So, this last week, my mom has mentioned that my darling little girl may be spoiled. She doesn't allow anyone out of her sight while she's awake, or it evokes shrill screams of fear. She's been like this since day one. She would fall asleep, but once in a while she would open her eyes just enough to see if we were still there. If not, she would begin screaming. I don't know what she could be afraid of. The ironic thing is, that she can put herself to sleep, and will only go to sleep now if I am out of the room. Which, don't get me wrong, is pretty neat. Since she can hold her own bottle now, nap time this week has been easier than I ever imagined it could be. I give her a bottle, lay her down (her head is propped up with a pillow- she refuses to sleep flat because of some past reflux problems, and her doctor said the pillow was okay, since she has good head control, can roll over on demand, and can situate her blankets on her own), and shut the door, and go about my business. After about 5-10 minutes, I listen for her, and if it seems like she is asleep, I sneak in, take the bottle, and sneak back out. Easiest nap time ever. It'd be easier bedtime too, if we had a bigger place and she had her own room, so we could do it then, too. But she sleeps in our room, and Daddy goes to bed earlier that she does, so, for now, we have to make do.
Did your child seem to be afraid if you left the room? She can see us 90% of the time, the only time she can't is while we're using the bathroom; but still, if we aren't right there with her, she gets upset. She doesn't get upset when we leave her with a sitter- it's only if she thinks she's alone (or alone enough to scare her).
Friday, October 28, 2011
Tuesday, October 18, 2011
Colder Weather Means A Bundled Baby
Holy moley! It's chilly today. I've been saying for about a week now that at night it smells like winter- the smell of chilly moisture, and people's furnaces running. I made a pork roast last night, and warmed the apartment a little. It would have been better had I baked bread or baklava or something equivalent, but who has time for that? The holidays are almost here, and it's got me thinking about baking a lot of things. My mom and I have decided to have a bi-weekly baking/sewing day, where I can let Daddy and Baby have some bonding time, and I can get a little Mom time, and get some Baklava made (I found a recipe for Chocolate Baklava, and Orange Baklava- both sound awesome. If you'd like the link posted, let me know and I'll get it on here). I also have been wanting to try and find a good recipe for fudge, and have recently learned about Aroniaberries and their health-benefits (superest super fruit of them all, more anti-oxidants than Blueberries or Cranberries) and have been itching to make a white fudge with Aroniaberries, Blueberries, and Cranberries instead of nuts. I came across a recipe with good reviews for an Irish Creme Fudge, which is right up my alley. I have a weakness for Rum Cake also. On top of all of that, I have my traditional recipes that I'd like to get done this year also: Pumpkin Orange Gingerbread, Pumpkin Cheesecake, and who can go without Sugar Cookies? I can't wait until Baby is old enough to have a baking day with me (and Umah of course).
My daughter is a little over 6 months old, so she can't really say many words, but she calls me Mama, and my mom Umah. (I know this because I was at my mom's house when she wasn't home, and Baby kept looking around and saying "uuuuummaaaaah....... Umah? Ummmaaah?" I came to the conclusion that she calls her Umah, which is German for Grandma, which tickles me, because I'd hoped she'd catch on to some of the various languages that frequently fall out of my mouth. I don't really speak anything other than English fluently, but I know quite a bit of Spanish, and can understand a lot of German, French and some Portuguese, and have been working on learning Russian. The earlier they hear other languages, at least in passing, the easier it is supposed to be to teach them later- the goal, being, to speak as much as possible of both. I encourage my friends who speak other languages to talk to her in something other than English, so we'll see how that turns out.
I came to the conclusion that if being a first time parent is really mostly experimentation, then why not experiment with some other things- like shoes for instance. I read somewhere that shoes are now being discouraged for children up to 18 months, or longer, to help the child learn how to use all of the muscles in their feet. It makes sense. Shoes are confining. Plus Baby doesn't really like socks or shoes. We'll see how that turns out. Her cousin, who is 4 months older than Baby, has been wearing shoes since day 1, so I have a fairly controlled test group. Not a large one, just controlled. I'll revisit that in a year and see where we are.
