Adventures with My Monkeys

Wordless Wednesday: Homeschool PE

2011-09-28T15:02:00.001-06:00

Wordless Wednesday-new amazing wonders

2011-09-15T00:05:00.001-06:00

Moving and the ocean

2011-09-13T11:34:00.000-06:00

Well we've been super busy moving the last several weeks. We're really starting to settle in so I wanted to share a bunch of pictures from moving and our trip to the beautiful Oregon ocean (only an hour away from us!).

Wall of boxes in our old house-Monkey packing up his toys.

Monkey eating a Noah's bagel-YUM

It's HARD work moving!

Visit to the beach-Monkey and Daddy

Monkey and Daddy

Monkey looking cool in his shades :)

Me with Baby K

Me and the boys

Baby K's first experience on sand

Brotherly love

Breastfeeding Carnival Day 11: Importance of Breastfeeding

2011-07-27T21:00:00.001-06:00

Welcome to The Breastfeeding Cafe Carnival!

This post was written as part of The Breastfeeding Cafe's Carnival. For more info on the Breastfeeding Cafe, go to www.breastfeedingcafe.wordpress.com. For more info on the Carnival or if you want to participate, contact Claire at clindstrom2 {at} gmail {dot} com. Today's post is about breastfeeding when you have more than one child. Please read the other blogs in today's carnival listed below and check back for more posts July 18th through the 31st!

Breastfeeding is super important to me because we are mammals. I remember learning clear back in Kindergarten or 1st grade that animals fit in the classification of "mammal" if they made milk for their young. Humans are mammals. We automatically make milk for our young. It is a natural process that should be taught to every generation. It's best for baby because human milk was made specifically for our species. God created us to be able to feed our babies for many reasons. I believe a few of those are to comfort our babies, to create a special motherly bond with our babies, to give them the proper nutrients that their brain need, to give them the best start in life, to prevent illnesses, and to bring women together. I will touch on a couple of these points.

I've always seen breastfeeding as important. I honestly didn't know that there were women that DIDN'T breastfeed until I got older. Now it seems as a breastfeeding mother I'm surrounded by non-breastfeeding women or women who constantly encourage to give bottles of formula, pump and give bottles, etc in any situation they don't deem "fit" to breastfeed baby. People I'm surrounded by don't think it's important for the most part and a lot think it's disgusting or unnatural. This makes me feel like I need to strive harder to protect breastfeeding and encourage my boys to encourage their wives someday to breastfeed and my daughters that I hope to have to breastfeed their babies (and any future sons to encourage their wives too).

I believe that women have a difficult time at first naturally to bring women together to help each other succeed. It's awesome if there are mothers that never have issues or difficulties-I'm personally not one of them! I've had issues with both boys but I've worked through them with the help of LLL, books, and other mothers.

I'm glad that God created us to breastfeed. I know there are some women out there that are absolutely unable to breastfeed for whatever reason. I think those women also need to rely on other women for support whether it is for donor milk or to grieve because it is a loss and I know that many women are left very upset by it. I'm grateful that I'm able to nourish my babies and give them the best possible start. I'm grateful I'm able to comfort my babies through growth spurt pains, teething, etc. Babies go through A LOT because they have to grow in every way possible to become adults someday but a lot of that growth is done in the first few years. I'm glad I was around a lot of people during my young and most impressionable years that encouraged breastfeeding. I hope I'm able to show that importance to my own children and other children and people around me while I do what is natural.

Here are more post by the Breastfeeding Cafe Carnival participants! Check back because more will be added throughout the day.

Breastfeeding Carnival Day 10: Wordless Wednesday Babywearing Style

2011-07-26T21:00:00.006-06:00

Welcome to The Breastfeeding Cafe Carnival!

This post was written as part of The Breastfeeding Cafe's Carnival. For more info on the Breastfeeding Cafe, go to www.breastfeedingcafe.wordpress.com. For more info on the Carnival or if you want to participate, contact Claire at clindstrom2 {at} gmail {dot} com. Today's post is Wordless Wednesday: Babywearing Photos! Please read the other blogs in today's carnival listed below and check back for more posts July 18th through the 31st!

Pictures with Monkey:

While pregnant with Baby K (in last year's Breastfeeding Cafe SLC :) ):

(those are with my Beco Butterfly)

Girasol 4.6 m in Tulipaani (also at the Breastfeeding Cafe in SLC last summer)

First time I wore a Girasol just a couple months before (I was 11 weeks pregnant)

My first Gira which was sold as a 4.6 but it's really only a 4.2 so I'm trying to part with him :(. His name is Tango.

One of the first times with Monkey in a Sleepy Wrap-oh so tiny!

Ergo-which I later sold because I like Beco better

Ring Sling

And the ULTIMATE way to babywear :) (38 weeks with Monkey-about a week before he was born)

Baby K:

Sleepy Wrap a few weeks old

3 days old

A few weeks ago

A couple months

At the zoo just after Monkey's 3rd birthday

About 8 weeks I think

The ultimate babywearing Baby K (34 or 35 weeks)

Here are more post by the Breastfeeding Cafe Carnival participants! Check back because more will be added throughout the day.

Amy @ Toddler in Tow-Wordless Wednesday Babywearing!
Ashley @ Adventures with my Monkeys-Breastfeeding Carnival Day 10: Wordless Wednesday Babywearing Style
Amy @ Anktangle-Meals On-the-Go
Xela @ The Happy Hippie Homemaker-Wordless Wednesday: Babywearing Photos
Timbra @ Bosoms and Babes-Babywearing 5 Years Strong
Lauren @ Hobo Mama-Babywearing a Newborn
Claire @ The Adventures of Lactating Girl-Pregnant Babywearing
And of course on the Breastfeeding Cafe’s blog today-Wordless Wednesday: Babywearing Flash Mob Video

Breastfeeding Carnival Day 9: Breastfeeding and Multiples

2011-07-25T21:00:00.003-06:00

I've never had the opportunity to breastfeed multiple children at once but I do now have to parent my older kiddo while nursing my baby. At first this was a challenge but within just a couple weeks we got in to a groove and he knows that mommy is nursing the baby and that mommy gave him that same special attention when he was a baby. It's time he gets to read and play on his own.

I started explaining before Baby K arrived that Monkey was going to have to play quietly and be nice while mommy was feeding the baby. Monkey has attended LLL meetings and what not as long as he could remember so he knew exactly what was going on. I received this book:

when I was around 20 or so weeks pregnant and read it to Monkey a lot (the link links you to my Amazon Affiliate account-any books or items you purchase using my Amazon Affiliate ID gives me a small percentage back which I use to buy homeschooling books-thanks for supporting a family in need while my hubby attends grad school!). It is very pro breastfeeding and shows pictures of mommy breastfeeding, babywearing (and even a babywearing daddy!), baby cosleeping in a Cosleeper (we use a bassinet at the foot of our bed for the first few months and then with Monkey used a monitor next to his crib so I could wake up and feed him or take care of him before he cried and with Baby K his crib is in our room), etc. He knew that the baby was going to take a lot of Mommy's time but Mommy did the same things when Monkey was a baby. He seemed fine with that. It obviously did take adjustment but he did get used to it.

