Friday Link Love 7.30.10

Article about a couple that managed to only produce enough trash to fill a shoebox, for an ENTIRE year. They recycled or composted the rest!

This article is hard to stomach but important to read. I do not know much about female circumcision, and to read how prevalent it is, makes my stomach turn.

This is so up my ally. Want to know how to turn a place mat into a pillow? Check it out here.

Super cute baby blog.

Your vagina is not a crystal ball. Enough said.

MBL Guest Post on Babies and Bellies Blog!

Check it out! My first guest post. I feel so cool.

This is a great pregnancy blog that I follow. Nicole, the author, was so kind enough to let me do a guest post in an effort to introduce new peeps to my blog.

Baby/Tot Yoga: Moon Toe!

Penelope is growing up!

We have recently started to only do Tot yoga poses! She no longer wants to be on her back, whether we are doing yoga or a diaper change. A lot of babies naturally do Moon Toe as a part of their body development. If you see them doing this on their own, say "Yay! Moon Toe!!" and you are a head of the game, as far as word association goes, in teaching them how to do this pose on their own.












































To start, you put them in your lap, facing out. Then gently hold their toe out, like so. Eventually, you want them to grab their foot and then you move their legs, but when they are just learning the pose, they usually don't grab their foot. Once you have moved them into position, you sing/say "Moon Toe!" You go back and forth, doing the pose on each leg.












































Then you can do "Double Moon Toe!" By bringing both feet out.

You also want to show them how YOU can do the pose.

Especially for older tots, who will not let you "move" them into the pose and only want to do it themselves. It's a great stretch for Mama, but if you haven't stretched in a while, don't bust your leg up fast. Be gentle with yourself, until you are more flexible, and bend your knee if you need too. Once you have your leg up, say things like, "Watch Mama do Moon Toe!" or "Mama's Turn!" and then you would say to them, "Now, its your turn!" Don't be discouraged if it takes awhile for your baby to pick it up on their own. Repetition is key. Eventually they will get it, and then you wont be able to get them to stop!

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!

Dinner for Lazy Mama's

I was so wiped out the other day, I couldn't even get it together to heat up a frozen meal from our freezer stash.  But I had lots of fruit and cheese on hand!  So I pretended like it was the good ole days (read: pre-baby) and we were out for a night on the town at Cafe.  I set up a cheese plate and declared it our dinner!  

I have also been known to make scrambled eggs and bacon for dinner as well.  There is hardly a moment, where eggs and bacon are not on hand, in my house.  Mmmm, bacon!

What do you when you need to whip up dinner?

July Once A Month Cooking

This month I made four different meals, similar to last month. I made Mousska, Chicken Enchiladas, Chicken and Walnuts, and Minestrone Soup. All recipes can be found in the cookbook, Nourishing Traditions.

The Mousska came out great, but preparing the eggplants was a little time consuming, so if you are making it by itself it would be fine, but to do it on a big cooking day like me, its not the best choice. Its the first time I have ever cooked with lamb, so I was proud of myself for branching out a bit.

The Chicken Enchiladas, came out very tasty, even though I forgot to mix in the spices. Using chicken from a roasted chicken, instead of baked or grilled chicken breasts, makes the dish so much more flavorful. I roasted 4 whole chickens at the same time, and later made a huge batch of chicken stock (tutorial coming soon!) And again, taking the meat off of four whole chickens to use for my recipes, was also super time consuming. Not that time consuming is bad, it usually indicates a nutritious meal, but its something to consider when planning your big cooking day.

The Minestone soup came out so-so. I used orzo instead of rice, because I had it on hand and I had never cooked with orzo before and I wanted to experiment. I ended up using too much orzo and the dish was very thick, not a soup consistency at all, but the flavor was good.

The Chicken and Walnuts was my favorite! You marinate and heat up the chicken in a pomegranate sauce. Super yummy. Next time, I am going to incorporate more pomegranate and sprinkle some pomegranate seeds on top.

