the girl's got rhythm

babies, and hats, and socks, oh my

Here is little miss Sophie wearing her Neapolitan Ice Cream Hat:



It's just a tad too big. Better too big than too small, though (another hat I made her for christmas turned out too small :(... oh well, I know a little baby who would look good in it).

And here's where I was at on my first sock yesterday afternoon:




I finished it last night and cast on for the second one a few hours ago. These two HAVE to match up! My favorite part of knitting the first one was turning the heel, it was almost like magic... I just followed along the row-by-row instructions, and it just turned itself!

winter wonderland

We had a very busy christmas around here... Santa brought Sophie a tunnel to crawl through, cardboard bricks, and wooden building blocks. She loves to stack things up and build things, as you can see here -



Instead of coloring with the crayons, she stacks them up.

She got lots of new clothes and some fun books, which she might enjoy someday... hopefully someday soon.

Mama got lots of neat things as well, including yarn and new needles (pictures to come soon!). I'm almost done with my first sock ever... I think I like knitting socks!

happy solstice!

The days are getting longer now... thank goodness! It seems like it's already been winter for a very, very long time.

I've been knitting with my new double pointed needles, my first project was a doll hat -



See?


And then I had to make another one for Sophie's friend Sierra. Because I'm sure her baby doll needs a hat too.

This is my second Robin's Egg Blue Hat - I still haven't taken any pictures of the first one, but this one turned out better anyways. I just put the button on this morning:




Not the greatest picture of me, but you get the idea. The only thing I don't like is how pointy the top is... if I make another one, I'll buy the right size double pointeds first so that there isn't a seam right in the front of the hat also. Another christmas present wrapped and ready to go...


And Sophie turns 19 months old today.

(I think I have more fun with these blocks than she does)

all wrapped up

Finally finished up a project that's been "done" for a while but needed the finishing touches... these mittens (same pattern as my last post but knitted up the same size, thank you very much!) needed to be lined with polar fleece for gifting.



Ta-da - lining 2-year-old size mittens is really much harder than it looks. I only stabbed myself with the sewing needle once (sewing needles are a lot sharper than darning needles!) on the way to getting it done...



...and now they're all wrapped up and ready to go.

It's supposed to be -20 degrees F tomorrow, and Sophie and I are planning a shopping expedition... we'll see how that goes!

why knitting during finals week isn't a good idea

Aside from the common sense reason that knitting takes away valuable time that should be spent studying for said finals?

This happens.



Yeah. See those two mittens? They are supposed to be a pair. As in they are supposed to be the same size.

They were both knitted in the same amount of time, with the same yarn, same pattern, same needles, same exact number of rows and stitches.

What the heck happened?? Well, I knitted one on Monday (the day before my Anatomy & Physiology final) and I knitted the other one on Wednesday (the day after my A&P final). Check out my gauge:



.... Yeah. I think I was maybe a little stressed when I did the first one? And a little relieved when I did the second one?

Ha!

I think I may have learned my lesson now... just in time for finals to be over! I'm so happy I'm done!!

the perfect lunch

There's just nothing better than homemade pel meni. Mine are potato, not meat, with some onion and garlic thrown in for good measure as well.

Eaten smothered in Sriracha hot sauce, rice vinegar, sprinkled with curry powder, fresh cilantro if you like, and sour cream on the side.

Food of the gods.

half sisters

Here are Sophie and Analia (oh, and me, too) a few weeks ago, photo curtesy of Charlotte's Facebook page -



Now check out this baby picture of Sophie:

(please excuse my halibut-belly-white legs)

Don't they look similar? It'll be interesting to see them together as they grow up.

Sophie wasn't very interested in Analia until I held her, and then she was jealous and had to wiggle her way into my lap as well, haha.

a teeny tiny hat and some stash enhancement

First the teeny tiny hat:



I had to include Sophie's favorite sippy cup in the picture so you could appreciate how small it really is :)
This is for a girl in my Human Physiology and Anatomy class who just had her baby. I saw her at the birth center yesterday with her new little one and couldn't resist knitting up a little baby hat for her. Her name is Ysabella and she is just sweet. Her mama is planning on bringing her to our final on Tuesday and wearing her in a moby wrap for the test - sometimes I wish Sophie were that small again! It would make my next semester easier (I need to find some child care!) I do love little babies though.

The hat is knitted out of Frog Tree alpaca, the same stuff I used here and here - the pattern I just winged, I hope it fits her! It looks awfully small, but then again so did little Ysabella.

Tonight was Gallery Walk, so Sophie, Grandma and I headed downtown to check it out. Sophie wasn't really in a shopping mood so we didn't stay very long, but we did manage to get to the yarn shop and the toy store! Sophie picked out this toy - she wanted to play with it right then and there, so of course Grandma obliged her and opened the box so she could play with it. And then she bought it for her, but by the time we got home she had forgotten about it and so now it will be a Christmas present... added to the mountain of Christmas presents in Grandma and Grandpa's closet, all for Sophie! Oh man.

