1 UP

So Halloween... it's not what it once was, but it's still a fun time to dress up and be someone else for a day. I just had to share a picture of our fun this year. Hope you enjoy.

Strange habits of a hording kitten

Following a trail of two or three disposable diapers that we had received as a partial package and were using for travel, up the stairs I was a little confused and wondered what was up. I followed the 'bread crumbs' to the baby's room and looked around.... nothing. I put the few diapers on a shelf under the changing table next to the cloth ones and went on with my day. Later when I went in to change Kaylee's clothes (spit up isn't fun to wear) I was denied access to the changing table

and decided that since I don't have enough arms I would just use the floor to change the poor girl. I spread out a blanket and sat down next to Kaylee and began changing her and I glanced under the crib and found the stash...
I should have known, I've found lost socks and piles of stuffed animals here before, but she's now grabbing rather large bags of diapers in addition to the normal toys and treasures. I'm not sure what the fascination is but it's quite entertaining!

An update on the EC journey. It occurred to me as I was holding Kaylee over a bucket today (so proud of her, she's amazing and doing great at telling us when she has to go) that Jesus was probably EC'd when he was a baby. Just a cool thought that made me smile.

Another quest

So while changing the third diaper within probably a twenty minute span, already fuming about the entitlement/wasteful attitude of American's (good story as to why, but that's another post that probably won't happen as I will sensor myself to avoid hurt feelings- you can ask personally if you want to know) I wondered to myself how people who use disposable diapers do it; and even more how they can live with themselves and what they're doing to the environment. Not to mention the financial cost of being so wasteful. Now I'm not judging them entirely, many people have really good reasons for using those things; and they definitely don't change the baby every time they get wet, but still, that is a lot of diapers. I feel guilty about throwing out the 'disposable' wipe after it's fourth time through the wash and there is barely anything left to it. And as I threw the cloth diaper into the laundry bin and see the growing pile of laundry I also feel the guilt about the water and electricity that it will take to clean the pile. The fact that our HOA won't let us put up a clothes line and we have to use the dryer (not that our HE washer and dryer use much electricity/water but still...) makes me even more upset. I then began to question how people in other countries deal with the waste disposal of their infants. I mean when I visited Haiti no one had any clothes, so I'm pretty sure they didn't just turn to a stack of Huggies when baby needs to poo. So I started doing some research, and found out what I'm sure they probably do and how it makes so much more sense than the torture we put ourselves through here in the states with diapers and then toilet training. They call it EC or Natural Infant Hygiene (lots more links if you're interested let me know) and it's basically potty training your baby from birth.
I joined a few of the Yahoo groups on the subject and have to say I really agree that it's silly to teach a baby to ignore their needs of elimination for the first two years of their lives and then suddenly expect them to change once they reach a socially acceptable age. I know that Kaylee is aware of when she has to go now, and also that she can control it. The fact that she stops once she realizes she's wet and that that is uncomfortable to her (why I change so many diapers in such a short timespan) is evidence of that. I just need to learn her cues a little better (I've figured out the hungry, tired, and wet cues why not learn the pre-wet one?) and then help meet her needs.

The concept is part of the attachment parenting theory of parenting, which as a whole I don't buy into. It does have a few good aspects. I like EC; it makes sense. I think babywearing is great, but don't think that it should be an all the time thing, as most AP people do. I strongly believe that children need to be on their own some. They don't need to be constantly attached to their mother. (Nor do I think they enjoy it- the happiness I see on my little girl's face when I take her out of the sling so she can move around and interact is evidence enough of that for me). I also believe children need structure in order to foster their independence; they shouldn't have a boob stuck in their mouth whenever they cry, but should be fed when they are hungry. They should sleep on their own and not always have to be in bed with mom and dad. I don't think that creating a supportive and loving environment should require parents or children to sacrifice their entire independence. Now these are just my views, I don't expect others to agree. However having these views, makes me not fit in so well with the AP crowd, and my openness to other not so traditional ideas (cloth diapers, babywearing, EC) tends to cast me out of the traditional groups... what's a girl to do?

a second attempt

So I failed miserably at the whole blog thing during the pregnancy. Kaylee is here now and keeping me super busy so I'm not sure that I'm going to get much better at this now, but there is always hope. This motherhood hat is a new learning experience and as I learn I hope to share some of the better experiences here. Already there are a few things I've learned and a few general ideas about life:

• An electric breast pump is definitely worth the investment
• Always drink lots of water
• Eating is a difficult but necessary evil
• Sleep is highly overrated
  
• When baby vomits for 15 hours and refuses to eat it is not a fun experience
• Everything is better when Daddy is home
• Our TV now serves as a $1,500 HD paper weight
  
• When making up lullabies, changing the words to the Canadian national anthem is the best place to start
• No matter what; Kaylee always brings a chicken
• It is impossible to be caught up on laundry
• Advice is sometimes expensive and it is almost always costly
• Puke/Pee/Poopie Happens. Laminate floors are worth every penny.
• HE washer and dryer are also worth every penny!
  
