Monday, October 31, 2011
Tuesday, October 25, 2011
Solids and Schedule: 9.5 month edition
I am blown away by how much and how well my kid eats! She does still gag sometimes when she gets too big of a bite, but she has never choked (knock on wood!), and she pretty much eats whatever I give her. Here is what she ate for lunch the other day:
That is, like, a lot of food! I am totally sold on baby-led solids, at least for Penny. It worked really well for us! The only thing I ever pureed for her was turkey (which was really just finely chopped, not pureed) when she was 7-8 months old. She had trouble swallowing meat, and I wanted to make sure she got enough iron/protein. She handles it much better now and is able to swallow it in bites, along with chicken, pork, ground beef/ground turkey... We did give her some cereals in the first couple months also. I wasn't in love with the idea, but it was a compromise, and I chose the Earth's best ones that are just brown rice and iron or oats and iron. We still stay away from nuts, strawberries, kiwi, honey, citrus, tomatoes, anything very hard, fish/seafood, sugar/sweeteners, egg white, and gluten. Pretty much everything else is game. She drinks water from a sippy cup, regular cup, or straw. And she will use a fork or spoon, but she prefers to use her fingers.
She still nurses well also (although we have cut down to about every 4 hours during the day, and typically only once at night). Here's kind of our rough schedule these days:
6:30/7am wakeup, nurse
8:30 breakfast (always fruit; plus oatmeal/applesauce, plain greek yogurt/applesauce, or egg yolk)
9 or 10am nap, 40-60 mins (varies)
11am nurse (or whenever nap is finished)
12 noon lunch (fruit, veggies, turkey, cheese)
1 or 2pm (ish) nap, an hour or so (varies)
3pm nurse (or whenever nap is finished)
Sometimes we squeeze in another nursing before dinner, esp if naps were short/early.
5:30 dinner (veggies, fruit, meat, etc, modified version of what we're eating)
6:15/6:30 bath, story, pjs, nurse
7/7:30pm bed
sometime between 3 and 5am nurse and back to sleep
Of course, every day does not run like clockwork! Things vary, but that is generally what we are working with. By all means, if Penny wants to nurse more often or comfort nurse, she is the boss!
 |
| Penny's lunch: grapes, cheese, homemade cinnamon applesauce by MomMom, broccoli, pears, turkey |
She still nurses well also (although we have cut down to about every 4 hours during the day, and typically only once at night). Here's kind of our rough schedule these days:
6:30/7am wakeup, nurse
8:30 breakfast (always fruit; plus oatmeal/applesauce, plain greek yogurt/applesauce, or egg yolk)
9 or 10am nap, 40-60 mins (varies)
11am nurse (or whenever nap is finished)
12 noon lunch (fruit, veggies, turkey, cheese)
1 or 2pm (ish) nap, an hour or so (varies)
3pm nurse (or whenever nap is finished)
Sometimes we squeeze in another nursing before dinner, esp if naps were short/early.
5:30 dinner (veggies, fruit, meat, etc, modified version of what we're eating)
6:15/6:30 bath, story, pjs, nurse
7/7:30pm bed
sometime between 3 and 5am nurse and back to sleep
Of course, every day does not run like clockwork! Things vary, but that is generally what we are working with. By all means, if Penny wants to nurse more often or comfort nurse, she is the boss!
Wednesday, October 19, 2011
Tuesday, October 18, 2011
Pinterest to Real Life: Teething Necklaces
Loving these teething necklaces from See Kate Sew. They are so fabulous, I thought I would make some myself. Although, I foresee my little one grabbing this more than chewing on it...
Kate's:
...and mine:
The only change I made was to use glass beads instead of wooden ones, just to be sure that there wouldn't be chemicals.
I like Kate's better. I usually do. Her stuff is always so fabulous. If you don't already follow her, you definitely should. Like now. Go.
These would be great for shower gifts or b'day/Christmas/etc. gifts for all of the fabulous mamas in your life.
For more Pinterest to Real Life posts, check out the link party at Simple Organic.
Kate's:
...and mine:
 |
I like Kate's better. I usually do. Her stuff is always so fabulous. If you don't already follow her, you definitely should. Like now. Go.
These would be great for shower gifts or b'day/Christmas/etc. gifts for all of the fabulous mamas in your life.
For more Pinterest to Real Life posts, check out the link party at Simple Organic.
