Barely getting this done before Sunday ends and honestly I barely know what has happened this week. My brain used to function semi-normal when I was sleep deprived, but after a few weeks of improved sleeping my brain quickly adjusted back to that. Now that Sawyer’s sleep is pure insanity again, my brain is gone and I’m barely able to function. I just want to sleep all the time. I think he feels the same way. Poor guy is clearly in serious teething mode and the disruption of his sleep has brought back those big bags under eyes
He’s been getting Orajel most nights before bed and a few nights when his temperature was just a tad up he got Tylenol. Tylenol seemed to help the most with his sleep, but I’m not comfortable giving him Tylenol so often. There is visible white squares under the gum now, so hopefully that means he’s about to bust through some teeth.
Aside from teething, our child is pretty much the greatest thing on earth. Hehe. I swear, he just keeps getting cuter and making me laugh all the time. There is only one major thing in our house that is off limits, which is of course the one thing he LOVES to crawl directly to anytime we look a way… the entertainment center & speaker stands. We’re talked about just gating it off, or should we teach him to leave it alone? Today I worked on telling him a stern “Sawyer no” and the “ah ah ah ah” when he would reach the speaker stand. He seems to get it and crawled back over to his toys twice. So I guess we’ll keep trying that.
Sawyer also pulled up for the first time! He’s been pulling up & crawling up on Dan & I for a while, and from our laps while grabbing on his play table. On Monday he pulled up on his walker. Since then he’s been practicing more and more. Today he was pulling up on it over and over, sometimes without sitting full back down. It was a good quad work out
The child continues to love his food. He’s been acting like his cousin Hannah and being more & more vocal about his love of food. He “mmms” and moans & grunts while he eats. It’s hilarious. He’s loving every meat combo we give… chicken, turkey, & beef. He’s eating yogurt despite the shiver effect nearly every bite gives him. I guess it’s tart in comparison to other things, but he seems to like it anyway. He’s had a variety of berries… cranberry, blueberry, raspberry… mixed in his foods. Plums. Zucchini. Sweat Peas. Yellow Split Peas. Couscous. Tomatoes. Oh my, tomatoes. He had carrots & tomatoes and then chicken, tomato, couscous. He went wild for them. Didn’t let a drop hit his bib. We’ve also revisited the foods he disliked & refused to eat previously, like peas. He’s been eating them well when combined with other foods. He also has enjoyed pears when mixed with other fruits, so we tried plain pears again and he ate them.
Ok that was a long food ramble. But really that’s about all my sleepless brain can think of. He’s plays, eats, poops (a lot), sleeps (a little), and cuddles & loves. What more we could ask for? =)
Thinking is easy, acting is difficult, and to put one’s thoughts into action is the most difficult thing in the world. ~Johann Wolfgang von Goethe
This week on Twitter, Grey Eyed Mom shared this adorable picture of pajama pants that she made for her boys using her hubby’s old boxers.
I thought this was such a cool idea and perfect for this week’s ReUse tip.
Then I found this great site, Hubpages, that had so many ideas:
1. Adult clothing can be trimmed down to make child size versions, too. Old night gowns and pajamas are very easy to convert.
2. Use old wool sweaters to make diaper covers, leggings, and many other accessories. Wool is a great medium once it is felted. To felt wool, wash in hot water and dry on high heat. The wool will shrink and compress into a thick material. It will now be able to be cut without unraveling.
3. Headbands can be made from a neckline or from a turtleneck removed from the sweater. Use stitches or sewing glue to add decorations. This is a great rainy day project.
4. Torn up jeans can be sewn into a cool purse.
5. Clothes that have stains can sometimes be saved by dying them. A fun way to salvage stained shirts is to tie dye them. Kids love tie dyed shirts, especially if they participate. This is another good rainy day project.
6. Tote bags are easy to make if the sleeves are removed and the bottom sewn shut. Finish the ragged edges left by the sleeves and voila- kid sized tote. Here’s step by step instructions: Recycled T-Shirt Tote.
