Baby/Tot Yoga: I Love You

This pose is a Penelope favorite. She soaks up all the eye contact and love. For babies that still don't mind being on their back, lay them down with their feet going towards your body. Take their hands and bring them into the middle of their chest. This simple action of bringing their hands to the midline of their body, helps them with crawling and clapping. And then you say Iiiiiii!




















Next, bring their arms out wide, give them a big stretch, but be gentle. Remember, the younger the baby, the slower your movements should be, so they can process what you are doing. As their arms are out wide, you say Llllloooooovvveeee!

Then bring their arms back to the midline of their chest, but cross one hand over the other and sort of rock them back and forth and say Yyyyooooouuuuu!
Do this several times. For older babies and toddlers, who don't want to lay down, you can do this with them sitting in your lap, facing out to be able to look around.

Just FYI, most of the baby yoga poses I post, I learned at my Itsy Bitsy Yoga training. The founder and creator, Helen Garabedian, has a great book and dvds that you can purchase to help your home practice. Or you can go to her website and try and find a class near you!

Send Me Your Questions!

I have a dear friend, Lia, who has a daughter three months younger than Penelope. We have been friends for almost 10 years. She started sending me emails with questions about birth even before she was pregnant. And once Lucia actually got here, the emails started coming on a weekly basis. She asks me all kinds of questions!! I don't want to toot my own horn, but most of the time I know the answer and if I don't I have a pretty good hunch of where to send her in order to do more research on her own.

I LOVE answering her questions. One of my favorite things to do, is simply to be helpful. I like sharing my information and life experiences, which is, hello, why I started this blog in the first place!

So who's got questions?? Ask me anything! If you stick to the areas of my interest you will likely get a more through answer, but I will try and answer anything. My areas of "specialty" are:

Attachment Parenting
Babies and Toddlers
Breastfeeding
Crafting
Gardening
Green Living
Healthy Living
Pregnancy/Childbirth

You can email me your questions to Info(at)MamaAndBabyLove.com and I will post my answer on the blog for everyone's benefit!

Mama's Musings: The Mastery of Love

I love (no pun intended) the book The Mastery of Love by Don Miguel Ruiz. I read it about 5 years ago and was blown away by it. If you haven't read it, its a must-read.

I have a 48 card deck with daily affirmations based on the book and I think I have started a new tradition. For the past couple of weeks, I have been reading one card a day to Penelope after she gets a bottle or nurses, while she is still in the mood for a cuddle.

Here's the card I read to her yesterday:

Front:
"Accept your own beauty."

Back:
"You are beautiful not matter what your mind tells you. That is a fact. If you are aware of your own beauty and accept your own beauty, the opinion of others doesn't affect you at all."

Ah, don't you wish your mother had taught you that when you were a baby? Actually, babies already know that. When they become older toddlers and children, they forget this truth, based on what they are seeing around the house. They instill their parents belief systems about themselves as their own. So really these cards are daily reminders for me. Reminders that I need accept my own beauty, in order to pass that skill along to Penelope.

Reading these cards everyday is also a nice pause, something else that helps me be present and in the moment with Penelope.

What do you think of our new tradition? Do you do anything similar?

Friday Link Love: 6.25.10

This is a funny blog post in response to Kim Kardashian's Tweet that the mother next to her in a restaurant breastfeeding was "gross and needed to cover up." I officially DISLIKE Kim Kardashian now.

Here is an article from the Columbia Tribune about moms breastfeeding in public. I think that more moms need to breast feed in public, WITHOUT covering up, to show how normal and natural it is.


This is a nice prayer/positive thinking for the oil spill in the Gulf. I am a big believer in prayer/positive thinking and visualizations to help manifest what you want in life.

Also, I am switching my Link Love to Friday's, because I am only going to post during the week now. There is just so much going on in my life right now as we prepare to move to Santiago, Chile!

And the Winner Is....

Sarah!

Sarah posted on the Breath Awareness link and

Sarah said...

I go through the same emotional process when I am going through my daughters clothes when she is growing out of them. I feel a bit saddened when I can't remember everything but am thankful for what I do remember and am trying to get better about writing memories down.
June 13, 2010 2:37 PM

Please email me at Info@MamaAndBabyLove.com and I will mail the diaper bag to you!

