Babies + Kids: sustainable first years

I've been asked a few times how I have worked sustainability into our first-time parenting experience. This is a very good question, because babies come with many needs. But do they need all the things for those needs? That is often the perception, and emotion-driven-baby-centric marketing tactics don't make it any easier on new parents.

There are places where we have fallen through the cracks, not had the energy to pursue something, or just not had the cash up front for a more sustainable option, as I will explain.

Since Ira was born, some of our sustainable baby plans worked and some just didn't.  I've made a list of the biggest categories that influenced our decision making when it comes to baby/toddler stuff and things.

Yep, I really did just wasted a perfectly good diaper for this picture. 

As a marketer myself, I explore the question of what we think we need daily, and often just opt out of the things that don't fit our philosophy and lifestyle. We try to put our money where our mouth is and support sustainable baby and child products companies where we can. Eco-baby products are pricier, but they are better quality, (so you don't need to replace often), have a higher resale value, have less overall impact, and the companies often have great employee and environmental standards they adhere to. I plan to talk about B Corporations here soon - it's a legal obligation a company makes to place the welfare of people and planet on an equal footing with their profit goals.

I'm keeping this post short because I think it can be a series, so here are my initial musings on this topic.

DIAPERS
I say this is the most famous and frustrating part of trying to green the baby-having experience. Cloth diapering  - it sounded glorious while pre-baby planning, but wasn't a reality for us because of financial stress at the time our son was born. Cloth diapering can have very high upfront costs, and for the quality we wanted, we just couldn't swing it back then.  If there was anything we could've have changed, this would be it. We chose to support greener companies where we could, from Honest Co. and Seventh Generation.

So what else did we do to offset our disposable diaper decision?

Almost everything else.

TOYS + CLOTHES
We aim for quality over quantity, and simple beauty in Ira's toys and surroundings. We spend so much time outside, it often eliminates the need for many indoor toys. Those we have I rotate every two weeks so there aren't many out and it keeps him engaged (usually). He doesn't have more than five or six outfits at any one size, and we often buy them second-hand. He doesn't have more than two pairs of shoes in one size. I plan to keep it the same way if we ever have a girl.



Keeping plastic out of our toys is another area of interest for me, and a daily challenge because of its ubiquity. I am following a combination of Waldorf and Montessori principles for Ira's early childhood world. We opt for wooden toys, or cloth, and especially love the beautiful, long-lasting toys by Grimm's Wooden Toys, and from the website Bella Luna. These are open-ended and simple. We also have found good options from IKEA and Target when we aren't able to spend more on something.

Having a few well-made and lovely pieces really does go a long way in teaching kids respect for their things, and also have a special magic unique to toys made from natural materials. We do get gifts from loving family members that don't meet these requirements, and all you can do is be gracious and store it for another time, or donate to someone who would enjoy and need it more than us.

Below is Ira's playroom off the kitchen. The American-made table is by Sprout Kids, a small business creating sustainably-sourced kids furniture in Utah. Priced at $100, it has no metal parts and snaps together like a puzzle. It is so strong that I can even sit in it. I would love to support more USA-made children's companies, and plan to share more here as I find them. If you'd like to support Sprout, you can use my LINK, and I earn 10% commission for your order.

Not having much out means not much to clean up. 

Waldorf-inspired: a nature corner of seasonal finds from the yard. Montessori tip: keep artwork at a child's eye-level so they can enjoy it!

FOOD
Ira has one wooden plate and a spoon and fork set. He drinks out of little glass Oui! yogurt jars I stash in his play kitchen. Yes, he's broken one by just missing the table, but I've been amazed at how careful he is with them most of the time. We do use plastic for travel and childcare situations.

+ ACTION ITEM +
The biggest action you can make is asking yourself how much you really think you need a baby thing. Chances are if you don't end up needing the thing after a few weeks, your little one will quickly bypass the stage you thought you might have needed it in, like the little shooting stars they are.

