Play group!

This morning, Tye and I hosted our first play group with the Bucktown Moms Meetup group! Having other moms and babies over was a lot of fun. Tyler helped me move the coffee table and I spread clean blankets over the carpet for everyone to sit on (the rest of the babies are about 6 months or older and are sitting, almost crawling). I picked up scones and cake bites from Bleeding Heart Bakery (my favorite!) to go with coffee and tea. Five other moms and babies came over and we enjoyed each other’s company. The other kiddos traded toys (and spit, since they were largely teething items) while moms traded experiences staying busy in the cold, calming teething babies, and feeding solid and semi-solid foods. Tye fell asleep and ended up napping through the second half of the play date, but she woke up again as the last friends were leaving. Fun morning!

Slinging around the house

To be, or not to be... vegan.

The other night, I ate a pizza from Crust. With cheese. I've also been eating organic Greek yogurt. And organic cottage cheese. This only started last week. I reached a point of desperation somewhere, completely at my wit's end over my still insufficient milk supply. Finally, I decided that the totally un-scientific thought that "if I eat it, maybe I will make more of it" might be worth trying. Since I'm no longer pregnant, I'm not concerned that my own lack of ability to digest dairy will affect Tye as significantly, if at all. Worst case scenario, we move her bouncer chair into the bathroom a few more times each day. So, I bought some organic dairy from Whole Foods. And... I'm enjoying it. I'm not feeling like a prisoner released from my shackles or anything- I honestly would be just fine putting away the dairy for a few more years. Actually, returning to cheese was a bit disappointing- not quite how I remembered it. The thing is, I just can't shake the thought that maybe my body isn't making enough milk because it's not getting enough of something... It's a thought that has been haunting me for two months now, and I decided to face it head on and just go for it. So now, in addition to eating eggs, as I've been doing since my first trimester (which I had been thinking was just temporary), I'm also eating organic dairy.

The organic part is really important to me. I am very concerned about the levels of hormones and antibiotics in conventional milk and how those will affect Tye. Additionally, I feel very passionately about putting my money where my mouth is, so to speak. I originally went vegan as a political statement of sorts, my own way to protest the environmental costs of conventional animal agriculture. Our cows shouldn't be eating corn and producing massive amounts of methane that contribute to global warming. Our pig manure shouldn't be polluting our water supply. None of our livestock should be receiving hormones or unnecessary antibiotics. The easiest way for me to limit my own environmental impact was to cut out all animal products from my diet. I was doing my part to send a message to the producers of animal agriculture in America using my lone fork, one bite at a time. I still feel very, very strongly about these topics. I also realize that I can still make an impact by consuming only animal products that are produced responsibly.

Perhaps all along, I would have been making even more of an impact by supporting the organic milk and organic, free-range egg industries (and even organic grass-fed meats). But it was far easier for me to tell people that I don't eat any animal products than it was for me to list the requirements and research the sources of animal products with which I was presented. How rude would I seem if I were to dine at someone's home and tell them, "I eat cheese, just not the cheese you've cooked for me?" I still don't know what I'll do when I'm presented with that situation. It's been so much easier to just not eat any of it...

I also keep thinking about the health side of it. Will dairy help me increase my milk supply? When I first went vegan, I noticed the health benefits almost immediately- significantly increased energy, nails that never break, super-strong immune system. When I added eggs nine months ago, none of that changed that I noticed. Were the benefits of being vegan just the benefits of consuming a more well-rounded, varied diet? What will change if I add dairy? It's been about a week with just one, maybe two servings of organic dairy a day (though none while I was in Texas). No noticeable difference immediately, but I'm willing to give it some time while I figure out how I'm going to handle the organic-only dairy diet. As I've been saying for the almost 4 years that I've been happily vegan, I never said this was for the rest of my life. Perhaps we're moving on to the next stage in my food life already.

A Chicken Story

This article from Mothering.com about raising chickens makes me want to move out of the city- something that not even the lure of a bigger house or a fenced-in yard for Mico can do.

On Diapering...

Before Tye was born, I bought gear for cloth diapering- 24 Indian prefolds, 5 Swaddlebees diapers, 9 waterproof covers, and 4 Snappis. Then, when Tye was born, we used the Swaddlebees along with disposables. When I tried a prefold on her, the diaper was bigger than she was, and the covers didn't close around her skinny little legs! I tried again several weeks later, but the leaking around Tye's tiny legs was ridiculous. This week, I tried again- and we're still going! Since we returned from Texas, Tye has been in cloth diapers with the exception of trips to the pediatrician (that's a whole other post...) and running errands, when she wore disposables. I like the cloth diapers so far! The best part? Tye actually lets me know when she's wet, something she never did in disposables. Like older students I've taught, she must have been comfortable enough in her wet disposables to not complain. They do too good a job absorbing.

