Great Christmas Stockings!

Hand made, and reasonably priced too! No, I didn't make them. I knitted my son a stocking after he was born (8 years ago), back when my knitting skills were not so good. I always intended to make all my kids a stocking, but after my son's turned out so poorly (it functions, but isn't too pretty) I held off making any for the girls as they came along.

Last year, I saw some adorable stockings at Bruce's Etsy Store and decided to just buy some of his. So when our baby came along this year, I decided I'd just get her stocking to match her sisters. I'm most pleased with these as they remind me of the Christmas doilies my grandmother made to decorate her house. I'm certain had she thought to crochet stockings (which as far as I know she never did) that they would have looked something like Bruce's.

Home Birth Battle Cry

I'm borrowing this from Gloria Lemay's blog...cause I love the song that was used in this video. Admittedly, I don't know all too much about the details of the various rallies featured in the video, but I can say the contrast between the home birth pictures and the "medicalized" births were stark...and made me sad...and kind of angry for those who could have had better, more peaceful births if they'd only known it was possible.

Important to note...I wish home birth for those who would/ could benefit from it...but I don't condemn or begrudge anyone who doesn't home birth. I just think the experience and outcomes are so awesome, I wish more mother's c/would choose it.

There's a word for this I'm sure...

Several months ago I got my renewal notice for my license in the mail. I dutifully highlighted the expiration date on my calender (Nov. 30, 2009), and pulled out my professional file and took stock of the number of continuing education units I'd earned. However, I only mentally calculated the credits from the year 2009, and didn't pay any attention to the ones from 2008.

I concluded that I was shy 20 credits (when in reality I had already completed 30 in 2008...which still count). I agonized for over a month, wanting to get in some time to work on more CEU's...but never got to do more than three hours.

Tonight, as the dreaded "expired" date rolled around I was utterly forlorn.
-No, it's not like I'm still working as a nurse
-I don't plan on going back to work in the next year
-I might not even go back in the next ten years

....but I worked hard to get that license and it's comforting to know I have it to fall back on should I need to. It was not a settling feeling when I thought I was going to have to renew as inactive (which means I pay the dues, but fall under the delinquent "naughty" nurse section) and wouldn't be allowed to practice till I caught up again.

I couldn't put off the renewal any longer...I had hoped to finish my CEU's before renewal so I could simply check that box for being qualified to remain "active". However, as the days just keep being busier and busier, I never got to sit down, read, study, and test. So, I resolved to at least keep my license from lapsing completely.

With 20 minutes till the midnight deadline, I paid my dues, online (of course)...and as I did, I double checked my professional folder, and CEU credit requirements...and realized it didn't need to be 30 from this past year...but 30 from the past two years...oh goodness! Aren't you glad I'm not actually working as a nurse anymore! I can't even keep on top of something so simple as that!

And like I mentioned earlier, I did 30 credits in March of 2008, so I was good to go all along.

So now I've got 40 CEU's under my belt...just don't ask me to tell you what they were about.

Happy Thanksgiving!

From our family to yours...

HAPPY THANKSGIVING!

Baby pictures 2 months old

The baby is now two months old.

I made her baptismal gown, and her Nana made the pretty blanket.

Our Moby Wrap

Of all the baby things you can buy...and there are so many, I am pleased with our Moby wrap. It is surprisingly comfortable! It's best to put it on before you leave the house, so you don't have to content with dragging the straps through the mud. I thought the stretchy fabric would make this sag, but it's pretty snug. The baby feels very secure. And the extra fabric around my body actually feels nice in this chilly weather.

I can tuck her arms and head in after she falls asleep, and she gets to keep her legs out straight...and I can save my arms and back a little wear and tare.

Now, 7 weeks old, she weighs 12 lbs and 13 oz, and measures 23"

Not your mama's clothe diaper

I love clothe diapers...and there are so many choices today. I must share some of the soft fluffy stuff I've been using lately.

For night times nothing beats the bomb proof aristocrat wool soaker. It's a pull on, which is the only thing I can find to complain about it. However, what it lacks in immediate changing convenience is made up for in it's power protection it gives to my super soaking baby all night long. As baby is beginning to sleep longer, and more sleepy even during night nursing (as in she's just awake enough to nurse, but doesn't require anything else), the aristocrat is my new best friend.

