At Home with Heather

Our first half of summer...

The beginning of the summer brought a perfect opportunity for us to delve into our potty learning. Emerald has seemed ready for months as she would say, "it's pee, it's pee!" every time she would go and want to be changed right away. I felt bad because we had so much going on and I wasn't sure how to go about it when we needed to be out and about, but the second week in June, I just said, "That's it. We HAVE to do it..." I didn't want to miss our opportunity. So we did the naked baby thing and let her run around so she would realize what was going on when she had to go. The first day was rough, the second day was better and by the third day she was making it to the potty every time!

Some people don't advocate the rewards system when it comes to potty learning, but I decided to use Hello Kitty stickers when she went to the potty successfully. Emerald LOVES stickers and Hello Kitty. After about a week though she didn't need it and just liked saying, "Woohoo!" and clapping for herself. :) Now, it's old hat to her and she only wears a dipe at night and has woken up dry many times, so I think we will be on our way to being fully potty trained soon!

It's super exciting to see your little one reach such a big milestone, but a little sad at the same time. I can't even tell you how PROUD I was of her. It's cool being a parent and knowing you are helping them achieve important goals, whilst realizing you are only guiding them and they are actually the stars.

Winter is reaching various milestones as well. Her first two little teeth popped through a few days ago-bottom middle. So cute! So far she is handling it better than Emerald did, but we'll see. Maybe it's thanks to the amber necklace! :) She is crawling like crazy and I suspect it won't be long before she's pulling up on things. It's scary how fast she is growing up, faster than Emerald did at this age it seems. Maybe I am just relishing it more this time around...

Now that Winter is crawling and can roam about the house, we are working on SHARING! :) It seems that whenever Winter has a toy, Emerald just has to have it. So after lots of, "Emerald, we have to share the toys with Winter too..." Emerald surprised me yesterday, by giving the toy she had to Winter and then giving her a kiss! It made my momma heart happy! Granted, I'm sure there will be lots more reminders to "share" but you know it feels good when all the effort you've put in is rewarded.

Sam is away at Airborne School at Ft. Benning in GA for another 2 weeks. He has already been gone for one week. We miss him SO MUCH! Luckily, we both have iPhone 4's (YAH!) so we have been doing lots of FaceTime and skyping. I know he is not having the greatest time in the barracks with no AC in this HOT weather, but he will be happy to have his Airborne wings when it's all done. We are planning on going to visit him this weekend at the Collins'. Ft. Benning is only about 1.5 hours from Macon, so Sam has been able to recuperate there on the weekends. So we will see him next weekend and then stay until the following Friday when he graduates. We are looking forward to that.

The time has come. Gulp! Sam and I are training for a marathon (again), but this time it's going to happen! We've already registered and paid so the training has begun! We have been taking turns running morning and evenings. We are also looking for another running stroller on Craig's list so we can do the long runs together on the weekends. I can say it feels daunting to think about running a full marathon, but I'm excited to finally accomplish this goal of mine. Granted, we are just trying to complete it and not go for any kind of grand time or anything. :)

That's been our summer so far...what have you been up to?

Some thoughts on AP...

10:13 AM Edit This 0 Comments »

I just have to include some thoughts about parenting that I read a few days ago. It really stuck with me and it made me feel good that there was another parent out there who put all the thoughts I often think about parenting together in a few paragraphs. :) I think because "attachment parenting" is not the norm many people ask questions about it, or even make assumptions about it. Parents who use this method are often thought of as parents who do not discipline, NEVER leave their children and are always hovering over them. I think this is not true most of the time. So here are some real thoughts about all those things in a way I couldn't have said better myself. This comes from "The Stir on cafe Mom" the entire blog post can be found here: http://thestir.cafemom.com/baby/104661/attachment_parenting_what_it_really?utm_medium=sm&utm_source=facebook&utm_content=natural_fanpage

"Attachment Parenting is often referred to as "child-led" parenting, and I see a lot of confusion as to what this means. Yes, we ARE the parents. Yes, we set the rules and boundaries. However, what child-led means is that we follow our child's lead. It's about showing your child respect as a person, for their needs, wants, and feelings. It has nothing to do with letting your child rule the roost, and anyone who claims such doesn't really understand attachment parenting in the first place. Child-led does not mean your child tells you what to do. It means paying attention to when your child is tired, and adjusting your routine accordingly, or being able to tell when your child is about to get into the restricted drawer, and gently reminding them that that is not acceptable, and there are better alternatives. We understand that every child is different, and we follow the cues of our child, and respect their individuality while shaping them towards the person we want them to be without squashing who they are or disrespecting them.

