1. 36 Cube by Thinkfun - a puzzle for ages 8 and up that challenges you to concentrate, think strategically and logically, be patient, problem solve, use your visual perception and fine motor skills.
2. Burg der 1000 Spiegel (Castle of 1000 Mirrors) from Kosmos - For ages 6 and up.  Help the little vampire Viktor recover all of his missing items, he’s missplaced them somewhere in his huge castle.  This game was also awarded the 2009 Deutscher Kinderspiele Preis, German Children’s Game of the Year.
3. Disney Fairies Pixie Glitter - A tie in with the new Tinkerbell movie.  Fairies for ages 3 and up.
4. FurReal Friends Lulu the Cuddly Kitty - Just like a real kitty, but without the feeding, allergies and litter box.  For ages 4 and up.
5. Playmobil Furnished School Building - With class room, science room, art room, music room and office, and plenty of accessories.  For ages 4 and up.
6. Mattel Password Journal - Helps your child keep their journal entries private with voice recognition, password protection and an intruder alert. For ages 6 and up.
7. Hasbro Monopoly City - Monopoly gets a makeover.  Instead of deeds, you get zoning permits to develop the landscape into a city. For ages 8 and up.
8. Lego Power Miners Thunder Driller - Power Miners are the top lego-theme of 2009.  Ages 8-14.
9. Wowwee’s Roborover - a cute and easy to use remote control robot buddy for ages 6 and up.
10. Schleich World of Elves - Extremely detailed figures to help your child recreate their favorite elven fairy tales. Ages 3 and up.

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As a new parent, I thought a fancy diaper pail was necessary and after weighing the pros and cons of the pails available, I chose the Diaper Champ, because I could use ordinary garbage bags instead of having to buy special bags, like for systems like the Diaper Genie.

It was great.  We loved it.  My husband didn’t want one originally, but became a believer.

Our son was born at the end of July, by winter, the smell was starting to get noticeable, even without diapers in the Champ.  I’d wash it with bleach, I put baking soda and dryer sheets in the pail. The pail had to move to our patio.  Luckily, the door to the patio was next to the changing table.

But then spring came and we had to give up the pail completely.  We couldn’t sit outside on the patio without being overwhelmed by the smell.  I can only speak for the Champ, but I’ve seen similar complaints in the reviews of other systems.  It sounds like many need to be replaced every year.

Why add to your costs and add additional waste in landfills?

Our new solution is that wet diapers go in the kitchen trash, and poop diapers get taken out to the curbside trash immediately.  The only time we wait is if the weather is horrendous, and then we put the diaper in a small plastic bag and set it aside to bring to the curbside trash as soon as possible.

Now, of course, this is not the best solution for everyone.  I imagine if you live on the 5th floor of a building with no elevator, getting to the building’s trash room won’t be as easy as my walk to the street.

How do you deal with diaper disposal?

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I looked at step stools for kids, which are usually one step, about half a foot high, with a rubberized top.  These were much too short to help.  We tried the base of his Tummy Tub, but it was still too short and I still had to lift him up.  Finally, at Janda’s house, I noticed she’d come upon a great solution.  The Ikea Bekväm step stool.

The Ikea Bekväm step stool is meant for adults, but it works great for toddlers.  It’s stable and the little ones can easily climb up on their own.  The wood is more attractive, in my opinion, than the plastic kid’s step stools.  When you’re kid outgrows it, you can still use it as a step stool around the house.  And did I mention it’s inexpensive, it goes for $19.99 in the US, and €12.99 in Germany.  We’ve never had a problem with the wooden surface being slippery, but if you wanted to be extra careful, you could add some non-skid stickers on top.

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All health professionals assured me that this time it would go faster. I believed them up to a point. I agreed that I was a lot more active this time around and a lot more fit. One day, when I was 36 weeks pregnant and cycling through the city with my daughter in the buggy behind the bike, I looked down at my gears and realized that I could not gear down any further… And that was on a down hill! That and the fact that my baby was kicking me quite a bit when cycling made me stop cycling.

