Extending the Attitude of Gratitude

We celebrated our Thanksgiving with a road trip to see both our families in Illinois.  Moving away from everyone and seeing family less often has been a difficult change for us, and there's no better way to spend a holiday than surrounded by the people we love and for whom we are so thankful.  Tye is growing so quickly and noticeably right now that she amazed relatives with her expressive vocabulary and thick blonde hair.

Waiting for dinner...

Throughout November, I kept running into people's daily posts of things for which they were thankful.  I appreciate the conscious effort made to focus on being thankful, especially during the month we celebrate Thanksgiving.  Any way to extend the meaning and celebration of Thanksgiving (other than just extra turkey and potatoes) is, in my opinion, a great reminder of all we have.  

Now that Thanksgiving has passed and we're already deep in the throes of Christmas (though last I checked, it's still November), I hope all those people are continuing to practice their mindful thankfulness.  I've been told it takes 30 days for an activity to become habit.  Thanksgiving was on the 24th, almost a week shy of the 30 days it would require for someone to make a habit of noting something for which she is thankful each day.  Another theory by Dr. Maxwell Maltz suggests that 21 consecutive days is a span long enough to create a habit, but they must be consecutive.  I'm hoping there is truth to that theory and that everyone who noted daily what made them thankful will continue that practice, especially through the holidays.

As I grow older, each year I'm more aware of the stark contrast between Thanksgiving's prayers of gratitude and Black Friday's push for wanting, needing more.  Don't get me wrong- I'm very happy that the economy is rebounding, and I even participated in this year's Black Friday shopping mania.  I think I just notice the attitude shift between the two days much more clearly as I gain perspective.  

Or, maybe Black Friday is becoming a bigger deal each year- apparently to some it is, like the lady who pepper sprayed other shoppers over an XBox.  This year, as Black Friday edged it's way into the day of Thanksgiving and stores opened at 10pm Thanksgiving evening, the world of shopping seemed to overtake our one day devoted to thankfulness.  

Yesterday, I was reminded it was Cyber Monday when I opened my laptop to 49 new emails announcing huge discounts.  I deleted most without opening, but one caught my attention: from Patagonia*, an email with the subject line "Do Not Buy This Jacket."  Clever marketing, I thought, and opened it, curious to see what spin on the day the company was throwing.  As I read, I was greeted with the breath of fresh air I needed.  From the email:

Today is Cyber Monday. It will likely be the biggest online shopping day ever. Cyber Monday was created by the National Retail Federation in 2005 to focus media and public attention on online shopping. But Cyber Monday, and the culture of consumption it reflects, puts the economy of natural systems that support all life firmly in the red. We're now using the resources of one-and-a-half planets on our one and only planet.Because Patagonia wants to be in business for a good long time – and leave a world inhabitable for our kids – we want to do the opposite of every other business today. We ask you to buy less and to reflect before you spend a dime on this jacket or anything else.

In a world so deeply immersed in consumerism that not even a full day is devoted to being thankful any longer, we're bombarded daily with messages that we need more.  Combating those sentiments requires a conscious effort, because emails like those above are few and far between.  The first step to wanting less is appreciating what we already have, one more reason to continue the practice of being thankful into December.  So while the holiday of Thanksgiving may have passed, I'd like to wish you a season of continued thanksgiving.  Keep giving thanks and maintain your attitude of gratitude.  Before you know it, it will become a habit that changes your life for the better.

*I love Patagonia products and as much as I wish I was receiving something from Patagonia for sharing this with you, I'm not.  Other than a few online orders, they've never heard of me.  But I did spend the weekend stretching out the stomach in my favorite Patagonia fleece....  

Puppy Love

As Tye reached her first birthday, she moved into several new stages of development.  With a background in Early Childhood Education, I see each step in relation to other developments and emerging skills.  Watching a child grow and reach new milestones is always miraculous, and I know I'm not the first parent to observe my child's changes in complete awe.  This past month has been a huge one for Tye. 


Of course, the most obvious recent development is Tye's ability to walk.  While walking itself is a major milestone, it also opens a child to a whole new world of learning opportunities at rapid-fire pace.  When Tye moves about now, it's on two feet as she uses her hands to explore freely.



Tye has also expanded her functional vocabulary.  In addition to mama and daddy (adapted from the original dada), she now says doggie, woof, uh-oh, Ziggy (our cat's name), eye(s), hi, and Woof Woof.  Along with these new words has emerged categorization in the form of overgeneralization.  Tye first learned doggie and would say "doggie" whenever we saw a dog on a walk or whenever she heard a dog bark (and then she would "woof" back).  Now, all animals are doggies, from her stuffed moose to illustrations of elephants and hippos.  But, only animals are doggies, proving Tye knows that doggies, moose, elephants, hippos, and a variety of other creatures are all animals.  That they don't all say "woof" will come later.  Along the same lines, as of right now, all body parts are labeled expressively as eyes (although Tye knows both eyes and nose receptively- in other words, she can accurately point to each upon request, even if she can't yet say the word nose).  


Perhaps my favorite new development is Tye's fascination with stuffed animals and dolls.  She loves to empty her bins of plush toys, pulling each one out separately and hugging it tightly before she tosses it aside to hug the next.  This isn't just a hugging skill, though.  Tye has formed special attachments to a few of her toys, like the plush Santa in her first walking video, a Beanie Baby puppy that looks like Mico, and a yellow and blue Swedish-looking moose.  


Oh, and were you wondering earlier what Woof Woof might mean?  It's the name bestowed upon Tye's absolute favorite stuffed animal, a blue corduroy dog that followed us home from Seattle- or perhaps more truthfully, was dragged to Chicago by a little bald girl with a new obsession.  

