Just for comparison's sake, click here to see Emmett today, and now here is Emmett one year ago today:
Showing posts with label nablopomo. Show all posts
Showing posts with label nablopomo. Show all posts
If you don't already know about the Elephant Song, you should watch this. It's so clever and cute, I would watch it even if it wasn't one of Emmett's favorite things, which is not something I can say about most of what's out there for kids entertainment.
We are back home again for a while, after lots of travel for family events, birthday celebrations and Thanksgiving gathering. It was a wonderful whirlwind and now we've come home to this. I guess I know what I'm doing tomorrow.
This photo, taken a few weeks ago, is one of my favorite from Emmett's entire first year. I see his personality shining through his eyes and it makes me smile.
The weather is quite bitter and cold, but Poppy bundled Emmett up and the two of them had fun on a walk outside anyway.
Emmett started out his Thanksgiving by opening a few birthday presents from us and from Nana & Poppy and playing with new toys. We had a very relaxing morning playing and watching the Macy's Thanksgiving Day Parade. Emmett took a good nap and then we went to Auntie Patty and Uncle Will's house for our big meal.
We had lots of playtime and catching up time with grandparents, aunts, uncles and cousins, and ate ourselves silly with all the yummy food. It was a good and happy way to spend the day.
When we got back to my parents' house, Emmett had a bath and settled into his jammies. Mike built a fire and we cozied up in the living room. Emmett was totally enthralled by the fire, and kept saying "light" over and over in awe.
He's in bed now, and the rest of us are curled up on couches, watching a movie and getting ready to eat steaks being cooked in the fireplace.
I am thankful for Emmett's first Thanksgiving spent with us and family instead of in the NICU waiting for test results. I am thankful those tests eventually were negative and he is perfect, healthy and thriving. I am thankful for every hug and kiss. I am thankful for this day.
Dear Emmett,
A year ago today, you changed our lives. You came crashing into this world with plenty of fanfare, that's for sure. But when you got here, and we found out you were a boy, our Emmett, everything was suddenly perfect. You were exactly who we had been waiting for, the perfect addition to our family.
The year has flown by, and I am in awe of what an assertive and creative little boy you're becoming. Slowly, we are getting more and more insight to your personality and I'm starting to see how you fit into our family. We get glimpses of how your personality will mix with mine and with Daddy's. Our similarities and differences and habits and needs clash more often each day, but in a totally good way (most of the time). It means you're integrated more into our daily life as an individual person instead of as a baby whose needs are predictable and met on demand.
You are stubborn. I often sigh and tell you that you're too much like your Mamie. You have a stubborn streak that would have rivaled hers, and oh, how she would have loved that. How she would have loved you. It's fun to see what traits of yours mirror others in our family. For instance, your laugh is exactly like cousin Alli's and your attention span is a lot like mine and Nana's.
You talk so much. You repeat nearly everything we ask of you and I'm confident that you can say just about anything you want; it's just a matter of whether you will or not. One of your favorite words is please. Which functions very well for you as "give me that." When you spot food, a toy, an object you know you can't have, anything you want, you say please repeatedly. Other favorite words right now include light, bath, clock, ball, button, out, juice, head, blocks, truck, among many others. You know how to do some animal sounds- lion, tiger, snake, kitty, dog and cow. Pretty much everything else roars, according to you.
Over the last few weeks, you have conquered three major milestones. You are a true walking kid now. It's a rare occasion that you resort to crawling. Your car seat has been turned around to face forward, which makes for much more pleasant car rides for both of us. And your last bottle was four days ago. You still ask for your bottle, especially before bed, but we just pretend you've asked for your ball or your juice or almost anything else to distract you. It's been a bit of adjustment, but you were pushing away your bottle after only a few ounces and you were ready for the change.