One other thing that I found helped was I got him a baby doll. This is the one I got:

He is a plushy soft baby. I love that he looks a lot like Monkey-fair skinned, blonde hair. Monkey still loves to play with his baby and have me swaddle him and sometimes wrap him on his back-he'll be a sweet Daddy someday! Hubby was very bugged by the whole baby thing at first but found it hilarious (though slightly disturbing-his words) when Monkey tried to nurse the baby. I explained that's what a kid will do when he's around Mommy all day. I also explained that he was just trying to love his baby and take care of the baby the way Mommy does. I would prefer him to "nurse" his baby (and yes we've had the discussion that the Mommy feeds the baby and the Daddy loves and cuddles the baby and changes diapers-though Hubby has only changed 2 diapers of Baby K's) than to stick a bottle in the baby's mouth because I hope that he'll someday encourage and support his wife through breastfeeding instead of getting offended that he can't take a turn. He sees Daddy bonding with his brother in other ways besides giving the baby a bottle. ***I'm not saying there's anything wrong with bottles. There are reasons why bottles may be good and there are some babies that absolutely can't nurse. I'm not trying to offend anyone. Because of my rough experience with Monkey in the beginning I have decided not to introduce bottles at all unless I for some reason need to be away from my baby. Monkey sipped at a bottle a little a couple times when he was baby sat for us to go on a date alone. Baby K has yet to need one but if I do leave him sometime I will leave a bottle but I won't ever stay away too long-I had a bad bad experience with going away to a company party with Hubby when Monkey was about 6 months and I was in excruciating pain missing a couple feedings. Bottles aren't for us but we do have a few kicking around for an emergency.***

I think an older child watching their sibling being breastfed teaches them that each kid is important to Mommy and Daddy and that we can wait for some things. Occasionally Monkey's needs do have to come first (mainly going to the potty or getting a quick snack at least if we've been away for a while) and Baby K has to wait but generally I teach that the baby's needs are more important right now and that we all have to wait sometimes for things.

Here are more post by the Breastfeeding Cafe Carnival participants! Check back because more will be added throughout the day.

Xela @ The Happy Hippie Homemaker-How Tandem Nursing Saves My Sanity!
Ashley @ Adventures with my Monkeys-Breastfeedng Carnival Day 9: Breastfeeding and Multiples
Sylko @ Chaotic Mama-Breastfeedng Carnival Day 9
Natasha @ Natural Urban Mama-Our version of "Milk Sharing"!
Timbra @ Bosoms and Babes-Tandem Mommyhood
Christina @ From One Momma to Another-Breastfeeding and Multiples: Breastfeeding Cafe
Claire @ The Adventures of Lactating Girl-How Breastfeeding Through Pregnancy Helps ME
And of course the guest poster on the Breastfeeding Cafe’s blog today is Heather Simpson-Breastfeeding My Toddler Through Pregnancy

Breastfeeding Carnival Day 8: First Nursing in Public Experience

2011-07-24T21:00:00.002-06:00

Welcome to The Breastfeeding Cafe Carnival!

This post was written as part of The Breastfeeding Cafe's Carnival. For more info on the Breastfeeding Cafe, go to www.breastfeedingcafe.wordpress.com. For more info on the Carnival or if you want to participate, contact Claire at clindstrom2 {at} gmail {dot} com. Today's post is about your first experience nursing in public. Please read the other blogs in today's carnival listed below and check back for more posts July 18th through the 31st!

I honestly don't remember the first time nursing in public with Monkey! I do remember several of the first times I was constantly checking and asking those around me (people I knew) if they could see anything or if anyone else could. I was worried I was showing something. I was worried I was making people uncomfortable. After my first LLL meeting I decided that I could ALWAYS nurse without a cover and not show anything. I kept a cover in my bag for a while though. I went to a mom group meeting and I was given the most disgusted looks so I put a cover on. A little girl asked what I was doing and the mother explained that I was feeding the baby. She asked why I didn't use a bottle. I was made to feel so uncomfortable there and secluded that I never went back. I for the longest time only went out to LLL meetings and if there was somewhere I could hide to nurse unless I was alone or only with my husband in a restaurant or something-somewhere where no one would see me.

With Baby K he needed a nursing cover for the first 8-10 weeks because he had a hard time latching without much extra help and exposing a lot of myself. I felt much more comfortable with one. After he figured it out without help I was glad to be rid of it. It was getting hot. I hated wearing it. I have ZERO problem with a mom wearing one if it makes her more comfortable but for me nursing covers are super uncomfortable. The very first time he nursed uncovered was at a LLL meeting. He did an awesome job not exposing me and was hungry enough and sleepy enough he didn't notice I wasn't giving him extra help.

The first time someone nursed in public near me was at church. Honestly I felt a little uncomfortable just because I wasn't sure if I was supposed to move to give her and her baby space or what I was supposed to do. She put a blanket over her and her baby but I just felt weird like I should do something but I didn't know what. I didn't want to make her uncomfortable so I tried to ignore it. She continued to nurse her baby whenever she was hungry and I grew to realize that nothing was expected of me and it felt ok. I've always felt strongly about nursing just didn't know what to feel about nursing in public. After having a baby I realize that when baby is hungry it's best just to feed them. At the same time sometimes (like on an airplane where we want space) it's fun to make people feel a bit uncomfortable. I don't ever nurse in public to cause a stir or anything like that-that's never ever my intention. It is nice to be an advocate though to hopefully make it feel more normal to someone or potentially have someone decide they want to nurse because they saw someone doing it and feeling completely normal with it.

Here are more post by the Breastfeeding Cafe Carnival participants! Check back because more will be added throughout the day.

Ashley @ Adventures with my Monkeys-Breastfeeding Cafe Carnival Day 8: First Nursing in Public Experience
Renee @ Just the 5 of us!-In Good Company
Sylko @ Chaotic Mama-Breastfeeding Carnival Day 8
Timbra @ Bosoms and Babes-Part of the Scenery
Claire @ The Adventures of Lactating Girl-My Nursing in Public Journey
Shelly @ Lousy Mom-My First Time Breastfeeding in Public
And of course the guest poster on the Breastfeeding Cafe’s blog today is Hailey Maloney-First Experience Nursing in Public

Breastfeeding Carnival Day 7: Online Breastfeeding

2011-07-23T21:00:00.003-06:00

Welcome to The Breastfeeding Cafe Carnival!

This post was written as part of The Breastfeeding Cafe's Carnival. For more info on the Breastfeeding Cafe, go to www.breastfeedingcafe.wordpress.com. For more info on the Carnival or if you want to participate, contact Claire at clindstrom2 {at} gmail {dot} com. Today's post is about breastfeeding and your online communities. Please read the other blogs in today's carnival listed below and check back for more posts July 18th through the 31st!

I'm not talking selling milk online or anything like that :). I'm talking about how many of us go to the Internet for a wide range of things. I'm talking about online forums, Facebook, Twitter, other types of online media. I'm talking about how those have influenced me in breastfeeding and other parenting choices. So where did I go to for the majority of my information???

I talk a bit about a strong online group that I was part of with my pregnancy with Monkey. That was my iVillage expecting club/birth club. 3 years later we're still going strong on Facebook and we still go to each other for questions for our new babies and our 3 year olds and our other children. These ladies are awesome. There are experts in just about everything. I learned SO much about breastfeeding, cloth diapering, babywearing, CIO/noCIO from these women. Because of this group I did decide to switch to cloth diapers on the recommendation that I would do less laundry because I wouldn't suffer the blowouts. I am now the CDing expert that many ladies go to and was a community leader on the diapering board on iVillage for a while (I'm monkeybunns online if you're looking for me-except on Mothering.com where I'm ashleyb87). I didn't know a thing about babywearing and learned all about it from Squishy (find her on YouTube-she has some AWESOME videos!). I didn't know at all about what CIO (cry it out) was but after I heard about it I already knew I was against it. I learned about attachment parenting from the ladies in the group. I was very strongly influenced by these women.

From this group I learned about Kellymom.com. I highly recommend that site! It has awesome breastfeeding information although some of it isn't quite up to date. Another one I'd highly recommend (though sadly it isn't *quite* as user friendly though it isn't too difficult to navigate) is LLLI.org. They are both great for breastfeeding information.

