Thursday, July 30, 2009

this body grew a baby...

it was an achy day today. my body is tired. and it just aches. my back, my legs, my neck. it all...aches.

so i escaped to a hot shower for a few minutes while brian got leo ready for bed.

and i remembered...

this body grew a baby. and it's still helping him grow everyday. with my hands, i lift him to see all the things he's so curious to see. with my arms, i hold him when he's sad, or happy, or just to be close. with my back, i bend down to pick up the things he explores each day. with my legs, i go for walks with him to see the birds, and the trees, and the moon he noticed for the first time yesterday. with my knees, i crawl around and make him laugh the belly laugh that is music to my ears.

so, yes. my body is tired. and it aches. and i should probably be taking better care of it than i am.

but in the meantime, i'm taking pretty good care of an amazing little boy.

Wednesday, July 15, 2009

the bECOpotty

it seems like it's getting harder and harder for me to knowingly buy or use plastic. if someone gives me something that's plastic, fine...i won't necessarily turn my nose up at it. if it means re-using something instead of buying something new...that's also a decent reason to use plastic. or if it's just a good product overall (and free of toxins) that i know i'll use for a long time (like the previously mentioned, super-duper munchie mug)...then, yes, i'll do it. i think i'm pretty reasonable about it...but if i can avoid plastic, i do.

which leads me to the bECOpotty by becothings.
i'd like to introduce the little man to the potty. i know it's early...and i'm not forcing anything on him...but i'd just like for him to know it's there. in case he'd like to use it. but knowing i'd have to buy a hunk of a plastic potty...i just wasn't into it. so i searched for non-plastic potties, and i discovered the bECOpotty. it's pretty much your standard kiddie potty, but it's made of waste plant material (bamboo and rice husks), and packaged in recycled cardboard. for $12.99 (at trendykid.com), how could i pass it up? it just doesn't make sense to me to buy something plastic for the same or even more money rather than getting something nice and earth-friendly. even if it's the worst thing ever, i can bury it in our landlady's landscaping, and it will eventually biodegrade. that's right...a biodegrading potty.

Sunday, July 12, 2009

the munchie mug...


i recently bought a really great snack holder for leo. how great can snack holders actually be? well…in the land of puffins and blueberries…great snack holders are pretty essential.

behold the munchie mug. it’s simply awesome.

it’s got two overlapping stretchy pieces of fabric on the top that leo sticks his hand through to get his snack (i have to be honest…the first time that i showed him how to do it, he was a little nervous and didn’t want to put his hand in. but once i spread the top open and let him see those oh-so-scrumptious puffins…he was sold). it's not scratchy or pokey...just a nice soft layer. and since it overlaps, nothing comes out when it's upside down. nothing. and it comes with another lid (a hard one, with no opening) to use to keep the snack fresh.

the cup is a little bit bigger than most snack cups, so it doesn't quite fit in any cup holders, or the sides of a diaper bag. i usually just throw it in the main part of any bag i'm using instead. it does have a hole along the rim of the top, so it can be attached to the pacifier chain we use on our stroller. and, to make things even better it's bpa and phthalate free, and all parts are made in america.

it's a little pricier than most snack holders (i got ours on the soft landing site for $16). but, i'm hoping this will be the only snack cup we need.

Saturday, July 11, 2009

knee pad pants

with all the crawling going on around here, there's a lot more bruises on leo's knees than i care to admit. or look at.

i could just accept the fact that he's a baby, and a boy for that matter, whose only means of transportation is on his knees, and move on. but with all that cute, perfect, soft skin...i'm not a big fan of the purpley-yellow marks up and down his shins and knees.

and i just needed a good excuse to make something cute.

so, here they are...the knee-pad pants...

made with scraps of uncle scott's shirt, and some bamboo batting i had for some extra softness.

other colors soon to be added to my etsy page :)

Wednesday, July 8, 2009

mom brain...

pregnancy brain was bad. losing my keys...forgetting my lunch...throwing out my wallet (not just in the trash...but into the dumpster in the alley). but at least there was a big ol' belly showing, and i could laugh it off, and people would think...oh, she's pregnant...it's pregnancy brain...how cute.

but now...mom brain is here. and it's AWFUL. and there's no cute little belly making it all seem ok. it's just plain old me. forgetting things. losing things. leaving my iphone on top of the car and driving away. to then hear it fall off. and later realize that it's completely fried. the day before i'm flying to the east coast for a week.

or how about the day that i pulled out of our friend's parking spot and scraped the whole side of our new car along the wall? and the only reason i was even going anywhere was because i had to go back to trader joe's to get the pizza i had planned on making for dinner. that i FORGOT to get when i was there five minutes before. turned out to be an $812 pizza.

or today, when brian took the laundry out of the drier to see that all the clothes were stained with lip balm that i had left in the pocket of my shorts. i then had to spend the next half hour rubbing dish soap onto the stains, and then re-doing the laundry. (after i was so excited to use the SoapNuts).

why does this happen? is this some cruel joke? shouldn't my brain work BETTER now that i'm a mom? i mean, i've got a little boy to take care of...doesn't he deserve a mom with a completely functional brain? maybe it's so i only worry about the things that really matter...and forget about the rest. so i don't consume myself with the little things.

i'm going to go with that. it's the only logical reason i can think of. especially with this brain.

Wednesday, July 1, 2009

some good company

when leo was born, i was floored. i was lucky to be one of those moms who was instantly in love with her child. it's not like it just hit me when he arrived...it started well before i even knew i was pregnant. and as i watched my belly grow, the attachment i had for the little person growing in there also grew stronger. when he arrived, all of that exploded, and grew exponentially. and it continues to. sometimes i feel so full...swollen...with emotions for him. not just love...but pride, wonder, excitement, anticipation. people always talk about the glow of pregnancy...i think there's a glow to motherhood, too.

with all of those emotions, also comes fear. fear of doing things wrong, fear of not knowing what i'm doing at all...i go through days of complete confidence in what i'm doing, and then days that i question so many of those same actions.

and then along with the fear...comes life. the everyday. the stuff that doesn't happen like the books say it will (sleep. sleep. sleep.) looking for safe toys, finding a sippy cup that will last for a long time, finding free things to do around here.

and that's where this blog comes in. and maybe where the companionship comes in. i'm writing because this is my journey. and there are others journeying, as well. i don't need to know all the answers and i might get lost along the way...and i just need company while i walk.

i just need company as i wander.