Montessori... ish

When we decided to homeschool our children I spent some time looking into various methods.  Considering I have a degree in education, you would think I already would have known this, but I didn't.  I stumbled across a blog post about different styles and thought that Montessori sounded the closest to my natural philosophy and basically what we were already doing. 

The core parts we picked up were "Only do for me what I can't do for myself" and "Help me do it myself".  So what does that mean and what does that look like?  

-"Only do for me what I can't do for myself" means if your 2yo can put on her own shirt, stop "helping". Sometimes it can mean getting dressed takes longer... but in a short while it will be faster since you know have one less person to put a shirt on!  Plus, the 2yo is excited and proud of herself for putting on her own shirt!   

You would be suprised the things that a small child can do.  I remember being fairly shocked at other moms who were wondering if their pre-teen COULD do chores (not should, that is a family decision).  I was shocked because of how much Lil'K can do, I didn't realize how far off the norm we are.  When it comes to her I basically try and stay out of her way.  She was reading by 2.5, and at 5 she can wash dishes, sort laundry, start laundry, do basic addition and subtraction (partially self-taught), and fold her laundry.  She really confused us by how much she just DID.  

Once Lil'C started to learn things (although Lil'K usually does them first) we do the same.  He can now dress himself, excluding his shoes and right sock.  He can sort laundry, put away his clean clothes and is AMAZING at math and spelling (seriously spells better than me)

-"Help me do it myself"

This was really HUGE for Lil'C since he has the deck stacked against him with Cerebral Palsy/Right Hemiplega.  For Lil'K this was basically stools around the house, so she could reach things and low shelves for kid dishes. 

For Lil'C I basically have to break any skill down and teach him how to do it one handed.  I usually put my dominant hand inside my back waist band and learn the skill, then teach him that skill.  I also teach each sub-skill one at a time until he can do them all Independantly.  

Putting on his shirt for example.  First we worked on putting an arm through the sleeve.  Once he could do that part independently we figured out he could pull the shirt over his head if he had the right arm over his elbow.  Once that part was down, I found he could get his left arm in his shirt once the right arm was in, followed by putting the shirt on his right arm.  Finally I got him to put his shirt on if it is laying flat face-up on a surface (table/couch).  He spins it mid-dressings so if it is face down it will end up backwards. The step we are currently working on is getting it onto that surface himself and how to turn it right-side-out if it is inside out.   This process has taken MONTHS and has required help from occupational therapy.   

Because we have done this with almost every skill, I can now dress myself, tie my shoes, put on my socks, open a jar, cut food and fold clothes.. all one-handed.

The other part is tools.  We have a one-button battery-operated can opener, but we will likely get another. 

We also have a button-puller but haven't used it much yet.  We searched for a power wheel that could be driven one-handed, which Lil'C loved until Lil'K and Baby K filled it with mud...  electronics are not fond of mud. 

Montessori is also big on emotional regulation, which means to respond calmly (Positive Parenting works well with this but I'm still learning..) which when I manage to do certainly helps.  With Daddy C and I both having ADHD (meaning all the kids will/do as well) then this can be important, yet difficult, to do.

Lil'C has become much better at calming, although his frustration (usually at Lil'K) can get the best of him.  

Montessori also pushes for lessons/trays/items to be self-corrective.  A puzzle would be a familiar example.  A puzzle can only go together one way, so if you put a piece wrong either the piece will not fit or you will he unable to finish.  

What philosophy do you use?  And why? 

Eviction Number Three

I know it has been over 6 months since my last post.. It has taken me this long to hopefully be able to complete this post.

