Merry Christmas!

I love advent calendars. My sister is serving an LDS mission, so we made her one as a family. Here's the daily scripture list:

Foodie blogers

Hello world. Just for your own personal information, if I ever begin a food blog, I will not post 75 shots of every angle, plus a shot with a spoon or a half eaten dish. Can you imagine how difficult it is to cook with a camera in your hand? And how much extra time it would all take. No, no. I'm about the recipe, the description, and maybe a photo if it looks really cool. Plus, I refuse to write about my morning run, late night out, or my child's latest moment of pure genius. I realize these are personal journals for some people, and if you have a fan club, maybe they want to hear how you polished the silver for the special company, but just give me the recipe. The good stuff. End soapbox.

Going up.

I get discouraged. Often. Especially lately, with limited sleep and the added stress of parenting. But, this is what I believe. Time to apply it more fully.

I hope you enjoy it.

And it's only Tuesday...

Homelessness, hunger, emergency room, suicide, displaced children, depression, drug addiction, and utter fatigue. Can we skip to next week?

Thankfully, there is comfort in this. We don't have to do it alone.

Read-a-thon

As an elementary school student, one of my favorite days was the biannual Read-a-thon. I would bring a re-purposed 1 gallon ice cream bucket full of buttery popcorn along with a giant pillow and the class would read (and munch) in silence for hours. Ah, memories....

That kind of time isn't as readily available to me now, but every August I start my own reading program. In August 2005, I was serving as a missionary for The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints. My companion and I had just had dinner with a family from the church. As we discussed the importance of scripture, they told us that they had little use for The Book of Mormon. I found that very disheartening, as the entire message of the Restoration hinges on whether or not The Book of Mormon is true. That same month, maybe not so coincidentally, President Hinckley issued an invitation to read from start to finish before the end of the year. He promised an added measure of the Holy Spirit, a greater resolution to keep the commandments of God, and a stronger testimony of the reality of Jesus Christ. Time to test the promise again and get reading!

Care to join me?

Listening

Baby sleeping.
Husband reading.
Toddler questioning.
Child crying.
Parents instructing.
Infant fussing.
Piano unceasing.
Dinner cooking.
Dishes washing.
Grandpa snoring.
Grandma admiring.
Cousins squealing.
Uncles tickling.
Aunts laughing.
Sisters whispering.
Brothers teasing.
Nephews wrestling.
Nieces pointing.

Welcome home.

Can it get any better?

Long ago and far away, there lived a tiny ice cream parlor 2 blocks from my childhood home. Every millenia or two, Dad would take us to get a special treat. My favorite was the seemingly giant soft serve dipped cone. Yum. Yesterday, we discovered homemade hard shell chocolate: 3 part chocolate, one part coconut oil. Melt. Serve. Awesome.

Going bananas

I love them. Bananas that is. Not enough to marry them though. Just enough to feed them to myself and the Princess all the time. Thankfully her digestive system has accepted the offering fairly well.

Favorite new ways to eat them, an even old ways to eat them:

• Banana/watermelon crush - Frozen or unfrozen. Yum.
• Banana 'pancakes' - little rounds sauteed in coconut oil. It helps if it's not a mush banana, but it's super yummy even as a mushy mess
• Frozen Banana yogurt - freeze bananas, blend with plain yogurt. Acts like soft serve ice cream, tastes like heaven, or how I would imagine heaven could taste.

Next stop: Cook up a few 'pancakes.' drop them in the freezer, and then blend with yogurt. Homemade yogurt. I'm excited.

Any favorite recipes you want to share, for bananas, or for baby?

Put the yo in gurt

The modern dairy aisle assaults each passer-by with such a grand number of products, one may find it hard to believe each starts from a bucket of milk...excepting the non-dairy alternatives, of course. From the sheer magnitude of items, one also might wonder what is actually in each little package. I have. I made the switch to plain yogurt, for example, after enjoying it in the Netherlands on my mission. Since the Little Princess was born, I've had to avoid dairy, but she seems past the tummy upset at everything phase, which means I'm loading up on dairy. So guess what I tried? Homemade yogurt. Are you impressed? The recipe is ridiculously easy, though patience is key.

