Horizons Math Grade 4 and K,The Reading Lesson, Sequential Spelling, Lifepac Language Arts 4, Apologia Astronomy, Veritas Press New Testament/Greeks/Romans
Prima Latina, Contenders for the Faith and various Winters Promise books, Live Mocha Spanish, Plants Grown Up
I received one for my baby shower from a group of sweet ladies at church, and honestly it was the one thing I was most excited about! Simply, because it was so beautiful! The pictures just don't do it justice. But I had no idea what comfort this quilt would bring me!
First when I was still pregnant and struggling with fear and frustration of delivering with my husband deployed a friend encouraged me to imagine myself holding my precious baby wrapped in the quilt while I read the verses and prayed through it. I did and it brought me such comfort that night! (And then God had a miracle in store for me just days later!)
And then through many nights of "colic" and all the sleep issues we had with Abigail. Then just recently again as I have been weaning Abigail from falling asleep while nursing and training her to go to sleep in her own bed by herself the verses on the quilt have again brought me such comfort as the Lord reminds me that He will sustain me, and I am doing what He called me to do.
Since I am unable to do portraits anymore, I have picked up product photograhy. Moms who make things send them to me in return for photos of their products in use! Its a great trade for me!
I was especially excited to get to try a Mei Tai carrier from Mom and Baby Naturally. And when they arrived, I was ecstatic! They were so beautiful, and the black and white one is EXACTLY what I would have ordered!
We LOVED our Moby for the first 6 months. I don't think I would have survived those months without it! But at that point Abigail had learned to crawl and wanted to be down instead, and she learned to get out of the Moby!
I was afraid maybe Abigail was past the stage for a carrier, but I was wrong! It is so comfortable to wear her, even for long distances and hours at a time! She loves being in it too! It distributes weight much better that the wrap did. And it also works wonderfully with small babies!
I posted when I was pregnant or right after Abigail was born about cloth diapering but a lot of moms have asked me about it recently (just 5 in the last week locally actually!) so I figured I'd blog again!
*You can find all 3 previous cloth diaper posts here, just keep scrolling down to read them all:
http://www.homeschoolblogger.com/angelnavywife/Baby%2BCare/
We do cloth diaper. We switched when Andrew was about a year old. We switched for a few reasons. First because he had sensitive skin, and I used to have to rinse EVERY wipe a million times until the water ran clear before using them just to avoid him getting a rash. He still often had rashes from the diapers and EVERY brand leaked with him! Plus I had a few friends who used cloth and once I got over the "are they crazy?!?! What year are THEY living in?" mentality I realized their diapers were actually super cute! I also started reading studies on the chemicals they use in disposable diapers and personally could not with a clear conscious use them anymore!
Abigail in a Haute Pocket
We bought 13 Fuzzi Bunz for him in size large (he was a HUGE chunky boy) and we used the same ones until he potty trained. They DID NOT leak, he was rash free, and they were so adorable on him! In fact I will never forget once we were going to go camping with my in laws and they were convinced we needed to use disposables for the weekend, so Grandma went to put on a Pampers and he cried "no owies" and ran and got his Fuzzi Bunz!
Andrew in Fuzzi Bunz
They are fleece on the inside so of course they are more comfortable for baby, and the fleece pulls the moisture away from baby's skin into the absorbant insert (we use microfiber) so they stay drier and rash free.
They are just as quick and easy to change and washing them really is not a big deal.
With Abigail I spent a bit too much time on a cloth diaper message board during those LONG months of bedrest, and decided to try lots of other different kinds of diapers (prefolds, all in ones, fitteds with covers, other brands etc) and we came right back to Fuzzi Bunz. The other kinds were too complicated and none worked as well for us.
Abigail in a Bum Genius
We did use Bum Genius for a while because we were switching sizes so fast, and they were pretty good. But I'm not a fan of velcro and they wore out MUCH faster than our Fuzzi Bunz did. We also used Haute Pockets, which I prefered to the Bum Genius. These 2 brands are one size diapers that you can adjust the size to grow with your baby, but because Abigail is so tall they no longer fit her now. Fuzzi Bunz actually just came out with a OneSIze option as well, but I have yet to see those in real life! We are still using some Haute Pockets, but she also takes them off as soon as t hey are wet because she can undo the velcro! I'm working on getting a couple more Fuzzi Bunz instead!
