddles- Expensive, but awesome for your newborn. SO soft, and so snuggly! For the older wigglers, you will need these. The swaddling debate is that some babies like to be swaddled and others do not. Dr. Sears says this is not true- that even when a baby acts like they don't like swaddling, they actually do (If you don't know who Dr. Sears is, don't worry, you will). I don't have an answer for this. What I do know is that studies have been done to show that the REM deep sleep cycle in babies is proven to be longer in swaddled babies. Sounds good me!
5. Baby Pants-You will be given more onesies than your baby can wear. Your baby's dresser will be filled with them. For some reason, no one really likes to give pants. Stock up. I've officially warned you.
6. Baby bath- You will see many cute bathtubs. Baththtubs that are "niftier" or cuter. DON'T DO IT. This ugly bathtub has good reviews for a reason. Buy it.
7. Pacifiers. Duh. I'll even go so far as to say only get Nuk. Others may challenge this. I still say they are the best. Get as many as you can. They have magical powers. They disappear without a trace, never to be found again.
8.The swing-Your baby will without a doubt love this swing during the evening fussy period. Henry was a super happy baby, but even happy babies have their moments. His moment would almost always be during dinner. I set this swing up in the kitchen for him to lounge in during meals, or any other moment when I needed my hands. He would almost always immediately stop crying. I grew to love the music it played and Henry loved to watch the birds fly over his head. Even now at 7 months, Henry loves to hang out in his swing when he needs some down time.
9. If you like to sleep, you need to get this. Go ahead and do a little research. You will see that every parent kisses the ground this rocks on. It is literally a womb on legs. In the words of Levar Burton, "don't take my word for it".
10. As my friend calls it, the pooping chair , is another must have. Henry loved that just a little wiggling could get the seat bouncing and..er..other things moving. He also LOVED this chair. Take your pick. You really can never have too many seating options.
11. Get this mat. Henry adores the little creatures that hang from it and at 7 month he still loves to sit on it and enjoy the tactile stimulation it offers.
12. When the time comes, you will love having this space saver. I love that we can take it with us, it cleans like a dream, and Henry loves to sit at the table with us during meal time and watch us as we eat.
13.Get this and this. You will love having the snap and go for the mall and grocery store. I couldn't live without it.
14. It's disgusting, I know. But get it. The bulb sucks...or doesn't, whatever. Plus, it grows mold inside. Eeew. Thats grosser.
15. When I designed my nursery, I was adamant about wanting a chair glider. I ended up getting this one. It has turned out to be one of my favorite purchases thus far. Henry and I have spent some of our most precious moments snuggled up together while reading, playing, nursing and singing in this glider. I wouldn't trade those moments for anything! **
16. Last but certainly not least, is The Stroller. I am doing you a huge favor here. All of the research has been done. There have also been months of use to back this up- with a new baby and an older baby. You will not find a better stroller in its class. I promise. Besides cornering like a dream, having both a bassinet and a toddler seat, a rain shield, mosquito net and a roomy storage basket, it can be converted into a double stroller. Wham. Can your stroller do that? But let's not forget how beautiful it is. Utterly gorgeous. I may or may no have a love affair with this stoller. Watch out, you might find me on you-tube making one of those dorky instructional videos. **
** When you have the Deal Ma$ter for a husband, you learn to never pay list price for anything. Thanks to him, and myself, these items were most assuredly NOT purchased for the prices listed. So stop judging. I know you were.
At the end of the day, all your baby really needs is love. And a boob. And and some warm clothes. Other than that they really could sleep in a laundry basket and not give a hoot. My sister-in law would even swaddle her Houdini baby in a sports bra. But in the highly likely event that you purchase a gazillion things for your baby like we did, just know that these items are tested and approved. Oh, and do yourself and everyone else a favor and register at Amazon.
During my pregnancy, I enjoyed spending hours scouring the internet and doing research for my registry. When it comes down to it, every baby and mama like different things. So while this list will be generally helpful, your baby may or may not agree.
1. Video monitor. These suckers are expensive but extremely helpful. If I didn't have the video monitor, I wouldn't bother with a sound one at all (unless you plan to have your baby in a room not within hearing distance). In the early days, every sound you hear will lead to a glance at the screen. Every sound you hear with your sound only monitor will lead to a trip to the nursery. Now, that's tiring!
2. My Breast Friend- Get this AND the Boppy. One will be for nursing, the other for holding your wee one. The breast friend is a MUST have for nursing.
