Over the Past 7 days I have...

Welcomed a dear friend's beautiful new baby girl into the world
Snuggled and kissed the chubby cheeks my little Aiden for an hour in bed one morning
Discovered a new trail near our house with a babbling brook and an awesome view of Mt.Diablo

Listened to some live Jazz at the farmer's market and danced in the street with my baby in his sling
Created my own version of minestrone soup with fresh basil from my garden on a cold, windy day
Met a potential new friend at the park
Laughed at Aiden's little bent- leg dancing moves

Felt a horrible ache in my heart as I considered having to wean Aiden this week due to his sleep-biting habit
Watched his curious, puzzled eyes follow a bug on the carpet for 3 very entertaining minutes
Painted a canvas bag with Aiden complete with his handprints and footprints

Discovered a "petting farm" 2 minutes down the road from out house and took my baby to meet the animals. The baby chicks were his favorite.
Listened to his little "chipmunk laugh" in the car all the way home from the store wishing I could bottle it up and listen to it forever
Sang many songs and watched him try to master the hand motions to "Itsy Bitsy Spider"
Ate piles and piles of fresh, vibrant strawberries with my baby and let him smear the juice in his hair
Felt my heart skip a beat when he said two new words this week, "Nite nite" and "Nanna"
Bought Aiden his first Baby Bible for under $5!!!
Rejoiced, as we conquered the battle of the breast-biting and stumbled into a deeper connection and the perfect solution so that we may continue to nurse in bliss
Made my baby his favorite oat and banana cereal bars and watched him clap his hands in excitement before receiving one
Considered shaving my head
Introduced him to his new froggie potty. They're not friends just yet :)
Gave Aiden his first waverunner ride

Taught him how to strum a guitar and watched his joy as he did it
Peeked through the crib into his bed to hear his little content sigh
Felt the grass between my toes
Giggled as Aiden discovered that his playmate has a bellybutton too
Swung on the park swings with my baby on my lap soaking up every giggle
Splashed in the tub as he drove his boat all around
Spent waaaaay too much money on local fruit and awesome natural foods
Found the perfect dress at the perfect price
Watched him drum the drum to his dancing songs
Washed blue paint from between his toes
Started writing my birth story-finally!
Scored a new stroller in a better color

Loved the misty eyes my husband got while watching a father/son shaving scene in a movie
Chased around the house while clutching the laptop from my husband as he was saying, "You better not post THAT!" :)
Realized again how very blessed our little family is

How To Create a Fondant Work of Art

First gather these supplies...

• non-stick rolling pin, non-stick baking sheet thingie with measuring circles, mixing bowl, measuring cup, 1 stick of butter, 1 bag mini marshmallows, vanilla extract, 1 bag of confectioners sugar

Go here to learn the top secret fondant recipe- all recipes

• After you've made your fondant and it's been refrigerated overnight...

Now if you are a crazy person like myself you'll feel that spending 45 minutes making the fondant wasn't enough so you'll crank out 30 cupcakes just to even things out...

• Rub your hands with butter and roll it out on a flat surface 
• Now, get your special Duff Color Gel out and knead just a small bit into the fondant. You cannot use regular food coloring, it will not stick as well or give your fondant a rich enough pigment. Get the Duff gel. :) 

Now that your fondant is colored, you can begin the fun shape making! It's just like working with play-dough except it tastes yummy so watch out, you'll be eating some along the way! 

And here's a look at the finished product! A "mod-monkey" 3-tired fondant cake! And some cupcakes because I just couldn't help myself!

Oh and here's one more close-up of the cake...OOPS! WRONG PIC! This is what I USED to do before becoming a mommy spending countless HOURS in my kitchen like an Amish wife...partying it up! :)

Ok here's another cake pic...

It really wasn't all that bad making the cake. I mean, between preparing and baking the actual cakes, making the fondant, trying to keep my 1 year old from jumping off the couch with buttery fingers, dying the fondant, cutting the shapes, and assembling the cake while talking on the phone...I'd say it took all of the patience I had stored up for the entire year of 2010. I'll probably NEVER do it again next year! :)

Behind the Blog

This newest section of the blog will just be some funny mommy to mommy notes that I have received on anything related to the blog postings that we discuss, posted here just for your entertainment. :) (I will ask your permission and change your name before posting.) 

