I've done something similar to this before. I think Tasha tagged me once with "10 Things." Anyway, someone on Facebook tagged me, and I thought it would be fun to post this here, too. I'll go ahead and tag Tasha, Shelly and Stephanie. I know these ladies have beau coups of free time in which they love to spout off random nonsense about themselves. Ladies, you can thank me later. I prefer chocolate chip cookies to greeting cards.
1. I can't tell time. Not well, anyway. It takes a while.
2. I have one tattoo, but I want more. LOTS more. Just working up my nerve...
3. I think about changing careers every other day. Some days, I want to be a nurse. Others, I want to own a retail business. Mostly, I wish I could be a SAHM.
4. I have no inherent artistic ability. As a kid I painted, and I did theatre throughout high school, but I worked really, really hard at them. The only thing that has ever come naturally to me is writing.
5. I want at least four kids. I want to birth one more and adopt two. I decided this last week.
6. Kristi, if I ever have a baby girl, I will name her Esme. I love that name. And, how cute is this: Esme and Isaac. So cute.
7. I feel much, much older than I am.
8. I hate test driving cars. I get really, really nervous. I always think the sales person is cringing at what an awful driver I am.
9. I have a horrible memory, especially when it comes to remembering people I've met. I'm always that person going, "I know you from somewhere, but I can't remember where..."
10. Thus, if ever I'm meeting someone for the second or third time, I feel it completely necessary to reintroduce myself as though we've never met. I assume that no one remembers me, either. I've noticed that people find this sort of weird.
11. The only foods I don't like are beans, olives and Brussels sprouts. I'll eat anything else.
12. I don't know how to behave around people who are timid and soft-spoken. It's weird to me. I don't know how to handle them. I think it's because they usually don't get my biting, sarcastic sense of humor.
13. I HATE knick knacks. I hate cute, decorative crap. If it doesn't serve a purpose, I get rid of it.
14. I love books. They're probably the things I "collect." I don't like borrowing books from the library because I like to be able to bend the spine, fold the pages and write all over them. I think people who don't bend the spines of their books are WEIRDOS (yeah, Natasha, I'm totally talking to you).
15. I love to cook, although I don't have much time for it with a nine-month-old.
16. I used to be fluent in German and American Sign Language. I doubt I could even carry on a conversation in either now.
17. I want desperately to travel to Germany.
18. I'm extremely bothered by people who walk, speak or drive slowly.
19. I love to grocery shop. A trip to stock the pantry will take me at least two hours because I read every label.
20. I hate clothes shopping.
21. I know nothing about music.
22. I don't have an iPod and have no idea how iTunes works, even though it's on my computer and more than one person has tried to explain it to me.
23. I'm always cold, even in the summer.
24. I still waddle, a side effect of my pregnancy that I haven't been able to shake. I think maybe I waddled before I got pregnant.
25. I have to go to the bathroom. Now and frequently.
Thursday, January 29, 2009
Wednesday, January 28, 2009
Wear your baby before he's old enough to wriggle!
So, I was perusing the sites nominated for an Okie Blog Award, when I stumbled upon Emery Jo's moms are for everyone!. She's nominated for Best Family Blog, and I right away fell in love with her blog. She just had her second son (an amazing birth story), and her laid back, organic approach to parenting is very appealing to me.
(I also liked this site, nominated for Best Writing, written by an attachment parenting-minded mama. And, my good friend Natasha was nominated twice for Best Culture Blog. Check out Tasha Does Tulsa and My Life as Told by Food. If you blog in Oklahoma, you're eligible to vote for these awards, so do it.)
So, anyway, I'm perusing moms are for everyone!, and I notice a post in which Emery Jo talks about having made a sling for her newborn boy. As a new mother, I lacked any faith in myself that would prompt me to make a sling or anything else for Isaac. But I desperately wanted a ring sling. They're adjustable, so you can keep your baby as close as you want comfortably. And you can adjust the position in which you carry your baby as he grows. The thing is, I've never seen one on sale for less than $70. And I just don't have that kind of cash.
