Newborn, second time around

I recently read a saying that went something like this "a first time mom will need all the help she can get, a second time mom will manage just fine and a third time mom, she can come help you."

So far I am greatly agreeing with this.
The second time around I just feel more confident in my parenting. I know what to expect and I have already learned that going with the flow and not by the book will make life so much easier.
Last time I could not get Liv to sleep with out me. I eventually started co-sleeping, even though I read many places how it sets up bad habits and is a SIDS risk. After do some research on my own and even seeing more research how it can prevent SIDS I was happy with my decision. But mostly I was just happy to get some sleep.
This time I knew right away I wanted to co-sleep for the first few months, so even though I have 2 kids, a toddler and a newborn, so I'm not able to sleep much if at all during the day, I am more rested this time then last with my first.

I am not panicked or worried about breastfeeding, is she getting enough, should she be sucking so much, am I making enough? Going to La Leche meetings last time with the questions helped me this time to just relax and nurse on demand. And just living through this experience once before makes me realize there is a light at the end of the tunnel of all this constant breastfeeding.
Even though I have less time for me, and for blogging, I feel okay with how my home is running and life if going with two kids. My house isn't perfect, but its not a mess either.
Now lets just see if I can brave shopping with 2 kids..that one still freaks me out.

A Day in the Life..

with a toddler and a newborn

Lets start with late last night, Ev slept all day and around 10pm got some cluster feeding in that lasted almost till midnight. I didn't mind hoping that it would be a nice long stretch of sleep at night, but that wasn't the case. She was up every 2-2 1/2 hours to eat. Liv woke up around 7:30, I'm still exhausted from no sleep. Breakfast, easy cereal and fruit. Too tired to do anything else. TV time, I give myself 15 min or so to watch the morning news, then Liv gets to watch one 15 min Curious George episode. Kitchen clean up, too a while with a baby needing to be held or fed. "Circle" time- fingerplays and songs about autumn. The apple picking one I made up sent Liv off looking for an apple to eat, so we had snack time early. Upstairs to finally get dressed. My mom calls and I answer and right after she calls Liv poops and Ev wants to nurse. The phone call is very short, she tells me she has to cancel her play visit with Liv and us tomorrow to go to my Great Uncle's funeral. Another day home alone. After I nurse Ev and change Liv I call back my sister who mentioned something about visiting last week, but cancelled. She just asked about our Great Uncle and that was just about it. Not much time to talk when a toddler keeps trying to grab that phone. While upstairs and finally doing some well needed cleaning before we get dressed Ev takes a nice huge explosive breastfeeding poop. I just love those. It got all over her so clean up was fun. Oh and I forgot to mention that right before this Liv decided she wanted to take a shower so she took off all her clothes and kept asking to shower. While Ev is on the changing table she pees, a huge pee that wets the whole changing table. Right now I am just glad that I decided to use the changing table not my bed. After I go in the closet to get new clothes for Ev, Liv decided to play hide and seek in the closet. Or really its more of a "where is Liv?" Finally get a new diaper and onsie on Ev when Liv walks out of the closet going, uh oh, poopy. Oh great..Thank God, no poopy, but there is a nice puddle on the floor. Hurrah for hardwood floors, no carpeting. Finally I get Ev and Liv dressed and the pee floor cleaned, its time for Liv's nap. I go downstairs make myself something to eat, eat then Ev wakes up to nurse for a while. Only 1 hour goes by, so I decide to go upstairs to nap myself. Liv usually naps 2 hours or so. But of course not today. Right after I go upstairs she comes out of her room. I try to get her back to sleep, nope. No nap for me, and I just know this will mean a cranky toddler because her nap was not long enough. I rest in my room while Liv reads on the floor by my bed. At least she gave me some quiet time. Finally I get dressed and take the girls out on this nice day. We sit outside and watch the buses go by and drop of the neighbors kids. I feel bad since I can not take her for a walk. I am still too sore to push her and carry a newborn in the moby. We move back inside and color on the windows with window markers. I am ready to pass out. I need a break so we watch a little tv, about 15 min then we go cook an easy dinner. Eat, more coloring and DH comes home to play with Liv a little and then its off to bed for her, blog for me and shortly bed for me. I just realized I still have not brushed my teeth yet today. At least I should sleep good tonight, oh that will happen with a newborn nursing every 2-3 hours. Maybe I will luck out and get a 4 hours stretch, that would be heaven.

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.

Hurricane Irene and being Prepared, The Green Way

All I keep hearing about is having bottled water, bottled water and lots of it in case you lose power during this hurricane. I can't understand why? Does the bottled water industry have a bad weather contract with the government?