I thought this one was hilarious! 

Laura,

So, I'm not going to lie, I think cloth diapers are ‘flippin gross, do not waste one second of your time trying to change my mind, but to each her own.

Laura meet Jill, Jill meet Laura. Jill wants to start using cloth diapers. Laura is an expert on these gross little textile poo receptacles. Jill is looking for a good type to try. Laura, please fill her in. Jill, Laura is a natural mother guru. Jill go follow her blog. Laura, Jill is a total green thumb and growing her own garden, she can give you tips on yours.

To make myself feel better about my kids eating pesticide laced veggies and guzzling soy formula by the ounce from latex bottles, keep in mind that while you guys are busy being super star holistic moms, I am relentlessly pursuing my quest to be the biggest skinny bitch in the world. I just squeezed my ass into a size 26…and hopefully made you girls laugh.

Also – this month’s book is ‘The Heart of the Matter’ by Emily Giffin. Go Get It.

xoxo

Roxy

Chomp, CHOMP!!!

Yesterday during our nap time feeding, Aiden was almost asleep when his little jaw clamped down on my nipple-harder than ever before. OOOOWWWWWWWW!!!!!!!!!! I controlled my urge to SCREAM LIKE CRAZY and took some deep breaths to calm myself down. This has happened a number of times and is just an accepted part of breastfeeding a toddler with 8 teeth. Usually I just use my finger to pry open his little shark bite and de-tach him but this time his teeth dragged on my nip on his way off. Then I saw blood spots on my arm as I moved him to my other breast. Where did this come from I thought? I looked all over Aiden frantically to see where he was bleeding from. Then I looked down and saw the big, red spot of blood on my bra and screamed silently in my mind. OMG there was a LOT of blood. YIKES! But now he was almost asleep, nursing happily on my other breast so I let him finish and put him down to sleep before I went to inspect my hurt breast.
When I checked it out, there were bite marks on my areola and my nip was still bleeding slightly. This was different from the bleeding from sore, cracked nipples during the first few weeks of breastfeeding. That was just from my breasts getting used to being used to feed on with a tiny, toothless marathon sucking champ. That was painful of course, but this, THIS was EXCRUCIATING! Immediately I thought, "OK I'M DONE!!!!! NO MORE!!!!!!!" Even though it clearly wasn't intentional because it happened while he was sleeping, I thought how am I going to make sure this doesn't happen again?
FAst forward 6 hours to bedtime and there I am, happily nursing him to sleep on my wounded booby praying his mouth doesn't decide to chomp me again. And he didn't. And I decided to press on and not give up so soon. Besides, I endured 2 MONTHS, yes 2 months of severe nipple pain in the beginning of our breastfeeding journey just to get this far. Oh and plugged ducts, a false diagnosis of thrush for which we paid $50 in meds for, and did I mention the BLEEDING, cracked sore nipples? After those initial two months I felt like I had climbed to the tippy top of one of the biggest mommy-mountains of baby's first year. Why give up now? I have grown to have a deep respect for breastfeeding because I now know the potential PAIN involved to get to the sweet, enjoyable part.
But then, this morning he chomped on me again as he was drifting off to sleep. And there was blood, this time MORE.
And now I am back to square one, contemplating whether or not I will continue our nursing. I am very sad at the thought of ending this sooner than I thought. I was planning on at least 2 years. I am not ready to give this up and I KNOW he's not either, in fact we've got some rough nights ahead of us at the Bishop house if we do stop right now... But I would like to keep my nipples in tact, I kinda need them for the next baby. But I'm sooooooo not ready...What to do? Anyone have any advice out there? Preferably those who have breastfed their child for at least a year, and like myself have an understanding of the high value and importance I feel with this time of nursing?