3. Burp Cloths-Pick your style and design. Have lots on hand because a baby's spit-up power is no joke. I loved these.
4. Swaddles- Expensive, but awesome for your newborn. SO soft, and so snuggly! For the older wigglers, you will need these. The swaddling debate is that some babies like to be swaddled and others do not. Dr. Sears says this is not true- that even when a baby acts like they don't like swaddling, they actually do (If you don't know who Dr. Sears is, don't worry, you will). I don't have an answer for this. What I do know is that studies have been done to show that the REM deep sleep cycle in babies is proven to be longer in swaddled babies. Sounds good me!
5. Baby Pants-You will be given more onesies than your baby can wear. Your baby's dresser will be filled with them. For some reason, no one really likes to give pants. Stock up. I've officially warned you.
6. Baby bath- You will see many cute bathtubs. Baththtubs that are "niftier" or cuter. DON'T DO IT. This ugly bathtub has good reviews for a reason. Buy it.
7. Pacifiers. Duh. I'll even go so far as to say only get Nuk. Others may challenge this. I still say they are the best. Get as many as you can. They have magical powers. They disappear without a trace, never to be found again.
8.The swing-Your baby will without a doubt love this swing during the evening fussy period. Henry was a super happy baby, but even happy babies have their moments. His moment would almost always be during dinner. I set this swing up in the kitchen for him to lounge in during meals, or any other moment when I needed my hands. He would almost always immediately stop crying. I grew to love the music it played and Henry loved to watch the birds fly over his head. Even now at 7 months, Henry loves to hang out in his swing when he needs some down time.
9. If you like to sleep, you need to get this. Go ahead and do a little research. You will see that every parent kisses the ground this rocks on. It is literally a womb on legs. In the words of Levar Burton, "don't take my word for it".
10. As my friend calls it, the pooping chair , is another must have. Henry loved that just a little wiggling could get the seat bouncing and..er..other things moving. He also LOVED this chair. Take your pick. You really can never have too many seating options.
11. Get this mat. Henry adores the little creatures that hang from it and at 7 month he still loves to sit on it and enjoy the tactile stimulation it offers.
12. When the time comes, you will love having this space saver. I love that we can take it with us, it cleans like a dream, and Henry loves to sit at the table with us during meal time and watch us as we eat.
13.Get this and this. You will love having the snap and go for the mall and grocery store. I couldn't live without it.
14. It's disgusting, I know. But get it. The bulb sucks...or doesn't, whatever. Plus, it grows mold inside. Eeew. Thats grosser.
15. When I designed my nursery, I was adamant about wanting a chair glider. I ended up getting this one. It has turned out to be one of my favorite purchases thus far. Henry and I have spent some of our most precious moments snuggled up together while reading, playing, nursing and singing in this glider. I wouldn't trade those moments for anything! **
16. Last but certainly not least, is The Stroller. I am doing you a huge favor here. All of the research has been done. There have also been months of use to back this up- with a new baby and an older baby. You will not find a better stroller in its class. I promise. Besides cornering like a dream, having both a bassinet and a toddler seat, a rain shield, mosquito net and a roomy storage basket, it can be converted into a double stroller. Wham. Can your stroller do that? But let's not forget how beautiful it is. Utterly gorgeous. I may or may no have a love affair with this stoller. Watch out, you might find me on you-tube making one of those dorky instructional videos. **
** When you have the Deal Ma$ter for a husband, you learn to never pay list price for anything. Thanks to him, and myself, these items were most assuredly NOT purchased for the prices listed. So stop judging. I know you were.
At the end of the day, all your baby really needs is love. And a boob. And and some warm clothes. Other than that they really could sleep in a laundry basket and not give a hoot. My sister-in law would even swaddle her Houdini baby in a sports bra. But in the highly likely event that you purchase a gazillion things for your baby like we did, just know that these items are tested and approved. Oh, and do yourself and everyone else a favor and register at Amazon.
Thursday, January 31, 2013
Taking a step back
This morning the Lord granted me something I deeply needed. Perspective. Somewhere between begging God for sleep and "yelling" at my husband (he calls it yelling, but I think that is up for debate), I had divine clarity.
Henry is currently teething...and growing...and learning...and well, being a baby. He has made it abundantly clear that he does not need or want the amount of sleep that I so graciously bestow upon him. And while seemingly every child around me loves to sleep, I am left with the most wide-eyed baby known to man.
I will never forget the words of Henry's pediatrician, "this is the most tired you will ever be!", just three days after Henry was born. False. False, false, false. Newborn babies sleep so much better than older babies. Older babies are so aware of their surroundings. They have mastered the cognitive concept of "object permanence". What a beautiful thought that my baby knows I still exist after I leave the room. And what a horrible reality for sleep. They have come to realize that they are powerful, tiny humans with great say.