We also do not spoil our children -- to the contrary, we teach our children the difference between wants and needs, and to respect when mommy's needs will inevitably override their wants, and that they WILL be tended to -- if they wait patiently.

Dads are also very involved in this process, contrary to popular belief. AP mothers generally encourage the fathers to learn their babies cues just as much as they have. Moms all need time away from their children, and AP moms are no different. We want the other caregivers to know our child as well as we do, or similarly, so that our baby is not crying for a nap with the caregiver trying to force toys in their face. Also, with the ability to read cues and intervene before a baby cries, many parents don't feel like their child is a hassle at the grocery store or restaurant because they can meet their needs before a meltdown, so they feel more confident in taking their children out in public, rather than feeling tied down at home. As a result of both of these things, you may find AP moms who often state that they feel like "a part of them is missing" when they leave without their child (even though they enjoy the break) and that they're very, very discriminating when it comes to who they leave their child with, often limiting it to family and very close friends.

"Hover" parents are not AP parents. Hover parents never allow their children to make decisions for themselves, and have no time for their own activities as a result of not trusting their own child to make good decisions. This causes inappropriate dependency. Attachment differs from prolonged dependency. Attachment enhances development and encourages independence; prolonged dependency will hinder development."

I love the respect bit, because I've said it many times, children are not always treated with respect, so how are they suppose to treat adults with respect without a good example.

I like how it talks about how following attachment parenting does not mean that you "spoil" your children. It means making the effort to understand your child and put yourself in their shoes.

And I just couldn't agree more with the statement about WANTING to be with your children. I love involving my girls in all parts of my life. I ENJOY taking them to the grocery store and doing fun things with them. We are always looking for new adventures and ways to have fun and I love knowing that I can feel confident taking them out, even if things don't always go as planned.

So there you have it. I'm not saying attachment parenting is the only way, I'm just saying it works for us. And maybe this brief post helped explain why we decide to do the things the way we do with our girls.

mucho amore.

I'm a lame blogger, but here's an update...

12:05 PM Edit This 0 Comments »

Me and Jonah-my 4th doula baby!

Our big 2 year old! ^Our sweet crawler!

^
We have a real official crawler as of a few days ago and one doing the whole potty learning thing. We have a 6 month old and a 2 year old! Our girls are growing up!! It really does make me quite sad but excited at the same time. It's great seeing them grow up and even growing to like each other's company more and more. Nothing melts my heart more then to see Emerald loving on her little sister and then seeing Winter's smile and laugh when Emerald is around.

We've had a lot of fun stuff going on lately, birthday parties, pool playdates, saying goodbye to good friends and making new ones. I LOVE summer time and all the opportunities to play outdoors and get out of the house without worrying about layering clothing and all that jazz.

Emerald shared her second birthday party with her friend, Orly this year. We had a great time at the splash party-playing in the kiddie pools and in the sprinklers. It was bittersweet because Orly and her family moved to Florida this week. The Pearlman's are great family friends so it was sad to see them go, but we look forward to visiting them in the near future. :)

Both of the girls LOVE the pool and going to our friend, Bianca and Mira's house to play at the splash park-it's no wonder since they were both born in the water! It's really nice to have friends with access to a pool especially on these hot NC days!

Sam is running 5k's pretty much every weekend. We've gone with him the past 3 times and Emerald loves seeing all the people run past at the starting line. They also usually play music where all the "booths" are at the race, so she enjoys "dancing it up" while we wait for daddy to finish.

We are officially done with school until the fall. Sam decided to take the rest of the summer off when he saw how much the short summer classes entailed. It was just too much. Basically he would come home from work and right after dinner start on his schoolwork and go until 11 pm at night. A break was def. needed. So we'll enjoy this time and then get back on the horse in the fall.

I was able to attend another birth last month. My dear friend Aree had her baby boy at home on May 29th, one day before Emerald's birthday! I was in charge of taking care of Orly and explaining the birth to her. It was very special to see this family of three become a family of four!

That's a brief update of our lives lately. What's been happening in your families lives?

What's been going on 'round here lately...

10:26 AM Edit This 0 Comments »

I like this pic because Winter is smiling. Emerald couldn't stop her tea party for the pic! :)

Soooo... (it seems that is how I start all my blogs when it's been awhile since I have written)

Our little baby Winter is now 3.5 months old and chubby as ever. We weighed her a few days ago and she was 14 pounds 9 oz!!! It's hard to believe how fast she is growing up and becoming her own little person. She really is a great baby. For the first two months she was fairly fussy and I held her in the Ergo (BEST thing EVER) or in my arms constantly. I thought there was probably something I was eating that was affecting her tummy. Well, when we went to Flordia for the week I didn't have any soy and as soon as we returned it was like we had a new baby!! No more crying and fussiness!! I'm very thankful it was fairly easy to figure out what was upsetting her and the relief she needed came quickly after the soy was out of my diet.

