Art used to be beautiful paintings and photographs. Now it is poop stained "splatter art" in my cloth diapers.
And I gotta say, I find it just as interesting! :) If there is a large enough interest, I'll post photos of the "art" I am surrounded by. LOL!!
Monday, February 27, 2012
Saturday, February 25, 2012
Self Image After Baby 101
So today I was on a search for some long sleeved shirts. I truly couldn't remember what I had stashed away when I packed my pre-maternity clothes away last spring. Well, what the heck, I thought. Let's pull a box down and see what we find. Sure enough I came across a whole stack of long sleeved shirts, but more importantly I came across my pre-pregnancy, pre-mama identity. "Oh yeah! I remember being that girl!"
It is amazing how much clothing and accessories inform our identity. Maybe they shouldn't, but they do. Pregnancy and motherhood is a transition in so many ways. But how often do we look at the role our clothes play in that transition? Think about it... you get pregnant, your body slowly starts to morph and as it does, so does your wardrobe. For me, I had to get my maternity wardrobe on a budget, so I couldn't be real picky. It was garage sales for me! The wardrobe I had was functional, but it was not an accurate reflection of my self image. So when I came across these pre-maternity long sleeved shirts, it was like someone giving me a mirror to see my past self.
When I thought about incorporating these old/new articles back into my wardrobe, I got real excited. "I get to be that girl again! Only better! Changed." I'll never be that girl again entirely. I've exprienced growing a new life inside myself; I've experienced bringing that new life to the outside world and I have become a mother. These things can not be reversed. So how does one reconcile the self that was with the self that is. I can't answer that for everyone, but I can answer it for myself. Happily. The person I was, she was pretty cool but she was nothing compared to this new self. I feel like as I wear these old clothes, I will step into my old self but bring my mama self with me.
Clothes help us articulate to the outer world who we are, but another part of self image is the body. How I view my body has changed drastically since before becoming pregnant. I realized this when I checked myself out in the bathroom mirror after putting on a pair of old pajama pants and a long sleeved shirt. Before being pregnant, I always thought I was fat, most especially around my belly. Looking in the mirror today, I marveled at how slim I am! Even though I haven't lost all the baby weight, I still view myself as slimmer than before I was pregnant. And that got me thinking... why is that? Because I've seen what my body can do. I appreciate my body so much more because I've seen it's power. I've seen it morph and stretch to hold my baby. I've seen it morph and stretch to remove my baby!
Things that never had a purpose before, suddenly have the most important purpose in the entire universe. How can one not be in awe of that? How can one's body image not change? Some moms have a hard time reconciling their new body with their old body. Maybe I am having an easier time because I wasn't a big fan of my body before pregnancy. Or maybe women are taught by society to ignore our own inherent power. Of course body image would be hard to reconcile if we don't allow ourselves to see our own power. As a good friend of mine has said (and I am paraphrasing), the entire universe resides within us women. We can expand to infinity. That is power. That is love.
And I love me.
Kijjet
It is amazing how much clothing and accessories inform our identity. Maybe they shouldn't, but they do. Pregnancy and motherhood is a transition in so many ways. But how often do we look at the role our clothes play in that transition? Think about it... you get pregnant, your body slowly starts to morph and as it does, so does your wardrobe. For me, I had to get my maternity wardrobe on a budget, so I couldn't be real picky. It was garage sales for me! The wardrobe I had was functional, but it was not an accurate reflection of my self image. So when I came across these pre-maternity long sleeved shirts, it was like someone giving me a mirror to see my past self.
Clothes help us articulate to the outer world who we are, but another part of self image is the body. How I view my body has changed drastically since before becoming pregnant. I realized this when I checked myself out in the bathroom mirror after putting on a pair of old pajama pants and a long sleeved shirt. Before being pregnant, I always thought I was fat, most especially around my belly. Looking in the mirror today, I marveled at how slim I am! Even though I haven't lost all the baby weight, I still view myself as slimmer than before I was pregnant. And that got me thinking... why is that? Because I've seen what my body can do. I appreciate my body so much more because I've seen it's power. I've seen it morph and stretch to hold my baby. I've seen it morph and stretch to remove my baby!
And I love me.
Wednesday, February 22, 2012
Sunday, February 19, 2012
15 Fun Facts About My Kids - February 2012
The Feminist Breeder did an awesome little post today, sharing 15 fun facts about her kiddos. You can read it here! I thought it was an excellent idea and wanted to dive into the same pool of awesomeness. :)
First though, my kids need names. (Of course, they have names already - they just don't have blog names and I feel strange using their real names on such a public forum). So, my newest babe we shall call Nugget, because he is our lil nugget. My 12 year old step son will be dubbed Zippo, due to his love of starting fires (literally) and my 14 year old step daughter we shall dub Burst because she is so high energy she sometimes bursts (literally).
