A Wake-Up Story

From time to time I lose sight of my goal to reduce our exposure, get lazy and go for convenience, get vein or worse I cave to pressure and advertising. From time to time I need to remind myself of my commitment to living healthier. This video was the reminder I needed today. I came across it at the perfect time and thought I would share it with you in case it is the reminder you needed or perhaps the facts you have not yet seen. Just something to think about.

Let the Countdown Begin!

I can't believe that it is August already and that in just 17 days our little Abigail will be ONE!! It is still hard to wrap my head around the life of parenthood and the joy that a little brings!

Abby is fine tuning her "almost-walking" skills each day. She loves to walk holding on to something--fingers, a pant leg, a walking toy, the wall--and winds up standing without realizing it while playing with toys. I think all she needs to do is want to and she will be off!!

I love resale items and Abby does too. She was pushing this around the yard today:

Uncle Mark, Aunt Stacey and the girls (Julia and Gracie) came for a visit today. Actually, Mark helped us with a little party prep--he and Michael worked out in the yard today. Thanks Uncle Mark!

Play time with Abby

(Thanks to the Ratliff Family for the hand-me-downs--Everyone LOVES the walking toy!)

Kisses for my cousin!


Hey there little niece!




Hanging with Uncle Mark

Today was a good day and a great start to a WONDERFUL month!

BPA Report

Well, just when I thought I was doing a good job of avoiding (or limiting our exposure to) BPA, I hear about another BPA study/spotting. Take a moment to read this if you like to get a receipt after every transaction:BPA in Store Receipts.

I'm thinking twice about touching that receipt--in the bag or with you just took on a whole new meaning!!!

SafeMama

Once upon a time, I was a Nalgene toting girl. I thought I was doing the right thing by avoiding the typical 20 ounce bottles of water and using my large, colorful, reusable bottle instead...

Then the news of BPA exploded and I freaked out! I started reading all about BPA and shortly realized that it is a scary, chemical-filled world out there and BPA is not the only chemical we should be worried about. The list of endocrine disrupting chemicals is oh-so-long and the issues they cause are even more scary (in short, they mimic hormones and may cause major problems over time). I did a lot of searching on the Internet for information on what products help limit my exposure to such chemicals, but had a hard time finding a site that compared products side by side. Then one day, Emily pointed me to SafeMama.com and I have been hooked ever since!!

Then I became pregnant and the worry launched into overdrive! Not only am I responsible for keeping myself healthy but now everything I rub on my body will in some way make it to my baby (chemicals in lotion soaks in to the skin...shower gel on body winds up in the mouth of a nursing baby) AND I'm also responsible for the products I put on her once she is born...I decided that I can not eliminate our exposure but I can do my best to limit our exposure by being an informed consumer.

I do have to give this warning: Once you start reading labels you may freak out as well. You are not a bad person. You may have a few decisions to make (what are you willing to give up, what are you able to spend, what do you think is something you should avoid, etc.).

My everyday favorite "Cheat Sheet" is the Safer Skin Care:

And because Lake Keliann is growing with each April Shower (which means 'Sketer season is almost upon us) I found this one tonight:

Be sure to visit SafeMama for Sunscreen and kiddie pool info too!

Products I Can't Live Without

So, I've been thinking about doing this kind of a post for awhile now but keep hesitating because I know how annoying it was to hear all the advice that came flying my way while pregnant.

But, after much consideration, I have decided to give it the go ahead anyway. From time to time, I will post on a product that has made a difference in my family's life, one that I have come to love and couldn't live with out. Remember, this is just my opinion--which usually isn't worth much ;)

First on my list......drum roll please.............

The Miracle Blanket

This truly has been a life saver for Michael and I! My friend Emily use TMB for her twins and swore up and down about the quality of sleep that her girls got while using the blanket. She graciously loaned me her three blankets (you can never have too many--one to use, one in the wash, one to leave at Gramps, the sitters, friend's house for a test run of their own), which helped me go green in another aspect of mommy-hood.

Like most of you, MJ and I swaddled Abby with the techniques that we learned in the hospital, though I never really got it right...you guessed it, she always managed to get her arms out by the end of the nap. Night after night, Abby would just cry and cry and cry and cry. It got to the point where I would take her downstairs and put her in the swing because it was the only thing I could do to get her to sleep for more than 30 minutes at a time. After about two weeks of little, wait no sleep, we busted out "The Happiest Baby on the Block" since everyone told us how great the techniques are. Now, I won't lie, the "five S-es" were great but the receiving blanket swaddling just wasn't cutting it. So MJ an I decided to bust out TMB for bedtime sleep. What a difference that made! I think that first sleep after putting her in TMB (A.K.A. Burrito-ing the baby (because she gets wrapped up tight like--you guessed it--a burrito)) she slept for two hours without so much as a peep!

