Upcycling for DIY Baby Leg Warmers

Now that kiddo is threatening to crawl we have come across a potential problem - rug burned knees.

The first option is for kiddo to wear pants ALL the time. This is impractical. He gets hot and at home we cloth diaper, which makes pants more than a little difficult.

There are knee guards you can buy but they're ugly and sort of pointless. I mean, thighs still get cold and these things are like little sweatbands for baby's knees.

There is another option - BabyLegs or rather, leg warmers. Now I did have these on my registry, but didn't get them. I could have purchased them, but I didn't really want to spend money on them because they seem a little overpriced for what they are so...

I made some out of unused socks.

Stay with me here...

First I selected some of Christian's and my socks that hadn't been used, didn't work, or didn't fit and would be long enough. Second I cut above the heel of the sock. This would become the leg of the baby leg. Third I cut the heel off and the toe. This piece I folded in on itself to become a cuff at kiddo's ankle.

If I had my sewing machine available, this next bit would have been a lot quicker...but I didn't. So I hand stitched the cuffs to the unfinished end of my baby leg warmers.

And...voila! 7 more times and I had 4 sets of baby legs using materials around my house (I should say I have another pair of partial leg warmers because I want to change out the cuff material.). I slipped kiddo into them immediately and I was more than a little excited; it's the first time he wore anything I made for him.

And how does kiddo like his new clothes? Let's just say the ventilation and knee protection combined with sweet style is perfect!

6.5 Months Later: Postpartum Body & Fitness

I've been meaning to revisit the whole postpartum fitness thing but honestly, it makes me a little - well, uncomfortable? depressed? self-conscious? all of the above?

First, let's go through the current positive state of things:

1. My arms are more muscular. You can see my biceps and triceps flex when I move my arms - without trying!
2. My legs are more muscular. Some muscles are more defined than ever. Others are more noticeable (like hamstrings) than ever.
3. My leg cellulite is almost gone. Seriously. I know, I know. It's not supposed to work like that. But seriously, it worked like that. I have a little hanging out, but it's nothing like before pregnancy, which is pretty damn cool.
4. I have a waist. My hips and chest are clearly bigger than my waist. I'd go so far as to say that my hourglass is coming back (thank the LORD!).
5. While the stretch marks are still around, they've faded significantly which is nice.

Okay, now for the negative state of affairs:

I don't think I'm ready for this jelly!

1. My KP has spread to my forearms and my chest. It's annoying and I feel like I can't spread enough Eucerin lotion on my body (or maybe I'm just lazy about the lotion application and I should be doing it 25 times a day?).
2. I still have a pooch. I've always been sensitive about my belly area and never really had a flat stomach, but this is more difficult for me to handle because of the nature of it...
3. The pooch is like a bowl of jelly. This is partially because of ligaments, partially because of extra skin, and partially because of the fat layer. I want it gone like you wouldn't believe.
4. My breasts have definitely changed. I knew it would happen, and I'm not sure how I feel about it (I definitely appreciate good bras these days for so many reasons). Because I'm close to apathetic and it's generally seen as a negative by society, I'm putting this on my negative list.
5. Stretch marks have faded, but they still make lines across my body and I'm worried they indicate a lack of elasticity in my skin (read: it might never go back to normal).
6. My ankles still appear to be swollen. I think this has something to do with breastfeeding but I'm not sure.

So now you're wondering what the scoop is on the process and maybe how you measure up. Just what have I been doing about this whole thing?

This...shaking and wiggling and giggling...in 20lbs

1. I'm continuing to track my food and exercise on Noom, though I'm not always good about it. Still, I do it more often than not and so I still think about my food choices which is good.
2. I'm trying to sleep at least 6 hours a day because I know that helps your metabolism.
3. I breastfeed, which I think has helped, but honestly I can't be sure.
4. I slather my skin with lotion after every bath or shower and I wear sunblock religiously.
5. I try to eat at least every 4 hours something small if not a meal (supposed to help with metabolism). Being able to eat and feeling the need to eat has helped me feel reasonable about myself.
6. I've added exercise to my day - either intense cardio, circuit training, walking, strength training, or yoga daily (sometimes two or three of these).
7. I use playing with kiddo as a kind of exercise which seems to work well for both of us (kettlebell + Shakeweight workout in one!).
8. I try to wear only clothing that makes me feel good about my body. This one might seem weird, but it really helps my body image these days.
9. I don't use the scale. This is because when I'm working out I tend to gain muscle pretty quickly and densely which means the scale doesn't really move for a while and it gets me pretty depressed even if my clothes fit amazingly well.

