The Earth Day Upcycle

Well, this blog has a two part purpose. The first is, of course, our responsibility to be good stewards of what has been given to us...ie: the earth. The second is our entry to win this giveaway.

I decided to upcycle something that would help us in the big picture of our EC journey. Since we are trying to not use as many diapers, I thought this would be the perfect project. Instead of purchasing new training pants for Jaxon, I decided to turn his old prefolds into new training pants. Now, as I don't have these skills myself; I enlisted a great Etsy store owner for help. Here is our project in picture form:

So our journey of EC continues to be healthier for Jaxon and the earth as we continue to reduce our water usage for diaper washing and our product usage to make diapers. I helped out the small business model by employing a SAHM for this project. I also got some really cool looking cloth training pants out of it. I would have loved to have made them myself, but my skills are just not there yet.

So now I challenge you, what is your project going to be for Earth Day? Get your kids involved and recycle/upcycle/plant/reuse for a good cause! Pay it forward and do something for a cause that makes the earth a prettier place!!

Happy Half Birthday

Jaxon is officially half way through his first year of life. It is crazy to think how quickly it has gone. We are so truly gracious to have been blessed with such a wonderful baby. No, he is not perfect by any stretch of the means; but he definitely is a great little dude to have around!! Here is where we were to where we are now:

Happy Half Birthday!!! I love you, little man!!

The Journey Continues

Here is where we are in our diaper free world. We have made some great progress. Jaxon's signals have changed so much from when we first started our journey. He now gets quite fussy and audible when he needs to pee or poo. He will get very squirmy when being held and not be consolable if he is playing on the floor by himself. It is so nice to understand almost all of his cries and fussiness. I can meet his needs so much quicker which increases our relationship exponentially.

I don't like to focus on catches and misses, but he has been doing exceptionally well the past couple of weeks. We had a rough few weeks during his and my sicknesses. Needless to say, we weren't communicating very well. As he started to get better, our communication picked right back up. He has not had a poo diaper (minus one because I didn't get out of bed in time) in about 2 weeks!! I still probably miss about 30% of his pees. Sometimes those misses are a small tinkle before he makes it to the bathroom.

A few funny things that have happened include:

I wouldn't consider this incident a true "miss", but we didn't quite hit the toilet. He woke up one morning and was quite squirmy. I got him undressed and headed for the bathroom. We got just inside the bathroom door and started to position for the toilet seat when he poo'd all over the bathroom floor. Mind you, he was in my arms...so this was quite a distance from the floor. Yeah, we had high velocity splatter! I don't think I was quick enough on the draw for him that morning.

Another thing is his noticeable excitement for pooing. I make a "psss" noise when he pees and say "poo" when he poos. He has a little grunt for poo, waits for me to say "poo" then smiles and laughs at what he has done. It is really cute and I can't help but laugh.

Our journey is good! We have some upcoming new things like more teething and creeping and crawling have commenced! We will see what new excitement this brings!

Diaper Freedom!!!

We just had an interview for Good Morning America yesterday. Don, Jaxon and I along with Melinda Rothstein (founder of DiaperFreeBaby.org) all will be featured on a segment by GMA concerning potty learning. The segment is due to air on Wednesday, Feb 23.

While doing the interview, some interesting questions were brought up by the interviewer. I want to clarify the many reason why I think this is a wonderful process. I also want to share this process with the many many moms who have children young enough to go through the process, but may have never heard about it.

Reasons:

1. Communication: I think that communication with babies is very important to help in the bonding and attachment relationship. That communication can seem difficult sometimes when we are not keenly aware of their signals. I'm going to tell you a little secret....babies are not verbal. Since I have let you all in on that little detail, now we can look at different ways of communication. When babies need to eat, they root and smack their lips. When babies are tired, they rub their eyes and get fussy. When babies need to be close, they reach out to us. So the same is for elimination patterns. When babies need to pee or poo, they communicate to use by using signals. Some of these signals may include fussiness, squirming, a pause in what they are doing, or coming on and off the breast. These are all ways that babies inform us of their need to eliminate prior to actually doing the deed. My job is to communicate back. I can do this by ignoring their signals and letting them eliminate in a diaper on themselves. Or, I can do this by taking them to the proper receptacle to eliminate. I am then communicating that it is okay to eliminate, and you won't be doing it on yourself. This type of communication increases the bond between baby and caregiver. It increases the amount of trust the baby has in us as caregivers to meet their needs which will in turn decrease their stress level.