More beautiful Frog Tree alpaca yarn. I just can't get enough of it! This yarn is destined to be a sweater for my own little one, who is not so little anymore. I still need to find a pattern to follow, I keep finding cute ones that only go to 12 months or 18 months. I'm going to make it in size 24 months or 2T because it just might take me that long to make it! (She's in 18 months right now).



This sweater for Sophie will be my first sweater, but I already picked out the pattern for my second - the Central Park Hoodie. I want to make it for myself, crazy right? But I like it sooo much :).

winter's here

Yep. Solstice is still... 19 days away, but I guess mother nature doesn't really take that into account anyways. This morning it was 23 degrees out, and it didn't seem to get any warmer during the day either, Sophie and I had to run some errands and it took me about 5 minutes to pry my frozen car door open.

After we managed to get the windshield scraped and the doors open, we headed over to the library where we found this book -

<--- (that's it)

which I think is super cool and which Sophie shows minimal interest in. She did like the page with the fish (FISH! FISH!) though. All of the illustrations are made with food - very cool.

We spent almost a whole hour at the library - it's just about the perfect place to spend a winter day, I guess. Sophie took all the puzzles off the shelves and took all the pieces out of all the puzzles. She took all the stuffed animals off of their chairs and rearranged them. She unstacked all of the shopping baskets (why does the library have shopping baskets?). Then she started pulling all of the bookends off of the shelves and making the books all fall over, but that's where I draw the line. Then we had to start the whole process over; as soon as I had all the puzzles put back together and put away, and started on the stuffed animals, out came the puzzles again. Finally I distracted her with the HUGE stuffed dog in the corner, which she loved. She took off her coat and snuggled right up to it... I think she was happy that it didn't get up and walk away like Daisy always does.

In other news, everyone's been sick around here - it seems like a never-ending thing lately. I haven't taken either dog for a walk in weeks, poor babies. First, a few weeks ago now, I got the flu; and then I developed reactive arthritis in my hand; and then Sophie got hand foot and mouth disease; and then both my parents got this horrible chest cold; now I have it; and now Sophie's acting like she's getting it too! Ah, well. This too shall pass, right?

This semester is almost over and I'm so, so looking forward to having a break. I've already registered for next semester's classes and even though I'm taking less credits next semester than I did this semester, it seems like it'll be a heavier class load, especially since all three of my classes will be on campus. I'm definitely going to need to find some child care, but I'm excited because after this next semester is over, I'm all set to enter the nursing program in 2010 - that is, if I get in. They only accept the top ten students. Fingers crossed!



In spite of it being finals next week and having term papers to write and finals to study for... I've still been making time for knitting (staying up way too late, mostly). It just feels so good to curl up with a mug of hot chocolate, yarn, and needles. And a dog or two.

I just made Rachel Iufer's Robin's Egg Blue Hat today, it knit up super fast. I'll have to take a picture soon and put it up. I will definitely knit at least one more, but probably a lot more than that! It went by super fast, and it's really cute. For this first one I used cream-colored yarn of unknown origin and fiber, but I've got some of her recommended Paton's Shetland Chunky in the stash to knit it up for gifts.

Can you believe that it's almost Christmas already?!

sophie's neapolitan ice cream hat

Sophie's Neapolitan Ice Cream Hat:



Ta-da! I just finished sewing it up. So much fun to make - I hope it fits her!

alpaca baby hats

I love knitting baby hats!



These are all knitted out of Frog Tree 100% alpaca wool sport weight yarn. These are all gifts for friends of mine with new babies due soon... but they are just so fun to make I'm thinking about making more and selling them. What do you think?

And these colors - don't they look like neapolitan ice cream? Just wait... I have an idea for the leftovers :)

umbilical cord issues

I just read this post from Pamela with a great run-down of umbilical cord issues and what's actually going on.

I've heard so many times things like, "I would've died if my mom hadn't had me at a hospital, because my umbilical cord was wrapped around my neck and I couldn't breathe."

Ok... then how do babies breathe while they're in the womb? This mechanism doesn't just quit as soon as the head is born. Being born with the cord wrapped around the neck isn't an emergency, nor does it really compromise the baby in any way. More damage is done by cutting it prematurely, before the baby's body is born and it has a chance to start breathing on its own. As Pamela points out, you're effectively suffocating the baby by cutting the cord too soon.

I encourage everyone to read her post, it's excellent.

a big girl now

Sophie turns 18 months old today!

eat your vegetables

Sophie doesn't listen to me when I tell her this, so I've been experimenting with different ways to cook and serve vegetables.

