The “beet” on the street

When my boys start solid foods, they look like this:

And when they (the messiest eaters ever born) end a meal, they look like this:

Thankfully, the beets don’t stain…wait…yes they do.

Gratitude 21-40

21. the warmth by our window at lunch

22. fried bananas

23. the chance to snuggle Olly this morn at 4am

24.  a few moments to talk with a dear friend while she drove around her town

25. the screened-in back porch: outside play without the dirt

26.  my herbs are still alive

27. iphone camera to send hubs a quick pic of Catcher

28. an old headboard repurposed into my perfect study shelving

29. bluebell homemade vanilla ice cream with peanut butter and chocolate sauce

30.  kombucha that is actually fermenting properly

31.  the raw milk and butter from last nights pick up

32.  Catcher getting a much needed nap

33. tile floors in the eating area that are easy to sweep up

34.  Olly’s big, growing belly

35.  Tee’s heart as it struggles through obedience

36.  chalkboard paint

37.  the right sized spoon

38. bread, rising

39. an answered prayer this morning

40. three boys all close in age

Our week

Olly has been teething…and watching us eat…and being super interested.  Super.  This week he began his solid food adventure.  An adventure including, though not necessarily in the same bowl at the same time: avocado, beets, bananas and fermented cod liver oil.  Yummo.  He seemed to like it all (!) and has gobbled up each meal.  A meal portion is about half an avocado and a whole banana right now.  I’m just amazed at the sheer quanties this boy can kick back!

His teeth have been breaking through left and right…he’s been sporting his amber teething necklace aka miracle worker and knawing on some wooden rattles.  Together he has found much comfort.

Amber is a natural analgesic.  The opaque amber resin, when worn on the skin and warmed by the skin, emit small amounts of succinic acid which act as an anti-inflammatory.  It’s intended to be worn near the point of pain, not chewed on!  We have found it to really work for Olly…

The older boys have spent time making burrito rolls on the floor.  Their own creation and amusement for all.

The Florida citrus is so great right now!  Our favorite combo this week was 2 grapefruit to 1 orange…tasty tasty.

We did get out for a few errands.  And of course had to grab all our loot for even the shortest of outings.

But never out past nap time.  Oh how we love our nap time around here!

Gratitude 1-20

1. Catcher’s red curls
2. fingernail clippers
3. a car that fits my family perfectly
4. home days
5. a way out
6. their tender hugs
7. that Olly found his thumb
8. the way Tee’s voice hits the high notes when singing
9. the clean kitchen this morning
10. fresh water
11. the silent “i love you” mouthed between boys
12. a potty trained child
13. warm sheets
14. Olly’s canopy and the way it keeps his crib warm
15. clean wool diaper covers, drying
16. the clack clack clack of wooden cars racing
17. the comfort their blanket’s bring
18. a phone call from my man
19. the low lighting at my desk top
20. warm toes

Newborn Essentials: a natural mama’s must haves for the first 2 months of life

Oh I wish I knew then what I know now.  I’d love to go back as a new mom and make a few purchasing changes (as well as birth Tee at home!).  But it’s ok, we’re a work in progress here.  I do hope this helps you (dear Cuzzy) sift through the massive mound of CRAP otherwise known as Babies R Us.

These are my “must haves” from my perspective.  Talk with 10 moms and get 10 different lists, I’m sure!  Without further ado, here is my must have list for a newborn (age 0-2 months), though far from exhaustive.

Diapering: Cloth diapering is a dream with a newborn.  No scraping needed, everything washes out with little effort and really, their poo just smells like tangy yogurt.  Newborns are pretty perfect, even in their poo…

• 24-36 Cloth-eez orange edge prefolds
• 2 Disana wool diaper covers, newborn size
• 3 newborn diaper covers
• Cloth baby wipes, made by you, from all those useless flannel receiving blankets (we’ll get to those in a second) you’ll be gifted at your baby shower
• A really cute wet bag for those dipes on the go
• A wool changing pad: when changing a cloth diapered bum, there is a time when the cover is off, but the wet prefold is still on and soaking into the changing table cover.  This can be stinky (unless you change your changing table cover multiple times a day!) when pee lingers.  A wool changing pad is what they lay on and doesn’t hold stink.  The wool pad doesn’t need to be washed unless soiled, and even then, it’s as simple as spraying the soiled area down and letting it air dry.
• Eden Salve: this could go in every category!  The most wonderful diaper rash “cream”; perfect for scraps and cuts, rashes, bug bites and imaginary boo-boos.  I also carry this in my diaper bag and the whole family uses this almost daily for something.  It’s an astringent and antiseptic; use in place of Neosporin…

Sleep: We have completely redone our baby bedding through the children.  From research on SIDS, resting heart rate and childhood asthma, there seems to be a shocking amount of evidence against all these fire retardants required in everything baby related.  These retardants “gas off” and can be toxic to such tiny systems.  Considering how many hours a newborn is sleeping on their mattress each day, this is our most important investment with the most conviction behind it.

