My new love

Evelyn was born Sept 1st Very proud to say I did it with no pain meds this time. A much shorter labor did help with that though.

The recovery has been much easier this time. And since I have a better idea of what to expect and how I want things to go we are adjusting as a family fairly well. So posts maybe more a little more scarce till I can get my computer time back with out having a baby on the boob, since that makes it a little harder to upload pix or type anything with too much thought. I am wondering already how many typos and mistakes I have from lack of sleep and doing this with one hand. So for now we will be enjoying the beginning of fall with our new love Eve.

Another Reason to Buy Local

http://www.foodsafetynews.com/2011/08/honey-laundering/ Unsafe Honey Flooding American Super Markets

I have really gotten into the SLOW (seasonal, local, organic, whole) movement since reading Alice Waters book

It started for me as just a cook book to read from the library to get me and my family eating better, but the message stayed with me and has lead me to read many other books about the SLOW food movement and eating. I was a vegetarian for 10 years till I got pregnant the first time (cravings got the better of me, and a little anemia didn't help) so I am no stranger to animal rights, healthier food and sustainable foods, but recently I have been learning so much more.
We I read news articles like about about what horrible things get into our food it makes me more a more want to reach my dream of becoming a homesteader.
Hopefully one day I will be more of a homesteader and a radical homemaker then I am now.

TV Limits

Last week I was thinking about what I was doing 2 years ago. I was pregnant with Liv in the middle of the summer, waiting for my due date, just as I am now. But there is one huge difference, this time I am caring for a toddler. Cooking, cleaning, playing games, chasing her for diaper changes and more.
It is absolutely exhausting. Most days during her nap time I am napping too.
Before I became pregnant I limited Liv's tv time to zero. She watched no tv at all. But once morning sickness started to set in I gave in. I needed the break to go throw up in peace and to also recover.
When I started to feel better the tv was turned off again.
But now as I approach my due date the tv has been turned back on again. I am so exhausted and tired I need some breaks.
I am fairly anti-tv for young children. There are so many other things they can and should be doing then passively watching television. But unfortunately since I can barely bend down and we are in a heat wave out door play is limited and so are many indoor activities. She will entertain herself, but can not do that as often as I would like. So for those rough times the tv goes on.
I still set strong limits with the tv.
No more then an hour a day (when I am more able its down to 1/2hour)
The hour can not be continues, she can not watch more then 15-20 mins of so of tv at a time. Which is perfect since most children's shows have 15 min episodes.
Other tips I used to keep our tv watching down is to not schedule in tv in our day. There is not time in the day Liv sits on the couch and expects to watch tv. I reserve it for special needs in the day. When I need to call the dr. When she is getting very fussy and i need a break. When I am absolutely exhausted and need to lay down, or when I don't feel well and need to lay down.
I think its important to not have tv time scheduled in our day. Even though I have become more dependent on it we are still not too dependent at all.
If we have a nice day planned and I feel well the tv does not go on all day.
There are so many negatives to the television at this age. A great book on it is
When I feeling a little more in my brain and not all about baby coming I will try to get more into why TV is can harm children at all ages.

Full Term

I am now officially full term, 37 weeks pregnant.
This hot and humid summer has not made this a very fun pregnancy, either has chasing a toddler around.
I am just about ready to go, I hope I do not make it to 40 weeks.
I have become cranky, walking takes too much effort and I never feel cool or comfortable.
I have also out grown a lot of my maternity clothes, which is weird since I gained more weight with Liv then with this pregnancy and I started out only 2lbs about my pre Liv pregnancy weight.
Last time I was 9 months pregnant I was enjoying a cool and wet August (I knew I would not be so lucky again in NJ with our normal hot and humid summers)going for relaxing walks, sitting on the beach or in pool or watching Sopranos reruns on my tv.
This time I would love to be doing the same, but with an almost 2 year old that is not happening.
My tv time is limited to her naps, since I try to limit what and how much she watches and if its on she just plops on the couch with me.
So I have been knitting and reading more. Reading books with my daughter, coloring and if its a cooler day we do some baking.
While I am ready to not be pregnant I am a little worried about labor, since I had a horrible one last time, and dealing with a toddler and a newborn.
Things are definitely going to change big time around here soon.