Here is the recipe for the Chicken and Walnuts. I hope this ok, and I am not going to get in trouble for publishing this without permission..does anyone know the rules on that?

Chicken and Walnuts:
meat from 2 cooked chickens, cut up.
2 cups crispy walnuts
2-3 cups chicken stock
2-4 tablespoons Rapadura (I just used organic sugar)
12 ounces pomegranate juice
sea salt and pepper

Put walnuts in food processor and grind. Mix with stock, pomegranate juice and Rapaduara. Heat up slowly and simmer for about a half of an hour. Season to taste. Add chicken meat to sauce and simmer about 5 more minutes until chicken is warmed through. Serve with brown rice (we ate it with cous-cous instead).

Burnt Out

{Mama's Musings; a Monday tradition. Or at least, trying to be a tradition}

I am feeling very burnt out these days. And I am not sure why exactly. It's easy to blame the baby and say I am just exhausted (which I am), but I think it's more than that. I feel like I am running on empty and not just in the sleep sense. I have not done anything for myself in almost 9 months. Well, I take that back. I have gone to the bookstore by myself, for an hour. Once. I have gone to the movies, for two hours. Once. I have had a couple of pedicures, but have taken Penelope with me. I work out twice a week, but it's with Penelope. I have gotten several massages, and they have gotten the job done of taking the physical pain away in my neck and back, but they are not the same anymore- in a relaxing way. During the massage, I am still in the house with Penelope and can hear her if she is fussing while Peter is taking care of her, so the entire time, I am itching to get off the table and tend to her. And it's not that I want to be away from her either, because when I have gone to the bookstore or movies, thinking that is what I needed, was to just get away for a bit. I ache to be back with her. I miss her ridiculously.

Everything I do is for someone else. Whether I am cooking or cleaning or caring for Penelope. My life right now is all about service to others. Don't get me wrong, I love it, but I feel like its been way too long since I have had anyone take care of me. Peter, my husband, helps out at the house a lot, but still something feels not quite right. I am not sure what I am even craving. I thought I really just wanted to go see a movie but when I did that, it didn't help. In fact, it stressed me out more than not seeing one. For one reason, like I mentioned already, I miss Penelope too much to be gone for several hours and two the amount of effort it took to coordinate me going to see a movie, in between nursing to sleep and pumping times, at time that Peter was available to watch Penelope, that my friends were both available to go, and find a time a stinkin' movie was playing that fit in that schedule, was insane. I would rather just not see a dang movie for all that effort.

Maybe its a yoga class I need? I haven't' been to a class since I was pregnant. I practice at home, in spurts, again mostly with Penelope, but its. not. the. same. Maybe its going to church? I have only been to Mass a couple of times this year. Ok, two times. And one was Penelope's Baptism, and there wasn't even Mass at that! The other, you guessed it, was Easter. My Priest recently sent us a letter, asking if there was a health problem he should know about to add to his prayers (a.k.a. why the heck are you not in church?) Does having a baby count as a health problem?

I remember a conversation I had with a mentor of mine, a few years ago, when I was so burnt out from running the yoga studio. She gave me a breathing meditation, in which on each exhalation I was to send my breath back to myself and give myself some energy and love. Maybe I will give that a try.

I don't want to alarm anyone, I am not on the brink of a meltdown or anything, its just this little itch that something is missing and I can't quite put my finger on it!

What do you think? What is something you do to restore your soul?

Friday Link Love: 7.23.10

This is a must read parenting article about creating good self-esteem in children by using Positive Discipline. 

Think you are doing good by buying organic milk from Organic Valley? Think again. They just enacted a ban on the farmers which make up its 1600 small farm cooperative from selling raw milk to consumers on the side. They are going in my boycott boat with Kim Kardashian and Cynthia Rowley.

Wondering what to drink instead of Organic Valley? Raw Milk!! Here is another interesting article about the raw milk debate.