One of my very favorite uses for old clothing items, is making a pillow out of neckties. I saw some really cool throw pillows in a magazine one year as an idea for Father’s Day gifts. Searching today, I found this cool one on Flickr along with an ENTIRE GROUP POOL with hundreds of pictures of sewing with ties. So cool, you have to check out all those ideas.
I think it would be really cool to make some art with old ties. Just simple stripes of ties lined up side by side, like the pillow. Could be framed or covering a canvas. I can picture this hanging in a home office or man cave.
If you have any other cool ideas for reusing old clothes, sheets, etc PLEASE leave a comment & share =)
Sawyer had such a hilarious day that I just had to share right away. I love our little guy and he just cracks me up.
Shortly after I got home from work, I see Sawyer is playing with one of my silk scarves. The child is amazed by textures and fabrics. He takes his little hand and feels everything around him. I keep saying he’s going to be an interior designer or something. LOL.
Him crawling around dragging my scarf was too much
Next, I HAD to video him crawling around making random sounds and just exploring. He gets so distracted by everything. I love the end though, when he finally gets focused on me (& the camera of course).
But the fun didn’t stop there. I’m trying to get him to develop his pincer grasp, but we’re not having much luck so far. He just does his hand in the same palm down, wiggly finger motion that he would to feel a new texture. The puffs get stuck to his palm and he gets frustrated trying to get them in his mouth. Sometimes they fall, sometimes they stay stuck to his hands & falling off in various places in the room while he crawls around, having forgotten the puff ever existed.
Can you find the puff in this pic?
Anyway, this video of him trying to get the puffs starts off really funny. I have no idea why he gets a shiver, but the noise he makes is also bizarre.
LOL – love our baby boy!
PS – Sawyer pulled up today! He was playing with a new toy and got himself standing all by himself. He was super pumped and proceeded to tell the toy all about it as he babbled on & on for a minute or so =)
Let’s start small. Food. He loves to eat and added a few new foods this week. We’re pretty much ignoring the whole rule of adding new foods spaced 4 days apart. Not pretty much, we’re totally ignoring it. No history of food allergies in our families, except for gluten. I figure the rest is reasonably safe and I try to stick to similar things. Hehe. So Monday he had tofu – loved it blended with bananas. Wednesday was yogurt, and he ate it but didn’t look happy about it. Friday was kiwi and he puckered but loved it. Saturday he had rice & lentils for dinner. Sawyer has really been loving jarred baby food. I decided against finding hormone free, organic meats and attempting to blend them into smooth purees. This led me to buy jars of “dinners” with chicken, turkey, beef, and lentils (yes, I realize that isn’t a meat). I also bought a few other veggie & fruit blends for the things I want him to eat that I can buy organic fresh produce to make – like raspberries. Oh yeah, he had raspberries sometime. Maybe last week. He had some more Saturday, mixed with bananas & peaches. He went wild for that mix.
Ok, so now for the big things. Sleep disasters and actual mobility! That’s right, we’re back to horrible sleep. It’s been really frustrating, since we had finally developed such a nice routine. Bedtime at 8, dream feeding around 11 or 11:30, and waking at 6:20. Seriously, 6:20 is the most common time for him to wake… though the range is 5:30-7. Anyway, now he is suddenly waking several times during the night and unable to get himself back to sleep. We’ve had 4 nights within the past week that he was awake & crying for 2 hours. The culprit is his teeth (I think). Though they have yet to show themselves, I know there are teeth very close to busting through. He is doing weird movements with his lower jaw, including making it pop. Saturday evening he also has an increased temperature (about 1 degree up). He chews, drools, etc even more than usual. In general he’s just been more fussy. Dan made a trip out for Orajel a few nights ago, and that has seemed to help. He’s at least not staying awake for the 2 nights since we’ve been giving him Orajel before bed.
What was the other thing?