At around 38 weeks, I had serious cramping. It was so heavy that I got quite exited! I even got a friend around to come help pack my hospital bag… It was just cramping. When I saw my gynaecologist that week, she said that I was 1cm dilated… I read about it and knew that one could be up to 4 cm dilated for four weeks, but I have to be honest and say that I did get my hopes up! Then at 39 weeks, I lost my mucus plug. I was so exited that I managed to draw blood whilst shaving my legs! Well, yes, they say that this too could happen long before delivery. When another friend went into labor on her due date and delivered the next day, I was green with envy. Then I realized that I had let go of my instinctive decision that I will not expect to have this baby on or near the due date.

Still laughing about all the tales about things that could bring on labor, I started reading about them. There are so many! Some completely silly, but some I can see working. So when the due date came and went, I started trying some… I

• walked… a bit. Pain in my pelvis made it a bit hard to go too far.
• tried drinking raspberry leaf tea… Uggg! I don’t like tea in any way, but the stuff made me feel quite unwell.
• had acupuncture.  Three times. Once a week. The last one was 4 days ago.
• ate pineapple
• ate curry
• drank sparkling wine
• had warm baths
• had sex
• tried nipple stimulation
• got a gym ball and bounced around my home
• nested
• stop nesting
• got bored
• watched a weepy movie
• drank the verbena* tea the midwife told me about. Well, I have been drinking it now for 4 days.
• had some fresh dates

So, I have tried many things.

There are still some other things I could try, if I want. These are:

• drinking Castor oil with orange juice…
• Having a membrane sweep by your health care professional
• Homeopathy
• Evening primrose oil on the cervix
• Using the herbs blue cohosh and black cohosh
• Blowing up balloons
• Wearing my best underwear… sods law…

Trying these things made me come to the point where I realized that if the baby isn’t ready and willing to be born, trying these things may not help at all. So, should I continue trying these remedies until they do pay off or should I just relax and allow nature to take it’s course? I don’t know yet! I would like to have my baby soon and I would do just about anything to avoid being induced when my 42 weeks are up… But would it work?

Does anyone know of a different remedy? Has something worked for you? Let us know!

* Verbena Tea: Boil 1l water with 2cm of ginger, a cinnamon stick and 10 whole cloves for 15 minutes. Add 5g of Verbena tea leaves and stand for 10 minutes. Strain. Drink 3-5cups of this per day diluted with orange juice or apricot juice.

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We have friends whose daughters will only eat spaghetti with Heinz ketchup.  They even have to pack the ketchup in their suitcase on trips to grandma’s house because she doesn’t have the right kind of ketchup.  My husband’s nephew only ate potatoes and cheese pizza until he was 14.

What makes a kid a picky eater, and what makes them adventurous?

The New York Times says it’s genetic, that kids inherit their pickiness from their parents.  I haven’t had time to read carefully through the study cited, but given that it’s a twin study with twins raised together in the same home, I’m not sure how they can determine what is cause by genetics and what is caused by environment (since the twins share both).

It’s possible I’m just really lucky and have a kid genetically predisposed to be adventurous, or it may be that the way we feed Oliver has something to do with it.  Actually, I think it’s likely a combination of the two.

Janda and I discussed this topic over lunch and came up with some ideas.