A Skirt for Mama

I made this skirt for myself. I had hopes of making a dress, similar to the last dress I made Penelope, and I envisioned it to come out kinda of like this dress, but with a wide elastic at top, that are all the rage right now. I bit off more than I could chew and ended up just doing a basic elastic casing waste. And like my very first dress I made for Penelope, this too, is going to be filed under "learning experiences." It wasn't exactly a disaster, and I even wore it out in public, once. I wore it with a white tank top and thick yellow belt. It would have been so cute, but it just didn't fit right or the fabric didn't lay right, I don't know. Either way, I am not wearing it again. Its already been cut up, to become Recycle, Reuse, Refashion 3, so don't even try and talk me out of it.

Baby/Tot/Mama Yoga: Twistee!

This pose is a great back stretch for our little babies. Its similar to the adult yoga pose Supine Spinal Twist. Supine means to lay on your back, by the way. :)
To do this pose, for baby, tot or mama, lay on your back. Bring your knees together and drop them both to one side. Slowly turn your head the in opposite direction of your knees, while keep both shoulders on the floor.

For babies, you move their legs for them. To move their head, try and use a toy, or in my case, during this picture, a sweet little friend to get babies attention and get them to look in the right direction. And as you are doing the pose, you say Twistee!!! Doing this on tiny babies, is great to help them learn how to do eye-tracking and builds up neck strength.
For tots and older kids, just show them how to do the pose by you doing it yourself. Then say, "You do it!" or "Now, its your turn!" Remind your tot or child to breath in through their nose and out through their nose while they are doing the pose.

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!

Petunia Pickle Bottom TourGuide Baby Carrier Review

Petunia Pickle Bottom sent me their TourGuide Baby Carrier a few weeks ago, to try out and see how I liked it and then relay my findings to you, my wonderful readers. Let me tell you, I was so excited to get my first product to review!  I felt like a real Blogger!

I was a bit worried at first that I wouldn't like it at all, because I am so used to my wraps and slings and because I had heard that these types of carrier can be hard on a babies hips, because of how the weight is distributed.  However, I was pleasantly surprised, Penelope did not seem like she was uncomfortable at all.  I am not sure if it is because she is an older baby, with bigger more established pelvic bones, or because she wears a cloth diaper and it gave her extra padding on her bum.  She liked it just as much as any of my other carriers.  She is not a very cuddly baby, even in a carrier.  She wants to be held, but she wants a full view of her surroundings.  This carrier gave her that.

Even though, I felt it was safe and comfortable for her, it was not as comfortable for me as my wraps and slings are.  Penelope is about 21 pounds.  The directions say that it can hold a baby up to 22 pounds, so it may be that she is just on the heavy side, as far as comfort goes, for me, anyway.  In this type of carrier, all the weight of the baby is distributed on the shoulders and upper back of the person wearing it.  I do not have much upper body strength, so she got heavy pretty quickly.  While we are talking about how chubby my baby is, her fat thighs were too big to fasten the button on the side.  It didn't matter though, I think its meant for extra support for newborns anyway.  But it was pretty funny, seeing her big ole thighs in it and not being able to fasten it!  When I talked to Petunia Pickle Bottom about it, they let me know that  the side buttons are only for babies that are between 8 and 11 pounds.

But, Peter, LOVED it.  He thought it was awesome.  He has pretty much taken it over as his carrier.  He loved that is was a strap and click system; he could throw it on, pick her up and get her into place, click it and be off.  I think he liked that is was a bit more plain and simple looking.  Not manly, but simple.  He liked that he could do it himself too.  With the wraps or slings, he needs my help.  He figured out how to get her in there, while sitting down (his logic: in case he drops her, he is closer to the ground) and then he stands up and goes on about his business washing dishes or taking Sky for a walk.   He says it is super comfortable for him, maybe because he has more muscles in his shoulders? 

So for Dads, or new moms with smaller babies that don't want to mess with wraps and slings, I highly recommend this carrier!