Winter is very sweet. she loves to smile and laugh her little baby laugh. She is about 2 seconds from rolling over! She will roll to her side but she hasn't quite made it all the way over to her tummy yet. I also believe she is teething already. Emerald was three months old when she started. Her first tooth didn't pop through until 5 months, but Winter constantly has her little fingers in her mouth and she is drooling like crazy! She is just a great joy to have around and I am always wishing she would stay little and cuddly.

Big sis Emerald is doing great as well. She loves all things hats and shoes! One of her favorite things to do is stand in front of the mirror in her room and try on various hats and shoes. She is def. a girl! It is very cute to see. Also, she has recently loved going down slides at the park. She had been scared before, but now that's all she wants to do! It's really fun seeing her grow up and try and discover new things. She loves her little sis and 90% of the time she loves and kisses on her, but she does have those times she pushes her away because she wants mommy all to herself. Overall, I think she has adjusted well and we are hoping they will be great friends growing up!

Sam is doing well. Busy as ever. Going to school, working and the Army keep him going all the time! He just joined the gym again and has been working out with our neighbor, Chris, every morning. Every chance he gets he is running another 5k or road race and I am really hoping this is the year we can both run a FULL marathon together...we will see...

I have been pretty busy myself. I am also taking classes online. I am really enjoying my Anthropology class and wish I had more time to delve into it. I'm still working on my doula certification as well. I have had the opportunity to attend three births, but I still need one more for my certification. Like I said before, we just re-joined the gym so my physical goals include a marathon this year, but I am going to pace myself and see how things go!

We have had a few visitors lately. Sam's brother, David and Fred came to visit not too long ago. Emerald just ADORED David and he ended up being like my personal nanny while he was here. I WISH they were closer!! Then just this last week, my Aunt and Uncle Tracey and Tracy came from MN to see us. It had been ten years and we had a wonderful time with them while they were here. One of my favorite parts was when my Aunt Tracey was telling Sam what a perfect child I was growing up. :) TOLD YA! We are also looking forward to seeing my older sister, Jen and my niece Megan in a few weeks. Jen hasn't met either of the girls, so I can't wait to introduce them!

Overall life is crazy hectic, but good. :) We are so thankful for the many blessings we have received and look forward to many more.

2 under TWO!

12:09 PM Edit This 2 Comments »

Emerald and I on the steps of the Biltmore in Asheville 11.11.10

The day is fast approaching that we will be adding another lovie to our family. I have to say I am still in a bit of denial that there will be a little one here so soon! It has just been such a different experience then my pregnancy with Emerald. I think with your first, you have all this time and energy to put into preparing for their arrival. You get the nursery ready and gather all the necessary baby items (and a few unnecessary ones as well) and then just wait for the little one to "show up." This baby on the other hand has been more difficult to prepare for as we do not know what we are having and do not have a "space" specifically for the baby. So there are less visual cues that there will soon be another little one joining us. I am hoping for the "nesting urge" to strike soon to get me into gear and to feel more emotionally and physically ready for our bundle's arrival.

Something that I have thought about though is the intimidation of taking two children under the age of two out of the house on my own. Emerald and I are always on the go. There is hardly a day that passes that we are not out and about, whether it be music class, or swimming, the library, grocery shopping or a playdate we are always on the move. It's good for my mental health to get out often and Emerald loves it too. She is a very social child that adores being around other kids and I think it is very good for her development. I'm a bit scared to go out with two very little ones though. I know everyone says you get "in a groove" and I am planning on using our various carriers for the baby. I guess it will all depend on this baby's temperament how easy or difficult it will be to get "out and about." I'm sure it is all a learning experience. I know I can't complain much because there are families out there with a plethora of children and they find a way to get them all out of the house!

I AM cherishing these last moments I have with just Emerald though. Life is about to change a lot for all of us and I know she has no idea what is coming. I know she will be a great big sister and I can't wait to see how she reacts to her new friend. :)

33 weeks

5:35 PM Edit This 1 Comment »

Wow, time flies! The last time I updated the blog on this pregnancy I was 20 weeks! I am now 33.5 weeks and I can't believe how fast this pregnancy has gone. I guess keeping up with a toddler is a good distraction. :)

People have been telling me that I am carrying "differently" with this one. I definitely FEEL bigger although I am still measuring 4 weeks smaller-just like I did with Emerald and my weight gain has been less-I just feel much bigger this go 'round though.

The left picture is 33 weeks with mystery baby and the right picture is 33 weeks with Emerald.