The Hippie Kick

Ok so it is no secret that I'm on some hippie kick. It all started waaaay back in 2004, when my hippie roommate recycled EVERYTHING! And I mean everything, as in even the toothpaste box. Well, it turned out to be a big influence on me and I went from once throwing away the tiny cardboard or paper items like the toothpaste box to realizing that every bit helps and the guilt set in. I began recycling everything too. Like even the tampon wrappers to the smallest contact lens packaging. Watch out, I was a recycling Queen! If I visited someone's house I would say, "Oh I'll just go put this in your recycling bin..." and if they said they didn't have one or didn't recycle, I ended all contact with them right then and there. Just kidding. I then gave them a very guilt-inducing, "Ooohhhhhh...." but what I was really saying was: "Grab a HINT, you are murdering the EARTH!!!" :) Hippie conversion #1-check!

The next step  into my hippie existence was the year of 2006-07 when I was living in Wyoming. WOW what a bunch of Earth-loving, hippies! These were the true hippies too, the no make-up and beanies, eating spinach salad with flax-seed for lunch, brew your own beer, gut an antelope in your front yard, cross-country SKI TO WORK through the downtown main street, Wal-Mart loathing, making pie crust from scratch, camping and hiking every weekend instead of spending money at the mall and Costco (well there was no mall/Costco in this town), disc- golf fanatical, Nalgene-toting, harmonica playing...well I'm sure by now you get the idea. :) I LOVED the lifestyle! What a refreshing change after well, California-need I say more? So I taught pre-K while living there and one of my co-workers had two recycling bins set up in the classroom that the kids had decorated. One for paper and one for plastic. At the end of each week when it was time to take the recycling out,  it became very clear who's Kirkland plastic water bottles were filling up the bin....ahhh-ehhhhmmmm....My co-worker however had a handy Nalgene bottle from which she drank water everyday and it seemed much easier to get one of those then spend money every two weeks at Costco like a goofball buying all these polluting, energy-consuming plastic water bottles. Hippie conversion #2 completed. :) I had the cutest, pink Camelbak you've ever seen and have never looked back :)

2008 came along and now it was time to get pregnant. Then I began reading all the alternative birthing literature like, Birthing From Within and watching the movie The Business of Being Born and after that decided right then and there I would be birthing drug-free as it is the safest route for your baby. Once I had decided that I was going au natural, I thought that I should be incorporating this ideal into my diet, (eating as organically as possible). I began drinking my hippie prego tea which I proudly displayed on the kitchen counter as if to say, "There IS a pregnant princess in the house!" Then I thought about all the other chemicals we ingest on a daily basis through our skin and I promptly switched my skin care regimen as I read all the natural pregnancy books which stated that the chemicals in some products can be harmful to the fetus. I love the Belli Skin Care line which had something to suit all my needs. I also began listening to my hypno-birthing CD so that I could maintain a calm and confident mindset throughout the pregnancy and birthing process. (And boy did that work!) See, the hippies are on to something. They eat better, take care of the Earth better and are calmer happier people all around. Hippie conversion #3-check, check!

Now that my little angel had arrived, I wanted to continue to do what I thought was best for him. Cloth diapering, baby-wearing, making my own baby-food, the canvas grocery bag is a given ect. Having Aiden around has definitely inspired a new set of hippie conversions which I swear started with the whole cloth-diapering kick. It's like once you do this, than why not do that? Like switching my household cleaners to biodegradable, earth-friendly options like Method and Seventh Generation- (Which I might add I've even switched to Seventh Generation maxi pads so that I don't have to wonder about all the harmful chemicals my whoo-ha is ingesting when that time of the month rolls around) 

Last week I started a compost pile. My husband is all for it except the concern of the smell and bugs but there are neither so far. I'll let you know how that goes. My goal now is to only have one bag of trash a week for the garbage man to pick up. With recycling, composting, and cloth diapers I'd say this is a reasonable goal. (The recycling trash bin is always overflowing!) Last conversion, (for now) are paper towels. Oh how I HATE buying them! What an expensive waste of money! They can't be recycled and they are chemically treated, bleached, and could cost well up to $400 a year! My new plan is to buy these paperless paper towels. Scroll down and read the Top 10 Reasons to Use Reusable Paper Towels article-good one! They are machine washable and dishwasher safe. They have high absorbency and hold up much better when used for scrubbing than regular paper towels. Check 'em out! Hopefully I will never be buying paper towels again! 