Andrew in Fuzzi Bunz
And you cant beat the price. With Andrew that was not really a motivation in making the switch, but in the 2 years we had his diapers, cloth diaper got popular so prrices got higher and when we sold off the diapers we made ALL the money we spent on them (including shipping) back! So we diapered him for free!
With Abigail I did spend quite a bit up front (I think it was $200) but when I worked out how I've sold what we were finished with, I think in 14 months we've spent maybe $30 on diapers (after we sell the ones we are using). Some people use simpler, cheaper diapers instead, but even though Fuzzi Bunz are more expensive, the resale value is high as well.
For wipes we use flannel wipes. I made Andrew's and they worked well but wer''nt especially fancy. I ordered Abigail's in the CUTEST prints and love using them! I also keep a small spray bottle of water in the diaper drawer to wet the wipes with.
I know cloth diapering isn't for everyone, and with Peter I would NEVER have used them no matter what, but I am so glad we found them, and it has been a great choice for our family!
We really think barefoot or soft soled shoes are they way to go when babies are learning to walk.
With Andrew we discovered Robeez shoes, and they were great! They were so cute and comfy for his little feet.
Then when we had Abigail we could not find a decent price on Robeez, so we tried out Pedipeds, and I love them even more! They are so well made and hold up very well! We've bought all ours second hand and still been able to resell them and get most of our money back!
We started with the Isabella
then moved on to the Abigail
and now we are loving the Caroline
According
to the American Podiatric Medical Association, "Allowing the youngster
to go barefoot or to wear just socks helps the foot to grow
normally and to develop its musculature and strength as well as the
grasping action of the toes." Doctors also recommend that children
first learning to walk go barefoot or wear soft flexible shoes. Walking
around barefoot is not always practical, as little feet need protection
from rough surfaces and dirty floors. Soft-soled shoes provide the
health benefits of being barefoot, with the added protection of a
padded sole.
"As babies' and toddlers'
feet begin to develop, a soft, pliable shoe, such as pediped™ footwear,
is essential to not only provide the foot protection, but also enough
mobility for the foot to properly form. pediped™ Footwear has been
awarded the Seal of Acceptance by the American Podiatric Medical
Association because of the product's high podiatric standards."
So my plan was to nurse exclusively until 6 months, and then introduce homemade fruit and veggie baby foods. We've altered a bit but in all we're still pretty close to the plan.
We're still going strong with nursing.
At 5 months Abigail started chewing at us at meal time so I started introducing some pureed foods (avocado, applesauce, egg yolk mixed with mommy milk) but she wouldn't eat any of it. I figured she wasn't ready and waited a few more days and tried again for a month and she wasn't having any of it.
So at 6 months I realized she was like her brother (Andrew) who just didn't like the texture of baby food. I offered some cubed avocado and banana and she ate it! So we're on to cubed foods. She likes it so much better but is still barely eating, maybe 1 tablespoons worth total a day.
Her favorite is strawberries (I know a possible allergen, but my boys did fine with them and I couldn't pass up sharing the local organic antioxidant filled goodness with her!) She also loves scrambled eggs (I try to give her only the yolky parts but she wont eat the yolks alone). We have done squash, raspberries, beans...she loves to gnaw on slices of peeled, raw, fresh cucumber. She has no teeth yet, but it looks like the bottom 2 may pop out soon.
She is so adorable to watch chew!
She is sitting well independently now. She'd been sitting for awhile but she never stayed in the sitting position, she always threw herself onto her stomach to get in the crawling position.
She is crawling now too, in her own kind of crawl. Kind of a hoppy looking army crawl deal, but it gets her where she wants to go.
We discovered Praise Baby when Andrew was a baby. I was searching for an alternative to Baby Einstein, and happened upon these. It was perfect timing as I was newly saved and blockbuster carried the DVDs. I'd put them on at nap time and find myself humming along and just refreshed spiritually. I found they had CDs as well so we bought them on Itunes and our whole family grew to love Praise baby! Eventually Andrew outgrew the movies so we passed those on to my nephew Maddix, but I still had the music on my Ipod. I dont think I'll re-buy the videos for Abigail (we try to avoid TV when we can) but we'll always treasure the music. Even though I have lots of the songs by contemporary artists there is something about Praise Baby that is so calming, so I wanted to let you know about the collection!