The reason I want Tye to let me know when she's wet is because I want to learn to pick up on her signals that she's about to go. In an ideal world, I would love to go diaper-free with her, something many people are able to accomplish. It's called Elimination Communication, or EC. The idea is that caregivers can listen to a child's cues that she needs to eliminate, much like she gives cues that she is hungry or tired, and in the same way, attend to her needs to go by allowing her to eliminate in an appropriate location. It sounds far out to many people, and yet it works for many parents. More than just intrigued, I bought Ingrid Bauer's book Diaper Free!, though I haven't gotten through much of it yet. Today, Tye and I went to Babies'R'Us and purchased a potty chair and a tiny bamboo toilet seat. I'm not sure which we'll use, but we'll use both for potty training later if, for some reason, ECing doesn't work out. But I really hope that it does. ECing would make life easier in so many ways... And the debate on the environmental effects of cloth versus disposable is won over by option of using fewer, or possibly even no, diapers. Wouldn't that be amazing?

Apparently my grandmother had all 3 of her daughters toilet trained by the time they were a year old. While my mom jokes that really, they had her trained, I think she was on to something great. If only she had written a book on it back then!

Girls' day out

Shopping with Tye in tow is just that much more fun! Although, I might feel differently when I need to try on clothes. Today's purchases were all for Tyler and Tye- the kind that is perfect for Tye's company. After shopping, we met our friend, Betsy, for lunch at Orange. We also stopped by the dog training facility to drop off a stroller for practice, and we got to say hi to Mico. Such a fun day together!

More!

Tye has been quite photogenic since we returned...

She's always super cuddly right when she wakes up. Bath time! Her explosively dirty diaper didn't leave us much choice.

Warming up after the bath requires the bathrobe.

Afterwards, we put her in her pajamas and laid down on a clean blanket on the floor. Five minutes later, her diaper leaked and both the pajamas and blanket went into the wash. She looked cute for those five minutes!

Home again, home again

We're back from our trip to Texas! The whole trip was wonderful. Tyler's grandparents got to meet and fall in love with Tye, and we all enjoyed the time together. Tye was a little angel. The deviation from her normal routine left her fussy at times, but she went out to eat with us for three peaceful meals and had plenty of smiles to share.

The traveling all went really smoothly, thankfully. I can't imagine surviving the trip without a baby carrier- it made everything so much easier. From checking in to checking out at Starbucks to trips to the ladies' room, having Tye close to me and still having two hand free was crucial. Tye is completely content in her sling, whether it's facing forward while she's awake or tummy to tummy while she sleeps (like the picture below). Both flights, Tye slept almost the entire way, waking only to nurse (which was easier with the extra space in first class, thanks to Tyler's travel points). She didn't seem to notice the change in cabin pressure, even though I was well prepared to nurse, bottle feed, or supply a pacifier upon her request. The best part was that I was able to sleep when she slept! Our flight home today was especially comfortable. We flew in a plane that had fully reclining seats in first class, and we both enjoyed the angle that reclining allowed, no slouching required. Now, for photographic evidence of our trip...

Here we are upon arrival to Dallas/Fort Worth International Airport, waiting for our luggage...

Dressing the part of a little southern belle... Isn't she just adorable? Her first time wearing a skirt! (Though if you look closely, you may notice some Illini socks peaking out, showing her true colors...)

Curled up for a princess nap with Daddy...

Look at that head control!

Napping with Grandmaw Jane...

Hanging out with Grandpaw Del... (again- look at the head control!)

Watching the football game in the best seat in the house!

Well, hello there!

Life at Great Grandmaw Jane and Great Grandpaw Del's!

Landed!

Tye was great on our flight! She slept the whole flight (allowing me to sleep some, too!), waking once to eat. I don't think anyone besides the guy next to me even knew I had a baby. By the way, first class is great! Such a treat.

Sent from my iPhone

So far, so good

I'm at O'Hare right now feeding Tye at an empty gate. Check in couldn't have been easier! We- or more appropriately, Tye- attracted a crowd of Anerican Airlines employees. Everyone has been extremely helpful, from the AA desk person who helped me bag up Tye's car seat to be checked to the patient guy in the security line behind me who just smiled when the rings on my sling set off the metal detector and I had to go back to remove it, to the guy at Starbucks who gave me free hot water for my herbal tea. I've mentioned before people's reactions to the little face poking out of the sling. The airport is just one reaction after another. I'm having a very hard time not laughing outloud at some. We don't board for another two hours (Traye was kind enough to drive us here but has class at 12:30), which will give us lots of time to walk the terminal if Tye wants. Hopefully the day will continue as smoothly as it has started!