2. Natural instinct: Babies are born with a natural instinct or desire to eliminate somewhere other than on themselves. This is why the newborn baby cries after he pees or poos. This is why when you take that diaper off, newborns will pee. They don't want to sit in their pee or poo no more than any adult desires to. After time, this instinct will start to dissolve because we train them that eliminating on themselves is normal by keeping them in diapers all of the time. Why not allow them to keep this instinct by placing them on a potty instead?

3. Time Consuming: When I first heard of DFB or EC, I thought about how my time was already going to be so limited. Why would I want to add more stuff to the crazy life of taking care of a new baby. Well, I quickly learned that it takes much longer for me to change a diaper on a baby who thinks diapers are the most evil thing ever invented than it does to take him to the potty. This has become part of our normal routine throughout the day. Contrary to what you may think, I don't spend hours a day hovering over a toilet.

4. Health: The idea of a urinary tract infection causes shivers up my body. I hate to suffer from a UTI. It is very uncomfortable. Now throw a UTI on a nonverbal baby. I don't even want to imagine the horror. By removing the wet diaper, I now reduce the chance of a UTI. That simple. I also reduce the chance of getting a diaper rash. I have seen some pretty bad diaper rashes in my work days. I would have no desire to have those scaly, itching, burning red bumps on my butt, would you....so why risk my son's bottom.

5. Environment: The less that I use diapers (disposable or cloth) the better for the environment...that simple.

6. Struggle: Traditional potty learning can bring many bad thoughts into the minds of parents who have already been there and done that. This is a process that shouldn't bring about torture for the parent or child. I want my son to have a gentle experience. I shouldn't have to force him to do anything, much less something that is a natural instinct for humans. Although potty learning is not the ultimate goal with EC, it is a side effect of it. Side effects of my parenting should be just as gentle as the parenting itself.

These are my musing as to why I truly believe that Elimination Communication is a wonderful process by which I can increase the attachment bond between Jaxon and I. We have reached a comfortable level of understanding by increasing our communication with one another.

4 Months

I can't believe that Jaxon has already been with us for 4 months. It is crazy how quickly time is flying by.

He is becoming such a busy little beaver. We just got back from Boston, which was his second road trip. He has already taken an airplane trip, also. He got to go swimming for the first time this past weekend. He has gotten to meet many internationally renown strength and conditioning specialists. Pretty cool first 4 months!!

We've entered into the world of full time elimination communication. He is doing very well. He pees and poos in the sink and big toilet. He has gone in his little potty, but doesn't like it because the seat is too cold!!! He's gone in public restrooms as well while we were traveling. He will take some naps where he wakes up completely dry. We've had days where he refuses to pee anywhere but in the diaper, and days when he screams when I put his diapers on. He spends a lot of time naked. He has taken a few naps while being completely naked, and he didn't pee at all!! It has been fun to figure out his pottying cues! It is fun to watch him watch himself in the mirror while he pees. He gets really excited for himself!!

I have no idea how big he is right now. We haven't been to the pediatrician since early December. We do have an appointment coming up. I will update on his weight and height at that point. I know he has grown, though. Some of his 3-6 month clothes aren't fitting :(!!

He is really starting to enjoy his Jumparoo. He is a big fan of sitting in the swing in the morning time and looking outside. He still loves to be worn and we have ventured into the world of back carries and woven wraps! I love wrapping and I love woven wraps. So much fun!!! He is big cuddler when he is tired. He loves to cuddle up in bed and, well of course, eat!!! He is a great nurser. No problems in the eating area!!! His favorite toys right now are a mirror, a vibrating and laughing cow and my face.

Being his mommy is exhausting and exhilarating...but I wouldn't trade it for the world!!! I love you Jaxon Parker....

Poo and Pee and All That In Between!!!

Well, we are officially embarking on an elimination journey with Elimination Communication. Jaxon is teaching us when he needs to poo or pee in the potty instead of in diapers. I encourage anyone with kids to read up on it. It is a great tool to get to know your baby even better. We officially started it full time today, but have been doing it occasionally up to this point. He has peed in the toilet multiple times. We are still working on poos at this point. Lots of diaper free time. Beware, you may see many naked baby pics coming up.

