A Girl!

I'm still wrapping my brain around the fact that I have a little girl.  I now have official permission to shop in the little girl's section and dream about doing girly stuff together.  I can't wait to introduce her to all of my favorite childhood books.
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By the way, Sophia is 2 weeks old today.  The two week mark is so nice.  We have breastfeeding down pat, and I'm feeling human.  What more can a mama ask for?

Earth Mama Angel Baby Review and Giveaway!

Giveaway Ended!

The kind folks at Earth Mama Angel Baby were awesome enough to send over a few products for me to try.  I ought to be ashamed of myself for taking so long to review them!!  Maybe they should consider selling something to improve one's time management skills while pregnant and tired! ;)

So, on to the review...I am newly in love with this company.  There are very few things that I would count as pregnancy must haves, but their teas definitely rank that high in my book.  If only I had known about these when I was pregnant with Levi.

My package-o-goodies got here towards the later end of morning sickness, and I can promise you that next time I will be ordering the morning wellness tea the very day that plus sign appears.

I can't say enough good about this stuff.  While I was pregnant with Levi I tried some all natural remedies.  Ha!  They either didn't do a thing or made me gag...not good while pregnant!  So, going into this I was a tad skeptical.  But, y'all this tea works.  On my worst days, it alleviated the nausea making it much more tolerable, and on better days, it actually got rid of it entirely.

This pregnancy is very different from my last.  Heartburn didn't set in while I was pregnant with Levi until the final stretch, so I was pretty stunned when I started getting heartburn in my first trimester with this little one.  Luckily, Earth Mama Angel Baby's Heartburn Tea came to my rescue.

Until now, pregnancy induced heartburn seemed rather incurable, but with a cup of this tea my heartburn was generally gone within a few minutes.  So relieving.  Thankfully, heartburn made its exit with morning sickness, but I fully anticipate its return in those final weeks (maybe even months).  I will soon be restocking my heartburn tea supply!

Not only do these teas actually work, but they are also organic, toxin-free, and safe for mama and baby.  If you're like me, putting any "extras" into your body probably gives you the heebee jeebees, so you can rest easier knowing that these products don't come with all of the "extras" that are in many other maternity and post maternity products.

Earth Mama Angel Baby also sent me a set of their Booby Tubes for easing the initial pain of breastfeeding.

Of course, I tried them out just for y'all.  :)  These are intended to be used warm or cold, depending on your needs, to help reduce the swelling and pain of engorgement.  Their shape is perfect for engorged breasts.  The design is great because the product doesn't make contact with the nipple, which is very important in those first oh so sensitive days/weeks.

The Booby Tubes are constructed of organic cotton and filled with all natural flax seed.  If you've never used heating/cooling pads filled with flax seed instead of the typical gel, you should be forewarned that there is one major difference.  Although, the heat/cold is evenly distributed with either option, the flax seed pads will not hold heat/cold for the length of time that gel filled alternatives will.  However, for those of you seeking to live greener and healthier lives, flax seed filled pads like the booby tubes are great options.  I would highly suggest having more than one set on hand, though, so you won't have to wait while your tubes chill in the freezer.

Earth Mama Angel Baby makes more than just products for expectant and new mamas.  They have an entire line of products for babies.  And, for those of you who aren't currently in the family way, you could always try out their monthly comfort tea.  If you do, I'd like to know what you think.

Now for the really fun part.  Earth Mama Angel Baby would like to give one lucky reader a $25 electronic gift certificate!! Entering is simple...

Main Entry: Visit Earth Mama Angel Baby and leave a comment on this post, telling me the product you are most interested in trying.  If your email is not visible in your blogger profile then, please, leave it in your comment!!!

Extra Entries:  You can tweet (once daily) or blog (once total) about the giveaway.  Be sure to link back to this post.  Leave separate comments with urls for each of those entries.

Contest is open to U.S. and Canada.

Contest will end Tuesday, May 25, 2010 at 9:30 p.m. Central Time.

P.S.

I failed to mention that despite all the craziness and the rather lengthy separation, Levi and I were blessed to establish a strong breastfeeding relationship. Having since heard disaster stories about breastfeeding after a c-section (especially an emergency c-section), I am truly grateful to be able to say that Levi still breastfeeds to this day. We had a very rocky first 3 months...Okay, so maybe "we" is a bit misleading. Recovering from the c-section and battling 3 months of breast infections didn't bother him one bit. Me? I was on cloud 9 over being a mom, but at the same time I thought the pain would NEVER end. I truly couldn't have gotten through it all without my family. They were so supportive and went above and beyond the call of duty.

Levi Sweetness

I've been meaning to post this video for a little while. It's a bit of a slow week around here, so now seems like a good time. If you're breastfeeding-phobic then you might not want to click the play button. Although if I hadn't told you he was breastfeeding you might not have noticed.
Ever since cutting my hair Levi has been obsessed with it. In the middle of the night he'll reach over and hold on to it, he laughs a deep belly laugh if I fling it in his face, and he plays with my hair while he nurses which I think is the cutest thing ever. My haircut certainly meets his approval.

Make photo slide shows at www.OneTrueMedia.com

Wedding Bells

Saturday I got the great pleasure of seeing my best friend, Kathryn, marry her soul mate, Rupa. The wedding was in the middle of nowhere, but I'd have driven anywhere to be a part of it. It was a beautiful day!
Here we are getting ready for the big event:
Did I mention it was outdoors in the middle of January? Luckily we're having a bit of a warm snap, or I think I'd have turned into ice.
You can't see me, but I'm behind the column to the left. This is the part where her daddy gives her away. That gets me every time. I had to hold back tears.
Of course, Levi came with me. Luckily the bridesmaid dress was nursing friendly.
They announced their engagement in November. They'd been dating for forever, so they didn't feel the need to wait too long. But, that meant I didn't have long to make their wedding present. Yikes!! I've been working on it every spare chance I got, and I finished it the night before they got hitched. Yay!!