Sent from my iPhone

Tye's first flight

Tomorrow, Tye and I fly down to Dallas to meet Tyler and visit his grandparents! I've once again done plenty of online research in hopes of finding every possible tip for making an infant's flight as smooth as possible. Everyone agreed on two things: first, travel with a companion (unfortunately not an option), and second, feed her on the way up and down. I plan to carry her in the sling as we always do, which will leave both of my hands free and keep her out of the way. I'm flying with Tyler's status on American, so we may even be eligible for an upgrade to first class. That would be amazing! I've never flown first class before, and I think this will be a perfect time for it.

For now, Tye is sleeping peacefully, so I'm off to start packing. I'll let you know how it goes!

Training Day

Today was a big day for our family. Today, I dropped off Mico at dog training. This isn't just any dog training- it's an 18 day board and train facility called Dynamic Dogs run by a guy, Ben, who also runs a K-9 training facility. When we pick up Mico in 18 days, he'll be the star in his own dog show to display his new skills. I can't wait!

Let me just say this: Mico is a great dog. He has the sweetest disposition and he's truly a gentle giant. The trainers at Dynamic Dogs even asked where we found him because they were so impressed with his friendly personality (and wrote down the breeder's website, boondockdogs.com, to check it out for themselves).

Mico is a great dog. But he needs training. Mico and I had a really hard time together last week, so I've been looking forward to this training even more than ever. I think the behaviors that used to be annoying began to affect me more intensely recently, probably due to a combination of maternal instinct to protect my baby and hormones. Whatever it was, last week was rough for Mico and me. I think the time away from each other will be good for our relationship and remind me how much I enjoy Mico's company and how grateful I am to have such a sweet dog. That said, I probably won't miss him until next week. Until then, I'll enjoy not going through the process of taking Tye and Mico out 4 times a day. I'll also relish the slobber-free coffee table... and chairs... and walls, blankets, pillows, pants, garbage can, floors, shower door...

Mico, I know this is going to be a big couple of weeks for you. It won't be easy, but your life will be so much better after you're done. I'll happily walk you all over Chicago to wear you out every day (you're even going to learn to walk next to the stroller!). And, I know I'll appreciate your big self being around all that much more after missing you- which I know I will very soon. Good luck, dog.

Cranky Baby Buster

I remember my parents holding Todd like this, in the “superman” hold. Mom told me that her sister’s pediatrician recommended the hold to relieve gas and colic pains because it takes pressure off of the stomach. Since we began supplementing with formula (which we’re still doing- and still trying to get my milk supply up), Tye has been really gassy. I don’t know if it’s the bottle or the formula that makes Tye so gassy, but the poor girl is a gas factory recently. I can’t believe she’s still such a happy baby- but I’m so grateful! When she does have an especially gassy period, the superman hold works wonders.

One aspect of breastfeeding I don’t think I could live without, but didn’t anticipate going in, is that no matter what is wrong with Tye, as soon as she latches on, she’s content. My nipples are like a magic button- “Insert here for instant calming effect.” So often, I wonder what bottle feeding moms do to quiet their babes. Of course, I’ve been told there are breastfeeding babies who resist the breast when they’re upset, something Tye has never, ever done. Maybe we just have the happiest baby in the world. We might, too. Tye smiles all day long now. Last night, I was awake in bed with Tye asleep on my chest. She slowly, gently woke up, opened her eyes, looked into my eyes, and smiled at me before closing her eyes again and drifting back to sleep. Such a beautiful moment. Can you tell I’m loving motherhood?

Tye is two months old!

Buy Buy Buy

While visiting my parents in the suburbs yesterday, my mom, Tye and I went to Buy Buy Baby, a huge baby store owned by Bed, Bath, & Beyond. You know how Bed, Bath, & Beyonds are all set up? Imagine the biggest one you've ever been in, full of only baby gear, and you've got Buy Buy Baby. It was unbelievable! Mom had been really impressed with their selection of organic bedding and clothing, and I was too.