Our goal is not to potty learn early (although that will probably be accomplished), but to increase our communication to each other. As he communicates his need to poo or pee, I increase my communication to him by answering these needs. He seems to enjoy his diaper free time. We also just purchased his brand new potty. We purchased the BeCO potty which is truly biodegradable after we are finished. Also, some more baby legs coming our way to keep those little legs warm when not wearing much clothing or diapers.

Bid us well on our journey....

Three Months

Well, we have made it 3 months with our little man. It is amazing how time flies. We have already had so many "firsts". We had our first Thanksgiving, our first Christmas, our first New Year's, our first car trip, and our first airplane trip. He's had a busy little life in just 3 months. He has been in NY, NJ and TN already. I'm so sure that he will remember to tell you all about his experience with these things, also!! I know he is somewhere between 15 and 16 lbs now and is about 25-26 inches tall. He is teething like crazy, grasping for his toys, "talking" (oohs and ahhs), smiling, laughing, loves his bath time, eating like he may never get fed again, not waking as much (see side note), and starting to like his Jumparoo seat!

*****Side Note****
He is not waking as much, but he is eating all night long. Let me explain. We went to my dad's house for New Year's and spent 10 days there. Before going, I had been placing him in the cosleeper for the first few hours at night, and then moving him over to our bed in the early, early morning. He would then nurse on and off for the rest of the morning. This usually happened around 4 or 5. When we were at my dad's house, he slept with me all night. My dad has a heated mattress pad on the bed, so Jaxon would spread out and sleep great on the heated bed. He would cuddle next to me all night and nurse freely. I have given up on changing this as we do sleep great this way. He nurses whenever all night and I sleep all night (mostly). The co sleeper has became a great place to hold diapers and wipes :)!

Little Updates:
1. He still continues to refuse all pacifiers of every shape and size
2. He nurses like a champ
3. He has horrible eczema which requires daily oatmeal baths, prescription cream, calendula cream and a dairy free mommy
4. He has started bringing both legs up into the crawling position, but can't quite lift his head off the ground at the same time
5. Cloth diaper is going great. We have every shape and sort of cloth diaper. We even have daddy friendly cloth diapers.
6. He likes to look at himself in the mirror.
7. Teething has brought on the world of constant drooling.
8. He is still the cutest guy ever!!!

Two Months

Today my little guy is officially 2 months old. Time is flying by. It is hard to remember what life was like before him. The past month has been fun and frenzied all at the same time. This month he has gained more strength in rolling over, can hold his head up by his hands (not just his elbows), coos all the time, laughs, giggles a little, loves to take baths and showers, had his first cold, started teething and loves long walks on the beach (just making sure you're listening!) He weighs 14.3 lbs and is 24.5 inches long. He wears a few 0-3 month clothes and a few 3-6 month clothes. We have perfected the art of cloth diapering (at least for this stage). He loves to be worn in the sling while strolling around Manhattan. He sleeps partially in our bed and partially in the cosleeper. He has slept for 5 hours but mostly sleeps between 3-4 hour stretches. He likes his bouncy seat for a short while, then usually goes back to being worn in the sling. He likes to cuddle. He likes to be held while I bounce on the physio-ball. He is my little man and I love watching his development.

He has also taught me many more crucial things over the past month. As he puts me through mommy boot camp, I am constantly amazed at the new obstacles that he can throw my way.

Life lessons courtesy of Jaxon:

1. Let down still occurs at the most unfortunate times.
2. Patterned shirts are always a better choice for public. (see #1)
3. Cutting a baby's fingernails is an art and a science that require mad skills.
4. His favorite place to breastfeed is walking through the mall being worn in a sling when I have 5 shopping bags in my hands, a drink and not a chair in sight.
5. The quieter the place, the more likely he will cry and it will probably be loud.
6. Cuddling is always a priority to anything I was doing or planning on doing.
7. Any hair near his hands is fair game.
8. Always buy the outfit one size larger as he will outgrow it as soon as you cut the tags, wash it, and make it non-returnable.
9. His smile will always make any day better.
10. When I think I can't possibly love him anymore than I already do, the next day comes and so does more love!

We have definitely had our struggles as any new parents do, but we are so blessed to have him in our lives!

A few parenting books/blogs/news from this month have included:
The Happiest Baby on the Block
Diaper Free Baby
Better for Babies blog
the Natural Child Project website/blog

Why????

