KIDS ARE CRAZY

Kids are crazy.  Y'all.  CRAZY.

To be fair, Lena's not really old enough to be doing crazy stuff.  But, she is going through some sleep regression, which has mama tired.  So tired.  I was checking out at the grocery store when a college-aged girl told me how she gets baby fever whenever she sees babies.  I told her to set her alarm clock for every hour and a half and see if she still wanted a baby in the morning.  Then she told me she might wait until she was 35.   

Lena's got the cutest double-chin and the cubbiest thighs ever.  I can't wait for warmer weather so I can see them all day long. She's a little over 3.5 months old and she's already bossy.  If she wants to be held or entertained or fed, she's not one to be shy about it.  And she pretty much thinks Violet hung the moon.  Jon and I try all kinds of things to get her to giggle, and all Violet has to do it jump a little and she's in a hysterical fit of laughter.

Violet is approaching 2.5 and she is so smart and funny.  She loves to play with building blocks and stack random items as tall as she can.  And she yells oh no timmmmbbberrr when they fall. 
She just transitioned from her crib to her big girl bed.  The monster has been released!  She hasn't been napping for a while now.  Occasionally she'll surprise me with one though, so we still go through the routine so we can both get a break.  I can see her in the monitor sneaking out of bed to grab her hat or 17 stuffed animals and quickly hop back into bed. 

She says oh goo-ness when you blow big bubbles.  She shoved a rock up her nose.  She sings Let It Go when she should be napping.  She refers to each of her fingers as daddy finger, mommy finger, brother finger, sister finger, and baby finger.  She's obsessed with shapes.  As I try to type this very post, she keeps shoving different objects in my face to ask me what shape it is.  Her current favorite book is Chicka Chicka Boom Boom, or as she calls it, chicken chicken boom boom boom.  A few days ago, she walked up to me with her back hunched over and whispered, It's big one poo poo...and it was.  And a couple Sundays ago, she pulled on a pair of my granny panties underwear under her dress and we didn't find out until we were in church.  

As for me, I've started having postpartum hair loss, which really allows me to express myself through shower wall art.  And last week, I made the mistake of trying on some pre-baby jeans.  It was about as depressing as Matthew's death on Downton Abbey.  Jeans just don't know me like leggings do.  And I'll tell you another thing, if ever there is a zombie apocalypse, I hope I'm wearing leggings, because I barely survive a regular day in skinny jeans.

 Lastly, to share some exciting news for our family, after 5 years and countless hours of studying, my sweet husband has passed his seventh and  final exam to become a licensed architect!  Hip hip hooray!

TWO MONTHS WITH TWO

Lena turned two months old last week (err week and a half ago).  Time is definitely going by much faster than it did with Violet.  And oh boy is it exhausting.  The problem isn't that I'm not getting great sleep, it's that I remember what great sleep is.  I now know why parents don't let their teenagers sleep in.  Payback.  Another mom at my midwife's office actually told me she loved the newborn stage and wished her own daughter could have been a newborn forever.  I was so tired, I couldn't even comment.  I just gave her this dead stare for who knows how long.  I guess she recognized the look and said, "oh yeah, except for the lack of sleep part." 
Seriously, sometimes my only personal objective for the day is to brush my teeth.  That's it. Sometimes showering is just an unrealistic goal.  I pretty much feel like an Olympic gold winner if I don't have lizard breath and am not wearing pajamas.  What did stay-at-home moms do before yoga pants and top-knots?  Whatever it was, it sounds depressing.

 

Age:  2 months, 1 week, and 3 days

Stats:  11.4 pounds.  Girlfriend has rolls on her toes.  She's already too long for her 0-3 month clothes.  And this child is strong.  Try to lay her down and she'll grab whatever she can, shirt, hair, face, with a Vulcan death grip.  Opening her dainty little fingers is like prying open a crocodiles jaw.

Sleep:  At night, this girl is a rockstar.  Usually she sleeps in stretches of 4-6 hours.  However, the other night she slept 8.5 hours straight.  Seriously, when I woke up, it was like I'd been to a spa.  Naps are a whole different story though.  She's a cat napper.  And those are the worst, just so ya know.