You love the Five Little Monkeys and very excitedly start hitting yourself in the head when I start saying it to you or reading you the book. Going for walks makes you happy. Whenever we pass a light or a clock, it must be pointed out. The mere suggestion of a bath makes you race into the bathroom, throw any nearby washcloths or toys in, screech the word bath over and over and stare into the tub, trying to get into it by sheer force of willpower. You are fully on the go and in charge. You don't sit still for much, but you will still sit and read books. The right books will keep you occupied and calm for 20-30 minutes at a time. Favorites include Peek-a-Who?, Old MacDonald's Barn, Goodnight Moon, Five Little Monkeys, I Love You Through and Through, and several of the Spot books.
You've had quite a time celebrating your first birthday already. We had a cake for you at the Pre-Thanksgiving Feast at home in Jersey City this year, and you opened a few presents. We had a cake for you in PA with Daddy's side of the family, and all the aunts, uncles & cousins came with smiles and hugs and gifts. Today, you and I had a cupcake after your lunch as a treat before we had to get in the car to pick up Daddy and drive up to CT for Thanksgiving. We have one more big celebration in store for you on Saturday, with all of your CT family. You're really getting the hang of opening presents.
You learn so many new things every single day. It is a true pleasure to be by your side. It is an honor to be your mother. Happy Birthday, Emmett.
Love,
Mama
One year ago today, I was in the middle of this little adventure.
A year ago today was my last day at home with Emmett still in my belly, though I didn't know it at the time, nor did I know he would be an Emmett. I had tied up all loose ends at my job almost a week prior, and I was at home waiting. I was dreadfully uncomfortable, dealing with a sore back, constant heartburn, and having contractions on and off, regular and then irregular, all mild and painless. That had been going on for days.
My mind was so distant and unfocused, I couldn't concentrate on anything requiring a constant attention span. TV and reading were no good. I eventually discovered in the last couple of weeks that jigsaw puzzles were the key for me. They kept me occupied without requiring too much thinking or focus. I sat at the table for hours in that last week, bouncing on the ball and doing puzzles. Mike would join me and keep me company whenever he had time.
We got out of the house occasionally, going for drives or for short walks, but mostly we waited. We did the puzzles. Mike was very patient with the doing of the puzzles all the time. And we listened to music. Waayyy back when, I requested ideas for a labor playlist. I said I would follow up with what I ended up deciding, but I never did.
I just started scanning through my iPod and the iTunes store and went with whatever songs jumped out at me and seemed like they might work. As it turns out, the playlist has served us well. I listened to it constantly during the last couple of week before Emmett was born, and I listened to it on and off during my full day of labor before I finally requested the epidural. It worked well for me.
It doesn't end there, though. I noticed after Emmett was born that whenever we played that music, the music he heard all the time before he was born, he would settle down. To this day it calms him, and it has become Emmett's playlist. If I have him in the car by myself for a trip, I will usually put on that playlist so he'll settle down and sleep in the car. It is remarkable.
In case you are curious, here is my list (in no particular order; I always listen to it on shuffle):
Lying in the Hands of God - Dave Matthews Band
Keep Holding On - Glee cast
All I Want Is You - Juno soundtrack
Down to the River to Pray - Alison Krauss (O Brother Where Art Thou soundtrack)
Bella's Lullaby - Twilight soundtrack
Besame Mucho - Andrea Bocelli
All You Need Is Love - Beatles
You're My Home - Billy Joel
Blowin' in the Wind - Bob Dylan
Pie Jesu - Chorus Angelicus
Colorblind - Counting Crows
Tiny Dancer - Elton John
Only Time - Enya
Breathe - Faith Hill
Your Song - Elton John
To Make You Feel My Love - Garth Brooks
The Way I Am - Ingrid Michaelson
I'm Yours - Jason Mraz
Lucky (feat. Colbie Caillat) - Jason Mraz
Carrigdhoun - Captain Mackey's Goatskin and Stringband
Imagine - John Lennon
Give Yourself to Love - Kate Wolf
I Am a Rock - Simon & Garfunkel
Cecilia - Simon & Garfunkel
She's My Kind of Rain - Tim McGraw
It's Your Love - Tim McGraw
Come Away with Me - Norah Jones
No Air - Glee cast
Don't Stop Believin' - Journey
Both Sides Now - Joni Mitchell
Crash Into Me - Dave Matthews Band
Fly Me Away - Annie Little
Godspeed (Sweet Dreams) - Dixie Chicks
I'll Take Care of You - Dixie Chicks
This is a bit of a housekeeping post, partly for my own purposes, to take stock of where we've been so far and where we're going still in this 2010 Nablopomo adventure. Going on the theme weeks, so far we've made it through Remembrance Week, Cloth Diaper Week and Giving Thanks Week.