Little IKEA kitchen of real dishes - I keep art materials and other supplies that still need supervision on the open-shelves above. That's a chalkboard wall we painted on the back of the lower cabinet for scribbling.

Made for this: Ira's water birth story

Ira's beginning spanned a thousand miles by the time he was born. He grew safe and snug through a cold winter in Pittsburgh, and was born on a muggy July morning in south Texas, when the crepe myrtle trees were in full bloom. I remember a short rainstorm thundering through as I held him a few hours after his birth.

I believe birth experiences are worth sharing because these stories help us to learn, and gain courage in the face of one of life's major events. When you're getting ready to have a baby, it seems like all you do is gather information. What helped me get through the experience of a natural birth more than anything were the honest stories of other women. This is my experience to hopefully encourage someone else. I wish I had a beautifully penned reason for wanting a natural birth, but I don't. I wanted a birth that was simple and straightforward, and using a midwife was my path to that.

Three hours after he came.

Our baby boy made his debut July 19 in a birth tub at a Houston birth center just five minutes from our home.  I was able to even chose a birth center because my pregnancy had been very low risk from the beginning, and a water birth because I wanted the baby to have as gentle an entrance as possible. The entire labor was 12 hours long. The active labor was 5.5, with an hour of pushing at the end before he came into the world.  I hear this was a fairly smooth and short experience for a first-time mom, and I think it had so much to do with how I prepared. The months leading up to the birth I focused on getting ready both physically (squats, prenatal yoga, stretches) and mentally (reading a variety of books/web articles/stories). These are the resources I used, along with classes in birth and breastfeeding that my birth center and local hospital offered:

+ Ina May Gaskin's Guide to Breastfeeding

+ What to Expect (mainly good for just keeping up with changes in the baby each week/month)

+ Praying Through Your Pregnancy

+ Ina May's Guide to Childbirth

+ Beautiful Babies: Nutrition for Fertility, Pregnancy, Breastfeeding and Baby's First Foods

+ The Birth Partner (helps spouse and YOU understand what's going on before, during, and after  birth with very straightforward info)

+ Birth Without Fear (a treasure trove of inspirational natural birth stories)

+ The Business of Being Born (birth documentary on Netflix)

+ The Milky Way (breastfeeding documentary on Amazon Instant Video; I think it really helps to actually see women breastfeeding before you try it. I wish I had watched this before I had Ira, but I found it later.)

It Begins +

It's bizarre how birth is nearly always portrayed as a sudden event in the media with lots of panicking and hollering - that was definitely not the case here. Birth crept up on me. There is a beginning, middle and end to the birth process, and each phase can be different lengths.

Two days prior to Ira's birthday I had small contractions,  but they were clearly not enough to make me think the baby was on his way. I didn't even call my parents until we were already back home with our boy! I wanted to stay focused, and I now recall that I got very quiet and stayed near home in the few days leading up to July 19. I think I spent my time napping, strolling, and getting his little room in order.

Laboring at Home +

The midwifery model encourages you to stay home as long as possible in early labor. So for the first phase, the ball is in your court. "When you think you're ready to come in," they say, "try to go back to sleep," or, "just watch a movie." We tried those things, and I can tell you I was not really paying attention when I realized Ira was probably on his way.

Just to add a little more crunch to my natural birth plan, I picked Wall-E and Planet Earth to be my "laboring at home" movies, and Cody read us Hans Christian Anderson fairytales. We made it through Wall-E on the 18th, and I slept through the night. The next night was different. Cody read the longest and most boring fairytale I have ever heard, something called "The Bog Witch." When I hadn't fallen asleep during it, we both knew that Ira must be on his way! So we went back to Netflix...not that I watched it.

For the next two hours I stayed on all fours with my face buried in the bed and keeping my voice going in a low hum to stay calm. I swayed through each contraction wave and listening to Sir David Attenborough talk about the lifestyles of exotic birds in Borneo. Cody rubbed my lower back with two tennis balls - the only thing that felt decent - and timed the contractions.

