Sick Day

Sorry for the silence lately.  I've been sick for almost a week now--just an annoying cold bug with a persistent cough and that tired/dragging feeling.  It's the only two symptoms really (Praise God) but it just has not gone away.  Grace has probably spent too much time on her activity mat and jumper cage thing but she doesn't seem to mind.  She also is probably the healthiest one in our house right now. I've been taking some nursing-safe cough syrup but it doesn't seem to be much help.  The coughing leaves me awake for much of the night, leaving me to be a walking a zombie during the day--I think that's the main source of the tired/draggy feeling.  Nevertheless, as they say, "There's no sick days for moms."

Helping with laundry!

One thing I've done to help me have a type of "sick day" though is my weekly routine.  I learned to do this right away after I was sent home for modified bedrest early into my pregnancy.  I won't get into the specifics of my routine as it's specific to our activities, my level of cleanliness, and the size of our home.  For example, sweeping the entryway everyday may not be important to you but you may not have to walk through a dirt pathway to get to your front porch like we do.  Anyhoo, I separate my routine into Primary and Secondary levels.  Primary chores are chores that must be done to keep the house minimally functioning.  Even if I'm sick, I need to push myself to do these or enlist the help of my husband or relatives/friends if I really can't do it.  They don't have to be a lot.  For us, it's laundry, putting away laundry, dishes, make dinner, make the bed, pick up around the house, and go to the grocery store.  These chores alone don't keep the house pristine but they keep things functioning even if I'm not feeling completely well.  Some are easy to do on my own even while at my sickest; some I do need to delegate to others.  For example, Brad did the grocery shopping last week.

Secondary chores are chores that help keep the house consistently "guest-ready" clean.  These are dusting, vacuuming, sweeping, mopping, washing windows, etc.  I have a schedule for these that range (depending on the chore or area) from everyday, once a week, once a month, to once a season.  A quick note on once a season chores-- I try fit these in whenever we have a fifth weekend in the month.  My once a month or once a season chores are done on Saturdays or squeezed into Friday or Monday if Saturday is full.  When I'm sick, I only push myself to do Secondary chores if I'm feeling really up to it. If I don't get to it, I don't need to beat myself up over it because I know that the house isn't falling apart; it's just a little dusty.  Once I start feeling better, I just start doing whatever secondary chore I have assigned for myself that day.  I know I'll get to the rest of the secondaries as the week progresses so I don't have to over-exert myself to "catch up" once I get better. So, there you have it.  That's how I manage to make a sick day for a mom.

Baby Non-Essentials

I was pretty strict about the type of items I wanted in our home.  Because we have a small place, I wanted to ensure that we only had the necessary items and that many of those items would either do double duty or do something very well in order for it to even come across our threshold.  Thus, we don't have too many unnecessary items for Grace.

Cozy in her big girl towel

Here is our list of items would could have happily done without or have done without:

Baby Towels-- I didn't register for any baby towels so naturally I received four different kinds. I tried using them when Grace was a newborn but it just didn't work out for us.  Grace is too small and those towels were not absorbent at all.  She quickly graduated to our adult-sized towel.  Ours are much softer and because they are more absorbent, I have a better grip on her when pulling her out of our sink or bathtub.

Baby Bathtub-- We never used one of these because I didn't feel like we'd have the room to do it.  I'm glad we chose not to.  Grace did fine in the sink but because she's so tall, we had to move her to the bathtub.  Now, I just fold a towel in thirds and lay her out on there.  It slightly elevates her above the water and gives her a soft but secure surface for her.  We'll continue to do this until she can sit on her own.  If I had to do it over again, I still wouldn't buy the baby bathtub but I would definitely move her onto our bathtub a lot sooner.

Infant Carseat-- I knew Grace would be a big baby so I opted to find one of the best convertible car seat that works best for newborns all the way to toddler.  Our First Years True Fit Premier fit that bill perfectly.  Without the detachable headrest and with the ability to recline, it had all the safety features of a true infant carseat but without the bar and detachable base.  Some may say starting off with a convertible seat has major disadvantages-- especially when having to remove the baby in the cold and rain.  While those are valid criticisms, I'd like to point to my baby who can be put in and taken out of her seat while fully asleep (not every time but pretty often).  All babies eventually have to move to convertible so they might as well get used to a little jostling early on.