I also would highly recommend wholesomebabyfoods.com as a resource for making your own baby food. I also learned about that from my iVillage friends.

I am also on Facebook groups. I would recommend The Leaky B@@b. I'm also on other natural parenting groups but I've highlighted the main ones I go to online. Oh-LLLI also has a forum where you can ask questions that's pretty nice.

Personally, the MAJORITY of my breastfeeding information comes from my local LLL group and books though-call me a little old fashioned :)

Here are more post by the Breastfeeding Cafe Carnival participants! Check back because more will be added throughout the day.

Shelly @ Lousy Mom-If you could ask everyone in the world
Ashley @ Adventures with my Monkeys-Breastfeeding Cafe Carnival Day 7: Online Breastfeeding
Timbra @ Bosoms and Babes-What’s the Online Appeal?
Sylko @ Chaotic Mama-Breastfeeding Cafe Carnival Day 7
And of course the guest poster on the Breastfeeding Cafe’s blog today is Claire Lindstrom-Breastfeeding Online

Breastfeeding Carnival Day 6: Birth Experience

2011-07-22T21:00:00.174-06:00

Welcome to The Breastfeeding Cafe Carnival!

This post was written as part of The Breastfeeding Cafe's Carnival. For more info on the Breastfeeding Cafe, go to www.breastfeedingcafe.wordpress.com. For more info on the Carnival or if you want to participate, contact Claire at clindstrom2 {at} gmail {dot} com. Today's post is about how birth experiences influence breastfeeding. Please read the other blogs in today's carnival listed below and check back for more posts July 18th through the 31st!

I am going to talk about both birthing experiences and how it affected breastfeeding since they were SO different and I think both experiences really did affect each nursing experience rather than the baby themself.

Monkey:

Monkey was born April 2008. Originally I thought I'd try to see how long I'd go before getting an epidural. Little did I know that you could be in labor for weeks on end. It was progressing me but just VERY slowly. I started in labor at 32 weeks with him with strong contractions. I could watch my whole belly firm up super tight and after a minute release. I only felt them every 5-10 minutes or so and I had an appointment the day they started so I didn't think much about it. Little did I know that when they hooked me up on monitors how much the nurses and my OB would panic. My contractions were VERY consistent-every 3 minutes lasting a minute. There was very very little deviation from this. They were just sure I'd have him that day but when they checked me I wasn't progressing. They quickly gave me all sorts of medications to stop my labor. It worked-for about an hour. I was sent home during that hour and given strict instructions to come back if they restarted. They gave me medication to keep them stopped-it made me sick and dizzy and it didn't do a thing to slow them down or stop them. I didn't go back immediately but over the next few weeks I made several trips to Labor and Delivery. By 33 1/2 weeks I was ordered to strict bedrest whereas before I was supposed to "take it easy". I was in my last semester of my Bachelor's degree with a full load (20 credits-MORE than a full load) and stressed. The contractions were always intense. I wished they could have given me an epidural to "take me out of my misery." I was on an iVillage birth board at the time and one mama suggested I read the Hypnobirthing book at 36 weeks. I got it and read it in a few hours (I'm a pretty quick reader and was on bedrest so hey-what else am I going to do?!). I felt very much at peace with what I read and instantly my whole idea of birth changed and suddenly my contractions didn't hurt any more. They never stopped or got less intense (wish I could show you what the computer monitors said in Labor and Delivery! The nurses ALWAYS said "These look like the contractions women have when they're getting ready to push!") but I suddenly wasn't in fear of what would/could happen and I didn't feel any more pain.

I tried to do Hypnobirthing with Monkey. Unfortunately I went in with THAT attitude though. My husband wouldn't read the book or really listen when I explained what I was going to do. He just said "I'll be there for you." Not a good way to go. Without full details of my whole birth story-basically my nurse (and all nurses according to her) said they hadn't ever seen a natural birth or even heard of a first time mom going through with it but "good luck!" I felt sabotaged from the beginning and even more defeated when I found out my midwife whom I selected to transfer to at 37 weeks wasn't going to attend my birth. I tried anyways. I did a really awesome job. When it got super intense though I started hyperventilating because I was experiencing a new thing-my mind could NOT settle down, I couldn't relax AT ALL-or so I thought. I was at 8 cm. My nurse made the unfortunate mistake of saying I'd be like that for at least 2-3 more hours. I felt like I was going to pass out so I asked if there was something to temporarily take the "edge" off. She lied to me and said "No-it's an epidural or nothing, we don't give anything else." (I say lie because soon before she asked me if I wanted something besides an epidural to take the edge off but gave me no names of anything so I couldn't ask for something specifically). I consented to an epidural. They forced me to have a bag of IV fluid in about 5 minutes and immediately after the anesthesiologist came in. Before he could even finish they told me to start pushing. My epidural never fully took effect. I didn't feel my son descending and my contractions completely stopped. He was still there within a half hour of pushing on no contractions.

When he was born he had very high APGAR scores (8 and 9 I think or 9 and 10). They still rushed him away from me. They used a vacuum extractor but only suctioned it on his head-they never turned it on but helped guide him out because he did get stuck for about 5-10 minutes. I kept screaming "Where's my baby?" "I want to hold my baby!" I literally didn't get to see him AT ALL for the first 15 minutes of his life outside the womb. They kept telling me I was starting to hemorrhage and turned pitocin up higher and higher. I kept getting more and more scared. No one listened to me. I kept saying "I want to nurse him I know that will help me stop bleeding so much." No one listened. Finally after 30 or so minutes they gave me my son swaddled and with goop in his eyes which I specifically said I wanted delayed. The midwife didn't care. She had shown up just in time to deliver my baby and that was all-she didn't care about my birth plan nor would she take the time to read it or even skim it. She set it aside when it was handed to her.

The first time nursing didn't go well at all. I didn't know why he wouldn't latch on at all. He just licked at me-he wouldn't even try. Within an hour of birth he was wisked away and I was told I had to move rooms. He HAD to be cleaned in the nursery away from me. Then I was told his blood sugar was way too low and that I only had 5 minutes to try and get him to nurse or he had to have a bottle or be taken away to the nursery where they would give him a bottle. I was so upset and confused. I couldn't get him to latch on under that pressure and the pressure from everyone wanting to visit and see him. I was given a pump and he was given a bottle of formula. I did nothing but cry. It hurt to pump the nothing that came. It hurt to try and latch my baby on. After he was 24 hours old I finally had a nurse work with me really hard on breastfeeding where she confirmed I was doing everything right but when she took a look in his mouth she found a pretty severe tongue tie. We tried finger feeding him with a tube like a SNS (Supplemental Nursing System) and that helped him learn to suck-up to that point he chewed the bottle nipple to get milk out-he couldn't suck at all. The doctor refused to clip his tongue saying it was "dangerous" and "Not necessary" and that it was all my fault he wasn't nursing and that we'd have to go to a Ear Nose and Throat doctor and have them clip it in the office (how backwards is that?! I was in the hospital for crying out loud!). SO finally we were released on Sunday. I had no pump (I couldn't take the hospital one and they said I'd have to wait until Monday to rent), baby couldn't nurse, I was sent with bottles of premixed formula and a few cans. I was devastated. My parents went out to get me an Avent Isis hand pump. I sat pumping around the clock while others gave my baby bottles.