Abigail will "eat" breastmilk only, for at least 6 months then we'll see if she is ready to introduce other foods. If so we'll start with egg yolks, and fruit and veggies waiting until closer to a year before introducing grains. We will not do baby cereals. We did not with Andrew because I was dealing with Peter being a picky eater and wanted to get as much fruit and vegetable foods into him as I could before he got to that stage too (which he never did because we figured out how to prevent/stop it with discipline, plus he loves fresh produce anyways) Now I am more educated and know that was a very good choice!
If you are breastfeeding you should still be choosing healthy foods for yourself : The typical modern diet is filled with products based on sugar, white flour, additives and commercial fats and oils, which do not nourish and build. The proper nutrients are necessary to create breast milk that will provide all a growing baby needs. These include good quality proteins from foods such as grass-fed meats and organ meats, good quality fats from butter, coconut oil, olive oil, cod liver oil and egg yolks, as well as complex carbohydrate-rich foods like vegetables, whole grains and legumes--think whole food, natural and seasonal, with a big emphasis on healthy fat.
In spite of conventional pediatric advice to begin your baby on cereal (usually processed, cooked, de-natured, stripped and basically white rice packaged junk) and then progress to jarred baby food which has all its life and goodness heated right out of it, I choose to rebel and follow common sense.Breast milk is raw and unpasteurized and contains all the necessary enzymes for easy digestion. If we start replacing this perfect “living” food with cooked de-natured stuff, we jeopardize our baby’s health. When our child needs solids we should replace the breast milk with a food that is equally beneficial to our baby’s growing needs.
Grains, nuts and seeds should be the last food given to babies. This food category has the most potential for causing digestive disturbances or allergies. Babies do not produce the needed enzymes to handle cereals, especially gluten-containing grains like wheat, before the age of one year. Even then, it is a common traditional practice to soak grains in water and a little yogurt or buttermilk for up to 24 hours. This process jump-starts the enzymatic activity in the food and begins breaking down some of the harder-to-digest components.1 The easiest grains to digest are those without gluten like brown rice. When grains are introduced, they should be soaked for at least 24 hours and cooked with plenty of water for a long time. This will make a slightly sour, very thin porridge that can be mixed with other foods
Don't fear fats!!
Pediatric clinicians have known for some time that children fed low-fat and low-cholesterol diets fail to grow properly. After all, a majority of mother's milk is fat, much of it saturated fat. Children need high levels of fat throughout growth and development. Milk and animal fats give energy and also help children build muscle and bone.1 In addition, the animal fats provide vitamins A and D necessary for protein and mineral assimilation, normal growth and hormone production.27
Choose a variety of foods so your child gets a range of fats, but emphasize stable saturated fats, found in butter, meat and coconut oil, and monounsaturated fats, found in avocados and olive oil.
Foods to Introduce
Egg yolks, rich in choline, cholesterol and other brain-nourishing substances, can be added to your baby's diet as early as four months, as long as baby takes it easily. Cholesterol is vital for the insulation of the nerves in the brain and the entire central nervous system. It helps with fat digestion by increasing the formation of bile acids and is necessary for the production of many hormones. Since the brain is so dependent on cholesterol, it is especially vital during this time when brain growth is in hyper-speed.25 Thus, the best choice for baby is yolks from pasture-fed hens raised on flax meal, fish meal, or insects since they will contain higher levels of DHA. Why just the yolk? The white is the portion that most often causes allergic reactions, so wait to give egg whites until after your child turns one. Choline is another critical nutrient for brain development.
Don't neglect to put a pinch of salt on the egg yolk. While many books warn against giving salt to babies, salt is actually critical for digestion as well as for brain development. Use unrefined salt to supply a variety of trace minerals.
