All I Want for Christmas: My Christmas List

This is my Christmas list.  Finances have been tight, so I haven't bought myself much of anything recently, ergo the list is particularly plentiful.  Though it may seem a heavy handed hint to my darling husband,, hopefully it will give you an idea or two for a woman in your own life or even a few ideas about what to wish for this year.

Kitchen Wall Calendar
My iPhone calendar ap is great, but there is something really nice about having a hard copy family calendar up in the kitchen.  This one is nice, but I'd love any of an assortment of pretty botanical or native California plants calendars.

Found here

Taurus Necklace
You can't get much sweeter than jewelry with your child's astrological sign.  I love both of these abstract interpretations of Taurus.

Steal vs. Splurge

UCLA Hoodie
Alma mater pride in a more feminine cut.

Go Bruins

Fabric/tea towels from Spoonflower
Spoonflower is one of my all time favorite sources for unique and beautiful prints.  These tea towels are awesome and I love the way a pretty tea towel makes the kitchen a little happier.

Too cute

Voluspa candles
I have never met a candle I love more than Voluspa.  They are pricey but you can find them on sale if you are open to new scents.  Several different retailers sell them, but I often find them in the clearance section at Anthropologie.

Bliss.....

Police Scanner
This is completely superfluous and idiotic.  It just goes to show what a busybody I am now that I'm at home all day, but it would be super interesting to know what's going on in my hood when I hear the sirens a-howling.  

Don't hate me 'cause you ain't me

Modernist Cuisine at Home
This cookbook, put together by a super techie ex-Microsoft big wig, is supposed to be absolutely amazing.  I would love to have it in my cookbookcase, but it's expensive!

buy me

Tocca Perfumes
There is nothing better when you smell questionable (small children and too many animals can do that to you) than to spritz on a little of this stuff.  A little goes a long way and these scents really are divine.

At Sephora

Big Purse
I'm a woman in between a purse and a diaper bag.  I don't want to take the diaper bag to the grocery store or dentist when I'm flying solo, and I dislike having a purse that makes toting along a few wipes and diapers inconvenient.  I'm hoping a larger, organized purse will help bridge the gap.

via Etsy

Prints for Kitchen
I love prints as gifts for the house.  I know artwork is very personal, but for me... I have so many bare walls, I think it's such a nice reminder of the person who gave it to you and the sentiment rather than the print itself.  I can always find a place for it somewhere.  My kitchen could use a few new prints to spruce it up.  There is not much in the world that is happier to me than bread and food and cheese and cookies and, well, warmth and love. 

Etsy is a great source for prints, though searching can be a pain

FitBit
Bran has one of these nifty little pedometers that tracks your daily steps and uploads them to a website that tracks your progress.  If you buy the scale, it will automatically sync and tell you how you're faring. It's great motivation to keep moving and is an easy way to make sure you're getting all the moving you need.

Fitbit now has several options

Clothes
I plan to do a post soon on my ideas for sprucing up my wardrobe on a shoestring, because it needs it desperately.  I'm in a very weird spot, with not having bought any clothes since before I was pregnant (over a year!).  Significant changes in my needs and wants in clothes have occurred over that time period, and I want to invest in some new items that are comfortable but nice.  My goal is also to feel good enough that I don't fear leaving the house just in case I unexpectedly run into someone I haven't seen in years, all without breaking the bank.  Possible?  Or am I destined for mom-jean-dom?



What is on your wish list this year?

Why am I being weird about introducing solids?

At Georgia's three month appointment, our pediatrician said, "The next time I see you, I want you to have tried giving her a little rice cereal. Not much, just a tablespoon thinned with breast milk." His reasoning is the iron content of my breastmilk is dropping and the cereal is fortified and blah blah blah rice cereal.

I'm being weird about it. For a few weeks, I'd be at the store, go to buy a box of the cereal, stare at all my choices, handle the boxes, put one in my cart, then ditch it a few aisle later. I've managed to get some home at this point, but it sits on the shelf in the pantry and the only thing I've done with it is give it the side eye from time to time.

