Tuesday, May 25, 2010
what do we really need?
Preparing for baby number two is a lot less pressing than number one. You don't have to educate yourself about the things you'll "need." There are some basics I know we want, like another crib. We could just improvise with the things we have here -- a pac-n-play, etc. But I definitely want another crib. I feel like a crib is the safest route given the boys' ages. We have a double stoller that a friend gave us. We have an infant car seat. What else do I need? Just some bedding and to beef up a bit of our diaper supply, I think. Clothes are pretty easy, though I am sure we'll need some stuff. Pacis? What else?
Monday, May 17, 2010
compost
Last year, when we first moved into our house, I had grandiose dreams of a beautiful vegetable garden that would be flourishing by springtime. Then I got to know my yard a bit better, and thought it prudent to give it at least a year -- let the Fall, Winter, Spring and following Summer teach me a little bit about the topography and where it might be best to plant.
In the mean time, I decided to start composting. I tried vermicomposting. I thought I could do it cheap. I was wrong. We had a mad crazy fly infestation. ...So I started a traditional compost heap. I could not for the life of me find anything to raise it up on, and I didn't have enough money to do one of the fancy schmancy barrels.
The yard (with it's 5 shade trees and the remnants of the horrible ice storm that his NWA in the winter of 2008), had tons and tons of twigs. By fall I had raked and moved all the leaves from the front yard to the compost heap. I figured with all that brown matter, we could just dump our food scraps (I've tried to stick to veggies only until I really get it working) on top, flip it from time to time, and we'd have ourselves a working compost pile. I was half right.
The leaves, when dry, are a HAVEN for ants. Thankfully, we only have harmless-to-humans black dudes. So the past few weeks, as I've taken our scraps out, I've found that there are SO MANY ants. And when I opened the shed the other day, roaches (I know, creep me out!) scurried. I got really worried. I talked to my midwife (who is a jack of all trades, ha), and she said to dump some dirt on top.
The dirt helped, but it definitely wasn't enough.
I've gotten so frustrated with the twigs. There are SO many, and if you'd step on the heap, you'd feel them crack underneath you. They're hard to rake and flip. Just annoying. But the ants and roaches motivated me to give them and the whole heap a good flip. This is where the good news comes in.
As I moved the compost, there was no "food" (with the exception of egg shells and onions), so it's definitely composting. The twigs actually make a BLACK (totally healthy) dirt. It is beautiful. And there were hundreds of worms, another great sign of a good compost pile. Some of the worms were longer than a foot and about 2 inches in diameter. Gorgeous!
Half of the heap is leaves, so I turned them, tried to get the dry leaves underneath the wet ones. And I formed a bit of a rectangle essentially with three walls -- two are primarily the twig matter and the other is where I pulled all the leaves to the center. So my plan now is to keep dumping scraps on top of the leaves and covering it up with twig and then more leaves. We'll see how it goes!
It will definitely be at least another year before I am comfortable trying a garden. I really want to plan it well and I don't want to have to put too much money into it. Some people spend thousands just to get a healthy start. My hope is that this compost really works well and can be a huge portion of the healthy dirt we need to get the start we want.
In the mean time, I decided to start composting. I tried vermicomposting. I thought I could do it cheap. I was wrong. We had a mad crazy fly infestation. ...So I started a traditional compost heap. I could not for the life of me find anything to raise it up on, and I didn't have enough money to do one of the fancy schmancy barrels.
The yard (with it's 5 shade trees and the remnants of the horrible ice storm that his NWA in the winter of 2008), had tons and tons of twigs. By fall I had raked and moved all the leaves from the front yard to the compost heap. I figured with all that brown matter, we could just dump our food scraps (I've tried to stick to veggies only until I really get it working) on top, flip it from time to time, and we'd have ourselves a working compost pile. I was half right.
The leaves, when dry, are a HAVEN for ants. Thankfully, we only have harmless-to-humans black dudes. So the past few weeks, as I've taken our scraps out, I've found that there are SO MANY ants. And when I opened the shed the other day, roaches (I know, creep me out!) scurried. I got really worried. I talked to my midwife (who is a jack of all trades, ha), and she said to dump some dirt on top.
The dirt helped, but it definitely wasn't enough.
I've gotten so frustrated with the twigs. There are SO many, and if you'd step on the heap, you'd feel them crack underneath you. They're hard to rake and flip. Just annoying. But the ants and roaches motivated me to give them and the whole heap a good flip. This is where the good news comes in.
As I moved the compost, there was no "food" (with the exception of egg shells and onions), so it's definitely composting. The twigs actually make a BLACK (totally healthy) dirt. It is beautiful. And there were hundreds of worms, another great sign of a good compost pile. Some of the worms were longer than a foot and about 2 inches in diameter. Gorgeous!
Half of the heap is leaves, so I turned them, tried to get the dry leaves underneath the wet ones. And I formed a bit of a rectangle essentially with three walls -- two are primarily the twig matter and the other is where I pulled all the leaves to the center. So my plan now is to keep dumping scraps on top of the leaves and covering it up with twig and then more leaves. We'll see how it goes!
It will definitely be at least another year before I am comfortable trying a garden. I really want to plan it well and I don't want to have to put too much money into it. Some people spend thousands just to get a healthy start. My hope is that this compost really works well and can be a huge portion of the healthy dirt we need to get the start we want.
Tuesday, May 11, 2010
grains
I am no health guru. I love Chic Fil A. I love sweet tea. I love coffee. I will eat Wendys on demand. None of which are healthy eating habits. Especially during pregnancy when all of your sensitivities are heightened, it's so important to have good habits.