Monday morning came and as soon as the office opened I called the Ear Nose and Throat doctor I was referred to. I was told to tell him my newborn couldn't latch on at all. The nurse told me it would be weeks to get in but I was persistent and asked to ask the doctor. He said "No problem! Have her come in early this afternoon!" We did-after his jaundice heel prick and newborn checkup at the Pediatrician. It took all of about 5 minutes to do. He actually stayed in his carseat the whole time and stayed asleep. The doctor came in and said "Oh yeah-that is a bad one!" He put a tiny dab of Orajel-stuff on his tongue and took what looked like cuticle scissors and snip. He watched him for a few minutes-no bleeding. He sent us on our way. When I went home he latched on once and nursed for 20 minutes. It was pure bliss. I cried tears of joy (and crying again as I remember this!). And then when he was hungry again-nothing. He forgot what he did to latch on and sat screaming. He got another bottle and I went back to pumping.

That night my milk started coming in. He got his first real taste of milk and refused formula from then on out. I couldn't pump nearly enough-like a half ounce when he was used to having at least 1-2 ounces forced down him. He'd suck it down in about 5 minutes and scream for more. That night was horrible. No one got any sleep.

The next morning I called the hospital's lactation consultant when I went for his jaundice heel prick. He was now 3 1/2 days old (he was born late Friday-at this point it was Tuesday morning). I was in tears because I hurt and my baby was starving and we were both exhausted. She said I could come see her for a free consultation because I gave birth there. I had to pump a bit to get my little guy to try latching on. She watched what we both did when we attempted and again said I was doing everything right. She knew immediately that he was nipple confused. She gave me a nipple shield and immediately he nursed. He nursed for about 45 minutes straight without stopping sucking for as much as a couple seconds. He was chugging and gulping away. Bliss again!

Weeks passed, months passed. I tried weaning him from the nipple shield but he couldn't nurse without it. I tried everything but nothing worked. He never ever nursed without the nipple shield up until he weaned completely. He finished that process by 14.5 months. It was a beast to constantly find clean water to wash the dang thing and to nurse in public but I did it and I'm so glad I did.

Baby K:

Baby K was born January 2011 (he just turned 6 months!). I started preparing from the moment I found out I was pregnant with him. Ok I actually started preparing from the moment I got out of the hospital after having Monkey. I took a hypnobirthing class very early though so I'd have plenty of time to practice and just in case I had preterm labor again. Boy I'm glad I took it early! I started preterm labor at 30 weeks with Baby K.

My contractions weren't near as consistent with Baby K. Towards the end they were VERY strong until I sat or laid down-they'd stop completely at that point. I walked around at a 6 for a week. I had bloody show for 3 weeks off and on. I kept thinking he'd come and I was getting HUGE. Much bigger than I was with Monkey. I made spicy chili because we got it for Christmas and I knew after Baby K arrived I wouldn't be "up" to standing to make chili for a while. So, Thursday night I stood and made chili. The beans took forever to cook. By the time we got to eat it was around 8:30 PM. It was very very spicy. About 30 minutes after I ate, Baby K started freaking out-he was kicking like crazy. Apparently it was super spicy to him too! I started feeling a little trickle. It took me an hour or so to figure out my water kinda sorta broke. We went to the hospital around 11.

My midwife didn't come and I kept walking around (different one than before-I started finding a new midwife as soon as I left the hospital with Monkey also!). Every time I sat my contractions slowed or stopped. They weren't progressing me at all. Finally they stopped all together. My midwife was called again-she had fallen asleep. She arrived and found out that my nurse's theory was right-he broke the wrong bag-the one that was to the back not the one that was under his head. I gave her permission to break my bag and immediately I felt the way I did with Monkey-GUSH!!!

A few hours of intense labor later, some in the tub, I got out and felt like I was going nuts again but I knew I was in transition so I could focus on relaxing and knew it was soon. I went with my urge to push and breathed through pushing rather than pushing purple. Baby K was born and went straight to my chest. I immediately tried to nurse him. He did a little but really wasn't interested in nursing before he was about 4 hours old. He was tongue-tied and I recognized it from birth. It was clipped within 2 hours of birth but he did latch on right after he was born. After he was a few hours old he started nursing like a champ and has ever since. He did get pretty darn dehydrated by Monday after he was born (he was born early Friday morning) and there was the possibility of him having to supplement if he didn't gain back some of his weight by his 1 week weight check. He dropped a whole pound. He was 8 lbs even at birth and dropped to 7 lbs even. By Friday he was just barely shy of his birth weight and at 6 months he was 18 lbs 8 oz. I think he's doing well now :)

Both birth stories are VERY different. Monkey's birth was very traumatic for both of us. Baby K's was very relaxed. Had Monkey not had such a rough birth I think he wouldn't have had to have a nipple shield. I learned a lot from that experience though. I knew what to do to be prepared for Baby K. I knew what questions to ask. I knew to find a doctor that would clip his tongue if he was tongue tied within hours of birth. I knew to ask if the hospital had syringes or SNS so I could feed him that way if he wasn't able to get anything. I knew to put NO BOTTLES AT ALL in the birth plan in case something happened so he'd get finger feedings only. I picked an awesome supportive midwife. I was much more confident. I was a lot less confident in breastfeeding however because I had NO idea how to latch him on. The lactation consultant at the hospital (a different one than the one Monkey was born at) was awesome and taught me how to do the "nipple sandwich" latch trick. Baby K took a lot longer to learn how to nurse but was much more efficient once he latched on. It took us until 8 weeks to feel comfortable and about 9-10 to be able to nurse without a nursing cover. The point is that both births were very different and the struggles I had with each boy was different but I felt completely different about them because of the support I had. With Monkey I didn't have much support. The nurses were lousy for the most part. With Baby K I was surrounded by awesome support. It really made a difference in how I felt. With both boys there were tears of frustration but at least with Baby K I knew we'd make it. Both times I took it one day at a time but both times were very successful. I'm glad I had such a strong urge to breastfeed with Monkey though because had I not I would have given up very quickly.

Here are more post by the Breastfeeding Cafe Carnival participants! Check back because more will be added throughout the day.

Sylko @ Chaotic Mama-Breastfeeding Cafe Carnival Day 6
Shelly @ Lousy Mom-Prep for birth. Prep for breastfeeding.
Ashley @ Adventures with my Monkeys-Breastfeeding Cafe Carnival Day 6: Birth Experience
Timbra @ Bosoms and Babes-Birth of Me: Halfway Around the World
Claire @ The Adventures of Lactating Girl-Setting Myself Up For Success
Natasha @ Natural Urban Mama-Birth Experience. Maybe. Cheering Squad. Definitely!
And of course the guest poster on the Breastfeeding Cafe’s blog today is Marilee Poulson-Prepare for Natural Birth, Prepare to Breastfeed

Breastfeeding Carnival Day 5: Nursing in Public (NIP)

2011-07-21T21:00:00.003-06:00

Welcome to The Breastfeeding Cafe Carnival!

This post was written as part of The Breastfeeding Cafe's Carnival. For more info on the Breastfeeding Cafe, go to www.breastfeedingcafe.wordpress.com. For more info on the Carnival or if you want to participate, contact Claire at clindstrom2 {at} gmail {dot} com. Today's post is about nursing in public. Please read the other blogs in today's carnival listed below and check back for more posts July 18th through the 31st!

Friday, July 22—Nursing in Public: What are your views on breastfeeding in public? How do you feel a mother breastfeeding in public influences others in public? Do you feel breastfeeding in public helps to normalize breastfeeding?

Nursing in public is something that disgusts many people for some reason. I have had a lot of negative comments and dirty looks from nursing in public. I also get dirty looks if my baby is crying or upset no matter where it is. One thing you learn quickly with your first kid is that it doesn't matter what you do-you'll offend someone!