Like these:


Spinach Nuggets (from the wholesome toddler food website)

16 oz. frozen chopped spinach, cooked and drained
1 cup seasoned bread crumbs (or healthier alternatives)
1 1/2 cups shredded cheese
3 eggs

Combine all ingredients plus any seasonings you want to add, shape into nuggets and bake at 375 degrees for 15 minutes, turn, and bake another 5-10 minutes.


Honestly, I can't say these were a huge hit (yet!), but my dad ate some and said they were good. Sometimes it just takes a few tries, ya know?

little baby mittens, part two

These are for Sophie's new baby half-sister... they turned out much smaller than the first ones I made. Instead of worsted-weight wool I used a little ball of leftover yarn from the hat I knitted for Sophie while I was pregnant with her, I forget exactly what it was, but it's very fine merino-blend. I didn't change the pattern at all (here is the one I used for both pairs) and so these ones, I think, will actually fit a tiny newborn.

Notice that one is smaller than the other, that's because I was worried about running out of yarn and must have knitted the second one much tighter! Oh well, I think they will both fit. Baby things are just too much fun to knit.

how to eliminate stinky cloth diapers

Once in a while, I notice that my diapers don't smell as "fresh and clean" as I think they should when they come out of the dryer. A few other cloth-diapering mamas I know have mentioned this lately also, so here are the best tips I've picked up for dealing with this:

#1: In the summer and whenever else possible, line dry your diapers. Drying in the sun virtually eliminates odors and most stains without any extra effort on your part - plus you are saving that much valuable energy and water at the same time (what could be better than that?).


#2: The next thing is to use less detergent in your wash cycles. Are you using the amount recommended on the bottle? If so then you are using 2x to 4x the amount needed. Sounds counter-intuitive, right? But in this situation, less is better. Only use 1/2 or even 1/4 the recommended amount of detergent in your wash cycles (I usually do two, one on cold and one on hot). If you suspect this is what's causing your diaper odor problems, wash your diapers with less detergent and then do a few extra washes with no detergent until you don't see any more bubbles going on in there - this ensures that any built-up soap residue is gone.

#3: Make sure you set your washing machine to cold-water rinses because rinsing with hot water can "lock in" any stinky odors.

#4: Do you use white vinegar in your rinse cycles? If so, try stopping for a couple washes or else cutting back on the amount you add (1/4 - 1/2 cup should do the job). If not, try adding some to your first rinse cycle. Adding vinegar to a rinse cycle is especially helpful if you already add baking soda to a wash cycle.

#5: Baking soda. This can help you or hurt you in the stinky-ness department. It adds to the cleaning power of your detergent, but if you add too much it can build up and cause odor just like too much detergent can. 1/4 - 1/2 cup in one wash cycle is probably enough. Like I said above, if you use baking soda, using white vinegar in a rinse cycle can help get all of it out.

But on the other hand, if you have stubbornly stinky diapers, baking soda can be your best friend. Wash your diapers thoroughly, and then set your washer to a pre-wash/soak cycle (or else just let it fill up all the way and then stop it). Stop it while it's on the "soak" part of the cycle so that it stays that way and doesn't drain, then add a cup or so of baking soda. Let it sit overnight, and then in the morning re-start the cycle so that it drains, and then do several rinse cycles (make sure you get all the baking soda out, again vinegar can help you with this).



As a last resort, bleach can be effective in eliminating odors from diapers. Use sparingly (about a 1/4 cup) for three reasons that I can think of - your baby's bottom, the environment, and your diapers. Make sure you rinse very thoroughly so that your baby's bottom doesn't get rubbed raw by any residue. Bleach damages the fibers of diapers (don't use it on waterproof covers), and therefore shortens their life span, so really try to use it only as a last resort.

If you have chronically stinky diapers and none of the tricks above work long-term, you may want to start experimenting with your washing technique. Are you soaking in a wet pail? Try a dry pail. Are you putting poopy diapers straight into a dry pail? Try rinsing and storing them in a wet pail, and so on. Also keep in mind that your baby's urine and poo may change in response to teething, colds, and lots of other things, and that can cause temporary stinky diapers sometimes.

Stinky diapers can be very frustrating -- believe me, I know! It is still a problem I face from time to time, but thankfully most of the time it can be fixed. Ideas and questions are welcomed!

just pretend

About a week ago Sophie and I got out of our before-bedtime bath, and the water wouldn't drain. We've always had a slow-draining tub, but this was the worst I'd ever seen it. The next morning I discovered the missing cap to an empty soap bottle (Sophie's favorite bath toys are empty soap bottles, old plastic cups, measuring cups, etc.). Uh oh.

Yesterday Grandpa saved the day - he had to crawl under the house, crawl back out to go buy different sized pipe wrenches, crawl back under the house, take all the pipes apart and pull out all the nasty gunk that had accumulated over who knows how many years... and pry out the bottle cap from where it was wedged exactly in the middle of a curved pipe.

