On Babies at the Beach

I love the beach! I grew up in Southern California and I definitely took the beach for granted. I loathed being covered in sand, hated dealing with the parking situation, despised the salt taste that got stuck in your mouth, and always felt so dirty and anxious. After being in North Carolina for 3 years, I am realizing I really miss those things. I don't have a beach 20 minutes away, but 3 hours away. I don't get to go whenever I feel like it. So I knew when I booked my flight home with Daxton, the beach was my number one priority, equal to In-N-Out. 

Sunday was my mom's birthday. We had planned to go blueberry picking, but that season was over. Then we were going to go to the flower fields, but they were out of season. We decided it was beach time. A few years ago we had gone paddle boarding as a family at a beach my sister called "Baby Powder Beach". Turns out it is actually called Baby Beach. We decided it would be the perfect beach for D; soft sand, calm waters, and free parking! 

When my family goes to the beach, it's an experience. There are so many things that go with us. But there were items we brought that we definitely couldn't have been without. First, our Gathre mat that goes with us everywhere (https://gathre.com/collections/highchair-mat/products/tannin-highchair-mat)! It provided a place for Daxton to sit and play that wasn’t completely covered in sand (though it basically was by the end of the trip). Second, our Shadezilla beach cabana (https://www.walmart.com/ip/Shadezilla-Deluxe-Lightweight-2-Person-Tent-with-Carry-Bag/126161591) provided much needed UV protection for my fair skinned child who actually has tanned very well, thanks to me of course! Finally, my mom purchased one of those huge plastic pools which we brought with us and filled with freshwater so that Daxton could have his semi-independent water fun while not inhaling saltwater or braving the dangers of the ocean. Even though these items may not be the easiest to transport, they certainly made the beach a lot easier, which mean more fun! All-in-all, Daxton loved everything about the beach, especially the people watching!

On Tummy Time

For as long as we've put Daxton on his tummy, he has hated tummy time. At first, I thought it was because he had gas issues, but now I'm pretty sure it's because he is so observant that he hates being constrained. I know he needs tummy time for proper development, so I have done whatever I could to allow us all to tolerate it a little longer. I lie down with him, use the Boppy, turn him over and back, give him toys and teethers, lay him on a surface that is fun to look at, but nothing has worked until today. I realized that my child is very smart and loves learning and watching new things. I realized I needed some sensory activities he could do during tummy time. I had seen grabbing baskets before, but I knew he would just end up chewing on everything. I looked on Pinterest to find some, and I found an awesome website with great activities for all ages and issues (http://www.candokiddo.com/news/tummy-time-tips).

Water Play
I wish I had thought of this on my own, but I cannot take credit. I had a small sheet pan I filled halfway with water and I added two rubber ducks. He LOVED this! I planned on the water getting all over the place, so I set the tray on the hardwood and set the Boppy at the edge of the rug so that his body would be on the soft rug. Sure enough, water was EVERYWHERE, but I quickly cleaned it up with the Swiffer and my husband never even knew the mess that had been there. I didn't plan, however, for him to be able to move the sheet pan, and I especially didn't think he would pick it up. I'm telling you, this kid surprises me everyday with his knowledge and strength. Anyway, the mess was intensified by the water sloshing over the edge so that there was barely any left. But he had so much fun playing with the water! I will definitely do this again, just maybe with a bigger or heavier water container.

Texture/Temperature Play
Peas! Who knew peas would be so fun. I filled a Ziplock freezer bag with frozen peas and taped it to the floor (using painter's tape of course!). Again, the peas were on the hardwood for when the condensation pooled under the bag, and he was on the rug with the Boppy at the edge in between. This one didn't last as long, and I definitely thought he would love this one. He wasn't opposed, but he was frustrated that he couldn't put the bag in his mouth (plastic + baby's mouth = nothing good). I still have the peas in the bag so I will try this again, but this wouldn't be a go to.