That's all for now on the hippie kick! I'll leave you with a picture of an adorable, 4 month old hippie baby and this earthy quote: We do not inherit the earth from our ancestors, we borrow it from our children. ~ Native American Proverb

"I Want to Cloth Diaper But..."

Awesome blog post about cloth diapering hang-ups :)

Hello, My Name is Laura and I Am a Clothoholic

Hello, my name is Laura. I am a clothoholic. I am in LOVE with cloth diapers. So much that I make sure to match the diaper color to Aiden's outfit for that day. But never match the dominant color, you match the lesser dominant color with the diaper if you really want to be hip, you know to offset it. Like painting an accent wall in your house. Well,  I accent his outfit with the appropriate color because that is exactly how big of an addict I am. And my baby will have the cutest bum around that's for sure!
I also faithfully suscribe to the Cloth Diaper Whisperer blog which is a wonderful tutorial for entering the world of cloth. They have fantastic giveaways every Friday where you can enter to win free diapers and stuff. They also have a contest every month where you send in a creative photo of your baby in their cloth, or "fluff" as it's called for more chances to win free diapers. Then they make these adorable videos of all the contestants with these tear-jerking mother-love baby songs in that backround and... omg then I just loose it when I see all the cute babies saving the Earth one cute, fluffy bottom at a time. (I know, this is getting really freaky but bear with me it's late and well I'm a woman.)
About once a week I visit my favorite cloth diaper store, Kelly's Closet just to see if there's any new cloth diaper or accessory that I don't already have or maybe a new diaper is out that I don't even know about. This week the "need" is a swim diaper. (Aiden's swim class starts in June!) Oh and a travel wetbag so I can finally start using cloth when we're out and about during the day. (I usually cheat when away from home doing errands and use disposables) But no more, no I'm going all the way now baby! I'm taking the plunge into true-hippie-mama-hood. Never again will I purchase another bag of toxic, chemical-laden plastic nasties disposable diapers which by the way are seriously polluting our Earth. I will be using cloth even when we go on a quick trip to Target and his diaper unexpectedly needs a 'changin! I'll just pull out my handy-dandy wet bag and dispose of the soiled diaper there and put a fresh, new cloth diaper on him. Wa-la! (A wet-bag is a waterproof, anti-bacterial, odor-proof bag which fully seals shut for storing soiled cloth diapers in until you get home) They are also great for storing wet swimsuits in and other nasty, soiled baby-messed clothing. :)
Traveling with cloth is not all that bad. As long as your host has a washer and dryer, (and you ask in advance if they are ok with you washing your diapers in their machine making sure to explain that the poopy ones get throughly washed out before going into the washing machine.) Unless it's your cloth diaper-phobic friend from college who freaks out at the thought of something once poopy going into her washer. Even though her baby poops on her clothes all the time because disposables LEAK! In this case just bring a few Kushies Flushable Liners along to use in your diapers when you anticipate a poop from your little one. These are great to use when on the go and you just flush them away in the toilet just like toilet paper. It's very do-able and very nice to know how much money you are saving by using re-usable cloth diapers, even when traveling. And now since I've saved so much money using cloth, maybe I'll join you at the mall my friend and buy myself a new dress :)

My Birth Plan

If you thrive on having a plan like I do then consider creating a birthing plan a few months before the big event. This will let your doctor and nurses know what your preferences are so that you avoid screaming at them during labor.  :)
I went to Earth Mama Angel Baby, clicked on the "free birth plan" tab at the top and simply filled in the blanks. It was that easy :)
Here is mine. I just retrieved it from my email archives from when I had sent it to my husband. The email read : Please print 10 copies for my birthing staff. (At the time we didn't have a printer at home) Please read carefully. Thanks. The Woman Who's Having Your Child :)




To my Health Care Providers: Thank you for taking the time to work with us and our birth plan. These are our preferences; however we are open and flexible to any medical intervention that may become nessesary in the case of a medical emergency.