Although we went to Buy Buy Baby to get an idea of what cribs are out there. Tye is still co-sleeping at night and napping in her cradle, and our second bedroom is still a guest room. We'll be turning it into a nursery soon, and a crib will be a part of that. Seeing what was available was helpful, and we even got a tutorial on organic crib mattresses. We didn't find a crib I liked. However, there were a few other items I couldn't pass up! I found an organic all-natural teether (and at the rate Tye is mouthing her hands, she might use that soon!), some beautiful wooden toys by HABA (seriously, check out these toys, this is my favorite toy line right now! all natural wooden toys made in Germany...), a Twilight Turtle that casts the constellations onto a the ceiling of a dark room, a mirror for the car that will allow me to see Tye from my rearview mirror while she's facing backwards in her car seat, and a new brand of organic milk formula to see if a change will help reduce poor Tye's gassiness. In my opinion, they were all great purchases. I would love to go back and buy out the HABA collection someday...

How to walk a dog during a Chicago winter with a baby

1. Assemble necessary items, including but not limited to the following:

-snow boots

-gloves

-sling

-baby coat

-baby hat

-adult coat

-cell phone

-poop bag

-keys

-leash

2. Place sling around shoulder.

3. Put on boots.

4. Clip leash on dog, leaving handle to leash wrapped around the door knob. Encourage dog to remain sitting in front of the door.

5. Dress baby in coat and hat.

6. Arrange baby in sling.

7. Put on adult coat and carefully zip up part way.

8. Double check that pockets contain cell phone, poop bag, and keys.

9. Put on gloves.

10. Triple check for keys.

11. Pray the dog behaves while walking.

The weekend, with photos

Drying off next to the warm fireplace after a bath... Floor play time with Mommy and Mico Friday night, my parents came in and babysat Tye while Tyler and I went out to dinner with his team from work. Dinner was at Otom, and we had a great time. Tyler has become close with his team members, and we've become good friends with the parter he works for and his wife. Dinner was a great combination of good company, good conversation, and good food. Even if my milk did let down before dessert arrived (thank goodness I was wearing absorbent layers!)

This is the new Little Einsteins Around the World play gym I bought for Tye to make floor play a little more fun. Tye loves it, especially the mirror and the lights! I love that it is decorated with photos of real animals in addition to the cartoon characters and that all the pieces can be rearranged to provide a countless combination of setups.

Saturday was Tyler's first time being home for Tye's naps on her own. Just as I did the first time I used the video monitor, Tyler's eyes never left the monitor and he checked on her about every 20 minutes just to be sure she was okay. It doesn't matter that you can actually SEE your child on the video monitor- for some reason, that isn't comforting enough to new parents. I can't imagine how stressful these naps must have been for new parents before monitors- even with the sound monitors! One of my friends advised me while I was pregnant that new parents think that the sound monitors will be sufficient, so most purchase those, only to realize several days after the birth that they can't survive without the video monitors, so it would really save us in the long run to purchase the video monitor initially. She was so right. It's sitting next to me as I type right now, video feature on. At least I've learned to trust it enough to check on Tye a few times per nap, rather than every 10 minutes.

Sunday was our 6 year Wedding Anniversary! We celebrated Saturday night with a fabulous dinner in. I picked up protein (peppered steak tenderloin for Tyler, seitan roast for me) at Whole Foods. We also had purple-colored garlic smashed potatoes made from blue Russian banana fingerling potatoes, roasted vegetables (brussel sprouts, carrots, parsnips, golden beets, baby red onions) with white truffle oil, and garlic herb sourdough bread. To complement the meal, we opened the celebratory bottle of wine that we bought when we found out I was pregnant with intentions of sharing it after our little one arrived. This was the perfect occasion... and it was fabulous.

In addition to Sunday's visits from Gigi (Grandma Annette), Tiana, Traye, Liz, and Mark, in the morning Tye and I went to have brunch with the girls. Three of my best friends from college (Kate, Jen, and Raquel, all bridesmaids, too) and I went to Bin for brunch while Tye slept soundly in her sling. It felt a bit Sex and the City to have four of us brunching together- and it was so much fun! One new aspect of slinging Tye that will never grow old for me is other people's reactions to the sling. From the young hipster guy who chuckled "That's awesome," to Bin's host's auditory gasp and smile to the never ending double takes (Is that really a baby?), the responses are always new and often hysterical. Then again, I think I'd have a hard time not staring at a young woman in a huge fleece with a little pink-hooded head poking out of the zipper at chest height with wide, inquisitive eyes. I'm sure we're a sight to be seen.

Now we're back to Monday, week 2 of Tyler being back at work. Our schedule is much emptier this week, but there are always chores to be done at home and playtime to be had together. Of course, I prefer the latter!

Finally!