Books
It saddens me when babies rip up and chew on books, but today I let it happen. I definitely want to teach Daxton to respect literature of any type, and he has books specifically for his drooly mouth, but today I let him go at it. He seems to love holding, opening, and closing books, and that makes this bookworm mama's heart so happy. He has an overflow of books, I literally have no more room! Any chance I can give him to find joy in books is something I can get behind.

So that was today's adventures in tummy time. I have no idea what tomorrow will bring, but I will be sure to make it public knowledge what works and what doesn't. I love exploring self-guided play time, not because I am a lazy mom, but because I know I won't be able to hold onto him forever, and I want to ensure that he is as good alone as he is with others (because he is great with others!). And all babies are different! What works for one may not work for another.
-T

On Continual Growth

Tonight, as I was putting Daxton to bed, I wondered if he is going to sleep well tonight. Last night, he slept until 4:30 and Stephen and I were ecstatic, hoping we had made it through the worst part of the sleep regression. I jokingly told Stephen it was our reward for giving time to the church for Good Friday when we could have had a family day instead. Tonight I thought, "Maybe there was something to that comment and maybe he will sleep well tonight because I served again and I'm really feeling the power of the Lord". But how silly is that; I am not serving because of the benefits or rewards, I am serving because I want to connect with others and grow in my faith. As I laid D down, I heard God remind me, "It isn't going to be easy." If I continue to look for ease or comfort, I will never be challenged, so I will never grow. Life is about continual growth. Earth experiences challenges every year. During winter, trees lose their leaves and grass is browned. But once spring comes, we see how the earth grows again out of it's challenges; a beautiful cycle set forth by the Creator. Winter is not easy for many, but come spring, we are able to see such wonderful rebirth. As a parent, we will face challenges, dry season, and a lot of storms, but the beautiful growth we will see in our children is such a magical thing. All our challenges, all our struggles, will bring forward some type of growth. It may not be something tangible, it may not be something big, it may not even be soon-God's timing will always trump our own-but it will happen. During your storms, pray for growth and pray for patience. Give God a chance to work in your life and you will be amazed with the outcome!

On Applying Spring to My Life

Spring has sprung! My favorite season is autumn, but spring is a close second. Spring in North Carolina is so beautiful. The weather will become perfect, and then sweltering hot, then a storm hits, and your'e back to perfect weather, rainbows, and all is green! It is truly the season of rebirth.

Yesterday, D and I began our day early. He woke up at about 6:30 and I didn't try to get him back to sleep like I normally do. I let him lay in bed with me and play for a bit after I nursed him. At 7:30 he started rubbing his eyes and getting a little fussy. I put him back down for a nap at about 8 and realized I could start working us toward a schedule. After he woke up (at 9:30!), we had breakfast and went for a run.

Applying this rebirth to my life, I have began running again. I have been unable to get back to working out due to some health issues post-pregnancy. I wasn't cleared to begin non-strenuous exercises until D was about 3 months old. Yesterday, I finally was able to get back out and run. I love running (its okay, you don't have to understand) as a stress reliever and a pick-me-up. I used to run all the time, but once I became pregnant, the doctor told me running would mess up my back an my sciatica a lot more, and eventually it wouldn't be safe for the baby, so it's been about a year since I ran last. It was so wonderful! I didn't want to overwork myself, so I only did about a mile and a half, but this time, I was pushing 20 lbs up and down hills. Running with a baby is so different! Daxton enjoyed it, minus the loud sounds of big rigs when they passed us by.

I felt so good after this! When we got back home, D played a little and then I put him down for his second nap. Unfortunately this one didn't last more than 35 minutes, but the point is I tried and he knows that there will be a nap around noon. So I got him up and let him play for a little while I made lunch (a kale, chicken, and quinoa salad with a homemade lemon vinaigrette). When he started to fuss, I laid him on his back on the rug so he could play with his feet. Suddenly, he began to cry a real cry, not a fussy cry. I was draining my quinoa and I looked up. D was on his tummy and I could see he had had a blowout all up his back! Poor kid was miserable and I was frozen in shock. I scooped him up and got to work cleaning him up and throwing that onesie away. An impromptu bath was called for (second one in as many days), and I had to get in with him; D could not calm down! It wasn't until he was out, changed, and nursing that he began to calm. He ended up falling asleep on me and slept for an hour. Safe to say our schedule was kaput after that, but I got some sweet baby snuggles. Today, we've been doing well with a schedule. He woke up at 6:05 and went down for a nap at 8:20 (after 23 minutes of rocking, shushing, and feeding). I have no idea what today holds, but I pray that D feels better today than he did yesterday and that he sleeps better, too!