Monday, October 17, 2011
Perfect Fall Weekend
Our kitchen is about 85-90% finished, my husband is finally finished traveling for the time being (he's been gone for part of each week for the last month!), and we had gorgeous fall weather, so we decided to spend some quality family time outside over the weekend. We went to the zoo, picked out our pumpkins, and visited a local pumpkin farm. I even crossed something off of my bucket list: running through a sunflower field! I have been working on my photography skills, and my camera is really only good in natural light, so I had plenty of chances to practice while catching some great 9-month Penny photos.
I have to say, for all of the warnings and horror stories I heard about Omaha weather before we moved here, I have been very pleasantly surprised. Of course, I've only lived here from May-October, so we haven't been through winter yet, but summer was gorgeous (except for the scary storms), and fall has been just perfect so far. We do have rain today, and I think cold is about to settle in for the long haul, but I'm pretty happy with the weather thus far. Here are my favorite shots from the weekend.
I have to say, for all of the warnings and horror stories I heard about Omaha weather before we moved here, I have been very pleasantly surprised. Of course, I've only lived here from May-October, so we haven't been through winter yet, but summer was gorgeous (except for the scary storms), and fall has been just perfect so far. We do have rain today, and I think cold is about to settle in for the long haul, but I'm pretty happy with the weather thus far. Here are my favorite shots from the weekend.
 | |
| First hay ride |
Friday, October 14, 2011
Home Renovations 10/14/22 Edition
We've come a long way on our kitchen! We are getting very close, so I wanted to give you a little preview. I am hoping to do an unveiling post at the end of the month, or shortly thereafter.
As we did demo, we uncovered some interesting layers. If these walls could talk, seriously, I would love to hear their story. Our house is over 100 years old (there is discrepancy even in the paperwork about exactly how old it is), and there have been many layers of renovations here. We found this fabulous antique wallpaper behind the old cabinets:
It has since been re-covered, but it was neat to see. We also found a PTA meeting agenda from the 1960's! It was very yellowed, and I didn't get a picture. Darn! I guess it had fallen behind the cabinets at one point. Very cool to look at.
We found some interesting layers of old linoleum:
We had reason to suspect that this old linoleum contains asbestos, so we left it alone. It's actually under another layer of linoleum. We covered over all the layers with bamboo. This makes for quite a difference in floor height between the kitchen and dining room, but it's a heck of a lot easier than trying to take out something that contains asbestos. Asbestos is fine as long as it stays intact and isn't removed or damaged.
I think I mentioned before that we are trying to be as green as possible with our renovations. In the kitchen, we have made some exciting green choices! We put down bamboo flooring:
I love this super dark color, and it really looks more like hardwood than bamboo.
We also chose countertops that are made from recycled glass. This was a bit of a splurge, as it costs slightly more than lower-end granite, but it looks just beautiful and brings in the colors from the rest of the kitchen. It is extremely durable, and very green, as it uses materials that would otherwise be thrown away:
I love how the counters bring together the floor and cabinet colors. The walls and backsplash also contain these colors, which you'll see soon!
This counter is designed to go on top of existing counters, further adding to their eco-friendliness by cutting down on waste. In our case, we changed the layout and had new cabinets, so there was no existing countertop to use. We had to put down a subdeck, and we were able to find a green material to use in place of MDF. It is made from sawdust.
We also chose a lead-free faucet. I didn't even know this was an issue until we started looking around, but apparently they are allowed to put lead in faucets. WTF?! Anyway, we found a gorgeous one that will match our cabinet hardware. Stay tuned!
In other renovation news, we painted the living room and dining room. We hadn't anticipated needing to paint, but when the ceiling collapsed and we had drywall put up, it necessitated painting. The new paint looks gorgeous, so I'm happy that it's done now!
That's all for now, but come back for more soon.
As we did demo, we uncovered some interesting layers. If these walls could talk, seriously, I would love to hear their story. Our house is over 100 years old (there is discrepancy even in the paperwork about exactly how old it is), and there have been many layers of renovations here. We found this fabulous antique wallpaper behind the old cabinets:
We found some interesting layers of old linoleum:
We had reason to suspect that this old linoleum contains asbestos, so we left it alone. It's actually under another layer of linoleum. We covered over all the layers with bamboo. This makes for quite a difference in floor height between the kitchen and dining room, but it's a heck of a lot easier than trying to take out something that contains asbestos. Asbestos is fine as long as it stays intact and isn't removed or damaged.