• It is amazing how many different outfits you can build with one pair of pants that actually fit
• What happens when that one pair of pants gets puke, pee and/or poop on them? Never fear--there's always another load of laundry waiting for its turn in the washing machine.
• Crib mobiles are the greatest toys ever invented... for kittens.
• Speaking of kittens: I'm pretty sure ours will now respond not only to Trixie (Trick-Z, if you're from the hood, yo), but also to Trixeno. "Trixie, No!"
• No matter how many items you get for the cats to sleep on, they are always more comfortable in places they know they shouldn't be.
• Real life is nothing like that say it is going to be and nothing you can ever prepare for
• It's a good day if I have showered before 11pm.
  
• Naked time, regardless of the time of day, is good time and is usually necessary after said pants and limited shirts are moved to the wash pile. Side note: We should probably invest in some curtains.
  
• If I am tired enough to actually sleep during nap time, the phone WILL ring.
• Every stuffed animal has a story; even Trixie's pink bunny (not to be confused with the Pink Master).
• High efficiency appliances not only save money, they are also a lot of fun to watch.
• It takes two cars to get enough groceries to last more than two weeks.
• Recipe for healthy mom and baby: Rice, rice with a nice side of rice. Ask about this: It is classic.
• Daddy, even without trusting his baking skills, makes good Monster Cookies.
• Lisa safe food is really hard to come by. Especially when you're out in the world.
  
• Along those sames lines: Alien Gray cookies are just that. Alien and Gray.
• Pumas are outdoor animals.

Moving

Don't believe anyone who tries to convince you that moving when 6 months pregnant is a good idea and so much fun. It's really not as great as they say, the hype is just that... hype. I'm sore and tired and probably giving poor baby brain damage with all of this lifting and cleaning. Just pray that he/she turns out alright in spite of all of this insanity! But the good news is that we have moved everything (essentially) to our new place, and although we can't move it inside yet as we're going to tear out the nasty smelly carpet and put in wood floors, we have it in the garage and the transport part is done. Just have to get the motorcycles moved and we'll be finished. My mom helped me get the kitchen functional yesterday too, so now we can at least eat real food! I was dying the past few days trying to survive on fast food junk. Today we got internet set up so at least I won't go completely crazy, it's not the best deal as Comcast sucks and won't give us the same cable we had before, and now they charge per outlet that they have cable going to, but internet is a start. Hopefully we can figure out how to make the satellite dish work soon so we can watch TV again too. Not that it matters really right now as there is so much else to do and really no place to sit down. Again I send out a plea to anyone who wants to paint, we've got a beautiful purple wall (and a navy blue bathroom) to cover up and I just bought 10 gallons of primer to start. Anyway, that's the update.

Enter Phase 2

We are officially homeowners! (Announcement) Actually, we're really the owners of two houses - so exciting! Now we're entering into phase two - the move and getting a renter into our old house. Oh, and I guess there's also the construction on the new place, but everyone loves patching holes, painting, and tearing out carpet right? Shouldn't be a big deal... I hope.

All in a day's work

Just thought I'd share a little bit of what is going on here, so I'll share my Saturday with you just as an example. In the morning I got up, had breakfast and then re-grouted the bathroom tile. After that I tackled a room in the basement and packed it up completely. Then it was to the kitchen, pack a few more boxes and have lunch. And then I made a wedding cake for a friend of mine. (you can see pictures of the cake here). By the time I was done so was the day so we (J was a lot of help with things, although he worked mostly on different projects throughout the day) turned off the PBR that was playing as background noise/entertainment and went to bed. We left the house by 9 on Sunday to deliver the cake and witness a beautiful wedding. Then bought a refrigerator and returned for more work on the house.... All in a day's work I guess.

Just another day in paradise

If things get any more crazy, I don't know if I will survive! Right now we're in the process of packing to move; preparing our current house for renters; closing on the new house; and life as usual. So needless to say things are a bit stressful. Preparing for baby has barely entered our minds even though the date is quickly approaching. Next month we'll try to focus on picking a name, and just enjoying the joy of pregnancy. We might even move past daily trips to The Home Depot and start going to the grocery store again once and awhile. *Sigh* anyone who wants to come pack, clean, paint or do some construction please give me a call! We could definitely use the help! Oh, also see a few pictures and other news on our website news page www.jereriahandlisa.us/news

The case of the missing belly button

My belly button has disappeared. It's really scary, occasionally it's a little line indentation, other times the place where it once was turns inside out... crazy! I've also decided that this is probably the most traumatic time of this whole ordeal for me. I've become a 'fat girl'. I don't really look pregnant yet, just fat. It's really hard, I can't fit into most of my normal shirts, so I just wear big clothes and people look at me like I'm a fat girl, and I don't really know how to react. I guess it's a lesson, almost like wearing the fat suit, and realizing how differently people do treat you. I've also realized how I perceive people who are overweight, although I tend to view them as prospective clients more than anything else. I've heard that eventually I'll move to the looking pregnant stage, but right now it's just a little challenging.

It's a....

Very active baby! We had the first ultrasound today and got to see the baby in it's home. The little one is very active and looks perfect! Unfortunately the gender is still unknown because despite moving around so much he/she didn't want to reveal all. The pictures show a good view of the head and face, we got to see the mouth opening and closing and beautiful fingers and toes. The Doctor says that everything looks great and that the ETA of June 13th is pretty accurate.

In The Beginning

I'm still not sure about this whole blog thing, but I figure I'll give it a try. Hopefully this will work as a place I can share updates about the going's on of life and the progression and growth of baby Manning.