Around four months is a good time to start offering cod liver oil, which is an excellent source of the omega-3 fatty acids DHA and EPA (also important for brain develoment) as well as vitamins A and D. Start with a 1/4 teaspoon of high-vitamin cod liver oil or 1/2 teaspoon regular dose cod liver oil, doubling the amount at 8 months.12 Use an eye dropper at first; later baby can take cod liver oil mixed with a little water or fresh orange juice.
If baby is very mature and seems hungry, he may be given mashed banana during this period. Ripe banana is a great food for babies because it contains amylase enzymes to digest carbohydrates Do not use bananas that are not speckled as their starch has not fully broken down into simple sugars and they are harder to digest.
At Six Months
Puréed meats can be given at six months (or even earlier if baby is very mature). Meats will help ensure adequate intake of iron, zinc, and protein with the decrease in breast milk and formula.17
A variety of fruits can be introduced at this time. Avocado, melon, mangoes and papaya can be mashed and given raw. High-pectin fruits such as peaches, apricots, apples, pears, cherries and berries should be cooked to break down the pectin, which can be very irritating to the digestive tract.
Avocados are wonderful beginners and future staples. They are a true super-food, packed with antioxidants, especially vitamin E and all essential amino acids. They provide essential fatty acids imperative for proper growth and brain function. Babies love their smooth texture and delicate flavor. Cut a ripe avocado in half, flick the seed out and scrape little bits onto a baby spoon and presto, you have the perfect meal, fit for a royal baby.
*also if your baby isnt eating the whole avocado and the rest of your family isn't jumping at the leftovers, you can mix it with coconut oil (another SUPER healthy fat) and store it in the fridge and it wont brown.
As time goes by, move up in complexity with food and texture. At about six to eight months, vegetables may be introduced, one at a time so that any adverse reactions may be observed. Carrots, sweet potatoes and beets are excellent first choices. All vegetables should be cooked (steamed preferably), mashed and mixed with a liberal amount of fat, such as butter or coconut oil, to provide nutrients to aid in digestion.
I still LOVE Fuzzi Bunz and we have primarily those, but I just bought 2 new diapers I am pleased with, and for those of you who are curious this is a great economical choice! Bum Genius OS diapers are 1 size (from newborn to potty trained) and I was hesitant that could work, but it does! They are almost as easy to use as Fuzzi Bunz , and they were cheaper too! We bought 2 pink ones to be diaper bag diapers.
And a side note I learned some handy info about the stickers on fruit today!
Those little stickers that come on your fruit actually tell you something. If it starts with a “9″…it’s organic. If it starts with a “4″, it’s not. If it starts with an “8″, it’s genetically modified. Now you know.
We LOVE these toys! I bought them because I was looking for safe baby toys and someone told me about these that were completely non toxic. The boys ended up loving them, and so do I! They are so cute and so fun! The legs and necks move so you can pose them different ways. And it makes me happy to know that they are safe! Andrew wanted to take pictures of his animals today so I couldn't resist taking one too! Here he is in all his played-outside-just-before-so-he's-dirty goodness!
A friend from church lent me a book recently after hearing about all the issues we've had with Abigail. When I first spoke with her on the phone and she suggested it sounded like a sleep issue I was skeptical. It HAD to be more than that, but I figured I'd give the book a try anyhow. Last night I read for hours (as Abigail slept peacefully!)! and today I've snuck in tons of time reading it too. It makes so much sense and it described Abigail PERFECTLY!!
Peter was an amazing sleeper, he'd fall asleep anywhere when he was tired. When we bought a toddler bed at 9 months he would walk over, crawl in and take naps on his own. Seriously he was the EASIER baby. Andrew was harder, I had to put him to sleep before he got too tired but as long as he was at home in our bed he was fine.But even now he still needs occasional naps and I know he could sleep better (And I'm looking forward to the chapter on his age in the book!).
The book talks about letting babies go no more than 2 hours awake before putting them to sleep or else they get overtired and can not fall asleep easily. Just since applying this yesterday I'm seeing a difference! It talks about how important consistency in soothing (and offers many techniques for you to choose from) and gives you options based on your parenting styles. If you want to nurse to sleep, or use a bottle, or cry it out, or attachment parenting he shows you how to apply the techniques through your parenting style.