• Breastfeeding - A formula fed baby is going to be fed the same thing several times a day for the first several months of life.  It wouldn’t surprise me that the child would grow up to be wary of new flavors.  But, we adults aren’t all adventurous eaters.  Most people stick to their favorites and don’t experiment a lot with new flavors.  So breastfed babies may not even be exposed to that wide a variety of flavors, although it would still be more than formula fed babies.  Personally, I’m fairly adventurous, and made a conscious effort to eat a wide variety of flavors through pregnancy and the first year of breastfeeding, since I knew the flavors passed on to the baby, and a varied diet is a better source of vitamins and minerals than supplements (I still took supplements though).  I tried not to buy the same fruits and vegetables from one week to the next.  I picked up things I’d never had before and ordered dishes I’d never thought to try at restaurants.  I made some new favorites that way, and it was a great learning experience for me.
• Eating together - We got a Stokke Tripp Trapp high chair so Oliver could sit at the table with us for dinner.  We never fed him separately.  He was always together with us at the table enjoying our company (and we enjoying his).  Oliver hates not eating with us and protests very loudly if he’s put into a conventional high chair with a tray.
• Eating the same thing - I’m too lazy to even consider making separate meals for everyone.  Oliver had (organic) baby food from a jar unless he could eat whatever we were having for dinner.  (I did try making baby food once, but he wouldn’t touch it).  So soups came early, then pasta, vegetables, and finally meats.  We don’t force anything on him, we just stay relaxed, enjoy our food and let him choose what he wants to eat from what is on the table.  We’ve never had a problem with this method, he eats a lot.
• Food is a treat - Food, to us, is something special.  We stop our days and enjoy our meals together, eating high quality, tasty food. I learned this after working a short time in Italy.  Everyone stopped what they were doing when they ate.  You never saw people walking down the street with a sandwich or coffee.  There were no calories ingested without thought.  I do still sometimes eat on the go, but I try to make meals a special occasion as often as possible.  I think our child sees this enjoyment and emulates us.  If food is just sustenance, there isn’t any reason to be adventurous.  This is a personal thing.  Some people really enjoy food, some people are into other things.

I can’t promise that doing these things will make a child an adventurous eater.  Even foodies have picky kids. But perhaps these ideas can be food for thought. And here’s one more story:

Oliver never ate cheese.  I’d offer it to him on bread or alone and he’d always hand it back.  I figured he just didn’t like cheese.  But then last week, we went to France and came home with a cooler of the stinkiest, yummiest, French cheeses we could get our hands on.  Oliver was all over them.  He tried all of the cheeses and asked for seconds and even thirds.  If he doesn’t like German cheese, I don’t know what he’s going to think of American cheese!

There is something he won’t eat.  Jello.  If we eat jello, he looks at us like we’ve lost our minds.

Do you have picky or adventurous eaters?  How do you handle it?

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I’ve left Oliver for a few hours before, even for almost a full day, but he’s never spent a night without me.  I was a little worried how the weekend would go.  Was my husband going to be up two nights in a row with our inconsolable son? But I was only going to be an hour and a half away and I really wanted to go to the expat bloggers in Germany meetup that was taking place in Munich.  A Macedonian friend, who tells me that extended breastfeeding is common and never went out of fashion in her homeland, warned us that my husband was going to have a couple of very rough nights.  I thought, at the very worst, he could pack up the car and join me in Munich.

I left Friday morning and the day went well.  Rainer complained a little that he was always having to get Oliver little snacks or drinks throughout the day.  My aunt had also mentioned during her visit that whenever I went to sit down, I was having to get up again to go to the kitchen for something.  “Welcome to my world!” I said.

Oliver took to calling my husband, “Mama,” so apparently “Mama” is just the name for whoever he determines is the primary caretaker!  (He does call me “Nina” when I don’t answer to “Mama,” so he understands that that isn’t my name.)  Falling asleep went without a hitch, although Rainer thinks he may have fallen asleep before Oliver.  Oliver woke once during the night, got up and looked in all the rooms, then lay down in the hallway crying.  Rainer picked him up and took him back to bed and he went right back to sleep.

My husband is the less enthusiastic of us about cosleeping (he does still like it though), and usually wants me to get Oliver to sleep in his own bed, which is next to ours.  Oliver loves his bed and is quite happy to sleep there, but Rainer had Oliver sleep together with him in the big bed while I was gone.  I was a little surprised by this, and am starting to think Rainer may just be a closet cosleeper who doesn’t want to admit to how much he likes it.

