Morning/Afternoon/Evening Sickness

I am oh-so-grateful that this pregnancy has been nothing like my first pregnancy.  I lost count of the times I lost my lunch (breakfast, dinner...).

Here is a long list of tips that helped me (and my friends Melissa and Melissa, who had an even harder time during their pregnancies) tame nausea/morning sickness: 

-eat smaller meals, more often, especially right before bed, immediately in the morning
-don't get too full, or too hungry
-sparkling water (La Croix/HEB) or Topo Chico
-learn triggers (for me it was citrus and acidic foods)
-use lavender essential oil to smell, if sensitive to smells

-ginger/peppermint tea

-acupuncture

-switch to cinnamon toothpaste (not sure why but it helps)

-Claritin (sometimes)
-cinnamon gum, mints, lemon drops, etc. stuff to suck on (tons left to share)
-candy (like skittles or starbursts)
-saltine crackers
-emetrol
-ginger in any form (candied ginger in cookies, ginger ale)
-motion sickness bands, "psi bands"
-Vit. B6 with Unisom
-Phenergan or Zofran

-sipping ice cold, fresh squeezed lemonade through a straw

-frozen lemon bars from the grocery store

-morning sickness magic (it's an all natural capsule that you take 4 times a day - it's a mixture of vitamin b6, folic acid and ginger)

-ginger root capsules

Picture Pages: Monday Is One Day

 

Know any working parents?  Of course, we do!  This is the perfect book for families with working parents, reminding us to enjoy the special routines we share that get us through the work week. 

In February, I attended my very first Austin SCBWI conference and had an awesome opportunity to meet the author, Arthur Levine, and illustrator, Julian Hector, of Monday is One Day.  It was so special to hear how the idea of the story originated, a story which so many of us busy, loving, working parents can relate.  Arthur Levine was a brand new dad, enjoying the first few months with his newborn son, when he started to dread his return to working full-time (as a book editor).  Out of that experience culminated a lovely book for both parents and children, to ease the transition from weekend-together-time to back-to-grind weekdays.  

The bright illustrations show every day families connecting in their own familiar ways.   I imagine that this book might help adults process time away from their children, just as much (if not more?) as it would help children get through Monday through Friday.  A great addition to any little library!

Thermometers, Thermometers, Thermometers

I am in love with the Exergen Thermometer.  It makes taking temperatures, way too easy and fun (with a simple, quiet forehead scan).  It's around $30 (I found ours at Target).  It was even quiet enough to scan my daughter's head while she slept!

 
I had initially bought the Mobi Thermometer.  My daughter loved how it loudly stated her temperature.  It notoriously gave a wide a range of temperatures, but when it said that my daughter's temperature was 102 in one ear, 104 in the other ear and 108 on her forehead, I decided it was time to say goodbye to this ridicuously inaccurate device. 

Boogers

'Tis the season for runny noses!  I thought I'd share my favorite tools for dealing with the snotty noses, colds, sinus infections, allergies that abound this time of year.

 

I have a strange love for nasal irrigation myself (life-changing for me!) and so naturally, I was thrilled to find the Simply Saline Baby Nasal Mist.  I highly recommend making up a song and dance to go with the nasal spray action (i.e. bo-po-dee-doo-*spray* and repeat on other nostril).  I also highly recommend spraying nose in between bouts of allergies and colds so that your child doesn't forget how fun it is to have their nose sprayed (and refuses to allow you to do so when you really need to!).  Although I haven't tried it, I'm sure that Little Noses Saline Spray/Drops are great too.

 

 I know this next one will sound completely disgusting, but I assure you it's only a little bit disgusting.  The Nose Frida is much like the traditional nose bulb that is used to suck boogers out, except it is much more advanced because you actually put the red end of the tube in your mouth and literally suck the boogers out of your child's nose.  Worried about boogers finding their way into your mouth?  Rest assured, there is a sponge that prevents that from happening (and even if the sponge wasn't there, it seems like a difficult feat to do).  When there are boogers in there, the Nose Frida will be your best friend.   

I have heard from more than one mother about the awesomeness of Boogie Wipes.  Regular wipes appear to sting and irritate their chapped noses.  This is the way to go!

When my daughter requires a humidifier, I like to put a few drops of eucalpytus oil where the air comes out (not in the water).  It seems to help her breathe a little easier and it smells good too. 

We have also tried California Baby's Bubble Bath- Colds & Flu.  The aromatherapy is perfect for those congested noses. 

Stay healthy, my friends!

Picture Pages: Of Thee I Sing

I picked up Barack Obama's newest book this week, Of Thee I Sing: A Letter to My Daughters.  It is an exquisite children's book, filled with gorgeous illustrations (which our President did not do, Loren Long did) and inspiring messages to his daughters interspersed with incredible stories in American history.  This book is a lovely gift or the perfect addition to your own library.

Babywearing

I don't know what I would do without my babywearing gear!   Especially during those first few months when my darling daughter would only take long naps when I was holding her.  My favorite is the Baby K'Tan- it's really comfortable, affordable ($45 and up), washable and easy to throw on (I could even put it on and put my daughter in it without putting her down).  It's like the Moby, but without the complicated twists, ties, and adjustments. 

The Ergo is awesome too- it's what I use now (because I've loaned out my Baby K'Tan!).   I wish we would have saved our $100 on this beautifully embroidered sling by Serena & Lily and bought Mini Boden clothes instead!  We had a hand-me-down Baby Bjorn that my husband wears.  If you're interested in a Baby Bjorn, hit the resale shops. 