Attempting to hold it together for photos

On July 14 I went in for a very much unwanted scheduled C-section.  My OB was going out of town and there was no other OB in the area that I even slightly trusted to even touch me, much less deliver my baby.   I was angry and dreading the surgery, seriously not how you should feel when looking to meeting your child.
My sister was my "doula" and my husband was also there.  When we got there we realized we had not taken any "bump" pictures, so we took some quickly.
 We went in and found out they had given away my room because they expected us to arrive at 8am, while my Dr had told us to arrive at anytime..  I immediately wanted to leave.  The nurse seemed a bit angry that we were "late",  my sister stepped out of the room where she went to the nurses station and politely (from what I was told) and explained that we were a hospital family and I really did not want to be having the section, but was not given a choice in the matter.
We  waited in the prep room, next to a woman in actual labor with the nurse and my sister telling jokes to keep my mind off of it.   We kept being told "a few more minutes"  "uh oh.. someone got pushed ahead"  so I didn't actually go back until 3.  That gave us enough time for them to eat and my sister to braid my hair since I knew it would be a little while until I would be able to shower.
We went over my birth plan (I used this one as a starting point and adjusted it for us) and they assured us that they would attempt to accommodate our wishes.  I swear they thought I was the crazy natural mama up for the section, but after my sister's talk with the nurses they were all really kind to us, almost pitying.
When I finally went back I was scared and worried the entire time.  I really hate getting epidurals... the cold room, the pain, the worry that if they slip up I could be paralyzed, spinal headaches... etc.   Then I was staring at the same ceiling tiles as I was at Lil'K's delivery and thinking that if that Dr hadn't been an idiot then I wouldn't be forced to do this section..

Skin-to-Skin in the OR

 My hubby came in and was allowed to look over the curtain and my sister stood at the door, both got to watch my uterus pulled out, while I looked at the bugs inside the florescent lights.   There was the usual pushing and tugging and to do a "delayed" cord clamping they laid her on my legs and did whatever else it is for as long as they could until the placenta began to separate.  Then they cut the cord, and brought her to me so we could skin to skin.  Unfortunately, due to the epidural I had weakness in my arms and had trouble moving them.  My husband was not by my side at this moment and I have no idea why.  The neonatologist had to help me adjust her because her face was in my neck.
 She was cleaned up and hubby got to trim the cord, which was actually a first for us.  He stayed with her until she was reunited with me in the room.  I of course was numb and unable to move my legs for many hours.  I remember them doing the final clean up and after they removed the curtian being shocked that my legs weren't straight like I thought they were.  When I was back in the room my hubby was able to stay with me,  and my parents brought Lil'C and Lil'K to meet their new baby sister, Baby K.   They both wanted to climb on my lap and cuddle but we of course had to be careful since I couldn't move or feel if they were hurting me.

Lil'K and Baby K

 

 Lil'C and Baby K

Baby wearing less than 24hours after Section.

After the epidural wore off enough I was able to get around a bit, very very slowly.  Baby K did end up having some trouble with holding her temperature and there was talk of putting her in a warmer.  First I grabbed my sling and stuck her on me, where she stayed the rest of the time there.. even at night.  That is something I would only do in a hospital setting since the nurses come in frequently and I am an experienced co-sleeper.  Still worried me but her temperature stayed 1/2 a degree from mine for the rest of our stay.
 The biggest worry I had was going home, and being home most of the day by myself with 3 little ones while healing from the surgery.  Due to Lil'K's affinity for flopping, that did become a worry.  She landed on me once so hard that I screamed and my sister had to pull her off.  I was in tears it hurt so bad.. and I was on pain meds at the time.  

At 5Lb 15oz She was my largest baby. 

She has gotten much bigger in 6 months

I do wonder if I could have done it differently, my scar was thinning but that isn't a huge deal.  If only I had been allowed to attempt a VBAC with Lil'K then maybe I would have been able to do the same with Baby K.  The crazy part is that the risk levels of a VBAC at Lil'K is less of a risk than a 3rd section and they knew I wanted a third child.  It just feels unethical to me and a bit crazy.
My post-pain is worse now as well.  My scar is in almost constant pain along with my upper right thigh,  there is also some numbing at the upper part of it (the pain goes around the edges of the numbing).   It just all feels so unnecessary and a bit unfair to my girls and myself.  So now I have had one necessary and life saving c-section, and two unnecessary ones.
Baby K is growing and is a very happy little person,  for that I am blessed.

Scheduled Eviction

By time this posts I will be going to have major surgery.  Those of you who follow me on Instagram know that I am 9 months pregnant with our third child Baby K.   I haven't posted much for two reasons: 1. We didn't know we were expecting until the second trimester, 2. Pregnancy kinna freaks me out since for me it is a potentially life threatening situation.  I really avoid thinking about it, and the closer we get to the section tomorrow, the more frightened I become.  My PTSD has really been acting up and I know it will come to a head tomorrow in the OR.

