OK to wake?

About 6 months ago we transitioned our toddler to a 'big boy' bed, (after his second birthday, but in anticipation of the arrival of his new baby sister). At the same time we bought the guard rails and a mattress protector, we also bought an 'OK to wake' alarm clock/nightlight. We thought this was going to be necessary to help contain him in his new freedom. However, he barely noticed the addition to his bedside table, and when he finally did, he just wanted to press the two buttons on its feet as if it were some handheld game only he knew how to operate (to his credit, one button does send the clock into making some series of faces back at him).

For the first five months we were smug pleased that it'd never occurred to him that he could get out of his new bed any more than he could get out of his crib, and we went happily along sleeping through the night. That is, until recently when he proudly announced that he 'woke up all by himself' and crawled into bed with us. At an earlier and earlier time each day.

When this started to develop into a pattern, we brought the clock to him after dinner and showed him how it worked (after a quick refresher myself, and finally actually setting the the OK time to get up). So you can stay in your bed until your light turns on green, right? Yes. And the first night he did. Even the second night he did. But the third night he must've gotten frustrated waiting, because he just cried out that he wanted Mommy to come wake him up (which is what he used to do before he realized he could get out of bed, if we hadn't noticed he was up yet, so I guess the clock still had some power...). The fourth day, he just decided to get up anyway (over an hour early) and I led him back and we tried to go back to sleep in his bed, but it didn't work. So we played with the stuffed animals on his bed and played with our fingers and time crept sloooowly by. Day 6 he still got up about 30 minutes early, and I laid down with him (this time actually more restful). Today is Day 7. Fingers crossed.

This is just another dimension of the 'transition to a toddler bed'. Parenting really is like the decathlon!!

So far my lessons learned are:

1. Let your little one 'help' you put the bed in their room. And let them help pick out sheets, or a blanket for the new bed (we pulled out every set of Full sized sheets in the little boy bedding aisle of Target and laid them out. Hubby hoped for the sports themed one, I wanted rocket ships. M picked construction trucks. Oh well)

2. Put REAL pillows on your toddler's bed, at least one or two and don't skimp. You will end up sleeping there sometime, and you will wish you had at least decent pillow.

As for the alarm clock, the jury's still out. ps. I was intrigued by this 'clock', too: Kid'sleep Classic

What do you do to keep your kid contained, or to at least get all the precious minutes of sleep you can in the mornings?

Guest Blog Post: What about the Poop?

I am long since numb to being up to my elbows in poop and other baby messiness, but my husband still cringes at these messes. What's more - this is one of the first questions you'll be asked about when you tell someone you use cloth diapers!

Kanga Care and Rump a rooz were kind enough to let me write a guest post on their blog about the subject!!

What's in my cloth diaper 'stash'?

I do not particularly care for the term 'stash' popular in the cloth diaper world for your wardrobe of diapers, but that is what 'they' call it so... Also, know that I just picked up about 4 or 5 new diapers, and some new inserts in anticipation of our baby girl arriving in February. We got along perfectly fine with about 26 diapers (4 of which were overnight pockets... plus our prefolds and fitteds for backup) until M was potty training.

Also see below for a little crash course in the different types of diapers used for cloth diapering.

So, in case you want to know what we have on hand...

All-in-One's (AIO) - one piece, literally, so this is as close to the disposable experience as you can get. This one blew the mind of our daycare director when we first brought up cloth diapering...

BumGenius Elemental (7-39 lb) - 9 (Clementine, White, Grasshopper, Butternut, Noodle, Sweet, Twilight, Albert, artist series blue)

BumGenius Freetime (8-35 lb) - 2 (snap, Albert & Blossom)

Tots Bots Easyfit ('old' version, aplix, 8-35 lb) - 4 (orange, green apple, cosmo, teal )

Swaddlebees One Size Simplex (10-35 lb)- 2 (swirls, tweets)

GroVia Organic One Size (10-35+lbs)- 4 (vanilla, airplanes, trees/birds, teal)

Thirsties Duo - 1 (aplix, size 2, 18-40 lb, Scottish storm)
Ragababe 'Easy' All In One - 2 (size S, 9-20 lb, pink leopard; size L , 23-40+lb, Pinwheel)

All-in-Two's (AI2) - a two-piece system of a cover that can be reused before washing (if not soiled, can be aired out if wet) several times by changing a (usually snap-in, proprietary) insert.