Sleep is such a popular topic.  I've had complete strangers ask me how she sleeps.  So weird.  If someone asked me how I slept at night, I'd be awkwardly walking away backwards.  Those people aren't even that bad though.  The worst are the ones who are like, "Ohhhhh, my daughter slept 12 hours straight from 5 weeks on, so I can't really relate."  Those people make me want to drink.

Milestones: Lots of smiling and cooing.  From the moment she wakes up in the morning, Lena is just a bundle of smiles.

Favorites: Lena loves diaper changes and bath time.  So maybe I should just say she loves being naked?  Hopefully this isn't a problem someday.  She also loves being talked to, being held, outside, and nursing.  

As for Violet, besides being the coolest sister ever, she's also the sweetest.  Any time Lena cries, Violet says, "Nena kay (Lena okay)?" or runs to her saying "Coming Nena, coming!"  And whenever Lena is on her activity mat, she always tries to lay down next to her.  And she always tries to be extra gentle. (Toddler heads are like bowling balls though, so ya gotta be careful!) 

Things are getting easier (or more manageable) everyday.  I try to remember the advice I was given shortly after Violet was born.  Everything is a phase.  When it's hard, know it will pass (and substitute meals for coffee)  And when it's easy, savor it. 

LENA'S HOME BIRTH STORY

 

I know there are at least a few people who think I'm kinda crazy for having a home birth.  I know this because people told me I was crazy for having a natural birth with Violet.  To be fair though, I did tell people that I was bringing a hot-plate to the hospital so I could cook up my placenta afterwards and never mentioned I was joking.

It wasn't until we moved to Texas that I even considered having a home birth.  Our home in Louisiana was just a little too far from a hospital to feel comfortable about giving birth at our house, but our new home is less than 5 minutes away, so I decided to start researching the possibility.  It really didn't take much convincing though, because I hate hospitals.  There were a few months during my pregnancy where I was under the care of a high-risk OB because of a low-lying placenta and I feared that not only would I have to deliver in a hospital, but I might need to be induced, or worse have a c-section.  Thankfully though, my placenta moved to where it needed to go and I was cleared for a home birth.  Hooray!

Two weeks before my due date, I got a call from my midwife.  She needed some unexpected surgery and wouldn't be able to deliver my baby.  Had this been my first pregnancy, this is probably where I would have freaked out.  Being my second though, I really didn't care who delivered my baby, as long as they knew what they were doing. 

A week before my due date, I woke up around 1:00 a.m. with mild contractions that felt like menstrual cramps.  The day before, I had my 39 week appointment and we were trying to guesstimate when I might go into labor because my in-laws were coming in town in a few days to help with Violet.  I was only dilated 1 cm and my midwife said, "Well, I don't think you'll go into labor tonight or even tomorrow."  That's called irony, folks.

I tried to sleep through contractions until I went into active labor, which was about five hours later.  Contractions during this time felt stronger, longer, and more painful, but definitely bearable.  One thing I learned during my labor with Violet was the more you tense up during contractions, the longer labor will last.  When the contractions got to the point where I needed to brace myself, I tried to calmly breathe in through my nose and out through my mouth until it had passed.

At 6:00 a.m., I called my midwife, or rather my back-up midwife, and let her know it was game time. Also at this time, Jon started getting the inflatable birthing pool ready.  It took about five minutes to inflate.  While it was inflating, Jon removed the shower head and connected a long hose to it that fed the water into the pool.  In total, it took a little over an hour to fill the birthing pool.  Jon also laid down some plastic sheets on the floor and a canvas drop-cloth on the bed to protect it from water and possibly blood.

At about 7:30 a.m., I was finally able to get into the birthing pool.  I'm not sure why, but it just feels more comfortable to be in labor in warm water, so it was a relief to finally get in.  I knew that I had about two hours until Violet would be waking up, and since there was no way Jon's mom would make it in time, I felt an urgency to deliver before she woke up.