Laboring at home is typical in the midwifery model. They admit when you are 5 or more cm dilated to ensure the best chance of progressing, so that you have the lowest risk of needing hospital transfer in the case of a stalled labor. When you think you're ready to get to the birth center, they listen to your voice on the phone to get an idea of how strong your contractions are getting... because it does get pretty hard to talk towards the end.

Contractions sound like they're different for a lot of women. Mine seemed to radiate from the bottom up, and from front to back. I could feel each one coming like water beginning to trickle over a dam before the whole thing came spilling over. I knew if I got scared of each one I felt coming, everything would become harder - birth is a head game like that. We'd taken a class on labor positions and breathing, and it's cool in hindsight to see my body choose a coping mechanism. Swaying on all fours with a low hum in my throat seemed to keep things moving, and kept me focused and calm.

I ended up calling the midwife on duty at midnight and 2 a.m., who told me both times to wait one more hour before we drove over, which was so hard to hear! By the second call I was down to a whisper and hoping I was being convincing enough. I really wanted to get the ball out of my court, and just get the baby out! 

We left for the birth center at 3:30 a.m., and I remember being irritated at how slowly Cody was driving and seeing the crepe myrtles turned a weird orange from the street lights. I was five cm when we arrived, and it was just six hours till baby Ira was out in the world. It felt a lot longer than that to me, probably because six hours is a long time to labor on your hands and knees - the position my body picked for the entire labor. I stayed draped over a big laboring ball on the bed and refused to move anywhere until it was time to get in the tub.

Whenever I had waves of nausea - a common transition sign as the baby moves down before pushing, the midwifery assistant would wave peppermint oil under my nose, and they diffused lavender that I had brought with me. Contractions are contractions no matter what, but the water made it much easier to change position without transferring a lot of weight around. Plus, I got to rest on two giant pool noodles. The pain continued of course, but I never thought I couldn't do the very thing I was made to do, and I believe that made a huge difference.

Arrival +

Cody encouraged me to keep sipping coconut water throughout the entire night to stay hydrated. I never heard much of what was being said between he and the team, but do remember a cup and straw appearing in front of my face every few minutes. Along with loving words and gentle sounds, Cody let me rest my head in hands to keep it above the water. The midwives let me go to do the rest, encouraging me the entire night and checking Ira's heart beat regularly. I could tell he was moving down as they listened to him further down my belly each time!

I rested between contractions, floating and gazing at a stained glass window above the tub. The only intervention I had was one I asked for. My bags of waters never broke on their own, and I asked the midwives to break them to keep everything moving along. In the paradox that is birth, the farthest you feel from relief the closer you are to the finish line. Now it was finally time to push.

Again, my brain was in la la land and my body just picked a position. I ended up half squatting on one shin with the other foot against the bottom of the tub. This let my arms push against the sides for extra leverage. It felt so good to have so many surfaces to push against. When it was time to push Ira out I couldn't remember anything I'd read or been taught, I just did it.

Ira made his way out after a few huge pushes, and I couldn't believe we had done it after the months preparing for this moment. I hope I don't forget that feeling of accomplishment. I've never been awesome at finishing what I start, but with birth of course - what choice do you have? You find a way and you just do it! I remember excited voices from everyone in the room as Ira neared his moment of entrance, especially Cody's so heavy with emotion. Then the baby was out and being brought quickly up to the surface.

I held that slippery, purplish baby in my arms waiting for his cry. Ira came out stunned and needed a few breaths from the midwife (they are unbelievable) to get him going in those first moments. That was all it took before we heard his voice for the first time. Then he lay stretching his arms, long fingers and legs in my embrace, feeling the air against his skin. His wet, black hair plastered to his head was the first thing about him that made him feel like my baby. (Of course, now his hair is light like his dad's).

Then there were three!