DIY: Toy Storage Bag

 
I made a bag with a zipper to house some of Penelope's wooden blocks the other week. I used scrap fabric I had left over from when I reupholstered a chair when I was pregnant. I also recycled and used the pink zipper I tore out of the Lilly Pultizer skirt I made into a Pillow Case dress. So it doesn't really match but I figured reusing the zipper was more important.
 
I didn't take a super great picture of the bag, because Penelope was being so cute with her blocks. The girl makes some funny faces.
 

Here is where I learned to make this type of bag. I didn't double line it like the tutorial, because this was my first time using a zipper and honestly I just couldn't figure it out, maybe next time.

Oh and if anyone is wondering her dress is organic and from Sage Creek Organics. Pretty cute, right?

Yoga for Mama and Child: Down Dog

Oh, how I love this pose! It's one of my favorite yoga poses. It is a great all over body stretch and you are giving lots of muscles in your arms, back and legs a bit of work out too. Now, its been awhile since I have been in a regular yoga routine for myself, so don't laugh at my technique! And besides, you are doing yoga no matter what the pose looks like, as long as you are breathing. In through your nose and out through you nose!

Start on your hands and knees. Any yoga I do these days, involves Penelope. She loves to be underneath me with this pose. She giggles so much when I do Down Dog! Then you lift your tail bone in the air and put your body into an upside down V. Your hands and feet should be equal distance apart. Try to balance your body's weight equally between your hands and your feet. You are trying to get your heals on the ground and your back flat at the same time. If that is not possible, bend your knees to get your back flat and then slowly work on your flexibility, so that you can straighten your legs and then get your heals down. Come in and out of the pose as you need to rest. A pregnant variation of this pose, would be to place your hands on a wall and to make a 90 degree angle with your body.


Even babies can do Down Dog! This is Miss Ava at about 10 months old. She had been doing Down Dog about a month at this point. Babies will naturally do Down Dog as they are learning to crawl and walk, but at about 9 or 10 months, you can teach them to do it when you say Down Dog!! Anytime you see your baby naturally do it, say "Yay!!! Down Dog!!! Good job!!! Then do it yourself and say again Down Dog!! Similar to the concept of how you would teach them sign language by repeating the word and showing the sign over and over again. Eventually, they put the word recognition and the body movement together and ta da! They can do Down Dog! Let me tell you it's the best feeling in the world when they do their first yoga pose on their own! Ava's self esteem sky rocketed, she was so proud of herself. And that continued all through her toddler hood. Yoga is something all babies and toddlers can excel at. So not only is it good for their health it is great for their self esteem.

Just FYI, most of the baby yoga poses I post, I learned at my Itsy Bitsy Yoga training. The founder and creator, Helen Garabedian, has a great book and dvds that you can purchase to help your home practice. Or you can go to her website and try and find a class near you!

How do you Birth From Within?

My dear friend Lindsey is the new Birthing From Within childbirth mentor in town. She went to her training this spring and is offering her first class this July. Before she attended her Birthing From Within training, she trained with me as apprentice and has been working as Doula for the last couple of years. She has a son, Gabriel, that just turned one, who was born at the Birth Cottage. This may be her first class, but she knows her stuff. I wish she was teaching last summer when I was pregnant, because I flew out to California to be able to take a Birthing From Within childbirth class. That's how amazing these classes are!!

Its hard to explain what makes Birthing From Within so amazing, so special and so helpful. In my class, I took this summer, my mentor, helped Peter and I draw out some of our fears to be able to work on them and clear them, so they wouldn't mess me up in labor. Usually, whatever you are most hoping to avoid, are most afraid of, happens in labor, it manifests as the grand life lesson. In my class, I realized that I had worked through all my fears of transferring to the hospital for a needed cesarean birth. I could handle that. I knew if that happened, it was for the sake of the baby and I had done everything I could. But if I were to transfer to the hospital for a long labor, because I was tired and couldn't handle the pain anymore, THAT was my worst fear. To not be able to hack the pain, me the childbirth educator and Doula. I would be mortified if I had to get an epidural. I couldn't even think of that possibility I was so afraid. But through Birthing From Within, I was able to work through my fears and when my birth began, I wasn't afraid of anything. I knew I could handle anything that came my way.

Birthing From Within is unlike other childbirth classes. In other childbirth classes, you learn a lot of INFORMATION. The phases of labor, how your pelvis works, etc. But INFORMATION will not help you birth your baby. In labor, you only have your internal resources to help you. If you have not cultivated any internal resources, then you will be up sh*t creek when your labor starts.