I Tried, And I Tried...

And I tried some more to download a video of the little munchkin. I waited and waited. I even left it to do its thing all night. This morning I wake up to a "Sorry, blah, blah, blah..." message. Is there a better method of downloading videos? I'm telling you, I'm technologically unsavy. I used the Blogger video downloading thing-a-ma-jig. Should I try something different? Is it me or maybe my computer? Arghh!!

On a happier note, I got some cute pics of Levi playing yesterday. If only he had been that happy all day long. He was a mite fussy yesterday--possibly a combination of not having done his proper pottying for the day or a couple of days is more like it (i.e. poo) mixed in with learning some new and improved mommy friendly nursing habits. What I can't hurt mommy? What will I do with my day? I jest, but it was news to him that bouncing and nursing really don't mix well. It's just not the Olympic sport that he makes it out to be. When people refer to "bouncing baby boys," they are so not lying.

And then we have this morning. Levi has this one stubborn patch of hair that just decides to flip up every so often. I must say, I love it. His hair has always been so perfectly clean cut, little boy, so when it shows it's wild side I rather enjoy it.Mischief abounds.Oops! Caught red handed!Seriously, though, if anyone has any tips on downloading videos, I'd be ever so grateful if you shared!

The Nap Aches

Phew! He's finally asleep. Levi's naps used to be so predictable, but now getting him to sleep can be such a challenge. He's so into crawling and playing that he doesn't want anything to do with napping. This morning was the worst by far. I nursed him to sleep once, but that "nap" only lasted about two minutes. Later, he got super fussy, so I tried nursing him to sleep again. He bit me. Ouch! That first tooth may not be all the way up, but it sure is sharp and painful. At that point, I told him "no" and put him on the floor while I recovered for a moment. Then he threw a fit, so I rocked him for a little while. Another brief 2 minute "nap". Arghh! This wouldn't be so bad except that he's not very friendly when sleep deprived. Finally a few hours after his first nap should have happened, I decided to live dangerously and try nursing him to sleep again. It worked. The little munchkin fell asleep. Yay!!! Now I'm wishing I could take a nap. Any suggestions on how to get the babe to nap a little easier? And, how do you deal with biting and nursing? I'd love to know what worked for you seasoned breastfeeding veterans.

Solving Reflux

When Levi was a little over 4 months old I got the scare of my life. It was late in the evening. I remember almost going home earlier but deciding to stay at my parents' instead. It must have been God telling me to stay because I sure didn't have any other reason. I'm so glad I listened.
Levi had been a tad fussy, but nothing out of the ordinary. We tried a few things, and he seemed happiest in his bouncy seat. I was on the couch across from him, and my dad was in a chair next to him when Levi began violently throwing up--far worse than anything I'd ever seen. I dashed over to him, sat him upright, and began unbuckling him. As I was unbuckling him, he stopped throwing up and started turning blue. My dad grabbed Levi, put him over his knees and popped him on the back until he started crying. Levi's birth was the only other time I can say that I've been so grateful to hear him cry.
He was still gray and lethargic afterwards, so we took him to the emergency room to make sure his lungs were clear. After an x-ray and a few tests, Levi was cleared to go home. The doctor said that Levi probably had a reflux problem and gave us some tips on preventing future occurrences. One of those tips was to ditch the bouncy seat for something that would keep Levi completely upright. He also said to feed him more frequently but for shorter lengths of time. I followed all the advice--new infant seat (for the rare occasion that he actually sat in one), different nursing schedule--and started wearing him more frequently as well. I was already very into babywearing, but I became more convinced of it's benefits at this point. He still spit up with frequency, but nothing so alarming as almost dying.
Until...fast forward to 6 months old. I started him on food. I even made the food myself--nothing boxed or jarred for my babe. I should have guessed that he wasn't ready. He just didn't seem interested. I never forced him to eat, but I kept offering. Finally he would open his mouth and take a few bites. Nana even commented once that he didn't eat like we did when we were babies. She said she couldn't shovel it in fast enough to make us happy. I still kept trying. Finally he got up to eating a tablespoon or two in a sitting. Yay!--I thought. But when he finally got up to that tablespoon or two he started violently throwing up again--no turning blue thank the heavens. Still terrifying though. Once you've seen your kid turn blue, anything that reminds you of it will make your heart clench in fear.
I'd read that food would help a babies reflux, not so in my sweet angel's case. It just irritated the heck out of his poor little tummy. So, thanks to some advice from my mom and the Marvelous Kiddo's Grandma mixed in with some internet research, I decided no more food. Don't worry, it's just for a while. I'm not starving my baby. I had some vague feeling that maybe 6 months was just some arbitrary number and not a set in stone by God kind of rule. And what do you know, babies can still flourish on strictly breast milk after 6 months.
Levi will be a very chunky, healthy 9 month old soon, and he's usually reflux free. He has occasional bouts, but nothing like the volcanic puking that food brought on. For those of you, who are like me and had no idea it was possible not to introduce food at six month, it is. Babies can go a full year without introducing food (provided of course that you're willing and able to breastfeed frequently). I don't know what I thought mothers did in countries where babyfood isn't readily available. My out of the box thinking skills aren't always plugged in.
I do know that Levi and I have a very special situation that enables us to do this. I am terribly grateful to my momma for being willing to put her own life on hold to be Levi's travelling babysitter. She knows this is what's best for Levi, and she has enabled me to do this for him. A special and heartfelt thank you to her.