Due to where I live and finances my options are extremely limited.  I'm actually a bit jealous of some of the mom's in my special scars group  who have VBAC supportive hospitals, and a VBAC supportive OB/midwife.  I actually found the most VBAC supportive OB in the area but the hospital he delivers at has a strict anti-VBAC policy.  I searched the area for a midwife but couldn't find one, even though I doubt we would have been able to afford one anyway.   The closer we have gotten to the section date the more I understand why some women choose unassisted home births, but I feel that is far to risky in my situation.  

One of the things that many of the Special Scars women face is a OB who says they are VBAC friendly and then switch at the last minute.  I seem to have accidentally done the opposite with my OB.  He asked me what the goal was and I told him that I wanted to go into labor on my own.  Which is the least of what I wanted to do.  I also wanted a trial-of-labor and optimum being a VBAC.  Due to my history I know that induction is far to risky so I would have to go into labor on my own within the next 20 hours to do that, which feels very unlikely.  I know many just say, don't show up tomorrow (including DH) but the problem with that is that my OB is going out of town and if I did go into labor I would be forced to use one of his partners... And that didn't go so well last time.... 

I really think OBs should do a round of pediatrics during their med school training, there is one thing that pediatrics do better than any other division of the medical field.. Psychology in medicine.   Pediatrics remembers that how a patient feels, effects how they heal and must be taken into account.  I think OBs are frequently the worst.  A mom is seen strictly as a problem to be solved: get the kid out. So many women are ending up like myself with traumatic births because of it.   Getting the kid out isn't the end of the equation.   

I actually pointed this out to my OB the other day.  After I am delivered, I will have to go home and care for 3 small children all alone.  Sure I have a supportive husband who will help when he is home, but he doesn't (nor could we afford) paternity leave.  My 4 year old (Lil'C) will still need to go to therapy, or risk loosing it.  He frequently needs to be carried, and picked up since he falls a lot.  My 2 year old (Lil'K) will still want to play and "flop" on my belly.  She also frequently fights getting in her car seat, to the point that it takes holding her down with all my weight to get her in it.  Plus I will have all of the newborn duties and normal house keeping duties to keep up with.  A VBAC would mean that this wouldn't change much, but a RCS means that I can't drive or lift anything heavier than a milk jug for at least two weeks or risk opening my incision and bleeding or worse.   OBs frequently forget to take such things into account, and hospital lawyers never do. 

One extra bit of "fun" is that Baby K's placenta is directly on top of  Lil'C's scar.  This means that it could have grown into the scar putting me at an increased risk of hemorrhage and possible historectomy... Yeah that is what every 31year old wants.. A historectomy...

I have done research on this and I truly feel that a VBAC would actually be safer, if Baby K were placed imedeately on my chest and allowed to nurse with delayed cord clamping.  If the placenta were allowed to release on its own since nursing would help close the blood vessels and lower the risk of hemorrhage.  

But because of some hospital policy I am forced to have major abdominal surgery which puts me at risk for not only hemorrhage and historectomy, but blood clots (seizure/stroke), paralysis (epidural), and death..  And a section has been shown to increase the risk of asthma, allergies and immunie issues as well as actually change a babies DNA in the process.. 

I know the VBAC would also have the risk of rupture at somewhere between 4 and 7% (some Drs clame as high as 10, but research (http://www.specialscars.org/index.php/studies/) does not support it.  IF I ruptured Baby K and I could possibly both die, but that is a small percentage of that. 

I really wish OBs and hospitals would consider more than getting the kid out when thinking of these unethical policies.  I think these policies are why more and more women are choosing unassisted home births.  

I think if politicians would push to have more midwives (registered) to be allowed/encouraged to do hospital births (especially in cases like mine) then our maternal death rate (the highest in the developed world!) would drop and so would unassisted home births.  Instead midwives in some states are prosecuted for attending women like myself... Which leads to mom's feeling like unassisted home birth is the only option..  It really needs to change. 