SoftBums Echo (6-35 lb) - 2 (yellow Aliens, Pink giraffe)

GroVia - shell (aplix, "birth to potty" for weight - blackberry) + 2 stay-dry soakers (we lost one of these diapers very early on - it was thrown away by accident... but it was in the cutest bird pattern that is now discontinued... :(  It had the organic cotton soaker, and I didn't care for how crunchy it was starting to get...)
little gPants (Medium, 13-28 lb.) - 1 (graceful rose)

Pockets - a two (or more) piece system of a cover that cannot be reused until washed because the insert(s) goes inside a fabric tunnel in the diaper.

Little Bee Co Bee Changed Microsuade (8-35 lb) - 1 (Mexican Sol)

Rump a rooz G2 One Size (6.5-35 lb)- 3 (aplix - rootbeer, platinum, lazy lime - the dog ate one of these we had in white...)

Kawaii Goodnight Heavy Wetter One-Size (8-36 lb) - 1 (black/white cow)

GoGreen Champ (6-45 lb) - 1 (toady)

Total: 31 diapers

PLUS....

Prefolds - the 'old school' diapers many of us know to be burp cloths nowadays

Unbleached Indian prefolds - (3 infant, up to 15 lb; 6 Premium, 15-35 lb)

Snappi (3)

Fitted - a self-closing diaper that is not waterproof, so requires that a cover go over it.

Thirsties Fab Fitted - 1 (size two, 18-40 lb., mango)

Ecoposh Recycled Oraganic OneSize (6-35 lb) - 1 (ginger)

Covers - PUL - the waterproof layer that goes over a non-waterproof diaper, like a prefold, flat, or fitted.

Thirsties Cover (size x-small 6-12 lb. , baby bird lavender)

Thirsties Duo Wrap (size 1,  6-18 lb - mango, size 2, 18-40 lb., ocean blue and meadow green)

Covers - Wool -  the waterproof (seems crazy, i know, but sheep stay dry in Ireland, right?) layer that goes over a non-waterproof diaper, like a prefold, flat, or fitted.

Sustainablebabyish Knit Wool Cover - 1 (Large, 30+ lbs, falcon)

Swim Diapers - basically just a diaper cover, usually with a mesh layer closest to skin and gussets. All that's required of a swim diaper, disposable or cloth, is that it contains poop. Even if you aren't into cloth diapering, save a TON of $$ using these instead of disposable swim diapers!!
iPlay Swim Diaper - 2 (Medium, 18-22 lb.,  white)
Swimmi by Bummis - 2 (Large, 22-30 lb, turtles and clownfish)

Extra Inserts - for boosting absorbancy in a standard-from-the-manufacturer diaper. Especially handy for nighttime and napping.

Thirsties Fab Doublers

Rump a Rooz (hemp and microfiber, two sets each)

Little Bee Co (hemp)

other - i've forgotten how these others turned up... but i seem to have about 4 extra, plain, microfiber inserts...

Liners - for keeping moisture from touching baby, especially for diapers without a microfleece layer closest to baby (including prefolds). The disposable version are a big help in dealing with poop, especially in what I call 'stage 2' - beginning solid food.

microfleece - 4

disposable bummis biosoft (small)
disposable Tweedlebugs (small)

WetBag - handy for storing dirty diapers (and their smell) until you get home to your diaper pail. I like wet/dry bags to keep the clean ones in one side, dirty in the other. Also handy for bringing home wet/dirty clothes for kids, grownups, and after the pool/beach. A must for transporting such things home from daycare.
Planet Wise wet/dry bag - 2 (Meadow tweets & lime cocoa bean)
Planet Wise pail liner - 1 (white)

Cream - you need to use a cloth-diaper-safe cream. Sadly, A&D and Desitin are not cloth-safe. But coconut oil is (yes, next to the olive oil at Trader Joe's) and is preferred by many.
CJ's BUTTer (Irish Tweed, Lavendar, Bluberry Crumble)
Lansinoh lanolin (not for babies - for me... and for lanolizing wool)

Wipes - you can use cloth wipes just as you can use cloth diapers. Up until now, I admit that I haven't really started using these... I just felt like they would get more poop into our wash, but I wanted to try them with Baby Sister on the way, thinking of cutting up a few receiving blankets we have and don't need, too.
Green Elephant Co - 6
baby washcloths
Seventh Generation & Honest (disposable, yes, but they are what we use!)