Are you pregnant and in need of cultivating some internal resources? Take Lindsey's class this July! Here is some information about her class. You can find out more here.

Attention All Tallahassee Mamas!
I am offering Tallahassee mamas a one time DEEP discount on my Birthing From Within childbirth class. I am starting up a six week class beginning the second week of July on Thursday evenings from 6:30 - 8:30 pm that will be meeting at The Birth Cottage. I have two open spaces I need to fill NOW and I am only asking a nominal fee to cover expenses. Please spread the word and have all mamas contact me at 850-339-2606 or lindsey@motherrisingbirth.com. This is an amazing opportunity especially for first time parents with a tight budget. Tell your friends! Neighbors! Coworkers!

In my Birthing From Within classes, you will learn how to:

* Experience birth as a rite of passage
* Eat a sound diet (pregnancy and breastfeeding)
* Open your body-mind before and during labor with self-hypnosis and visualizations
* Build confidence in yourself and your partner
* Ask questions and make decisions in labor
* Protect your birth space
* Tame your "Birth Tigers"TM
* Push your baby out
* Welcome your baby
* Recover and plan postpartum
* Care for and feed your newborn
* Give birth from within during a Cesarean, while using pain medication, or with medical support.

...and much more!

Your BIRTHING FROM WITHIN Classes will be:

*
a balance of practical, useful information and creative, experiential exercises.
*
personalized to your needs and interests.
*
not narrowly focused on a particular type of birth
*
stimulating, lively discussions and interesting exercises
* learning, not just about birth, but also about yourselves!

Our classes really do prepare you to birth from within.

Only Two More Days to Win a FREE Pentunia Pickle Bottom Bag!

All you have to do to win this gorgeous Petunia Pickle Bottom diaper bag is sign up to follow my blog and make a comment on any previous blog post.

I will be randomly selecting a winner on June 24th.

The Fanatical Breastfeeder: Part 2

I, surprisingly, was not mad or offended when she called me fanatical for choosing to breastfeed, because I could see straight through her. She told me she didn't breastfeed, so for her to mentally and emotionally acknowledge that a mother would rationally choose to breastfeed, because it is the superior health option, in her mind, that would some how mean that she was a bad mother. Note, I said in her mind. I do not think that mother's who bottle feed with formula are less of a mother than me. I do, however, know that breast milk is better than formula as far as nutrition goes. Its a simple fact these days, with so much research, its not even a question anymore. Breast milk is better than formula. Period. Formula is not poison, and its a perfectly acceptable substitution for breast milk. But it is not the same. It is second best. But this woman, obviously felt that breastfeeding women think they are better mothers than formula feeding women, and in response to that misunderstanding, she needed to put me down in order to make herself feel better. And under anger, is always sadness. So I felt bad for her, because somewhere deep inside her, she knows that breastfeeding is better for babies and she chose not to give her babies the better option out her own need for her life to be easier. She was not willing to sacrifice personal time or rest or whatever for the sake of her children's health.

Now, again, let me be very clear here, I have nothing against mothers who bottle feed with formula (I do have an issue with formula companies and how they go into third world countries, including the US, and make it very easy for women to give up on breastfeeding.) I know for a fact, that you can meet all an infants emotional needs through bottle feeding. I was a nanny, long before I was a mother, and I continue to bottle fed Penelope my breast milk because of our situation. I call it bottle nursing. Her cheek touches my breast, so she is getting skin to skin. I did not do this with Ava and Ella (the girls I was a nanny to for 3 years), but I always held them in a cradle position when they got their bottles, and looked into their eyes. And I wore them in a wrap or sling for large portions of the day, just like I do with Penelope and they got lots of eye contact and touch through yoga and massage. I would lay down and cuddle with Ava and Ella to get them to sleep, just like I do with Penelope (but I am nursing Penelope to sleep.) So I know mothers can be just as attached to their babies and babies can feel just as loved and comforted, even if they bottle feed.

But nursing is different. It almost like it takes bonding to the next level. Not only does it meet her needs, but it meets mine. Bottle nursing, left me out of the picture. My milk would let down, but it had no where to go, and it was not a pleasant feeling to be holding a baby, have breasts full of milk but not be able to do anything about it. I remember the second day Penelope started comfort nursing. The first day was actually stressful, because I was holding my breath and afraid to move, not wanting to mess up her groove. I was also stressed that is was just a fluke and she would go back to not wanting to latch the very next day. So the second day I had relaxed. We were laying down and she was nursing to sleep. I felt my milk let down and for the first time it had somewhere to go other than to stain my shirt. I felt her pick up her sucking and swallowing. I could actually feel my milk going into her mouth and then I pictured it going into her belly. It was like I was literally, physically, giving her all my love through my warm, perfect milk. I knew she felt perfectly loved and at peace, which I know she feels when she is bottle fed my milk, but this time so was I.