Woof Woof is Tye's newest source of comfort and companionship (a happy new recipient, considering my breasts are not always available for cuddling).  Since she first clutched his soft blue fur, Tye has barely let go.  He's been through airport security, on car rides, in shopping carts, and snuggled in the Ergo beside Tye on errands and dog walks.  Almost every time Tye nurses to sleep now, whether it's for a nap or the night, Woof Woof is clutched in her arms.  It's a sweet attachment that shows Tye's emotional development and emerging play skills.  She's morphing from baby to big kid right before my eyes.

Orange, Black, and Green Halloween

For Halloween this year, we're dressing Tye up as Max from Where the Wild Things Are and Tyler and I are going to be the Wild Things.  I've found most of our costumes at Old Navy.  For Tye's furry hooded Max costume, I picked up these furry pieces.  

 


I was considering dirtying them up for her so she'd look more like the grey, worn Max, but after a few minutes at a friend's costume party last week, I realized it isn't necessary- she was perfectly grey within minutes of crawling around.  I also sewed on some black whiskers made of thin ribbon, attached a tail, and made a crown out of yellow poster board.  


Tyler will be wearing this sweater from Old Navy, along with grey pants with added grey scales, a tail, and cardboard claws on his hands and feet.

I'll be wearing a brown sweater and brown pants along with the tail and cardboard claws.  I'm in the process of making hats that look like the Wild Things' heads, inspired by this photo:

         

We'll be able to reuse all of the clothes we bought this year, and we'll save the hats and tails for dress-up for Tye later.  The only waste will be the cardboard hands, feet, and crown (which we'll recycle), the ribbon whiskers, and the scales on Tyler's pants.  Can you tell I'm proud of our re-using abilities this year?  I also love all the costume swaps that are popping up for children's costumes, like the specialty site at thredup.com.   What a great way to re-use an item that has only been worn once, and at a great price, too.  

How are you "greening" your Halloween this year?

Oh, laundry...

The first night Tye was born, the three of us cuddled together on our queen-sized bed in the birthing center and slept skin-to-skin. Co-sleeping wasn't something Tyler and I talked about. I had thought about it, but I decided we would do whatever came naturally when Tye came home (perhaps that decision was a decision to co-sleep, but I didn't know it then). When it came time for us to go to bed for the first time at home, Tyler said definitively, "She's sleeping with us tonight." Ever since then, we've been co-sleeping.

For the first few weeks of her life, Tye's breathing was sometimes irregular, which is apparently normal for newborns but scary for parents regardless. Not only did Tye's position asleep atop my chest those first weeks comfort me by confirming she was still breathing, but co-sleeping is actually proven to help regulate an infant's breathing and heart rate, as well as body temperature. Even now that her breathing is normal, I still worry constantly about Tye choking. I've never talked to other parents whose children dealt with this, but Tye actually chokes sometimes when she spits up as the milk fills her throat and nostrils. At times, Tye has gone 20 to 30 seconds without being able to take a breath. This happens probably five or six times a week. By holding her upright and tilted forwards, and sometimes using the bulb syringe, we can help Tye clear her airways and breathe again. But what if we don't know that she's choking? Often when this happens, Tye is completely silent, unable to pass air in or out. By sleeping with Tye on my chest or face-to-face on our sides, I know I'll have the best chance of waking if she chokes. So far, every time Tye has had one of these episodes in the middle of the night, I wake up either just as it starts or a minute or two before it starts. Call it what you will-- mother-child bond, maternal instinct, or Divine Intervention-- I am forever grateful that she's beside me when it happens. Co-sleeping has kept me sane through the nights.

Hands down, the best part of co-sleeping is the cuddle time. Waking next to her squirmy little limbs and smiley face in the morning is wonderful. In the mornings, we cuddle and play for a few minutes until she's ready to eat, and then she has her breakfast in our cozy, toasty bed. I feel like we're very intimately bonded because she's with me all day long, every day. By the time she wakes up from her long mid-day nap (which she takes in her cradle, thank God for video monitors), I really miss her. I can't imagine sleeping away from her all night long. Co-sleeping has such clear benefits for children, but I think it's helping me as much as it is Tye.

The down side of co-sleeping? Leaked diapers mean changing the sheets and mattress pad on a much, much bigger bed, as happened yesterday. I had to wash the sheets and the down-alternative mattress pad. On the topic of laundry, can I share my new favorite laundry product? I found these Nellie's Dryer Balls at the Crate and Barrel Outlet a while ago and am loving them.

Along with our Charlie's Soap, which we started using for cloth diapers but I love for all our laundry, these Nellie's leave our laundry soft and just slightly scented of natural lavender (not too much for my still-sensitive-as-a-pregnant-woman sense of smell). Of course, I would prefer not to use my dryer for energy-saving reasons, but unfortunately, winters in Chicago just don't lend themselves to line-drying items.

Anyway, I washed everything and put it back on our bed and we enjoyed nice clean sheets last night.... and I realized that I would change the sheets on our bed every day if it meant Tye could sleep with me every night.

Not that I want to, but I would.

I heart Etsy

I came across these beautiful slings by Get Carried Away Baby on Etsy.com this morning. They are stunning, and right now, half price (less than half what we paid for ours at sakurabloom.com). There's even a camouflage sling for "Mr. Wonderful." I'm considering adding another to our collection...

I also fell in love with these felted wool teethers by Babus. The soft but dense wool will provide a totally different texture than other toys, and they are just so cute. Look at this collection!

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!

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...