During Remembrance Week, I learned that I've got much more to say than I thought about my own personal reasons and methods for remembering. I covered a lot and it turned out to be a week of writing therapy for me. I plan to feature posts on this topic going forward. If you want to catch up on these posts, they can be found here:
remembrance week
how do you handle the stuff?
memorial objects
finding an outlet for the memories
letting greg's memory shine through to others
memorial fund
Next we went on to Cloth Diaper Week, where I got down in writing the answers to many questions I've had asked of me over the last year, as well as lots more information you didn't know you wanted. This is not a topic I plan to feature here often, unless specific issues come up, but there was a lot I wanted to say and this gave me the opportunity to do so. If you want to learn a few things about modern cloth diapering, you can find those posts here:
cloth diaper week
deciding which cloth diapers to use
cloth diaper stash and accessories
logistics and simplistics of cloth diapering
cloth diaper networking and resources
Last week, I told you about something for which I was thankful each day. I would like to continue doing this from time to time here. I think it is uplifting and maybe even therapeutic to pause and be thankful for something, even if it is something silly and trivial. Here are a few of the things I've been thankful for over the past week:
pre-thanksgiving feast
delightful mess
the bookshelf
baby gate
recovery
laundry helper
lending a helping hand
Going into the last full week of November, I'll be celebrating Emmett's birthday, with memories of the last weeks before he was born, favorite pictures from the past year and, of course, his monthly letter on Wednesday. Stay tuned!
I am thankful for cousins who assist with demonstrating birthday toys because the recipient is far too busy with the box.
I am thankful for help with the laundry. Emmett likes to whip all the clothes out of the washer onto the floor, and is very proud of himself for helping. When I ask him to do the laundry, he goes in to wait at the machines.
This afternoon, I took diapers out of the dryer (with his help, of course), and brought the basket of clean diapers out to the living room. I asked Emmett if he was going to help me fold the laundry. I guess all he heard was the word laundry, because he came over to the basket, grabbed a diaper insert and carried it to the washing machine.
I am thankful for the couple of days Emmett got to spend helping Nana recover from her neck surgery, and I am thankful to see the slow and steady improvements in her each day.
I am thankful for the new windowed baby gate at Nana & Poppy's house, which not only provides peek-a-boo entertainment, but also stops Emmett from succeeding at his endless attempts to dive down the stairs.
Emmett has his own room at Nana & Poppy's house, with a crib and toys. It used to be Uncle Greg's room, though, and I am thankful for the bookshelf in there, still piled with Greg's treasures, which allows us to help Emmett get to know his uncle.
I am thankful for this mess, the evidence of an afternoon filled with playtime and laughter.
We enjoyed our annual Pre-Thanksgiving Feast with friends today. It was good company, good food and worth every second of the hard work. Especially since Mike does most of the cooking!
Really, though, it was fantastic and this has become one of my most favorite annual holiday traditions. We always spend Thanksgiving with family, and this tradition allows us special time to celebrate with friends, too.
This was Emmett's first year of participating in this tradition; he also had the first of three birthday cakes scheduled for the next couple of weeks, and opened his first round of gifts.
I am starting this week's theme of Giving Thanks early. Today, I am thankful for the Pre-Thanksgiving Feast and, especially, for these friends:
Really, though, it was fantastic and this has become one of my most favorite annual holiday traditions. We always spend Thanksgiving with family, and this tradition allows us special time to celebrate with friends, too.