Why?? Why do we do what we do as parents? Why do we read, not read, sleep train, not sleep train, breastfeed, bottlefeed, cloth diaper, disposable diaper, organic or nonorganic? These are questions that new moms have to face all the time when preparing for parenting. Unfortunately, these questions continue. There will always be critics of everything you do, especially your parenting style. I did not think I would have to defend my style so early in my child's little life (at the ripe age of 1 month).

Unfortunately, I had an acquaintance and strong proponent of the Babywise method that it is a very realistic version of parenting. She proceeded to tell me that I would not understand until I had more children and that one child is "a piece of cake." This is coming from a girl who has only 2 kids. I do not know her children's temperaments, nor does she know mine. Whether she meant it as a slam or just a statement (with no harm intended), it kind of made me mad. I can take a lot of criticism and tend to run the line of not rocking the boat on parenting styles because you have to do what works for you and I will do what works for me. I also think change for every child, because nothing will work for everyone. But this rebutal is in response to that statement. I will be the first to say that I have so much to learn and really know very little about parenting. I have one child who is 1 month old. I can stand a few "lessons" from other parents. I also am very open to hearing ANY idea that you may have, but I will take it with a grain of salt and move on. I am also aware that having more than one child is different that having only 1 child, but your intention to parent the children does not change. There are alot of issues that I obviously have not crossed because of the age of my child, but that doesn't change how I parent and my philosophy. I am also open to changing methods if something does not work for us, but I won't throw my whole theory out with the bath water.

I am a Christian, wife, mother, sister, friend, green, organic, hippie, libertarian, cloth diapering, co sleeping, breastfeeding, attachment parenting, baby wearing, not sure about schooling, barefooting, natural birthing, thinks pot should be legal kind of girl. (And yes, I said that last statement!)

These are the things that define me as a person and make me...well...me! These are the things that determine what parenting style my husband and I have chosen. Now, speaking of parenting styles...I don't really like to label it. I like to do what seems natural and intentional. That being said, my theories do line up more with AP than with any other philosophy.

That leads me to my explanations of parenting for my husband and I:

1. Natural Pregnancy and Labor: I believe that labor is intended to be a natural process, not a medical diagnosis if you have a healthy, normal pregnancy. I chose to be very holistic in my care, have a natural delivery and be as organic as possible during my pregnancy. I believe that home births and birth center births are awesome. I am saying this as someone who did it and also as a labor and delivery nurse. This is not for everyone, but it did work for us. There are things I did during my pregnancy that probably weren't the best (ie: eating a whole row of Oreos or eating carne asada chips at 3AM), but that doesn't make me a bad mother...just human. I did what I could and I what I thought was best. Why? Because it felt natural!

2. Baby bonding: I believe that baby bonding is very important. I was not able to put the baby skin to skin immediately after birth due to complications, but I did do this as soon as it was medically safe and possible. I cherish the moments where my son laid on my bare chest and his little naked body snuggled close. I cherish the skin to skin breastfeeding. It was the most natural feeling I could feel and loved every minute of it. We did this multiple times throughout the early days and weeks after birth. Why? Because it felt natural!

3. Breastfeeding: I believe that breastfeeding is a privilege and opportunity that I have to do what is best for my child. It provides immunity, comfort, and nourishment all in one. I can continue to increase the bond with my child. Do I think you are a bad mother because you bottle feed or use formula...no, but this is what I have chosen. I also do infant led feeding and weaning. I plan to feed as often and as long as my child desires so that I don't rip that closeness away too early. This is researched fact by the WHO. When people follow methods such as "parent directed feeding", evidence shows possible health implications that could pose harmful for the infant. I get to eat when I want, why shouldn't my child. Do you eat at the same exact time every day and the same exact amount of food? Probably not. This is what is my choice. Why? Because it felt natural!

4. Intentional parenting: I intend to meet all of my baby's emotional, physical, and other needs as much as I possibly can. I plan to learn my baby's cues and cries and determine what he needs...then meet it. I do not think (especially in infants) that children should have to learn to self soothe at such an early age. I also don't plan to offer them more distress than the world will already provide. I want to provide comfort and trust for my child. They need to feel safe with their parents. Why? Because it felt natural!

5. CoSleeping: My husband and I have initiated a family bedsharing process for sleeping. I feel this provides rest for all of us, safety for my child, and comfort for my child. I also find it much easier to fulfill the breastfeeding on demand this way. This may change in the future, but for now...it works. I do think that "sleep training" is important in moderation and with the right kind of model. You either sleep train with time or with tears. I choose time. I don't plan to allow my child to CIO. I plan to use models such as The No Cry Sleep Solution. This will also be determined partially by my child. I get to sleep when I want, why shouldn't he. Why? Because it feels natural!