I have always nursed my babies wherever and whenever they've been hungry. I am a very modest person and am also LDS so I like to keep myself covered up but not necessarily with a nursing cover which many people find offensive. Back in the time of my ancestors coming to Utah they also didn't care where they nursed their babies. This blog shares some amazing paintings of women breastfeeding during sacrament meeting. The following pictures came from this link.

For those of you unfamiliar with the LDS church's meetings the main meeting each Sunday is sacrament meeting where everyone in each family sits together in pews to take the sacrament and listen to uplifting gospel talks given by volunteer clergy members and volunteer members of the church. If you attend a meeting, at least in Utah, it is considered weird to breastfeed in the pews and your are supposed to (social rules NOT real rules) get up and leave to sit in a mother's room which normally has comfy chairs, a changing table, and a sink. Some mother's rooms are part of a bathroom (like mine) and others are a separate room. In that mother's room it is typical to find women covering baby with blankets AND using a nursing cover. I, however, am not like that. I do wear a nursing shirt (think Motherhood Maternity), nursing dress (link is to one I LOVE), or a nursing undershirt tank top-available in white and black (this links to my Amazon affiliate account-any money received from purchasing through my link goes straight to buying homeschooling books for my children-thanks!) and am able to nurse without exposing anything but I still get dirty looks. I refuse to feed my baby in a bathroom. If I'm in sacrament meeting in a different building then I will usually feed my baby in a mother's room simply because it's more comfortable and he doesn't get distracted looking for who is speaking. In other meetings though I generally nurse him right there.

I have had dirty looks and negative comments other places I've nursed: malls, restaurants, fast food restaurants, and so on. I usually ignore them or occasionally I will say something like "Breast is best." or "I'm exposing a lot less than most of the other women around here." I will admit I have had ONE super positive experience though (FINALLY!). When we were visiting Corvallis, Oregon to find somewhere to live (moving next month) a lady actually came up to me and said "Thank you for breastfeeding your baby!" I was in total shock! I had no idea what to say. I finally replied with "Thank you! I've never had anyone say something so nice to me." Her response was, "We mamas have to support each other." I couldn't stop smiling for hours. It made me feel so great that we are moving somewhere that's super supportive of breastfeeding.

I believe it's important for women to nurse in public because the more the public at large is exposed to breastfeeding, the more it will be seen as normal and natural.

Here are more post by the Breastfeeding Cafe Carnival participants! Check back because more will be added throughout the day.

Dionna @ Code Name Mama-Twiddle Me That
Judy @ Mommy News & Views Blog-Breastfeeding in Public
Natasha @ Natural Urban Mama-NIP by NUM
Timbra @ Bosoms and Babes-In Public Eye
Claire @ The Adventures of Lactating Girl-How It Should Be
Xela @ Happy Hippie Homemaker-Why I feel the need to nurse in public
Shelly @ Lousy Mom-Breastfeeding Welcome Here
Renee @ Just the 5 of us!-Take it All Off
Sylko @ Chaotic Mama-Breastfeeding Carnival Day 5
Ana @ Motherhood: Deconstructed-Breastfeeding in Public is Good for Society
Sara @ the Momzelle blog-Shy Girl Nursing in Public
Ashley @ Adventures with my Monkeys-Breastfeeding Cafe Carnival Day 5: Nursing in Public
And of course the guest poster on the Breastfeeding Cafe’s blog today is Melissa LaVange-Breastfeeding is Not Taboo

Breastfeeding Carnival Day 4: Language and Breastfeeding

2011-07-20T21:00:00.002-06:00

Welcome to The Breastfeeding Cafe Carnival!

This post was written as part of The Breastfeeding Cafe's Carnival. For more info on the Breastfeeding Cafe, go to www.breastfeedingcafe.wordpress.com. For more info on the Carnival or if you want to participate, contact Claire at clindstrom2 {at} gmail {dot} com. Today's post is about language and breastfeeding. Please read the other blogs in today's carnival listed below and check back for more posts July 18th through the 31st!

Language can influence society's ideas of breastfeeding. I do feel this is an issue in society. Most people squirm when they hear the word "breastfeeding" because breasts are seen as such a sexual thing. I've also seen many people use graphic phrases like "Take the tit out of ___'s mouth," and other similar phrases in television shows and in public places that make it sound like breastfeeding is such an awful thing to do. When I was on WIC with Monkey I was CONSTANTLY asked "Are you SURE you're still breastfeeding? Is he really getting enough? Are you sure? Don't you need formula?" A lot of women also say things like "Oh, my baby just couldn't gain weight in the first few days so I was told I didn't make enough so I had to supplement and then I suddenly stopped making milk." Unfortunately the horror stories and negative thoughts and words applied to breastfeeding cause many women to not even TRY breastfeeding.

As with most things I think breastfeeding mothers just need to stand up and educate others when negative things are said. I think mothers should just stand up and nurse in public whether others are uncomfortable or not. Breastfeeding NEEDS to be seen as normal to encourage the next generation of parents to choose breastfeeding for their babies. Doing this will also cause people to not look on it so negatively. The more people that breastfeed (especially around others) the more it will be seen as normal and the less negative comments. I also make it my mission to try and give or encourage new mothers to get the Womanly Art of Breastfeeding (the link is my Amazon affiliate link-I use proceeds to help buy school books for my homeschooled children-thanks in advance for bookmarking my link and helping us while my husband is in grad school!) because I feel it's the most comprehensive guide to help any mother succeed at breastfeeding. The newest edition (as linked-it's the July 2010 version, edition 8) is really awesome. If you have an earlier edition I'd encourage you to buy the new one. I will do a book review later on about it. If mothers are educated during pregnancy I believe it will make them more likely to try breastfeeding and with proper education and a support group they will succeed. Like I mentioned before-the more women that breastfeed the more it will appear normal and the less criticism will arise.

For those of you (like myself) that have received negative looks, comments, etc. Please please ignore them. Please join in the fight when you hear or see anything negative to stand up. No one gives dirty looks to women feeding a baby with a bottle which is simply a synthetic breast. Breastfeeding is normal and needs to be seen that way. It takes everyone that sees it as normal to stand up to those who think it's "disgusting" or "unnatural."

Here are more post by the Breastfeeding Cafe Carnival participants! Check back because more will be added throughout the day.

Claire @ The Adventures of Lactating Girl-Breast is Not Best, It’s Normal
Sylko @ Chaotic Mama-Breastfeeding Cafe Carnival: Day 4
Renee @ Just the 5 of us!-Breast is Not Best, It’s Par
Ashley @ Adventures with my Monkeys-Breastfeeding Carnival Day 4: Language and Breastfeeding
Ana @ Motherhood: Deconstructed-How Language (and Feminism) Creates an Aversion to Breastfeeding
Timbra @ Bosoms and Babes-Maybe Means
Laura @ Day by Day in Our World-Is Our Language Affecting the Image of Breastfeeding?
And of course the guest poster on the Breastfeeding Cafe’s blog today is Sarah Woodall Stoddard-Talking About Breastfeeding

Breastfeeding Carnival Day 3: Wordless Wednesday Breastfeeding Style

2011-07-19T09:37:00.004-06:00

Welcome to The Breastfeeding Cafe Carnival!

This post was written as part of The Breastfeeding Cafe's Carnival. For more info on the Breastfeeding Cafe, go to www.breastfeedingcafe.wordpress.com. For more info on the Carnival or if you want to participate, contact Claire at clindstrom2 {at} gmail {dot} com. Today's post is Wordless Wednesday: Breastfeeding Photos! Please read the other blogs in today's carnival listed below and check back for more posts July 18th through the 31st!

I have ONE picture of Monkey nursing when he was a tiny baby but I can't find it! I will try to add it when I find it eventually :)

Baby K

And I know Monkey will hate me for these someday...