I think I mentioned before that we are trying to be as green as possible with our renovations. In the kitchen, we have made some exciting green choices! We put down bamboo flooring:
We also chose countertops that are made from recycled glass. This was a bit of a splurge, as it costs slightly more than lower-end granite, but it looks just beautiful and brings in the colors from the rest of the kitchen. It is extremely durable, and very green, as it uses materials that would otherwise be thrown away:
This counter is designed to go on top of existing counters, further adding to their eco-friendliness by cutting down on waste. In our case, we changed the layout and had new cabinets, so there was no existing countertop to use. We had to put down a subdeck, and we were able to find a green material to use in place of MDF. It is made from sawdust.
We also chose a lead-free faucet. I didn't even know this was an issue until we started looking around, but apparently they are allowed to put lead in faucets. WTF?! Anyway, we found a gorgeous one that will match our cabinet hardware. Stay tuned!
In other renovation news, we painted the living room and dining room. We hadn't anticipated needing to paint, but when the ceiling collapsed and we had drywall put up, it necessitated painting. The new paint looks gorgeous, so I'm happy that it's done now!
 |
| A terracotta color in the dining room |
 |
| A vanilla color in the living room (same color as kitchen walls) |
Tuesday, October 11, 2011
And the winner is...
Elizabeth B!
The very last entry. What are the chances?! Random.org chose number 49:
Elizabeth, please contact me at cottonbottommama@gmail.com with your shipping information, and I will get that blue treehugger insert out to you asap. Thanks to all who entered. If you didn't win, you can still get a great deal on organic hemp inserts over at the Cotton Bottom Mama Etsy Shop.
Sunday, October 9, 2011
Apps
I wanted to alert you all to a new free CD app called Cloth Diaper Resources. It was created by Dirty Diaper Laundry and is a comprehensive resource on CDing, including reviews, videos, glossary of terms, and general CD info. You can find most of the information on DDL's website, but it would be a good app to gift to a mom-to-be as a "hint, hint" towards cloth diapering!
I also wanted to mention another app that is fantastic for moms with new babies. I mentioned it before, but at that time I had just purchased it and hadn't really had a lot of time to evaluate it. It's called Baby Log, and it allows you to track your baby's diaper changes, sleeping, and eating, as well as several other things. This app is just fantastic! It completely takes the place of the Itzbeen baby timer, and is, like, a million times better. The Itzbeen just allows you to see how long it has been since the last diaper change, feeding, etc. This app tracks and stores your records on all of those things and allows you to see changes over time, so you could look back and see how feeding, naps, etc. have changed since last week or last month, or whenever. It is also helpful if your doctor wants to see sleep logs or an LC is helping you figure out a feeding or failure to gain weight problem. I think it costs $4.99, whereas the Itzbeen is about $15. Not to mention that I almost always have my phone with me, while the Itzbeen became one more thing to lose track of around the house. Highly recommend this app!
Don't forget: tomorrow is the last day to enter my CBM diaper insert Giveaway!
I also wanted to mention another app that is fantastic for moms with new babies. I mentioned it before, but at that time I had just purchased it and hadn't really had a lot of time to evaluate it. It's called Baby Log, and it allows you to track your baby's diaper changes, sleeping, and eating, as well as several other things. This app is just fantastic! It completely takes the place of the Itzbeen baby timer, and is, like, a million times better. The Itzbeen just allows you to see how long it has been since the last diaper change, feeding, etc. This app tracks and stores your records on all of those things and allows you to see changes over time, so you could look back and see how feeding, naps, etc. have changed since last week or last month, or whenever. It is also helpful if your doctor wants to see sleep logs or an LC is helping you figure out a feeding or failure to gain weight problem. I think it costs $4.99, whereas the Itzbeen is about $15. Not to mention that I almost always have my phone with me, while the Itzbeen became one more thing to lose track of around the house. Highly recommend this app!
Don't forget: tomorrow is the last day to enter my CBM diaper insert Giveaway!
