Oliver and I have Signed up For the Multiple Sclerosis walk for a cure on April 25th. The decision for us to do so was an easy one, we may not have the extra cash to donate our own money, but we do have time and energy to give.
In Saskatchewan especially, MS effects many families, including ours, in a huge way on a daily basis. I find a lot of hope in recent research and breakthroughs. With a little luck, and a lot of hard work and generosity we could see an end to MS in our lifetime.
I have decided on a target donation goal of 500$. If you would like to contribute to our goal you may do so here.
2.13.2010
Oliver's Favorite YouTube Video
When Oliver and I get really bored during the day we watch youtube videos. This one, if left on repeat could hold Oliver's attention forever.
2.10.2010
Pocket Buddha's Covet List #2
I know it's only February, and that stupid groundhog is a big stupid fraidy-hog. But I am telling you I can smell spring, I can feel it looming, I just know it will be here soon. SO of coarse I've been looking at all sorts of fun summer type things that would make this next summer awesome!
1) I am so tired of carrying our bulky awkward diaper bag around. . . The purse I coveted before I had Oliver is amazing, but sadly not big enough for both mine and Oliver's things. So of coarse, I am gonna need a bigger bag! A giant tote bag that I can throw a "diaper clutch" , "ouch pouch", Toy, icky bag, and camera into along with my wallet and other necessities would be awesome!
2) The Devinci Lifestyle is a beautiful if expensive bike designed for leisurely rides through the park. I like the step through frame because it makes the bike easy to mount, so when I get Oliver a seat on the back I won't need to swing my leg over his head when getting on the bike.
Its also designed with the seat further back over the rear wheel, this gives me the ability to plant both of my feet while still sitting on the seat giving me a comfortable level of control and balance. Important for when I have Oliver's weight at the back!
3) Safety First! The Little Nutty line of adjustable size helmets for toddlers and small children by Nutcase are both safe and adorable! Many of their designs also come in adult sizes! Among by favorites: Tie-dye, Caution, Polka-dot, and Eight ball.
4) I know I already have one that I love! But one can never have too many baby slings and wraps! I would love to have one of these cozy Moby Wraps on hand for festival season! I recently bought Oliver a teething necklace from the Babe on U Boutique and saw that she had an impressive collection of slings and wraps, as well as many eco-friendly, and mama-made products. I will definitely be heading back there to buy one!
5) Grocery shopping sucks, and while I am a frequent shopper at the weekly farmer's market, I still think it would be awesome to have a bin of fresh organic produce delivered to my door every week! Body Fuel Organics has such a program that I hear is relatively inexpensive.
6) The Vintage Pearl makes some really cute personalized jewelry! Without all the extra sweaters and scarves of winter I would really be able to show off my new motherhood even when Oliver's not around with one of these!
1) I am so tired of carrying our bulky awkward diaper bag around. . . The purse I coveted before I had Oliver is amazing, but sadly not big enough for both mine and Oliver's things. So of coarse, I am gonna need a bigger bag! A giant tote bag that I can throw a "diaper clutch" , "ouch pouch", Toy, icky bag, and camera into along with my wallet and other necessities would be awesome!
2) The Devinci Lifestyle is a beautiful if expensive bike designed for leisurely rides through the park. I like the step through frame because it makes the bike easy to mount, so when I get Oliver a seat on the back I won't need to swing my leg over his head when getting on the bike.
Its also designed with the seat further back over the rear wheel, this gives me the ability to plant both of my feet while still sitting on the seat giving me a comfortable level of control and balance. Important for when I have Oliver's weight at the back!3) Safety First! The Little Nutty line of adjustable size helmets for toddlers and small children by Nutcase are both safe and adorable! Many of their designs also come in adult sizes! Among by favorites: Tie-dye, Caution, Polka-dot, and Eight ball.
4) I know I already have one that I love! But one can never have too many baby slings and wraps! I would love to have one of these cozy Moby Wraps on hand for festival season! I recently bought Oliver a teething necklace from the Babe on U Boutique and saw that she had an impressive collection of slings and wraps, as well as many eco-friendly, and mama-made products. I will definitely be heading back there to buy one!
5) Grocery shopping sucks, and while I am a frequent shopper at the weekly farmer's market, I still think it would be awesome to have a bin of fresh organic produce delivered to my door every week! Body Fuel Organics has such a program that I hear is relatively inexpensive.
6) The Vintage Pearl makes some really cute personalized jewelry! Without all the extra sweaters and scarves of winter I would really be able to show off my new motherhood even when Oliver's not around with one of these!
2.06.2010
The Truth About Sleep
From day one I decided that I wanted to be an on demand parent. Which was one large part of the heart break surrounding Oliver's one night stay in NICU, for that one long sleepless night, I was unable to promptly and lovingly care for my son's needs as they came up.