Nugget, Zippo and Burst. Yes, I think I like these names! On to the 15 fun facts!
1. Nugget grunts all the time. He grunts in his sleep, he grunts while he eats, he grunts just because. And I have to say it is truly the cutest thing ever.
2. Zippo has been really into telling super corny jokes lately, real groaners. And he tells them specifically because they are groaners.
3. Burst has created a new language with her friends. Words get shortened to their first syllable and then repeated. So instead of hearing "Pass the Butter" at the table we hear "Pa Pa the Bu Bu." Despite the slight annoyance factor because we have no idea what she is saying, it's pretty funny that a 14 year old would make such a language.
4. Nugget is trying to figure out so hard how to reach for his favorite teal colored duckie. Any day now, my little 6 week old will be grabbing on to toys!
5. Zippo has started his teenage years early and will sleep until 2pm if we let him. He has always been a sleeper though. Even when he was much younger, he loved sleeping in. Not sure how we'll wake him up when he truly gets into his teenager stage!
6. Burst wears the most mismatched outfits ever and I have to say I really admire her style. I've never been able to be that brave with my fashion choices.
7. Nugget almost always sneezes 4 times in a row. He never has the single sneeze, nope it's achoo-achoo-achoo-achoo for my little guy!
8. Zippo loves to create the things he needs. The other day he bought candles for his candle holder and when he got home he realized his candles were too skinny to fit. So of course, he goes down in the basement, uses a drill bit and makes himself an appropriately sized candle holder in a new piece of wood.
9. Burst has been surprising us lately with random acts of kindness. The other day she found her dad and I crashed out on the bed with Nugget between us. It was near dinner time but instead of waking us up and demanding to know when dinner will be ready (which she has been known to do on occasion) she made dinner for everyone! It was a great surprise to wake up to!
10. Nugget has the most alert eyes I've ever seen on a baby! That is when he is awake! He seems to be a mix of Zippo and Burst - when he is awake he is full of energy and so alert & when he is asleep he is really out.
11. Zippo collects everything!! And he has plans for everything he collects. He has been collecting dryer lint and pet hair so he can make a body pillow. I am hoping that by the time he saves enough, he'll realize how gross a lint and hair pillow would be!!
12. Burst has a certain "grace" about her, in that she has very little physical grace at all. Sometimes it can be quite irksome because it means she runs into walls or accidentally breaks things, in her endless quest to go about life as quickly as possible. Other times it is quite endearing because of the hilarity it causes!
13. Nugget smiles every morning when he wakes up and sees me. And this just melts my heart every day!
14. Zippo could probably beat all of us in a game of trivia. That kid contains way too much information. I simply don't know where in the world he stores it all!
15. Burst loves her music, and I mean LOVES! There are very few moments when we see her without her headphones in. Sometimes I simply can't believe this full-blown teenager is the same sweet 9 year old girl that'd wait up past her bed time so I could say good night. How quickly the years go.
Alright - there you have it! My 15 fun facts about my kiddos. Hope you enjoyed!
First though, my kids need names. (Of course, they have names already - they just don't have blog names and I feel strange using their real names on such a public forum). So, my newest babe we shall call Nugget, because he is our lil nugget. My 12 year old step son will be dubbed Zippo, due to his love of starting fires (literally) and my 14 year old step daughter we shall dub Burst because she is so high energy she sometimes bursts (literally).
Nugget, Zippo and Burst. Yes, I think I like these names! On to the 15 fun facts!
1. Nugget grunts all the time. He grunts in his sleep, he grunts while he eats, he grunts just because. And I have to say it is truly the cutest thing ever.
2. Zippo has been really into telling super corny jokes lately, real groaners. And he tells them specifically because they are groaners.
3. Burst has created a new language with her friends. Words get shortened to their first syllable and then repeated. So instead of hearing "Pass the Butter" at the table we hear "Pa Pa the Bu Bu." Despite the slight annoyance factor because we have no idea what she is saying, it's pretty funny that a 14 year old would make such a language.
4. Nugget is trying to figure out so hard how to reach for his favorite teal colored duckie. Any day now, my little 6 week old will be grabbing on to toys!
5. Zippo has started his teenage years early and will sleep until 2pm if we let him. He has always been a sleeper though. Even when he was much younger, he loved sleeping in. Not sure how we'll wake him up when he truly gets into his teenager stage!