After some long, long afternoons with a sleepy, crabby baby falling asleep after 3 minutes of feeding, being put down, waking within 10 minutes, and wanting to latch on again immediately... Today, Tye slept for two and a half hours in her cradle!!! While Tyler was home, Tye was able to nap with one of us whenever she slept. With Tyler, and her nap buddy, gone this week, Tye has been having a really hard time napping... until today. She was tightly swaddled and I gave her a pacifier to fall asleep, and it was beautiful. I made myself a real lunch, reorganized a whole lot of baby clothes and gear, and folded laundry. I know naps won't always go this well, but for today, we're happy.

Cute as a Cupcake

Happy Baby :)

On our own

Today is the day I've been dreading since... early November? Late October? Before Tye was born. Today, Tyler returned to work, ending his paternity leave. We were so fortunate to have so much time together as a family, and Tyler and I truly appreciated every day of it. It felt like a never-ending vacation- that is, until New Year's Day, when it suddenly hit both of us that reality was looming around the corner.

I know other new moms fear their spouse returning to work (even for just an eight hour work day) because they don't know what they'll do with the baby by themselves or how they'll care for the baby on their own. For me, that's not a concern. Tye and I are good companions already, and having Tyler's support for seven weeks ensured that I'm a confident caretaker. After all, I've been looking forward to having a baby my whole life, as if I was made to be a mother. I'm not saying I could do it all without Tyler- far from it- but Tye and I will be just fine for a couple days.

The hardest part for me is just missing Tyler. I've grown accustomed to having him here, singing to Tye and to himself, watching the TV on almost full volume, sitting on the couch, keeping the bed warm, begging to hold Tye whenever she's not eating. It's going to be hard not having him in the same place to keep me company. Tye is wonderful, but she doesn't talk back very much yet.

This week, I've packed our schedule while Tyler's gone so we will stay busy and have less down time to miss him. Today, Tye and I went to a free demo of Itsy Bitsy Yoga at Belly Bum Boutique. It was a fun distraction to focus on putting Tye through baby yoga poses and movements. After that, we had a little time to burn before our afternoon appointment, so we went to Whole Foods for a quick shopping trip and lunch (vegetarian chili- perfect for today's frigid temps!), which Tye slept through in her sling. Then we went to Be By Baby, another boutique that was hosting a Drop-In Breast Feeding Clinic with certified lactation consultants available. I wanted to do a weigh and feed, allowing me to weigh Tye before and after eating to see how much she's actually taking in at each feeding. The lactation consultant was excellent! She was really friendly and helpful. She checked Tye's weight, sucking abilities, and latch and watched her feed, giving some helpful pointers as we went along. Tye had a typical feeding session, thankfully, and when we weighed her again, she had taken in two ounces, an appropriate amount for her weight (which is up to 8 pounds 13-15 ounces, great news!). We talked about my goal being exclusively breast feeding, and she assured me that I can slowly wean Tye off of the supplemental formula and my body will make about an extra ounce each day.

It was a good day. Tyler leaving feels like forever ago already. Now, I'm getting ready to video chat with him on Skype. He'll be able to see say goodnight to Tye even though he's not here. It's an awesome bit of technology. I know Tye and I will be fine through this week, and we'll just take it week by week.

I loved this article from chicagotribune.com today! All creative, low-budget, educational ideas.

Creating a tubful of fun

Great ideas to make tub-time enjoyable for you and your children

The fingers from plastic gloves make the perfect prop for 3-year-old a bath time show. (Ronnie Andren, MCT / November 20, 2009)

Smiling Series

Funniest Giggles of All Time

For New Year's, one of the cable channels ran a marathon of America's Funniest Home Videos, one of my favorite shows on TV. We watched quite a few episodes, including one from 2005 that was naming the Funniest Home Video of All Time, awarded with a $250,000 grand prize (I really need to take more videos and get myself into that market...). The winner was a great video of a mom laying in bed surrounded by her 6 month old quadruplets (!). Dad was videotaping and making a funny noise, and every time he did, all four of the babies erupted in laughter simultaneously. You couldn't help but laugh with the babies each time. You can see it on YouTube here.

Growing up, our family watched America's Funniest Home Videos together every Sunday evening. We quickly learned that of the three finalists for the Funniest Video award, the winner would be the video with the animal or the baby, presumably because the voting audience thought the animals and babies were so cute that they deserved to win. If the final 3 videos contained both an animal and a baby, usually the baby won, even if it wasn't the funniest video. As a child, this frustrated me occasionally when I thought the video of the falling teenager or adult mishap was funnier.

I've entered a new era of my life, however. I now think all baby videos are the sweetest, funniest videos ever. Tyler and I watch AFV just for the baby videos. If one of us is up around the house and a baby video comes on, we call the other over to watch it. Having a baby of my own has completely changed the way I watch AFV. I think the voters at the episode naming the Funniest Video of All Time must have been parents.