Parenting: Finding the Perfect Baby Blanket

With every birth, one tends to receive blankets.  The symbol of the baby blanket is nostalgic and special.  It represents warmth, security, and comfort.  With my son Joel I went into labor the same day I knit the last stitches of his baby blanket.  No matter how many baby blankets I have, my babies tend to pick their own favorites.

Each child's choice corresponds to their size and the type of weather Port Townsend is having when they start to realize they can unroll from the nice swaddle.  Babies also grow out of blankets like they do anything else, unless the blanket is big enough to last until baby no longer wants to be wrapped.  I must stay that Dominic stilled like to be wrapped until he was almost two.  We stopped swaddling him when we moved him into his first bed.

Speaking of Dominic, Bria's favorite blanket happens to be something that was gifted to Dominic.  He did not take to being swaddled in this blanket, but because it is woven with cotton, we used it as his extra layer in the car and I would shade him from the sun in late summer with it.  This also made a great blanket for nursing because it was not so heavy that baby would object to public feedings being hidden under it.

However, this blanket's true calling was for Bria.  Bria was born in November, but even so, the weight of this blanket was perfect for her.  It is a generous size, so we folded it in half when she was really little.  There is a fringe on each end that she loves to touch.  It is better for her to play with this instead of ripping out all my hair, another favorite activity.  Now at almost nine months old I can barely get this blanket in the wash.  She will not go to sleep wrapped in anything else. 

Other than the fact that Bria loves this blanket, there are other reasons why it is so special.   A friend of mine makes these right here in Port Townsend.  She has a weaving studio and makes all kinds of beautiful hand woven things.  We also have a couple of her dish towels.  Her blanket is unique.  It is also not a standard baby colored item.  There is so much texture in the piece for the baby to touch.  Plus, as I mentioned earlier, this blanket is just the right thickness for lots of seasons. 

If you are reading this and thinking, I really want one.  Rebekah makes baby blankets on request.  She has an Etsy website www.etsy.com/shop/3strandshandwovens, she sell some of her items at Rennaissance Rags in Port Townsend,  or one could also find her at the Port Townsend farmer's market.  I am pretty sure you and and baby will love your blanket too.  :)

Me: 3 Months of Discipline

When I was in high school, I was the girl who shocked everyone at the Hard Rock Cafe as I polished down an entire burger and fries.  This was even more impressive when people saw me... I was 4'11 and 95 pounds.  In my spare time one could find me walking around Kitchell Lake after spending an hour and half dancing or a long cross country practice.  I was very much in shape and strong enough to shock the boys with my muscles.  I never had to worry about eating too much and I never spent hours trying to pick out all the parts of my body I did not like, other than my mustache that I took care of in the 8th grade after to cute boy told me I had more hair on my face than him. 

My next challenge was a mastectomy at age 18.  Even this did not crush how I saw myself.  I was able to have reconstructive surgery that allowed me to forget there was anything different when it came to getting dressed in the morning and looking like a normal woman to the outside world.

So what am I complaining about now?  After five babies I am more insecure about my body than I was in high school or college.  I have this amazing husband who loves me and constantly tells me I am beautiful.  Why do I feel so insecure.  No matter how amazing one's life is, it is still hard to go from being 95 pounds and never worry about a pair of jeans fitting, to being 134 pounds and praying everyday that there will be something in the closet that actually fits.  I am being real here because I think this is something a lot of women face, but do not want to talk about.  We all have friends who go and have a baby and three months later they look amazing.  After my first child I was close to being that person.  However, things have changed and I desperately want my body back.  Not for vanity's sake alone, but I guess it is slightly vain.  I also want to know I am the healthiest version of me possible.

About three months ago I stumbled across Lindsey Brin's website and I have not looked back.  I worked on my four weeks free and ended up joining her workout portal.  This experience has left me feeling like high school me all over again.  In three months I have added calories to eat about 1800 a day.  Learned how to balance my eating.  Then paired down my calories to suit my size better, 1500.  I used calorie count at about.com to assist me in this process because it tell you what specific nutrients might be lacking in one's diet.  It also lets one set the diet to lactation so  I do not have to be scared I will not have enough milk.  I still eat a bit over my recommended amount, just to make sure I have enough fuel to breastfeed.

In three months the scale has gone from 134 pounds to 126.  I started this last pregnancy at 125 so if this had been my first baby I would be almost back to my weight.  I have also seen my waistline go from 33 inches to 29 inches.  My clothing basically fits and I am in the best shape I have felt since my last cross country season.  So even though I have quite a bit more work to do, I would say that this has really helped me out a lot.