At about 8:30 a.m., I started to go into the transition phase of labor.  Contractions were long, intense and definitely painful (though not as painful as I remembered them being with Violet), with about a minute's break between them.  While I tried to find a comfortable position to labor in, my midwife told me that if I could bear it, kneeling in a lunge position would speed things up.  This position was definitely more painful.  I could feel Lena squirming and it caused some intense pressure in my pelvic region.  My midwife showed Jon how he could help relieve some of this pain by hold my hips with an inward pressure while I rocked side-to-side slightly as I went into a contraction.  Despite the intensity of this position, I chose to be in it because I knew I couldn't delay the inevitable.  I've been through a 12 hour labor before, and if I could do anything to speed things up this time, I was all for it.  I'd say that this part of labor was the most painful.  In fact, I may have dropped the f-bomb a few times.

At 9:29 a.m., after eight hours of labor, I began pushing.  I don't really remember much about this time because it all happened so quickly.  As Lena was crowning, my midwife asked if I wanted to feel her head.  I said no, because I wanted to just get this over with.  As Lena's head was coming out, my midwife told me to try to push very gently, allowing my contraction to push her out, which prevents tearing.  Once her head was born, my midwife told me to give one more big push for her body.  I remember thinking, "This is going to hurt," and I pushed with every ounce of energy left in me.  After only six minutes of pushing, Lena Rose emerged, and I reached down and pulled her onto my chest.

 

During this pregnancy, one of my biggest concerns was what to do with Violet when I went into labor.  We'd recently moved to Texas and our closest family was six hours away.  We had friends who could help with Violet if there was an emergency, but at the time Violet seemed to be going through separation anxiety.  I was really worried about how traumatic it could be for her if she had to go with people she didn't really know well.  I tried to put these worries at the back of my mind though, and just pray for the best.  And really, things could not have happened more perfectly.  I went into labor in the middle of the night while Violet was sleeping and literally while I was pushing, she woke up and I could hear her singing her ABC's.  I'm so thankful things went so smoothly, but I'm mostly thankful to be able to have given birth in my own home, in my own room, while my daughter slept soundly in hers.

P.S.  I always get excited when I hear someone wants to have a natural birth, so if anyone has any questions, feel free to comment or e-mail!

CHRISTMAS 2015

The Christmas season has always been my favorite time of year.  Being a kid at Christmas is spectacular, but having kids at Christmas far exceeds the joy I knew.  I loved reading Christmas stories, decorating the tree, and talking to her about Santa.   

Every year, we've taken pictures of Violet near the tree to send out with our Christmas cards.  We wanted to continue that tradition this year.  Let me just say that taking pictures with a toddler is hard.  Homegirl had to be bribed with the promise of chocolate to keep her from trying to stand on her head.  And you know what happens when you don't follow through with your bribe immediately?

This.  This is what happens.

After some tears and some chocolate, we were able to snap a couple of good ones.

Truthfully, Christmas morning was probably more exciting for Jon and me than it was for Violet.   As soon as Violet walked into the living room, she went straight to her new workbench.  This workbench is so neat because she can actually hammer and screw pegs into boards.  We could barely pull her away from it to open the rest of her presents.  When we finally did, she insisted on opening them while wearing her fox mittens.   And Lena totally slept through the whole event.

All day long we lounged in our pajamas, played with toys, read books, and just enjoyed our time with each other.  Really, every day with our girls is such a blessing and Christmas was certainly no different. 

MISS LENA ROSE

Miss Lena Rose arrived a week ahead of schedule.  She was born at home on Wednesday, November 18th at 9:27 a.m. weighing 6 pounds, 9.5 ounces, 20 inches long, and she is just perfect with all ten fingers and ten toes.

Violet has been a pretty super big sister.  She calls Lena "Nee-na" or just refers to her as "Baby".  She is very gentle when she holds her, gives her sweet kisses, and tries to rock her when she's in her Rock 'n Play.  Most of the time though, she's off doing her own thing, trying to get away with way more mischief than before.