I was lightheaded when I got out of the tub to move to the bed and get a small tear sown up. There was no moment to pause and think about what just happened, I was immediately given Ira to feed him his first meal! He was laid on my chest in a warm towel and allowed to nurse for the first time. I can remember his tiny grunts as he learned to eat, with his little hands held tightly held by his head just as he had been in the womb. Later we were left alone as a family of three to rest and hold Ira in that homey room, just yards from the highway.

It took a few weeks for the physical soreness of the experience to fade away, and the memory of it all has softened considerably. Natural birth is beautiful but also very gritty in my opinion, and you're made to totally rely on your own ancient instincts and meet a whole new, powerful side of yourself.  It's literally indescribable. My love for Ira also changed in the weeks after his birthday. It's grown into something deep, but for the first days it was a more set-jaw, determined kind of love that was learning to feed him and keep him comfortable.

Birth isn't easy no matter what road you choose, and it is such a defining point in your life. During that July morning, I joined every woman who has ever struggled and been victorious for the sake of her children, no matter how they were born.

Mama learnin'

I feel like a new person now that Ira's first three months are gone. He is blossoming by the day into himself, and it is awe-inspiring to witness. Life is amazing.

A few things I've learned about being a mama:

1. It's true about putting them down BEFORE they get over-tired and overstimulated. Earlier, Ira would get so fussy between 7-9 each night. I blamed growth-spurts or hunger, but he was just ready to go to bed!

2. Routine. I do not do much by a schedule, ever. I just started working on a bedtime routine with Ira since I moved him from his basket and swaddle in our room, to his crib down the hall with his sleep sack to stay warm (I don't put blankets/pillows in with him). He has taken to it better than I could've hoped - he was ready to stretch out! Around 7:30-8 p.m., we bathe him, rock him, feed and put him in his crib.



He also takes a morning and afternoon nap, either on the go or in his crib, no matter where it happens, I'm now able to see it coming.

Just implementing a little more structure has helped all of us feel more organized with our days and able to enjoy each new milestone with Ira even more.

Life with baby Ira

We did it! Cody and I can now take care of a baby and not feel terrified every second of the day about it. We can even change diapers quickly. 

Ira is two months old, and time has flown and dragged. That feeling is usually based on if Ira is having a good day or a bumpy day, which equals how tired we are.

I still look at Cody everyday and ask him if he can believe that our baby is really here. We used to say the same thing when we lived in Pennsylvania - "Can you believe we live here?" Especially when the seasons were changing. It's so good to stop along the way to observe those moments.

I'm still working on his birth story - and they are tall orders. The memories are more powerful than what I've been able to put into words so far. I want it to be encouraging, but honest about what I found with my own natural birth with Ira.

Here's to summing up the first several weeks with our good old boy, and it hardly captures all of it.

• He's been gaining weight well, his birth weight was 7.9 and now it's 13.10 lbs! He's 24.25 inches long as of 9/22. This leads me to...

• Breastfeeding - it's a learned behavior. Having never been around newborns or breastfeeding mamas, the first day I tried to hold Ira like I used to hold my dolls to give them bottles - on his back. The lactation nurse gently directed me to hold his belly tight against my own like "a frog on a window pane." Love the imagery.
• 
  
• Ira hurt me big time the first week and I dreaded feeding him. We took him to the lactation consultant at 2 weeks old, and he was diagnosed with a  lip and tongue tie we had to resolve at a pediatric dentist office during week 3, but feeding has been MUCH better ever since. I'm so glad we caught it early.
• Community helps so much! I found a great group of women and babies at our local hospital's breastfeeding group. We meet up there every week to just socialize, but we've gone out to eat, and even grab "cry baby" movies that have showings for just moms and babies so no one is bothered when a baby starts making noise. 

• Ira really changes by the week. We have no set schedule, rather we created a routine with him. I watch him for signs of sleepiness and hunger and try to catch them before he comes unglued. 

