Let's Go for a Stroll!

If I have one regret about creating our baby registry, it would be the lack of stroller research I did while pregnant. I was too busy looking for a home to live in at the time so the stroller research feel to the bottom of the priority list! I ended up picking something that I thought would satisfy all our needs and looked cute at the same time. Well I learned to save the looking cute for my wardrobe and apparently NOT to use the same tactic for choosing strollers :)
First, let me introduce the almighty Chariot. http://www.chariotcarriers.com/ The Chariot is for the outdoor enthusiast couple who is determined not to let a small thing like having a baby stop you from doing all your normal activities like hiking, jogging, biking and don't forget cross country skiing! I had the opportunity to use one on our Lake Tahoe trip that belonged to my sister -in -law Tenille. We brought our Graco travel system that we thought would work but it quickly got laughed off the face of the rough Tahoe terrain. We quickly found ourselves asking to borrow Tenille's Chariot as much as we could for our daily hikes. The Chariot is a jogging stroller that converts to a bike trailer, a hiker,  AND a cross country skiing trailer too! Initially you buy the carrier and then all the conversion attachments separately. These can be found online or at REI. More on the pricy side, but well worth it if you actually use it often for these activities.
The ride was smooth sailing let me tell you! We used it on various trails, rocky areas and sandy areas and the suspension was great over all those bumps. Most jogging strollers can't be used until baby is 6 months old but the Chariot has a nifty little infant sling to keep baby safe from too much bouncing. The Chariot also can be fully enclosed with a weather-proof window, secured by velcro to keep baby dry should you wish to jog in the rain or snow. Check out the Chariot, we wish we did before we bought our Graco Travel system which is limited to sidewalks and mall walks :) In February we will receive our annual REI dividend so we are thinking we may use it to help purchase our Chariot. Until then, I will be stranded on the sidewalk just longing to be out on a cool trail beneath the trees instead of beneath the city smog :(
As for a lightweight umbrella stroller we chose the Chicco Liteway Stroller-Coventry model. This is the most functional, sturdy and easy to use stroller for a great price. It also has a cool removable backpack underneath for storing extra diapers, toys, ect. Then if you should park the stroller somewhere for a while you can take the backpack off so no hoodlums can steal your stuff! :)

Sleeping Peacefully

My husband and I were nervous as first-time parents our first night home with our newborn baby. We both knew about the mysterious and scary SIDS rates in infants along with their erratic breathing patterns and wanted to do anything we could to ease our fears and possibly prevent any scary situations with our baby. Most baby monitors only monitor the sounds that baby makes but it is the silence and non-movement that is the real problem. How will you know if your baby stops breathing if you are asleep? This is why we chose to purchase Graco's Angel Care Monitor from Babies R Us. Now we have had peace of mind and restful sleep at night.
In the first few months of our baby's life, we never had any false alarms. Recently we have had two very scary situations. The first time, we awoke in the middle of the night to the alarm sounding loudly. We ran to Aiden's room as fast as we could finding him gasping for air. We figured he had stopped breathing for a few seconds then started gasping for air to make up for it. Very scary and very grateful for our movement sensor monitor.
The second scare was last night. The alarm sounded and my husband had a head start on me as I stumbled out of bed, crashing to the floor in attempt to get to my baby's room. This time his breathing was normal but he had rolled all the way to the side of the crib where the motion pad could not sense his movement. Thank God he was ok. We stood over his crib, catching our breath and making sure our little angel was ok. He was resting peacefully and seemed to say, "Don't worry Mom and Dad, I'm being watched over by the angels. And my Angel Care Monitor." :)
Don't think about this one, just get it. There should be no questions about preventative measures when it comes to your babies life.
When you look at the link to this product, be sure to read the reviews.

http://www.toysrus.com/product/index.jsp?productId=2343185

A Beautiful Homebirth Slideshow

http://www.lifeinmotionphotography.com/slideshows/amerlyn/

Breathtakingly beautiful and soul-altering! Love at it's finest. My next birth will most likely take place in my home with a midwife. After my hospital experience, I feel it's the best way to go if you have a healthy pregnancy.

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Prego-Friendly Chicken Alfredo

When I was pregnant in my first trimester, I was in the very picky stage where not many things sounded very appetizing and had a hard time finding yummy foods to eat. Then one night, my friend *Kevin said he was going to cook for Tim and I. I told him not to worry about me because I had no appetite. He said not to worry, the dish was "prego-friendly." What a sweet guy! I tried, and I LOVED!!!!!!! I was in LOVE!!!!!! (with the pasta) :) I then wanted it all the time and it became my most favorite prego food ever! And I am still loving it now! Here is the recipe, Enjoy!!!!