Cloth Nursing Pads-- I really wanted to like these.  I even bought two boxes to get myself started before I had Grace.  Yet, almost every cloth pad I looked at had cotton as the side that was supposed to face inward.  While cotton may breathe, it does not wick away moisture.  Sure enough, when I had a real chance to test these puppies out, they failed miserably.  They stuck to me and when I would peel them off my skin would come along with them more often than I would like to remember.  Even though it's wasteful, I've had to stick to the disposable Lansolin pads.  Thankfully, I only have to use them overnight now.

Nursing Glider-- Some people really love their gliders.  We have an old lazyboy in Grace's room that we use instead.  I've used gliders to nurse Grace at other people's homes or in our church's nursery.  Every time I've used it, Grace has had her legs caught in the wooden slats.  I've had to twist my body around so that her legs face outward instead of to the sides and hope she doesn't bang her head on the other arm (she usually does despite my best efforts).  It would really screw up my back until I realized I should probably just sit on the matching ottoman.  So that's what we do now.  Thankfully, the arms are nice and low on our lazyboy so Grace's legs just rest on the top and with the fully cushioned arms, she is in no danger of getting her legs caught again or her head bumped.

So those are some of the big non-essentials for us!

Baby Essentials

Five months into being a mom of a baby, I've been able to look back and consider what products and advice were actually helpful to me and which weren't.  Now before I get too ahead of myself, remember that with every "baby essential list" the reader must take into consideration the parenting style behind such a list.  Not everyone is a "conventional" parent and not everyone is "attachment." Likewise, some are adamant about "green" living while others are more focused on efficient and frugal living.    As I've mentioned before, I fall into the efficient and frugal camp.  The greenest thing I do is buy quality used or new items and try to treat them well.  While I'm not wholly on the AP side, I don't know if I'd be considered "conventional" either.  I do wear Grace part of the day but we do not cosleep.  So take these considerations into mind when looking at my list.

Some of the products I use everyday for Grace:

Swaddlers-- either SwaddleMe brand or Kiddapotomus.  Grace loved to be swaddled and we started her on these swaddlers as soon as we brought her home.  It instantly soothed her so that she was able to sleep in peace.  I loved that they were easy to put on her and take off for all those early diaper changes when she was a newborn.

Our minimalist baby

Gerber Brand Cloth Inserts.  We used some for burp cloths but most of the time, we use them as an added protection between Grace and the diaper changing pad.  It's so much easier to swap one of these out than change the entire pad.  It also makes for a nice makeshift pad for sleeping on a hot day!


Activity Mat-- Grace has been on a couple activity mats.  Her personal one is used that was passed down to us.  It's a nice safe spot to place Grace while I run back outside to get my groceries or answer the phone.  Lately, I also been using it to gauge how tired Grace is before bed.  I lay her on there and let her play it out and watch for her to rub her eyes or get quiet (her sleepy cues).  Once that happens, I scoop her up and I nurse her to sleep.

Swing/Bouncy Chair-- We only use the swing or bouncy chair when we're having dinner.  It's a nice place to put her near us while we eat.  We've never had to use it for soothing or naps as Grace usually responds to the Five S's.  Our swing was bought used and the bouncy chair was passed down.  Both are Fisher Price brand.

Those are the basics for Grace!  Next time, I'll talk about the products that were useless to us!

tHEology?

Studying theology isn't a masculine task but it sure feels that way sometimes.  Men gather in a circle and debate presuppositionalism and theonomy over dark ales and fragrant cigars.  Women gather in a circle and debate cloth diaper brands over coffee and pinterest creations.  Even our bible studies are different.  Men don't have bible studies that direct them on how to kill spiders for the glory of God or how to mow the lawn with pure contentment.  Why then, do most women's bible studies relate to child rearing and home making?  The words of J. Gresham Machen come to my mind when I see these studies: "There can be no applied Christianity unless there is a Christianity to apply."