What really stuck out to me was the importance of motionless sleep. He says "vibrations and motion during sleep appear to force the brain to a lighter sleep state and reduce the restorative power of the nap". I had been letting Abigail do almost all of her daytime sleep in the Moby, but since reading this I started laying her down once she fell asleep (before I was afraid she'd wake up so I left her, but I am still letting the Moby soothe her to sleep) and she is sleeping much longer and hasn't really cried at all today! When she wakes she has a diaper change, eats plays a bit eats and goes back down. There is no frustration on her part so no need to fuss and cry!
I cant wait to read more!
The book is called Healthy Sleep Habits, Happy Child by Marc Weissbluth.
Thank you so much Lisa! (and Kristina, I'll make sure it gets to you next!)
These are the GREATEST children's books! They have GORGEOUS illustrations, and teach Bible truths!
And I want to thank you blog readers! This new book for Abigail was a gift from YOU! The cool amazon recommendation thing on the sidebar of my blog (for you Myspacers its on my REAL blog) paid for it. Not only do I love sharing the items that work for my family, if one of you purchases items from my list I get a percentage of the amount you spend in Amazon credit! SO I used the first bit of credit I had earned to get this book free! I truly appreciate it!
It has been so much fun getting girl stuff! I've already started buying girl toys!
This was a set I could NOT pass up! I asked for 100% cotton instead of polyester fill, and even the boys love it!
And here is another set I had made in 100% cotton. I wish I woudl have held out though, she has even more beautiful fabric now than she did when I ordered in January!
Hope you all have a great weekend!
So I posted before about cloth diapers and mentioned we were trying some different kinds with Abigail, so I wanted to update on that.
I had made those pretty prefolds... HATED them! Used 1 twice and the rest are nice burp cloths! Lots of people love them, not me! I need a simpler, comfier diaper.
Then I had tried a BUNCH of fitteds with covers. I didn't like those at all in the newborn stage. Now that we are in size small I have to admit I LOVE our bamboo fitteds with Thirsties covers. But we have only 2 of those. Non bamboo fitteds are still not for me, no matter how pretty they may be. And I was NOT a fan of one sized diapers.
We're using mostly Fuzzi Bunz now. Like I had mentioned in the other post, that is all we had used with Andrew. They were the first kind of diaper I learned about and the easiest. I'm still really happy with them (though I wish we had more pink ones!)
I've been doing LOTS of reading lately! I can read blogs with a baby sleeping in my arms, or nursing, better than I can type.
Also a site that has been super helpful to me since Abigail was born (you'd think I hadn't breastfed 2 babies already with all the issues we have had) http://www.kellymom.com/index.html
I REALLY wanted a carrier for Andrew, but we didn't have any locally, and I didn't know anyone in real life who had ever used one, so I was scared to order one online and end up not liking it, and I just never did!
So this time I was going to get one no matter what and I started asking around and met tons of people here and online who loved their Moby Wraps. An online friend made me one for much cheaper than the name brand, and when I first got it I was intimidated, but now that she is here I have pretty much figured it out, and I don't think I'd be able to get anything done without it!
Ignore the fact that my shirt was riding up and I'm still wearing my maternity jeans! Technically I dont even have to support her with the one hand, but I'm still not used to carrying a baby hands free so by habit I end up holding her with one!
And this is just one of the million ways you can use it! http://www.mobywrap.com/t-instructions.aspx
So since much of my family thinks I'm nuts I may as well expose my readers now to some of the parenting choices we have made along the years.
First off I am amazed, that it was 8 years ago that I was first in this position. Wow I feel old! I was a young mommy (17 years old, but yes I was married) and was so excited. I read every parenting/baby care book I could get my hands on, took college classes on child development (while finishing high school!), I was determined to know EVERYTHING! I really think my lack of a mother (she decided she wanted drugs instead of a baby and walked away) made me feel I had something to prove.
And I thought I had it down. But then 3 years later I'm pregnant with Andrew, and I begin to dig deeper and learned all these things I had learned were OK, really were not!