The rest of the weekend went similarly, the next night, the same thing happened.  Oliver woke once, went looking for me, cried, then went to sleep again.  We talked 3-4 times a day on the phone and he was happy to hear from me, saying only, “Mama… mama” on the phone, but he didn’t cry at all.

In our last breastfeeding session before I left, I really concentrated on remembering everything about the moment.  I knew there was a chance that this could be the last time Oliver breastfed.  I was sad and realized that even though I occasionally get annoyed with his still very frequent breastfeeding, I wasn’t really ready to give it up yet. I figured on my return, I wouldn’t offer, but I wouldn’t deny.  I’d just see what Oliver wanted to do.

During the trip, my breasts didn’t feel sore at all until Saturday night, or about 20 hours after breastfeeding.  I hand-expressed into one of the hotel glasses and poured the milk down the sink.

I arrived home on Sunday afternoon and found I didn’t need to worry about weaning.  As soon as I sat down, Oliver climbed into my lap and lifted my shirt.  He spent much of the rest of the day on the breast.  I was glad to find that he wasn’t ready to wean either.

How was your first extended time away from your child?  Did it go how you expected?  Or have you chosen not to separate?

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I mentioned yesterday that I use hand expression at times. I first learned how to do this when I wanted to increase my supply because I found out that breast compressions/massage coupled with my pump could increase output. I noticed a significant difference between when I did massage and when I didn’t (to the tune of two or more ounces per breast).

There are two well known techniques for hand expression— Marmet and Stanford. The primary difference between the two is hand placement. I found the Stanford technique to be the one that worked the best for me, but I have used both at various times.

One nice thing about knowing how to hand express was that even if I was without my pump, I could relieve pressure. Certainly I would be sad to see it go to waste (liquid gold people!), but there is only so much misery one can take!

When I started nursing less and traveling more (basically June 2009), I stopped packing my pump. The first time I had to relieve pressure. The second time, I did not feel anything. This time, I also have not expressed any milk other than one night to see if there was any there!

Another use for hand expression is prior to a woman’s milk coming in, if she is having trouble getting her baby to latch, she could express in to a spoon and feed the colostrum to the baby! I find that amazing by the way!

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Equipment
A pump. I used the Medela Pump-in-Style Advance (PISA). I actually purchased the backpack version from a local hospital, because it was the pump my aunt used and I could get service/parts in Germany (where The Boy was born). The PISA is dual phase to more closely mimic a baby’s nursing pattern, but there are alternative pumps available that do the same. It is important to check that the flanges for your pump are the right size for your breasts. Medela has a sizing guide on their website, but for the most part, you want your nipple and part of your areola to enter the flange. If your entire breast is being sucked in, the flange is too large. If only the nipple is being pulled in, your flange is too small.

Um, yeah. That’s the equipment. Other optional equipment includes extra bottles, a little cooler with ice pack, extra flanges, and a hands-free bra or kit. None of these items is required and many come with the pump, depending on which pump you purchase.

My #1 tip
RELAX! If you do not relax, you will probably struggle. I could tell the difference between when I truly relaxed and when I just went to pump because I had to. I am not talking about an ounce of difference. For me, it was up to four ounces of difference!

How did I relax?
Truthfully, it was hard to do at times. There were people in and out of the sitting room portion of the lockerroom. I pumped in a convention center sitting room just outside a restroom where tons of people walked through all day. These are not easy relaxing situations! None the less, some things that did work for me include listening to relaxing music (thank you ipod), sit in silence and focus on The Boy, visualize the milk flowing out of me (do not laugh!), look at pictures of The Boy, and deep breathing exercises.

When to Pump
When I first had The Boy I had no clue and had to ask a friend this very question! What I found out in time, through trial and error and some research on the side was that pumping in the early morning is most productive due to the hormones in the body. Early on, I was not that dedicated. I would pump for ten minutes after the morning feed where I was willing to get out of bed. Also, any time I wanted to leave the house alone, I would nurse The Boy so he’d finish approximately twenty minutes before I needed to leave, pump for ten minutes, and then dash out the door. OK. I cleaned my pump first.