The Joys of Pregnancy

Image via Wikipedia

I have again become a blogging slacker, but this time I have a good excuse, carpal tunnel. Just another lovely side effect of pregnancy. With the high heat and humidity the dr told me to wear a brace at night or when it bothers me and just try to relax since it most likely won't go away till after the baby is born, which is another 6 weeks.
I am also stuck indoors with my asthma getting worse with this high heat. I just love being pregnant, haha.
So my typing now has to be limited, especially since I determined to make some knitted things for the new baby. Knitting is not the best thing if carpal tunnel is bothering your right wrist.
Since I am new to knitting my first project is this
I am almost done and am getting so excited to make something for the baby by hand.
I'm hoping that the carpal tunnel will subside more since the brace is helping so I can keep knitting gifts for my new baby.
Maybe if this heat subsides it will feel a lot better and I can post a real blog.

Staying Fit While Pregnant

Image via Wikipedia

I always hate seeing in the "rag" magazines some celebrities working out hard well into their pregnancies. The one who always got me was Ellen Pompeo. She was thinner pregnant then I ever will be, and was working out till days before she gave birth.
But I have to remind myself that pregnancy effects everyone differently. Some people have more energy while pregnant then they do when they are not pregnant. That is not me. After I get over morning sickness, which lasts well into my second trimester I have a few weeks before I get to big and uncomfortable.
No matter if you feel great or feel like an old woman exercise is important while being pregnant. Its important to to over exhort yourself, which could happen if you have a feel great pregnancy. And its important not to become one with the couch, if you feel bad, which is what I work on.
Walking is one of the best ways to get in some exercise while pregnant. When the weather is nice I try to take 1/2 walks with my little Liv in her stroller. It is a great work out for me. I just make sure to take my time, and now that the weather is more hot and humid I try to go out during the morning. I also make sure to bring water.
I walk in our neighborhood, but sometimes we go to local trails, or walk around town.
Since I know I could be walking more I am going to get myself a pedometer to help myself track our walks and steps. (this will also be took in helping me lose the baby weight)
Yoga is another great work out for pregnancy. you can find a group setting or buy some DVDS and books, or check them out from your local library. If you can't find a prenatal class and beginners class should be fine. Just make sure to let your instructor know you are pregnant so s/he can modify certain poses for you. This is my favorite DVD to work out too.
Pilates is another great work out for pregnant woman.
A stationary bike is a great cardio work out and is also great to help you ease back into an exercise routine after the baby.
Light weights are another great work out.
Stretching is a wonderful and relaxing way to help your body with all of the stress and soreness from pregnancy.
Unless you are on bedrest working out in some way should be an important part of taking care of yourself while pregnant.
Woman who work out are more likely to have easier labors, and their children are more likely to have a healthy weight, even later in life.
Just remember that pregnancy is not a time to push yourself, or a time to try to lose weight. Your baby is growing and your body is changing and all of that needs to be respected. We can't all stay as slim and fit as we were before. I just keep telling myself that this is temporary and I need to do what is best for my growing baby.
Aim for 30 min work outs 5 times a week. This can be broken down to 3 10 min work outs in a day if needed.
Exercise is also great for your mind and can help you sleep better at night, and you won't feel so bad giving into those chocolate cake cravings :)

Related articles

• Planning Your Pregnancy Workout (everydayhealth.com)
• How much weight should a pregnant woman gain? (zocdoc.com)

Pregnancy Slow Down

Image by State Library of Queensland, Australia via Flickr

My morning sickness has subsided. I am feeling much better, but I am not a happy pregnant person.
Some people feel full of energy and life while pregnant, while I am tired and cranky. I get bloated, I have a hard time sleeping at night, my back hurts, I could go on and one, but this pregnancy is much different since I have to take care of a toddler.
When my morning sickness was bad Liv had her first exposer to children's tv. It was the only way to keep her out of the bathroom while I puked most of the morning. Now that I am feeling better, and the weather is nicer the tv is off. I limit her to around 1/2 hr a day. I have many reasons for this that I will discuss in an upcoming blog.
Since I am fairly tired I have been enjoying some more quiet activities with Liv.
We color together,
play dough,
blow bubbles outside,
side walk chalk,
build with blocks,
bake,
play with musical instruments
read together,
do fingerplays,
do puzzles,
and play with sorters and other shape toys.
This keeps us busy for some of the day. Liv is still to young to do many crafts, and I don't have the energy to attempt many of them with the messy clean ups.
I find if I take time to sit and play with her everyday she will play better alone so I can relax, cook or clean.
Liv will read to herself, play with toys cars, play dress up with shoes and jewelry, push her dolls around, care for her dolls, drive a play car around, dance, sing, pretend to shop in our pantry, and other things to keep herself busy.
I really love watching her play and grow. She has such a good imagination for a 21 month old.
I am just glad that we have not turned to tv, become dependent on it, as a main source of quiet entertainment, or for something to do when I can't play with her.
Even while I am starting to slow down, you can't slow down a toddler, and why would you want to anyway? This is how they learn and grow.