Of course everyone always asks "what we are having" and I kinda like saying we don't know. It's a good way to get people to stop asking questions!! Next, people usually ask what I "feel" like it is and really at this point I am staying very open minded. I am very slightly leaning to the "boy" side just because this pregnancy has been so different, but I know I will not be surprised if we are having a girl. I think Sam and I are both at a good place when it comes to "the mystery gender stuff." We are both emotionally prepared for either, however if we have a boy we will have quite a bit of shopping to do!!! There has been more than one time that we have been out shopping and we have said, "I wish we knew what we were having" just for the pure convenience of knowing, but I am still excited that it will be a surprise. I just feel the announcement will be that much more fun!

The "problem" we have run into, is in the name department. It's much easier to focus on one gender when choosing a name. It's harder to put your heart and soul into a name that you might not use. So that's another thing when people ask I can just say, "we are still figuring it out" then we don't get all the weird looks or unsolicited advice about our name choices! I just hope we have a name when the baby arrives!

So what do y'all think? Boy or girl?

Half way there!

11:55 AM Edit This 2 Comments »

4givethecheesygrin!:)

It is very hard to believe that I am halfway done with this pregnancy. It has gone by so fast!!

I think maybe it feels like it is going so fast because I have enjoyed it more than my pregnancy with Emerald. The heat is nothing to scoff at, but pool playdates and AC help with that! Also, my dear friend, Gwen has graciously let me borrow a lot of her summer maternity clothes since both her boys were also fall babies. I LOVE wearing dresses in the summertime, so that has worked out well being pregnant, as it is easy and cool.

Being 20 weeks, it's hard knowing that we *could* find out what we are having, but choosing not to. Sam thinks it is a girl, but I am pretty sure it is a boy. :) For that reason alone it will be fun to wait to find out, since one of us is sure to be surprised! We have a girl name, but haven't decided on a boy name, which is another indicator that it is a boy! :)

At my prenatal appointment yesterday, I was SHOCKED to find out I have only gained 4.5 pounds thus far! It MUST be the nursing. I had probably gained 15 by now with Emerald. We are still nursing about 4 times in a 24 hour period though and so I am sure my body is really "sucking up" all that I eat! Also, I am eating much healthier with this pregnancy. Last go round I was craving all junk, so that likely contributed to my weight gain with Em. Regardless, my midwife suggested protein shakes to keep the calorie count up and eating at least every few hours. I can't say I was sad about the news that I hadn't gained a lot, but I do want to make sure Emerald, the baby and I are all getting what we need!

Prenatal yoga has been really great this pregnancy as well. I did "regular yoga" for a while last time, but going to an actual prenatal yoga class is so nice. It's nice to be in the presence of other pregnant woman and not worrying if your "Down dog" doesn't look as elegant as usual. I feel that it helps with the minor pains and aches of pregnancy as well. I would def. recommend it to all pregnant woman especially if you are planning a natural birth. I go to Charlotte Prenatal Yoga. They have classes on Saturday at the new Birth Center in SC. It's a great atmosphere and I have been told they have been there more than once when a baby was being born!! How cool would that be??

Next week, is the CAPPA conference and my doula training. I am SOOOO excited!!

Hope to update on that soon. :)

More Baby Stuff!

7:56 PM Edit This 1 Comment »

You know what's fun about having another baby? Well besides that sweet newborn smell and their squishy, smooth skin~getting new baby stuff!! I am beginning to wonder what I will do when I don't have a baby to buy stuff for anymore! :)

Since we are holding off on finding out what we are having, it gets a bit tricky. We have all the girl stuff we could need, but if we have a boy there will be more shopping to do!

Regardless, I really think I need a new diaper bag. I spent so much time looking for one for Emerald and I didn't actually find one until after she arrived. I have fallen in love with JuJuBe diaper bags. they just have the cutest colors and prints, AND they have come out with a new print I am CRAZY about! It seems like the perfect bag to carry girl and boy stuff (granted we are having a boy). Wooohooo! The thing is, they are kind-of like designer diaper bags, so the price is well...a little pricey. My mother always said I had expensive taste, but really if I found it at Target for $10, I'd love it just as much. :)

The next great purchase will be for MORE cloth diapers!! Wooohooo! I am *hoping* Emerald will be on her way to being "toliet learned" (I know that doesn't sound right grammatically, but it works) around the time the baby comes, but regardless we will need more dipes. The thing is the dipes are the same as the carriers, there are so many styles and prints~it's hard to just buy a few! I love some of the Happy Heiny's prints, but I also have my eye on some of the FuzziBunz. Really the BumGenius Flips! are hard to beat as well...so many choices...

Then you got the babylegs and everyone who sees Emerald on a regular basis knows my addiction and obsession with those!