• He's sleeping in his basket pretty well! He eats at 10:30 p.m., 3 a.m., and 6:45 a.m., almost on the money every night. A few magical times he's done 10:30 to 5 a.m., praise the Lord.

• I just learned about the Wonder Weeks. They are the weeks right before a big developmental milestone is reached and make babies harder than usual to console - like crying for three hours at bedtime. You'd think he's about to start spouting Shakespeare the way Ira has carried on during these times. He had his first this past week and we survived by swaddling Ira tightly and rocking him to sleep. 

• His smile is here! It's that open-mouthed newborn smile that's HUGE and lovely. And heart- melting. His eyes are not giving away their color yet! They're still that grayish-brownish funny newborn color that almost isn't a color - with a tiny light brown streak in the left eye. 

• I am a new mama, but I am also the same old me and I want to hold onto that. A little time everyday to shower or have Ann-time is key to what makes me tick. When Cody comes home, sweet Ira gets popped into his arms and I take an hour to do...whatever. It is good.

Tummy time on papa's back

He's now outgrown this little outfit; taken from his 5 day old pics I took

We love getting out of the apartment with Ira, mostly on walks right now

Wearing his uncle's smocked shirt, made by our Aunt 30 years ago :)

Ira likes standing, especially when I try to get him to ball up in his Solly wrap. He prefers being able to stretch out.

First beach trip to Galveston Island

At the breastfeeding group doing tummy time-he is surrounded by other babies on the floor and it's mind-numbingly cute!

Two-month checkup...and shots :(

Love our nugget - I don't think I'll ever believe he's really mine ;)

Nursery reveal + 39 weeks

After weeks of moving, unpacking, and becoming legal residents of Texas, we are at the end of pregnancy and baby boy's nursery is done! We have a two-bedroom apartment and the baby's room is actually divided into thirds - the other side is our office and music room, complete with our cellos on the walls.

Our 39 week appointment was this week, and baby is locked and loaded and ready to roll. In other words he's head down and facing the right way. I couldn't have asked for a better pregnancy aside from the exhaustion that came in the first trimester, and know I'm very blessed to be able to say that. 

His official due date is July 16, next Saturday - but we are betting on the full moon helping him out on July 19!

The nursery is a mix of old and new - and lots of art! My goal was to keep his items to a minimum in a fun, gender neutral feel using a lot of what we already had (except the crib obviously, from this sustainable baby furniture company). 

The antique dresser is mine from college, and I just replaced the drawer pulls for something more modern. It holds all his diapering supplies, the first three-six month's clothes (just jammies!), swaddles, a baby wrap, and those little baby accessories I thought would be useful like tiny socks, bibs, a teeny swim diaper, and sun hat. 

Baby's books are from our own childhoods, and his wall art is also something special to us. 

The little owl was bought by my grandparents on a trip to Mexico in the 1950s. I painted the canvas over the crib over five years ago, and even named it "The Baby's Dream," so I suppose it has been for this baby from the beginning. The little string "goodness garland" on top of the painting was handmade by a dear friend back in Pittsburgh.

Cody and I made the mobile last week from leftover guest favor tags from our wedding, zero-VOC paint from a furniture refurb project, an extra dowel rod we had laying around (doesn't everyone?), and the pom pom thing off a winter hat that got destroyed over three Pennsylvania winters.

Baby's first ultrasound pictures hang over his changing table/dresser to remind us of the awe we felt when we first saw him. I hope this memory comes in handy in the wee hours of the morning, when we are cleaning up the inevitable blow-outs I hear are headed our way. 

Last, the little fox that hangs from the corner of the green wire basket represents our first memory of baby. The day we found out we were going to have a child, we took a long walk to absorb the news in a beautiful old cemetery near our home in Pittsburgh. It was a gray and cold November morning. As we turned down a long road a beautiful red fox stepped out of the woods next to us. After a minute he turned and disappeared the way he had come -  I have no idea what that moment meant, but I found the fox ornament over Christmas, and got it to preserve that memory.