I did spring for a Zolo pouch sling, which I got at Natural Lullabies for about $50, using a 25 percent off coupon they gave me on my first visit to pick up some Motherlove herbal breastfeeding supplements. I love the sling.
It's made from organic cotton, and you can wear it about four different ways, until your kid is way too darn old to be carrying him around on your back. When Isaac was younger and less wriggly, I loved being able to wear him around the house and when I went to the store or the park or, well, anywhere. It not only allowed me to be close to my son, but it also kept my hands free to perform whatever menial tasks became necessary. Still, I often wished I had a ring sling. I'm not sure it would matter now if I did or not, because the last few times I've tried to tuck Isaac into the pouch sling (which I should, theoretically, be able to do for at least three more years), he's wriggled and writhed so much that I couldn't keep him in it.
Even so, I recently found myself scouring the Web for ring sling patterns, wanting to learn more about how to make them, on the off chance I ever get the opportunity to have another baby (please, oh please, someday). I found a couple of good sites, and I thought I'd share them here in case anyone else has need for them before I do.
Slingrings.com has a lot of patterns for various types of slings as well as links to other sites. Here, you can also buy the rings you'll need when making your own sling (they caution against buying rings from a craft store, which might not be sturdy enough to hold your baby's weight).
Also, Sling Your Baby is a blog with many different sling patterns and instructions. If you scroll down on the site, she offers some really helpful video instructions for making ring slings. The simplicity and straightforwardness of her blog make sling-making seem so simple. If I had known it could be so easy, I definitely would have made Isaac a sling nine months ago.
If anyone decides to follow any of these instructions, please let me know how your sling turns out!
(I also liked this site, nominated for Best Writing, written by an attachment parenting-minded mama. And, my good friend Natasha was nominated twice for Best Culture Blog. Check out Tasha Does Tulsa and My Life as Told by Food. If you blog in Oklahoma, you're eligible to vote for these awards, so do it.)
So, anyway, I'm perusing moms are for everyone!, and I notice a post in which Emery Jo talks about having made a sling for her newborn boy. As a new mother, I lacked any faith in myself that would prompt me to make a sling or anything else for Isaac. But I desperately wanted a ring sling. They're adjustable, so you can keep your baby as close as you want comfortably. And you can adjust the position in which you carry your baby as he grows. The thing is, I've never seen one on sale for less than $70. And I just don't have that kind of cash.
I did spring for a Zolo pouch sling, which I got at Natural Lullabies for about $50, using a 25 percent off coupon they gave me on my first visit to pick up some Motherlove herbal breastfeeding supplements. I love the sling.
It's made from organic cotton, and you can wear it about four different ways, until your kid is way too darn old to be carrying him around on your back. When Isaac was younger and less wriggly, I loved being able to wear him around the house and when I went to the store or the park or, well, anywhere. It not only allowed me to be close to my son, but it also kept my hands free to perform whatever menial tasks became necessary. Still, I often wished I had a ring sling. I'm not sure it would matter now if I did or not, because the last few times I've tried to tuck Isaac into the pouch sling (which I should, theoretically, be able to do for at least three more years), he's wriggled and writhed so much that I couldn't keep him in it.Even so, I recently found myself scouring the Web for ring sling patterns, wanting to learn more about how to make them, on the off chance I ever get the opportunity to have another baby (please, oh please, someday). I found a couple of good sites, and I thought I'd share them here in case anyone else has need for them before I do.
Slingrings.com has a lot of patterns for various types of slings as well as links to other sites. Here, you can also buy the rings you'll need when making your own sling (they caution against buying rings from a craft store, which might not be sturdy enough to hold your baby's weight).
Also, Sling Your Baby is a blog with many different sling patterns and instructions. If you scroll down on the site, she offers some really helpful video instructions for making ring slings. The simplicity and straightforwardness of her blog make sling-making seem so simple. If I had known it could be so easy, I definitely would have made Isaac a sling nine months ago.