I think I just need to start selling these things to help curb my "appetite" for it all!!

Crazy about Carriers!

8:32 PM Edit This 2 Comments »

Organic Maya Wrap

*Bolded items can be clicked for links :)

I admittedly love all things baby. It's hard to resist all the cute accessories that moms NEED to survive the baby years (and let's just face it, I do not need an excuse to shop). One baby item I love is carriers. I didn't know a whole lot about them before Emerald was born. I had always seen lots of women at my church carrying their babies in all sorts of carriers and always thought, "I'm going to do that too." I wish I had researched the world of carriers more. I had registered for a hotsling and thought I would be good to go. Sadly, Emerald was not too fond of this carrier and as she grew I found the one shoulder carrying was not always comfortable for long periods of time.

After hearing from other moms and doing some research, I decided to try the Mobywrap when Emerald was about 5 months old. This was a much better fit for us and she seemed to enjoy being carried for longer periods of time than in the hotsling. It was also nice for me because this carrier has the two shoulder support. Emerald went everywhere in the Moby, grocery shopping, church, the park, but I could not for the life of me get Sam to use it in public. (It's not exactly dad-friendly).

Next came the search for the "dad-friendly carrier." It was found in the cadillac of baby carriers- The Ergo. I have a friend that sells various baby items and she had some Ergo's that were on clearance, so Sam decided to give it a try. The Ergo comes in plenty of colors and designs and of course I wanted something "pretty" but if Sam was going to be totin' the baby around it had to look masculine. :) So we went with the organic navy blue twill Ergo. Emerald loves it!! It can be used as a front,. back and hip carrier. Totally fab. And Sam actually volunteers to carry her in it. That's nice. I really like it too. All the weight of the child goes to the hips, so there is no need to worry about shoulder discomfort.

So my obsessions goes even further to being part of a "babywearing group" where local moms come together to show how different carriers work and how it benefits them. I am actually very thankful these groups exist, as there are so many carriers out there and it can be hard for a new mom, or a mom that is new to babywearing, to know how to safely wear their infant or toddler. I have seen so many different, super cool carriers because of this group and sadly, although I already own 3, I want to try more with the next baby.

One that I have my eye on is the Mayawrap. They have the new organic line that looks fab. Plus, there is a little pocket where you can store your phone, keys or other important items. How cool is that?? This is another shoulder carrier, but I have heard that it is much more comfortable than the hotsling because it contains more padding. Speaking of slings, there is another ring sling I am looking into as well, the SlingEZee. There are just too many amazing carriers now a days I really want the baby wearing to work out right away with this next one. I carried Emerald a lot in my arms before we got the Moby and I just don't see that happening as easily with a toddler to run after AND a newborn to hold.

I also want to get another Ergo. I know that Emerald will still be carried a lot in the one we currently have, even after the baby arrives. So Sam can carry her and I can carry the new addition in the various carriers that work for us. :) Plus, then I can get the print I want! Next summer we are going to my sister Shyanne's wedding and the Ergo's will be a BIG help while traveling. The sad thing is the one I wanted was on babysteals less than a week ago and I didn't check it in time. :( Sadness.

I may need a "baby carrier intervention" but I say, "hey there are worse things to be addicted to!" :)

Some great resources for babywearing moms: TheBabyWearer.com and Babywearing International

iPhone Madness!

7:48 AM Edit This 0 Comments »

Emerald entertaining everyone in line with her smiles and giggles.

So, June 24th 2010, was the infamous release of Apple's new iPhone 4! Anyone who knows my husband knows he is absolutely devoted to Apple and all of their amazing products. Before we met, I didn't really know much about Apple or Mac computers, I had used one before, but I wasn't on either side of the "Mac or PC" debate. Sam converted me. I am wholeheartedly a huge Apple fan and have only been very impressed with all of their products. That being said, I got my first iPhone 2 years ago and I immediately fell in love. The iPhone is like no other smart phone ever created. The smoothness and efficiency you can do pretty much anything on the iPhone is unmatched and once you have one you can't go back to the clunky-ness of those "other phones"

Sam got his first iPhone about a year ago. I had the normal 3G, but he upgraded to the 3Gs. With this new iPhone coming out, it was a race to see if we could get our reservation in on time. Luckily, after multiple attempts, we both got the email that our iPhone 4 was in fact reserved for us on June 24th. This phone is absolutely incredible. Not only does it have an HD video camera, the iPhone is the first phone to have video calling, called FaceTime. You can check out all you need to know about the new iPhone 4 here: http://www.digitaltrends.com/mobile/apple-iphone-4/