We are following the American Academy of Pediatric's recommendation to keep everything but a crib sheet out of his bed.  In the pic I'm using it to store one of his toys, but it won't stay there. 

Because he is a Cancer, we threw in a few crabs for good measure! There is the little fox ornament, and a turkey feather we found in the same graveyard we hiked through all the time in Pittsburgh, tucked into the plant.

 

While I'd like him to take naps in his room to get used to it, baby boy's main bed for the first few months is his moses basket in our room.

Those are breastfeeding supplies in the little basket - like lanolin, and granola bars for energy. We are planning to spend the first week in bed learning to feed little baby. And sleeping.

This is an Under the Nile scrappy doll made from bits of leftover baby clothes. 

Hoping that our next post will introduce our son! Please keep us in your prayers for a safe delivery and a healthy, strong baby (and parents). #unreal

A Simple Baby Registry

Plastic. Neon. Loud. I'm either describing an 80's hair band or the mass of modern baby things on the market. I've spent the better part of this spring researching for what we really believe we need for our little boy (and any others that come along!) without sacrificing our personal style and sustainability values.  I'm pretty picky about what I put in my living space, and my goal here is to have a home that doesn't immediately showcase that a baby also lives with us. 

Moving beyond design/taste into the world of marketing, sustainable products are barely regulated in our country and that makes it very difficult to cut through the "green washing" and find out who is walking the walk.

Here is a disclaimer on this post: 

Using an item for a second-time around is a great option for saving financial and natural resources in children's products - but the catch is that they may be made with materials that aren't as safe as they could be. This post is about what we would like to purchase new for baby boy, and supporting brands that are reaching for sustainability in production, materials, and throughout the lifecycle of the item. 

I have spent the last few years trying to make minimalism part of how I evaluate my daily life. When we need to buy, how can my little family buy less but buy better - especially for our baby? 

Now the baby doesn't care what we dress him in or bathe him with, but as he grows up I want him to see how we think about the things we use everyday. What is it made of? How was it made? Will it last? All things have a story.

Our main criteria are:

1) Must be visually pleasing and not clash with everything else in the house. I realize this could be seen as a very surface-level requirement, but I work hard to create uncluttered spaces that make us happy and fit our style.

2) Be durable and made of strong materials like real woods, rubbers, organic cotton or wool. You would not believe the amount of nasty things that end up in plastic, foam and many other things sold as baby-safe by marketing in the USA. 

3) Made to last. I realize kids are tough on things, but I aim to find clothes, toys and furniture that are tougher.

4) Support fair trade and/or American design, manufacturing, and small business.

Here are some of our favorite finds and brands so far. We are using an online registry called Baby List to place our favorite internet finds in one place, and take the research burden off those who who'd like to support us when it comes to sustainable baby products. You'll see that not all are 100% organic/made in the USA/uber-sustainable, but the vast-majority are. All of the links below go straight to the values/production side of the product so you can quickly see what these brands are all about!

Finn & Emma: 100% G.O.T.S. certified organic cotton; eco-friendly inks and dyes; made in India via fair trade principles and living wage jobs.

Stokke: How cool for a high chair to be able to bring baby to the table with the family, not take up tons of room, and  grow with them until they are large enough to not need a special chair? Designed over 40 years ago, this high chair is a "human centric" focus on design from Scandinavia. Sustainability  and longevity of their product is Stokke's "vision, mission, and goal."

Barely & Birch: "100% organic cotton that is grown by a co-op in Texas, with a carbon-neutral production line.
The cotton is spun, knit, and sewn in North Carolina where we print it with vibrant, nontoxic, water based inks."

Etsy: Bibdanas from a small Georgia business, and made-in-the-USA

Puj: A foldable, PVC and BPA-free baby tub that can fit in smaller sinks. Perfect for apartment dwellers like us. Designed by US parents.

