October 29, 2008

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??

October 28, 2008

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??

October 25, 2008

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!

October 18, 2008

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!

October 17, 2008

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?

October 14, 2008

hey sarah palin



I couldn't have said it better!

October 09, 2008

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.


October 06, 2008

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.

October 03, 2008

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!
-------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
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/.

October 01, 2008

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