But a close second place is the newly revamped Stacinator by Happy Heiny. Several years ago Stacinator made a bomb proof felted wool version of this cover. I loved them so much, as they had it all! Full coverage, all night long thickness, and easy off capacity. However, then Stacinator was sold and the line was revamped with different priorities in production. Finally, they've come close to meeting the level of protection the old covers offered, with the new double yarn knit fabric in this melon stacinator. However, I must caution this version is still new and not all the stacinators being sold today are this thick. So, if you need one of these, I recommend contacting the retailer to ensure you're getting one of the brand new ones. I recently bought several "new" stacinators that are not as thick as this melon one, and which are clearly last year's model. They still work well enough as day time covers though, so they have a home with me. However, I'd much rather have gotten the thick ones than the older, thinner ones.

Diapers are fun...no really! This new clover t-shirt diaper fits nicely, and really is more stretchy than the velour model (that was recently discontinued and revamped). It's still too early for a full review on these, but I do like these thus far. This one is the watermelon version. The color combinations are fun!

On a whole, all the diapers and covers I use are t-shirt soft or softer...no more polyester or plastic like pants for us, no way!

Etsy Baby Shower Elise Hooper's Shop

My third gift arrived the other day, a cute little lovey blanket by Elise Hooper Designs.

It's really cute! The baby likes too.

If you want one too, she's listed another here.

A paragraph I tell ya!

My son showed me his sign the other day where he expressed his opinions on our television choices. Mind you, it's a weekend and football and ice skating (during an Olympic year) take precedence. Cartoons (especially really bad cartoons) do not get first priority in the cue of things we'll select during our few hours with the boob tube on.

However, this is a significant piece of work for my son, because it's the longest example of writing work he's ever produced completely on his own. I haven't even been able to get him to write a complete sentence on his own up to this point...and then he up and produces this little masterpiece! Amazing example of self directed learning. Self motivation is to be valued and treasured.

Halloween

This year was a bit of a recycled year for us. I've been too busy to make new things. And that's okay, nobody in this neighborhood has seen what we wore last year.

...but there were two new additions to this years' repertoire.

Our little princess

And a soldier from Custer's Last stand...see the arrow?

Etsy Baby Shower LizzyPops Shop Baby Apron

My second gift from the Etsy Baby Shower arrived last week. I'm just getting around to taking a picture of our adorable LizzyPops Shop Aprons. She decided to send me two of them! What a special treat!

It's still much too early for us to be trying solid foods. However, I'm certain these will come in handy when the baby starts grabbing the food off my plate, as she already sits at the table with me most often...you know how it is, baby wakes up and starts crying just as momma is sitting down to eat. These should help keep the food off her cute outfits. However, the aprons are really adorable too.

Etsy Baby Shower Woobie

You may think it strange, but with four children, I've never once had a baby shower. It's not a big deal, it just comes with being extremely introverted, lol.

This month Etsy Kids, a group of Etsy.com merchants who band together to try and promote their goods, arranged a Baby Shower promotion. They enlisted 25 moms and paired them up with four generous merchants each. I got lucky and was able to participate as one of the recipient New moms. Each merchant sends a donated hand made gift.

My first gift has arrived. It's a Woobie, a minky fleece blanket with ribbon tags, and my baby's name embroidered on it. Cute, eh? I think so.

She's a bit small to let me know what she thinks, but my bigger girls like to gingerly put this Woobie on the baby while she's sleeping and awake, so it's a cute way for them to interact with the baby that isn't harmful in anyway. The big girls think that this is cute, and they like to sneak off with it to use with their baby (dolls). It is the perfect size to become a little lovie, and not too much of a burden if she grows attached to this and one day wants to take it with us everywhere.

If you want one too, visit Ribbon Woobie by MyWoobie on Etsy

One Month Old

On Saturday, she turned 1 month old. She weights 10lbs 14oz, is 21.5 inches long, and has a head circumference of 14.25 inches. She can hold her head up while being held up and often arches her back so she can look at things upside down...or stuff on the ceiling.