I feel like there is tons of education revolving around pregnancy and how to eat, but there is a black hole when it comes to the following years.  For one thing, it is hard to find studies on women who have babies close together and how their recovery compares to those who have one baby and then three years later have another.  Then I have yet to find a good testimony of someone who has had five babies in seven years and recovered back to a normal person again.  So here goes, I will be honest with my story.  I look forward to hopefully being able to say that pregnancy has made me the strongest version of me ever. 

Parenting: The Changing Role of Mommy

When I first looked at my little 5 pound 4 once little boy, my role was to feed him.  He needed to gain some weight and I was going to be a part of that.  I spent hours breastfeeding my son.  In fact, at first I was asked to feed him, then pump, then feed him that milk and start over again about two hours later.  The first week of breastfeeding felt like a year.  Do not get me wrong, I would not change this, but I did feel like I would never go out in public again, or have a meal without a baby attached to me.

If only I had known what a basic day would look like for me later in life.  Now, almost seven years later I find myself rushing around.  I went jogging the other day and decided to distract myself by thinking about what every hour of the day is devoted to.  A large portion of the day really revolves around cooking.  My husband makes breakfast, but I do spend another ten to twenty minutes cleaning up breakfast.  Then there is lunch.  Most days lunch is quite simple, but feeding five kids takes time.  Before I know it another half an hour is gone, just by feeding them some almond butter sandwiches and carrot sticks!  Can you imagine?  Then there is dinner.  Most days I start cooking at three to have dinner ready by four thirty.  If I am roasting a chicken then I have to start cooking at two thirty and we often do not eat until closer to five. 

I used to spend much more time keeping house.  There were less people to clean around and more spaces to put all our stuff.  Now I wish I was better at cleaning, but I am feeling like I need to figure out how to arrange all the kids stuff in a small space for no money at all.  My latest idea, put some shelves up in the garage.  My mom gave me some a long time ago, but I am not super handy and my husband and I are busy doing other things.  So what might be motivating me to do the bare minimum amount of cleaning?  Sadly, it burns some calories and I know that if I keep myself moving I will not fall asleep, when I should be watching my kids.  Also, I feel less depressed if I look at tidy spaces. 

A large portion of the day is devoted to mediation.  My kids fight constantly.  There is some biting and pinching.  Some kids like to wine more than others.  Sometimes I try to have them work it out.  Other times I join them in the crying.  Let's face it, it might be nice to sit in a quiet office sometimes.  I have had a headache before eight A.M. 

Next task, educating my little ones.  If left to themselves all the time, they eventually get bored.  We like little art projects and trying to figure out what big people do.  This summer our task for the older two is reading.  I have one child who loves it and one that acts like it does not matter.  Some days we throw in a quick math game.  Almost everyday we watch something in French and I try to talk to them about the show in French.  After a few months of this, some phrases are becoming a normal part of life.  I am loving this.  All this is aimed at trying to figure out if I can home school my kids.  Maybe it is insane to even consider this with three other kids three and under.  It is fun now when I do not feel like it is all up to me. 

This year I have been the most disconnected with life outside of my family than ever before.  Somehow, I can almost forget there is a world outside of my house because I am actually busy.  I never thought it would ever be like this, but it is.  Who knew that five little kids could take over so fast. 

If you have not seen or talked to me for awhile, it is because I have an hour to hour unspoken, but known schedule.  That being said, I miss people, and love to chat.  I always knew I wanted to be more domestic, but never thought it would be most of my world.

Basic Schedule

5 A.M. Wake up, feed Bria
5:30 A.M.  Workout - works like coffee without the buzz
6:15- 6:30 A.M.Get other kids up, changed, and put on the potty
6:30 A. M. Shower
6:45 A.M. Eat breakfast
8:00 A.M. put Bria down for a nap
8:30 A.M. French and try and clean up breakfast and whatever else in 30 minutes
9:00 A.M. morning snacks
9:30 reading or math
10:30 free time
11:00 lunch
12:00 P.M. naps younger 3
12:30 figure out an art project for older kids to get some quiet time for me
2:30-3:00 start making dinner
3:00 get kids up
4:15 eat dinner
4:45 bath time every other night
5:00 clean up the living room with the kids
5:30 get kids ready for bed
6:00 the kids are in bed and I am so tired.  Try to have quality time with husband
9:00 on a good day hopefully I am sleeping