Here are more post by the Breastfeeding Cafe Carnival participants! Check back because more will be added throughout the day.

Claire @ The Adventures of Lactating Girl-Wordless Wednesday: Breastfeeding Video
Renee @ Just the 5 of us!-Wordless Wednesday
Ashley @ Adventures with my Monkeys-Breastfeeding Carnival Day 3: Wordless Wednesday Breastfeeding Style
Judy @ Mommy News & Views Blog-Innocent Beauty
Amy @ Anktangle-Then and Now
Ana @ Motherhood: Deconstructed-Wordless Wednesday-Breastfeeding
Lauren @ Hobo Mama-Breastfeeding a Newborn
Natasha @ Natural Urban Mom-Wordless Wednesday-My Favourite Breastfeeding Moment Ever!
Timbra @ Bosoms and Babes-Firsts: Wordless Wednesday (Favorite Breastfeeding Pix)
And of course today on the Breastfeeding Cafe blog we have a beautiful breastfeeding painting that will be sold as part of our silent auction this year!-Wordless Wednesday: Breastfeeding Painting!

Crayola Dry Erase Crayons

2011-07-18T15:11:00.001-06:00

What is Monkey so happy about? Crayola's new Dry Erase Crayons (here's another link)! We also got this-the Dry Erase Travel Set. I got a package of the crayons to try on sheet protectors. Basically the goal is to make homeschooling very cheap and to rip apart workbooks, store the pages in sheet protectors, and reuse them for each kid. Monkey needs a lot of practice holding a pencil/crayon because he's left handed and not super coordinated with holding a crayon right. In the pictures he's practicing drawing lines. The package of crayons comes with a washable mit that you or your child can wear to erase the crayon and use it over and over. I even tried these babies out on my whiteboard calendar and they came right off! Regular crayon won't come off as easy as these.

We haven't used the travel pack yet but I opened it. There are 4 crayons, a sharpener, and a washable mit as well as several small pages that you can put behind a special sheet protector thing so they can draw and do activities over and over again. We got it for our move specifically so we won't be using it until August BUT I love the concept. I would recommend the product.

Overall, I would recommend the crayons. I couldn't find any negatives with them. I even let a whole bunch sit for a week and a half and while it took just a little more effort to erase them-it wasn't much and there was NO residue left behind unlike with markers.

I did not receive any payment or product for this review. The opinions are based fully off of my experience as there was no compensation of any variety for this review. I happily take homeschooling and cloth diapering products for review and will give a full honest review of the product. If you are interested in your product being featured please contact me! I also happily take suggestions for items to review.

Some funny pictures from the last few weeks!

2011-07-18T14:57:00.000-06:00

"I'm playing Nuclear Chemistry." (I later informed him it was Organic Chemistry-hubby's models so now he says "I'm playing Organic Chemistry."

Baby K's silly face that Monkey used to do!

Breastfeeding Carnival Day 2: Eco Breastfeeding

2011-07-18T14:39:00.002-06:00

Welcome to The Breastfeeding Cafe Carnival!

This post was written as part of The Breastfeeding Cafe's Carnival. For more info on the Breastfeeding Cafe, go to www.breastfeedingcafe.wordpress.com. For more info on the Carnival or if you want to participate, contact Claire at clindstrom2 {at} gmail {dot} com. Today's post is about the environment and breastfeeding. Please read the other blogs in today's carnival listed below and check back for more posts July 18th through the 31st!

Honestly the environment wasn't a main part of my decision to breastfeed, just like it wasn't to cloth diaper. It's a plus for sure though! My whole reason for "green" things is not to save the planet-it's to save money. If I can save money and do something to help the planet that's a positive for me but I'm not going to spend a lot of extra money for "green" things. The main reason-we just don't have it!

My main reason for breastfeeding was that it is normal. It's a natural process to nourish and comfort your baby. As with most things it takes learning and isn't easy but it's most definitely worth it to hang in there when times are rough and continue breastfeeding through the first year at least.

My main reason for cloth diapering was to do less laundry to save my time (yes seriously). The secondary reason was to save money. Third was because it was better for baby's bum. Fourth, that it is good for the environment to not throw all the chemicals and waste in a landfill. I do get knocked for that within the cloth diaper community but I am also an honest person. Monkey was having blowouts several times a day and I was washing his clothes at least twice a day or soaking all day and adding stuff throughout the day. It was awful. I was going through TONS of Baby All because that's all his skin (still) could tolerate (except for the homemade stuff I make-he's been ok so far with that). I had a hard time ever finding time to do our laundry because I was always doing his. I was a member of an awesome online board on iVillage and someone recommended that we try cloth diapers. It was an investment upfront but everyone told me they hadn't ever had blowouts. Sure enough-it wasn't until he had an upper GI x-ray and had an intestinal blockage that we had a blowout and he was just in a diaper sitting in his Bumbo. Baby K has had a couple but he'll go up to 3 days without going so it's kind of a seep out and is NOTHING to take care of (none of his have stained his clothes like Monkey's did).

I try to make healthy foods and make most things from scratch. We really don't have a lot of garbage because of this. I reuse our plastic bags if I forget to take bags (I like them for little garbage cans especially!). I take a reusable waterbottle and reusable dishes (cheapos from Walmart for picnics and what not) when we go out. All of those things save us money but are also helping the planet. The environment comes in to consideration but honestly isn't a big reason why I do anything. It may be on my list but not my main concern.

Here are more post by the Breastfeeding Cafe Carnival participants! Check back because more will be added throughout the day.

Sara @ the Momzelle blog-The environment and I, am I a future green mom?
Ashley @ Adventures with my Monkeys-Breastfeeding Carnival Day 2: Eco-breastfeeding
Shelly @ Lousy Mom-Breastfeeding and the Hippie (or Not) Mama
Renee @ Just the 5 of us!-Granola Anyone?
Claire @ The Adventures of Lactating Girl-I Breastfeed For My Kids
Timbra @ Bosoms and Babes-Green Milk
Natasha @ Natural Urban Mama-Word of the Day: Eco-breastfeeding
Laura @ Day by Day in Our World-Eco-breastfeeding
And of course the guest poster on the Breastfeeding Cafe’s blog today is Jeana Jones-Save the Planet: Breastfeed!

Breastfeeding Carnival Day 1: Mothers Before Me

2011-07-18T09:57:00.003-06:00

Welcome to The Breastfeeding Cafe Carnival!

This post was written as part of The Breastfeeding Cafe's Carnival. For more info on the Breastfeeding Cafe, go to www.breastfeedingcafe.wordpress.com. For more info on the Carnival or if you want to participate, contact Claire at clindstrom2 {at} gmail {dot} com. Today's post is about how the mothers before you influenced your choice to breastfeed. Please read the other blogs in today's carnival listed below and check back for more posts July 18th through the 31st!

Breastfeeding has always been normal to me. You have a baby, you breastfeed. I've watched my aunt, neighbors, etc breastfeed. My mother breastfed me. My mother-in-law breastfed her kids. I didn't know anything could possibly be weird or gross about it until I got married and learned that it wasn't normal within the extended family. I think one of my big influencers though was my friend Shae. I saw her nursing her baby in church next to me even though many of the women in my ward were super uncomfortable with it. I got a lot of negative comments when I started nursing Monkey in church. I won't go in to the nursing in public yet (that's another day :) ) but I did some research and practiced a lot before our first time going out in public.

Breastfeeding is considered taboo in the extended family. I'm supposed to go in another room AND cover up to make everyone happy. That doesn't make me or either one of my boys so far happy so after each got a good latch and I was able to nurse discreetly I gave up and basically said I don't care. Unless a baby with a bottle is required to go in another room I don't feel I should be forced to either. The OPTION is nice if it were an option. Baby K often gets distracted because he's 6 months and with both the distractable age starts at about 4 months. It's nice to be able to go in another room sometimes but I don't like feeling forced in to it.