Saturday Link Love: 6.19.10

This is an article about one of my local hospitals and the steps they are taking to reduce their cesarean birth rate. I applaud them for doing something, anything, but man they (as do ALL hospitals) have a long way to go to get birth back to normalcy.


This is a blog post review of another article, written by Janet Lansbury, that said the term “babywearing” is an outrage. The term is disrespectful to babies because it objectifies them."

At the Beach

This time last year, I was also at the beach, but I looked like this. I was 20 weeks pregnant. We went to California to visit some friends and sight see. It was our babymoon before Penelope arrived. I looked at all my pregnancy pictures the other day, and I still can't believe I had an actual baby in my belly and that the baby was Penelope.


Oh, how the definition of vacation has changed this year! No sleeping in, or laying out in the sun. I am on short leash and when Penelope says jump, I jump. Even so, we are having a great time. My beautiful girl is quite the water baby. She puts her face in the water and blows bubbles now. And eats sand. She tries to dive out of my hands into the water. I am very tempted to let her to see what she would do. She would probably swim, like it ain't no thang. She was born in the water, and Peter is part fish, so it makes sense.

The Fanatical Breastfeeder: Part 1

 

I have to break this up into two posts, because the subject is just too big!

This week I have been on vacation in Atlantic Beach, near Jacksonville. Penelope has received lots of attention from the other guests. One woman, struck up a conversation with me by saying how beautiful Penelope was. She went on to say that the reason she was here at the hotel, was because her daughter-in-law had just given birth six days ago and they were visiting their new grand baby. Me, being me, I responded with: "Congratulations! How is Mama and baby doing? How is breastfeeding going?" To which she replies with: "Oh, breastfeeding has been a nightmare, she can't get the baby to latch and now she is pumping all day and all night, getting no rest and she is having a hard time with her supply." I say, "I am so sorry to hear that, I know exactly how she feels, I had to pump, and in fact, I still pump 3 times a day for Penelope even though she can comfort nurse now. I remember how tired I was and how I thought, I hate all those people who say sleep when the baby sleeps, because I never could, I was always pumping." She then says, "I just don't understand why she is putting herself through all that, my daughter recently had a baby as well and she is giving her baby formula and her life is so much easier." And I replied, very casually, with not a fanatical tone in my voice, "Oh, because breastfeeding so good for the babies, what it does for their health it makes it worth it." She then says, super nasty, "Yeah, that is what all you breastfeeders say, you all are so fanatical about it. Women in my generation (she was in her mid-fifties, I'd say) didn't breastfeed and our kids turned out fine." I didn't really process quick enough that she just called me fanatical for choosing to breastfeed, so I didn't give her the response I should have. I simply switched the subject and started talking about things her daughter-in-law could do to increase her supply and left it at that.

I have thought about this poor mom all day, hoping to run into her mother-in-law again so I could offer her my left over milk stash, since I don't have a freezer here and it will go to waste. I am so mad at myself for not thinking quick enough to offer it right then and there, then she would have really thought I was a fanatical breast feeder!

While I do consider myself pretty fanatical about my determination and dedication to keep pumping in order to give Penelope my breast milk. I choose to breast feed to give Penelope breast milk for its health benefits (and for bonding, but more about that in the next post). Health benefits, discovered by massive amount of scientific research. I made an educated and informed decision to breast feed, i.e. not a fanatical one. I also don't get in people's face about it. I like to vent and share my joys about my breastfeeding experience on Facebook, but I am not wildly waving my hands in the air and yelling on a street corner to get people to breastfeed. One of the reasons I was so sad that Penelope couldn't nurse at first, is because I was excited to nurse in public. It was going to be my quiet, peaceful demonstration to the world. Part of the reason I am who I am today, is because of the positive women/mama role models I have come across in the last 10 years, not fanatics in the least. Before I even became a Doula, I was dating a guy in college, who's older sister was a total AP, BF'ing, co-sleeping mama. I saw her quietly sling her baby and breastfeed on demand. I saw how peaceful she and her baby were. I made the decision then and there, not even 20 years old then, that I was going to mother like that. She was not fanatical. She was just going on about her business and being a mother. And yet she made a huge impact on me.