 

As for me, I've just been trying to adjust to much less sleep, which sometimes feels kind of like I'm collapsing into myself like a dying star.  So until my girls are teenagers and sleeping in, I just gotta drink some coffee and say kumbaya.

TWO YEARS OLD!

Our sweet little girl turned two a couple of weeks ago.  I know they say time flies, but man, it really does. 

Since we don't really know very many people here in Texas yet, we had a super low-key birthday party the week before her birthday with just a few friends and family members.  The weekend of her actual birthday, we put a halt on all baby-prepping and house projects to make sure and really focus on Violet.  We made cookies, we went to the aquarium, played in the sandbox, had dance parties, read lots of books, and let her cover us in about six dozen stickers.  Wanna know what happens when you accidentally shower with a sticker still stuck to your pregnant belly, but you don't notice because you can't see it?  It fuses to your body.

 

Here's twenty-four things about our sweet twenty-four month old that I hope we never forget.

1. Violet still loves to hop.  A lot.  Up until recently, we'd let her jump on the sofa knowing that someday we'd have to put a stop to the fun.  Well, the fun police arrived a couple of days ago after she totally flipped over the back---luckily she didn't hurt herself!  We felt super guilty about robbing her of probably her biggest joy, so we bought her a little indoor trampoline.  I don't think Santa will ever top this gift.  We literally had to drag her from it crying to go to bed.  I don't know if that's a win or a fail. 
2. She's learning words like crazy and she's talking in simple sentences.  At this week's midwife visit, which she used to just flip out at, she came over to me while I was on the table, tapped me to pick her up, and asked the midwife, "What are you doing?"  My midwife replied, "I'm measuring the baby.  Do you want to help?" to which Violet replied, "Okay!"  When she heard the baby's heartbeat, she leaned down and hugged my belly.  Mind blown. 
3. She likes to sing, though she's pretty shy about it.  Tonight she sang herself to sleep to, "The Wheels on the Bus."
4. "No.  Okay." means no and "Okay." means yes.  Swish are fish.  Fifles are waffles.  And all rabbits are called Bobby.  
5. Her two-year molars are coming in.  For Violet that means when/if she wakes up in the middle of the night, she's up for about two hours and totally isn't interested in going back to sleep.  Reading, yep.  Playing, yep.  Sleeping though, no way Jose. 
6. We went to feed the ducks (which are sometimes called gucks) the other day and Violet was eating more than she was sharing.  I made sure to make a mental note to not bring stale bread next time.
7. Violet is so sensitive to the feelings of others.  On her birthday I got her a cookie in the shape of an owl.  She didn't want to eat its face and when its eye (just icing, mind you) fell off, she cried out, "Oh no!!!!!!" and I had to put the cookie away to calm her down.  This kid would not finish her dang cookie. 
8. I used to have the hardest time getting her to eat meat, but no problem with vegetables.  Now it's the reverse.  Unless of course, it's off of my plate.  Sometimes I wonder if I should even bother making her her own plate.  And just because she eats something for dinner one night does not mean she'll eat it for lunch another day.  There's no rhyme or reason.
9. Trader Joe's is her favorite because she gets snacks and stickers.   The snacks usually cover her and the stickers on me.
10. Stickers.  She absolutely does not place them randomly.  She groups all the stickers of one kind together or she'll start a line of them---usually down my leg.  The other day she put forty-eight (this is not an exaggeration) fish stickers on her left foot.  Just the left foot.  It literally covered her entire foot.
11. Getting dressed is a game to her.  For me, it's a challenge.  She  totally takes advantage of the fact that I'm pregnant and am moving slower.  She'll run circles around me just out of reach, while laughing.  It's diabolical.  
12. She does not ever want to take a bath.  She also does not ever want to get out of the bath.  I don't get it.
13. I think she likes to quiz us like she's the teacher and we're her students.  She'll ask, "What's that?" and when we answer correctly, she says, "Gooooood!"
14. Her new favorite book is this little miniature sized Chicken Soup with Rice, but she just calls it "Soup with Rice."
15.  At this time, it seems like she's left-handed.  
16. She likes to draw circles.  And she gets really close to the paper like she's super focused on drawing the perfect miniature circle.  
17. There's not much she won't hug, including play-doh snakes and cookie dough.
18. She can count to twenty, but thirteen is three-teen and fifteen is five-teen.
19. Violet is 2 feet and 9.5 inches tall.  So, if you're half you're height at the age of 3, she's already going to be taller than me.  A lot taller than me.
20. Her hair is finally long enough for a tiny little ponytail.  I never thought this day would come. 
21. She really loves to clap.  After hymns at church or songs at the library, she claps and says, "Yaaaayyyyy!!!"
22. Before her nap, I ask her, "Are you ready for your nap?"  If she says no, it's usually a good sign, because if she says yes, she almost never naps.  It's like she's messing with me.
23. Halloween was the first time she had candy and she went nuts for like 20 minutes.  So, it's probably also the last time she'll have candy.  
24. She's just the best little person in the world and she's brought us so much joy these past two years.  We know she'll be the sweetest big sister and best little helper around. 