She's given a few smiles, but seems more difficult to impress than her oldest sister was. On the whole, though, she's not too challenging, and I would rate her as a relatively easy baby.

When in the car, usually she sleeps. Sure, sometimes we'll strap her into the car seat and she'll start to scream, but if she's nursed, and has a clean diaper on, getting the car moving (and stay moving) will lull her to sleep. She's had several trips out in her sling (to get groceries ect). And she impressed everyone with how well she sleeps...and then usually wakes up to make up for it after we get to the car...and I change and nurse her before we set off again.

However, today she was awake through the entire Mass. She never cried, but I'm sure Father could hear her slurping, gulping, and burping as she greedily nursed under cover. I felt like it was very loud, but it probably wasn't that bad. I figure that's better than screaming anyhow.

Boy's Biking

My husband took our son biking this Saturday. Thankfully, they got in their fun filled ride just before the big rain storm rolled in and dumped hours of rain on the whole area.

Did all this tire out the boy? No, it did not.

Multitasking

Is this truly a woman's skill? Are there men out there who can multi-task?

I might not be the best at it, but if there's something I want to get done...or multiple things I want done...where there's will, there is a way.

Here, I'm nursing a baby, knitting a dress, and giving my preschooler her math lesson. The other two kids are at the kitchen table doing school work too. However, this was a few days ago, so I've not mastered getting blog post out in a timely manner as of yet.

This is how things get done

Eventually, one has to get up off the couch (not that's I've been lounging about or anything, but I have been sitting a lot nursing and just holding the baby).

This morning I came downstairs to see my kitchen was beyond needing my attention. Time to get to work, but how do I continue to offer my newborn the confidence of continued closeness to mommy?

Babywearing!

For generations (well perhaps not the most recent generations in America) women have strapped their babies to their bodies in various ways, and gotten back to work. So, it is in my home too. I had a lot of dishes to do, breakfast, lunch, and dinner to make, and laundry that had to get processed. But it doesn't mean I have to put down the baby. Nope, she can stay close by riding on my back while I get the chores done.

Because I love you...

I'm sharing with you the idea for maybe warding off the flu this year. I've been reading a recommendations for Elderberry Extract. So since all the (big) kids had coughs and I was feeling run down last week, we picked up some Sambucus Black Elderberry syrup at the commissary. I couldn't believe they actually had something like this! I thought we were going to have to make a trip to Whole foods...but mercifully, the commissary saved us the extra trip.

Since my initial rush to try this stuff I've read that's it's suppose to be used more like a treatment instead of a prophylactic...but the box gives dosages for both intensive use and daily maintenance, so I'm not really sure if it works as prophylaxis or not.

The girls cough cleared up nicely (though they had had theirs longer than my son) as they eagerly gulped down the yummy elderberry juice. My son, who is resistance of all things fruit has been coaxed to take it almost each day, but sometimes he refuses...and his cough is still lingering, but not as bad as before.

With three kids, the bottle gets used up quickly, so I'm hoping to pick up more and keep it on hand in case we come down with more flu-like (verses the cold) symptoms. Because I don't think this is meant for colds anyhow. Earnestly, I hope I don't have to update this review with a real flu experience. I've been taking it too, but I'm thinking my issues were more likely from engorgement and not so much the start of the flu (though they can feel very similar flu and budding mastitis).

I still have hand sanitizer in the car and have recently added a bottle to the diaper bag. My son was coughing so much at church I felt bad for the folks around us, I was half tempted to pass the sanitizer around so they could cleanse themselves from his germs. I didn't, but we did sanitize our hands before kiss (or handshake) of peace.

Disclaimer: (Thank you Big Brother Government for making sure I'm honest, please note my sarcasm...please forgive me, for I am a blogger)

Sambucus is a product of Nature's Way. http://www.naturesway.com/
I have no affiliation with this company and have not received any sort of perk for reviewing this product...I'm writing about it because I love my family and friends and would want them to know of my experience with elderberry juice.

Mommy Patriots - a call to arms

Mommy Patriots - a call to arms

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I feel called, but am often too fearful. Of course right now I just wish this cup would pass over me.

Up close with the baby

2 weeks, 5 days old...and awake more often.

I'm trying to savor every teeny tiny moment. These little ones do grow so fast.