Saturday, October 8, 2011
Cloth Diaper Finder
I wanted to alert you all to the Cloth Diaper Finder at Dirty Diaper Laundry if you haven't seen it already. The CD Finder allows you to find the perfect diaper for your needs. It is user-friendly and allows you to search by many parameters, including county of origin, price, sizing, closures, etc. Anyone can add their own reviews, and the more reviews are added, the more information and opinions you have access to. If you're a CDing mom, I encourage you to add your reviews. I have transferred all of my CD reviews over to the CD Finder. Check it out!
Dirty Diaper Laundry is also one of my favorite CD websites. I wish I had known about it when I was first trying to find CD information online. Kim does lots of great video reviews. This site is also the one that started the Flats & Handwashing Challenge back in May. It is a great resource for a veteran CD'er, and definitely a good one to recommend to first time pregnant ladies or moms thinking of making the switch to cloth.
Dirty Diaper Laundry is also one of my favorite CD websites. I wish I had known about it when I was first trying to find CD information online. Kim does lots of great video reviews. This site is also the one that started the Flats & Handwashing Challenge back in May. It is a great resource for a veteran CD'er, and definitely a good one to recommend to first time pregnant ladies or moms thinking of making the switch to cloth.
Friday, October 7, 2011
Nursing Attire
Before I started nursing, I was a little stressed about needing a nursing wardrobe. I had seen nursing tops advertised, and I was worried that I would have to spend a whole lot of money on nursing tops after just having bought a whole maternity wardrobe. I thought I'd share what has worked for me without buying a single nursing top (other than tanks).
I have a dozen or so nursing tanks in mostly neutral colors (white, black, grey, navy... okay I have one purple and one magenta one!). My favorite are the "side sling" Gilligan & O'Malley from Target:
"Side sling" means that when you clip down the nursing flaps, there are two straps, one on the outside of each breast that is an extension of the tank strap, attaching to the elastic shelf bra support under the breasts. So basically, there's a strip of fabric under the nursing flaps that goes from the shoulder, along the outside of the breast, ending under the breast, sort of a "J" shape hugging the outside of the breast. When the flaps are down, there is no fabric between or above the breasts. Some other nursing tanks have "full sling", which means that there's a whole piece of fabric under the nursing flaps, with a large round opening for each nipple. When those flaps are down, there is still not much skin exposed. I think the half sling are more comfortable, easier to nurse in because you don't have to adjust your nipple to come out of the round hole, and give you more skin exposed for skin-on-skin contact, which is so important, especially in the early months and for keeping your supply up. The only benefit I can see to the full sling is that it provides more coverage when you're nursing. Well, and actually, the full sling Gilligan & O'Malleys have cute lace trim.
So, I have about a dozen nursing tanks, and I wear them in place of a bra (day and night). This may not work for some more well-endowed ladies, but it works well for me. Then, I always wear another shirt over my nursing tanks. I personally feel kind of naked in just a tank like this. Any shirt/sweater with a scoop neck, deep v-neck, button down front, zip front, or half button-down front works great for nursing. I have a zip-front sweatshirt from Threads for Thought that I pretty much lived in last winter! I really prefer being able to access the "girls" from the top rather than lifting up my shirt from the bottom to stick baby's head under my shirt. I find that I can be more discrete this way and more comfortable when nursing. But, if you don't mind wearing baggy shirts and pulling them up, that is another option. If you are going to nurse from the bottom, so to speak, you'll definitely want nursing tanks rather than nursing bras so that your back and tummy aren't exposed when nursing. I will also add that nursing from the top is more conducive to nursing while babywearing. It would be very tough to get your shirt up high enough to nurse under it when you have baby in a sling or carrier.
When I started nursing, I knew I would be doing it for at least a year, so I went through my wardrobe and sorted everything into tops that would work well for nursing and tops that wouldn't. I just went ahead and put everything into storage that wouldn't work well for nursing. Who needs a closet full of clothes that you can't practically wear for a year or more? I did go to Old Navy and Target for some clearance casual tops with scoop necks and buttons/snaps down the front to bulk up my wardrobe a bit, but other than that, I didn't have to buy any of those expensive tops with hidden nursing flaps and whatnot.
I will say that I am pretty casual most of the time. I am definitely not very stylish these days, but honestly, who needs to be stylish when you're getting food flung at your hair and changing dirty diapers?! I am happy if we're all clean and dry.