Oh, and I forgot mention....its a green product!  It's made out of post consumer recycled materials. How great is that?

{Full disclosure:  In return for doing the review on my blog, I get to keep the carrier.}

Great-Great Oma's Blueberry Pie

 When Peter's mother was visiting a few weeks ago, we made a blueberry pie with the blueberries Penelope and I picked.  The recipe is from Maria Muller, Penelope's  Great-Great Oma ( that's Grandma in German.)  I hope you all  feel very privileged to have this recipe given to you!  I did not grow up cooking with my mother, nor do I have any recipes from either of my grandmothers, so I absolutely treasure this recipe.  It doesn't hurt that it is super delicious as well.

To start, make the pie crust by combining the following: 1 stick unsalted butter, 2 cups self rising flour, 3/4 cup sugar and 1 whole egg.  Mix all the ingredients by hand in a bowl.  When all the ingredients are mixed and form a smooth ball, take out and roll over a piece of freezer paper until is nice and smooth.

 

Press dough into a buttered pie pan and make sure its pressed in evenly.  I only had a glass pie pan, and it you can't use glass for some reason with this recipe, so we did it this non-stick square pan I had.  Put some bread crumbs on top, just a thing layer that covers all  the dough.  The bread crumbs soak up the moisture from the fruit, so the crust is not soggy.  Savea some of the dough to make the pie crust top.

Pause to take a picture of Penelope and her Omi in her pretty new dress that Omi bought her!  Thanks Omi!

For the filling we used about a pound of blueberries.  I would have used more next time, because I love me some blueberries, but you have to be careful not to use too much or the pie crust will be soggy.  Then just sprinkle sugar on top of the blueberries.  Your call how much, we didn't put too much sugar, since these blueberries were picked at the peak of ripeness and were crazy sweet already.   You can also use green apples. If you use green apples, cut up 4 apples, very thin and cover the whole pie crust, about 1 inch in height, sprinkle with sugar, and cinnamon.

We used the remainder of the pie crust and rolled up strips for the top.  If we had used a normal pie pan, we would have had enough to do a grid pattern.  We did a P for Penelope instead!  Bake in the oven at 350, for about 50 minutes.  Then eat some pie right out of the pan like we did. What you shouldn't do is store the pie in the oven, so your counters are clear when people come over to see your house for sale, and then forget its in there and preheat the oven to cook something and ruin the rest of the pie.   Selling my house is SO fun!

Hope you enjoy!  Please send me an email or leave a comment if you make this recipe!

Readers Questions: Homeopathic remedies for sick babies and how to switch to cloth diapers.

Yay! I got my first couple of reader questions!  Here are the questions and answers.  Please  note, that I am not a Doctor, so this can not be used as medical advice, I am simply sharing my personal experience. 

Please keep the questions coming!  You can email me at Info (at) MamaAndBabyLove.com

Reader Question:
I read that Penelope got sick. What did she have? How did you treat her?

Mama and Baby Love Answer:  She caught some virus.  It manifested first as a fever for about two days , then it went to her chest and she had a little cough.  She would cough mostly at night.  It was a croup-type cough at first, then just a regular cough, that was more dry sounding. All and all, it lasted about a week.  I gave her Tylenol when she had the fever (which was 101.5), and then I got Hyland's cold and cough homeopathic tablets.  I also bought Eldertussin Elderberry syrup that is homeopathic and also had things like echinacea and horehound for immune and respiratory health. Elderberry is helpful for clearing congestion, whether its  in your chest or sinuses.The syrup says its for 1 year old's and up, that are at least 25 pounds.  Penelope is about 22 pounds and 8 months, so I just cut the dosage in half.  My pediatrician. said I could give her Robotussin, but to cut the dosage in half.  I figured if I can give her some freaking Robotussin, I can give her this elderberry stuff.  He also said I could give her Sambucol which also has elderberry in it. Then I took elderberry pills, and upped my vitamin c and d, and of course kept up with our daily Reuteri (I take one pill a day and give her half of half teaspoon everyday in one of her bottles).  I also drank several glasses of Breath Easy tea. Whatever I eat, drink or take as supplements gets to her through my breast milk.   I took several steam showers with her, the first few days when the cough was the worst. Oh, and we bought a vaporizer for the bedroom at night.  Our local co-op has been out of Kombucha, but normally I drink that every day for immune health as well.

