Life

Wow Katie, great job keeping up with your blog. 😒

Well, I know that it is no busier than anyone else's life, but I feel like the last few months have been crazy! After going back to work, writing monthly for Pregnancy After Loss Support, being outside as the weather gets nicer, etc, I feel like I have no time to blog. Today, however, I got called off work due to low census, the girls both went to daycare/preschool, it is 9:48am and I am still in bed drinking coffee and watching Sex and the City. So I figured I can post something.

A few things that have happened since my last post:

• We got chickens! We have 2 brown ones and 2 black ones, and should start having eggs in August/September
• My Grandma passed away 😞 I will write a blog about her soon, as she was such an inspiration to me, Charlie loved her dearly, and I have realized I am I am even more like her than I ever thought
• I am working on a support group locally for miscarriage/infant loss. I have a meeting with our county Hospice group Wednesday
• I have been doing a whole handful of DIY projects around the house, and can't wait to post about them. I'm sure Jesse wants me to finish them so we don't have flower petals spread out on ever inch of counter space we have drying out
• I am planning Charlie's THIRD birthday party. 👸🏼🦄

Later this week I will post an actual blog about something, instead of this list of excuses. For now, I need a refill on my coffee and maybe a nap.

Cradle Cap. "Ew" (in my best Jimmy Fallon voice)

For a few weeks now, Rainbow Evan has had really dry skin on her forehead. I am talking her entire forehead, down to her eyebrows. I didn't think much of it, because it didn't go up into her hairline. Then the other day, I had her in the Moby wrap while I went for a walk with my mom and I smelled her head- after all it is right there, and what smells better than a baby's head? Well I'll tell you- ANYTHING! Oh my god, my baby's head smelled like a foot! Immediately I assumed I'm the scent had just been transferred to her head from Jesse the night before- he sits on the floor and props her head on his feet with her looking up at him. So I figured his feet left the scent. No big deal, it was bath night. Fast forward a few hours to me sitting in the Kroger parking lot nursing Evan in the front seat of my car before I finish my grocery shopping, and I noticed yellow crusty skin on her forehead and the top of her head, into her hairline. So I smelled it again. Good god, that's where the smell was coming from.  I started googling what I could do to get rid of it and prevent it. I figured there was some type of shampoo I could pick up, and I was getting ready to go into the store. The internet said to loosen the scales (perfect because I loooooove picking and popping anything on the skin), and then to put some olive oil on the site.

When I was in the store, I went to the baby aisle, expecting to find a bottle of "cradle cap treatment," but obviously that didn't happen. I did find some natural brand of baby oil, but that was $10 for a small bottle, and since you don't know me, I'll just tell you- I'm cheap. However, I am also pretty good at figuring things out on my own, and creating my own "potions," as Princess Charlie says. So I looked at the list of ingredients, and figured I could create my own skin nourishing oil at home to get rid of this damn cradle cap.

After I got home, I raided my bathroom closet and brought out two armfuls of stuff to create a baby oil to fight this gross smelly crust. I also grabbed my Essential Oil book and did a little research to find some complementary essential oils to use. I will need to write down the amounts of what I use, I am horrible about that- I just start creating and assume I will remember ratios the next time. Here is the list of what I used:

• Calendula Oil (I am beyond obsessed with this- I add it into any homemade product I make)
• Vitamin E Oil
• Rose hip Seed Oil
• Vegetable glycerine
• Jojoba Oil
• Olive oil
• Lavender essential oil
• Roman chamomile essential oil
• Frankencense essential oil
• Myrrh essential oil

During Evans bath, I used a soft brush to scrub the area lightly with her regular shampoo. Afterward I applied a small amount of my cradle cap potion to the area. For one thing- it smelled a whole hell of a lot better! I assumed, from what I had read, that it would take a few days and applications to get rid of the cradle cap.

 

The next morning the difference I noticed was incredible. Of course there were still a few spots I noticed the scales, but it didn't stink and it was nothing like it had been. Last night I cleansed just the cradle cap area (I generally do her bath 1-2 times a week, to prevent dry skin/eczema) and applied the Oil again. This morning it is almost all gone. I am going to continue this for a few more days to make sure I get rid of it, but I think I created an amazing potion! And the great thing is it can be used as a general body oil and it smells incredible too.

A Date With the Princess

Ever since she was born, our Princess Charlie has been a "mama's girl." If I am in the same building, I better be with her! I am the one who would put her to bed every night I wasn't working- I work 3 12hr shifts, and on those days Jesse does put her to bed and she is fine with it. However, if I am home, she will not let him put her to bed.

This made bringing Rainbow Evan home pretty stressful for me. I knew from when Charlie was a baby that babies are generally more fussy at night and tend to cluster feed at night. How would I do that plus put Charlie to bed?

*Side note- I tend to take the "Gentle Parenting" approach to motherhood, and cannot stand my babies crying when I know exactly what they want, and it is something as simple as me holding them.

For the first week, I fed Evan, then tried to hurry through bedtime, while hearing Evan crying for me dispite Jesse holding her. We finally talked Charlie into letting daddy do bedtime, and after a few nights she started requesting that daddy go "read bookies" with her (we read books every night at bedtime). She has adjusted great.