When I went to the store to buy some canned goods just in case power goes out I couldn't believe it when I noticed I was the only one not buying bottled water.
Did everyone forget how we got water before it came in bottles? From the tap.
I have a filter in our basement and a Brita in the fridge. Today and yesterday I have been just filling up the brita, then when it is done I put the water in a pitcher. I have 2 large glass pitchers full of water. I have also started to fill all the stainless steel bottles that we use instead of bottled water and put them in the fridge. With the brita full too this amount will last us days.
No need to spend our money on bottles that are very wasteful and bad for the environment.
It really surprises me that our family is the only one I know who is doing this and not running out for bottled water.
I just hope for Mother Earth people start to realize how wasteful and unnecessary bottled water is. Even during a hurricane.

Rhythm with a New baby

I am expecting a new baby to enter my life any day now, official due date is Friday.
I have completely slacked on a lot of our routine that has been set up for the days and week since I have become so hugely pregnant.
It hurts to bend, to sweep, to stand for a while and wash dishes, to change sheets, I could go on and on. With my first pregnancy I had some back aches, but this time it starts to hurt much more quickly. I don't think carry my toddler helps, but as anyone with a 2 year old knows this can often not be avoided.
I have decided to get myself back on the flylady wagon to help with my cleaning.
I had some a nice routine with out using Flylady, but my house was never as clean as I would prefer so I hope this will help.
Since I can't do too much now I have been working on starting a control journal for myself.
I have kept some of out weekly rhythm and plan to keep things a simple and peaceful as I can.
I hate the word schedule and can not standing being over scheduled. I know too many moms who even with very young children, have become their chauffeurs. I did not become a mom, and a SAHM to be my child's chauffeur. I enjoy doing simple things with my child, staying at home or local and just doing things with the seasons. My new routine still allows for this.
I am not even going to attempt to keep up with most of the cleaning parts till I am a little settled with the new baby. Cleaning can wait.
But I have made sure to include days for specific activities for Liv. I don't want her to get lost in the shuffle of a new baby.
I have also been working on creating my own seasonal book. I read so many books on seasonal activities but haven't found one that works 100% for me.
I started with Fall since it is coming up soon. I am slowly adding actives, ideas, crafts, poems and stories that I have found in some many other resources, or just ones I love from my own childhood. The poems and story part is the biggest thing right now for me. We have so many great books with lovely seasonal poems, perfect for rainy days, but not one is organized in the seasons so finding the right stories can be a chore.
When I am done I will have all of this right at my finger tips.

For now with out the cleaning part our new weekly rhythm will look something like this
Sunday-Church
Monday- Market and Music day for Liv
Tuesday- Park day or other outdoor activity
Wednesday- Wash (laundry) Library or playdates for Liv
Thursday- Baking day
Friday- Craft day or Playdate

These activities for Liv, for the most part are to be done in the afternoon, except the playdates since they are usually in the morning. I belong to a mothers group and there are playdates once or twice a month. This is the perfect amount for us. They also sometimes do group seasonal actives, like apple picking.
In the morning I like to try to get outside and play in our own yard, or go for walks.
Now that Liv is 2 she likes to try more things and I would like to expose her to more. Crafts is something I think she will love. She has already taken to baking. My grandmother even bought her her own little apron.
I am thinking of getting a nice chalk board to write our daily activities on.
These types of things help me from going crazy staying at home all day. It can get lonely and where I live doesn't help. So if I wake up and know that I have at least something to do for part of the day I have something to look forward to and feel more accomplished

then sitting wondering what it next?

Related articles

• The Routine of Being AMAZING (coolcatteacher.blogspot.com)
• Finding our Rhythm (middlemusing.wordpress.com)

A waiting my Baby

I am officially due this Friday and just waiting every day for that moment when you just go "Oh I'm in labor."
I am getting more and more excited to have a new baby in my home.
I recently learned how to knit and this was my first project.
It was a perfect beginner project and it feels so nice to make something for my baby, not just buy something.
This little cat has my heart and soul in it. I am so excited to give this to her when she is born and tell her that momma made this just for you.
I know realize why some people love knitting and crafting so much. You just feel a sense of accomplishment, which shopping for things never fills that void.
I am now going to start a lovely knit blanket for the baby. Something that I can work on while I am still waiting for baby to come and hopefully finish before the weather gets cooler so she can actually use my knit.
My first daughter has a lovely blanket and doll that she sleeps with. They bring her much comfort and I just wish I had these skills to make them for her instead of someone else.
But I am learning and growing.
Maybe I can make her some nice winter mittens, or a new doll for Christmas.
Handmade holidays are the best is they are made from the heart.

Related articles

• Knitting patterns for beginners (thriftingvignettist.wordpress.com)

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.