If anyone decides to follow any of these instructions, please let me know how your sling turns out!
Monday, January 26, 2009
I defy you, medical professionals
Today I took Isaac to the doctor for his nine-month check-up. (I know, I can't believe he's already nine months old, either. In three tiny little months, my tiny little baby will be a toddler. I'm so not ready.)
Just as the doctor and I were determining that Isaac is healthy and perfect, she asked about crawling and pulling up. I told her he's doing neither. He doesn't seem too interested in crawling and he hates tummy time. He's attempted to pull himself up once or twice, but he's never made it off his bottom. She put him on his tummy, checked out his arms and watched him push his chest off the table and said he may or may not have some upper body weakness. She's going to send us to a physical therapist to have his upper body strength assessed and find out if he needs any kind of therapy or special training, either at home or with a professional.
If he is developing poorly, it's mine and his grandparents' fault. We've never put him on his tummy as much as is recommended by those in the medical community. We'd just rather not watch him writhe and cry on the floor. I actually never thought my son would be delayed in any of his developments (what mother does?), and I'm still not convinced he actually is. I guess we'll just see what the physical therapist has to say. Until then, instead of focusing on what he can'tt do, I'm going to focus on what he can do:
1. Clap his hands. He claps when he's happy or excited or when one of the adults in his life cheers "yay, Isaac!" (which we often do).
2. Splash in the tub. I was so excited when I taught him how to do this, until I realized I'll never make it through another bath dry. Still, he gets the cutest, goofiest grin on his face every time his hands hit the water.
3. Give high-five. His Nana taught him this over the weekend.
4. Walk holding onto a grown-up's fingers. Sometimes his steps are very calculated, and other times he gets so excited that his feet just sort of spazz in the direction he wants to go.
5. Cruise along the coffee table.
6. Eat small bits of veggies and processed Gerber snacks.
7. Give hugs and kisses. The best hugs and kisses.
8. Squeal with delight.
9. Yell or "cough" to get attention.
10. Growl.
Just as the doctor and I were determining that Isaac is healthy and perfect, she asked about crawling and pulling up. I told her he's doing neither. He doesn't seem too interested in crawling and he hates tummy time. He's attempted to pull himself up once or twice, but he's never made it off his bottom. She put him on his tummy, checked out his arms and watched him push his chest off the table and said he may or may not have some upper body weakness. She's going to send us to a physical therapist to have his upper body strength assessed and find out if he needs any kind of therapy or special training, either at home or with a professional.
If he is developing poorly, it's mine and his grandparents' fault. We've never put him on his tummy as much as is recommended by those in the medical community. We'd just rather not watch him writhe and cry on the floor. I actually never thought my son would be delayed in any of his developments (what mother does?), and I'm still not convinced he actually is. I guess we'll just see what the physical therapist has to say. Until then, instead of focusing on what he can'tt do, I'm going to focus on what he can do:
1. Clap his hands. He claps when he's happy or excited or when one of the adults in his life cheers "yay, Isaac!" (which we often do).
2. Splash in the tub. I was so excited when I taught him how to do this, until I realized I'll never make it through another bath dry. Still, he gets the cutest, goofiest grin on his face every time his hands hit the water.
3. Give high-five. His Nana taught him this over the weekend.
4. Walk holding onto a grown-up's fingers. Sometimes his steps are very calculated, and other times he gets so excited that his feet just sort of spazz in the direction he wants to go.
5. Cruise along the coffee table.
6. Eat small bits of veggies and processed Gerber snacks.
7. Give hugs and kisses. The best hugs and kisses.
8. Squeal with delight.
9. Yell or "cough" to get attention.
10. Growl.
Friday, January 23, 2009
Sigh
Bear with me. Changed my template, and now I've got to re-add all of my links and other fun stuff I've been accumulating for so long now.