Perhaps the disinterest in theology stems from the fact that women just don't see the relevancy of the faith in their everyday lives.  It's why we see a proliferation of  applied Christianity bible studies for women.  However, showing women where they can apply their faith in their life puts the cart before the horse.  Women need bible studies that teach them"what they believe and why they believe it" in order for them to find areas in which their faith can be applied.  One could get into a chicken or the egg argument when it comes to modern women's bible studies as authors are only supplying what their readership demands.  Yet what is demanded is different from what is needed.  Women need to know their doctrine. By relying solely on applied bible studies, the Gospel becomes assumed. An assumed Gospel will inevitably become a forgotten Gospel.  

Snugli Review

Snug!

We received a new Snugli carrier in the mail from my mom.  She bought it for us after I let her know that our normal carrier was giving me back problems.  I don't "wear" Grace for a long period of time but our usual half hour to an hour spurts each day was enough for it all to eventually catch up with me.  This new Seated Snugli has lumbar support to evenly distribute the weight and puts Grace in an ergonomic seated position.  Those two features combined make this carrier a lot more comfortable for both of us than my previous one.  I wore it a bit yesterday and today while running errands and didn't feel the stress on my back like I used to.

After doing some research on the Snugli, I'd have to say it's a pretty good frugal alternative to the standard Ergo carrier.  However, the Snugli does not come in any fancy organic fabrics if that's important to you. The one I received  even came in a warmonger military green color.  Works for me!

Not only do I wear Grace while running errands, I also try to wear her when I do some chores around the house.  After Grace grew out of the newborn stage I started to do more chores while she napped.  Soon, I noticed that I had made myself so busy while she rested that I was exhausted by the time she woke up again.    That didn't make for a good time for either of us.  Now, I'm back to resting while she rests (it's still a good tip even 5 months into this whole baby thing!).  I do accomplish a few chores while she naps but I also wait until she's awake now to do the majority.  It allows her to be more involved in my life and do something besides play.

Before I started using a Snugli carrier, I tried out slings when Grace was a newborn.  I really wanted to like slings before I had Grace.  I bought two to start off and even had people help me get the right positioning when Grace came along.  Yet, I was never satisfied with the way my baby was situated in the sling.  I had to constantly check her neck so that it wouldn't press against her chest.  When Grace got older and could hold her neck up properly, I tried the sling again.  Unfortunately, she got so heavy the slings severely cut into my shoulders.  One day, while doing chores around the house, I noticed Grace's legs were changing color because the sling cut into her circulation while she was in the hip hold.  That was the end of it for me.  After doing some research, I found out this was a usual occurrence for sling wearers.  The solution, according to babywearers, is to again constantly keep an eye on their legs to make sure things don't get too tight.  Having to "constantly" keep tabs on their neck and legs is too much fuss for a product that's designed to allow me to do some multi-tasking.  When Grace is secure in her Snugli (either one) or really any front pack carrier, I don't need to constantly recheck her to see if she's still breathing or if her leg has turned purple.  I can go about my business and just have fun with her.  That's the whole point of wearing your baby, right?

Happy 5th Month Birthday, Grace!

What a happy five months it has certainly been!  Last month you learned to roll over, laugh heartily, and sit (momentarily before you topple over).  You're discovering your world and it is a joy for me to rediscover it through your eyes.  You were our blessing from the Lord even before you took your first breath.  Now that we are getting to know you, I can't express with enough words how much I see God's blessing and love in our love for you.  Our love for you is fierce but tender.  As much as we love you, I pray you will know that God's love for you is even deeper and more steadfast than ours could ever be.

Rollin' Rollin' Rollin'

Grace is rolling now!

She's almost rolled from back for over a month now but she kept getting her hand stuck under her.  After she'd get tired of having her hand wedged, she'd just flop back over.  This time she's truly rolling from tummy to back.  I hoped she'd learn this skill soon since she hates being on her tummy.  It seems to give her a lot of joy to be able to say "Nope.  I'm done with this tummy business."

Here's a video of her in action:

Now if she can just figure out where to put her hands during her back to tummy rolls and she'll be rolling both ways.  I don't think I want to hurry that along.  I like knowing my pudgy little lump will stay where she is  for now.  :)