This was Emmett's first year of participating in this tradition; he also had the first of three birthday cakes scheduled for the next couple of weeks, and opened his first round of gifts.
I am starting this week's theme of Giving Thanks early. Today, I am thankful for the Pre-Thanksgiving Feast and, especially, for these friends:
Emmett talks a lot, but I haven't captured iton video before. He was playing this afternoon while I had the camera out and he spotted the light on the front of the camera. Light is his favorite word; he has to always point out every light he sees.
Once you've decided to use cloth diapers, you may want to wade into the online cloth diaper community. There are countless sources for information, questions, purchasing, swapping, etc. It can be useful, especially if you don't have anyone in your life who is also cloth diapering for tips and support, although it's certainly not necessary. As I said before, cloth diapering is as simple as you make it. However, participating in some of what's out there can also provide fun and giveaways, which is great.
Facebook is a great place to start getting involved. Follow your favorite cloth diaper brands, detergent brands, online cloth diaper stores and cloth diaper blogs. Most, if not all, of these will encourage you to post questions on their wall, start conversations, and they are more than willing to reach out, answer questions and treat customers/readers with respect. It is a great way to find out what solutions there might be to any issues you're having and get ideas. Some of these also post discounts, contests and giveaways. The cloth diaper related pages I follow on Facebook are: Cotton Babies, Diapershops.com, The Cloth Diaper Whisperer, bumGenius, Rockin' Green Cloth Diaper Detergent, Diaper Decisions, Liz Has A Life, All About Cloth Diapers and We want to see cloth diapers in hospitals. If anyone has any others I should know about, let me know!
Diaper Decisions is a website dedicated mainly to cloth diaper businesses, but they have an event going on this month which is fantastic for introducing cloth diapers, called the Great Cloth Diaper Hunt. Participating websites hide an icon somewhere on their websites, which you find, click and it registers each one you find. It's like a diaper scavenger hunt. There are daily prizes and grand prizes, which is great, but it's also a fun way to take a tour of what's out there and get to know the available cloth diapers and accessories.
Kelly's Closet is an online cloth diaper retailer. They have become my favorite place to stock up and try new things, because of their excellent customer service and their frequent discounts. They post on Facebook (as Diapershops.com) coupons and discounts, and very often a code to receive a free one-size cloth diaper with a minimum purchase. For someone just stocking up on diapers, this would certainly lower the overall cost. And for an established cloth diapering parent like me, it is incentive to try a couple of new cute things, and get a free new type of diaper to try along with it.
Babycenter has quite a few community groups/message boards dedicated to cloth diapers, and they also have a Cloth Diaper Swap group. Members can post used diapers and diaper accessories for sale or trade, and they will invoice you through Paypal. I have bought used diapers there a couple times, and it's been a positive experience for me. I think that for the next baby we would try to buy a stash of newborn cloth diapers that way, instead of using disposables at the beginning.
Diaper Swappers is a more mainstream diaper forum and swapping board. I have spent some time browsing the site and I think it's interesting and helpful, but I haven't bought anything or participated much there.
The websites of many of the top diaper and detergent brands often have helpful information, tips and troubleshooting as well, for their particular diapers and for washing and care recommendations.
Natali at Mommy Beta is a CBS correspondent who has agreed to challenge herself to a 30-day cloth diaper trial and experiment, after a very shameful Cloth vs. Disposable diaper wars segment which may as well have been an ad for Huggies and Pampers. The cloth diapering community came out in droves to call her out on it (skim a few of the comments on the video- you'll get the idea very quickly). We commented, explained and asked her to redo the segment after researching the actual truth about cloth diapers. The community asked her to please tell both sides of the story. Most were critical but constructive, but there are always a few ruthless and nasty diaper warriors. But when she agreed to step up and try the cloth diapers, the community responded again- this time with loads of encouragement, advice and support. I look forward to following her journey.