Tuesday, January 20, 2009
Isaac's Big Break
Last week, I got a harried call from Tiffany Bjorlie, owner of Lundeby's Eco Baby, that fantastic little Brookside shop providing green-minded moms relief from from the infinite shelves of plastic toys carried by other shops. (I love her place.)
A few weeks prior, I had told Tiffany that, if she ever needed an adorable baby model to pose in sumptuous organic clothing, holding reasonably-priced, sustainable wooden toys, well, I might know someone. She called to take me up on my offer, saying her ad for Tulsa Kids magazine was due the next day, and she needed a photo, fast. Being the laid back, cool-headed, flexible baby he is, Isaac was up for an early-morning photo shoot the next day. It was cold, and semi-snowing, but I-Man came through.
He was a little irritated by us at first--it was cold and early--but Tiffany gave him Sophie to play with, and that made him happy enough for us to get a few good photos out of him.
FYI, he did NOT enjoy riding the horse. He likes the one we have at home, but he wasn't thrilled with me trying to set him atop this one. But then, that could have been because it was early and cold and he was irritated with me anyway.
Ah, there's the smile...
I am fully aware that I now have to go back to Lundeby's and buy him Sophie. Okay, I don't have to, but I sure want to. I've already spent about half of my birthday money on him anyway, but I can't really think of anything else I'd rather spend it on...
Here's the finished ad. I'm so proud! I've been trying to get the kid on the cover of UTW since I had him. I'm still thinking about my angle. Some day, darn it, he will be on the cover. Heck, once the Tulsa Kids folks see this ad, I'm sure they'll want him for their cover, too! :)
A few weeks prior, I had told Tiffany that, if she ever needed an adorable baby model to pose in sumptuous organic clothing, holding reasonably-priced, sustainable wooden toys, well, I might know someone. She called to take me up on my offer, saying her ad for Tulsa Kids magazine was due the next day, and she needed a photo, fast. Being the laid back, cool-headed, flexible baby he is, Isaac was up for an early-morning photo shoot the next day. It was cold, and semi-snowing, but I-Man came through.
He was a little irritated by us at first--it was cold and early--but Tiffany gave him Sophie to play with, and that made him happy enough for us to get a few good photos out of him.
FYI, he did NOT enjoy riding the horse. He likes the one we have at home, but he wasn't thrilled with me trying to set him atop this one. But then, that could have been because it was early and cold and he was irritated with me anyway.
Ah, there's the smile...
I am fully aware that I now have to go back to Lundeby's and buy him Sophie. Okay, I don't have to, but I sure want to. I've already spent about half of my birthday money on him anyway, but I can't really think of anything else I'd rather spend it on...Here's the finished ad. I'm so proud! I've been trying to get the kid on the cover of UTW since I had him. I'm still thinking about my angle. Some day, darn it, he will be on the cover. Heck, once the Tulsa Kids folks see this ad, I'm sure they'll want him for their cover, too! :)
Monday, January 19, 2009
Birthing Revisited
I visited a woman in the hospital Friday who'd just had a baby. At the beginning of her pregnancy, she informed me that she planned to have a cesarean section because she worried that vaginally birthing a baby would forever destroy her nether regions. I was excited, then, to find out that she had actually birthed her son vaginally. I was more excited to hear that her doctor urged her to do so. It seems that, lately, more doctors are encouraging c-sections than they are vaginal and natural births.
Sometimes (okay, a lot of the time) when I see pregnant women, I find myself wanting another baby. I know it's crazy. I'd never be able to handle more than one on my own (it's a wonder I manage to take care of Isaac), but, eventually, I really do hope to have another baby. I'd like to birth one more and then adopt one or two. (We can talk about how crazy I am later.) But, as I held this woman's 7-pound, 15-ounce bundle of baby boy, I didn't find myself wishing I had another little one. Quite the opposite, actually. The memory of Isaac's first few weeks at home is still fresh in my mind, and the experience is not one I'm in a hurry to go through again. While I love my Little Man more than anything in the world, having a newborn was probably one of the most harrowing experiences of my life.