Hopefully all will go well tomorrow.. But prayers/happy thoughts would be appreciated :) 

Easter Clothes!

Here is our Easter outfits from this year!

My sister picked up 5.5 yards of fabric in one of her adventures. 

It has a small floral print.  

For Hubby:

 I made a skinny tie using this tutorial: http://www.purlbee.com/the-purl-bee/2009/5/21/mollys-sketchbook-fathers-day-tie.html

I had to add about 3" overall to the pattern since my husband prefers long ties.  When I make the pattern again I will also make it wider.  

He wore his charcoal grey suit, a white shirt and silver cufflinks from my little brother's wedding

For Lil'C:

I made a bow tie using this tutorial:http://brittanyestes.com/2013/07/diy-bow-tie.html

I threaded and stitched elastic through the back and added a snap on the ends of the elastic.  I always worry about things around his neck getting caught especially since he still falls a lot.  

It was a good easy pattern, but Lil'C is fairly small so when I use the pattern again, I will make it slightly smaller. I will probably shrink it by about 25%. 

Lil'K also likes the tie and has frequently worn it as a head-band/bow :)

Lil'C also wore his charcoal dress pants, white shirt and light grey suspenders from my little brother's wedding. 

For Lil'K: 

For Lil'K's dress I used this tutorial and pattern: http://whatsmummyupto.blogspot.com.au/2014/03/tutorial-summer-frills-dress.html

I really liked it and will be making her some more.  There were a few confusing parts on the tutorial about which pieces should be cut for the bonace so read over it carefully and make sure it works right.  I also wish I had stitched the straps to the lining before putting it together so that I could have used a 1" overlay to make it more secure.  I have had to re-stitch the straps twice because Lil'K plays hard and has managed to pull them out of the seam.  

I also added a gross-grain ribbon to the bottom of the bonace allowing about a foot to hang free at the sides so I can tie it in a bow on the back.  I think it really finished it off, making it a good church dress instead of a sun dress.  

The bow came  from my MIL shortly after Lil'K was born.  It really pulled the pink flowers out of the fabric.  

For Me:

I used this tutorial and pattern as a starting point: http://verdantbents.blogspot.ca/2012/04/make-your-own-easy-top.html

I absolutely love this pattern!  I'm planning on making quite a few tops from it soon.  I already have the fabric for it, I just had to wait until I no longer had a baby bump to do it :)  Due to the elasticized neck line it works GREAT as a nursing top without looking like one.  

The tutorial is written as a top but all I Did to make it a dress was to add some length and with.  I measured from below my bust until the widest part of me (which was belly at the time, but normally would be hip).  Measure around widest part and divide by 4 and then add 1-2" for ease.  I added about 3" to make room for belly growth.  Then curve slightly down and to your desired length.   Make sure the curve is smooth or you will end up with box hips! 

The lining in the tutorial I cut off at knee length and simply surged the bottom of it. 

I then took the ruffle piece from Lil'K's dress and cut out 4 pieces.  I put that on my dress the same way I did Lil'K's to create a little echo between our dresses and a nice finished hem. 

I also added the same ribbon from Lil'K's dress at the side seam of my dress right at the under-bust elastic.  Hubby suggested it since before the back was really plain and it needed to be broken up visually.  I think it really finishes it off and gives the appearance that the ribbon runs through the under-bust casing.

When I make this pattern again I'm going to bring the neckline up an inch because it feels to low where I have it.  Having it that close to the under-bust elastic also makes my chest look smaller... Which for me isn't a good thing. 

I suggest using this tutorial to figure out where you want your neckline: http://3hourspast.com/2012/04/07/at-long-last-how-to-mess-around-with-a-neckline-without-getting-burned/

It is certainly what I should have done! 

I will also take the outer shoulders and bring them down about 1/4-1"  because they have the tendency to slide off and have to be pinned to my bra to keep them in place.  

For Baby K:

Due to how much fabric my sistergor me, I still have some left over!  I'm going to use some of the left over fabric and the following tutorial to make a matching dress for Baby K now that she has arrived! : http://www.jessiestreetdesigns.blogspot.com/2012/02/pinterest-challenge.html

I may also make her a pink bow to match Lil'K.  