Blueberry: Where you wondering when I was going to talk about diapers? Yes, we are going to attempt cloth, though we aren't sure if we're doing a cloth diaper service or not yet. I went with a one-size brand to avoid having to purchase multiple sizes.

Sustainablebabyish: I am experimenting with a couple of different diaper covers to see what works.  These are knit wool diaper covers from öko-tex certified wool yarns

Babymosesbasket: Our little one will sleep here until he can roll over. The palm basket is free of dyes and sprays, and is shown here with an organic cotton futon. Once he outgrows it, we plan on turning it into his toy basket. Sold on Etsy.

Coyuchi: Fair Trade USA organic swaddlers that become mama's scarves later.

Land of Nod: Such a great site for all things baby, but I particularly love their plastic-free toy selection. This artful stacker is made of linden and beech woods with non-toxic water based dyes and natural oils.

And there you have it! There is more on our full list, but this captures most of the brands and ideals  there. Once we have his nursery corner set up (when we get our new home at the end of this month), I will dive into more space-saving and minimalist design ideas!

Dear Baby Boy,

Hello little baby Green,

February will always remind me of when I became a little boy's mama - yours! I was always your mama since the moment last November when the plus sign showed up on the pregnancy test, but now it's a little more real knowing what you are  ;)

One of life's great mysteries revealed!

I can imagine you a little better now. Honestly little bean, I thought you were a girl from the start! So when the sonogram technician found your parts almost immediately, I was in awe looking at what could only be a little boy.

Your dad and I are THRILLED. No matter what you are or who you decide to be, I am blessed that I am getting to grow you and be your mama. You've made me appreciate my body in a new way. Each week there is a change.  You do make me tired, but you also make me feel very alive.  When you move, I am reminded that there is an untold story being written every second as you grow.

We told each of your grandparents over Skype by throwing blue confetti, so we got to celebrate twice and it was precious each time. They are so excited - and for the record all of them guessed you were a boy! You are our family's first mid-summer baby.

Even while I'm working on other things, you're always in my mind. I always notice when you move, and when you don't. Pretty soon you'll start sleeping 12-14 hours a day in my tummy. Enjoy the space in there while you can son, because you're growing by the day!

The other night your dad felt you kick for the first time! It was two big bumps in row, plain as day. I can tell you are strong.  I pray you carry your strength across your life in how you treat others, how you love, and in being strong in the decisions you make.

I love you little one,
Mama

Bumpdate: 20 weeks

We are in theory halfway through the story of our pregnancy. (!?). Now that I can clearly see and often feel little Green bean, it feels like someone started the hyperdrive (cue millennium falcon sequence!)

Random: I've been thinking that the ability to lay eggs and place them somewhere warm might be a little more restful than carrying a baby on the inside. All I'm saying is that until now baby was fairly tiny (in the smaller range of fruit sizes), and didn't really affect me aside from first trimester tiredness. This must be nature's way of saying: don't forget to take care of yourself - there's someone else in there!

• Baby // As long as a banana (the larger range of fruits). Developing the neural connections to the five senses and turning his/her cartilage frame into bone! The other night Cody said, "Wow, what's the chemistry behind all this?" Like I know - but man, do I respect it. Baby also feels just like a little fish flicking around - like if you were ever one of those children who just had to try and feel your pet fish in its bowl, and it zoomed around avoiding your slow baby fingers.

• Feeling // S-t-r-e-t-c-h-i-n-g tummy! Ouch. I've had some intense round ligament pain that can wake me up night, in addition to the other times I have to wake up for:

1) Using the bathroom

2) Waking up on my back and panicking to turn over to my side

(P.S. I thought pregnant bodies knew better than to roll onto their backs in the middle of sleeping! I've heard the weight of the baby can press on a major vein and restrict blood flow to everywhere else.  Cody says he's woken up to find me snoozing happily on my back and has gently rolled me over to my side. Oh well.)

• Eating // I can cook almost normally again. No more weird ingredient combinations that sound good but taste terrible.