I knew ALL of this was a strong likelyhood before I started breastfeeding Monkey as a baby. Because I grew up with the idea that breastfeeding was normal though I felt very strongly about it, especially seeing so much research about how much better it was for baby, etc. We had a lot of struggles and I constantly got "Well just give up." but that wasn't an option to me. I fully felt like when you have a baby your body makes milk therefore you need to breastfeed unless the benefits of NOT breastfeeding far outweigh the risks of formula feeding.

I'm grateful for the strong women influences in my decision to breastfeed. Had I not seen breastfeeding as normal throughout my childhood that could have made me quit when times were rough. I hope I'm able to help influence my children someday to encourage that their children are breastfed (or future daughters will breastfeed their kids).

Here are more post by the Breastfeeding Cafe Carnival participants! Check back because more will be added throughout the day.

Sylko @ Chaotic Mama-Breastfeeding Cafe Carnival: Day One
Claire @ The Adventures of Lactating Girl-Learning Lessons From My Mom
Renee @ Just the 5 of us!-Well That's What They're For, Right?
Lindsy @ The S.L.C. Blog-Posts on the Importance of Breastfeeding: Breastfeeding Cafe Carnival
Timbra @ Bosoms and Babes-Quiet Influence
Ana @ Motherhood: Deconstructed-My Mother’s Gift
Amy @ Anktangle-Dear Mom, Thank you for breastfeeding me.
Amy @ Wildflower Ramblings-Generations of Breastfeeding Joy
Judy @ Mommy News & Views Blog-The Mothers Before me
CJ @ Imperfect Happiness-Mothers Before me
Shelly @ Lousy Mom-Breastfeeding: Mothers before me
Ashley @ Adventures with my Monkeys-Breastfeeding Carnival Day 1: Mothers Before Me
Laura @ Day by Day in Our World-Breastfeeding Influences... from Women Who Walked Before Me
Natasha @ Natural Urban Mama-Breastfeeding Mothers Before Me
And of course the guest poster on the Breastfeeding Cafe’s blog today is Laurel Miller-Jones-Taught Without Being Taught

Beautiful Oregon-our trip in pictures

2011-07-15T10:15:00.000-06:00

Most of you already know but my husband is going to be attending graduate school to get a PhD in Nuclear Chemistry in the fall. We are moving next month so we needed to take a trip to find a house to rent and to tie up the loose ends. Here's our trip in pictures!

Monkey Thursday night-he hadn't seen Daddy all week and left Friday afternoon to stay with grandparents so we could catch an early flight (with Baby K) Saturday morning.

Go Beavers!

The Valley Library on campus (yes I was drooling!)

Side of library

Side looking up

OSU-everything is SO green in Oregon

A cool building across from the library

Downtown Corvallis-the Willamette River

Downtown Corvallis

Wednesday Farmers Market

Back view of our soon-to-be new home!

Front

Where have I been??? Plans for next few weeks

2011-07-15T09:22:00.000-06:00

Where the heck have I been since the Flats Challenge??? Well life has been busy as it tends to be in the summer! We have been busy schooling and reading and also took a trip to Oregon to find somewhere to live. I hope to catch up on blogging about all that in the next few weeks. I'm going to be part of my local (Utah) Breastfeeding Cafe's blog carnival so be prepared to see a lot of breastfeeding posts the next 2 weeks. I might just do short responses to all the themes or skip a few but I plan to do most if not all. I also will be doing some reviews in the next couple weeks on homeschooling items like the new Crayola Dry Erase Crayons (sneak peek-I already love love them!) and on cloth diapering things like the new Rockin Green Remix (I was sent some samples of Classic and I've really really tested the heck out of the stuff-we're going to be using our last batch of sample diapers this week from the ones that flew with us!) with a GIVEAWAY. I will also be talking about traveling with cloth diapers (yes we were that crazy!). So watch out for a whole mix of everything in our life and maybe I'll even toss in a recipe or two. If you aren't interested in the diapering and breastfeeding posts just ignore, if you aren't interested in the homeschooling feel free to ignore those. Up next though? Some pictures to drool over because you wish you were moving to Oregon next month :)!

Three for Thursday: Baby K

2011-06-02T16:58:00.000-06:00

I had to share some pictures I took of Baby K this week. I promise I will get back to blogging about Monkey's reading and catch up in the next few days-nothing super exciting to announce-he's just continuing to chug away!

Baby K sitting completely on his own. He was wiggling his toes and watching them and trying to eat them around the time I took this :)

We won the Cotton Babies Twitter Cloth Diaper Party prize last Monday so they sent us a BG 4.0 in my choice of closure and color so I picked snaps and Twilight. They also sent me a t-shirt (which I'm wearing now) and a cold cup. I HAD to take a picture of him wearing his new diaper for the first time. I'm ga-ga over blue diapers right now because I tried to keep them gender neutral with Monkey thinking that color didn't matter-neither did prints...I've changed my tune :)

Our Woombie from Mamabargains arrived yesterday. I couldn't wait for it to get washed to put it on Baby K because he's been wearing a swaddle blanket MUCH too small for him and he pulls his arms right out of a super tight swaddle in the Miracle Blanket. He didn't sleep well at all because he has too much freedom but can't put his hands in his mouth (but beans himself in the face and freaks out if his arms are out) so for his nap today he has a thin blanket underneath pinning his arms down.

And then I'll repost this one of Monkey because it's cute :)

Wordless Wednesday a day late-First time hand dyeing!!! Plus a surprise

2011-06-02T16:46:00.000-06:00

And Monday's surprise...

Shameless Promotion :)

2011-05-31T19:36:00.000-06:00

Shameless promotion of my business! You've been warned :)!

I've just posted my first listing for YYMN (Your Yarn My Needles) anything-goes customs. This is good for absolutely anything. Here's some pictures of my work. It's obviously not everything I've done but some of my customs and things for my kiddos. I'm currently working on an Ian Polo romper I'm naming "Hello Robot!" in 3-6 month that I'll be stocking this month and just got done dyeing my first batch of wool to do a tester Onesie pattern and another romper for Baby K in a 6-9 month size. I'm currently trying to gather funds to dye more yarn to make a Hootie Who for Baby K for winter :). I'm also trying to help fund our move! Feel free to share my info with your friends or if you are thinking about something for your kid(s) or a baby shower I'd love to help with cloth diaper mamas or disposable diaper mamas. I can make all my patterns to accommodate either and have lots of fun things I can make for all babies and kiddos! Just wanted to share :)

Sunday-last day of the challenge/Final words

2011-05-31T19:09:00.001-06:00

Sunday was the final day. Baby K was in flats as usual all day. No leaks. He went to bed in his last flat for the challenge. Monkey did too. I decided to wash Monday evening for the last time. I spent the whole weekend working on the house and Sunday and Monday I was exhausted. Monday I also dyed yarn to do a tester pattern for a knit onesie (more details to come!). So I did the bucket soak for a bit, pulled out the poopy diaper and plunged it in the rinse water for a minute, dumped them all in to the tub for a hot wash (but I started the water, put the Rockin Green in, and then let them soak for me to feed Baby K). I did the wash but about threw up because of the smell. I'm not going to lie. At that point I took the diapers, squeezed the water out, tossed them in the bucket, then went and threw them in the washer. Even if I would have let them fully dry they would have had to be rewashed and I couldn't sleep with the open bathroom with that awful smell. I seriously have no idea why we battled such stink! I used the breathable washer and know it pulled the yuck out but for some reason they just reeked!!! My washer-cleaned flats smell great though-they have no smell.