Baby Yoga: Kicky Cobra

This pose is a great way to sneak in some tummy time for those babies that want nothing to do with laying on the floor, stomach down. The words for this pose are: kick, kick, kick-ey co-bra.




















Every time you lift up a leg, say one word. So you are moving their legs and singing on the same beat. Hold their legs gently. If they squirm away, just keep singing and smiling and try again in a minute. You always want to keep their knees on the floor, to protect their low back.

Mama's can do Cobra pose too! Lay on your belly, with your legs together, and your hands underneath your shoulders. Then lift your chest up off the ground as far as is comfortable. Its a nice ab and low back stretch and strengthens your arms as well. You can keep your elbows on the ground if your low back doesn't like too much of a stretch.

The more you do yoga in front of your child, the more they are going to want to do it!

Just FYI, most of the baby yoga poses I post, I learned at my Itsy Bitsy Yoga training. The founder and creator, Helen Garabedian, has a great book and dvds that you can purchase to help your home practice. Or you can go to her website and try and find a class near you!

Diaper Changing Pad Cover

I think this is my best project so far, as far as satisfaction goes. Dresses are awesome, but to make something useful was pretty great. When I was done and put it on the diaper changing pad, I was totally surprised. I couldn't believe it actually worked and turned out! It fit perfectly. This pad was given to us, as a hand me down, and before Penelope it had already been through 4 babies, so the cover was in a bad, bad place. Now, I get to look at these pretty flowers every time I change Miss P's diapers. And since our diaper changing station is in our bedroom, it matches much better.

This is what the underneath looks like. It was the first time I have ever done a project with elastic. Elastic used to scare the crap out of me, but it is very simple! Here is the tutorial.

Breath Awareness

This week I had to put away some more of Penelope's clothes that don't fit her anymore. It's always a bittersweet moment for me. I try to be conscious about the process, key word here is "try." Often I rush through the movements, in order to feel the satisfaction of crossing the task off my to-do list. As I fold each item from the laundry basket, I think of the happy moments (that I can actually remember) that we experienced while she was wearing that particular piece of clothing. As I put the piece away in the closet, to either give away later or for baby number 2, I note the transition. I note that I am crossing over yet another threshold, passing yet another milestone and how quickly it is all going by. I will never get these moments back and it makes my heart hurt to think that they have already passed.

One of the many things I stress about as a mother, is how I can be more present in each moment with her, to fully live each moment with her because I know I only get once chance. I want to fully appreciate the moment for one, but also, so I can just plain remember it later when I am old. I can't tell you how many times, I have been in the middle of some sweet moment with her, and internally I am literally, begging my brain to remember it!

In my childbirth classes I used to teach (that my friend Lindsey now teaches locally), I taught a pain coping technique called Breath Awareness. It's pretty simple. In a nutshell, you simply bring your full awareness to your breath. You don't have to breath a specific way, you just breath and notice how you are breathing. You notice everything about your breath. You become in the moment by doing this. I think it's time I bust out those skills again. They served me well in labor (it didn't take the pain away, but helped me cope). I want to start practicing my Breath Awareness while I am changing her diaper, feeding her, playing with her, washing bottles and pump parts, etc. It will make me more calm for sure, but hopefully it will help me remember all these precious moments.

On a side note, I want to start getting into a routine of writing a post like this on Sundays. Sort of a week in review and glimpse into my internal musings as a mama on my journey through motherhood. Can you help me think of a name for these Sunday posts? This is what I came up with so far, but I am not impressed with myself:

week in review

my weekly journey

journey into motherhood

mama's view

Saturday Link Love

I am trying to get into the habit of getting my posts on a general schedule. Saturday's posts will be a round up of cool and interesting links I have come across that week.

This is a neat article that is about extended breastfeeding but it also has some great explanations of attachment parenting.


This is a news article about a mother who was asked to stop breast feeding in public at a mall. In protest, she later organized a nurse in. It caught my eye, because just the week before my youngest brother Eric, was at the mall with one of his army friends and they came across a mother nursing without a cover. His friend, actually said something to this mother and asked her to stop breastfeeding and got in her face about it. My brother, then made a scene and told his friend off and protected the mother's right to feed in public. When he told me, he said he just got so upset because in his mind, he pictured me nursing Penelope and having some jerk come up to me and say something. The mother was also very shocked to see this young, single male stand up for her, but was so grateful. I was SO proud of him!


