Do I dare?
Ryder has been sleeping for upwards of 3 hours this afternoon. It’s 30 minutes past his regular meal time … but he is sacked out. It’s probably the heat, I know I could doze off right now … but should I wake him up or let him sleep?
Let The Sunshine In July 28, 2009
The PNW is experiencing an incredible heat wave this week – with record high temps in the mid-90s! While not fun for people who live in non-air-conditioned homes, all the bright sun does make for excellent cloth diaper whitening.
I have yet to rig up a clothesline in our backyard yet, but decided to take my load of Bum Genius One Size cloth diapers outside to dry yesterday afternoon. I scattered the diapers on our patio set, cloth side up and let ‘em bake for a couple hours. Not only were they dry and fresh – the entire white liner looked like new! Serious cleaning without resorting to noxious chemicals and stain removers.
To Swaddle or Not To Swaddle … July 27, 2009
That is the question we are faced with right now.
When Ryder was about 10 weeks old, he was sleeping for around 7 hours straight, swaddled up tight in his organic cotton Kiddopotamus straight jacket. Then he started fighting it. With gusto.
Every night he would kick and grunt his way out of the swaddle – working with all his might (and lung capacity) to squeeze his left arm out of the blanket. He didn’t seem to be “soothed” by the swaddling anymore, so I opted to take a trial without it. The fussing and fighting stopped, only to be replaced by waking every 3 hours and non-stop blabbering in (what I believe was) his sleep. This is how we spent the last couple of weeks.
Last night the chatter was so loud and the thumping of his limbs in the crib so fierce, both Marc and I were wide awake at 1am, wondering how we should proceed. I was laughing hysterically … probably due to lack of sleep.
We opted to give the swaddle another go. I wrapped him up tight in the Velcro contraption, laid him in his crib and before I knew it, it was 7am and Ryder was still sound asleep. Lucky timing? Maybe, but we’re going to try it again tonight in hopes of getting a long stretch of sleep for TWO nights in a row. That’s not too much to ask, right?
Hand Me Down Heaven July 22, 2009
There are times when I worry I am depriving my child of happiness and/or hindering his developmental growth because I haven’t flooded our home with brightly colored playthings, toys or contraptions that wiggle, shimmy, shake and light up while playing a happy tune. I look at other new moms with their Einstein toys dangling off their diaper bags, plastic links on the carseat and a variety of (honestly) pretty fun looking things at their house and I wonder, am I doing Ryder a disservice by not buying into the latest crazes in child development? Is laughing at mom’s goofy faces and reading Beatrix Potter enough for this (nearly) 4-month old? He seems happy enough, but is he being “challenged”?
Lucky for me, I don’t have to worry too much. My friend Tanya has a 9-month old daughter, which means our kids are just enough a part in age that Ryder is ready to take her hand-me-downs just as she’s moving on. The latest: Tanya brought over a cradle swing (complete with spinning mobile that often times mesmerizes Ryder to the point where I have to swing it away and bring him back to reality) and a playmat. I had my doubts on both pieces of gear (hence we didn’t buy our own), but Ryder seems to like them both. Right now he just lays on the mat and looks up at me, but the toys will be there for him to tug on when he’s ready.
Which brings me to my point of this post: I’ve come to the conclusion that no, it’s not 100% necessary to buy all the bells and whistles … but if you can find a friend who’s just as happy to get their big baby things out of their house as you are to borrow it – go for it. Ideal Bite just did a great email about hosting a Toy Swap so you can do just that. Or, check out a local consignment shop. Reuse!
20% Off All Organic, Green Baby Clothes, Toys, Bedding July 21, 2009
It’s HappyGreenBaby.com’s first birthday! To celebrate, we want to give you 20% off everything on our website. Just enter the coupon code “birthday” to get your discount. But shop today – offer expires August 1, 2009.
That’s 20% off all organic baby clothes from Kate Quinn Organics, Pixel Organics, BabySoy, Bamboosa, Under the Nile. 20% off organic crib bedding from Pixel Organics, Naturepedic, Cotton Monkey. 20% off natural baby skin care from Little Twig. 20% off all non-toxic, organic toys from Under the Nile, Keptin-Jr.
Mom Confession July 20, 2009
I still wear some of my maternity shirts. So sue me. They are nice and long, which is great for camouflaging my belly paunch. And it’s just plain comfortable.
Forget Cuddly Toys – Our Green Baby Loves This … July 19, 2009
We’ve tried giving Ryder a number of cozy, cuddly organic toys to play with, but nothing makes him smile like when I brush a Bamboo Burp Cloth along his cheek. Seriously! I lightly sweep these wicked soft Bamboosa cloths along his face and he never fails to give me outrageous giggles and full, gum-on smiles.
Run Fat Girl, Run July 16, 2009
It’s amazing how fast an outta shape new mom can move when she thinks her babe is experiencing any sort of discomfort.
Today, for example, I went for our weekly walk around Greenlake with the new mommies from our midwife group. It’s a 2.8 mile loop and today I was prepared to take on a second lap after the group dispersed. I fed Ryder after lap #1 and he was sitting comfortably in the Phil & Ted’s, so we went for it.
About half way through, I realized the P&T doesn’t have a lot of a great sun coverage when in the flat infant seat position, so I was constantly stopping to rearrange the Aden & Anais blanket to shield his tender skin. Eventually, I got the blanket “just so” and started running … I was afraid we were getting too much sun or Ryder was getting too hot (his crying was probably because he was tired, but whatever). My butt was jiggling and shorts were creeping up my thighs, but we jogged our way around the rest of the lake and made it back to the car in record time.
And of course, Ryder was asleep. I guess this means I’m running again!