Detergent - most manufacturers recommend that you use a detergen they approve of. For a long time I used All Free & Clear, but eventually moving in with hard water made me change my strategy. I also found a detergent that can be used for stripping diapers - for a periodic deep clean.
Rockin' Green
Mighty Bubbles (stripping treatment, do even one more rinse than they suggest... just for good measure, and don't overfill the washer!!)
free samples for traveling (seriously, whenever you buy from your favorite retailer always check to see if you qualify for a free sample of detergent! They are so convenient to pack for travel. I tend not to be picky about brand on this, as they are all cloth diaper safe, and washing in something different every now and then probably helps prevent build up, right?

Training Pants
Honest Training Pants (eco disposable, but for now we are using these as we potty train for naps and nightime)
Gerber Training Pants - 12 pair (3T, white and boy patterns)

... starting on a tangent at this point... potty training is a whole other topic!!


QUESTION: I added the weight ranges that the manufacturers claim their diapers will fit (so I remember when to break them out for Baby Sister), but I am skeptical at a few claims... can anyone attest to the lower weight ranges of any of these?

QUESTION: Which of these would you like to see reviewed first? I have already reviewed the elemental since its the one we have the most of in our 'stash', though not necessarily our favorite.

Three more weeks of simple cooking!

If you are working on your simple cooking weekly recipe planning, here are our last 3 week's recipes (again, each week includes one fish recipe and one meatless recipe. And leftovers from all meals were turned into our lunches the next day - including for the 2.5 year old!)

Week 1

I am leveraging some of the goodies from our CSA box this week: carrots, broccoli, lettuce.

Pear struessel muffins, Once a Month Mom. with blueberries instead of the chopped pear and applesauce instead of the pureed one... YUM! We put most of these in the freezer and are doling them out for special breakfasts.
Meatloaf Cupcakes w/  mashed potato 'icing', modified from Cooking Light with a side of broccoli
Shrimp 'Fried' Rice, Weelicious (140 Fast, Fresh and Easy Recipes) - very similar to their Veggie Fried Rice recipe + peeled, deveined shrimp
Turkey Spanikopita Burgers, Rachel Ray (365: No Repeats) with a side salad for mom and dad, green beans for M (he's still not into the texture of lettuce...). Also always a surprise for guests that no, they will not even notice the spinach IN the burger. It's just yummy!
Veggie Bowtie Pasta Salad, Parenting.com. Use your favorite Italian dressing and you can't go wrong. I love all the veggies mixed in, too!
Veggie-filled Sausage and Rice, modification of my mama's savory, FAST recipe :)

Would anyone use it if I included the shopping list for the week, too?

Week 2

This week we leaned heavily on a new cookbook we received from a friend: Williams Sonoma: One Pot: Food Made Fast

Chicken Stew with Dumplings
Chicken and Vegetable Curry - made with zucchini and green curry... so not really spicy. Served with brown rice that I'd made the day before while we were eating dinner
Mustard-crusted salmon & potatoes (& Caesar salad for the adults, canned peas for M). This one actually didn't go over all that well with my crowd, if I am being honest. Too strong a mustard taste.
Cauliflower Mac and Cheese (from Eating Well When You're Expecting)
Mu Shu Pork Stir Fry. This didn't look like it was all going to fit in the pan... but as the cabbage wilted, I could add the rest. Surprisingly good!

Week 3

* bought a bag of spinach to add to 'beef' up the vegetable quotient of some of our recipes

Baked Shells (from the weelicious cookbook) (adding chopped spinach to the sauce). I couldn't find jumbo shells at either the grocery store or Super Target, so I just used whole wheat penne instead and sort of threw all the ingredients together (plus a few handfuls of spinach!) and baked for 20 minutes. It was still delicious! And the toddler ate every last bit of his without us doing acrobatics or bargaining.
Chicken and Kale Risotto with Pine Nuts and Bacon (using spinach instead of kale; from Start Fresh by Tyler Florence )
Taco Salad (from Eating Well When You're Expecting). Hubby said it: this is always so good. Never fails. We serve the toddler's with a side of green beans instead of on a bed of romaine.
Tomato-Ricotta Salata Spaghetti. Another regular in our rotation. We finally found our local CA grocery store is carrying ricotta salata!... and after three weeks in a row, this week they weren't. So I subbed goat cheese. Not bad.
Shrimp and Corn Chowder (& quesadillas made with whole wheat tortillas, Mexican cheese and chopped spinach; from Cooking Light) This is one of our favorite recipes to make. M loves shrimp (he's a southern boy at heart!) and the soup is SO savory!!! It's a quick and easy one to impress guests!!!