Oh yeah, he’s graduated from wiggling to real army crawling. I’ve referred to his movement for the past couple months as an army crawl… but I was wrong. He was wiggling. He used his arms some, but now I see true army crawling arm movements. And real army crawling is much more fast & efficient than the previous squirm/wiggle/luckily propel self forward. This improved method allowed him to move from his play mats in the living room to the kitchen for the first time on Tuesday. He did it again on Wednesday. By Friday, our life has totally changed. He’s EVERYWHERE. Zero ability to contain him or entertain him or leave him without safety precautions. Outlet covers are on. Phone charges, laptop battery, etc are up off the floor. Running to the basement to start a load of laundry? Better close that door to the basement stairs, because little man will follow. Actually he might not, because he really enjoys his “trail”. On Friday, we rearranged the living room and Sawyer quickly developed a “trail” that he would do repeatedly. Start at the play mats, follow the couch & crawl under the coffee table, pass by the welcome mat, turn and follow the edge of the other couch, turn and follow the entertainment center. This takes him a full lap around the living room. He follows the perimeter and doesn’t cross the middle. It’s hilarious. This was until we brought his exersaucer in the living room, at which time he changed his routine so he could crawl in the bottom of it. It’s so entertaining to watch him.
And the final new thing for the week was the addition of a bath tub. Our single bathroom only has a double shower without a tub. We love it, but plan to remodel and add a tub at some point. The infant tub over the kitchen sink routine just wasn’t working. First, he is cramped and unable to move much. Second, he repeatedly tries to eat the faucet. Third, he’s a splashing maniac. I get soaked & have to change clothes. The wall gets a wash down. The counter. The floor. You get the picture. Inflatable tub to the rescue! Sawyer instantly seemed thrilled with it. He has room to play with toys and I’m not constantly telling him “no” since there is nothing bad for him to chew on.
Wait, I lied. One more “new” thing. Sawyer attended his first family reunion. This was particular exciting for me because our family reunions started the year I was born. I was only a couple weeks old at the first one. So here I am, 32 years later and bringing my baby for the first time. The smell of a hot casserole in the car as we drove was nostalgic of my childhood trips to the reunion, and I was a tad pleased with the way it made me feel like such a family to be with Dan & Sawyer & casserole.
Ok, I will “shut up” (stop typing) and just share this weeks documenting INCLUDING A CRAWLING MONTAGE VIDEO AND… wait for it… wait for it…. Sawyer’s first POSSUM ANTHEM experience! =)
Also forgot his first pack-n-play experience. Looks impressed huh?
And first encounter with grass
And just because we haven’t had a picture together in a long time
Video time!
I realize this is a bit underwhelming, but still I wanted to document his confused look.
A few years ago I stopped buying bananas because I can’t deal with those pesky gnat like pests they bring with them. The fruit fly. I’ve battled fruit flies many times and just find them to be so annoying. It’s been a long time since they’ve invaded, since I’ve banned bananas.
But with baby came bananas.
I still blame the bananas, even though our current batch have been in the freezer for a week. Yesterday I opened our onion drawer and a SWARM of fruit flies came out. I mean, SWARM… dozens of the little turds invading my home. This would have been a good time for x-ray vision, because had a been able to see into the drawer I would’ve taken the little mobile cart outside and then released them. Dang it human body for not having Superman powers! I was surprised to find that these critters were so happy living off of an onion, but I guess it’s all they could find in our spotless kitchen (LOL).
That was yesterday afternoon, so I’ve been in battle mode for nearly 24 hours. I’m not sure if I’m winning or not. I keep finding random ones in the oddest places. Resting on my baby’s bib – get away from my baby’s stuff!!! I’ll attack, but wow they’re fast. Having a snack from a dried droplet of spinach & squash on the side of Sawyer’s highchair – NOOOOO!!! Swat, smack, “evil turd!”. But no carcass shall I find. Another escapee. The battle is so frustrating.
As part of my attack plan, there are a couple traps set up. That’s right, I wage a sinister war. Apple cider vinegar. It is your weakness little fly? Oh my. Teeheeheee.
I poured a little cup full of apple cider vinegar, recalling doing something like this years ago when my roommate lived on bananas (no, my roomie was not a monkey). I proudly told Dan that they were drawn to it, and would drown in it. Within minutes the cup brim was lined with the evil enemy.