So my final thoughts. Obviously if I was in the situation that I had to handwash I would and I'd figure out a way to make them not stink. Maybe that would involve Tea Tree Oil or a different detergent for handwashing? All I know is they smelled awful and the poor baby's bum smelled awful even after he was done with flats because of it! I would invest in a breathable washer but NOT wash in the bucket unless I were to wash 1-2x per day. With owning my own business and trying to get the house ready to sell it's not really possible for me to do that-not to mention that hand washing is exhausting. I would obviously build up muscles doing it after a week or two so it wouldn't be so exhausting but with a baby waking up a couple times a night I'm just pooped so any extra work is very very tiring.

I love love flats! I wish I owned more fun colors of flats! If I get extra Paypal someday I'd be seriously tempted by the Swaddlebees ones! I will keep using my flats after they're fluffy and dry from the drier (but will continue to hang dry after this-I just figured going through my high-heat-only drier once would help kill any bacteria lingering around still).

I was planning to do flats on our trip. As messy as it is to wash I think it's kind of rude to do since we're staying in someone's home. So we'll do disposables and cloth diaper covers and I'll wash the covers in the sink. When we're moving we'll have to see where we're at but I'll probably have to handwash diapers for about a week between getting everything clean to pack up, staying in a hotel for two nights, and who knows when we'll get our washer and drier after we move if they aren't included. So no flats for the trip to find somewhere to live in July but yes flats (and probably some pockets with hemp preflats trifolded in them) when we're moving.

My thoughts for the poor-I think that they should do cloth diapers. I think homeless shelters should allow mothers (and fathers) to wash diapers in washers and driers for free. There is NO reason why ANY baby should sit in any diaper (cloth or disposable) for hours on end. I personally don't like the idea of dumping tons of money in to disposables for homeless. Cloth is possible. Again, I know I can say this sitting with a home but I do know what it's like to not be able to afford diapers. I also want to do what I can to advocate for those in need to use cloth diapers! Hopefully I can find something I can do to help when we move because I'd like to be a cloth advocate for those in need and since we'll be one of those super poor families while my hubby is in grad school maybe I'll find a connection through a food bank or something.

Here's the linkup for the final thoughts! Hopefully most of the people had a better experience than I did!

Day 5 and Day 6 together in one post

2011-05-29T00:00:00.001-06:00

Friday was Day 5 and Saturday was Day 6. Friday brought a blowout and washing covers it also brought a MAJOR issue with Monkey. He decided to poop in his undies during nap time and it wasn't ummm completely solid! So hubby cleaned his bum up. I took the undies and yelled- "DON'T USE THE DIAPER SPRAYER!!!" Fortunately he just dumped what he could. I filled up the bucket in the bath tub and put his undies and pants and wipes in to soak. They soaked for a couple hours. I took the breathable washer out and plunged for a couple minutes. I dumped the yucky water out and then put them in warm with 1/2 Tbs Rockin Green and added Baby K's covers and the pail liner and a wetbag. I plunged for about 10 minutes and got ALL the mess out. I rinsed once and we were set!

Day 6 was uneventful. A couple small poops from Baby K and that was it!

Because the rules were clarified I decided I'd just finish off the challenge by doing my final wash on Monday. I'm EXHAUSTED from trying to get our house ready to sell! Oh and Baby K is spending his first night in his crib tonight!!! I also have my button up on the side-figuring out how to show the html code for it so you can steal it for your blog.

Watch for my final notes on Monday. I have a lot to say on it-let's just say my view on what I'm doing on our trip has changed and I had some major major stink issues and almost threw in the towel... Wait for the post Monday!

Flats Challenge Day 4-A leak, A wash

2011-05-27T09:12:00.001-06:00

A quick link back to the rules.

Day 4 started with a leak. Not much else happened until it was time to wash at night. I gave Monkey a bath early so I could watch So You Think You Can Dance (I'm so lame :) ) and just get him to bed at some point which ended up being right after it got over. Baby K's teeth are bugging him so he didn't nurse much. He kept pulling off and when I'd rub his gums he would be happy.

I tried using the breathable washer and won't go back to washing completely by hand. I let the diapers soak in a bucket for a couple hours in cold and tried to pull a little water through them. I then took them all out and rinsed the bucket. I ran hot water in the tub and added 1 Tbs Rockin Green and scrubbed the poopy diaper against itself. I then plunged the mobile washer for about 10 minutes. I squeezed the water out of the diapers and put them in the bucket to the side of the tub. I drained the tub and rinsed it out well. Then I ran cold water and put them in. Plunged for 5 minutes. Took them out, squeezed them while draining the tub. Ran cold water again and plunged for 5 minutes. I took them out and squeezed really well to hang them.

I'll wash covers today.

Day 3 Review, comments about drying

2011-05-26T09:36:00.002-06:00

A quick link back to the rules.

Day 3-Wednesday was fairly uneventful. I washed on Day 2 and busted a bunch of nails (see yesterday's post) but it took well over 12 hours for ANY of our flats to dry. I posted pictures on Day 1 so make sure to look at those-I hang 3-4 on hangers barely overlapping on my shower rod. Obviously that doesn't work. I don't have anywhere else inside I can hang them to spread them out more or that they won't touch the floor. I tried doing my normal banister hang but they touch the floor and take the same amount of time to dry. I can't hang outside. SO now in the search for where we're going to live an outdoor line and being allowed to do a $5 indoor line are musts. I'm fine with setting our own outdoor line up but we need to be allowed to do one instead of being in an apartment or HOA that doesn't allow hanging anything (GRR!).

No leaks on Day 3. However I forgot to mention on Day 2 for some reason I scratched one of my fingers up with a snappi and bled and did it AGAIN today. I'm a Snappi pro-Monkey was in prefolds and wool exclusively for over a year. Baby K has been using prefolds since the beginning (along with fitteds in newborn stage and pockets when he started in one sized diapers BUT he has gone days upon days at a time with only prefolds). I did 2 weeks before the challenge that we did mostly flats so I could get used to them and get "kinks" worked out because we're trying to get our house ready to sell so taking time out for leaks wasn't really an option. Don't know how it happened but it HURT. It was right next to my nail.

I did wash covers on Day 3 though. It only took about 5 minutes. I put the covers in the bucket, added cold water to rinse and scrubbed with my fingers in the spots that were messy. I put warm in with 1 tsp Rockin Green and agitated for a minute. Took them out and squeezed them out. Then I did two rinses in warm and agitated each time to get all the soap out. I squeezed well but one is still drying. I did that around 1 PM yesterday. Granted my basement where the drying rack is (in my room) is about 60-65 degrees. I also did a couple pockets (that we used Sunday afternoon) and those aren't dry yet.

I have to say though I get nervous when I only see 1 cover sitting in my pile-as a newborn Baby K would go through upwards of 7 covers a day when he was wearing prefolds and a few when he would seep out of fitteds (on the leg part). 5 covers scares me. There's a reason why I have a lot more than that normally (besides only wanting to wash once a week).

Day 4 so far has brought a leak in our overnight fold-did origami and will be going back to my new fold I invented because it's been working great-the accordion fold. Tried accordion on Monkey overnight but it was hard to get it snappied-it really works best on an infant. He stayed dry though (YAY!).

Day 4 will also bring another wash.

Here's a picture of each of the boys yesterday. Baby K wore his new Ian Polo romper (not as a cover-he wore a PUL cover underneath and wore the Ian Polo as an outfit :) ). I am a licensed knitter of the pattern and love custom orders (wink wink!) (email me through my site if you want a custom-I don't have them "officially" listed yet because I'm working on an instock one right now but can ALWAYS do customs :) )