Once we get some sewing days in, I'll be able to start Baby's new crib bedding set. I still can't get over how expensive they are. Even at Wal-mart, which, for me, consistently has some of the lowest prices (Hy-vee being a solid first place), crib bedding sets can cost $70 or more. While I may spend easily $30 on supplies to create the set I've engineered, I'll have a complete set (Blackout Curtains for naptime, a bed skirt, comforter, and a pillow case for when she's old enough for her own pillow, and some sheet sets bought separately to match), and They'll be custom made to fit my daughter's tastes and needs. She rarely sleeps if it's light, she loves fuzzy and satin-y textures, and she loves patterns of stripes or dots. I've tailored my plans to fit her needs, and for me, that's more important than some name on a tag. Isn't that the basic rule of parenting anyway? Tailoring your plans to fit your child?
What kinds of things have you done to fit your kids' needs? What's your favorite holiday recipes? And has anyone else tried some 'experiemental' new-age parenting advice? How'd it turn out for you?
My daughter is a little over 6 months old, so she can't really say many words, but she calls me Mama, and my mom Umah. (I know this because I was at my mom's house when she wasn't home, and Baby kept looking around and saying "uuuuummaaaaah....... Umah? Ummmaaah?" I came to the conclusion that she calls her Umah, which is German for Grandma, which tickles me, because I'd hoped she'd catch on to some of the various languages that frequently fall out of my mouth. I don't really speak anything other than English fluently, but I know quite a bit of Spanish, and can understand a lot of German, French and some Portuguese, and have been working on learning Russian. The earlier they hear other languages, at least in passing, the easier it is supposed to be to teach them later- the goal, being, to speak as much as possible of both. I encourage my friends who speak other languages to talk to her in something other than English, so we'll see how that turns out.
I came to the conclusion that if being a first time parent is really mostly experimentation, then why not experiment with some other things- like shoes for instance. I read somewhere that shoes are now being discouraged for children up to 18 months, or longer, to help the child learn how to use all of the muscles in their feet. It makes sense. Shoes are confining. Plus Baby doesn't really like socks or shoes. We'll see how that turns out. Her cousin, who is 4 months older than Baby, has been wearing shoes since day 1, so I have a fairly controlled test group. Not a large one, just controlled. I'll revisit that in a year and see where we are.
Once we get some sewing days in, I'll be able to start Baby's new crib bedding set. I still can't get over how expensive they are. Even at Wal-mart, which, for me, consistently has some of the lowest prices (Hy-vee being a solid first place), crib bedding sets can cost $70 or more. While I may spend easily $30 on supplies to create the set I've engineered, I'll have a complete set (Blackout Curtains for naptime, a bed skirt, comforter, and a pillow case for when she's old enough for her own pillow, and some sheet sets bought separately to match), and They'll be custom made to fit my daughter's tastes and needs. She rarely sleeps if it's light, she loves fuzzy and satin-y textures, and she loves patterns of stripes or dots. I've tailored my plans to fit her needs, and for me, that's more important than some name on a tag. Isn't that the basic rule of parenting anyway? Tailoring your plans to fit your child?
What kinds of things have you done to fit your kids' needs? What's your favorite holiday recipes? And has anyone else tried some 'experiemental' new-age parenting advice? How'd it turn out for you?
Monday, October 17, 2011
Monday's Almost Over.
...And that's good news here. With a baby who refuses to eat solid foods for Mommy, and refuses nap time, I think I can safely say, I'm glad it's nap time again. I'm going to create the rough draft design of baby's crib set, perhaps have a hot chocolate, and make some carrots, since Baby decided she liked Daddy's carrots....
Does anyone else ever feel like a baby can defy a specific parent, just to spite them? The last few weeks it seems that is what is going on. Maybe it has to do with the fact that I'm the only one who makes her try new things, even if she may not want to. We've been working on getting her to sleep lying flat, since she's been sleeping in a bed that we fondly refer to as a 'banana seat'. It kept her head elevated while she was having problems with Acid Reflux. Now, though, it's making her head too flat, and if she doesn't round out by her 9 month check up in January, her doctor has mentioned baby helmets. Sounds like a bigger pain in the butt for Mom. *sigh* It's just been one of those months.
I'm not saying that she's spiting me, it's just how it seems. But, anyway, I'm off to go and get some Mommy time in before bed time.
Does anyone else ever feel like a baby can defy a specific parent, just to spite them? The last few weeks it seems that is what is going on. Maybe it has to do with the fact that I'm the only one who makes her try new things, even if she may not want to. We've been working on getting her to sleep lying flat, since she's been sleeping in a bed that we fondly refer to as a 'banana seat'. It kept her head elevated while she was having problems with Acid Reflux. Now, though, it's making her head too flat, and if she doesn't round out by her 9 month check up in January, her doctor has mentioned baby helmets. Sounds like a bigger pain in the butt for Mom. *sigh* It's just been one of those months.