If you're planning to breastfeed, see what you can find by shopping in your own closet before buying new things. You may be surprised by how many tops you already have that can accommodate nursing. The same can be said for maternity. I found that I was able to wear many of my regular tops and sweaters even into late pregnancy. Luckily, long tops and sweaters have been popular lately, and those work well for maternity. Short dresses can also work as maternity tops. A little creativity can save some money, and you know you'll be needing that once you see all the cute baby clothes you want to buy!
I have a dozen or so nursing tanks in mostly neutral colors (white, black, grey, navy... okay I have one purple and one magenta one!). My favorite are the "side sling" Gilligan & O'Malley from Target:
So, I have about a dozen nursing tanks, and I wear them in place of a bra (day and night). This may not work for some more well-endowed ladies, but it works well for me. Then, I always wear another shirt over my nursing tanks. I personally feel kind of naked in just a tank like this. Any shirt/sweater with a scoop neck, deep v-neck, button down front, zip front, or half button-down front works great for nursing. I have a zip-front sweatshirt from Threads for Thought that I pretty much lived in last winter! I really prefer being able to access the "girls" from the top rather than lifting up my shirt from the bottom to stick baby's head under my shirt. I find that I can be more discrete this way and more comfortable when nursing. But, if you don't mind wearing baggy shirts and pulling them up, that is another option. If you are going to nurse from the bottom, so to speak, you'll definitely want nursing tanks rather than nursing bras so that your back and tummy aren't exposed when nursing. I will also add that nursing from the top is more conducive to nursing while babywearing. It would be very tough to get your shirt up high enough to nurse under it when you have baby in a sling or carrier.
When I started nursing, I knew I would be doing it for at least a year, so I went through my wardrobe and sorted everything into tops that would work well for nursing and tops that wouldn't. I just went ahead and put everything into storage that wouldn't work well for nursing. Who needs a closet full of clothes that you can't practically wear for a year or more? I did go to Old Navy and Target for some clearance casual tops with scoop necks and buttons/snaps down the front to bulk up my wardrobe a bit, but other than that, I didn't have to buy any of those expensive tops with hidden nursing flaps and whatnot.
I will say that I am pretty casual most of the time. I am definitely not very stylish these days, but honestly, who needs to be stylish when you're getting food flung at your hair and changing dirty diapers?! I am happy if we're all clean and dry.
If you're planning to breastfeed, see what you can find by shopping in your own closet before buying new things. You may be surprised by how many tops you already have that can accommodate nursing. The same can be said for maternity. I found that I was able to wear many of my regular tops and sweaters even into late pregnancy. Luckily, long tops and sweaters have been popular lately, and those work well for maternity. Short dresses can also work as maternity tops. A little creativity can save some money, and you know you'll be needing that once you see all the cute baby clothes you want to buy!
Thursday, October 6, 2011
9 Month Update
Penny turned 9 months on Monday, and the best word I have to describe her these days is BUSY! She started getting very good at standing a few days ago, and then today she took her first step. Hours later she climbed 3 stairs. I kid you not. This child is just zooming past these milestones, and I am exhausted trying to keep up with her! Nana has been visiting with us, and she caught Penny's first step on video. We actually didn't even realize she had taken a step until we watched the video back:
She isn't exactly walking yet, but she is definitely not far off. Umpa says at this rate, she will be running a marathon tomorrow! I don't know about that, but we definitely need to invest in a few more baby gates.
She is around the 16th percentile in weight (up from 3rd earlier this summer) at 16lb 9oz and still around 80th in height (29").
In other news, the MLB playoffs are underway, and we have a split in our household. Josh is a big Cardinals fan, and I am born and bred Phillies, but we are good sports about it with each other. Since I am the one who usually dresses Penny, Penny is also a Phillies' fan!
I was griping that Penny only had 1 Phillies shirt, and it was 4 sizes too big, so Umpa sent a special delivery in the mail:
Now she is ready for a long playoff season!
She isn't exactly walking yet, but she is definitely not far off. Umpa says at this rate, she will be running a marathon tomorrow! I don't know about that, but we definitely need to invest in a few more baby gates.
She is around the 16th percentile in weight (up from 3rd earlier this summer) at 16lb 9oz and still around 80th in height (29").
In other news, the MLB playoffs are underway, and we have a split in our household. Josh is a big Cardinals fan, and I am born and bred Phillies, but we are good sports about it with each other. Since I am the one who usually dresses Penny, Penny is also a Phillies' fan!
Now she is ready for a long playoff season!
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