At Georgia's four month appointment, I had to admit that we hadn't tried with the cereal yet. I really like my pediatrician and I try not to dismiss the advice of any doctor I trust and like, but I also think we have to pay attention those feelings the grip us and make moving forward difficult.

Part of my reluctance comes from tummy issues myself for a long, long time and I worry that Georgia will inherent them. Part of it comes from a feeling that spoon feeding is a hassle best avoided. And part of me feels like she just isn't ready for anything other than breastmilk.

Today was Georgia's 5 month appointment. She's nearly 16 pounds, 26 inches tall and by every other measure, she's growing beautifully. And she still hasn't had any rice cereal. My pediatrician shrugged his shoulders and said if she doesn't have anything but breastmilk by the time she's six months, that's fine, and something deep inside of me relaxed.

I think at the heart of all of this is a reluctance to push Georgia through her milestones. Out and about, people ask, "Is she teething? Is she talking? Is she sitting up yet?" And I know it's right that babies should grow and change and the alternative to development is not a good one.

But this little baby did not come easily into our lives and as I look down at her in my arms, I wonder to myself "What if this is my only baby?" I just don't want to rush through these weeks and months and years.

How We're Living: November

Everett & Cori

6 months

Rawr

Time flies.  It has been a little rockier in terms of sleep for our household this month, but Everett is still a joyful bebe. We seem to be going through more phases than we used to, but we're still doing pretty well. Some days it's great, others it's OK.  It's never terrible, but we certainly go through periods where it kinda blows.  We thought it might be teething, then maybe not, then probably not, then just baby being baby.  Did you hear I had a baby and he's all babylike and stuff?  I sound wishy washy because I am.  Every day is different, but this is a typical one:

5:30am- Everett wakes up to nurse.  Oh wait.  He doesn't nurse AT ALL anymore!  FML!  I get up and grab him a pumped bottle.  He drifts back to sleep.  I wake up for the day.  Maybe.  I pump and then spend a little time to myself before everyone wakes up.

7:30 - Household awakens.  Bran feeds Everett a bottle while I tool around or we all cuddle in bed.  He then hands the baby off to me while he gets ready for the day.

9:00-  Everett goes down for a nap.  He sleeps for an hour.  This is when I get ready, shower, clean, start laundry... try to get the annoying crap out the way.  Or I fart around on the Internet depending on how I'm feeling.

10:00 - He wakes up and eats SOLIDS (after baba)!  Bananas, and yams, and winter squash.... OH MY!  We hang and play or run errands or ...? 

12:30- He probably is napping at this point, but his schedule is in the midst of a change.  Usually he'll nap for 45-1 hour minutes midday, but has been known to steal a 3 hour nap if the mood strikes.  He's pretty regimented usually, though.

1:30 - We walk and talk and play and hang.

4:30 - Usually, another 45 minutes to an hour nap.  Sometimes we'll walk at this time, before the sun sets, and he'll nap in the stroller.

5:30 - Wake up before daddy gets home.  I will usually feed him MORE SOLIDS.  My kid loves to eat.  More activity after he gets a food.

6:30 - Bran walks in and he gets babby!  Play time and change the clothes/diaper.  We hang out in the kitchen while I cook.  Everett will want to go to sleep around 7:30ish.  I will finish up dinner while Bran does the nighttime routine - bottle, rock, songs, sleep.

8pm- Hubby and wifey eat dinner, watch TV, hang out.

9:30 - My last pump of the day (other pumps are 6am, 11am, 4pm, roughly).  Everett is really changing things up for us, but usually the earliest he'll wake up is 3:30am (after 11pm dream feed - crosses fingers and toes).   He doesn't even want to eat, he'll just be disgruntled.  This is part of a phase, I think.  I just shhhh him back to sleep, or give him Mylicon, or sometimes rock if he's particularly upset.  He usually wakes again at 5:30ish to eat a little something.  But it changes daily and you never know what to expect. I expect the worst and go to bed thinking I'll get 5 hours of sleep in a row with several other pieced together, so then everything good after that is the cherry on top. 