Are you ready?

Place milk, preferably whole, preferably as unadulterated as possible, ie not ultra-pasteurized, in crockpot. Heat to 180 F. This takes about 2-3 hours on low. Allow to cool for another 2-3 hours to 115 F. Stir in plain yogurt with live cultures, or yogurt starter, 1 cup for every gallon of milk. (Some places recommend tempering the yogurt a bit by mixing in some of the hot milk before stirring it all in.) Wrap the whole caboodle in a blanket or towel and pop it in the oven overnight or for 8-12 hours. If your home is cold, you can warm the oven a bit, or leave the light on (Welcome to Motel 6) in order to keep it warm. The goal is to cool the mixture slowly. The next morning you have breakfast. Just add fruit. Or jam. Or piles of sugar if you can't take the goodness.

Just as a warning, don't expect Greek gogurt here. It's not thick nor is it smooth, but it is really good!

The cold hard question

Will there ever come a day when it doesn't seem like I'm the only one in the universe who does not know how to take care of my daughter? No matter the question or concern, by reading up on it and doing homework, I find every opinion contradicts another and you 'must' do this thing, or absolutely most not something else, which is entirely opposite of the forbiddens of yet another. How on earth did moms survive without the rest of the world one click away?

Mastitis, blocked ducts and a little TMI.

Since becoming a mommy, I have enjoyed a lot of cuddle time with the Princess while she eats. But, I have also enjoyed much of the pain and struggle that comes with nursing. It is a learned art. Since then, I've met other moms going through similar things who had no idea what to do. This is, by no means, a treatment plan or a diagnostic tool. It is not comprehensive nor even accurate, for all I know, it's just what I've read and what has worked somewhat for me. And yes, a lot of TMI.

Mastitis occurs because of a blocked duct or bacteria getting into broken skin on the nipple. It often causes hot, red patches of skin and can feel hard and lumpy. You probably know that if you have a serious fever to call your doctor. I think they recommend calling if it exceeds 102 degrees.

Ways to ease the symptoms
It takes a few days for it to clear, even when it goes away without meds, but it's possible to ease the symptoms through rest, hydration, warm compresses, or a warm shower, and massage. Going long stretches without nursing will prolong the pain, as hard as it is to nurse. If the skin is cracked, there is a product called Lanolin that can help keep the nipple soft and prevent it from drying out. It's safe for the baby to ingest without needing to wash it off. (They derive it from lamb skin or wool, I think, which is a little weird.) I used Lansinoh, which doesn't have any added stuff in it.

If it is a blocked duct, it's important to work the blockage out. If it is, it feels like a hard lump with acute pain right around the block. Starting on the blocked side means baby has a stronger suck, since she's more interested and hasn't fallen asleep. If you can position her lower jaw in the direction of the block, it is supposed to come easier, since the lower jaw is strongest. That makes it difficult if the block is up toward the shoulder! We fed facing opposite ways on the bed, which means getting kicked in the face, but it worked. If you can massage from behind the block toward the nipple while she eats, that can contribute to removing it as well, but it has to be a lot of pressure to do much good. And it really hurts.

As the block comes out, you may see teeny white specks like mini blisters, on the nipple. Some people recommend lancing these with a sterilized needle, but I never had much success with that. Just be careful not to break the skin, which can lead to more problems.

Some prevention ideas
To prevent it from happening again, try to always empty the breast, at least one, at every feeding, then start on the other side next time. Pumping can help, especially if you have an over supply. A hand pump is sufficient for me, but it doesn't get everything out as well as an electric or as baby.

Wash your shirts and tops in hot water, in order to kill the germs. If the skin is still cracked, anything can get it, making it even more important to keep things clean. Also keeping the nipple dry will prevent cracking, as well as avoiding using soap. And using Lanolin, as above.

One big thing is to make sure nothing is constricting any of the milk ducts. A bra with underwire can do it, or even a tight sports bra. Also, not wearing a bra, and not having support, can put pressure on the ducts under the arm. Sleeping on the stomach lead to blocked ducts, too. If it's not one thing, it's another...