I was not prepared for the reality of night wakings in the later months. I had always assumed it would only get better. And though ultimately I know it will get better, I am still left feeling exhausted and frustrated. I am mainly frustrated with myself, wondering where I may have gone wrong in our sleep training (or lack thereof).
It is in these moments of frustration that the Lord tugs at my heart. When He whispered Isaiah 40:28-31, it reminded me of my utter need for strength from my savior. Not just in the sleepless nights, but in every aspect of motherhood. I know that there will be many more moments where I will question which direction I am to take and whether I have made the right decisions. Ultimately, I will face larger parenting hurdles that have greater consequences than lack of sleep. But what better time to practice relying on my Father than during these small hurdles. I know that I have a God who never grows tired and he has offered to pick up my burden and carry it for me.
Do you not know?
Have you not heard?
The Lord is the everlasting God,
the Creator of the ends of the earth.
He will not grow tired or weary,
and his understanding no one can fathom.
He gives strength to the weary
and increases the power of the weak.
Even youths grow tired and weary,
and young men stumble and fall
but those who hope in the Lord
will renew their strength.
They will soar on wings like eagles;
they will run and not grow weary,
they will walk and not be faint.
One day I will look back at this tiny moment in my life and I will see beauty. Those nights of rocking my sweet boy will have vanished, but I know that I will still remember the way he felt in my arms. My sweet bundle of needy joy is such a picture of how I need my Father. He is teaching me daily to follow his lead and give grace and patience to Henry. I am thankful that even when I have a spirit of frustration, the Lord reminds me of the brevity of this season. He reminds me to draw on his strength. All of the sudden a sleepless night isn't so scary.
Henry is currently teething...and growing...and learning...and well, being a baby. He has made it abundantly clear that he does not need or want the amount of sleep that I so graciously bestow upon him. And while seemingly every child around me loves to sleep, I am left with the most wide-eyed baby known to man.
I will never forget the words of Henry's pediatrician, "this is the most tired you will ever be!", just three days after Henry was born. False. False, false, false. Newborn babies sleep so much better than older babies. Older babies are so aware of their surroundings. They have mastered the cognitive concept of "object permanence". What a beautiful thought that my baby knows I still exist after I leave the room. And what a horrible reality for sleep. They have come to realize that they are powerful, tiny humans with great say.
I was not prepared for the reality of night wakings in the later months. I had always assumed it would only get better. And though ultimately I know it will get better, I am still left feeling exhausted and frustrated. I am mainly frustrated with myself, wondering where I may have gone wrong in our sleep training (or lack thereof).
It is in these moments of frustration that the Lord tugs at my heart. When He whispered Isaiah 40:28-31, it reminded me of my utter need for strength from my savior. Not just in the sleepless nights, but in every aspect of motherhood. I know that there will be many more moments where I will question which direction I am to take and whether I have made the right decisions. Ultimately, I will face larger parenting hurdles that have greater consequences than lack of sleep. But what better time to practice relying on my Father than during these small hurdles. I know that I have a God who never grows tired and he has offered to pick up my burden and carry it for me.
Do you not know?
Have you not heard?
The Lord is the everlasting God,
the Creator of the ends of the earth.
He will not grow tired or weary,
and his understanding no one can fathom.
He gives strength to the weary
and increases the power of the weak.
Even youths grow tired and weary,
and young men stumble and fall
but those who hope in the Lord
will renew their strength.
They will soar on wings like eagles;
they will run and not grow weary,
they will walk and not be faint.
One day I will look back at this tiny moment in my life and I will see beauty. Those nights of rocking my sweet boy will have vanished, but I know that I will still remember the way he felt in my arms. My sweet bundle of needy joy is such a picture of how I need my Father. He is teaching me daily to follow his lead and give grace and patience to Henry. I am thankful that even when I have a spirit of frustration, the Lord reminds me of the brevity of this season. He reminds me to draw on his strength. All of the sudden a sleepless night isn't so scary.
Tuesday, January 15, 2013
Body After Baby Part 1
Please bear with me. As I write, I have a 6.5 month old grabbing the computer. Therefore, I type quickly.My thoughts may sometimes be scrambled, and there may be spelling errors. No judgment please!
Believe it or not, the road to the recovery of my pre-Henry body actually happened before Henry was even born. Being the research fiend that I am, I spent a good amount of time reading about pregnancy and post-pregnancy fitness. I didn't want to have any "I wish I had known that!" moments.
I started the first few weeks of my first trimester like many pregnant women: afraid to move. I didn't want to jostle my new resident. My common sense and everything that I had read told me that this was silly; he was in there protected by my squishy womb bubble. At around 12 weeks, I let go and fully realized that my nugget was in the Lord's hands. He was knitting him together in my womb, after all. I then got moving.