Reader Question:
I am considering making the switch to cloth diapers. the problem is that we are in an apartment complex and I do not have access to my own washer and dryer and I don't think it is right to do that in the community ones. My main issue is that I have read a couple places that the harsh bleaches and chemicals diaper services use are just as bad or worse than disposable diapers.  Also, the carbon footprint of the company driving around and such to drop off and pick up the diapers. What do you know about diaper services and despite the downfalls is it better than using disposables?

Mama and Baby Love Answer: 
I agree, I would not go with a diaper service, for the reasons you stated.  You may even be hard pressed to find one.  We do not have one here in Tallahassee.

You might re-think using the community ones.  I wash sheets and other clothes after I wash her diapers, and its a non-issue.  It's not like I have a washing machine just dedicated to diapers.  There is not a cross-contamination issue at all.  If you are super concerned about it, a simple rinse cycle on hot with nothing in it, after you have washed your diapers, would be more than enough.

The company that makes the diapers we use, has a hybrid diaper out.  You can stuff it with an organic cotton insert or a disposable insert.  I haven't used it, but have friends that have, and its a great diaper.  So you could buy the shells, and use the disposable insert until you move and then when you move you could buy the cotton insert.  The disposable inserts are bio-degradable and don't have chlorine in them, so its not like its a Pamper insert in there touching his skin.

MBL also consulted Jen Starks, owner of Ecological Babies, a cloth diapering business, for more information.  This is what she said:

"Great response!  I'd add that if she uses the laundromat that she wipes the inside of the machine with white distilled vinegar  BEFORE she washes the diapers. That way, the diapers won't be affected by any bleach that was previously used in there, fabric softeners, or harmful detergent built in. 

Also, it is a more serious commitment to cloth diapers (certainly not impossible) when not actually having the facility at home.  To make it easier on them, I'd suggest getting enough for a 3 day supply.  That way, they don't feel like they are living at the laundromat. 

Finally, another easy diaper (that I'm going to be selling shortly) is the Thirsties covers with an insert that lays inside it.  It's minimal bulk and super easy to use.  You just lay the insert inside of the cover and put on the baby.  With this approach, they might even be able to extend (and afford) the number of days in between washes."

P.S.  Jen is a local Tallahassee business, but she ships all over the country.  If you contact her, she is more than happy to help answer any and all cloth diapering questions.

If anyone has any other advice they would like to add to these reader's questions, please leave some advice in the comment section!

Video Test

 

This is my test post for video...I have a great Infant Massage video tutorial coming soon, but needed figure out how to upload video first! This is Penelope doing some her of favorite things:pulling up on something and gnawing on a cell phone. 

Friday Link Love: 7.16.10

I just love this blog. Its a very similar tone and feeling to mine and I just adore everything she writes. This post hits home to me, because I have been feeling the same lately. The 24/7 hours of being a mother is so overwhelming sometimes. I love it, don't get me wrong, but sometimes I think, if I wash one more damn bottle or cloth diaper I am going to scream!! Can't someone just take over for one minute?!

I can't remember if have shared this or not, but even if I have its worth a second post. It is FREAKING HILARIOUS. Its a blog making fun of all the stupid Pottery Barn catalog pictures.

Penelope's 6 Month Portraits

I am having an AWFUL day today. Actually, the last few weeks have been rough. So this is a lazy post today.

These are Penelope's six month portraits. She is so beautiful I just had to share. And I figured that looking at her pretty face would put me in a better mood.