NYME ORGANICS

I've been cloth diapering for two years now and during that time, Violet hasn't really had any diaper rashes, but occasionally gets irritated skin.  I originally tried coconut oil and breast milk, but wasn't seeing amazing results.  Then I came across Sweet Knee, a small, family-owned business that began making organic skincare products after their own child experienced a severe reaction to a disposable diaper and no products, over the counter nor prescription, were healing him.  I purchased their Bun Glaze and Oatmeal Cookie Bath and was a loyal customer ever since. 

However, not too long ago, I got an e-mail from Sweet Knee, saying they were closing up shop to focus on their family.  I was incredibly bummed.  But then I found out they were selling their recipes to another family who wanted to pick up where they were leaving off---and that's how Nyme Organics was born!

When I discovered I could still buy my hands down favorite baby skincare product, I couldn't help but message them to say how much I loved, loved, loved their Bun Glaze.   And then they e-mailed me back offering to send me their Newborn Bundle, along with a teething necklace and bracelet.  I was super excited to try out the rest of their organic and gluten-free products.   

  As I mentioned before, I've used and loved the Oatmeal Cookie Bath.  Like many babies, Violet developed a little bit of eczema.  While I was breastfeeding, we figured out that she'd break out whenever I ate any gluten.  This bath cleanser was so great because it soothed her skin and was gluten-free. 

The Bluebird Castile Soap  and Hulababy Bar were awesome at bath time.  Both left Violet's skin feeling clean and moisturized.  The bar soap was actually permanently moved to our shower because I loved how my skin felt after using it.  I don't have especially sensitive skin, but I've found regular bar soaps leave my skin super dry.  The Hulababy Bar Soap left my skin feeling silky and has a subtle, refreshing scent.

I really can't praise the Bun Glaze enough.  It heals skin irritations and diaper rashes in less than a day.  I also used to use it all the time when Violet would accidentally scratch her soft baby skin with her razor sharp talons.  It was seriously amazing how quickly it would heal a cut.  And the best part is that it's safe to use with cloth diapers! 

Rubbit Oil was pretty versatile.  We used it on Violet to give her skin some extra moisture.  I rub it on my ever-expanding belly to help prevent stretch marks.  And Jon now uses it on his face after he shaves.  He said he liked it because it didn't irritate his skin or make him look oily. 

My new favorite Nyme product is On The Spot though.  Violet's skin around her mouth occasionally gets irritated.  Whether it's from her pacifier at night, drooling because of teething, or just because she has sensitive skin, I haven't been able to figure it out.  I tried coconut oil and didn't notice any improvement.  I started using a product called Boudreaux's Baby Kisses and it worked great, but when I noticed one of its ingredients was paraffin (a byproduct of crude oil which is linked with carcinogens), I stopped using it.  On The Spot is so great because it helps heal Violet's skin super quickly.  I've even used it on scratches with great results.  I'm seriously so relieved to have found this product.

Nyme Organics is generously offering The Polk Folk readers 15% off all of their products from now until December 24th!  Just use the promo code POLK15 at checkout! 

All opinions expressed are 100% my own.