Georgia & Natty

We're almost to the five month mark and life has become a bit more predicable than it was just a month ago.

7 a.m. - Everybody wakes up. I nurse the baby in bed, then Georgia plays between us while Patrick and I have our morning coffee. It's easily my favorite part of the day. Reluctantly, we get up and start our days-- Patrick gets ready for work, I fire up the laptop and start emailing with students, and Georgia plays with her toys.

8:30/9 a.m. - Georgia takes her first nap. This tends to be her big nap of the day, so I use the time to have breakfast, shower, and get as much work as possible done. Sometimes she nurses before she lays down, but she's often more sleepy than hungry at this point.

11 a.m. - Georgia wakes up and she nurses. Generally, I've left her in her jammies from then night before, so now is the time for a bath and getting dressed. If it's nice out, we'll often go for a walk but the air has been awful lately, so she's more likely to play on her play mat until she's ready to nurse and nap again.

12:30/1 p.m - Nap #2. I grab some lunch and get back to work.

2:30/3 p.m. - Georgia wakes up and lots of times, we nurse, then head out and do some errands. She's sitting in the seat of the shopping cart now, so errands are a LOT more fun for her and I can get out with more than a little handbasket of food. Winners, all around!

4:30/5 p.m. - Usually, she takes one final, quick nap around this time but it's a tough one. It seems like lots of things come up at this time, or she only sleep for 10-15 minutes and doesn't really rest and the rest of the evening gets very tough. I never realized how much time and energy I would put towards protecting my child's naps! If all goes well, she sleep for 45 minute to an hour and she's fresh and happy when Patrick comes home.

5:30/6 p.m. - Georgia is up and once daddy is home, she's his best friend. I volley between wrapping up my work and getting some dinner together. We bounce between eating dinner, nursing, getting little miss ready for bed, relaxing and reconnecting.

7:30/8 p.m. - I take Georgia into her bedroom for a final nurse before bed. Putting her to bed used to be the most stressful part of our day but it is slowly getting better. It takes about 30 minutes of rocking and nursing to help her drift off but after that, I can usually lay her down and she'll sleep until 1 or 2 in the morning. Sometimes, she wakes up again at 5 or so, but there have been a few times where she hasn't gotten up until 7 the next morning, which you can imagine feels AMAZING.

Thanksgiving

To My Butterball,

You are here.  Here are you.  I remember thinking last year at this time, when nobody but a few close friends and family even knew you were percolating, that I would have a 6 month old next year at this, my favorite time of the year.  It's amazing.

You are here and you are better than I ever could have imagined.  For that, I give thanks.

This year is going to be different.  We'll still have the same old dry turkey, too loud football, and tipsy spilling of family secrets (I will tell you about them when you're older - I have some gems), but you... you are the new addition.  It will be so fun. I am going to try to savor every morsel of you and this experience this holiday season.  We are so lucky, I know, and time passes too quickly.

In years to come, I hope you are able to appreciate Thanksgiving, with a deep love of family and self that stretches from here and expands further than time can tell.  The people make today what it is, the food just makes it extra tasty.  You know I love Thanksgiving and cooking, and we would have great fun if you also were curious about the perfect turkey temperature or delectable brussels sprouts recipes(they exist!), but more than anything, I just want you to want to learn and be curious about the world in whatever facet you so desire, today and always.  I would so love for you to find joy in strategizing with Daddy about football, watching reruns of Twilight Zone with Dad (my dad), or chatting to your cousins about their adventures in college or life.  I hope you can find your unique lens to appreciate Thanksgiving through.

I will do my best to help you become a person who finds it easy and rewarding to be reflective and appreciative today and all days by living my life that way, as best I can.  We love you so much.  This is the start of our first holiday season being a family of three and I am so thankful for today, and for you, and for this life we are living.  You are best.