The morning of the big release, I had been reading some fb updates and there were people who were saying they had been waiting for hours before the door even opened to their local Apple store and the line was insane!! We had other stuff going on, on Release Day and I wasn't going to interrupt a one year old's nap schedule to stand in line for hours. So I headed out to the Apple Store at Southpark at about 4:00, after Emerald's afternoon nap. I got there and was blown away by the line. There were two lines-one for those with reservations and one for those without. The reserved line was winding all the way down to the concrete halls the stores use for loading merchandise! I have no idea where the non-reserved line ended. I was undoubtedly nervous about the prospect of standing in line with a one year old without any idea about how fast it would move. Another fb friend had updated that they were standing in line for 5 hours and moved 20 ft. : / Sam was planning on meeting us after work and kind-of "taking over" in the line, so at least I knew we could escape if Emerald was getting restless.

Emerald actually had a lot of fun. She completly LOVES people and getting attention. She was very sweet and wanted to share her Cherrios with everyone. However, you can only stand still in a line with a toddler for so long before they get restless. She wanted to "walk" everywhere. She loves holding our hands as we help her walk across the world. We did that for awhile and then that got old, luckily Sam arrived just in time, so Emerald and I headed out to go shopping. We totally scored at Gap Kids, as they were having a huge sale-40% off of already clearance merchandise. Whooohooo!!! I got her two pairs of sandals for her to walk in, which made that task a lot easier to do in public on the dirty mall floors. :p

I was going back and forth about whether I should get the iPhone 4 now in black or hold out for the white one. I knew I would be sad if I saw other people with the white and I hadn't waited. Supposedly, the white will not be available until mid July and they will be scarce, but in the end I decided to wait it out. Currently, I have "upgraded" to Sam's 3Gs until then.

Needless to say, standing in line for HOURS for any sort of "the latest thing" is definitely an experience. First off, every person that I saw in line already had an iPhone. This makes sense, once you are an iPhone user it's nearly impossible to go back, but this also says that these people knew all the AMAZING things their current iPhone could do and wanted to experience the next step in "iPhone Bliss!" When we got to the front of the "Reserved Line" the guy at the front of the "Other line" had said he had been in "line" since 11pm the previous night!!! CRAZY!! I was thinking, "how do these people eat and go to the bathroom" Cool thing, Chick Fil A came around like every 10 minutes with complementary tea and water trays and then a tray of chicken nuggets and brownies. How great is that? Besides you become friends with these other crazy people and most of them are more than willing to save your spot for second. :) Sam had read about a guy who stood in the iPhone line for the 3Gs for the sole purpose to make friends. He didn't even get a phone! In the end he said he made life long friends and it was one of the best experiences of his life.

I can't say we made life-long friends (we were only in line for 3.5 hours :) but it was fun being a part of "pop-culture" And well, you'll have to ask Sam what he thinks of the new iPhone 4 :)

EC fun! :)

12:22 PM Edit This 3 Comments »

Just a warning to everyone, this blog post is all about potties, pooping and the like. Turn back now if this topic grosses you out (guessing you may not be a parent yet if it does! :)

When Emerald was first born someone mentioned something to me called, "Elimination Communication"-EC. The whole idea is related to "Natural Infant Hygiene" and helping your child learn to recognize the urge to eliminate from the very beginning of their life. I thought it was really strange and I like to think I'm open minded when it comes to alternative parenting techniques. :)

When Emerald was about 5 months old I found a GREAT group of Naturally minded moms on Meetup.com. Some of the moms there were talking about how they were practicing Elimination Communication with their little ones who were around Emerald's age. I was fascinated. I went home and googled it a bit and then not too long ago in my issue of Mothering Magazine there was an article that summarized the whole process up very well. Basically, the whole idea is that if we tune into our babies to find their cues to eat and sleep why not to eliminate as well. That made sense to me. Also it is mentioned that many children get emotionally attached to diapers and see them as a "security blanket" and then later on have a hard time separating from them. I think this makes a lot of sense as well. If we never teach them to ignore the urge to eliminate when they are able to bring themselves to the potty it won't be such a big change or a possible traumatic experience. Why not start early?

Another good point was the fact that many people around the world do not have access to disposable diapers or cloth, or even clothing to wrap around their babies bums. What do these mothers do? They tune into their babies and figure out what signs they give to eliminate. It's funny, looking back to the time I spent with the street children in India, many of those babies had no diaper and I didn't even think about what happens when they had to go. Those mothers must of had a system going on! And what did mothers do before the invention of diapers?? It's very interesting topic to ponder on.

Some people practice EC to different degrees. A lot of the people that write about it are completely "diaper free." They do not use diapers for their babies unless they go out and even then, not always. I haven't met anyone yet that does the diaper free method.

