Gobble, Gooble

Boy was my Thanksgiving weekend was crazy. It officially started at 8am Wednesday and ended 8am today. Wednesday I spent the day baking yummy pies. Thursday was Thanksgiving dinner at my uncle's house. Dawne and Jon came up from Indiana to spend dinner with us. It was awesome seeing them. I stayed up to midnight to try and get some awesome cloth diaper deals and hopefully freebies to! I'll find out tomorrow when I go and check my mail :) Friday we ate breakfast with Dawne and Jon and said goodbye. Then patiently waited for my downstate family to arrive. We got to catch up. And I almost had to visit the ER for stupid allergic reaction. Diphenhydramine to rescue. Saturday was definitely fun filled. We spent the day at Avalanche Bay Indoor Water Park. What an amazing Christmas gift from my Grandma. There were 25 of us there. After we had a family dinner, all 30 of us, in a single wide trailer :) We adults got to go out for a bit too Yesterday I attempted to catch up on the laundry when my BRAND NEW dryer decided to shred the belt. UGH! Oh well today is Monday and I am back to work.

My not so dirty little secret

Many people don’t know that I have rheumatoid arthritis (RA). I don’t know if I would call it a secret, I just don’t go around telling people. I was diagnosed while in high school. I think it was around my sophomore year. It is hard to say when RA hit me. I remember dealing with pain for a good portion of my life. The medications you are put on can be nasty with horrible side effects. So I have always tried to avoid the doctor for that reason. In high school I had to stop swimming due the severity of the pain. When I became pregnant with Xavier my RA went in remission. It was amazing. It again hit shortly after is his birth. At that point it was mainly pain when it came back no disability. I tried new medications. One being an anti-malaria medication. I stopped taking it because of the nasty side effects. I changed my diet and had great results! Now I am back to almost constant pain in my joints and I am starting to lose motion in them. My diet isn’t to horribly bad but not where it could be. Got to love an EMS diet, constant grazing. One of the not so wonderful things that come with my RA is Reynaud’s. It effects the circulation in your hands in feet. Making them blue and cold. As they get warm they turn bright red and burn. Lovely isn’t it? Sometimes in referred to as the patriotic disease because your hands turn red, white, and blue. So now I have to decide how long to endure the pain before I do something more about it.

My favorite outfit --- Emerson

My favorite baby item, beside the cloth diapers , is hands down my Moby wrap. I am not sure how or why I did not use a carrier with Xavier. I use the Moby for EVERYTHING, literally…lol. Once I figured it out how to use it I fell in love with it. For those who haven’t heard of the Moby and aren’t familiar with it. The Moby is an extremely long, wide piece of fabric that wrap and cross on your body and then place your baby in it. The Moby holds the baby close to you and lets you do things hands free. I wear Emerson everywhere. Weither I am grocery shopping, cleaning or doing pretty much anything else. It spreads the weight evenly so it doesn’t kill your back. So yes my favorite outfit is Emerson.

Some benefits of babywearing are:

* Wearing a baby is convenient.
* Wearing a baby promotes physical development.
When a baby is wore attached to his mother, he is in tune with the rhythm of her breathing, the sound of her heartbeat, and the movements his mother makes – walking, bending, and reaching. This stimulation helps him to regulate his own physical responses, and exercises his vestibular system, which controls balance. The sling is in essence a "transitional womb" for the new baby, who has not yet learned to control his bodily functions and movements. Research has shown that premature babies who are touched and held gain weight faster and are healthier than babies who are not. Mechanical swings and other holding devices do not provide these same benefits.
*Babies worn are happier.
Studies have shown that the more babies are held, the less they cry and fuss. In indigenous cultures where baby-wearing is the norm, babies often cry for only a few minutes a day – in contrast to Western babies, who often cry for hours each day. Crying is exhausting for both the baby and his parents, and may cause long-term damage as the baby's developing brain is continually flooded with stress hormones. Babies who do not need to spend their energy on crying are calmly observing and actively learning about their environment. Baby-wearing is especially useful for colicky babies, who are far happier being worn, but placid, content babies and children will also benefit greatly from the warmth and security of being held close.
*Baby-wearing is healthy for you!
It can be challenging for new mothers to find time to exercise, but if you carry your baby around with you most of the day or go for a brisk walk with your baby in her wrap, you will enjoy the dual benefits of walking and "weightlifting". A long walk in the wrap is also an excellent way to help a tired but over-stimulated child fall asleep.
*Toddlers appreciate the security
Wrap are usually associated with infants, but they can be very useful for toddlers as well; wraps can accommodate children up to 35 or 40 pounds. The world can be a scary place for toddlers, who feel more confident when they can retreat to the security of the sling when they need to do so. Toddlers often become over-stimulated, and a ride in the sling helps to soothe and comfort them before (or after!) a "melt-down" occurs. It can be very helpful in places like the zoo, aquarium, or museum, where a small child in a stroller would miss many of the exhibits.
*Baby-wearing helps you and your baby to communicate with each other.
The more confidence we have in our parenting, the more we can relax and enjoy our children. A large part of feeling confident as a parent is the ability to read our baby's cues successfully. When we hold our baby close in a sling, we become finely attuned to his gestures and facial expressions. Many baby-wearing parents report that they have never learned to distinguish their baby's cries – because their babies are able to communicate effectively without crying! Every time a baby is able to let us know that she is hungry, bored or wet without having to cry, her trust in us is increased, her learning is enhanced, and our own confidence is reinforced. This cycle of positive interaction enhances the mutual attachment between parent and child, and makes life more enjoyable for everyone.
* Wraps are a bonding tool for fathers, grandparents, and other caregivers.
Wraps are a useful tool for every adult in a baby's life. It makes me smile when I see a new father going for a walk with his baby in a wrap. The baby is becoming used to his voice, heartbeat, movements and facial expressions, and the two are forging a strong attachment of their own. Fathers don't have the automatic head-start on bonding that comes with gestation, but that doesn't mean they can't make up for this once their baby is born. The same goes for babysitters, grandparents and all other caregivers. Cuddling up close in the sling is a wonderful way to get to know the baby in your life, and for the baby to get to know you!
*Wraps are a safe place for a child to be.
Instead of running loose in crowded or dangerous places, a child in a sling is held safe and secure right next to your body. Wraps also provide emotional safety when needed, so that children can venture into the world and become independent at their own pace.
*Baby-wearing is fun.
Who doesn't love to cuddle a precious little baby? And when your baby is older, having her in the wrap makes conversations easier and allows you to observe her reactions to the wonders of the world around her. It's also fun for baby, because when she is up at eye level, other adults notice and interact with her more. Your child will feel more a part of your life when she is in her wrap, and you will find yourself becoming more and more enchanted with this special little person.

Have you wore your baby lately?

The Gift of Forgetting

Memories are amazing things. They mold you into you the person you are and will become. I still find it amazing on what the mind remembers. Or should I say what it allows us to remember. Your childhood is supposed to be filled with joy. I would love to say that us what mine was. I use to say that it was filled with joy. Why because that is the memories I remember. But lately the things that I remember are not happy. If my childhood was a movie it would be aired on lifetime. Those that know me don’t really know me. I have chosen even when I remember to quickly forget. Yes all the experiences have made me, me but I don’t want to categorized by what I have experienced.
Many say that I had a hard childhood. They say that based on my mom raised me as a single mom. I didn’t know my dad growing up. That I was graduated high school as single mom and as an orphan. When you read that it doesn’t sound all that pleasant. If only that was the worst of it. Those are the things I chosen to share. I love forgetting. It hides the emotions that I fear. I don’t want to coddle because of what I went through. I just hope that one day I can help someone going through something similar.