Love,
Marmee

Dear Georgia,

On Thursday, 21 people who love you will come to your house. They'll be noisy and funny and pass you like a sack of hilarious jewels from person to person throughout the afternoon and evening. This will be your first Thanksgiving.

Next year, you'll eat sweet potatoes and chunks of turkey with your fat little hands. The year after, you'll be the littlest one at the kids' table with your cousins. I have to squint to see much more into the future than this. Will you be saying thanks for a brother or sister? Will you put on a tutu and dance for your guests, or will you hide in the drapes with a book? As the years pass, will you be in the kitchen, tasting the gravy with a critical eye, or will you be in the living room, starting a debate with your most opinionated kin?

I hope this day is always a happy day for you. Sometimes we grownups let the stress of entertaining or family hiccups overshadow what should be a day for feasting and gratitude. I hope that as you grow, you see us expressing gratitude for this life every day of the year. And I hope as you grow into adulthood, you can be grateful to us making this world a little better for you and your generation, not worse.

For now, I hope I take a moment with you on Thursday just to hold you in my arms and sniff your perfect baby head as I give thanks for you.

Love,

Mama

How to "Make" a Security Blanket

Lovies, Soothers, Minkies, Blankies... whatever they're called, they're wonderful.

I had a blankie growing up and when I was little, my mother was in a skiing accident that had her in and out of the hospital for about a year. I remember holding my blankie close and missing her terribly as I fell asleep.

Georgia's never taken to a pacifier or sucked her thumb, but she's been able to self-soothe for a long time because she has her "minky", a fleecey little security blanket with a monkey's head in the middle. That's a rather stark description but you can see in the picture above, it's very sweet.

Choose wisely. You want to pick something safe, small, and stylish.

• Safe. Button eyes are precious and a bear wearing rainboots is adorable but choking is not cute. I inspect Georgia's lovey daily, especially where the little bow is sewn to the top of monkey's head.
• Small. My neice somehow bonded with a huge, heavy lambskin rug and she would dutifully draaaaag that thing around with her. My own blankie was the size of a beach towel and it was often filthy from being dragged along the ground. Georgia's is small enough to be tucked into a purse of pocket.
• Stylish. If your child really bonds with this item, it's going to show up in a lot of pictures. I've known a couple of kids who bonded with mom's pillow case and toted them around for years. No pillow case is going to live through that with its dignity intact and when you look back on pictures, you probably don't want to reminisce too much about a piece of filthy laundry that often smelled like pee (FACT: Your child's blankie will often smell like pee if it travels with them into toddlerhood.)

It's a major bonus if you select something that you can buy duplicates of. Georgia's minky was a gift, so when she took to it in a powerful way, I spent days tracking down duplicates on Amazon. We keep the spare in a special box and swap it out when it needs a bath.

Get Your Scent All Up On It. I asked my mom how she got her kids to bond with the item she'd pick and she reached over and stuffed that minky in my top. Point taken, mom. For about a week when I was home, I wore her minky in my top, next to my fun bags. When I fed her, I would put the minky next to her face as she nursed. It only took a few days of this to get Georgia hooked.

Use Its Power Wisely. I really only try let Georgia have her minky when it's nap time or bed time. It's been a good signal for her when she is in her car seat. I only put it in with her if it's nap time while she is in the car. Otherwise, I give her a toy that is more stimulating. I'll also give her her minky when we are in chuch during her normal night time. It's a subtle signal to her that it's time to pass out, even when she is nowhere near her crib.

As she gets older, I hope it will be a friend to her at bedtime and when special soothing is needed, but not a constant companion. I don't want to see it lost or damaged but I also don't want it to become too regular, either become essential to living or too ordinary to be special.

How to Make a Crazy Easy Baby Blanket

Blankets were a big deal in my house growing up.  My brother had a blue blanket with satin trim (think Linus from Charlie Brown) that was loved so dearly, it ended up in shreds.  I had an assortment of thick fleece blankets with "unique" prints that were wonderful to cuddle up with watching Saturday morning cartoons or take to the park for warmth while watching my sisters play softball. 

How can you not love this?