On demand parenting is a phrase I coined myself, some call it attachment parenting, some call it baby lead parenting, others who don't know any better call it spoiling. The idea is that when my baby is hungry I will feed him, when he is tired he can sleep, and when he is fussing I will comfort him without ever letting him cry longer than it takes me to pick him up and put him to the breast to suckle. . . Cause that's basically my cure for all of the above mentioned.
But as it turns out, just letting him sleep when he falls asleep and be awake when he wants to be awake is really not a good rhythm to get into after the first few months of your baby's life. Why? Because after the first few months babies simply loose the ability to just fall asleep when their body is tired because; OMG! Look at all these shiny new shiny things in this shiny new world and wow do these toes ever taste good, and hey mom, did you know that if I put my lips together like this and blow my mouth can make the same sound my butt does when I poop?
What I have learned in the last week is that after the first couple of months babies hand the responsibility of sleep over to us, and it is our job to make sure they get it. As it turns out, a 4 month old baby needs about 4-6 hours of naps a day, preferably spaced out between 3 or 4 naps, because in order for a nap to be a restful and restorative nap it must be at least one hour long.
So why was my 4 month old baby playing and fussing and kicking and nursing and playing until almost 3 am most nights?
Not because he was napping too much like I was inclined to think, what with his 8 cat naps a day, but because he wasn't getting enough of the right kind of naps and was therefore incredibly over tired by the time I tried to settle him to bed around 10 or so.
The solution: get up earlier, nap regularly when baby shows signs of tiredness like yawning, zoning, or whining, and get to bed at an earlier hour to avoid over stimulation. Because over stimulation is kind of like this:
Hey mom and dad, check this out! When I kick this toy it lights up and plays me a song! Isn't that great! And look, over here is this shiny glass thing with that cute little baby in it, look at how much hair that baby has! This is great I think I will smile and laugh! But wait a second, now that I am smiling and laughing I am starting to think that those lights and songs and that other baby are all kind of scary, and I think I've changed my mind, I think I might cry instead! just let my kick it again to make sure. . . Yeah that's kind of fun but I think I am gonna cry anyways, ya know for good measure.
I was able to turn our sleeping troubles right around in a single day by realizing this one fact.
Babies need sleep. They need us to create a dark quiet environment where they can sleep, and it's our job to help them find a rhythm and learn to sleep well by cuddling, singing, nursing and otherwise relaxing our babies into sleep at regular intervals until they get the hang of it again. It doesn't just happen on its own.
So we have the tools we need to work towards sleeping through the night. . . Next stop, sleeping in his own bed.
On demand parenting is a phrase I coined myself, some call it attachment parenting, some call it baby lead parenting, others who don't know any better call it spoiling. The idea is that when my baby is hungry I will feed him, when he is tired he can sleep, and when he is fussing I will comfort him without ever letting him cry longer than it takes me to pick him up and put him to the breast to suckle. . . Cause that's basically my cure for all of the above mentioned.
But as it turns out, just letting him sleep when he falls asleep and be awake when he wants to be awake is really not a good rhythm to get into after the first few months of your baby's life. Why? Because after the first few months babies simply loose the ability to just fall asleep when their body is tired because; OMG! Look at all these shiny new shiny things in this shiny new world and wow do these toes ever taste good, and hey mom, did you know that if I put my lips together like this and blow my mouth can make the same sound my butt does when I poop?
What I have learned in the last week is that after the first couple of months babies hand the responsibility of sleep over to us, and it is our job to make sure they get it. As it turns out, a 4 month old baby needs about 4-6 hours of naps a day, preferably spaced out between 3 or 4 naps, because in order for a nap to be a restful and restorative nap it must be at least one hour long.
So why was my 4 month old baby playing and fussing and kicking and nursing and playing until almost 3 am most nights?
Not because he was napping too much like I was inclined to think, what with his 8 cat naps a day, but because he wasn't getting enough of the right kind of naps and was therefore incredibly over tired by the time I tried to settle him to bed around 10 or so.
The solution: get up earlier, nap regularly when baby shows signs of tiredness like yawning, zoning, or whining, and get to bed at an earlier hour to avoid over stimulation. Because over stimulation is kind of like this:
Hey mom and dad, check this out! When I kick this toy it lights up and plays me a song! Isn't that great! And look, over here is this shiny glass thing with that cute little baby in it, look at how much hair that baby has! This is great I think I will smile and laugh! But wait a second, now that I am smiling and laughing I am starting to think that those lights and songs and that other baby are all kind of scary, and I think I've changed my mind, I think I might cry instead! just let my kick it again to make sure. . . Yeah that's kind of fun but I think I am gonna cry anyways, ya know for good measure.
I was able to turn our sleeping troubles right around in a single day by realizing this one fact.
Babies need sleep. They need us to create a dark quiet environment where they can sleep, and it's our job to help them find a rhythm and learn to sleep well by cuddling, singing, nursing and otherwise relaxing our babies into sleep at regular intervals until they get the hang of it again. It doesn't just happen on its own.
So we have the tools we need to work towards sleeping through the night. . . Next stop, sleeping in his own bed.
2.02.2010
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