• Wearing // Leggings and tights everyday! I'm stalling in the maternity clothes department because I just don't want any winter maternity clothes. This is a spring/summer bump and I have plenty of flowy dresses to get me to July once we're out of freezing temps here. I work from home mostly, so I've been very thankful I can be in leggings 3/5ths of the work week. #gratitude

• Planning // My minimalist baby registry is nearing completion! We're using Baby List in order to pull from all over the internet, because as vast as Amazon is, it doesn't have many of the sustainable and/or small-business-made items I like.  I've been adding and reducing every few days as I meditate on what's there and think about what we really want and need. I just ordered the sweetest bandit bonnet from Petite Soul - the first thing I've bought for him/her! Even summer newborns need a little hat right? My excuse is it's to protect him/her from too much air conditioning. 

• Exercise // I love water and swimming. It feels so good to feel so light and stretch my belly out. I'm also doing regular yoga with modifications, but I've tried prenatal yoga at a birth center and mostly liked the camaraderie more than the yoga. 

• Reading // I've found two books on simplicity that are quickly becoming some of my cornerstones for how I want to live in general and how I'd like to raise our little one. The first is Simple Matters by blogger Erin Boyle, recommended to me by my good friend (you know who you are!). She lives in Brooklyn with her husband and baby daughter in a tiny apartment and focuses on quality over quantity. I've always loved the idea that our items should be lovely, useful, long-lasting and free from fads (aka classic). Being thoughtful in what you bring into your home. The second is Simple Parenting by Kim John Payne. Sensing a theme yet?

• Excited about // Basically everything? Especially that we find out the gender TOMORROW! 

 

Bumpdate: 17 weeks

Sometimes it feels like baby Green will be here in no time flat, and other times I think I may have this little food-baby pooch forever. But it's just the beginning!

Looking a life from a new angle these days - so is Willa.

This was around 15-16 weeks

It's interesting to suddenly be in planning mode for a little one who is still 5-6 months away! My spare time is spent trying to exercise, researching the most minimal/multi-purpose baby gear, trying out names and staring at my tummy wondering what baby is up to. I'm also working on sewing a little stuffed animal for this baby, and if it turns out well at all you'll see it here. We find out the gender February 22, and I will cast my vote now, I think it's a girl and Cody does too :)

Also, I think I've felt baby move a few times! It happens in the evening usually when I sit and read and all is still. There's a little "pop" feel in my lower abdomen like a tiny bubble bursting which apparently may be this little person.

BUMPDATE

• Baby// Five inches long. S/he can hear me, can see light and sucks and swallows. I've been trying to sing more around the house for baby, and this weekend we got a 65 degree sunny day so I was able to get some sunshine on my belly too :)

• Feeling// Still getting sleepy by 6:30 p.m. nearly every evening, but it's nothing like the all-day exhaustion that laid me out in the first trimester. Sleeping is still my happy place though. 

• Eating// At last, I want to eat everything! But, I've also cooked some pretty bad stuff. I think my sense of smell is just off since I've messed up quite a few dinners lately. Smoothies are one of my favorites, and though I still think about Spaghetti O's that were my staple in trimester one, I now have the willpower to not buy them.

• Planning// Looking into prenatal yoga and birth classes. Since we're likely moving early in May, we think it's best to knock the classes out now in the 2nd trimester. I'm also looking hard at the baby gear world and compiling an Amazon wish list that I'm going to pare down with what I think we'll need most. There is so. much. stuff. and my goal with this child is to not have too much. We plan to find things that are sleek, strong, and multi-purpose for years to come.

So far, all is well and we're very, very grateful for that. Cody and I are sensitive that these are some of our last months as just the two of us, which is pretty bittersweet.  We've had nearly six years together and have done so much, but I find myself basking in the moments that are still only ours. We're both still in shock that we get to do this at all to be honest, and we try to pray for us and our little every day for the best possible future :)