Some people say that drinking pineapple juice helps prevent blocks, but it has to be fresh to do any good. There is another things called Lecithin, which is supposed to prevent blocking. No idea what it is.

Here's more authoritative info: http://www.mayoclinic.com/health/mastitis/DS00678/DSECTION=symptoms

Do you have any helps?

Baby Tip #647

To ease teething pain, make a momsicle. Freeze breast milk or formula in whatever convenient container is available and let baby teeth on it. Since baby's mouth is small, it's better to use small containers. Or, break of bits and give them as ice chips.

(This is not my original idea, though I am rather proud of my name for it.)

A formal petition

It's time to take a public stand. There is no backing down, no compromise. The offense is too great! We demand fair and equal treatment for all!

Recently, I encountered a vast lack of sensitivity and understanding from the owners and operators of public and private facilities. How is a mother supposed to go and do if she is barred from entering?

In what way? you ask.

By plastering signage at every entrance prohibiting food and drink. What am I, as a nursing mother, save my child's food and drink? Does this preclude me and those like me from attending or visiting as others do?

Add your voice to the cause.

Now that you mention it, the Little Princess has found some rather creative places to need a bite, to include:

• Home, in every room in the house, save the master bath and the closet
• The birthing center where she was born
• A bench at the Botanical Gardens
• The shower
• The stationary car. Several parking lots have become quite fine eateries, and also several rest areas.
• The moving car...with someone else driving, of course.
• Several thousand feet up in an airplane
• Every other moment at church
• Our church Easter activity 
• Her doctor's office
• My doctor's office
• A stall in the grocery store bathroom, as well as one at the Renaissance Fair
• The dentist's chair
• A bookstore
• During bookclub
• The home of friends and family
• A restaurant booth
• Daddy's desk at work  

Quite the list.

Milestone

She's survived 6 months with me as her mom. Thrived even. Go Itty Bitty!

Shooting for many more.

A Retelling

The Prince and the (Mr.) Potato(head)

Not to long ago in a land not very far away, dwelt a King and a Queen. They lived happily ever after in a very fine mansion on a hill with several of their children. One day, they received visitors from a neighboring kingdom. Their son-in-law had brought their eldest daughter, the Princess, along with the grand-baby Princess to see them. What a lovely reunion. My, how the little one has grown! Careful or she may bite you with her newly minted teeth!

Well, the King and Queen, as much as they admired their son-in-law, more especially since he had brought their adorable granddaughter, still felt some trepidation as to his real character. Was he, in fact, worthy of such a coveted position? In order to prove his true colors, they concocted a plan to test him. One generally uses peas at the bottom of several feather beds for these sorts of things, but that seemed a bit messy, so they resorted to something a little different.

"Your arm's off!"

"No it isn't."

"I packed an extra pair of shoes and your angry eyes, just in case."

Unfortunately, the maid foiled their brilliant plan as the guests arrived before she had put on sheets.

And to this day, they must patiently rely on the Princess and her excellent judge of character to vouch for him...until the next visit.

Motatoes

Last year, I noticed one bushy little plant and another spiny looking plant growing in our backyard. We hadn't planted anything yet, but the one looked vaguely like a tomato and the other looked like onion. I left them, just to combat the urge that most desert dwellers have of removing all green things (as they are generally weeds). Turns out it was, in fact, a tomato and not, in fact, an onion. Still not sure what it is. This winter blessed us with a few hard freezes, so the tomato plant died, while the unidentified spiny thing still lives on, but not without bestowing some lovely tomatoes. None were ripe before I picked them in order to avoid the freeze, but after sitting in a sunny window long enough, they did ripen. Tasty!