Another thing that has become a normal thing since having Evan is that Charlie will do things with only Jesse, leaving Evan and I home by ourselves. He will take her to run to the store, or take the car to the car wash. It hit me a few days ago that Charlie and I had not had alone time since Evan was born. I felt so guilty. She has been fine with it, and has adjusted to having a baby in the house so well. So I decided last night needs to be a "Mommy and Charlie" date.

I knew I wanted to take her to dinner once Jesse got home from work, but I couldn't decide exactly what to do. I finally decided on Bob Evans- she loves the "Piggy Pancakes" and the last time we were there we let her get chocolate milk, and you would have thought we let her go crazy in a toy store!

She was so excited to go somewhere with me- just us two. We sat in a booth next to each other, and she kept leaning on me and hugging me, saying "Just me and you, Mommy!" She had the biggest smile on her face as she said it to. It seriously about made me cry.

When I told her she could drink all of her chocolate milk, she would smile and say, "Thank you, Mommy," in her sweet little voice. Ugh. I wish I could have recorded the whole thing.

It is something so small, but so special. I am also an older sister, like Charlie. I don't ever remember feeling neglected or that my parents had favorites. But I feel so guilty all the time, and think that the girls will feel that we don't love them as much as the other one. This little event between just the two of us is something I can do with each of them periodically. Get time to catch up and relax, just two of us. I can't believe how special she felt. I am so glad I did this, and I know she is too:)

Weaning the Paci

Our Princess Charlie is going to be 3 in June, and she was just NOT giving up that paci. When she was younger, she only used it at bedtime/nap time and in the car. As she has gotten older though, she has become more attached and wants it in her mouth all day long. During my pregnancy with Rainbow Evan, we would prompt her that pacis are for babies, and that she shouldn't have one when baby sister comes since she will be a big girl (her words for herself are "Big Sister Princess"). She would tell us how she was going to be a good big sister and give her paci to baby sister. As you can assume, that didn't happen!


I don't think since the baby that the paci use has gotten worse, but it certainly didn't get better. Recently I saw someone post about a paci weaning system, but it was about $20. It did have great reviews, but I really didn't want to spend that much on pacis. Looking at the system, the pacis essentially had holes in the nipple part of the paci. When Jesse got home from work, he suggested we just cut her two that she had left.

I waited until the next morning, and at 8:30am I cut the tip of both pacis. I was so nervous. I had one laying on the counter (she thought she lost it two days prior), and I put the other one back by her Jake Dog (comfort item) on the couch as if nothing was any different. As Princess Charlie came into the kitchen to get her bowl of cereal, she saw the paci on the counter. "I found it!" She was all too excited, and in my head I thought, "What have you done, you monster!?" As she was reaching for it, she noticed something was wrong, and she told me it was broke. I said, "Oh no, what should we do?" She quickly told me she needed to throw it away, grabbed it, and threw it in the trash can.

After breakfast, we were hanging out in the living room. I was nursing Rainbow Evan, and Princess Charlie climbed on the couch and grabbed Jake Dog and her remaining paci. I was watching her from the corner of my eye, and noticed she kept taking her paci out of her mouth to look at it as if something was wrong. I was expecting her to come unglued, but she would just pop it right back in her mouth. My mind was going crazy, and I just thought, "Oh great. Now we are down to one paci and she will have it the rest of her life."

After about 5 minutes, she said, "Mommy, this paci is broke too, I better throw it away too." At this point my heart was pounding, because I can just picture the tantrums that were going to follow later on that day, and even worse. . . at bedtime. Now, slightly regretting my actions, I said, "Oh, are you sure?" As she was on her way to the kitchen, she just yelled back to me, "Oh yeah! It's broke. I'll throw it away."

Done. We are officially done with the paci! She just kept telling me (and still has been telling people) "I threw my paci away. I'm a big girl now." It is almost like since it was "her" decision to throw them away, it is ok. She is very independent and strong willed. . . I need to remember this tactic to apply to other situations later!

As for the paci weaning system, I believe it would work, as the same basic idea is used. However, if you do not want to spend the extra money, I am living proof that you can just DIY this one, and cut the tip off of the paci. It's worth a try!

Mother of Two

On my previous blog, I wrote about being pregnant again after three losses. If you followed, or creeped on it, you would have read that we welcomed our Rainbow Evan earthside in January. She is perfect, as perfect as a baby can be- minus the poop, and spit up, and fussiness- just perfect :)

It took a while to get into a groove of being a "new mom" again. It was actually harder than I thought it would be. Already having a 2 1/2 year old at home, our Princess Charlie, made things a lot different than the first time. I feel like I am learning to parent all over again!

Although I ended my first blog, I have been wanting to continue writing. I have switched gears, and am now going to write about my experience as a mother. The parenting tactics that are working for us. The ones that are not. Different things our family is up to. Not that our lives are incredibly entertaining, actually my husband jokes that we are the lamest and most boring couple ever (we are both 28 and watch Jeopardy and Wheel of Fortune every night, and go to bed by 8:30pm). I am more doing this for myself, as an outlet. People journal and keep diaries all the time. I am a pretty open person, and if you really want to know something about me, I will most likely just tell you what you want to know without much digging. So instead of keeping a journal (because my husband would kill me if he found out I bought ANOTHER journal), I have decided to blog my thoughts and ideas.

This current entry is now coming to an end, as Rainbow is waking up from her short 15 minute nap, but at least I made the blog and wrote a first entry. The little things in life are what we need to appreciate, and that is definitely something I am working on.