I still have a long way to go before I feel like I have things in hand, but still I think I've come a long way so far. I've definitely lost a lot of inches and I look a lot better than I did 6 months ago. If I'm honest with myself, I've probably lost most of the baby weight and the weight I have on me is mostly muscle. The changes in my body don't have to do with "weight" per se, but are related to pregnancy and giving birth. As such, I'm not sure how they will stay or go.

I've seen a lot of woman online talking about how they lost all the weight and how their bodies are better than ever. They often post pictures to prove it. On the other hand, I've seen just as many women attempting to claim the changes in their body and reach some kind of acceptance of the loosy goosy skin, wider hips, etc. It's clear that some women (a very very select few) are blessed with incredibly elastic skin, perky breasts, and low body fat % (a product of youth and genetics) while others are...not.

On the other hand, all women don't have the gift of muscle or healthy babies. I happen to love muscle. In fact, I'm kind of like a little boy that way. I would clean and jerk all day in front of the mirror, staring at my biceps and hamstrings if I had the time. Seriously. 

And of course, nothing can beat out having a healthy baby. So while I'm still coming to terms with the changes in my body (and the fact that while I'm still doing better than a lot of women society pushes an image that is unrealistic) I am incredibly grateful to have a beautiful, healthy, happy, little boy.

Surprisingly Scary Things

Kiddo is weird. He's weird because strange things upset him these days.
Here's what can make him wail:

• Mirror lenses 
• Loud noises
• Sneezes
• Someone blowing their nose
• Mommy disappearing behind the shower curtain (even if he can hear me singing or talking)
• Mommy going to another room
• Mommy's back to him (a few seconds is all it takes)
• Diaper changes (he used to love)

Things that should upset him but don't:

• Grandma's dog (it hurt him twice but he doesn't seem to care)
• Bonking his head on the tile (he laughs now)
• Strangers (he loves people)
• Watching Mommy workout (read: instead of playing - he thinks it's funny and tries to imitate my movements)
• Taking medicine (I think he kind of likes the flavor)

Children are weird. I knew it was possible, but even strange things can be surprising (or alien?).

Six Month Sleep Problems

I've been told a lot recently that I should have kiddo sleep alone and cry it out.

There is nothing I hate more than when someone tells me what will work best for kiddo's sleep. I say this because from the time he was a newborn he slept better with us. Not only did he sleep better, but so did we.

Now things are changing, but not how you might think.

He's clingier than ever. He used to let other people, however short a list, put him to bed. Now he wails unless he's snuggled and nursing. Sleeping alone? Forget it. Cry it out? Don't be ridiculous. He's been crying quite enough.

In the middle of the night he's begun crying and thrashing in his sleep - at least 3 times every night if not more. He's also going to sleep later and waking up earlier. He's so tired these days he's got bags under his eyes. It's awful.
I'm forcing him to take at least 3 naps during the day which helps his overall mood, but he's still spacey and fussier than I'd like. And of course with the sleep I've been getting, I'm crankier too.

So what's causing all this sleep disruption?

There are several reasons I've discovered as possibly ruining our nights:

1. Allergies - possible. Baby noses get stuffed and it gets uncomfortable causing them to fuss in the middle of the night. I have allergies which means kiddo could too, so it isn't off the table. Still he's not really showing signs of allergies.
2. Illness - while I understand how this could be (see the allergy reasoning above), I don't think this is the cause...unless junk in the air counts as illness? Right now there's a lot of crap in the air around here - pollen, fertilizer, cut grass, and just dirt. There's only been a little rain and the junk in the air is getting to everyone.
3. Night terrors - caused by over-tiredness. Possible. Night terrors are nightmares that babies and young children don't wake from. They thrash around and cry horribly until the terror is over. Soothing a child in a night terror is supposed to make them last longer, except when I soothe kiddo the episodes end sooner so I don't think this is the cause.
4. Developmental leap - possible. Kiddo is *really* close to crawling. I mean, really. He loves tummy time and gets super frustrated when he doesn't get to move around. I guess you could say he's commando crab crawling at the moment (going backwards on his belly) but he's got the urge to do the typical crawl. Apparently when the leap is achieved, the night crying disappears.
5. And then there is teething. Kiddo does have two teeth coming through the bottom gums right now, so it could be discomfort from this as well. It's hard to know. Christian doesn't think it's worth giving him Ibuprofen for anything at this point so soothing will have to do...
6. It could also be a combination of things, which is just as likely as some of the individual reasons.

Whatever the case, I'm being religious about kiddo's napping. It seems to help, but he still has these bags under his eyes. I guess I'll just have to wait until whatever this is passes for those to disappear. In the mean time, we'll nap and soothe and sleep how we sleep best.

Surprise! Vintage Diseases Are Back!

There is a lot of concern in the world about "old-fashioned" diseases coming back. Some of this is because people are choosing not to vaccinate their children as well as more virulent strains developing. Recently there have been measles outbreaks in both Los Angeles and New York. While this is shameful, it's not the most surprising disease to return (Thanks crazy lying UK doctor for that vaccine-autism scare!).

One disease, not a virus or bacterium, that should never be seen in developed countries has returned. Rickets is back with a vengeance, particularly in the UK. This is REALLY crazy pants.

If you didn't know, rickets is the reason we have white people. Let me explain.

Humans need sunlight. Our body uses sunlight to synthesize vitamin D. We need vitamin D to use calcium efficiently. Without sunlight, we can't use calcium as well. As humans spread from Africa to northern latitudes, darker children grew sick. Their pigmentation prevented their bodies from getting as much sunlight and so they has less D and weaker bones. Children grew lighter. These children were less sick, but whenever humans went further north, the pigmentation was still too much. The further north people went, the lighter they got in order to be successful at synthesizing D.

This is how my father, husband, and son can all blind people with their super pale skin. We're Celtic and Gaulish. We're pasty.

While pasty people are more likely to avoid rickets, it's not guaranteed and it's certainly not all roses being so light. There are many things that are annoying about fair skin - more acne, more wrinkles, susceptibility to skin cancers... But one thing nice about fair skin is we pasty people can spend anywhere from 5 to 30 minutes a day (depending on latitude and time of year) and our bodies will make enough vitamin D. So if this is true, why would Brits (super white people, though immigration has changed demographics some) be getting rickets?

Vegans with sunblock.

Actually vegetarians are also to blame.

Vegan mothers don't get enough of the right bone growing nutrients in their diets during pregnancy. If they're breastfeeding that means their kids don't get a chance to recoup during their first few months of life. Now think of these ironically malnourished children being slathered with sunblock, which blocks the light that let's the body make vitamin D. It's a recipe for rickets.

I know a lot of people have strong opinions about vaccines that are opposite to mine. I think these people are willfully trying to kill or maim their children while putting people who have lower immunity or can't yet be vaccinated at risk (including my son, sooo thank you for putting my child at risk too!). But the idea that rickets is coming back because women are making silly diet choices is preposterous. What you do after you're done having children is one thing, but before and during your childbearing years you need to be responsible. In my personal opinion, I think women should not be vegetarian and certainly not vegan if they intend to have children especially in the near future.

There are so many nutrients that are easier to get and more fast acting from meat and dairy than other sources. If it's a question of ethics, buy locally sourced meat and dairy or raise your own. If someone can't have meat or dairy for some reason, or is just hyper committed to their veganism, that person needs to take a stupid amount of supplements to make up the lack.

Obviously I eat meat (I have to for iron reasons - and don't try to tell me about veggie sources. Some people need meat for the type of iron that can only be found in animal products.). I'm a huge fan of dairy. Kiddo and I are also pasty. The result? I have to wear sunblock. Kiddo has to wear sunblock. We both take Vitamin D supplements. My kid isn't getting Rickets and I'm going to have strong enough bones that I can carry him and swing him around if I want to.