At first we only use TMB for night sleep because I was afraid of her associating it with night sleep and then mixing up her days and nights. So, needless to say, she was sleeping well at night but only taking 20-40 minute naps during the day unless I was holding her. Now, we know how great it is to cuddle with your newborn, but honestly...Mommy needed sleep too. So, after much hesitation I started to use TMB for naps as well as for night sleep. Hallelujah--Abby took a 2 hour nap!!! Looking back, I was absolutely CRAZY for not using burrito-ing her sooner! Looking ahead--our next baby will be burrito-ed from day one--for night time, nap time and any other time Baby needs it!

So how do I know that TMB really works and that Abby enjoys this product?
#1: Not until this last week has Abby been able to break free of TMB (and I only think this is because she is sleeping in a bouncer due to nasal drainage with her feet out of the pouch)
#2: Once Abby has both arms tucked under by the arm flaps, she turns her head to the side and closes her eyes while sucking on her paci.
#3: To this day Abby will only nap for 20-40 minutes without being burrito-ed and 9 out of 10 times she will take a 2+ hour nap while being burrito-ed.

Truly, we don't leave home without our Miracle Blanket! Thank you makers of The Miracle Blanket, I LOVE you!!!!!

Slowly but surely...

The nursery is starting to come together! MJ has been painting and I finally started sewing. Here are a few pics to hold you over til we get it finished....

First, I had to tape:

Then MJ put 2 coats of light green and 3 coats of dark green of Sherwin-Williams environmentlly friendly Durations paint, but don't let this picture fool you...MJ hated every minute of it:

Which turned out like this:

Next, I pulled the tape, sanded the edges of the greens and taped the stripe:

Filled it with pink:

And then we have the almost-final product:

I taped the trim and MJ painted that too (bless his heart!) and now we are waiting for his boss to come touch up the pink stripe and the painting will be all done!!! We are hoping to put the crib together sometime this week (or perhaps next weekend....) then move the dresser in and start putting way all of the "stuff". We're almost there!!

Call Me Crazy...

I'm not sure how many of you realize that I am a tree hugger at heart; nor am I sue I knew just how much of a tree hugger I truly am before this journey started.

Sure, I have always recycled as much as possible and get upset when I see someone litter: Hey!! This is my Earth too...I don't come over to your house and throw my trash on your floor. So, why do you think it is ok to throw your trash around where I have to look at it and live with it??? And yes I tend to think of how I could re-purpose something verses throwing it in the trash, which I realize is not always the first thing on other people's minds when getting rid of things.

But, it is amazing how much more concerned I became about the impact we would have on the Earth and its resources once I realized Peanut was on the way. Immediately, I started to think of what I could do to lessen the effect our family would have on the current decay of our planet.

As you know, you can find and read all kind of things on the Internet regarding "becoming green/greener" and I think I have managed to spend hours upon hours doing so. In the end, I am happy to report that I think I have found a way to keep Peanut and Earth happy and clean: the "g diaper". Ok, I know you are asking "what the heck is the g diaper?' right about now. Let me tell you:

It is a cross between a traditional cloth diaper and the Oh-so-convenient disposable diaper. It consists of three parts:

The little g pants (washable outter shell, here are my favorites):

A non-plastic refillable liner:

And the flushable/compostable/disposable refill (40 pack):

Now, all of you experienced parents are probably thinking that it seems rather complicated...I get that. But, this is a pretty compelling video. Take a moment to watch it, please...

With that said, MJ and I have decided to use the g diaper!! Lucky for us, we are not "experienced" parents who are USED to the convenience of traditional disposable diapers and this will be able to st our definition of "normal" by way of the g diaper. Now, I am not saying that we won't ever use traditional disposables, I'm just saying that we are going to try to use the g as much as possible. When we do use "disposable" diapers (until poo becomes a little more predictable/normal, at night if the g is not serving us well, "oh crap, we're out of prepped g's", etc.) we hope to use Nature Babycare diapers, which are also made of more earth-friendly products than traditional, plastic disposable diapers:

Like I said, call me crazy....

Decisions Have Been Made

Yes, we decided on Nursery fabric!! It has been purchased and washed so there is no turning back now! I know that I am crazy for wanting to sew my own stuff, but we could not find anything in the stores that we liked. I figured that it can't be so bad...I only have to make the crib skirt, bumper and widow treatment (I am thinking roman shade at this point, but we will see where that leads). So, with a little planning and a little work each week I think I can get it all done before Peanut gets here. It will also help that MJ's classes are starting this week. He will have 2 night classes (time to sew) and home work (more time to sew) to do, so I SHOULD be able to get it all done...wish me luck!