Pneumonia.. again.

I'm such a slacker...
I'm having camera issues, plus we are moving.. again, plus we had a nice 5 day hospital stay, days after reading this.. I'm so behind.

Asleep in the ER

So Lil'K got a runny nose, that came along with a lovely fever.  As soon as she started showing symptoms.. we made sure our Emergency bags were prepped and ready to go, we knew it was only a matter of time until Lil'C would get it too.
Two days later he started showing symptoms.  The day after that she had a nice fever and he went into the 100s (at night) so we called the Ped and had them seen (Monday).  They were both rather chipper at the appointment and Lil'C's lungs were pretty clear with mild "crackling" (yes, that is a medical term) in his upper lungs.  By Wednesday Lil'C's fever had spiked to 103.8 (again at night) and his runny nose had turned green, Lil'K was almost finished with a very slight clear runny nose.  Her's had actually never changed colors.  By noon we were packing up and heading to the hospital, which took longer than expected since we were out of practice.

What's a bored little girl to do?  

 

Drive an IV pole like a car, that's what.

We had cranked his O2 up to 1.5L from .5 and when we got there they had to crank him up more.  For a few days he was actually at 5L!  He ended up needing steroids since it was a viral pneumonia.  They also put him on antibiotics, even though they don't do anything for viral, to protect him from a secondary infection while his immune system was weak.  

3G Geek. IPad Boss

Thankfully this time it was only lungs and no heart issue.
He had to have nebulizer treatment and something we had never had before... IPPB.  If you have no clue what that is, like myself...  It is kind of like a nebulizer except it oscillates.  It sounds like a train and has to be held on tightly.  Hubby had to hold down Lil'C for each treatment every 4 hours.  We all hated it... but it worked.  It broke up the gunk in his lungs and he went on the mend.
So we now have a ton of meds, but he is feeling much better and getting back to his old self.  His toes, fingers and lips have stopped turning purple when he pulls off his O2 for to long.  He is also back to only wearing it when he sleeps, which is nice. 
We were also in the middle of potty training when all this hit and it kinna triggered a regression.  We are slowly getting back to where we were.  Speaking of which... does anyone have any hints for teaching a toddler to pull his own pants up and down when he has poor movement on one side??  

(Days later)
Seriously slacking on the blog..
Lil'C is back to his normal O2 and meds.  Although I added a probiotic (this one) once he got off the Antibiotic, thanks to a suggestion from Kate.. and I think he has really been needing one.  I think he has been on so many really strong Antibiotics throughout his life that it has pretty much destroyed his gut flora. 
Since he started solids he has had trouble gaining weight.   I'm thinking all of the antibiotics are part of the issue.  Breastmilk naturally contains probiotics and whenever I would get serious about giving him yogurt he would gain some weight.. now with this probiotic he is obviously putting on weight and growing.  He has chubby cheeks again, has finally outgrown all his 18mo (yes my 3yo has been wearing 18mo) clothes and is suddenly able to reach things he wasn't able to when we got back.  It is really kinna crazy.  I need to look at his discharge papers to see if  I can find a height and weight to compare it too.

See the cheeks? He is saying "vroom"

So... 2 Questions for all ya'll....  Any help on the potty training with a weak side?   Have you seen a sudden health change after starting probiotics in someone you know (or yourself)? 

Family of 4

A week before

Well lil'k made her appearance before the end of February.. Barely.

During reading bedtime stories to lil'c I felt a pop, similar to sitting on a balloon. I stopped and waited a second thinking she had either head-butted my pelvis or my water had broken, when nothing happened for a second I figured it was a head butt and went back to reading.

Then someone peed in my pants..

Extreme Pumping

ACK found this waiting in my Draft pile!!

I recently read a post on babycenter by the author of Kitchen Stewardship, which I LOVE! It was about the strange places she had nursed a few I haven't done, my son was in the NICU during my 6w PP visit and I don't like baseball. But a few I had done and hadn't really thought much of them. Once he came home Nursing-in-public (NIP) wasn't something I thought about doing or not doing, I just did.

Toddler Ornament DIY

My family loves to make Ornaments at Christmas time.   This is rather difficult to do with a toddler...  so here is what I came up with.