Is she not the fattest, most beautiful baby you have ever seen? Except, of course, your very own babies!

Enjoy!

Baby Yoga: Corkscrew!

This is another pose that is great for digestion. If baby is constipated or gassy, this will make them much happier. You are moving their legs clockwise, in the same direction their digestion moves.




















You start by pressing their thighs into their tummy, like In and Out. Then moves their legs in a circle.




















As you are moving their legs, you say/sing Corkscrew. You make one rotation each time to you sing the word corkscrew, so draw it out a bit. Of course, make eye contact and smile. And give lots of praise after you have finished this pose!

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!

Current Giveaway: BINSI Labor and Birth Apparel!

I am giving away a Black PrimaMama Skirt in M, (6-10) AND a Black Go-Go Top in S/M (6-10)!

As a Doula with the majority of my clients having hospital births, I always hated seeing moms in the ugly hospital gowns. They make a gorgeous pregnant mama, about to give birth, look dowdy and tired. They also somehow give an air of defeat to the mother.  My clients that have brought their own pretty nightgown to labor and give birth in, feel more confident and usually are in better moods and happier throughout their labor. They seem to do better in labor, because they feel good about themselves and their body.

I used to sell BINSI, when I had the studio and boutique, and have been a fan of the company for awhile. The skirt and top I am giving away, was actually planned for Penelope's birth. But then I gained a whopping 65 pounds (which I have shed, thank you very much). My boobs, belly and butt had taken on a life of their own and I couldn't fit into a size medium to save my life. Kimberly Taylor, the owner of BINSI, was kind enough to send me a skirt and top in a larger size. However, my when my labor started it STARTED! I took a bath at the very beginning of my labor to see if the contractions would slow down or if it was the real deal. By the time I got out of the bath, 45 minutes later, I was in full labor, vomiting, water breaking, thinking I was going to die, you know, labor.  I never put clothes back on the rest of my labor! I had them all ready to go in my birth basket, but I was naked the entire time and never got to wear my fabulous BINSI skirt and top. But I will try to wear them again with our next baby!

So to enter, tell me what you wore in labor to make you feel wonderful, or what you had wished you had wore, in the comment section.  Did you wear a bracelet or necklace from a Mother Blessing?  Share the giveaway on facebook by clicking "like" below, or tweet the giveaway, then leave another comment each time letting us know for an additional entry. Entries will close at midnight August 11th (Penelope's 9 month birthday!) and a winner will be randomly selected.

Messy Baby Bib Winner!

The winner is Kelsey!

Who said:

"My favorite thing my LO does is eat pickles. She loves them, but the salty/tart flavor makes her make a funny face. So it's bite, funny face, bite, funny face! So cute. Thanks for the giveaway!"

Send me an email at Info(at)MamaAndBabyLove.com and I will mail you your fabulous new bib!

:)

Friday Link Love: 7.9.10

Good, sensible, article about the chemicals in disposables.

This is an article about how some doctors do not perform tongue tie clips. Most tongue-ties are not that bad (of course our case was not in the "most" category) and only require the tiniest of clips and breastfeeding goes on perfectly after ward.

This is just too cute! I am obsessed with things to do with glass baby food jars right now.

The new book from Pam England. Author of Birthing From Within. I can't wait to read it!!!

Have a great weekend!

How to Freeze Blueberries

Penelope and I went blueberry picking last weekend and came home with 5 pounds of blueberries. We used 2 pints for a blueberry pie (recipe and tutorial to coming soon!) and froze the rest.

First I picked off all the stems and picked out any red and not fully ripe berries. I also looked for berries that had been crushed or cracked. Then I spread them out on to cookie sheets and put them in the freezer. DO NOT wash them before you lay them on the cookie sheets.