There was/is nothing better than cuddling up with a soft-from-wear best friend.  It's like always having a hug at your disposal.  The blankets that I'm making combine the warmth of fleece with the silky satin that so many kids love.  You can make this blanket double thick by sewing two layers together before attaching the binding or change up the fabric choice, should you so desire.  You can do a smaller version to make an easily toteable "lovey", or something as large (or larger) than mine.  I am a beginner sewer, but these are easy and make great gifts.

Supplies:
fleece of your choosing (I used 1.5 yard x 60" fabric)
2" satin binding
thread to match binding

Gray/orange will be smaller than this one

Lay your fabric flat on a table or the ground.  Check out the binding - there is a long side and a shorter side.  Make sure your shorter side is facing up.  This is the side you'll sew to you make sure you catch the back.

Back is longer, top is shorter

 

Start pinning the binding on

To create the mitered edge, tuck the fabric under at a 45degree angle and pin

So, it's not perfect!

Sew zig zag stitch

Turn the corner!

Hang on la cuna.

So, it's not perfect .  My corners could be crisper and my stitching could be closer to the edge, but it's homemade after all.  It also only took about an hour from start to finish.  Prudent baby has a pretty good tutorial if mine is not up to snuff for you.  Truly, this is so incredibly easy and I think it's so sweet to make little things like this for our children, even if they're imperfect or silly.  They may not understand it now, but it's an easy, sweet reminder of being little and, well, you :)

"I searched Google for what??"

Hey new parents! You know what's amusing? Pour yourself a glass of wine some evening after your baby has passed out for the night and review your desperate Google searches for the past few months. It'll be fun, I swear! Here are some of our more interesting searches from the last few months:

Cori

My name is Cori and I'm a Googleholic.  In order to be absolved of my sins, I'm going to confess.  These are some of my searches.

"36 week preterm baby"
Google image search so I knew what I was in for when I found out I was delivering at 35w4d

"cesarean pain management breastfeeding"
I opted for all the pain meds.

"hot breasts"
In the most literal sense possible.

"baby instructions" 
Found 'em.

"vbac docs Los Angeles"
This one was googled within the first week of being home with Everett.  I'm either a great planner or a big hater of c-sections.  Both.

"zinc oxide poisoning dogs" 
Henry ate an entire tube of butt paste.  Poison control said it's not lethal for a dog that size, but he was very sick.

"what to do with a 3 week old"
I had a hard time wrapping my head around how to entertain a baby for so many hours.  The answer is, you don't.

"baby poop stain remover"
Best option - the sun!

"baby ingrown toenail treament"
My first major fuckup as a mom - clipping his toenails too short thereby facilitating an ingrown toenail.  Go mom!

"Breastfeeding hungover"
While I would never breastfeed intoxicated, Google gave me the green light to go ahead and do so after an evening of overindulgence (thankfully only a mild headache).  

"baby whiteheads permanent?"
 They're not.  It took everything in my being to not pop them.

"8 week old eats constantly" 
 Normal.

"7 week old sleeps all the time"
Normal.

"baby fedora"
Lord have mercy on my soul.

Natty

"breastfeeding while sick"
"antibiotics while breastfeeding"
"how long will it take for my supply to come back after being sick"

I got really sick when Georgia was about 8 weeks old. I stayed in bed and just nursed her while watching a lot of television and panicking quietly that it would put an end to breastfeeding for us. Thankfully, I was on the mend after three days in bed. Even though I hardly ate a thing, my body kept up and my supply was back to normal within about three days.

"hulu plus is awful"

Sometimes I just use Google to complain.

"moms who work part time happiest"

I'd seen a study on this years ago and needed to reassure myself at the end of a day where I wanted to resign all my positions with no plan for the future.

"you got a ham"

Your guess is as good as mine.

"is my baby playing on her back too often"

No.


"my baby is content in her crib. am i neglecting her"

Gawd, no.



"baby sproles jersey"

Because this is what we should be spending money on.

"child deduction 2012"


Finally, something sensible.