However, finding out about this did make me want to rush out and get pregnant again: tulsabirthcenter.com.
A local midwife and doula have opened a birthing and naturopathic center at 33rd and Peoria called The Renaissance Center. Finally, women who aren't quite up to having a home birth but don't want a hospital experience have an independent birthing center where they can give birth naturally and with minimal medical intervention. This is exactly what I wish I would have had for Isaac's birth. I'm so excited for the many women in Tulsa who will have the opportunity to birth their babies here and for what the center can accomplish in the way of educating women about the benefits of natural childbirth. I'm going to visit with the founders tomorrow for a story for TBJ and try my best to contain my excitement.
Sometimes (okay, a lot of the time) when I see pregnant women, I find myself wanting another baby. I know it's crazy. I'd never be able to handle more than one on my own (it's a wonder I manage to take care of Isaac), but, eventually, I really do hope to have another baby. I'd like to birth one more and then adopt one or two. (We can talk about how crazy I am later.) But, as I held this woman's 7-pound, 15-ounce bundle of baby boy, I didn't find myself wishing I had another little one. Quite the opposite, actually. The memory of Isaac's first few weeks at home is still fresh in my mind, and the experience is not one I'm in a hurry to go through again. While I love my Little Man more than anything in the world, having a newborn was probably one of the most harrowing experiences of my life.
However, finding out about this did make me want to rush out and get pregnant again: tulsabirthcenter.com.
A local midwife and doula have opened a birthing and naturopathic center at 33rd and Peoria called The Renaissance Center. Finally, women who aren't quite up to having a home birth but don't want a hospital experience have an independent birthing center where they can give birth naturally and with minimal medical intervention. This is exactly what I wish I would have had for Isaac's birth. I'm so excited for the many women in Tulsa who will have the opportunity to birth their babies here and for what the center can accomplish in the way of educating women about the benefits of natural childbirth. I'm going to visit with the founders tomorrow for a story for TBJ and try my best to contain my excitement.
Tuesday, January 13, 2009
Isaac update
So, I think Isaac may have crawled tonight. We were laying in bed, and I was trying to get him to go to sleep, and, all of a sudden, he flipped over onto his belly. Normally, he hates being on his belly, and he screams and cries during tummy time. Tonight, though, he laughed and giggled and squirmed around like he might be trying to inch his way forward. I put a toy just out of arm's reach as a motivator, but instead of crawling toward it, he just flipped back and forth from his tummy to his back. Pretty soon, on his hands and knees, pushing off with his feet against the mattress, he crawled (I think)! But he didn't crawl forward, he crawled sideways, toward me. I think that counts. Right?
On Sunday, while we were at my parents' house, I was reading the newspaper, and Isaac kept grabbing for the paper. We gave him a page, and he began to rip it in halves, always discarding the half in his right hand. He kept ripping the paper over and over, until he had a piece that was just about bite-sized. He started to put it in his mouth, but I caught him and took it away from him. He started to throw one of his Isaac Fits (which he's getting really, really good at), and I held the bit of paper out to him. Instead of taking it from my hand, he opened his mouth and aimed it toward the bit of paper. Gosh, I wish I had video of that one. I'm not sure it comes across in writing quite as hilarious as it actually was. He repeated that process for about an hour, and then again tonight for about 30 minutes with some junk mail.
On Sunday, while we were at my parents' house, I was reading the newspaper, and Isaac kept grabbing for the paper. We gave him a page, and he began to rip it in halves, always discarding the half in his right hand. He kept ripping the paper over and over, until he had a piece that was just about bite-sized. He started to put it in his mouth, but I caught him and took it away from him. He started to throw one of his Isaac Fits (which he's getting really, really good at), and I held the bit of paper out to him. Instead of taking it from my hand, he opened his mouth and aimed it toward the bit of paper. Gosh, I wish I had video of that one. I'm not sure it comes across in writing quite as hilarious as it actually was. He repeated that process for about an hour, and then again tonight for about 30 minutes with some junk mail.
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