Formula being an equal option to breastfeeding... That is the biggest lie fed to use from greedy formula companies who fund the training of pediatricians. I did end up using formula after Peter was 6 months old. I figured I had done my fair share of breastfeeding and it was just as good. I regret that decision horribly! Knowing what I know now I wish I had never done it, but I was educated to believe it was just as good! This irks me, how many other moms out there really have no idea that it isn't? And I will not even get started on soy.
As he grew we moved onto gerber, then table foods, and he became picky! All the books said he would outgrow it, it was normal for all children, and at the time I had no clue what was healthy. Packaged food was normal, as long as we gave him fruit and veggies sometime...Sadly, at that time my main source of nutrition information was WIC, and their foods they give are for the most part anything but healthy!
So as I was saying I got pregnant with Andrew and found message boards. This opened up a whole new world to me! I found a board with 100 other women all due the same month I was! All these women from different walks of life all having babies at the same time! And it was there I started to get exposed to what real healthy eating was, and I learned some lifesaving tips about pregnancy!
I had never been to a chiropractor before reading how these other moms were going regularly! I had needed one during my pregnancy with Peter because of a car accident I was in, but I assumed anything they would do was unsafe and put it off 4 years! Around the same time I started learning that not only was chiropractics safe during pregnancy, it was healthy and beneficial! A chiropractor can align your body to make labor smoother, and help with many pregnancy discomforts and ailments! My labor went from 2 days of complications, to less than 4 hours and virtually pain free. I thank my chiropractor for MUCH of this (he was in Lake Elsinore if you want his name, but I have an awesome one here in Oak Harbor too!)
I also learned about Pregnancy tea. Made of red raspberry leaf, it is so great for pregnant women. It is full of calcium in an absorbable form (we cant absorb calcium well from pasturized dairy products), it tones your uterus making contractions more efficient and helps greatly with healing afterwards. http://www.traditionalmedicinals.com/?title=women%27s+teas
I also learned about cloth diapering! At first I thought of the old prefolds and pins that had been used on my husband. In fact my in laws offered to pay for those if I'd use them on Peter. NO WAY! Why would women submit their babies to that when disposables were so much more "normal". But these women were EXCITED about cloth diapering! And there were lots of options out there besides those old prefolds (which I STILL hate!). This took me some warming up to, but once the babies were born and I started seeing pictures of these babies in CUTE diapers made of comfy fleece and cotton I started to be won over. Then I learned about the chemicals in disposables, that lead to much of the infertility American's deal with today. I made the switch! We went with Fuzzi Bunz for Andrew. They were a pocket diaper that worked similarly to disposables. You take off a dirty diaper and snap a new one on. Toss them into a dry pail, then toss int he wash. It was SOO much easier than I could have ever imagined, even my dad (who I wonder how I survived my childhood with just him) was able to change it! And they came in adorable colors, and even prints!
And as soon as we made the switch we were all in love. In fact we went camping and Andrew screamed when I tried putting him in disposables, he said they were ouchy! Who would want crumply paper over fleece? I dont blame him! We switched on his 1st birthday and he was in size large. Those diapers lasted us almost 2 years until he potty trained, and when I sold them I got 100% of my money back. So I diapered my child for FREE for 2 years!
He even loved to cuddle his diapers!
So I am amazed that any of you read this far, I got a bit long winded..I'll type a part 2 shortly!
Dec. 3, 2007 - Dare I say it.. a morning sickness cure?
So thanks to Rachel (the Seattle doula) and I think Jamie had told me this too...but I think I have morning sickness under control! (After a total of 24 months of my life spent a slave to it!) I had tried everything in all 3 pregnancies, ginger, sparkling water, mint, accupressure, chiropractics, red raspberry leaf tea (and those last 2 helped tremedously in other areas of pregnancy so dont toss them out, but just not with sickness) and tons more but never had any results. But I was told to up my protein a TON and it seems to be working! I need a minimum of 4 servings of protein a day and the protein in milk/dairy doesn't count. It has to be meat, eggs or beans, and its been hard for me to do. I'd survive fine of fruit and veggies and some carbs all day, but the effort has been worth it. No vomiting and little nausea for 4 days now! That is a record!
Technically I dont even have to support her with the one hand, but I'm still not used to carrying a baby hands free so by habit I end up holding her with one! 
Currently reading : 