Still lined.
Still lined. Hmm.
Wait… are they? Yes, they are.
The fruit flies were fornicating on the rim of the cup. I had created a swimming pool, and they were partying it up like it was grotto at the Playboy mansion. I tried to trap them with a quick covering of the cup with my hand, but I only got one.
They’re winning I told myself. Not just winning, but laughing at me. Mocking the very “trap” I had created.
I’ve since Googled and discovered that my trap needed some sort of lid with teeny weeny holes that they would squeeze through to get to the vinegar, but them somehow forget how to get out. Oh. Yeah, that makes sense.
Thinking is easy, acting is difficult, and to put one’s thoughts into action is the most difficult thing in the world. ~Johann Wolfgang von Goethe
I’m finishing out the Reuse, Reduce, Recycle series this week with Reduce. Now there are a LOT of ways we can reduce. BUT I’m just one little human who is extremely exhausted and wanted to sleep about an hour ago, so I’ll just focus on one tip for this week.
PAPER WASTERS!!! That’s right, I’m calling you a paper waster and I bet I’m right. Most of us are, but I’m going to share some quick, easy ways to reduce that amount of paper in your life. These tips all focus on one thing: your mailbox! Each year in the US there are 5.56 millon tons of unwanted mail shipped, and only 1.23 millon tons (or 22%) gets recycled. That means we’re dumping 4.33 MILLION TONS into landfills. That is not ok. Not only is all that paper going in the trash, but think of all the trees that were cut down & wasted to produce junk mail. PLUS our wonderful postal workers have to drive & carry all that crap around. So here 3 things you can do right away to make a big impact on the amount of wasted paper.
#1 – Bye bye bills! Too bad we can’t truly say bye to bills or make them mysteriously disappear, but we can take a quick peek at them online and then leave them in the virtual world. Opting out of a paper statements can save a great deal of paper, and frankly who needs that crap? I promise your life won’t feel impacted at all to not have 5 years worth of water bills taking up space in a drawer, shoe box, file cabinet, or where ever you keep bills. All of the utility companies have an option now to “go green” and not get statements in the mail. Bank, sredit card companies, mortgage companies, insurance companies, and on & on. They all provide paperless statements.
#2 – Speaking of credit card companies, does anyone else get sick of offers for credit cards arriving in the mail? I get them from Chase all the time, even though I have a Chase card. It’s such a total waste of paper and drives me nuts. Well it turns out there is a way to make those offers disappear, for either 2 years or permanently. OptOurPrescreen.com is the official site provided by the 3 major credit bureaus to help consumers get rid of those offers. You can go to the website or call 1-888-5-OPTOUT (567-8688) to opt out.
#3 – So that gets rid of only a small portion of junk mail, right? Well let’s just go ahead and get rid of the rest! DMAChoice is a website that can help us reduce a big portion of that junk mail. There is a fee of $1 and then your name & address will be removed from direct marketing advertising for 5 years.
Ok, how easy it that? Call or go online and you’ll be doing a favor to Mama Earth. If you get other unwanted mail that you don’t think these 3 tips will get rid of, then call the individual mailer. There is some more info about all this on Reduce.org.
As my little part of participation in World Breastfeeding Week 2010, I thought for the first time I would blog about my experience as the sole source of my son’s nutrition. I’ve taken on breastfeeding as a huge responsibility. Aside from my addiction to caffeine, I’ve tried very hard to have a spectacularly healthy diet with as much organic foods as possible. I’ve wanted to give him the best nutrition I could. At just over 7 months old, Sawyer has never had a bottle of more than 5 ounces of milk yet he weighs nearly 20 pounds. I take that as my sign that he is getting a lot of nutrition from my milk. Another sign, he would only poop about once a week before we started solid foods… another sign that his body was able to digest & use nearly every bit he was taking in. I’m so pleased with how well breastfeeding has gone for us, but it has not been easy.
Sawyer first nursed when he was just a few minutes old. This was very important to me and I was thrilled that the hospital staff encouraged me to do so. I was so clueless but Sawyer did really well. The lactation consultant met with us, and gave us an A+. He was a natural.