No surprise vintage diseases here!

Well Baby Clinic Fun with MediCal

You might not know this, but I'm currently poor. By some accounts, I'm even homeless. You'd think that would make things easier for me in some ways, like getting government assistance. Ironically it made things more difficult. I talked to an insurance agent weekly, and called him daily in an effort to make sure our application for coverage was accepted. Finally it was, but our son? He didn't exist. So for the last three months I've been fighting to get my dear sweet boy health coverage through that lovely government program, MediCal.

Don't get me wrong. Without government assistance we'd be up a creek. Kiddo would be one of the kids living in poverty without preventative care. That would truly be a travesty (and I'm not saying this because I'm biased).

Through a little pushing and pulling we finally got an application through, but of course it would take another 45 days to be processed. Fortunately California has temporary coverage that it offers (I'm not sure if it's only for babies, for kids, or for anyone). All I can say is, I just about kissed the ground when I found out about this.

So we scheduled an appointment with the clinic in Lompoc. Christian couldn't come with me because he was working, so I asked my dad to come with me. I thought it would be easier to handle kiddo with vaccines etc if I had another person with me. I was right.

Our appointment was at 2. We arrived around 1:45. I had to fill out at least 6 forms. Once those were through we had to wait. This was difficult because the room was full of families and at least one child under two who from now on will be called "The Banshee." Kiddo was not pleased. He didn't cry, but he was wary of how loud the room was. He's my son - he likes quiet.

Finally we got called back to get kiddo measured and filter any questions I had. The nurse said kiddo looked just like his dad. I wanted to say, "How would you know?" but then I realized she was talking about my dad. I smiled politely and said, "That's his grandfather." I couldn't tell if she thought my dad was my father-in-law or what, because she said some strange things which I ignored.

After kiddo was measured with something akin to a medieval torture device, we went back to the lobby with a diaper only kiddo wrapped in a blanket. Impossibly, the lobby was even MORE full. Now the Banshee's wails were joined by the squeals of several children chasing one another. Kiddo started fussing almost immediately. It was his nap time. He was tired. He was hungry. He was annoyed by these loud children. First I tried to jiggle him. Then I tried to feed him a bottle of milk I'd brought. Then I tried to rock him. Finally, I got him to stop fussing by playing with him and making him laugh. His laugh was so loud and so sweet the room got quiet to listen. I noticed other children and parents watching me play with my very fair, now very smiley baby. When I sensed the play was coming to the end of its effectiveness, my dad handed me kiddo's pacifier which I promptly stuffed in his mouth. He went to sleep immediately. I shushed him and rocked him back and forth to cover the noise of the playing children, but most of the people nearby were quiet. They watched me, marveling at how kiddo went to sleep in an instant while other children fussed at having to wait. I felt like a superhero.

Eventually they called kiddo's name and we went back to see a doctor. She, like most people, fell in love with him immediately. She was impressed I give him Vitamin D drops daily and that we cloth diaper at home. Everything looked healthy and perfect. Kiddo is still around 95% for height (28 inches), but he's dropped down the % in weight at 19 lbs 8 oz (a good thing I think). His head circumference has stayed the same % it's been the whole time (75%). She advised me that he wouldn't have to have some of the shots from the 4 month visit that he missed because the vulnerability wasn't there any more (thanks health care!). Basically, he was lucky he didn't get sick.

Insert: frown

She then told me I could introduce solids, like rice cereal, if I wanted to, but I didn't have to (which is good because I don't want to - but I might get iron drops because it seems like we'll need them). I was also advised to get sunblock because it's fine to use on babies 6 months and older (we picked some up today). The one thing she said which I struggled with was the fact that she mentioned we should get him to sleep on his own.

Ha! That will be a separate post. Yeah. It's that good.

After we finished with the doctor, we waited in a different area next to the lab where they give vaccines. Kiddo was happy and smiley at all the people walking by. When we were called into the lab a few minutes later he smiled at the tech. He smiled in between swallows of his oral vaccine. And then she stuck him in his left thigh. He was quiet for a second and then wailed. Then I had to turn him and he was temporarily distracted by a cap on the counter before she stuck his right thigh once, and then twice. He was miserable. I hugged him as tight as I could, but unlike his earlier pediatricians' offices, I couldn't nurse him. We were directed to a nearby room to dress him and as soon as we got his shirt on I gave him the bottle of milk. He calmed immediately. I held him all the way to the car, along with the milk.