Now our bathtub drains better than it ever has before, and Sophie and I got to have our before-bedtime bath again. We always have fun in the bath, but now she plays with me. She pretends to drink from her cup, says Mmmmm and offers it to me; I pretend to drink from the cup and she is so pleased with herself.

Oh... I remember when she was just a little blob that couldn't hold her own head up!




Now she says Hello and cheese and fish and today she said cracker. She also says Ah-boom? when she wants a bite of something.

She pushes a button on the phone to make it ring, and then as quick as she can puts it up to her ear and shouts HELLO! She says Hello! to all the people she sees in stores, and she also says Hello to me when she wants to give me a kiss. Today I held up the phone so Great-Grandpa could say hi to her, and she said hello right back, and then she started chatting to him in her own language. She's the first great-grandchild for my dad's parents and for my mom's parents, and she's my great-grandma's first great-great-grandchild. She has three sets of grandparents. I'm sure she'll learn how to play it up soon. She already shows off all her tricks for people who stop by.

She waves bye-bye and blows kisses. She has 13 teeth and is still working on more (she started out September with only eight teeth).

Her favorite things are to pretend to be a dog (this morning she stuck her head in the dog's water dish - uck), to hide from me in closets and in corners behind doors, to pick up things off the floor and throw them away in the garbage (or throw articles of clothing she doesn't want to wear in the garbage, like her socks that I found in the compost pail), to take all the pots and pans out of the oven drawer and then climb into it, to steal my knitting, and to take all of her clothes off and run squealing through the house.

And she likes to play pretend.

little baby mittens

Our family friends Rich and Michelle just had their second baby, Caden. It's been cold out and a few weeks ago I knitted Sophie some little mittens, so I thought a pair of thumbless newborn mittens would be fun to make (and give me an excuse to soak up some baby). I found a pattern over here that was just about perfect:



After this picture was taken I finger-crocheted a string to keep them together and from falling off of little fingers...

It turns out "newborn size" is a little bigger than Caden's little hands actually were, but babies grow fast right?

I pretty much followed the pattern, but I did use smaller needles - US 2 for the ribbing and US 5 for the rest. I also used worsted weight merino wool instead of acrylic.

Edited to say that I actually used US size 2 needles for the ribbing, not 4's.

halloween, finally

Sorry for the lack of posts on my part.... here's a catch-up from Halloween:

This is the toddler group at the Juneau Family Health and Birth Center, notice how all the other babies are holding still.... haha.


And here is my little vampire all dressed up.


I think Halloween was the best day of her life... she had SO much candy, WAY too much candy thanks to both sets of grandparents and some very generous friends.

happy obama day!

Thank you, America! I think I'm almost proud to be an American again... now we just have to deal with Senator Stevens.

knitting in the round

Seems straightforward enough, right? You just go around and around instead of starting and stopping, and you end up with a whole hat that doesn't need to be sewn up. Right?

Hmmm....


That's what I thought. But there must be more to it (or else I just shouldn't start projects at 10pm after my three-hour lecture class) because look at this.

Look closer, at that spot opposite from the needles.


It twists around itself. I knitted a mobius strip!

How the heck did I do that?? I have absolutely no idea, especially because I knitted what's up there in one sitting, without even putting the needles down at all.

This is the fourth time I have started this hat and screwed up somehow... maybe it's just not meant to be?

Does anyone know of a way to fix this? Or is it completely hopeless??

what i've been up to:

Knitting.



Lots of knitting. On Christmas presents. I know, I know, but we're moving back to Colorado on December 15 so I need to have everyone's Christmas presents done before then so, here I am knitting away before it's even Halloween.

Up there are some washclothes (free patterns that I started with here and here), a baby hat, and a little pair of mittens for a little Sophie girl that are soaking in a sink with lanolin right now so they're waterproof.

I'm looking for a baby hat pattern knitted in the round (I'm tired of seaming). Any suggestions??

what's that thing called 'fear' again?

This girl sure doesn't know:





And I'm pretty sure she doesn't care, either. She's just going to GO.

Over. And over. And over again.

Oh yeah, and is it normal for a one-year-old to beg for things in the grocery store? Seriously??

I've been a slacker about taking pictures lately, but someday soon I'll get them taken and uploaded and I'll show you what I've been up to lately--
And I'm sure there will be some Halloween photos coming soon too, Daddy gets here on Thursday!

mama cloth

I have to say that it's only been about a year since I made the switch over to mama cloth, maybe that's why I'm still so excited about it!

My thought process went something like this:

Ugh, that's a lot of plastic waste...
Well, I'm using cloth for my baby...
Why wouldn't I use cloth for myself??

Actually, the first thing I did was buy a Diva Cup - this was one of the top 10 best purchases of my life, easily (I'll have to actually make that list later...). There are some different ones, like the Keeper, that are all pretty much the same thing.