Because my financial situation did not allow for a gym membership or paying for expensive classes, I really relied on at home exercise.
I started doing this video daily. I also did lots of walking. I can't stress enough how important walking is. Especially when you don't feel like moving, it really energizes you! I also loved Amira's belly dance and yoga video.
Being pregnant also inspired me to eat better than I ever had in the past. I certainly splurged from time to time, but I did not use the pregnant license "I can eat whatever I want".
It should be noted that I did NOT watch my weight gain during pregnancy. I truly believe that you can do everything right and gain a lot of weight. Your body is going to do what it is going to do. You need to trust that. Watching the scale is great in the beginning when you don't gain much weight, but after that it really goes downhill fast.
I ate when I was hungry and attempted to make healthy choices. Due to my serious aversion to meat, I relied on protein shakes and eggs to help fill me up while meeting mine and baby's protein needs.
My favorite pregnancy protein shake (rough measurements):
8 ice cubes
1.5 bananas
1/4 cup almonds
3 TBS peanut butter
1 TBS honey
1/2 cup almond milk or regular milk
1 scoop whey protein
As I neared the end of my pregnancy I continued to walk, do yoga videos and belly dance. I also did pregnancy appropriate ab workouts. This is really important for the success of ab rejuvenation after baby. I loved these videos.
Zoom ahead to Henry's birth, one week postpartum I started wearing The Bellybandit. There are many mixed reviews on the matter of belly binding, but I must say that for me, it worked. I wore it every day for 2 months. On days that I didn't wear it I noticed my belly slowly go back out over the course of a couple days. After weeks of wearing it I noticed my belly eventually didn't go out again and my waist was back to its pre-baby size. Would it have done that with out the binding? Maybe. But it did shrink awfully quickly! I believe that over time it would have done this on its own-but the binding certainly expedited the process.
7 Weeks postpartum:
In my next post (and I PROMISE it will not take so long this time!), I will share my postpartum secrets I used along with the belly binding in the first weeks after baby.
Believe it or not, the road to the recovery of my pre-Henry body actually happened before Henry was even born. Being the research fiend that I am, I spent a good amount of time reading about pregnancy and post-pregnancy fitness. I didn't want to have any "I wish I had known that!" moments.
I started the first few weeks of my first trimester like many pregnant women: afraid to move. I didn't want to jostle my new resident. My common sense and everything that I had read told me that this was silly; he was in there protected by my squishy womb bubble. At around 12 weeks, I let go and fully realized that my nugget was in the Lord's hands. He was knitting him together in my womb, after all. I then got moving.
Because my financial situation did not allow for a gym membership or paying for expensive classes, I really relied on at home exercise.
I started doing this video daily. I also did lots of walking. I can't stress enough how important walking is. Especially when you don't feel like moving, it really energizes you! I also loved Amira's belly dance and yoga video.
Being pregnant also inspired me to eat better than I ever had in the past. I certainly splurged from time to time, but I did not use the pregnant license "I can eat whatever I want".
It should be noted that I did NOT watch my weight gain during pregnancy. I truly believe that you can do everything right and gain a lot of weight. Your body is going to do what it is going to do. You need to trust that. Watching the scale is great in the beginning when you don't gain much weight, but after that it really goes downhill fast.
I ate when I was hungry and attempted to make healthy choices. Due to my serious aversion to meat, I relied on protein shakes and eggs to help fill me up while meeting mine and baby's protein needs.
My favorite pregnancy protein shake (rough measurements):
8 ice cubes
1.5 bananas
1/4 cup almonds
3 TBS peanut butter
1 TBS honey
1/2 cup almond milk or regular milk
1 scoop whey protein
As I neared the end of my pregnancy I continued to walk, do yoga videos and belly dance. I also did pregnancy appropriate ab workouts. This is really important for the success of ab rejuvenation after baby. I loved these videos.
Zoom ahead to Henry's birth, one week postpartum I started wearing The Bellybandit. There are many mixed reviews on the matter of belly binding, but I must say that for me, it worked. I wore it every day for 2 months. On days that I didn't wear it I noticed my belly slowly go back out over the course of a couple days. After weeks of wearing it I noticed my belly eventually didn't go out again and my waist was back to its pre-baby size. Would it have done that with out the binding? Maybe. But it did shrink awfully quickly! I believe that over time it would have done this on its own-but the binding certainly expedited the process.
7 Weeks postpartum:
In my next post (and I PROMISE it will not take so long this time!), I will share my postpartum secrets I used along with the belly binding in the first weeks after baby.
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)