I put some in the deep freezer and some in our side door freezer connected to our fridge. I let them freeze for about two days and then I took them out and put them in gallon freezer bags and laid them flat, like bricks. By freezing them on the cookie sheets first, the berries do not stick together in the bag and you can scoop out a cup at time as needed. The owner of the blueberry farm that we visited said that she keeps them in her deep freezer for up to a year, in a side door freezer they would last six months.

We found the organic blueberry u-pick farm by searching LocalHarvest.org. Its a great site to help you find organic, local and farm fresh foods.

This is a blog post I found with a yummy blueberry recipe and she also had some Aruvedic information about blueberries.

Carnival of Nursing In Public Post: The First Time I Nursed in Public

Welcome to the July 2010 Carnival of Nursing in Public


This post was written for inclusion in the Carnival of Nursing in Public hosted by Dionna and Paige at NursingFreedom.org. All week, July 5-9, we will be featuring articles and posts about nursing in public ("NIP"). See the bottom of this post for more information.


***



My nursing in public experience is a bit different than most breastfeeding moms I'm sure. My daughter was born with some physical problems that made nursing impossible for us. She had severe tongue tie and TMJ. On top of all that, she had a weak sucking reflex and I have flat nipples. It was like a perfect storm. I refused to give her formula. So I pumped. And pumped. And pumped. She is almost 8 months old now.

Even though I was pumping and giving her bottles, I did not give up on the possibility that she could at least comfort nurse, if not fully nurse one day. We did EVERYTHING! And finally at 5 months, she latched on and nursed to sleep. And we haven't looked back. She still prefers a bottle for a full feeding. But from me she gets snacks and comfort and I get to nurse her to sleep. I can not even describe in words how thankful I am to have those nursing moments with her.

The first time I nursed in public. I almost cried I was so happy. I have always wanted to be a mother and to nurse my baby, so to finally be able to nurse my baby like a normal mother was overwhelming. We were at a park with two of my friends and their babies. It had been a couple of weeks since Penelope started comfort nursing. She was fussy and tired, so I offered my breast. To my surprise she latched on and stayed latched on for several minutes. I had to stop talking and rock her a bit to keep her calm and focused, but still it was impressive, because normally if she is not nursing to sleep, she gets too distracted and frustrated that the milk is not flowing fast enough to stay latched on. It was a beautiful spring day, the weather was perfect. There were other moms with older kids running around near by. I am not sure if anyone looked at us, because I was entrained on Penelope. I was worried that she would pop off and expose my nipple to everyone, but I didn't really care. I was so happy to nurse in public, like a normal breastfeeding mother.

About a month after that experience, I nursed in a restaurant and again, I was nervous of the distractions and her popping on and off. I would never not nurse my baby in public because of my nervousness, and if anyone ever said anything to me, I have the type of personality, that I would give them a piece of mind and some. But because I know how people view breastfeeding in public, I do not whip out my boob as readily. I try to calm her another way first and only try to nurse as a last resort. If she was a better nurser, then maybe this wouldn't be my tactic, but because getting her to latch and stay latched is still a production, I prefer not to have to do it public.

Recently, I also nursed her at the beach. And even there, I felt self conscious and felt everyone eyes on me as they were staring at us. You would think that at the beach people are half naked, so who would care if you saw a bit more cleavage?

I so wish more people breastfed in general and that they nursed in public, uncovered, more often. To send the message to everyone, but especially young girls, that nursing is the way you are supposed to feed babies.








Welcome to the Carnival of Nursing in Public


Please join us all week, July 5-9, as we celebrate and support breastfeeding mothers. And visit NursingFreedom.org any time to connect with other breastfeeding supporters, learn more about your legal right to nurse in public, and read (and contribute!) articles about breastfeeding and N.I.P.


Do you support breastfeeding in public? Grab this badge for your blog or website to show your support and encourage others to educate themselves about the benefits of breastfeeding and the rights of breastfeeding mothers and children.