(Go check out Crunchy Chicken, she has a Diva Cup challenge going on sometimes!)

Menstrual cups aren't mama cloth at all, instead they take the place of tampons, but they all accomplish the same thing - less waste in landfills.

They are really comfortable and easy too, and my favorite part is that I no longer have to carry a bunch of "products" around with me all the time.

Then there are the "true" mama cloth, cloth pads. It took me a little longer to totally switch over to cloth pads, mostly because the price on the "name brand" cloth pads is so high.

Enter: eBay!

Just search for "mama cloth" or "cloth pads" and you'll find TONS of handmade pads for way cheap. I think I got all of mine for under $20. A lot of them are made by stay-at-home or work-at-home moms.

And pads are really easy to wash. I just throw mine in with my diapers, but if you don't have a baby in diapers you can just keep a wet bag (try the smaller ones from Cotton Babies) under the bathroom counter... you don't need to soak them or anything, just stick them in the wet bag and when you're ready to wash, just do a cold wash with about 1/2 the normal amount of detergent. If you want to really make sure they're super sparkling clean, you can do another low-water level wash on hot with 1/2 amount of detergent again, but it's not really neccessary.

And you'll have something to feel good about every time "that time of the month" comes around!

what's that blue stuff in the sky?

Yes, that's right folks, that is blue sky in Juneau!!

Sadly, it only lasted half a day and since then it's been pouring down rain, windy, cold, and generally normal.

Halloween is just around the corner! We've put our decorations up and are working on our costumes... we ditched the cat idea for Sophie and now Sophie, Dwayne and I are going to be a vampire family.

I do love Halloween, but now I'm finding out that not everything about Halloween is good - such as the handfuls of candy corn that Sophie was eating at her grandparents house the other night... The girl has a huge sweet tooth!

This is Sophie's second Halloween, last year she was a gypsy - the cutest little gypsy ever, see?



What are your favorite costumes for little ones?

hey sarah palin

I couldn't have said it better!

why waterbirth?

I feel helpless, stuck inside of a contraction – trapped inside of my head, feeling as if my entire being is being squeezed between the walls of my womb. I need to get on top of it, be one with it, be in control. My midwife finishes filling the Jacuzzi tub and I crawl over the side into the water. It feels amazing, and suddenly I am on the outside looking in. I can think again, I’m on top of it. I imagine this must be how my baby feels, floating inside of me.

Giving birth in water is a relatively new practice, although it has its roots in the age-old practice of using water for labor pain relief, and in some cultures of giving birth in shallow coastal waters. Since the first recorded “modern” water birth in 1977, giving birth in the water has gained popularity due to its relaxing, calming, and pain-relieving effects on the laboring mother.

Giving birth in the water (waterbirth) is beneficial to both mother and baby by reducing labor pain and tears for the mother and by creating a calmer transition for the baby.

Some formal studies and lots of anecdotal data report that birthing in the water reduces the number of tears and the amount of blood loss experienced by birthing women. There are also many anecdotal reports of babies born in water receiving higher Apgar scores (a scale of 1-10 used to assess the newborn’s condition at one and five minutes after birth) than “land-born” babies, and water-born babies being calmer and less stressed in the period following birth.

Two major groups of hormones play a role in birth: the endorphins and the adrenalines. When a laboring woman is stressed, fearful, or anxious, the adrenalines are in charge; this leads to a tightening of muscles and an increase in pain, as well as making labor slow down or stall out. On the other hand, when a laboring woman is relaxed, calm, and feeling in control, the endorphins are in charge, leading to decreased pain and faster labor.

When a laboring woman can immerse herself in warm water, a much greater degree of relaxation can be achieved than is otherwise possible (save with the use of synthetic drugs). This puts the endorphins in charge and paves the way for a smooth, uncomplicated labor.

The buoyancy of water helps with labor pain as well. When most of the body is supported by water, the laboring mother can let go of everything else and instead focus inwardly on the contractions as they come. In water it is possible to move in ways that would be very difficult on land – for instance, gliding your hips in circles and figure-eights, thus changing the angle of your pelvis and helping the baby move down and out (Kitzinger, 2000).

All of these things help women better handle their contractions and to feel like they are in touch with their bodies and their babies.

Water also decreases labor time - in one study by as much as 40 minutes on average (Geissbuhler & Eberhard, 2000). While 40 minutes may not seem like long enough to matter, when you are in labor, believe me - every last little minute counts!

Giving birth in water leads to fewer tears and less episiotomies. In a Swiss study of more than 6,000 births, the waterbirth group had 22.6% less episiotomies than bed births, hardly any 3rd or 4th degree tears, and many more women experienced no tearing at all (Geissbuhler & Eberhard, 2000).