One Pint Heavy Whipping Cream
Two Carrots
One Cup Broccoli
Half cup mushrooms
One large Jalapeno
One cube butter
One tablespoon flour
2 chicken breasts
Olive oil and garlic
One bag of rigatoni
Parmasean cheese

1. Cut chicken into small pieces and fry with olive oil and garlic, when done set aside in bowl
2. start water boiling for pasta
3. put heavy whipping cream in very large pan on low heat
4. Cut mushrooms/carrots into small slices.  Dice jalapenos, break broccoli into small pieces
5. put pasta into water--usually takes 12-13 minutes
6. in same pan you used for chicken, fry veggies on high heat (with olive oil and garlic)
7. melt cube of butter into bowl, add flour and mix very well
8.  when veggies are about done, put chicken in with them, cook them together.
9.  add flour/butter mix to heavy whipping cream and stir very very well
10.  add everything together in largest pan and simmer on HIGH HEAT.  Add parmasean cheese on top.  Simmer 4-5 minutes.
11. Drain pasta and go to town.


* Kevin lives with his cat Rose by the bay :) He has a sword in every room of the house, rocks the guitar hero, and will get extremely irritated with you if you do not tune his television to the HD channels. :)

Baby Wearing

Aiden loves his slingling! A friend recommended I get one and I wasn't sure if I'd use it very much but we sure do! www.slinglings.com These are great because there are a number of different positions for baby to be worn and can be used for children up to 35 lbs! They are great for soothing fussy babies, promoting parent-child bonding, discreet breastfeeding, and there are about 10 different sizes so that you get a comfortable fit! They also have a variety of fabrics to choose from and even some foo-foo designer styles for the fashionista mama! :)
The best thing about baby wearing is that it satisfies baby's need to be close to mama and allows you to get things done at the same time! There have been studies done which conclude that babies worn rather than always put in baby carriers and strollers tend to be more calm, secure and happy babies overall. They enter this state of alertness called,"quiet alertness," which means they feel confidant being close to mom or dad so they are able to take in and learn more from their surroundings. Makes sense.

Another good option is the classic Baby Bijorn. Going on a quick trip to the store? "Let's bijorn him," my husband says. This front carrier can be worn with baby facing you, (mainly for sleeping newborns) or when they are able to hold their head well, facing outward. It's very easy to put on and feels very secure as well.
And as of this month, (April 2010) I have discovered the Ergo Baby Carrier which if I would have known what an awesome carrier this is, I would have probably bypassed my two former picks and just gone straight to this one! One day while at a friend's house, I tried on her Ergo with Aiden in it and was amazed at how light he felt in this carrier. I had stopped using the Bijorn because he was now too big for it and when I put him in the hip carry in the Slingling, it wasn't as secure as I would have liked. Slingling was still useable, but not ideal for long amounts of time. The Ergo however, holds baby very securely on your front or on your back. I was amazed at how light my now 23 lb. baby felt! It is also very easy to use unlike some others that I've tried which require an instructional video before you even put it on! With the Ergo, I just took it out of the box and put it on with ease as soon as it arrived on my doorstep. :) Aiden was thrilled to be able to be worn again after a period of a few months where this was impossible having grown out of the other options. One more great aspect of this carrier is that it supports a natural sitting position for babies, eliminating compression of the spine and hips that can be caused by unsupported suspension. With many of the other carriers on the market, baby hangs from their crotch which can cause poor ergonomics later on. The Ergo also balances the weight to the parents' hips and shoulders and alleviates much of the potential physical stress for the parent. Go get one, it is soooooo worth it to be able to hold baby close to you while you still can!

Ergo at Apple Hill

Home-made baby food!

Last month when Aiden started solids, I began my baby food making journey. I found a good book called Cooking For Baby by Lisa Barnes and an awesome website called http://www.wholesomebabyfood.com. I started with pureed sweet potatoes, butternut squash and applesauce. I added breastmilk to all of the entree's for extra nutrients. My magic bullet came in handy once again for the smaller batches and my big blender for the larger batches of food. I also found these neat little containers called Baby Cubes on Amazon, (as well as the book) for freezing and storing all the food. Now all I need is a second freezer and we'll be all set! Aiden loved his home made food and we saved lots of money as well! Those little Gerber jars are waaaay to overpriced!