Cool article about the age of natural weaning in humans. Hmmmm, it seems all these links are about breast feeding this week, not intentional!


This last one, is blog post about what to do to help ease teething pain. I liked it because I could have written it myself, it's exactly the things we did to cope with Penelope's first two teefers she got this month.

Is Massage Therapy OK for High-Risk Pregnancy?

"Its ability to improve many aspects of both physical and emotional health makes the benefits of massage therapy extremely far-reaching. Because of the major structural, physiological, psychological, spiritual and social changes that occur during pregnancy, massage is especially valuable to women at this juncture in their life. However, massage therapy is commonly denied to those who could benefit most from bodywork - women with high-risk pregnancies."

The above paragraph is an excerpt from this article. It's actually an article for massage therapists, but I thought it was worth sharing. There seems to be some misconceptions about high-risk pregnancies and massage. This article goes into when massage is truly contraindicated for pregnant mothers. It says, which I agree with, that really the only time a pregnant mom can't get a massage is when she is currently experiencing Eclampsia, is in the middle of a miscarriage, or has a Urinary Tract Infection.

The article suggests getting confirmation from the client's care provider before getting a massage. It is best practice, but honestly, in 8 years that I have been specializing in prenatal massage, I have never asked a client for this. I have them fill out an extensive questionnaire and I have a good conversation with them before the massage to asses the situation.

The article, briefly, goes into general pre-cautions for any pregnant woman, such as having them lay on their sides (which is how I have my clients lay, as opposed to the table with a hole for the belly), not doing abdominal massage, staying away from deep pressure in the legs, and staying away from the pressure points that stimulate contractions (inside and outside of your ankles are the biggest ones). This is good information to know as a client before you go into a massage. Hopefully, you have made your appointment with a reputable and experienced massage therapist, that is CERTIFIED in Prenatal massage. Be aware, it is common for massage therapists to get an 8 hour seminar on pregnancy massage in school or whatever without being certified, and then they start advertising that they offer prenatal massage. Be sure to ask if they are certified and how many massage clients they have had.

When I was pregnant with Penelope, I got a massage every three weeks, my entire pregnancy. I would have turned off the cable and sold the dog, before I gave those massages up. It was one of the smartest things I did. I know it helped me stay healthy during my pregnancy and helped me have a easier birth. Now I get a massage about every 5 or 6 weeks and again its one the most important things I can do as mother. I have to take care of myself, if I am going to continue to do a good job taking care of Penelope.

Did any of you get a massage while they were pregnant? What was your experience?

Semi-Homemade Blackberry Cobbler

Last week I picked a gallon of blackberries from a neighbor's yard! They are crazy yummy, very sweet and not tart. I made a blackberry cobbler with the majority of them, but still had plenty of leftover to put in my oatmeal (it's good for your milk supply) I eat for breakfast all week.
























I have never made blackberry cobbler before and to find a recipe, I did a quick google search and picked the first one I saw. I was in a rush to get to the grocery store during my small window of time that I didn't need to be feeding Penelope or pumping, or putting her to sleep, or changing her diaper, etc.

This is the recipe I used. I did not make my pie crust from scratch. Come on people, it was almost an act of God just to get the cobbler made, even with a ready made crust!

The finished product! I had some extra berries and pie crust so I made two extra thingys ( I know there is a proper name for those dishes, but I am too tired and I can't think of it.) I thought it came out really tasty. Especially, when it was still warm, right from the oven. Peter, not so much, after eating a slice he says "um,I don't really like blackberries." Whatever. It's not like I am not capable of eating the whole pie myself.

Baby Yoga: Rolio!

This is such a fun yoga pose for babies! It almost always gets me a big grin and giggles.

To get your baby in position, you sort of "hog-tie" them, by taking your first finger and thumb and clasping their feet. Then use the other three fingers to grab their hands. Then bring their hands and their feet to the center of their bodies. If you can't get their hands and feet to touch in the middle, that's OK. And if they aren't in the mood to have their hands grasped, you can just do their feet.




















Then you roll them to one said and say Rrrrooolll.




















And then bring them to the center and say LLLiiiii.

And then bring them to the other side and side and say Oooooooo!