Some people speculate that the reason so many less episiotomies are performed on women laboring in water is that the caregiver simply has less access to the perineum and is therefore more likely to leave it alone. I think that another factor to both the low number of episiotomies and the lower number of tears is that when a woman is more relaxed, she is better able to open up and let the baby come down without tensing her muscles. Water also gives a greater sense of privacy (than if you were laying exposed on a bed), which adds to a woman’s comfort and relaxation.

Waterbirth also has benefits for the baby. In the womb, a baby is suspended in body-temperature amniotic fluid. Going straight from body temperature fluid to cool room-temperature air is a big shock. Being born instead into a similar medium – body-temperature water – is a smoother transition.

Many parents and midwives report that babies who were born in water cry less after birth, and are calmer and mellower in the hours following birth. Many waterbirth babies (such as Sophie) do not cry at all and simply cough or sneeze to clear their lungs and then look around, observing their surroundings calmly.

Waterbirth may not work out for everybody. In some cases waterbirth is not in the baby’s best interest. Some women will have their contractions slow down or even stop altogether when they get into the water. Just as with any birth method or environment, every woman and every baby is different – one thing will not work for all.

But for the vast majority of women and babies, waterbirth will work – and be beneficial: waterbirth decreases labor pain and the number of tears and episiotomies for the mother, and creates a calmer birth experience for the baby.

---------------------------------------------------------------

Sources:
American Pregnancy Association (2007). Water Birth. Retrieved April 17, 2008 from http://www.americanpregnancy.org/labornbirth/waterbirth.html.
Geissbuhler, V., & Eberhard, J. (2000). Waterbirths: A Comparative Study: A prospective study on more than 2,000 waterbirths. Fetal Diagnosis and Therapy, 15. Retrieved April 17, 2008 from http://data.memberclicks.com/site/wi/FD_T_Waterbirth-AComparitiveStudy.pdf.
Kitzinger, S. (2000). Rediscovering Birth. New York: Pocket Books.
Robinson, J. (2000). Waterbirth – Looking for Bad News. AIMS Journal, 12 (2). Retrieved April 17, 2008 from http://data.memberclicks.com/site/wi/AIMS_journal.pdf.
Waterbirth International (2007). Waterbirth Research Documents. Retrieved April 17, 2008 from http://www.waterbirth.org/mc/page.do?sitePageId=38565&orgId=wi.

yummy pumpkin bread

I made this pumpkin bread the other day and took a plate of it to our toddler group at the birth center... the littles ones loved it!

It's from Jane Brody's Good Food Book (here it is on Amazon):

Pumpkin Bread

1/2 cup sugar
1/2 cup vegetable oil
3/4 cup pumpkin puree
2 eggs
1 cup all-purpose flour
1/2 cup whole-wheat flour
1 teaspoon baking powder
1 teaspoon baking soda
1 teaspoon cinnamon
1/4 teaspoon salt, if desired
1/4 cup dark raisins
1/4 cup golden raisins
1/2 cup chopped walnuts or pecans

I added about 1/2 teaspoon each of cloves, nutmeg, and allspice; omitted the nuts; and added 1/4 cup dried currants. I made a double recipe and baked it in a tube pan, also. This recipe also makes good muffins, and cake (if you increase the sugar).

1. In a large bowl, beat together the sugar, oil, pumpkin, and eggs.

2. In a medium bowl, stir together the all-purpose and whole-wheat flours, baking powder, baking soda, cinnamon, and salt. Fold this into the pumpkin mixture, stirring the two mixtures just to moisten the dry ingredients. Stir in the dark raisins, golden raisins, and nuts. Pour the batter into a greased 9x5x3-inch loaf pan (or two miniloaf pans).

3. Bake the bread in a preheated 350F oven for about 1 hour or until a pick inserted in the center of the bread comes out clean (check after 50 minutes if using miniloaf pans). Set the pan on a rack for 10 minutes, then turn out the loaf to cool completely.

Enjoy!

getting ready for halloween

Grandma and I went to JoAnne's yesterday to scout out options for Sophie's Halloween costume, and after searching the entire store to find the Halloween-themed fabric in the very back (with the Christmas stuff in front - what?), Sophie has a very cute Halloween costume in the works.

She's going to be a cat.

With black tights and a stuffed black tail attached... and a Halloween-print jumper with a black turtleneck. We found a pair of clip-on cat ears, but of course little miss contrary won't keep them on, so I guess we'll just have to pretend that she has ears.

And of course we'll have to paint whiskers on her face and everything.

I can't wait!

I love Halloween. It's most definitely the best holiday.

cloth diapers 101

I told you it was coming and here it is!

Ok, some of you may read this post title and yawn. I mean, everyone knows cloth diapers are better for the environment and everything, right?

Maybe. But do you know just how bad disposable diapers are for the environment? Do you know how bad disposable diapers are for your baby? Here, I'll tell you:

• Disposable diapers use 82,000 tons (TONS!) of plastic and 1.3 million tons of wood pulp every year.