One thing that I read recently (within the last year anyway) is that one thing women (stay-at-home moms in particular) are deprived of are mentors that can help steer us, whether to stay on course or into new habits. Some people don't need a mentor. They see a good choice, they make that good choice and they have no problem not looking back, longing. Me and food are not that way. I recognize that there are healthier ways to live, I just have a slight longing for sweet tea and waffle fries. Call me crazy.
But, timely as it is, it's not really good for me, nor is it healthful for Ike's development. So seek some manifestation of a mentor do I. I stumbled upon a blog recently that is truly helpful -- Passionate Homemaking. My midwife mentioned weeks ago that spelt flour is better than wheat. Meh, "better" isn't fair. Variety in grains is KEY! which is something the author of PH discusses. She also has a few great recipes published there, one of which I hope to try tomorrow (and the next day...since she really encourages soaking your grains).
It's so fun to have a couple mentors and really being able to strike a balance with what I really think I can implement here and now.
One thing that I read recently (within the last year anyway) is that one thing women (stay-at-home moms in particular) are deprived of are mentors that can help steer us, whether to stay on course or into new habits. Some people don't need a mentor. They see a good choice, they make that good choice and they have no problem not looking back, longing. Me and food are not that way. I recognize that there are healthier ways to live, I just have a slight longing for sweet tea and waffle fries. Call me crazy.
But, timely as it is, it's not really good for me, nor is it healthful for Ike's development. So seek some manifestation of a mentor do I. I stumbled upon a blog recently that is truly helpful -- Passionate Homemaking. My midwife mentioned weeks ago that spelt flour is better than wheat. Meh, "better" isn't fair. Variety in grains is KEY! which is something the author of PH discusses. She also has a few great recipes published there, one of which I hope to try tomorrow (and the next day...since she really encourages soaking your grains).
It's so fun to have a couple mentors and really being able to strike a balance with what I really think I can implement here and now.
second batch done!
I ran out of my homemade laundry detergent a month or so ago. I bought some 7th Generation thinking it would be fine. But it's pretty harsh stuff. Abe's diaper rash (that I wrote about in a previous post) didn't go away until this week. And I had to put him in disposibles for 3 days while ALL of his diapers got sun-bleached after 5 hot rinses. So a new batch of our gentle detergent has been long over due. And I did it today! Whoop! Now I smell like Fels Naptha. But I feel like a good momma!
big ultrasound
I really am opposed to ultrasound. Many people think it causes undue harm to the baby. I am pretty sure there are just as many who say it's harmless. That's not why I don't like them.
When I got called back, I had the ultrasound, which was really cool. Then I went to see the doctor. Because I "had the ultrasound," I kid you not, she did not touch me. How do you get to know your patient if you don't touch them? There is something very worthwhile to be said for palpating and checking true fundal height and checking heart tones with a fetoscope. I got to know Abe better with the help of my midwives. I am getting to know Ike via a machine. ...I don't know, there is something a little eerie about that.
Anyway, everything came back totally fine. He looks good, his estimated weight was 3.13 on Thursday. He will be a bigger baby, but not as big as Abe...as long as I eat right between now and the birth. We shall see! I don't have a low-lying placenta, which is great -- much less of a chance for too much blood loss during labor. The placenta is anterior, which means that I will never feel him right at the front of my belly; he'll always kick around the edges and whatnot. Things are great!
We started our prenatal classes with Jennifer (my former midwife) and Mariah (my monitrice/doula for this birth). They're fabulous. Extremely informative. Birth plans were on the agenda, but we talked about a lot of other things, too. Amazing food.
Everything is looking up for this birth. You know, it's incredible how much there is to learn and KNOW about our bodies. I am not sure I still truly KNOW myself, though creating another life is extremely eye-opening. Food for thought: we are very reactionary as a general cultural norm, instead of preventitive. There are million things I could do better this pregnancy that I simply didn't do (and ended up with a less than agreeable outcome) with Abe. We are still hoping for our beautiful, vaginal, intervention-free birth experience. And here's to hoping!
When I got called back, I had the ultrasound, which was really cool. Then I went to see the doctor. Because I "had the ultrasound," I kid you not, she did not touch me. How do you get to know your patient if you don't touch them? There is something very worthwhile to be said for palpating and checking true fundal height and checking heart tones with a fetoscope. I got to know Abe better with the help of my midwives. I am getting to know Ike via a machine. ...I don't know, there is something a little eerie about that.
Anyway, everything came back totally fine. He looks good, his estimated weight was 3.13 on Thursday. He will be a bigger baby, but not as big as Abe...as long as I eat right between now and the birth. We shall see! I don't have a low-lying placenta, which is great -- much less of a chance for too much blood loss during labor. The placenta is anterior, which means that I will never feel him right at the front of my belly; he'll always kick around the edges and whatnot. Things are great!
We started our prenatal classes with Jennifer (my former midwife) and Mariah (my monitrice/doula for this birth). They're fabulous. Extremely informative. Birth plans were on the agenda, but we talked about a lot of other things, too. Amazing food.
Everything is looking up for this birth. You know, it's incredible how much there is to learn and KNOW about our bodies. I am not sure I still truly KNOW myself, though creating another life is extremely eye-opening. Food for thought: we are very reactionary as a general cultural norm, instead of preventitive. There are million things I could do better this pregnancy that I simply didn't do (and ended up with a less than agreeable outcome) with Abe. We are still hoping for our beautiful, vaginal, intervention-free birth experience. And here's to hoping!
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)