Once I went back to work, I nurse The Boy prior or at drop-off, pump three times (10, 12, 2) and then nurse immediately at pickup. In the end, he reverse-cycled and I had excess milk from pumping, which allowed me to stop pumping earlier than I might have (or maybe not…I developed a love-hate relationship with my pump around 13 months) and still give The Boy breastmilk instead of cow’s milk.

Trips away from home— now that’s an entirely different post! Oh the places I have pumped…and at STRANGE hours too!

Different people have different schedules, however, and it might take you a while to find what works best for you. Experiment and don’t get discouraged!

Something to Remember
Your baby is far more efficient than a pump at removing your milk— in part due to his structural make up and in part due to how you relax to nurse him— so don’t be discouraged if the first few times you only get an ounce or less.

A Word or Fifty to the Wise
Unless you absolutely have no milk stored and must have a bottle in a certain amount of time, do NOT pump after each and every session. This will increase your supply and lead to oversupply issues. Trust me. You do not want to go there!

A couple of Additional Resources
Dr. Jack Newman on Kellymom Re: Expressing Milk
Video on Pumping from About.com (I do not agree with everything the lady says, but the proper placement and positioning of the pump is helpful!

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Not significantly.  The last couple months, I have started wondering about weaning.  Oliver still breastfeeds similarly to how he did at 19 months.  If we’re out and about, he doesn’t usually ask, but if we’re home, he wants the booby every 1-2 hours.  Actually, if we’re out and I sit down, he often wants the breast too.  I’ve started trying to deter him, like when we were at the bank opening a savings account for him, this just didn’t feel like an appropriate time.  Sometimes he’s okay with this and just goes on to something else, and sometimes he throws a temper tantrum if he can’t have the booby right then and there.

I don’t think weaning will be happening any time soon, at least from his side.  He can be demanding, which makes me wonder if I should just wean, but I’m not sure if life would really be easier if he didn’t breastfeed.  He wouldn’t have that outlet for comfort and stress relief.  Sure, he’d find other outlets, but I might be dealing with more temper tantrums too, not something I really want to replace breastfeeding with.  I also don’t want to damage his trust in me by forcing weaning on him.  Sometimes I’m shocked by just how much he trusts me.  He jumps off walls and into pools, completely trusting that I’ll catch him.  While not uncommon, I’ve seen kids that don’t trust their parents enough to do these things (it could just be a personality thing too).  I don’t want to do anything that could lesson his trust in me, I’m honored by it.

Oliver also doesn’t sleep through the night without feeding yet, and instead of decreasing, his frequency of waking has seemed to increase lately.  If I’m at the computer working, I can expect 2-3 visits from him after his bedtime and before I even get into bed.  We’ll be spending our first night apart in three weeks, two nights in fact, when I go to a blogger meetup in Munich for the weekend.  I have no idea how this is going to go over.  Maybe he’ll be fine with me gone and just accept the fact that there’s no booby.  Or maybe he’ll be inconsolable (I really hope not, for everyone’s sake).  Perhaps this pressure I’m putting on him not to breastfeed sometimes is the reason for his increased night frequency.  Maybe it’s making him a little insecure.

Still, I’m pretty happy with breastfeeding, and feel the benefits outweigh the costs at this point.  But I’ve reached my goal of two years, now we’re just taking things one day at a time.

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Before we left for Milan, I was a bit anxious about nursing a toddler on the flights and abroad.  I was used to how nursing a two year old was seen in my every day life— primarily in Tulsa and Minnesota. I have a great support system and know The Boy’s rights well. Going to a new country though? For some reason I was a bit anxious about that.

Like many things in my time as a parent, I was worried for no reason. Not once did I notice anyone giving me a strange look. Not once did anyone mention to me that I should not nurse my toddler. For that matter, I received nothing but support from those around me. I am not sure if it is because a nursing toddler is quiet on a long journey or if they simply did not care one way or the other, but the flights were without incident, and so was our time in Italy.

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