Mommy's All-Natural Birthing Secrets

Since a few of my friends have recently gotten pregnant and have been asking me for my resources, I have compiled a short list of my pregnancy must-haves for your enjoyment! I didn't need any fancy classes, a doula or an aroma-therapist. Just a few books, CD's and websites to fully equip myself for this journey on uncharted waters. :) I was fortunate to have my birth go just as I had envisioned, completely calm, (for the most part) and completely drug-free.  
The first book I found to be helpful is called, Easy Labor- Every Woman's Guide to Choosing Less Pain and More Joy During Childbirth - William Camann, M.D. and Kathryn J. Alexander, M.A. This is very informative in helping you learn about all your pain relieving options and deciding which will work best for you. *(I'm all for getting to labor outside if I want and eat and drink when I want. No doctor will be stopping me on that!) Discusses what to expect in labor and the key factors that affect your comfort such as hospitals vs. birthing centers. Alternative methods are also taught such as water births, birthing balls, hypnosis, massage, aromatherapy and the Bradley Husband Coached Childbirth.  
The Natural Pregnancy Book- Herbs, Nutrition and Other Holistic Choices -Aviva Jill Romm (Why are you suffering with morning sickness? Take Ginger!)  
What to Expect When You're Expecting-Just use it as a reference but don't read it cover to cover or it might scare you. But do read What to Expect the First Year cover to cover before baby comes. You'll be glad you did.  
Hypnobabies Network- www.hypnobabies.com-change your mind from "labor pain" to "labor sensations" :) Embrace, don't fear giving birth or it will hurt even more!  
DONA International- www.DONA.org- If you plan on having a Doula!  
http://www.earthmamaangelbaby.com-All natural lotions and potions. I also used their birth plan template to create my personalized birthing plan. Good stuff! 
http://www.naturalresources-sf.com/ - a great store in SF for all your natural birthing needs. They offer classes too and many good additional resources on their website.
http://www.empoweredchildbirth.com- be sure to read the birth stories on this site!!! Amazing! Completely changes your whole perspective on birthing from fearful to powerful and beautiful. I didn't realize that birthing isn't always a scary, pain filled experience. Just put on some Enya and find a tub :) Some of the hippie mama's stories are so far out like using your placenta to plant your pear tree but don't let that scare you away from this site! A lot of the stories bring back the missing element of honoring birthing as the spiritual event that it is.  
http://www.thebump.com-just fun, pretty mainstream, you get to see what type of fruit your fetus compares to each week of your pregnancy. 
WATCH- The Business of Being Born, (available through Netflix) Very eye-opening look into the American Hospital system and how it's business-oriented and drug-pushing ways take away from making birth a joyful, powerfully natural experience and reduces birthing to a surgical process and the woman as a victim. I also wanted to watch Orgasmic Birth, (sounds fun!) but never did. If you do, please tell me about it!  
Birthing From Within -by Pam England CMN, MA and Rob Horowitz PHD. This book also focuses on natural birth and alternative ways of pain management. Helps women find her own way to go with nature and her body. Also provides creative outlets for pregnancy projects and a history of birth. This was my main squeeze, my birthing BIBLE! A must -read!!! If you read no others, read this one.  
My hypno-birthing CD that I attribute a lot of my natural birthing success to is titled: Healthy Pregnancy and Successful Childbirth by Belleruth Naparstek. It uses guided imagery to inspire confidence, relaxation and a strong connection to your body during your pregnancy and labor. I was able to manage my pain without any drugs just by listening to her throughout most of my labor process.  
Yoga Journal and Lamaze Present DVD for pre-natal yoga  
Laugh and Learn About Childbirth DVD by Sheri Bayles BSN, RN is great for those who don't want a whole class but want the important information in the comfort of your home.
I drank Traditional Medicine's Pregnancy tea with raspberry leaf which strengthens your uterus. I danced around in my nightie to Mama Mia, Martha Scanlan, and Putamayo Presents Women of Jazz and American Folk. I snuggled with my husband and my friend's cat. I ate healthy foods and sweets everyday whenever I wanted and could care less how much weight I gained. I hiked alone in the redwood forest of the Oakland Hills weekly and wrote to my baby in my pregnancy journal. I took more pictures of my belli than I ever had in my whole life. I slept on a U-shaped, delux pregnancy pillow which was one of the best products ever made for pregos. I told my baby I loved him and couldn't wait to meet him :)

This post is part of the 2010 API Principles of Parenting blog carnival, a series of monthly parenting blog carnivals, hosted by API Speaks. Learn more about attachment parenting by visiting the API website.