The online cloth diaper community is vast, interesting and I don't think I've even scratched the surface of what's out there. I am continuing to learn and explore, and if you have any favorite cloth diaper sites, resources, blogs, anything, please share!
I keep my stash of diapers, stuffed and ready to go, in the top drawer of the changing table/dresser. On top of the table, I keep a brewed mug of chamomile tea, which I use as wipes solution, and a stack of cloth wipes. Next to the changing table, on the wall, there is a hook on which I hang the wet bag for dirty diapers and wipes.
When I change a wet diaper, I toss it in the wet bag and put on a new diaper. When I change a poopy diaper, I set it aside, wipe Emmett, toss dirty wipes in the wet bag, re-diaper and dress him, and set him on the floor. I grab the dirty diaper, spray it off into the toilet with the diaper sprayer, toss it in the wet bag and wash my hands.
Every other day when it's time to wash diapers, I grab the full wet bag, dump it into the washer and toss the bag in after the diapers. I add 1tbsp of Rockin' Green detergent, set my HE front loading washer to do a cold pre-wash, an extra-hot sanitary wash, and 2 cold rinses. I push a few buttons and that's the entire wash cycle. Before we bought the HE washer, I would run a cold wash first, with no detergent, followed by a hot wash with detergent and then a cold rinse.
Rockin' Green detergent has worked brilliantly for us. You have to be careful which detergent you choose for cloth diapers, as anything with additives, like enzymes, dyes, perfumes, bleach, etc. voids the warranty on the diapers. Rockin' Green was developed by a cloth diapering mom for cloth diapers and meets all warranty requirements. It works great and we now use it for all laundry in our house.
When the washer is finished, I toss all the inserts in the dryer and hang up the covers on a clothesline I rigged hanging above my washer & dryer. When everything is dry, I toss it all into a basket, stuff the inserts into the diapers and put them back in the drawer, ready to use.
That's it. It is no more than changing diapers and an extra load of laundry every couple of days. And it's actually my favorite load to do; gathering and putting together the clean fluffy diapers makes me happy. Before I had Emmett, I thought that if I were planning to go back to work, I would not be cloth diapering. I no longer think that. I think it would be just as easy to use cloth diapers if I was working and Emmett was in daycare.
When I'm not at home, the process is not much different. It would be very similar to what a daycare provider would do with cloth. I keep a wet bag with me (a smaller version of the ones I use as a diaper pail), containing clean diapers and disposable wipes in the dry outside pocket. When I change a wet diaper, I just put it into the main sealed pocket of the bag and that's it. If it's a poopy diaper, depending on where I am, I will often just tuck the disposable wipes into the diaper, just as you would with a disposable diaper. If I get to it when I get back home, I'll spray the diaper and toss the wipes. If I don't, and there is still poop there, I'll toss everything in the washer on laundry day and just run an extra cold rinse before the wash cycle. The disposable wipes can stay there; they just come out clean from the washer and I toss them in the garbage then.
In the past year, we have only used disposables for travel once, and that was for a trip to Florida by myself with Emmett in February to see cousins. I chose to travel with disposables partly because I wasn't too sure of packing and traveling with Emmett at 3 months old and partly because my two cousins also use cloth diapers on their kids and I was trying not to put a tax on Maresi's washer with three cloth diapered babies at her house at once!
Aside from that, we have traveled with cloth. We've either had quick overnight or Friday evening - Sunday afternoon trips where we can store the diapers in the wet bag and wash when we get back, or we've traveled to family where we can wash diapers. I keep a bag of detergent at my parents' house, to make it even easier when we're there.
Honestly, I just can't say it enough: cloth diapering is easy. You buy diapers once and you wash and reuse them. It doesn't have to be more complicated than that, but there are certainly choices and questions and issues and there is a huge online cloth diapering community for support and help and fun. Tomorrow I'll tell you what I've learned about this community and what sites and boards are my favorite.
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