<center><a href="http://www.nursingfreedom.org/p/carnival-of-nursing-in-public.html" title="Carnival of Nursing in Public"><img src="http://www.babydustdiaries.com/wp-content/uploads/2010/06/inip1.png" alt="Art by Erika Hastings at http://mudspice.wordpress.com/" border="0"></a></center>

This post is just one of many being featured as part of the Carnival of Nursing in Public. Please visit our other writers each day of the Carnival. Click on the links below to see each day’s posts - new articles will be posted on the following days:

July 5 - Making Breastfeeding the Norm: Creating a Culture of Breastfeeding in a Hyper-Sexualized World

July 6 – Supporting Breastfeeding Mothers: the New, the Experienced, and the Mothers of More Than One Nursing Child

July 7 – Creating a Supportive Network: Your Stories and Celebrations of N.I.P.

July 8 – Breastfeeding: International and Religious Perspectives

July 9 – Your Legal Right to Nurse in Public, and How to Respond to Anyone Who Questions It

Baby Finger Painting Art Project: Part 2

When Penelope was done finger painting, I cut out the prettiest section of her art and framed it up for Peter's gift.

Pretty cool, huh?

Here is Miss P giving her Papa his present, which he loved! Baby-finger-painting-art-project success!

Baby Finger Painting Art Project: Part 1

For Peter's first Father's Day, I wanted to make him something special and handmade. I set up the kitchen floor for Penelope to go crazy with the finger paints. It was her very first art session! I taped a plastic tarp down, and then taped several pieces white art paper to the tarp. Then I put four plastic paint containers out, each with a different color. I added a paint brush to each container.
























We used eco-friendly, non-toxic paints and Penelope went to town!























She managed to get as much on her body as she did on the paper.

Cleaning up! I will show you guys the finished product on Tuesday.

Giveaway: Mimi the Sardine, Messy Baby Bib!

I am so excited about this giveaway!  About two months ago, before I started experimenting with solids for Penelope, I ordered this bib in Dots Blue.  I LOVE it!  I like that it is long sleeved, because Penelope likes to paint her body with food more than putting it in her mouth, and the pocket in the front catches pieces that don't make it in her mouth (and 80% does not make it in!).  It can double as an art smock as well.  AND it's made by an American company, and the fabric is organic!  Couldn't ask for a better product.

Mimi the Sardine sent me the Messy Baby Bib, in the Jungle print, great for a boy or girl.  So to enter, tell me your favorite baby eating memory so far, in the comment section. Share the giveaway on facebook by clicking "like" below, or tweet the giveaway, then leave another comment each time letting us know for an additional entry. Entries will close at midnight July 11th (Penelope's 8 month birthday!) and a winner will be randomly selected.

I'll start: My favorite memory so far, is the very first time Penelope tasted a food.  She was about 5 months old and was grabing and holding onto everything she could get her little hands on.  I was chopping up vegetables for dinner and she was in her bumbo on the counter, watching.  She started to get fussy, but I wasn't done chopping vegetables, so I gave her a big slice of red pepper to keep her entertained.  She immediatly put it in her mouth.  Then, she looked up at me, her eyes wide in amazement.  Her face was priceless!  It was if she was saying, "Oh. My. God.  There are other tastes in the world other than breast milk!"  She was in shock!

Friday Link Love: 7.2.10

Sorry for the late post! I still have one hour left of this Friday, so technically I am on time. Getting the house ready for sale is exhausting!
Hope you enjoy this Friday's link love and have a happy July 4th!

This is insane! An OB office in Ohio that banned patients from using Doulas!

Cool site to help you search for different sunscreens and see what their toxicity levels are. Look yours up, you might be unpleasantly surprised.

Great article about what makes Midwifery care different then hospital care. With cool home-birth, water-birth videos to boot.

I have started another blog! Its all about my move to Chile. Check out my first post.

Starting Solids: Blackberries are a Hit!

I intended for this to be a post about eating local, farm-fresh foods, but today is turning out to be pretty insane for me. So instead, its just a show and tell of a cutie patootie picture of Penelope eating her new favorite: blackberries!