6. Burst wears the most mismatched outfits ever and I have to say I really admire her style. I've never been able to be that brave with my fashion choices.
7. Nugget almost always sneezes 4 times in a row. He never has the single sneeze, nope it's achoo-achoo-achoo-achoo for my little guy!
8. Zippo loves to create the things he needs. The other day he bought candles for his candle holder and when he got home he realized his candles were too skinny to fit. So of course, he goes down in the basement, uses a drill bit and makes himself an appropriately sized candle holder in a new piece of wood.
9. Burst has been surprising us lately with random acts of kindness. The other day she found her dad and I crashed out on the bed with Nugget between us. It was near dinner time but instead of waking us up and demanding to know when dinner will be ready (which she has been known to do on occasion) she made dinner for everyone! It was a great surprise to wake up to!
10. Nugget has the most alert eyes I've ever seen on a baby! That is when he is awake! He seems to be a mix of Zippo and Burst - when he is awake he is full of energy and so alert & when he is asleep he is really out.
11. Zippo collects everything!! And he has plans for everything he collects. He has been collecting dryer lint and pet hair so he can make a body pillow. I am hoping that by the time he saves enough, he'll realize how gross a lint and hair pillow would be!!
12. Burst has a certain "grace" about her, in that she has very little physical grace at all. Sometimes it can be quite irksome because it means she runs into walls or accidentally breaks things, in her endless quest to go about life as quickly as possible. Other times it is quite endearing because of the hilarity it causes!
13. Nugget smiles every morning when he wakes up and sees me. And this just melts my heart every day!
14. Zippo could probably beat all of us in a game of trivia. That kid contains way too much information. I simply don't know where in the world he stores it all!
15. Burst loves her music, and I mean LOVES! There are very few moments when we see her without her headphones in. Sometimes I simply can't believe this full-blown teenager is the same sweet 9 year old girl that'd wait up past her bed time so I could say good night. How quickly the years go.
Alright - there you have it! My 15 fun facts about my kiddos. Hope you enjoyed!
 |
| Burst, Zippo and Nugget meeting for the very first time! |
Saturday, February 18, 2012
Breastfeeding Bliss
Typing one handed while I cuddle my lil nugget this perfect Saturday morning. I never knew joy could be so encompassing.
Friday, February 17, 2012
Why I Cloth Diaper
I am a proud mama to a baby boy who is almost 6 weeks old! The nugget is growing fast! We knew before I even got pregnant that we wanted to cloth diaper. It just makes sense to us... always has. On top of that, we have been VERY fortunate to receive a massive supply of used cloth diapers from a friend, making the decision to cloth diaper a no-brainer.
My main reason to cloth diaper is this shuddering fear and grotesque imagery that happens whenever I think of all those disposable diapers being tossed into landfills the world over. It takes 550 years for a disposable diaper to decompose and that is assuming it hasn't been stuffed into a plastic bag, stuffed inside another plastic bag, stuffed inside... you get the picture. 550 years. I mean, really think about that. If you throw a disposable diaper away today, it will finish decomposing in the year 2562. Babies poop a lot; that's a lot of diapers sitting around for a long time. Now there usually aren't too many counter arguments to this one. I mean, what can you say to this? "They give landfills a nice aroma." Yeah, who would say that. Usually people just nod their head at this reason and wait patiently for your next reason (because apparently this one isn't enough).
So I move on to my number two reason (hehe, get it... number two). I have psoriasis. Had it since I was 15. For those that don't know what it is, it is an auto-immune disease that causes severe dry skin in the form of plaques. A side effect of having psoriasis is that I think about skin all the time. I think about what I put on my own skin, how sensitive it is, which products hurt, which products help. And of course, when you have a baby all the worries you have for yourself you also have for the baby (but intensified). Disposable diapers contain TONS of chemicals that the companies really don't have to share with us. Their absorbent power isn't magical, folks. No, just a few short layers from you baby's brand new skin is an entire science laboratory. Sorry, but I don't want all those chemicals so close to my baby. Some might think I am being overly cautious, but I am not. Skin is porous. Things you put on your skin, yeah, they get soaked in.
There are a slew of other reasons we could talk about too, like how babies tend to get diaper rash less with cloth diapers or how they tend to potty train faster because they can actually feel when they've wet themselves or how cloth diapers are way cuter than disposables. And of course, another big one... cost. Yes, cloth diapers seem expensive upfront (unless you are lucky like us and got someone's entire old stash). But in the long run, even if you spend a few hundred dollars on a good stash of cloth diapers, you are saving BIG bucks over the years.