• Wool crib mattress: the fiber structure of wool is such that it takes the moisture released by our bodies- instead of living in the mattress and becoming a perfect place for dust mites and other allergens- and is drawn through the fiber out to the other side, into the air.  Basically, dust mites and the like can’t live in wool and don’t like wool.  Wool mattresses are nice and firm and regulate the body temperature well; it’s really a prefered fiber for tropical/humid climates because it’s not hot nor stays damp.  And lastly, it’s naturally flame retardant and has no chemicals sprayed on.  No out-gasing!
• Wool puddle pad: first layer on the mattress to protect it.  Rarely, if ever, needs to be washed.
• 2 cotton chuck pads: place one pad on top of the puddle pad.  These absorb spit up etc and are washed with the fitted sheets each time.
• 2 fitted crib sheets
• Sound machine (non looping)
• 4 pack Aden and Anais swaddling blankets: if could only take 2 items to a desert island with my newborn, this would be one of them! Or a similar blanket, the point is a tight swaddle.  Those little flannel receiving blankets aren’t big enough to wrap around multiple times…go ahead and make ‘em into wipes now.

Out and About: I tend to wear my babies a lot, so I’m big on slings.  But a good stroller is also worth it’s weight in gold.  If you’re like me and keeping your kids close in age, think about adaptability.  Can this single stroller become a double?  Or can I sell this single for a good price when my second child arrives and I need to upgrade to a double?  Remember when a nice car ages it’s called “vintage”, but when a cheap car ages it’s called “junk”…a stroller is a similar investment that can pay you back well when its time to sell and make your life a heck of a lot easier when using it.

• Phil and Teds stroller, adaptable to a double stroller.  Also becomes a bassinet for those early days and has a car seat attachment to click your seat into.
• BOB jogging stroller: big fixed, front wheel.  We heart BOB, in a big way.
• Graco Snugride car seat with an added wool liner.  The wool will help the babe not sweat from all the crying they may do because they hate their car seat.  Again, wool is a good temperature regulator.  Can you tell we love wool yet?
• Sunshine Kids Easy View Back Mirror: to see your little bundle screaming behind you in the car and be consoled that they’re just screaming for a little exercise.  After many a mirror, this was the only one that actually stayed in place and adjusted well.
• Moby wrap or a Zolowear ring sling or a Storchenwiege wrap: each of these are perfect for holding babe close in the “frog” position they love so much.  A wrap is my second desert island choice.  Though technically, central Florida already feels somewhat like a desert island.  Somewhat.

Home Gear:

• Bouncy seat: the point is to have a safe, upright-ish position for their “awake” time after a feeding.  Vibration is nice and so is the bouncing.  High pitched music and tons of toys are not nice.  A 0-2 month old needs little entertainment.  Little.
• Natursutten pacifier: this paci helps encourage breast feeding (once established) by touching the babes nose while sucking, similar to breast feeding.
• Make a crib canopy if your house is drafty like mine.  It’s better than over heating your house or over dressing your newborn.  I used a lamp shade and four white, twin sized sheets. It was inexpensive and effective!

Bath Time: we don’t bathe our newborns much.  Their bits and pieces are cleaned with each diaper change and we use a warm cloth in the morning on their face and neck.

• Bath herbs: these are brewed and then poured into the bathing water, acting as the “soap”.  They smell SO great and really work for their delicate skin.
• Earth Mama Angel Baby Lotion

For the family:

• A good camera with a large aperture lens!  If I had a picture (as well as running video) of every moment of their lives, it’d still not be enough.  You can’t smell them in a picture.  You can’t kiss those chubby cheeks in a picture.  But hopefully, what you’ve captured on film with remind you of the smell of their hair and feel of their cheeks.
• We love love LOVE  Charlie’s Soap for laundry.  It’s a clean rinsing, paraben free, fragrance free and sls free detergent.  We don’t use dryer sheets and other fabric softeners as they leave a residue behind that can easily absorb into the thin skin of a newborn.  Whatever you use on the adult clothes is what will get on the baby clothes in the machine, even if you’re switching between detergents.  Therefore, it’s easiest to switch the whole family over.
• A big, stainless steel water bottle…bring it, breastfeeding thirst!  Sans the BPA.