The Do's and Don'ts of Visiting a New Mom (straight from the horses' mouths!)

A new (again) mom friend of mine suggested I do a post on what NOT to do when visiting new parents. As I am expecting Baby Sister to arrive in about 4 weeks, I am gladly obliging in selfish hopes that I will benefit from doing so. This is a progressive post, so keep commenting about what I should add!!

And, If you are expecting a baby soon, share this post (passively...) on your Facebook page, or as a spam email, so your family and friends can be prepared to be the most supportive of you!!

Thanks!


Food

• Do not show up without (easy-to-heat) food. In disposable containers.
• or, if you are staying with the new parents, do be proactive and plan to cook meals.  Tell momma and daddy as such.
• if they have a small child already, do make meals that will be eaten by said child (i.e. avoid super-spicy foods)
• When bringing food, do consider other items in addition to, or besides, dinner such as:
• breakfast
• fresh fruit and veggies, sliced and ready to be eaten for snack (edible arrangements!!)
• dessert
• alcohol! :)  Wheat beers are good for milk-making mommas!
• Do bring chocolate

Mom's condition

• Don't pat new Momma's belly and comment about it not going down yet (yes this really happened...)
• Don't ask her if there is another one in there (yes this really happened...)
• Do tell her she looks amazing (even if she looks like dog poo)
• Don't come over too gussied up (because she won't be!)
• Don't ask if she's ready for another!

Volunteer

• Do be proactive - clean litter box, take trash out, fold laundry, do dishes - don't wait for the parents to ask
• Do offer to help or watch baby for a moment while momma takes a break (like a shower!) - but give her back the moment baby gets fussy!
• ... but don't take baby from her!
• Do offer to wash your hands before holding baby (without being asked)!

You are not a guest

• Remember you are not here on vacation so don't expect the new parents to take you shopping, out to eat, to the movies, or to accommodate your need to watch specific football games
• Don't make a mess!
• Don't express too much interest in what is happening under the nursing cover
• Don't talk about your breastfeeding horror stories

They Need Rest

• When visiting new baby, remember parents need to sleep when baby is sleeping so don't stay too long!
• Don't tell her to nap when the baby naps (while so true, it gets old to hear when other stuff just needs to be done sometimes)
• Don't ask to see (or awaken!) a sleeping baby
• Don't drop in unannounced
• Don't come over sick (if they, or the baby, gets sick, ain't nobody getting rest!)
• Don't comment on how tired Mom looks
• Don't complain about how tired YOU (the visitor) are.

To Know or Not to Know...?

"Congratulations!!! You're having a baby!! Do you know what it is?
... Are you going to find out?!"

I promise this (or some very similar variation) will be the first thing people ask when you announce that you are expecting.

Almost three years ago when we were expecting our first, we found that 90% of the people we knew having babies were finding out. But that 10% seemed kind of cool... Intriguing. My husband felt very strongly that he didn't want to know our baby's gender. He wanted to have the moment of bursting from the delivery room and announcing, "It's a--!!!"

I liked the idea, too. You may be thinking: hey, you are doing all the work of growing a tiny human, giving up alcohol and sushi and cold cuts, gaining 30(+) lbs, having morning sickness and heartburn, and/or other discomforts of pregnancy and childbirth... Shouldn't you at least get two votes... And some of the glory?

Agreed. But I got to feel tiny kicks long before my husband, and all day every day while I was away from him. And I was lavished with all the Mommy-to-be attention and baby showers. And this is our child. and, at the risk of sounding too cliche, it just didn't matter as long as we had a healthy baby.

"But I am too much of a planner," you say. "I have to know how to decorate the nursery." I AM a planner. I am an industrial engineer by profession and practice in my personal life. So I planned. I researched the best baby equipment (in gender neutral shades) and read books on how to care for babies (I highly recommend both the Miracle Blanket and The Secrets of the Baby Whisperer, by the way). And from a totally materialistic perspective, we scored tons more of the "real" baby equipment from our generous family and friends than our friends who "knew" and got piles if pink or blue onesies instead.

Then we rounded month 8 of our pregnancy. In this last month, you're anxious to meet this little soul, and is the most uncomfortable yet (especially if you are expecting in August, in the South). And while we were so fortunate to be blessed with a healthy pregnancy, that meant we didn't get any more ultrasounds, no more chances to look inside and change our minds and maybe start calling "it" by a proper pronoun.

Oh well, too late.