Usually people will counter with "but you use so much more water, is it really cheaper or better for the environment?" Um, yes. You do tons of laundry with a new baby anyway. When I wash my diapers, I put just the diapers through a rinse cycle to get all the poo off (breast milk poop is water soluble, folks) then I add any additional laundry we have and run everything through a wash cycle. I use the most of the water we use. Now, I've only been cloth diapering a short while so I can't give concrete numbers on the difference in my utility bill but I'll take a few added dollars to my water or electric bill over disposables any day. And think about it, so much more energy and water is used to make and transport the disposable diapers you pick up at the store. A few extra loads of laundry a week doesn't hold a candle to the manufacturing operations for disposable diapers.
And if all this still hasn't convinced the person (in my pretend conversation) to convert to cloth diapering, I smack them with this last, irrefutable argument...
Buying disposable diapers is a CHORE! "Ugh, honey, can you pick up some diapers on your way home? We are almost out again. *sigh*" Buying cloth diapers is like freaking CHRISTMAS!!! "Oh my gosh! I can't wait for my funky monkey diaper to get here! That print is so freaking cute! And I'll be able to call my lil' nugget a monkey butt every time he wears it! *glee*"
Seriously, it is an irrefutable argument.
Wednesday, February 15, 2012
Your First Month - In Review
You were born January 8th, little nugget. And while I will save telling that story for a different day, I want to talk about all the grand adventures we had during your first month. It was a month of learning. I was learning how to understand you, how to take care of you and you were learning, well... everything!
You were so little when we first brought you home. And you had such an owie rash on your face. It made us worried enough that we took you to see the doctor the first week you were home. He said you had atypical dermatisis which is doctor speak for "not normal skin" aka a rash. He wanted me to put Vaseline on your face before I breastfed you, but your mama knows a think or two about skin and there was no way I was putting a petroleum based product on my new little one! So we opted to put lanolin on your face instead. Boy, you didn't like that. You would squirm every time. I think you were saying "Really mom? I'm hungry, we don't have time for this goop!" But... the lanolin did work and a week later your rash was better.
You also had quite the adventure with your umbilical cord. The hospital forgot to take the clamp off! Your midwife was very upset that they forgot! We had the doctor take it off when we had your rash looked at. But after your umbilical cord fell off, your poor belly button took a long time to heal. Your midwife gave us Goldenseal powder to put on your belly button and that seemed to help, but it would make your cloths so dirty.
This month you also learned how to breastfeed. You were a very good little eater... when you were awake. But keeping you awake was quite the chore! We were trying to get my milk to come in, so your midwife had me feeding your every two hours on the dot and she wanted me to feed you for about 30 minutes. We would start out good, but you'd fall asleep 5 minutes into the feeding. I did everything to keep you awake! You only wore a diaper for two days because the only way I could keep you awake was to keep you kind of cold. Sometimes I even had to take a wet washcloth to your head or legs! Oh, I felt so bad. You would get so upset but I knew it was for your own good. Eventually my milk came in and you started to let us know when you were hungry, so we put cloths on you again. But I do have to say, I loved our skin-on-skin cuddle time. After the hard experience of your birth, it was good to have that bonding time with you.
Your first month was a good one. You grew SO much. And I loved seeing you change and learn. I also loved all the little grunting sounds you would learn how to make. By the end of the month, you were quite the grunter. Every experience required a different type of grunt. Now that you are in your second month, you are starting to make "oohs" and "aahs" and smiles!
Don't grow up too fast, my lil' nugget.
Love,
Mama
Cuddles
Baby,
I love cuddling with you so much. Truly I can't even express how much mama loves her cuddles with you. If I could hold you forever, I would. The sound of your breath, in and out. The flitter of your eyelids as you drift into dreamland. The miniature perfection of your tiny hands as you hold on to me. There is nothing that fills my soul more than these things.
I feel the warmth of your body mingle with mine and in that moment, I sense our souls meeting. With a Goddess-forged steel chain, my soul is linked to yours. Unbreakable, always present and of divine creation.
Baby,
I love cuddling with you so much.
Love,
Mama
I love cuddling with you so much. Truly I can't even express how much mama loves her cuddles with you. If I could hold you forever, I would. The sound of your breath, in and out. The flitter of your eyelids as you drift into dreamland. The miniature perfection of your tiny hands as you hold on to me. There is nothing that fills my soul more than these things.
I feel the warmth of your body mingle with mine and in that moment, I sense our souls meeting. With a Goddess-forged steel chain, my soul is linked to yours. Unbreakable, always present and of divine creation.
Baby,
I love cuddling with you so much.
Love,
Mama
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)