Once we came to the runty, end of the line, last to ripen, tomatoes, I realized I should save some seeds. How does one save tomato seeds? A consult with Dr. Google revealed that the seeds must ferment in order to something, and such and such, and so forth. I understood enough to place the seeds in water for a while,  with regular rinsing, until scummy stuff starts growing and then go from there. Dutifully, I put the seeds in water on top of the fridge and ignored them... for several days, a lot of several days, until I noticed that a few, or all of them actually, were sprouting. Apparently the soak had worked and these were viable seeds. So we put them in a pot and now, for the first time ever, I have grown a tomato plant from seed. Proud moment. Hopefully they will survive to be more than the current 2 inch height.

Made in the USA

Growing up living so close to my grandparents, on both sides, (which I humbly recommend for all children...and the parents) taught me a lot about obtaining material stuff. I inherited the 'do it yourself' gene, which permeates my every, every day. One example: Grandpa and Grandma made toys for all the grandchildren for several years. One year it was marionettes, another year it was Jacob's ladders, and another year was a stuffed ball. My brother had one of these. As I scrounged around for gift ideas for our little lady, I realized that diaper cream and clothes the next size bigger didn't make for much excitement at Christmas, even though she wasn't even 3 months old. So I decided to make a ball too. I played on the Notre Dame theme in honor of her father, who is a devout fan, even without being a devout Catholic. I even added a handle just for little hands. It's a little lumpy, but she likes it!

How? Cut 12 pentagons out of fabric. Sew the sides of sets of 5 together to form 2 rings. Add another pentagon to the 5 sided edge of each ring, then sew all but 2 edges of the rings together, wrong side out. Turn it right side out, decorate, if desired, and stuff. Then sew it closed...however you can manage. Then play! 

The end.

Somewhere I read that once you get to the end of your rope, tie a knot in it and hang on. I kind of feel like I need to get that knot in pretty quickly. It may be sheer fatigue from baby or from getting a shot yesterday. Maybe it's because it rained all morning. It may be the subconscious worry of leaving the decade for the next tomorrow. Given the option, which I don't actually have, of trading my life for another, I would definitely pass. Never would I exchange these cute baby smiles for something else...

...well, maybe one or two for a few more minutes of sleep. But that is all!

Laundry list

As mentioned previously, somewhere, be it in a post or elsewhere, having a child has opened my eyes to several facts of life. I now know why some moms are late, never have time, have a messy house, car, boat, or RV, and why dinner must be prepared in under 7 minutes. I also know why mothers either must have several closets full of clothing or must never go anywhere. It all comes down to the baby. As I left the house one morning this weekend, I noticed my favorite jacket had the flaky remains of a recent baby eruption on the shoulder. It was washed earlier that week and I tried to keep it as tidy as possible, especially since anything baby leaves behind shows up so well on black. On closer examination, I noticed that underneath the remnants, the color was turning purple. It has bleached my jacket!

In November, my cousin was holding the Little Miss for a few minutes and got to experience the after dinner regurgitation herself. Thankfully, she "still thinks that spit-up was a sign of love. ;D" My baby must love me lots.

Just goes to show that I probably need to do laundry better...or never go anywhere.

Wife-hood

Life has changed drastically in our home since Miss Thing 3 arrived. Everything has changed, even down to brushing teeth has changed. While carrying her in our handy baby pack, her head sits right in the standard 'rinse' area, so I had to figure out the right twist and bend in order to avoid having a sudsy, and likely grumpy, baby, while keeping her upright enough to not make her just a grumpy baby. It reminded me of the time when my brother and I saw a sit-com commercial about two roommates, I think, that involved one drying his neck while the other apologized profusely through his lather. We pretending to recreate the scene for several weeks after that, though thankfully we never needed to dry anyone. Back to the topic at hand.

Yes, everything has changed, save one thing. My husband is still excellent and supportive as ever, even though he is more tired and busy than ever. The Miss and I attended a Mom and Baby group this week and were inundated with a chorus of complaints from moms struggling more to take care of their husband than taking care of the infant. One dad claimed that the baby was going to be too needy if he used the wrap, which she loves, so he let her scream in her seat instead, or the engineer dad who needs a structured schedule and told mom she was too lenient in enforcing naps, meals, play, etc. The Daddy in this house knows better, for which I am grateful. So here's to all great husbands who choose to become excellent dads. Thanks from me.