Very very easy.
Supplies:
Clear plastic ornament (got mine from Michael's) but a ceramic one would work as well.  I just wouldn't suggest glass.
Acrylic Paint- red, green and white.
Plate
Soft paint brush (about 1" wide)
Moist towel or wipe
Dry towel
Cup of water (I prefer to use an old plastic coffee can)
Some where to hang wet ornament, nearby and out of reach of small hands
Willing toddler in messable clothes

Directions:
Place a squirt of each of the paint colors on your plate.
Use paint brush to apply paint to hand of toddler.  Have toddler grab or pat the ornament, I turned mine as he was enthusiastically "pat pat"ing it. Once you finish with warm color hang ornament out of  toddler's reach.  Use moist towel to wipe paint off of hand and follow with dry towel.  Give the ornament a couple of minutes to dry before applying next color so that you don't end up with a brown, pink, light green and tan ornament.  Repeat process for each color.
Hang to dry and clean toddler, yourself and whatever surface you are working on  :P

Also would make a good grandparent gift or gift tag.  It is a rather quick process, the set-up and clean-up is what took us the longest, and it wasn't that bad.

Avoiding NICU head aka Plagiocephaly

Image from Here with tons of info for the medical people.

A more severe version go here and for the same things

I'm saying but in doctor speak, go here.

You maybe asking yourself...  what is NICU head or Plagiocephaly?  It is where the skull gets misshapen due to being in the same position for extended periods of time. It is very common in preemies/long term NICU residents, but is becoming more common in termies as well.

I have been promising this post for awhile and have finally gotten to it!  YEAHHH  to having interwebs again!
Now I have to start off with some basic info....  I am NOT a medical professional, but I am the Mom of a NICU grad.  A long term NICU resident. We were in the NICU for 5.5 months (figured out the other day.. 170+ days).  In our NICU plagiocphaly was EXTREMELY common.  The fact that we managed to leave the NICU with a "normal" skull shape was amazing to many of the medical professionals there, and has inspired some changes in our NICU.

The first signs of NICU head. Lil'C was only a few days old.

So how did we avoid NICU head?  One way is that our nurses rocked and let us know about it.  Another is something I have said before... the greatest asset a NICU child can have is their parent(s)!
A parent gives a unique perspective on the medical interventions.  A parent will notice if their child's head has been in the same spot over 24hrs, which you should point out to your nurse(nicely!).
Even when we were barely allowed to touch him we could still make sure his head got turned side to side daily. We even got center when we started to notice him showing signs of NICU head, which is when we got really serious about finding out how to avoid it.

In the beginning there wasn't much we could do. But we did start letting the nurses know at each shift change about when the last time his head was turned. We made sure his head was turned every 12 hrs (each  shift change). They are supposed to do that anyway but nurses have so much to keep track of, and I would rather they focus on the other things.

The blanket roll method

The blanket roll method with an extra light sheld

One of the other parents told us about Early Intervention and we started asking the medical people about it, but it was early on and we were told that there wasn't anything EI could do for us that early.   We did have one awesome nurse who came up with the blanket roll method.
The blanket roll method requires many receiving blankets.  We used two as sheets to cover the mattress in the isolate. One rolled into a tube on either side another rolled at his feet.  Another blanket was laid over the top of all of these creating a little nest. A cloth diaper and/or scrap of faux fir was placed under his head as a pillow.
The idea was to basically swaddle him/mimic the confinement of the womb as much as we could since he missed those last 3 months in utero.  We baised this idea off of Dr.Sears  (oops... read both books at the same time)  Dr. Karp's "Forth trimester" theory, we figured if it had proven helpful for termies it should really help someone who had missed the whole third trimester.  He stayed a lot calmer after we did, plus it helped avoid NICU head. we still had to make sure his head was turned at least every shift change, but not being on a flat surface helped.
In the beginning we were barely be able to touch him, so the great thing about the blanket roll method is that the nurses were able to do it whenever they had to change his bed anyway.  That way he wasn't disturbed unnecessarily.