Etsy obsessed: Oliver’s first pair of shoes

I could eat his toes off; they are that cute.  That’s why Olly requested shoes.  Or because his socks don’t stay on.  I bought them here.

Remembering the cradle

There once was a small cradle, all cozy and sweet. It was waiting for a precious babe in the corner of the big room.

And then, he arrived (!) and the cradle was full.  The cradle was happy.

The baby boy loved his small cradle, all fluffy and warm, and slept there almost 20 hours a day.

But then one day the baby boy began to roll about and get long and wiggly.

He would take naps on the big bed because he was getting so big.

And sometimes the cradle was sad. A change was coming, the baby boy was becoming a big baby boy.

And sure enough…one day…pom poms arrived.

With a big white canopy gently draping…

The big baby boy crib!

The big baby boy rocked with excitement,

And then found his thumb, needing comfort in his big bed.  He remembered his small cradle and smiled.

That is the story of how the baby boy outgrew his cradle.

Sweet cradle, you quietly nested our most precious bundle.  You kept him warm, rocked him gently and protected him mightily.  You are now waiting in the wings, waiting to usher in the next precious bundle.  Rest up, sweet cradle.  Lord willing, we will see you again.

Goodnight

“Have courage for the great sorrows of life and patience for the small ones; and when you have laboriously accomplished your daily task, go to sleep in peace. God is awake.”

Victor Hugo

Funniest email. Ever.

Received shortly after my most recent post:

“Jen,

Just read your recent blog post; very cute, very you. But “sweat their balls off”, maybe “hot as balls”. But really, STBO??

Love,

Dad (who’s glad you write under your married name  :) )”

Home day Friday

It’s been a home-day-Friday for myself and the baby boys.  Mainly because mama is EXHAUSTED and partly because it was raining this morn and then stopped raining to drop a humid and hot-as-balls January afternoon on us.  January.  I need seasons.

Not because I love how the cold air dries out my skin and makes my hair even flatter (yes, it’s possible), but because winter ushers in SPRING and the contrast is just that refreshing.  Starting anew.

We have but 2 seasons in Florida, 1) hot-as-balls and 2) pull-your-cute-sweater-out-quick-and-take-a-pic-QUICK-this-ain’t-gonna-last-but-a-day-QUICK.  I feel like we’re running the marathon of summer.

I’m exhausted, however, from a precious little almost 6 month old boy needing uber amounts of milk from his mama these days.  I am oh so happy to oblige, but know his days of solid foods are coming soon.

And to prepare for the start of solid food, Olly up and cut FOUR teeth.  His bottom two just last week and his top fang teeth 2 days ago.  I didn’t know the fang teeth could come in before the other top four teeth.  This may be a funny look for him.  I’m just amazed that his gums can be bleeding, yet this babe is giggling on and sleeping well.  Way to go Olly!

Olly is crawling around finding any shoe he can to sink his fangs into (get it?  I’m quite literal!).  The older boys are having a rough time with Ollies new crawling freedom.  It’s like-quick, grab your shoes.  And cars.  And animals.  And blanket.  Quick!  Before little brother chews on it!

But the older 2 got a cool wood shop table this morn and have been busy hammering away all day.  Olly has taken full advantage of the forgotten shoes

The home day has been nice.  We made wheat crackers this morn and the boys helped pick out cookie cutter shapes.  It’s a recipe from “More-with Less”, page 310.  I find them too sweet though and cut out all the brown sugar and almost all the molasses.  Still too sweet.  But the boys love them and besides the sweetener, they are full of all good, whole stuff.

At the request of a friend, I emailed her my favorite marinara sauce recipe, attached to my meatball recipe.  Anyway, so started the emails back and forth of, “do you double this?”, “no”, “but will this feed your whole fam?”, “yes, with leftovers”, “even with a pound of meat?”, “yeppers”, “I want to freeze extras”, “Maybe you should just double the recipe, just to be safe”.  I heart this friend…and think she’s pretty hilarious!

Shoe chewing, wheat cracker making, nail hammering, emailing and sweating…now that’s a typical January Friday in Florida!

And as I was writing to you, internet, I forgot about some coconut oil I was heating on the stove top to pop wheat berries in.  The house is filled with burnt coconut smelling smoke and as soon as the boys get up from naps, I will be taking them to the park so they can breath.  And to sweat their balls off.  In January.  Because, you know, in January Florida is, well…we’ve been over this before!