Here is a sample of the fabric:

We also picked up the previously mentioned rocking chair (here and here) on Craig's List a few weeks ago--thank heaven for deals! Needless to say, I had to give a little when it came to the rocker. As usually, I knew EXACTLY what I wanted: An upholstered chair with a square back and arms that ROCKS--not a glider. Let me tell you that they DO NOT EXIST. I found the chair I loved and wanted, but only if it could be made into a rocker. So, hopeful Keliann e-mailed the maker and asked if they could put the rocker base that they make for another chair on the chair that I wanted, scratch that--NEEDED, and got a big, fat "NO" for an answer.

Now, I know that some of you are thinking that I am weird for wanting a true rocker over a glider--I get that. BUT, there is such a different feel between the two that I am willing to do the extra work in order to ROCK and not glide. Call me crazy...

So that left us with a close second: the Dream Rocker from Pottery Barn Kids. It is nice, I can't complain (but I really wanted the other chair to rock...). Like I said, we got a real deal on it by buying it second hand (which also makes it a "green" purchase) from the nicest couple in Holly--The Millers. They purchased the chair during their last pregnancy, which turned out to be a set of twins!! She laughed and said that she never got to use it much since they already had 2 girls and then added 2 more instead of just one. I would like to add them to our "new friends" list now that I think of it, but anyway...back to the chair. It came with a denim slip cover, which will not work in the above color scheme, so we have been exploring our options. Actually, I've got a funny story about that....

Yikes!

Michael and I started the hunt for baby furniture in January and it proved to be as difficult as agreeing on our own bedroom furniture. We have come to realize that when it comes to decorating, each of us has to give a little...well more than a little. It always seems like what I like, MJ does not. The same is true for what MJ likes, I usually say "yuck" with a crinkled nose. So, since the beginning of our search we have heard the word "no" a lot.

One day in early March we were out and about doing a little shopping and MJ suggested we hit A Baby's Room in Sterling Heights. I agreed to look, though I did not have much hope for finding something we could agree on. Now mind you, at this point we had perused the obvious and not so obvious: Babies "R" Us, Buy Buy Baby, Art Van, JC Penny's, Burlington Coat Factory, Target, (Walmart-online only--I swear!!) and either could not find anything we could agree on or no options at all (boo to Penny's and Art Van for not having ANY to look at).

So, in we went. Much to our surprise we both like, I mean really liked, the second one we saw there! What, you like this?!? I like it too!!! The longer we looked the more we liked it. Yes, both of us were giving a little on what our "perfect" crib and furniture would be--MJ did not LOVE the front of the long dresser and I was hoping for white, but hey other than that we AGREED!!! That in itself is sometimes something to celebrate! Now, those of you who know me, and I mean KNOW me, realize that I can't just buy something...I have to shop around before I commit. Hey, this is a long term investment. I will have to look at this set for the next 20 years or so, so I have to be absolutely sure I like it AND know that I got the best price. Besides, at this point I realized that I wasn't able to say much about the wonderful customer service at this store, so on to Direct Buy we went (Yes, I am a member and Yes, you do save money).

Lucky us, Direct buy carried the manufacture so we were able to compare prices. Once again, Direct Buy was the cheaper route :) but resistant Keliann kicked in again. What if the dresser is too long? What if we get it in and I don't like it? What if we find something we like better once we order it? I made MJ wait before processing the order. Home we went and out came the tape measure. I don't say this too often but, Michael was right. The dresser would fit and we really did not have many other shopping options to explore--if any. So, Saturday, March 7th Michael and I ordered baby furniture! Unfortunately, the shipping time was 6-8 weeks. Well, we will have time to decide on bedding and paint before it gets here, I thought.

Boy was I wrong! MJ picked up the furniture this week!! Yes, its here! We have BABY FURNITURE!!! Crap, time is flying by...from order to my house in 6 weeks, and that was with it sitting in the warehouse for almost 2 weeks!!! And no, I have not committed to bedding yet. That is actually another post of its own! Well, here is link to what what we picked: Bonavita

We went with the dark cherry (room 1) not the black. The crib converts into a toddler bed and a full size bed (yes I made MJ order the nightstand too, though he did not understand why at first. Hey, what do you expect a teenager to put his/her alarm clock on??), the long dresser in the back (without the hutch top) and the tall dresser (right side of the picture). We will have to put the nightstand and tall dresser in the office/spare bedroom for now, but we will have the full set when the time comes. We are SO excited that the nursery is coming together, we have a rocking chair too (that is also another story to be told) and have the bedding narrowed down to two options (though they both require my sewing abilities...we will see how that goes). MJ tells me we HAVE to decide this weekend so he can get to painting before his school and work schedule gets too crazy--but I don't see the rush since the furniture is gassing off in the garage for now...but wish me luck on this decision!!