Go back and forth saying, Rol. li. O!!!! When they are a bit older, or just get used to the pose, you can go back and forth more seamlessly and pick up the pace! If you are doing this on a tiny baby, you need to go pretty slowly or they can get overstimulated.

If anyone ever has any questions about a pose, you can ask me in the comments section or shoot me an email. I am always happy to help!

Just FYI, most of the baby yoga poses I post, I learned at my Itsy Bitsy Yoga training. The founder and creator, Helen Garabedian, has a great book and dvds that you can purchase to help your home practice. Or you can go to her website and try and find a class near you!

Win a FREE Petunia Pickle Bottom Diaper Bag!!

All you have to do to win this gorgeous Petunia Pickle Bottom diaper bag is sign up to follow my blog and make a comment on any previous blog post.

I will be randomly selecting a winner on June 24th.

Ten Minute Onesie Dress

This took a little bit longer than 10 minutes, but it was still super quick and easy. This could also be categorized under a refashion, because the fabric is from an old GAP halter dress that doesn't fit my mommy boobs anymore. I cut a piece from the bottom of the dress and didn't even have to hem it.

I got inspired to sew this dress from this tutorial. Instead of using a onesie I used a tank top that I bought at Old Navy for $5. I also made her dress have an empire waist for added cuteness. Here is the tutorial I used to make the headbands. For mine, I used the straps of the halter dress instead of elastic.

I am LOVING headbands right now because I never have time to blow dry my hair anymore. AND it covers up all the stupid, wispy hairs that are growing back in from when I lost fistfuls of hair everyday during my early post partum days. Those same stupid, wispy hairs are also growing back in white. Can thank my mother for those. She was completely white by her mid thirties. Awesome. Can't wait.

YOU put the baby to sleep!

Last week, after a full weekend of my parents visiting (which if you know me and know about my mom, you know that being around her for more than 30 minutes requires the patience of Zen Master), and then doing Penelope's six month photo session, I was stressed. 


 Her photo sessions always stress me out, because I have huge expectations of what they will come out like and I want everything to be perfect. I have anxiety almost a full week before, picking out the right outfit and making sure her nap and feeding schedule work out to whatever time we have picked for her session. 


 This time, everything was going great, except we were doing the pictures outside, and of course, 15 minutes into the session it starts to rain. 


Our photographer, Robin Adams, drives me crazy on delivery time of her product, but she is ROCK STAR with the actual photos. I know that she was able to get a bunch of beautiful pictures, even though our session was cut short. But by the end of the session, the entire family is soaking wet and Penelope is naked, and I am exhausted after running half a mile to the car, while holding my fatty-fat 20.5 pound baby.


Ok, so back to the main point, so after all that I was stressed. When we got home from the session, it was immediately time for bath. But it was lighting and raining and Peter said it wasn't safe to take a bath while its lightening. 


 Um, OK, Peter (aka Mr. Safety), whatever you say. 


So we skip bath and go straight to pjs and milk and listening to her lullaby cd. We usually do massage before bath and spend about 25 minutes in the bath. We have been doing this since she was 4 weeks old, so by skipping her bath, she was thrown all out of wack and it took an extra hour and half to go to sleep. Not to mention, I am sure she was stressed, because I was stressed.


After her full feeding, we lay down and nurse to sleep. Usually it takes 10 to 15 minutes and she is out. 


But not tonight.


Tonight she was doing her song and dance routine for almost an hour. 45 minutes into this, I think man it would be so much easier, if I just let her cry it out (never gonna happen, so don't worry), then I start getting super frustrated and then I remind myself to take deep breaths. 


 Now I am deep breathing. 


Still frustrated. 


I think to myself Ok, let's try some chants of OM (in my mind, because Penelope would fall off the bed laughing if I did it out loud).


That's not working either, because I can still feel my blood pressure rising. Oh and I forgot to mention, that I hadn't eaten lunch that day (can blame Peter for that one, he brought home mac and cheese from New Leaf when I am not eating dairy right now), so I am laying down STARVING. 


All I want, is for her to go to sleep, so I can eat something. By this point, I am praying, Our Father's and Hail Mary's and few "please God, I just want to eat something, is that too much to ask?!"


Penelope is wide awake. 


She is loudly practicing saying all her words (Mama, Bubba and Papa) and doing her kicks. So now I am crying and begging her to go too sleep for the love of God. To that, she replied with giggles and more kicks. Then I decided that enough was enough and I picked her up, stormed out the room and sobbed/yelled for Peter. 