6. Cloth Diapers: This makes economical sense. This makes environmental sense. This makes diaper rash almost go away. This keeps chemicals away from my baby. They are also just so darn cute on little babies! Why? Because it feels natural!

7. Babywearing: I believe this is important for many reasons. No need for a child to feel like less of a person all the time living at knee high in a stroller. It is easier to move around and I carry less stuff. The child gets to learn from me about social interaction and gets to see things from my perspective. It provides comfort for an overstimulating world. It is "womb" like for my little tyke. I, again, can meet the demands of breastfeeding easier and quicker. I can breastfeeding anywhere at anytime. (yes, I nurse freely in public) He doesn't have to cry and wait for comfort because he is already comforted and is quietly alert in my arms taking in all the sites around. Why? Because it feels natural!

8. Balance: I strive to achieve balance in my life. This includes my personal walk with Jesus, my relationship with my husband, my chores around the house, my alone time, and of course, my parenting time. This is still in the very early stages of my parenting life, but I can still strive for this. Why? Because it feels natural!

Now, all that being said...I have to knock just a little on Babywise. There are many other parenting methods that I disagree with also, ,such as Ferberization. But at least Dr. Ferber is an MD, does research at Boston Children's in a sleep lab. He adjusts his methods according to his research results and states that not everything works for all babies. I can at least respect the man, but I don't have to agree with the model.

Babywise is written by Gary Ezzo. It was first written as Sunday school material for a class that he and his wife taught years ago. He renamed it Babywise when he made a secular version and got a crazy pediatrician to agree with him. If you do your research, though; you will see that he has been ex communicated by his church, his publisher, his business partners, his pastor and HIS OWN CHILDREN! He also has no medical or psychological training in the field in which he teaches. He also relates morality to childhood behaviors. Just because a child cries to eat does not make this child immoral. This method claims to have "no evidence of harm", but it does not claim to have "evidence of NO HARM!" There is a big difference. I for one intend to provide no trust issues for my baby. The big bad world will do that without me helping. Yes, I will mess up as a parent and do the wrong thing. I hope to not do it intentionally, though.

Sorry for such a long blog...but sometimes you just have to vent. This is the most rational, nonviolent, calm and respectful way that I know how.

This is my voice. This is my choice. This is my parenting!

Happy 1 Month

Well, we have made it to the 1 month mark. It has been a crazy, but fun and amazing month since October 7 at 2:08am. He is 11+ lbs and 22+ inches long. He is in the 90th percentile on the growth charts. He nurses like a champ! His calendar consists of eating, sleeping, pooping, visual tracking, the occasional rollover, crying, smiling and trips to Manhattan. He is a great little guy to have around!

I have learned a lot in 1 month. He has trained me pretty well in the art of mothering. Here are some of the lessons that he has schooled me in:

1. I can change a flat, prefold, fitted, and AI2 cloth diaper in the dark, in the floor, with my eyes closed, in the bathroom at Nordstrom's, on a shag rug, and in the car.
2. I can manage to make a full load of laundry in just 1 day.
3. I can breastfeed and sleep through it.
4. Co sleeping is a new change to our habits, but it is great.
5. Babywearing keeps me so much warmer in NYC than I had ever expected.
6. Sleep deprivation has no limits.
7. Every time I go anywhere, I now have to pack what seems to be a full blown suitcase for just a couple of hours. I have learned to pre-plan and pre-pack the night before (especially for early morning adventures).
8. I can cook, breastfeed, and put dishes away all at the same time.
9. A bouncy seat is worth a million dollars in housework!
10. No need to go to the gym when I have an 11 lb moving weight that likes constant motion.
11. Milk let down occurs at the most unfortunate times.


These are just a few of the things that I have learned. Like I said, I have been trained fairly well in this past month. We are starting to groove pretty well. APing is getting much easier. I have a great AP parents group that meets once a month. They are a great group of moms with a wealth of knowledge (especially knowledge of the NYC area). The greatest thing of all, though, is having Don come home after working all day and offer to wear Jaxon around the apt building so I can get a short break. The break of course is much needed and very helpful, but having him offer and seeing him wear Jaxon is the best!!

After all of that, my little man is beckoning me...so Happy 1 month Birthday, Jaxon...we love you!!