My Name:
      Laura Bishop My Due Date: April 12, 2009
My Address: Brentwood, CA  My Doctor: Dr. Walker, Dr. Kasper, Dr. Senior
My Partner: Tim Bishop
      As long as the baby and I are heathy, I would like to go at least 10 to 14 days over my due date before inducing labor.
      I would like to discuss laboring at home as long as possible.
      I trust that my practitioner will seek out my opinion concerning all of the issues directly affecting my birth before deviating from my plan.
      If I go past my due date and the baby and I are fine, I prefer to go into labor naturally rather than be induced.
      During a vaginal exam, I prefer at no time to have my membranes broken unless there is an emergency situation.
      I prefer to have minimal internal exams.
      If I am less than five centimeters dilated, I would like the option of going home.
      If induction becomes necessary, I would like to try natural induction techniques first(with the guidance of my practitioner).
These are the natural induction techniques I would like to try:
      Breast stimulation
      Walking
      Herbs
      Castor oil
      Sexual intercourse
If Medical induction becomes necessary, I prefer to try:
      Rupturing membranes
If my water breaks before I go into labor, I would like to:
      wait 6 hours before being induced.
      Upon arrival at the hospital, I prefer to have my partner with me at all times.
      Please, no residents or students attending my birth.
I request the following people to be present during my labor and/or 2nd stage labor:
      My Partner: Tim Bishop
      My Relatives: Norma Larsen, Neva Bishop
      My Friends: possibly my doula
      My Siblings: Melissa Smith
      I prefer to give birth in a birthing room.
      I prefer to give birth in room with a shower and/or bath.
If birth equipment is available, I would like to use:
      A birthing bed.
      A birthing ball.
      A birthing tub/pool/shower.
      A birthing stool.
Miscellaneous environmental requests:
      I would like to have dimmed lights.
      I would like for people entering the room to speak softly.
      I would like to play music.
      I would like to wear my own clothes during labor and delivery.
      I would like to be reminded to remove my clothing during the actual delivery.
      I would like to wear headsets during my labor and delivery.
      I would like to have my birth photographed.
      I would like to have my birth filmed/videotaped.
      I would like to wear my glasses or contact lenses unless removal becomes medically necessary.
      I would like to have no restrictions on food or fluids during my labor.
      I prefer to have no IV.
      Please do not offer me pain medications. Instead, offer me the encouragement I need to get through this labor drug-free. Bring in a cheer squad if you have to. (ok that last part I just now added) :)
I am prepared to try to handle pain with these natural and alternative methods:
      Breathing techniques.
      Distraction techniques.
      Hypnotherapy.
      Massage.
      Deep (or guided) relaxation.
      Water/bath/shower.
Other considerations :
      Ultimately, I want to be able to walk around and move as I wish while in labor.
      Ultimately, I would like to feel unrestricted in accessing any sounds of chanting, grunting, or moaning during labor.
      Please keep my door always closed during labor.
      If pushing for more than several hours, I am open to medical intervention in 2nd stage labor.
I would like to be encouraged to try the following different positions for labor:
      Squatting.
      Classic semi-recline.
      Hands and knees.
      Standing upright.
      Side Lying.
      Whatever feels right at the time
      I will ask for an enema if I feel that I need one.
      I prefer not to have an episiotomy.
To help prevent tearing, please apply:
Other labor considerations:
      No stirrups please unless I'm having a medical emergency.
      If intervention is needed for an assisted vaginal birth, I prefer vaccume suction
      I would like to view the birth using a mirror.
      I would like my partner to catch my baby, (if he is ready and willing at the time)
      I would like for our baby to hear our voices first.
      I prefer to have the lights dimmed for delivery or, if it is daylight, to access only natural light.
After Baby is Born:
      As long as my baby is healthy, I would like my baby placed immediately on my abdomen following the birth.
      Please put my baby skin-to-skin on my abdomen with a warm blanket over it.
      Please delay all essential routine procedures on my baby until after the bonding and breastfeeding period (i.e., bathing).
      If a C-Section is not an emergency, please give us time alone to think about it before asking for our written consent.
      My partner(s) is(are) to be present at all times during the c-section.
      Ideally, I would like to remain conscious during the procedure.
      I would like the baby to be shown to me immediately after it's born.
      I would like to have contact with the baby as soon as it is possible in the delivery room.
      We would like to photograph or film the operation as the baby comes out.
      If possible, please discuss anesthesia options with me (including morphine options).
      I prefer a low transverse incision on my abdomen and uterus.
Recovery:
      If my baby is healthy, I would like to hold my baby and nurse it immediately in recovery.
      I would like to sign any waivers necessary to permit me to be with my baby in recovery.
      As long as my baby is healthy, I would like my partner to be the babys constant source of attention until I am free to bond with it (i.e., holding, skin-to-skin contact, etc.).
      Please discuss with me what I can expect to feel immediately following the procedure.
      Please discuss my post-operative pain medication options with me before or immediately following the procedure.
      Please allow my partner to cut the umbilical cord.
Placenta:
      I would prefer for the placenta to be born spontaneously without the use of pitocin, and/or manual extraction.
      If the baby has any problems, I would like my partner to be present with the baby at all times, if possible.
      I would like to have routine newborn procedures delayed until bonding and breastfeeding have occurred.
      I would like all newborn routine procedures to be performed in my presence.
Administration of Eyedrops:
      I would like my baby to be administered eyedrops immediately after birth.
Vitamin K:
      I would like my baby to receive a routine injection of vitamin K immediately after birth.
Immunizations:
      I prefer any immunizations be postponed to a later time.
Bathing Baby:
      Please bathe my baby after we have had time to bond with it.
Circumcision:
      I would like him circumcised.
Other circumcision options:
      Please use a local anesthetic.
PKU:
      Routine PKU Testing right away.
Feedings:
      My baby is to be exclusively breastfed.
      I would like to see a lactation consultant as soon as possible for further recommendations and guidance.
Do not offer my baby the following without my consent:
      Formula.
      Pacifiers.
      Any artificial nipples.
      Sugar water.
If my baby's health is in jeopardy, I would like:
      To be transported with my baby if possible.
      My partner to go with the baby.
      To breastfeed or express my milk for my baby.
      To have no time restrictions with my baby.
      To have as much bodily contact with my baby as possible.
      To be offered a room at the hospital for the duration of my baby's stay (within reason).
I would like my in-hospital routine to be:
      Delayed rooming in until I have had time to rest.
Other hospital preferences:
      I prefer a private room.
      I prefer to have my partner stay with me for the duration of my hospital stay.
      I want privacy during my stay and for my guests to limit the time they are visiting me.