• Disposable diapers DO NOT decompose in landfills - not even the so-called biodegradable ones. Anaerobic environment=no decomposition.


• American babies use 14,400,000 disposable diapers every year on average. Where do they go? Landfills. What are we running out of space in nation-wide? Landfills.
  

Here's another thing. Did you know that it is illegal to throw away a poopy diaper? Laws in all 50 states prohibit human excrement from being disposed of in landfills. Obviously these laws aren't enforced at all, but that's another story.

Disposable diapers are bad for your baby, too, not just the environment. You know that "absorbent gel core" in your 'sposies? Do you know what it's made of? Long story short, it's made of toxic materials that could kill or seriously harm your baby if ingested.

If your baby is a little boy, this opens another can of worms that might not be your biggest concern right now, but that may concern him (or his wife!) later in life. Studies have found that wearing disposable diapers creates a warmer-than-normal temperature in the diaper area, and in little boys who wear diapers all of the time, their little spermies pretty much get fried. Men who wore disposable diapers as babies tend to have lower sperm counts and have more problems with infertility than their peers who wore cloth diapers. But hey, with the world population as high as it is, maybe that's not such a bad thing??

Alright, enough of the doom and gloom, on to the fun stuff!

The best reason to use cloth diapers? They're just so gosh darn cute. How could you resist?

Let's start with the basics: prefolds and covers. First thing you need to know about these is that you absolutely don't need to pin your diapers! Just stick the darn things in the cover and velcro. Easy. Or if you really want to fasten the diaper itself to your baby, use a Snappi.

This is a prefold. You fold it in thirds and stick it inside a waterproof diaper cover. They come in three sizes, but unless you have a preemie you only need to buy the larger two sizes, "infant" for 7-15lbs and "premium" for larger than 15lbs. I actually know some people who only used "premium" sized prefolds... it works, just bulky on a newborn. These cost $1.00-$2.00 each.

This is my favorite brand of diaper cover, Bummis Super Whisper Wrap. These come in 3 or 4 sizes I think, but you don't really need a lot of diaper covers to make your system work. In my experience these ones have awesome sizing with a lot of overlap. Someone gave me a couple size larges, and they fit my skinny little girl just fine, and will definitely fit her until she's potty trained. They aren't bulky and the legs fit well, so even if the cover is big, it squishes down under clothes and is tight enough that you won't get any leaks. These run about $12 each.

There are TONS of different styles, shapes, materials, colors, patterns, etc. of diaper covers out there. I'm digging the natural fibers right now, especially wool longies - but that's another post.

Alright, now the fancy stuff. Pocket diapers and All-In-Ones are perfect diapers for people like grandparents, daddies, babysitters, day-care providers.... anyone who is opposed to cloth diapers because "they're hard," or "I just don't want to bother with them."

Both pockets and all-in-ones go on and off in one piece, just like a disposable, so people really have no excuse if they're presented with these.

Check it out.

This is a Fuzzi Bunz. It is a pocket diaper, which means that it has an outer layer that is waterproof and an inner layer made of fleece (to wick moisture away from your baby's skin), and a space in between which is where you "stuff" the diaper with whatever you want. They come with a microfiber insert, so you can use that obviously, but you can also stuff it with a prefold, or use both, or any combination of "stuffing" that gives you the exact right level of absorbency. These come in different sizes, but as with the Bummis above, one size has a pretty lenient size range. They have snaps, which some people like and some people don't, but one thing about snaps that everyone likes is that they stay nicer longer. These diapers can easily be used for more than one baby without showing obvious signs of wear. I think these run around $17-18 each.

This is a bumGenius diaper. It's the same idea as the Fuzzi Bunz, except for a couple things. Number one, this is a one-sized diaper. Yep, you heard me. It has snaps on the rise that allow it to fit a baby anywhere from 7-35lbs. Sophie has been wearing hers since she was a newborn and they still fit! Buying a one-sized diaper is obviously a plus in that you only have to buy one set, not multiple sizes. But one drawback that I have started to notice in mine is that, well, they get a lot of wear. Sophie's "old" bumGenius 2.0's have been in use on her little butt for 16 months now, and the elastic is starting to loosen in the leg gussets. But good news is in the "new" bumGenius 3.0's (which are the ones for sale now) aren't showing the wear that I see in the old ones. BumGenius' have velcro instead of snaps, which could be easier I guess, but they do pill up a little over time and not look brand new anymore. It's a matter of personal preference. These are around $19 each.

All-in-one diapers pretty much look the same as pockets, so I won't bother putting a picture of one up. The difference between an aio and a pocket diaper is that on the pocket, you stuff it with an absorbent insert, and then take the insert out before washing. With an all-in-one, the stuffing is sewn right in and it really does function just like a disposable (except for the washing part of course). They are the easiest cloth diaper out there. The only downsides are that they are also the most expensive type of cloth diaper out there, and they take a long time to dry.

