I will be posting an article within the week about vaccines! Please check back for more info!
Children and pets add so much to our lives, but the one thing they take away is SLEEP! I swear it's one after the other. At about 4 am the dog needs to get up to pee, then the cat starts to belt out meow's (who knows why?!) wakes Ava up and then she wants to nurse. By the time my head hits the pillow again and I take a look at the clock an hour and a half has gone by and I have trouble going back to sleep.
A couple more hours go by and Ava wakes up for the day and the night becomes a blur. Chris goes in to get her from her crib and we all cuddle up in the bed before heading downstairs to start the day. No matter how little sleep I get, I somehow remain content. My life is really great right now. I guess all the love that we get from our family feeds our energy pool!
When I was in Virginia Beach all alone with Chris working crazy hours and gone on the ship weeks at a time, I slept half the day away and was extremely depressed. The only thing that got me through that was the company of my cat.
Who needs sleep anyway!!
Haha!
As new parents, we are stricken with worry by weight charts. "Which percentile is your baby on?" "Your baby is not growing fast enough!" "Don't you think you should try supplementing?"
(Of course there may be certain situations where your child may not be thriving and they will need to be evaluated by you and your doctor.)
My daughter has always been on the low side of the chart and sometimes not even on the chart. At our 1 year wellness checkup, my doctor told me to feed her cookies, cake & ice cream! My jaw dropped. Was I worried? Yes, I was. I am a first time Mother and everyone around me thought Ava looked skinny. I even started to believe that she may need additional fat in her diet. (I haven't been back to the doctor for a "wellness" visit since!) And Ava has only needed to see the doctor one time due to minor illness.
At age 2, she is about the same size as an 18 month old child that has been bottlefed and fed the standard american diet. She is small, but substantial (not skinny), extremely active, amazingly smart, vibrant, and happy. She is really healthy. It's hard to stick to your "Mommy" instincts. I still have moments when I worry, but that's part of parenting.
Now, vegan...I am sure we will be put under another microscope!
Unsolicited advice becomes mainstream when your child is born. You will be lucky if you can find a doctor who knows much about diet. It's a tough time to be different and you and your kids will be scrutinized like never before.
Being well informed increases confidence in finding your own way through parenthood. Getting to know other vegan children, seeing them thrive and creating friendships with other vegan parents is extremely important.
We can help one another through reassurance and support, sharing recipes and educating...without judgement.
WHO - Working on developing a growth chart for breastfed babies
La Leche League
A great article from Mothering Magazine.
Everyone goes through this at one point or another and its hard on everyone in the family.
Happy Mother's Day! It's going to be a beautiful day today in Saratoga. A wonderful day for a picnic!
Being a Mom is incredible. No matter how tired I am or how much I need some "Me" time, I can't stand to be away from my Daughter. I don't want to miss the tiniest thing, even just one giggle.
I can't believe how becoming a Mother changes you. I have more confidence and self esteem than I have had at any other point in my life. I have more patience. And somehow I get more done in one day than when I had zero responsibilities. Most importantly, I have more love in my heart than I imagined possible.
This morning, Ava said "Good morning, Mommy. I love you!" Just like that. And gave me a big hug. That was enough to make my day 10 times over!
The first thing I think about when I wake up on Mother's Day is...My Mom! She is such an incredible woman. She has taught me so much over the years. She has been my best friend through all the ups and downs in my life. We live in the same town and talk every morning on the phone! I don't want her to miss a thing, so I am constantly calling her to update her on the smallest things in our life. Somehow, she always makes time for me and has made our family feel so special. Thanks, Mom! I love you.
I figured I would do a short post for the Mom's to be or new Mom's out there trying to decide if Soy Formula is the right supplement for their infant or toddler. In doing my own research in the last couple of years there were some scary findings. Please do your own research along with the links and info I provide you. There is a lot of information out there!
How Safe is Soy Infant Formula?
Soy Online Service
There are some other natural ways to supplement! I found some really interesting info in "Recipes for Life...from God's Garden" Hallelujah Acres. I think the book is well worth the money for the Mommy's that want to feed their kids the best from the start.
It's amazing how a toddler can go from eating just about everything you give them one day to not touching a thing the next. It's hard to trust their intuition, but it's pretty amazing how connected they are as such little beings. They do tell you that in calories lost on a "picky" day, they will make up for it the next or within that same week. I have been nursing my daughter for almost two years so it has been a little more difficult to figure out if her diet if sufficient. I have been trying to trust my Mommy instincts as she has been an extremely healthy child. I am just now coming to a point where I want to wean her slowly. She is becoming more independent and I would love a little more independence! I have to be honest though, it has been amazing. The bond has been incredible. I think we have had some of our most beautiful conversations while nursing. Sometimes words aren't even necessary. So, now that I am weaning her, I want to add some great food to fill in the gaps! I haven't heard great things about soy, so I am going to stay away from that. I am going to try some homemade nut milks. As I try this, I will post some recipes for any Mom's out there that might want to try it. Of course, these milks are not meant to subsitute a nursing infant, but are a great option when choosing to wean a toddler. I am also going to post some healthy recipes that she loves in hopes that your child may also love them. If you have any recipes you want to pass on to us, we would love them! Wishing all the Mommy's with picky eaters out there, luck and patience! This too shall pass!