And then your due date rolls around, and don't you know, you have a beautiful baby boy who is perfect and whose name fits perfectly (regardless of how much you stressed over having to choose TWO names, or what other celebrity claimed it just days before). And already you can't remember what life was like before now...


AND THEN... Because your first child is so cool, you may choose to have a second child. And now there is another person to consider in your household vote to find out the gender or not.

Maybe you maintain that it will not matter, as long as the baby is healthy. But maybe you remember month 8 and are already weary if all the "s/he"s you type to your friends in emails. And your son is two and still doesn't totally get this idea of a sibling, but when asked which he would prefer, he answers unwaveringly with "a brother". How can we keep preparing him for this new arrival, and disruption to his world?

Hm. So your husband concedes that "last time we did it his way", so he is open this time.

The fifth month approaches and thought you are most hoping for 10 fingers and 10 toes, you are also looking forward to finding out the sex of baby number two.

So we found out. And good thing, since all three of us were pretty sure we were having a boy... And the tech informed us she is a girl. We had her check twice.

I made surprise pink-centered cookies to send to our family and share with our coworkers. It was fun!

So as the pink gear started to amass in the nursery, we agonized over a name. Of course, we had a girl name all picked out for baby #1, so that should have been a no brainer. But this go 'round I just didn't like it for her. And of course hubby and I still had very different preferences. But at least we got to call her "her" and "she". Then at month 7 we were riding in the car from one random place to another and I just blurted out, "how about ___?". Hubby said, "hey, not bad". And it stuck. So now SHE even has a name (even if only a select few know it)!!

We have been able to start training our 2.5 year old to refer to the baby by her name and its cute. Maybe its just been all the talk about the baby, and siblings classes, and maybe he's matured to the right point, but his sister even seems more real to him now that she has a name. He asked me the other night, "When will Baby Sister come out of your belly?" ... so he's putting it all together.

 I still follow up gender references with "... or so they say" because, they do get it wrong sometimes...

Amalou Skin Care Review

AmalouSkin.com

I am still deciding if I enjoy my subscription to Bluum yet (but that's another post). BUT a couple months ago I fell in love with two samples I received from Amalou Skin. When they ran out, and I went back to my regular cleanser it didn't hold a candle to how the Amalou made my skin feel. So I had to order my own full-size versions of their REVEAL and PRIME products.

The Amalou line is the first full service line safe for caring for maternity acne. I can't say that I have/had acne, but I can vouch that it is making my maternity skin feel great - and the folks at Amalou have assured me that I can keep using using the products after Baby Sister arrives. This is also a great choice if you have sensitive skin.

REVEAL is a lightly textured creamy cleanser. By 'lightly' I mean there were a few beads in the smaller-than-a-dime size dollup I used. And the first time I used it, I thought, really? Is this going to do anything. But somehow it does!

PRIME is a 'tonic' to be used after the cleansing step. It is not your typical astringent step, and is described as leaving more of an herbal layer behind to 'balance' your skin. I admit, my 'before' routine was a cleanser and then a thick night cream. I never actually followed the 'tonic' step of a skincare regimen very well. In this line, though, this step isn't stinging. And after a swipe of a cotton ball, there was never any dirt leftover, so I know my skin was really clean (for once).

Amalou also offers GLOW and RESTORE, their moisturizing and night time treatment options. I've not tried these yet, but still loved the effects of the first two steps combined with my thick night cream or SPF day moisturizer.

Two slight negatives I will point out:

Price - Amalou is not your drugstore skincare line. It is a little more pricey. But if you are like me, you are probably already spending a decent amount (or willing to) because really good skin is worth it.

Shipping -  At the time I ordered, the only shipping option was via UPS, and it seemed pretty expensive to be so slow. my order took a week to arrive and cost ~$15 to ship, and the items aren't bulky. When I asked Amalou about this, they said that though they'd had issues with them before, they were working to add a USPS shipping option soon. I checked back at the time of this post, and there is now a USPS option for $11 to my address.

To help with both of these, Amalous does offer promotions from time to time, so if you are interested keep following them on Facebook!

** GIVEAWAY!!**

AmalouSkin will send one lucky reader their REVEAL and PRIME products!!
Leave a comment here about what you look for in a skincare routine! And of course, keep following on the JBabyThoughts Facebook page for other ways to gain entires!! Ends 1/18/13

* Congratulations Kristina V.!!!**

*Disclaimer - I was not compensated for this review, nor was I provided with any product samples for my personal use. These are my honest opinions. AmalouSkin is providing their product to the winner of this giveaway.*