By the time we got to the car, he seemed pretty happy. His infrequent sniffs were nearly gone. By the time we got home, he was his normal happy self. I gave him some pain medicine, and he slept... for 2 hours straight. He woke for a little while and then he went back to sleep.

Then in the middle of the night he woke up crying, then he started to choke. It sounded like he was throwing up, but it was gurgling. In between this he wailed. I turned his body on the side like I was taught at so many swim classes. Whatever it was came out. He wailed. His body felt extremely hot. I'd forgotten he'd gotten a fever the last time he'd been vaccinated and I freaked out. I started to peel off his sleeper. It was too warm. Kiddo screamed. I told Christian to get the Ibuprofen and dropper. I got the sleeper off and I nursed kiddo while Christian came back with the Ibuprofen. By that time, kiddo was calm and easily took the medicine. Christian changed his diaper which was unusually full for that time of night and then I nursed him. He fell asleep, waking in fits and wanting to nurse throughout the night. It was a long night for everyone, and while his fever was significantly less in the morning, I was still a little anxious.

I didn't want to have to deal with the clinic again and I didn't want kiddo to be ill, even if it was a fairly normal reaction to a vaccine at such a young age. Thankfully, kiddo is a healthy little boy. Though his legs were definitely sore today, his temperature was back to normal 24 hours after his shots. He was the happy-go-lucky little boy that everyone loves, except now he's protected from polio and whooping cough thanks to MediCal.

Necessity: A Pre-sexual Relations Agreement

It's become clear to me in the last half year that parenting is a) not for everyone and b) many people don't think through the consequences of their actions. Because of this and our society being incredibly litigious, I think the following document should be used before anyone has sex, ever:

Pre-Sexual Relations Agreement

As of the month of (insert month), day (insert day), and year (insert year) party X (your name?) and party Y (their name) have not had any relations by which semen has come into contact with a vaginal opening.

From this point on, should X decide to engage in sexual relations with Y, the following method of (check barrier or hormonal) contraception  shall be used during every act of intercourse (write in method of contraception).

The male agrees to have an additional in-date barrier method at his disposal (write in type).

The female agrees to track her cycle days to ensure prevention of unwanted pregnancy using fertility tracking application or software (write in application name).

Should an accident occur where there has been suspected contact of semen with the vaginal opening, both parties agree to have a box of Plan B at each residence. If it appears that Plan B has not prevented unwanted pregnancy, party X and Y agree to (check)

• terminate through chemical abortion before 12 weeks gestation
• give baby up for adoption - circle closed or open 
• keep baby with shared custody - (add amendment stating custody agreement).

Should the male agree to keep baby, he will be responsible for a reasonable child support payment based on salary per month.

Should both parties agree to termination or adoption and the female changes her mind to keep the baby, without the male's consent, the male is not obligated to support her or the baby with payment.

If the male or female purposefully causes a pregnancy to occur without the consent of the other party, the aforementioned agreed actions (specify checked action from above) must be taken. If they are not taken at an appropriate time, the person who did not give consent if male is not obligated to pay support. If female, the woman is not obligated give custody or consult as to subsequent decisions.


******
Then you'd need some binding statement which says you both agree with your signature and the date, but I'm not a lawyer. So if you seriously want to use this agreement I'd ask one to make sure they included the right jargon and that it was ironclad. I wouldn't want to get caught with my pants down...so to speak. ;-)

The Six Month Wiggle

kiddo's first selfie

There are many things about babies and movement. There's the first time a pregnant mom feels a baby move in the womb. Then these little gurgles slowly turn into breath-stealing kicks and bladder-busting punches.

Then when the baby arrives, there's a little bit of a reprieve. You don't have to worry about the baby going anywhere. You put them on their back, swaddled (so they can't move), and they sleep like 18 hours a day.