Most people I know use dipes all the time and then watch for signs of elimination and then put their child on the potty. Some people start at a very young age-birth and others wait until their children are closer to the toddler years-9ish months.

I tried for the first time when Emerald was probably about 10 months. She was a little scared of being on the big potty, so soon after we got her one of the kiddie potty seats to put on top of the big one. This did not scare her at all and she seemed to think it was a new, fun thing. :)

The way we are practicing EC with Emerald is to attempt to catch all the "poops" in the potty. For the past month and a half it has gone great! It is VERY obvious when she needs to poop, so we just take her dipe off and then set her on it. Sometimes it takes her a few minutes and she usually likes to play with a toy or shampoo bottle from the shower, but she always seems to do very well. She even claps for herself now when we say, "Good job!" It's like she is proud of herself and it is really cute to see! In the past few weeks it also seems like she looks to us when she needs to poop as if to say, "Put me on the potty, I am pooping!" I'd like to learn more about how to read when she needs to pee. This seems much tricker to me. I also know a lot of people who sign with their babies and once they get the hang of it, they can sign when they need to use the bathroom if they are not talking yet.

Call me crazy, but I am excited about the prospect of Emerald being potty trained "early"

And the truth is I'd rather take the time to put her on the potty then change a dirty diaper ANY DAY! :) I'm not sure when we will start this process with the next, but I think I would like to try it sooner than we started with Emerald.

For anyone who is interested in this process a good article to read:

http://www.mothering.com/green-living/mothering-mindfulness-and-babys-bottom

A great site to check out:

http://www.diaperfreebaby.org/

A good book to check out:

http://www.amazon.com/Diaper-Free-Baby-Natural-Training-Alternative/dp/0061229709/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&s=books&qid=1276894036&sr=8-1-catcorr

Catching Up.

6:58 AM Edit This 2 Comments »

Well, it is obvious I am not the world's best blogger.

Between taking care of Emerald, cleaning, running around, socializing, doula certification stuff and well, life-I just never have the time or inspiration to blog. So we will see how long this lasts.

The last time I blogged Emerald had just turned 6 months. She is now a year old!! It is very hard to believe that time goes so fast. When she was first born it seemed liked she would stay tiny forever, but as soon as she started sitting up and being able to be a little more independent it seemed like the time went so fast!! On her actual birthday we went to the zoo, just the three of us. It was a really special, memorable time. Last weekend we had her party at the park and while it was sweltering HOT, I consider the party a success. :) She seemed to enjoy herself and of course all the attention she received.

The latest news in our family is that we are unexpectedly expecting baby #2! This news was quite shocking to us as we were not planning on having another for quite some time! I will be 17 weeks on Saturday. It definitely took awhile for it to sink in, but we are excited and I know Emerald will love being a big sister. She absolutely adores babies and other children.

We are not going to find out what we are having with this one. I am pretty sure this will be our last and I want the opportunity to experience what it is like to be surprised in that moment. However, I am quite convinced it is a BOY! I feel completely different than I did when I was pregnant with Emerald. I had hardly any morning sickness, my hormones aren't making me too crazy, :) and I am actually enjoying it for the most part-something I thought I would never say about pregnancy!! :) I have always had dreams it is a boy and all I dreamt about with Emerald was having a girl, so time will tell!

Speaking of pregnancy and the like, I am on my way with my doula certification. In just one month, I will be going to the CAPPA conference and then doing my doula training with a CAPPA instructor. I've been learning so much through my reading and research and I am really excited to be going down this path in my life.

Other than that life is pretty much mellow and going good. Sam is still enjoying his job and working hard in school.

Hopefully, I can keep everyone updated a little better over the coming months. :)

November 09

12:20 PM Edit This 2 Comments »

Try as I may, I can never seem to post the month I am writing about before that month is over! Oh well, December First is close enough!

Our little baby girl is 6 MONTHS old, already!! I don't know how this happened. I swear, she was a little baby who couldn't do anything on her own and BAM! Now she is sitting up, entertaining herself and looking to eat "real" food. =) I am truly amazed with how fast she is growing!

We put up our Christmas tree and Emerald adores the lights and all the sparkly things that come with Christmas. Sam and I are excited to start our own traditions with our little family.

Sam started his job at the IRS a few weeks back and everything is going well. He is now working on being promoted in the Army, which will be good for his future profession, so I know he is excited about that.

We are both in school full time and I JUST finished a 10 page paper. I know all college students have to write papers and I know that there are lots of other moms out there who go to school, raise a baby AND work. So I have to think that I don't have it all that bad. I think I would be more motivated if the school was for a purpose other than the check we get that pays me to go. I am researching different Doula training organizations and I think I found the one I am going to go with. There is a seminar to start the training in July, which works out perfect for us because Emerald will be able to be apart from me for more than a few hours for the training.