Christopher with his EI happies. Froggy pillow under his head and snugglie wrapped around him

Later on we were able to finally get Early Intervention to come in, unlike EI when you are at home they don't actually touch/play with the baby.  They bring HAPPY things!  Bendies, Frog pillows and snugglies.  They generally work the same as the blanket method but are easier to change/customize. 

Kangaroo care is the BEST! This was my favorite day, first day happy holding.

Once he finally got big enough to do kangaroo care, we started that.  Kangaroo care also helped us avoid NICU head by putting him in different positions and in different angles.  Later on when he was in a crib we also used a Boppy as a positioner.  He continued to use the boppy to sleep in at home, which you shouldn't do unless your LO is on O2 and a monitor, it's right on the bobby not to, it just isn't safe otherwise.
Once we finally got home kangroo care morphed into baby wearing, which I highly suggest for all parents whither you had NICU time or not.  Wearing him in a wrap and later a sling allowed him to be nearby, kept him calm and relaxing for me.  I only retired my sling about a month ago when it got uncomfortable with my pregnancy bump.  He was 19mo and 17lbs.  My sister comfortably wears her much heavier (aka healthy normal termie) 1 year old.
The Plagiocehaly is becoming common in termies is due to the "bucket baby" mentality.   A bucket baby is when parents keep their baby in containers such as the baby carrier/car seat, swings, bouncy seats, strollers and cribs. I firmly believe that car seats should stay in the car... my sister isn't as strict as I am about that.   She has no issues but my niece isn't a bucket baby, a true bucket baby is almost always in some bucket device. Babywearing is a great way to keep that from being an issue and is easier on mom and baby.
Now I'm not saying these devices are bad. Christopher loved his swing in the NICU and loved it some at home. The trick is to use these things sparingly.  Ok... getting off my soap box.

Soo how does his head look after 5.5 months in the NICU?    You would never know he spent months in a bed.

No NICU head. The ears are genetic.. both sides, he didn't have a chance. :P

We Finally Have Interwebs!!!

Thanks for sticking with me during the move!  We are settled in and after a month of fighting with a certain internet company...  we have internet!  I should be able to begin posting regually again and I have  few ideas that ya'll will like.  :)   Until then... some much deserved cutness!

Current Updates:  Currently 25weeks with second pregnancy, who is a girl!  Lil'k does not have a heart defect like big brother! She is also on target with her growth.
I hope everyone had a great Thanksgiving (to the fellow Americans) and a great Thursday (for the non-Americans)!

Don't forget to checkout my new Etsy shop!  Nursing necklaces and ring slings!  http://www.etsy.com/shop/StichinFrog

Updates!

I know it has been forever since I have posted.. so here are some updates!

First Update:  Christopher is getting a new.....  http://bethanygilbert.com/babymcrae/babymcrae.html

Second Update:  My rings slings (including my newest design) and my nursing necklaces are now for sale on Etsy! 
And to all my Aussie readers... I even figured out shipping just for ya'll!
DIY links for the old Sling design and Nursing necklaces

We have also moved and internet is not up yet, It will be a bit until I'm able to start doing real posts again.
I have plans for some more NICU posts and a Smartipants elastic repair tutorial.  So, hang with me for a little longer!

Friday Happy: Cuteness

I have a silly little boy.   He just got this jumper from his Grandma last weekend.

Chicken & Rice

My family has their own cookbook.  Over half of the thing is desserts because.. well, we're bakers.
One of our recipes is Chicken and Rice, a family staple.  I tend to make it when I don't feel like putting much effort into cooking or is someone isn't feeling well.  It's kinna a cousin to chicken soup.

Details on the new adventure.

Our little family

I have been hinting at the new family adventure for awhile now, and here is what we have going on..

Friday Happy: Can he make it?-part 2

Did you see the video last week?  Well here is part 2 and what happened every other time he tried it... See why we freaked out in the other video?

Aren't guys great?

Busy weekend and an even buisier week

R-L Top: Purreed Pear (lil bro thinks it looks like pureed people.. ), Triple berry Jam.   R-L Bottom: Sliced pear, dehydrated pear, Gumbo Starter (mom's newest canning idea), Dehydrated apple.

So.. we've had a busy weekend here at the pond... can ya tell?