But then, somewhere around 4 months, they roll over. At first it's just one direction and their one arm gets trapped so they fuss and get frustrated. Then they add the other direction, and things get even more dangerous.

Combine this with the whole grasping and grabbing, gumming and licking, and a lack of real control and you get a kid that hits himself in the forehead regularly with a drool soaked toy. This inevitably happens right after he makes his way onto his tummy awkwardly on the couch next to you.

But none of this even comes close to the six month wiggle.

Once babies get to six months, they are distracted by everything. This means they really only want to play and have no interest in being still unless they are falling asleep (even that's debatable), waking up (almost always true), or asleep (mostly true). This is one of the reasons why I can't ever get clear face photos of kiddo. He's moving constantly.

The least convenient time for this constant moving is changing - both diapers and clothes. Diaper changes can go smoothly because only one half of his clothing has to be removed and so we can give him a toy to play with while we clean him up and get a fresh diaper on. Clothing changes are hopeless.

Inevitably something distracts him so much that he nearly twists himself. Sometimes he even gets onto his tummy. He wails as we take away his toy so we can get his arms into his shirt sleeves. He gets frustrated even if he gets laid down on the changing pad - he hates being still that much.

The only thing that seems to work consistently to keep him from wiggling right off the changing area is song. I made up a little diaper changing song which helps to calm him down if he starts to fuss over being laid on the changing pad. If he fusses over getting dressed, we do the "Hokey-Pokey" which makes him smile and laugh. While this is fairly successful, it's not an easy endeavor, especially when I have the energy level of a snail.

I just keep telling myself that it's a phase that will pass soon enough and that I should relish even the difficult moments. Besides, there's the added benefit of all that upper body work I get to do without schlepping my tired butt to a gym. Oh the hidden benefits of motherhood...

What are your tactics for dealing with a wiggling baby? Leave a comment below!

Conversations With Your Kid

There are a number of reasons why people write. For example when I found out I was pregnant, I decided to begin a pregnancy journal so I could document all the different symptoms and feelings I had during pregnancy. Journaling wasn't enough to contain my thoughts and feelings; they began seeping into my blogging. Then it became clear that I needed to have a blog that was devoted to these thoughts and feelings.

When kiddo was born I continued my journal (and my blog). The journal was important because it turned into an extended letter to my son. It was no longer just my thoughts and feelings, but also what he was doing. It wasn't about my body – but about his birth had changed my life in a very permanent and tangible way.

I noticed, some time during this whole process, that I began reacting to current events and various topics differently than I had before motherhood. This was around the time that my father mentioned how he was planning on writing letters to kiddo. He wasn't sure when they should all be opened, or if they would be about specific topics, or just wandering thoughts inspired by the events of a given day.

This got me thinking a little more about the guidance and wisdom I wanted to impart on my son. What stories did I want to share with him? What words will he need at different times in his life? I've always been able to say what I meant in writing a little bit better than when speaking, in part because of a lack of inhibition which I always feel in person (for those who know me well, this might be frightening – Alexis! Inhibited? Dear LORD! What would she be like otherwise?!). I don't know if I will feel that way with kiddo, but I want to make sure I don't stint on the tips, tricks, lessons, and wisdom I've picked up over the years.

This is how I decided not only to write letters to kiddo but also to offer the option for other parents (and grandparents if they like!) to share their stories with the young people in their lives. What could be better than to have these words written – documented - so that the child can refer back to these stories over and over again as needs arise?

It's true that anyone could write these letters at home, but they wouldn't include all the little tidbits they could, or focus on all the particular topics that children so need guidance in. Also there's the added benefit of getting second, third, and fourth opinions about the content and form of these keepsakes in the class setting (something impossible when writing them away from like-minded classmates). For these reasons, brainstorming and writing these letters in a group setting is extremely beneficial.

For those of you living in Santa Barbara, Goleta, and the surrounding areas, I hope to see you next Sunday at 1 PM in the Santa Barbara Birth Center Annex meeting room on State Street. You can be pregnant, postpartum, or even a grandma (or grandpa!) to attend. The first drop-in is FREE! So come join us and see what all the fuss is about. We'd love to have you and I know the little ones in your life will think it was time and money well spent for years to come!