I'm not saying that she's spiting me, it's just how it seems. But, anyway, I'm off to go and get some Mommy time in before bed time.
Introductions.....
Hi,
Since I had my darling daughter this April, it's been a whirlwind of new experiences, new worries, and new outrage. The outrage being attributed primarily to the prices of baby items. A bedding set that will be used, at most, for 3 years, can cost at least $70 if you buy new, and with all of the new mom worries (bed bugs, lice, germs, etc) it can be, in a sense, scary to look at everything and keep a cool head. We did get a lot of hand-me-downs, (clothes up to 5T!, bedding that I wasn't crazy about, toys, car seats, exersaucers, and the list goes on). Personally, I think that the prices of baby food and formula are out of control, and I wish I could've (or would have) kept breastfeeding, but I got spooked, and tired (I didn't sleep for more than 2 hours the entire first week she was here; not two hours a day, two hours that week.....I was exhausted!)
I decided a long time ago to make our own baby food, as a lot of parents are, and in that process, and after dealing with some milk and soy protein intolerances, decided to start making some gluten-free things for my boyfriend's sister, who babysits for us while we're both at work, on occasion. I've also gotten into the health craze, and have always had to hide veggies in my boyfriend's food, since he's not a fan of a lot of them.
I was also sitting up, thinking about how when we move I'd like to actually decorate my daughter's room, but the cost of it all is so scary! I decided it can't be terribly hard to make a bedding set for her, and then, I'd get exactly what I want. I came up with a simple design, and will pursue that in the near future. We're still in a one bedroom apartment, currently, but when finances allow, we're hoping to get into a larger place, and then I can do all of the decorating my little heart desires.
So, my idea for this blog is to collectively share my experiences, share some simple ideas that cut costs, and share any cool recipes I find and try out, and that end up being keepers.
Feel free, also, to ask questions, share your own ideas and recipes, and I hope to make a community out of this- I will be making a Facebook page soon, and I'll post a link for that when the time comes.
In the meantime, have a great day, and enjoy the nice weather before it gets too cold to. I've always been more of a summer person, and I tend to stay inside as much as I can in the winter. =}
Since I had my darling daughter this April, it's been a whirlwind of new experiences, new worries, and new outrage. The outrage being attributed primarily to the prices of baby items. A bedding set that will be used, at most, for 3 years, can cost at least $70 if you buy new, and with all of the new mom worries (bed bugs, lice, germs, etc) it can be, in a sense, scary to look at everything and keep a cool head. We did get a lot of hand-me-downs, (clothes up to 5T!, bedding that I wasn't crazy about, toys, car seats, exersaucers, and the list goes on). Personally, I think that the prices of baby food and formula are out of control, and I wish I could've (or would have) kept breastfeeding, but I got spooked, and tired (I didn't sleep for more than 2 hours the entire first week she was here; not two hours a day, two hours that week.....I was exhausted!)
I decided a long time ago to make our own baby food, as a lot of parents are, and in that process, and after dealing with some milk and soy protein intolerances, decided to start making some gluten-free things for my boyfriend's sister, who babysits for us while we're both at work, on occasion. I've also gotten into the health craze, and have always had to hide veggies in my boyfriend's food, since he's not a fan of a lot of them.
I was also sitting up, thinking about how when we move I'd like to actually decorate my daughter's room, but the cost of it all is so scary! I decided it can't be terribly hard to make a bedding set for her, and then, I'd get exactly what I want. I came up with a simple design, and will pursue that in the near future. We're still in a one bedroom apartment, currently, but when finances allow, we're hoping to get into a larger place, and then I can do all of the decorating my little heart desires.
So, my idea for this blog is to collectively share my experiences, share some simple ideas that cut costs, and share any cool recipes I find and try out, and that end up being keepers.
Feel free, also, to ask questions, share your own ideas and recipes, and I hope to make a community out of this- I will be making a Facebook page soon, and I'll post a link for that when the time comes.
In the meantime, have a great day, and enjoy the nice weather before it gets too cold to. I've always been more of a summer person, and I tend to stay inside as much as I can in the winter. =}
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