Morning Sickness Help

My morning sickness was so bad this pregnancy, I tried a million things that people suggested before I had to go on zofran since I couldn't even keep water down. Some of them work on some days, some didn't. At 21 weeks I still get nauseous if I don't eat often.
Here is a list of the many suggestions I got that may or may not help ease through morning (all day) sickness)
Ginger, ginger ale (with real ginger)
Saltines
Eating even before you get out of bed in the morning a light carb snack.
Eating every 2-3 hours, light mini-meals through out the day
Papaya enzymes
Vitamin B6 tabs (unfortunately I could not keep the pills down)
Avoid citrus, especially at times you usually get sick or on an empty stomach
Avoid acidic foods, eat lots of alkaline foods.
Caffeine free cola

Related articles

• How to Help Morning Sickness Safely and Naturally (brighthub.com)

sea bands
Sucking on peppermint
Avoid strong scents
Take your prenatal with food

Some of these tips helped, I used most of them from time to time and they did help a little bit. For some woman just doing some of these simple things can alleviate many symptoms of morning sickness. Hopefully if you do experience morning sickness it will not last into your second trimester like I am still dealing with.

Morning Sickness

Image via Wikipedia

I have been MIA for a while and the reason is because I am pregnant. I am now 9 weeks pregnant. My morning sickness is horrible and I am tired all the time. Most of the day I am lounging on the couch. I can not even stand the taste of ginger ale and saltines from my last pregnancy eating too many to make me feel better.
I have lost about 4 pounds.
What is making this all worse is the horrible cold I have that will not go away. It was killing my throat, then my nose was all stuffed now the sinus pressure is killing my head.
Hopefully I will feel better soon, this first trimester is almost over, and get back to blogging.

Extended Breastfeeding

Image by katiek2 via Flickr

So in 2 days Liv will be 1 and since we are still breastfeeding and going strong very shortly we will be extended breastfeeding.
I hate using this term on any child under 2.
The World Health Organization recommends that breastfeeding continue till atleast 2 years.
Many other cultures see nursing till 2 years as the norm and its not extended, thats just what nursing is.
I really hate the stigma put on mothers who breastfeed past one year. There are so many health benefits for the mother and the baby that I wish this was the norm. I hope one day peopl will realize and it will be come more popular to breastfeed a toddler.

Extended breastfeeding really is a term that should be used for older toddlers, age 3 and up. This is when I feel that nursing has become extended beyond the norm in many cultures. Say that though it doesnt mean that its wrong to still breast feed past 3.
For mother and children who keep breastfeeding over the 2 year mark they have an even great stigma and are often looked at as weird, sometimes even disturbed. Woman nursing this long often do not discuss their extending nursing. But for a woman nursing a young toddler who might be still nursing very often it is hard to hide the fact that you are still nursing.
When I nurse Liv people often ask when I am going to wean and mention the women on youtube nursing their 7 year olds, like anyone who breastfeeds past 1 year will never wean.

If you want to breastfeed past a year, and I highly recommend that you do, there are resource out there. La Leche League Internation is a great place to find woman doing the same thing you are.
There are many mom out there who are still breastfeeding, even though they may not all be open about still doing it.
Some moms are tantum breastfeeding, still breastfeeding their older child while nursing a newborn. So don't let pregnancy scare you into weaning if you do not think you are ready to wean.

Most important, always remember that you are doing what is best for you and your baby. You know you baby best, and you will know when weaning is right, which for most little ones is not even close to the year mark, but more close to 3.

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