Again, there are just TONS of different diapers out there. Some are more expensive than others, some are cuter than others :), and some work better on chubby babies or on skinny babies, etc. etc. I am just bringing you a small sampling here.

What about money?

Cloth diapers do have a higher start-up cost, but by the time your baby is potty trained you will have gotten more than your money's worth out of them. Consider these numbers:

• The average baby uses 5,000 diapers before they are potty-trained (but if you use cloth that number might be less, because babies potty train faster if they are wearing cloth diapers).
• Disposable diapers cost on average $0.28 each. $0.28 x 5,000 = $1,400 (that's a lot of money to spend on trash!)
• The average cloth-diapering family will need about 6 dozen diapers. For a prefold-and-covers system, that would run about $300 total. For a pockets or aio's system it would be more, maybe around $500-$700. Sound like a better price tag?

Keep in mind that most of your diapers will be in good enough shape to use for your next baby too, so their cost could realistically be cut in half.

Here are a couple of other products that will make your cloth-diapering home run smoothly:

Cloth wipes (don't spend a lot of money on these, just search on eBay or make your own), a diaper pail, and diaper pail liners. The small diaper totes (pictured) also work great for in the diaper bag. Then you just need a squirt bottle full of water (with some mild soap and/or essential oils if you want) to keep next to your stack of wipes, and you're set!

Alright.

One last issue here: Laundry.

Yes. It's true. In order for the diapers to be worn again, they must first get clean.

Seriously people, it's not that bad. I've been doing it 3 times a week for a year and four months, and it really only takes a couple minutes. You don't need any special products, just some good unscented laundry detergent and a washing machine. I wash my diapers twice, once on cold and once on hot, and then do an extra rinse cycle to make sure all the soap residue is gone (if your diapers are smelly, the problem is that you are using too much soap. Leftover soap residue can make your diapers less absorbent and actually not as clean, funny as it seems).

To sum up:

Disposable diapers are bad.

Cloth diapers are good, cute, easy, and FUN!

Now go forth and diaper with pride!

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Sources:

“Diaper Facts.” Real Diaper Association. 2007. 29 November 2007. http://www.realdiaperassociation.org/diaperfacts.php.

‘Diapers, Diapers & More Diapers – Cloth vs. Disposable.” New Parent’s Guide. 2007. 29 November 2007. http://www.thenewparentsguide.com/diapers.htm.

“Cloth vs. Disposable Diapers.” Institute for Lifecycle Environmental Assessment. 1992. 29 November 2007. http://www.ilea.org/lcas/franklin1992.html.

Cotton Babies. Cotton Babies Inc. 2007. 29 November 2007. http://www.cottonbabies.com/.

so who is this sophstar's mama anyways?

Or rather, what kind of Mama am I?

I am a cloth-diapering Mama. I am a co-sleeping Mama. I am an attachment-parenting Mama. I am a selectively-vaccinating Mama.

I was an exclusively breastfeeding Mama. I am a natural-childbirth Mama (my baby wasn't "delivered"... I birthed my baby into this world, into the water, into the hands of my midwife).

I am an energy-conserving Mama. I am a green cleaning Mama. I am a recycling Mama. I am an organics Mama. I am a teen Mama. I was a single Mama... now I am a married Mama. I am an Alaskan Mama (for Obama!).

So. I am all of these things, and I'm going to try to start getting more into these issues that I am passionate about here on my blog - so stay tuned!

Love,
Sophstar's Mama

a beautiful day in the neighborhood

We got a pleasant surprise today - a warm, sunny day to wrap up September with. The cottonwoods are yellow and dropping all their leaves already, it hasn't rained (yet) all day, and the breeze is cold but not the air.

Sophie played with leaves in her stroller on our walk on the Airport Dike Trail this morning. We both had to take our coats off because it was so warm out, I think they said on the radio highs to 55 degrees today. Sophie got tired of sitting and playing with leaves by the time we got to the end of the trail, so we had a little play-break on the beach.

She likes to throw rocks as far as she can, run as fast as she can, and when she gets tired she likes to find the wettest place she can to sit down in. Like a bunch of seaweed. Or beach weeds.

We better enjoy the beach (and the trees, and the clean air) all we can now because we're moving back to Colorado Springs in December, right before Christmas, and right after my semester at UAS ends.

Some other changes: Sophie's down to one nap a day now (which she is currently protesting) and she is going to bed earlier (usually she's asleep by 7:45pm). This gives me less time to do homework during the day but more time at night, which I guess is a good enough trade. Also I am back on methotrexate after an almost four-week break due to getting caught up with a new doctor here in Juneau, and am now back to feeling like all of my bones have gained an extra pound or two.

But it's a beautiful day, I've got nothing to complain about, and Sophie wants to go out and play!