Here's a link to the benefits of babywearing.

TMI

In the first few weeks following my daughter's birth, I had my share of "snarts."  Sure, sure- it is mostly funny, and only a little bit embarrassing when it is in front of your mother or husband.  However, I was petrified that this would become a public thing and had already begun practicing how I'd laugh this off in front of my friends (or would it just be easier to become a recluse?).  It seemed that the R&R, sitz baths, Tuck's pads, "maxsicles," and kegels were helping, but just not enough.  Then, I read this practically-life-changing blog post from Mama Sweat about incorporating exercises for your glutes.  Voila!  It was like magic!  Snarts-be-gone. 

Cloth Wipes

 

Did you know that the average family spends $800 on baby wipes?  Yikes!  Our family uses cloth wipes and we have found that they are not only less expensive than disposable wipes but they smell so much better too!

Want to try it? My absolute favorite wipes are BumGenius bamboo wipes but cloth wipes are easy to make, from flannel, terrycloth, old t-shirts, etc.  Every other week (or so) I take a 32 ounce plastic bottle and fill it with about a tbsp. of Dr. Bronner's Castile Soap (I like lavender), 1 tbsp. of olive oil (or mineral, Johnson & Johnson, etc.), 4-10 drops of essential oil (I like lavender or geranium)- and then fill the remainder of the container with water.  I use an empty baby wipes container and put about 10-15 cloth wipes in before I soak them in the wipe solution.  I've heard that some parents use a wipe warmer too.   Happy wiping!

My New Favorite Thing

 

We recently received the cloud b Twilight Constellation Night Light Ladybug as a gift and LOVE it.  Its calming, projected constellation stars are the perfect distraction when my one year old daughter is fussy and tired.  The stars project for 45 minutes in a glow of red, green or blue.  There is also a cloud b Twilight Turtle that appears to have the same function.

It is so wonderful, my husband has mentioned several times that he would like to buy one for our room too.

Picture Pages: All The World

My little D just celebrated her first birthday.  I thought it was the perfect opportunity to start a tradition of buying her a book for each birthday.   I felt a lot of pressure to find the perfect book.  But I did, easily!  I could tell you how much I love the illustrations in All the World (it's a Caldecott Honor Award Winner), or how I love how it is written by Austin author Liz Garton Scanlon, or I could tell you about the beautiful simplicity of the text.  But I really think you should just check it out for yourself.

Music For the (Tiny) People

I swear that 'Dirty Deeds Done Dirt Cheap' by Rockabye Baby! Lullaby Renditions of AC/DC got me through some tough moments with a newborn.  Oh, the irony to hear that song on a xylophone, while addressing a Number Three!

Some of our other favorite albums for playtime are Bare Naked Ladies-Snacktime, Ziggy Marley-Family Time (we love the song "Walk Tall") and anything by Putumayo Kids.   

We are also into Ernie & Bert's Greatest Hits, Sesame Street Fiesta Songs, Cowgirl Sue- Giddy Up! Whoa!, Disney Greatest Hits Collection, and Laurie Berkner.  Need a soundtrack for toddler tantrums?  It's so much more fun when one can sing Justin Roberts-Meltdown (ma-ma-ma-ma-ma-meltown!). 

 
Let me know what your favorites are.  We try to keep it fresh (and so clean, clean!) in our household.

Disclaimer: I'm not responsible when you can't get Bananaphone or They Might Be Giants' Hot Dog out of your head.

Pregnancy on the World Wide Web

As soon as I found out I was pregnant, I wanted all the information I could find (What was happening to my body? My emotions? Mywaaaaah!).   I signed up for the weekly emails from the American Pregnancy Association and Babycenter.   I devoured information from Dr. Sears.  I chose to take a Hypnobabies course and watched many births on youtube for inspiration.  

Nesting?  I got lost for hours on Project Nursery.  

I was (and still am) a podcast junkie.  I heard lots of great information from Pregtastic podcasts.  I also enjoyed a (free!) prenatal yoga routine from YogaDownload.com.
 
Unlike most women I know, I never hit information overload during pregnancy.  I hope these links provide you with helpful information when you need it.  This post certainly doesn't cover it all- so tell me, what are your favorite pregnancy resources? 

Picture Pages: Mo Willems

This week I was challenged by 'Fans of SCBWI' (Society of Children's Book Writers & Illustrators) on Facebook to "pick a successful writer/illustrator, whether you like their work or not, and write a blog post about what other writers or illustrators can learn from them."

 

When I'm reading to a child, I always enjoy stories that make my (and hopefully their) imagination soar.  When I'm brainstorming ideas for books, I'm always trying to think outside of the box. What's new and different?  What will entertain the little ones?  

One of my favorite authors and illustrators, Mo Willems, most famous for his Caldecott-award winning book Don't Let the Pigeon Drive the Bus, has inspired me to do more than think outside the of the box, or book, but instead makes me want to think inside the book.  When I read any of the Pigeon series, I feel like I am a main character in the story, restraining that mischievous pigeon.  I recently read another one of Mo Willems' books, Big Frog Can't Fit In and was mesmerized by the brilliance of this story. This pop-up book features a giant frog that (when unfolded) literally is bigger than the book. Why limit ourselves to the dimensions of a storybook?    I hope to think inside the book more often in order to inspire the imagination of others as these books have done for me.