I am excited about the prospect of this and feel that I am finally on my way to doing something I hope I will love.

We had a good Thanksgiving and most of all I am thankful that Sam is able to be home with us. Although, I can't say I am not a little worried the Army is not going to send him back over as they are sending 30,000 more troops out. All we can do is pray!

I can't believe that Christmas is only 25 days away! Hope everyone is having fun getting into the holiday spirit!

October post...a little late...

7:09 AM Edit This 0 Comments »

I am trying to do at least one post a month, but this month~especially the last 2 weeks have been CRAZY!!!

Anyway...our little punkin is now 5 months old! Where did the time go? She definitely wants to move around and scoots her little body all around her play mat...we will see when she decides to attempt crawling. She is attempting to sit up and is doing well, but still needs support to sit up for more than a few seconds.

We are now on week 3 of our cloth diapering adventure. So far, so good. The Bum Genius cloth dipes really are great and I am glad we decided to go with them. We are still doing the disposables at night, but will eventually switch over to 100% cloth when we run out. The diaper sprayer we connected to a toilet is a "must" in my opinion if you are are going to venture into this world. But we are having fun and Sam doesn't even mind them either.

I got a Moby wrap after having so many people suggest it and then suggesting it myself without ever owning one. I LOVE it!!! It is very nice to have the two shoulder support that the sling lacks to perform in. I found a camo colored one online and told Sam I was going to get it for him for our NEXT baby. =) (I have to put those messages in his mind b/c he says we are only going to have one!)

We didn't go trick or treating with the crew (Cauthen's and Stroud's) because Emerald was feeling "under the weather." I loaded up on herbs and essential oils and gave her the ones she could take and she is feeling LOTS better. It's no fun when your baby doesn't feel good, so I hope that the rest of this "sick season" we can keep the yuckiness at bay and continue to do preventative care.

Onto to other news...school is going pretty well. I have found it difficult to tend to Emerald and get everything done. I have had my sister come stay a few times just so I can do my schoolwork undisturbed. It will help when Sam is home every night and we can "take turns" as he is in school full time right now too.

Speaking of Sam coming home...this is his LAST week of paralegal school!!!! HURRAY!!! We only have 3 more nights apart and then NO MORE!!! We survived. The first few weeks were not fun, but it really started to go by fast after that. I am just glad it is over for now.

That about sums up our news for now!! Looking forward to the holiday season!

What's in a name?

5:04 PM Edit This 2 Comments »

Time for a new post!!!

It is September 8th already! I can't believe it! Where did the summer go??

Things have been going well. Emerald is now 3 months old! She is holding her head up very well and has even rolled over about a dozen times. She does not like tummy time, so while it is necessary, I try not to torture her with it for too long. Sam and I are just having so much fun with her and it is so exciting to be a parent and to watch them learn and grow. It's great to see her so amazed and in awe of the littlest things.

We had Emerald dedicated at our church the day she turned 3 months, August 30th. Being a parent is such a daunting task, something we could never do "correctly" without the Lord's help. Hopefully and prayerfully she will be all that she is meant to me and we will be the kind of parents that will encourage her on the right path.

One of the most popular questions we get is, "So what is her name...really?" We don't mind answering it at all, since we DID make it a little confusing. We called her "Emma" most of my pregnancy, but we decided that her name will be Emerald. We also thought we might nickname her, "Emma" but we decided against that too. So Emerald it is. =) I love her name, of course we gave it to her, but I wasn't 100% about it at first. Now, it just seems like that is her name and she grows into it more everyday. PLUS, she has red hair so an "emerald" color will look great on her! =)

Well, Sam is starting his third week in paralegal school at Fort Jackson. I can admittedly say I really hate sleeping alone at night. Granted, I do have Emerald and I am very thankful for that, but you know what I mean. All those years I lived on my own, there wasn't really any fear of being by myself at night, but now I don't know, it just bothers me. I try to stay busy and luckily I am tired enough that usually I'll just go to sleep and TRY not think about the fact that Sam is not next to me. But if you think about it and want to say a prayer for me when you go to bed, I'm sure it could help me with my fear. =)

I started my online classes and while they seem easy enough, it seems like sometimes it's just a bunch of busy work. Some of it is very interesting...I really like Art Appreciation and although I don't know how I'll use that in life, it's fun to learn interesting facts about Art. =) I don't know that I will use these classes for much since what I really want to do doesn't involve these things, but you never know what is down the road and I think it's good for me to discipline myself to learn a little.

That's about all the "new" stuff going on in our lives...until next time...