That changed when we got home. I think he became frustrated with my milk not coming in, and we all know what a temper the child has. He had jaundice, and even though our pediatrician tried to tell me that was totally normal because of breastfeeding I still wasn’t comfortable with it. During our first night home, I sobbed out the words as I woke Dan up.. “I …(sob sob choke on tears sob) need you to… (sob hysterically) make him a bottle of formula”. It killed me. I felt like the biggest failure, but Sawyer’s health was the most important thing and I felt he was hungry. He had also been having trouble latching once we came home, so he basically would start screaming after a few minutes of trying to nurse. So we supplemented with formula during the first week and he had primarily bottles for the first 3 weeks until he was back to latching normally. I was worried about starting nipple confusion, but instead we developed a child who was adaptable at feedings. At every feeding I would attempt to nurse him before giving him a bottle, and Sawyer learned to nurse or take a bottle happily. This was important since I had to return to work when he was 6 weeks old. Since he was 6 weeks old, he’s had a few bottles during the day Mon-Thurs and nursed during the evenings and weekends.
Nursing was not as painful as I had expected which I credit to my prepping my body throughout my pregnancy with A&D ointment. I used lanolin for the first couple weeks and then I was fine. The “painful” part was the exhaustion. Being that sole source of nutrition made me feel so important and I loved the bond it created, but wow I was an insane zombie Mommy for a few weeks. I think I had semi-adjusted to the sleep deprivation when I returned to work. I kept my energy up by drinking lots of 7-Up and eating chocolate chips cookies all day (see, I totally haven’t been 100% healthy & organic). There were days in the first couple weeks when I never slept more than an hour at a time. It was rough, but really the body just adjusts and it was completely worth it to me. Giving Sawyer the best was my priority.
Our rough times didn’t end there. Oh no. Breastfeeding has been a journey, which continues to this day. I went through a bizarre phase of repeated clogged ducts that caused engorgement. I hurt so badly that the movement of walking nearly brought tears. I took lecithin, made a hot compress with an old pantyhose & rice and used it every time I pumped or nursed, and had Sawyer nurse every couple of hours. After a few weeks of repeated problems, I’ve been clog free. Now our new battle is supply. With Sawyer sleeping longer at night and me relying on pumping at work, things have been rough. We’re hanging on though, and I’m still determined to make it until he is year old. I’ve recently used fenugreek to try to build my supply and continue to eat oatmeal almost daily. I’m avoiding things that lower supply, like peppermint, sage, and parsley. I drink lots of fluids and try to just relax about it.
On a personal note about my breastfeeding experience I just have to share that it has been one of the most satisfying things I’ve ever done. I think it is beautiful and I have many pictures of Sawyer & I as he nurses, but this is the first one I’ve ever shared. (I’m still very modest, will always use a nursing cover & try to nurse in discrete places when possible, etc.) I never considered not nursing, since it just seems that it is the natural thing that all women should do, and can not imagine not having that experience as part of motherhood. I LOVE it. I love sharing those moments with my son. I love how much he loves it, how he clutches at me and pulls at my shirt when he wants to nurse. I love that feeling of importance in his life. I love the closeness we share. I love how natural and normal it is. I love knowing that he is not being fed a powder created in a lab. I love to feel his little hands rubbing my skin or grasping my finger as he nurses. I love how he is instantly soothed by nursing. I love how it has made me his soother in general. I love how often he falls asleep from the comfort and fullness of nursing…
This is the blog of Natalie Grunau, aka gnatalie, wife to Dan, Mommy to our son, Sawyer Holden, "Mommy" to our dogs Lucy & Stewie. I'm a also psychologist and therapist working primarily with kids. This blog is basically my diary and outlet for random rantings. Read the full bio for more.
A few years ago I stopped buying bananas because I can’t deal with those pesky gnat like pests they bring with them. The fruit fly. I’ve battled fruit flies many times and just find them to be so annoying. It’s been a long time since they’ve invaded, since I’ve banned bananas.