 YOU PUT THE BABY TO SLEEP, I NEED TO EAT SOMETHING. 


Peter tried to comfort me, but I didn't want to be comforted. I wanted to eat and wanted to be away from Penelope. He takes her for a walk and I sit down to eat. 40 minutes later, I am fed and happy and he comes back with an awake child, mind you, but all is well with the world and I am ready for round two. 


As she falls asleep, ten minutes later, and I just watch her sleep for a few minutes. I feel guilty for getting so upset and being such an un-Zen yoga teacher and massage therapist. I also feel so thankful for having an awesome husband that is willing to take over the second I ask, even though he does bring home mac and cheese for lunch.

Once a Month Cooking

This week I did some serious cooking. Back in April, I did a big cooking day with my good friend Lindsey, who also has a baby, so you can imagine what fun we had wrangling two babies AND cooking. She invited me to do it with her, after she did it with another friend of hers the previous month. This is the website that has all the information. We cooked for 10 hours and made 16 dishes, that made up 32 meals each. It was INSANE. By the end of the day, we were beyond exhausted. It was worth it though, we each had meals for almost a month and half. This time around, Lindsey was too busy to do a big cooking day, and I tried to coordinate with my other friend Maureen, but then I got super busy and it just didn't work out. So I thought well, what if I just do 6 dishes and do it by myself. It wasn't nearly as exhausting or stressful. I did all the prep work the night before, which included chopping all the vegetables, browning the ground beef and baking all the chicken. I also made two of the dishes that night, the pizza and the coconut chicken soup, which for that dish, I just threw everything in the crock pot.

I made 6 dishes and ended up with 14 separate meals, all of which will have leftovers for lunch or dinner. Hopefully, this food lasts at least a full two weeks, if not more. I also made a big batch of fruit smoothies and froze them in individual servings, for a total of 10 servings.

These are the dishes I made:

From the cookbook Nourishing Traditions:
Coconut Chicken Soup
Mexican Soup
Spicy Meatloaf

From OAMC:
Empanadas
Curried Chicken Tidbits

For the smoothies, I mixed strawberries, bananas, coconut milk kefir and a little bit of cranberry/pomegranate juice.

Oh, and the pizza I made, is something I saw in a magazine and tweaked it a bit. Its become a family favorite. I will share the recipe next time I make it.

The aftermath for Peter to handle.

Baby Yoga: Padhahasta

This baby yoga pose is also great for little tummy's and aiding in digestion. It's a fun workout for their legs and helps them learn how to kick!

Hold your babies legs however is comfortable for you both and then just bring one knee up and into their tummies and say Paaadddhhaa!



















And then switch and do the other leg and say Haaasssttaaa! Continue going back and forth and switching legs, I usually do about 10 times. Remember to do it a fun sing-songy voice and spend lots of time smiling and making eye-contact with your baby.
Yoga is such a great bonding experience because of the skin to skin contact and the eye contact.

You can learn more about Itsy Bitsy Yoga here.

Just FYI, most of the baby yoga poses I post, I learned at my Itsy Bitsy Yoga training. The founder and creator, Helen Garabedian, has a great book and dvds that you can purchase to help your home practice. Or you can go to her website and try and find a class near you!

Eco-Friendly Kids Sneaker

These are so cute! Too bad they don't come in smaller sizes.

Does anyone have any great shoe recommendations for new walkers (Penelope is not even crawling yet, but a girl can dream), that are similar to these, made out recycled, organic and hemp materials, etc?

Recyle, Reuse...Refashion II

This time I cut up an old Lilly Pulitzer skirt that doesn't fit me anymore. See a pattern here? I have held on to, way too many clothes, hoping that I would magically become skinny one day and fit into them again. But post childbirth, I am so impressed with my body for creating, growing, pushing out a baby and then making milk for it that I am finally at peace with how my body looks and can LET GO of these old clothes!

For this refashion, I had to rip out the zipper in the back and sew it back together, and then finished it with pinking shears. Then I cut out armholes, in the shape of an upside down J. The skirt was already fully lined, so I turned it inside out and placed the edges of the armholes right sides facing and sewed together.

Then I turned the top edge down of the front and back necklines and sewed a casing for the ribbon. And since it was a skirt in its past life the hem was already complete!

Ta Da! The one on the left, is another pillow case dress I made for Miss P. Here is a great tutorial for pillow case dresses.