10 Things Mommy's REALLY Want for Mother's Day

1) A massage from YOU hubby. And no not a 5 minute, one-handed massage ending with you falling asleep.
2) A cute sterling silver necklace with MOM on it, maybe with baby's birthstone, maybe not.
3) Two blissful, uninterrupted hours to read my book while sunbathing in our backyard. An icy, fruity drink with the little paper umbrella earns major bonus points.
4) A day without poop. Dirty diaper? YOUR turn hubby!
5) A through cleaning of my plantation shutters, (which I have been meaning to clean since the day we moved in over a year ago) by someone who is NOT ME!
6) The classic, heart-melting homemade card by Aiden himself :) (More bonus points for a special message written by him too)
7) A hike by the ocean with my favorite lunch, again NOT packed by me :)
8) Time to go see the new Babies movie with the girls :)
9) Let me sleep in an extra hour while you take kid duty
10) A big, slobbery kiss from my beautiful baby

What are some things YOU want for Mother's DAy?

The Birthday Sign

1) Go to Michael's, get cardstock or scrapbook paper in your colors of choice

2) Buy a scrapbooking circle cutter- the nice old lady with the reading glasses will show you :)

3) Have your incredibly HOT husband show you how to use Power Point on your laptop to choose which custom letter stylings you want

4) Print letters, kiss husband

5) Cut Circles- a two person job. Make sure to cut the letter circles slightly smaller

6) Glue letter circles on to scrapbook paper circles

7) Hole punch and string with ribbon! 

8) Waaaaa Laaaaaa! You are a crafty mama! 

Cloth Diaper Instructional Videos

Here's a GREAT resource for learning about the different cloth diaper options!