P.S. I didn't eat my lunch until 5 PM, so I'm hoping I can eat earlier today!
-T

On Starting Solids

My baby is growing up! Last night we had our first true trial with solids! I purchased a pouch of Plum Organics Sweet Potatoes at Target yesterday and hubby and I were just so excited to try something new! My plan is to make our own baby food, but until he is truly eating a lot of solids, we will survive on pouches, so long as they're organic and free of any additives, of course! 

So hubby and D came home from church last night, and I told Stephen that I got a pouch. He hurried up and whipped out the high chair; I don't remember the last time I saw him so excited. I told him that Daxton tried to drink out of my straw today when he grabbed my cup and put the straw in his mouth! We knew he was ready, even if we weren't. I brought in a baby spoon and we had so much fun! I think we should do smaller amounts at a time, but D really seemed to like it! We will keep on sweet potatoes for a few days, and maybe we will do avocado next! His facial expressions kill me! 

On Our Co-Sleeping Story

What a controversial topic! I think it is important to define what co-sleeping actually is. There are different ways a parent can co-sleep with their baby: same bed, separate/extended surface like bedside sleepers, and same room, separate surface. I am not talking about having baby sleep in bed with you, because I agree with the big guys who declare it unsafe (besides the possibility of rolling into your baby, adult mattresses are made very differently than infant mattresses to provide proper spine and body growth and development. Also, comforters, pillows, sheets, even mama hair all pose a threat to baby). I define co-sleeping as baby sleeping in the same room as his parents.

For the first two months of his life, Daxton slept in the rock n play because he preferred the upright position and he wasn't able to roll around(because he was already turning into his side from day one!). Then, at two months, we put him in the DockATot in an heirloom cradle (post about that coming at you on Saturday) that my husband slept in when he was a baby. Four months was our original goal for co-sleeping because that is when the risk of SIDS lowers significantly. We've now reached that point and we seriously don't want to end co-sleeping yet!

Daxton turned 4 months one week ago. We are going to be sending the heirloom cradle on to the next family baby, so we didn't have a place for Dax to sleep in our room. We don't want to regress if we can help it and keep him in the rock n play (with his length and weight, in pretty sure he can't use it anymore), so my MIL bought us a Moses basket (anyone have a stand I can use?) so that we still have the option of keeping him in our room. But Stephen and I were so sure if loving him into his room. We thought it was developmentally appropriate and we didn't want to hinder his growth. After we spent so much time putting together his nursery, we want to make sure it gets a lot of use. But in reality, WE aren't ready. Stephen and I don't want to get up and walk all the way across our home to give him his paci when he loses it twice at night. And what if his breathing monitor goes off and we don't hear it? How long will he have to cry until we wake up and tend to him. Really, he only wakes up once at night, and promptly goes back to sleep, but he would be so far from us.

So I felt I was the one really pushing for D to transition into his room and I could tell Stephen was just going along with what I said. Last night I asked him regardless of what I think, is he ready to transition D? He said he wants to give it another month. So we now have an open ended co-sleeping plan and that really makes my soul happy.

Here are some links for articles/info pages I found helpful and informative regarding co-sleeping:
http://kellymom.com/parenting/nighttime/cosleeping/
http://cosleeping.nd.edu/safe-co-sleeping-guidelines/
https://www.thebump.com/a/myths-and-truths-about-co-sleeping
http://www.askdrsears.com/topics/health-concerns/sleep-problems/co-sleeping-yes-no-sometimes
http://www.cosleeping.org

-T