Gift From the Sea; Part 1

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"For to be a woman is to have interests and duties, raying out in all directions from the central mother-core, like spokes from the hub of a wheel. The pattern of our lives is essentially circular. We must be open to all points of the compass; husband, children, friends, home, community; stretched out, exposed, sensitive like a spider's web to each breeze that blows, to each call that comes. How difficult for us, then, to achieve a balance in the midst of these contradictory tensions, and yet how necessary for the proper functioning of our lives." ~anne morrow lindbergh

ocean

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off for some much needed r&r: ocean time in la jolla and dress up in los angeles.
back in september.
xo

Favorite Parenting Books (thus far)

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PRECONCEPTION + FERTILITY

All Natalia Rose books for cellular cleansing

Spirit Babies

Parenting Begins Before Conception

Do You Want to Have a Baby?

Boost Your Fertility

Get Ready to Get Pregnant

PREGNANCY

Bountiful, Beautiful, Blissful

Pre + Postnatal Yoga w/Gurmukh (dvds)

100 Healthiest Foods to Eat During Pregnancy

BIRTH

All books by Ina May Gaskin (Spiritual Midwifery, etc)

Hypnobirthing

Natural Childbirth the Bradley Way

Active Birth

The Business of Being Born (dvd)

BREASTFEEDING/WEANING 

*Vital to read BEFORE birth. I learned the hard way.

Making More Milk

Mother Food

The Womanly Art of Breastfeeding

Baby Led Weaning

PARENTING PHILOSPHY

Continuum Concept

You are Your Child's First Teacher

Beyond the Rainbow Bridge

Simplicity Parenting

The Blessing of a Skinned Knee

Ringing Cedars Series

Seven Times the Sun

EARLY + NEURAL DEVELOPMENT

The Wonder Weeks

Bright from the Start

What's Going on in There?

Happiest Baby on the Book

HappyBaby: the Organic Guide to Baby's First 24 Months

Nurture Shock

PLAY

Itsy Bitsy Yoga

Baby Play

Baby Tata (dvd)

The Rhythm of Family

The Creative Family

Fifteen Minutes Outside

FAMILY HEALTH

Organic Pharmacy

Linda Page's Healthy Healing

Prescription for Nutritional Healing

HOME HEALTH

Organized Simplicity

The Peaceful Nursery

Organic Baby

The Eco-nomical Baby Guide

Feathering the Nest

Healthy Child Healthy World
And Baby Makes Three

*Sorry I didn't link up the books; it's a lot I know. 

What can I say, my mum was a librarian for 30 years and let's just say the apple doesn't fall far from the tree...

I LOVE to read. 

Etsy Find: Metal Pressions

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My friend Dana from homebirth class has the most beautiful necklace inscribed with her daughter's name on it. A friend got it for her HERE. I love the symbolism of keeping your little one close to your heart even if you're going back to work or just running out to the store...

The In-Arms Period; BabyWearing

the beautiful elizabeth and elodie of the littlest.
winner of the sakura bloom styleathon.

"The manner in which we approach the in-arms phase is important to consider. This phase is not one in which the child is consistently the center of attention. On the contrary, it is one in which the baby is simply present, in the midst of normal life and activity. From this vantage point, your baby learns about your world (not a contrived world centered exclusively around him or her), constantly observing and experiencing life with you. Your baby absorbs experiences of the "real" world, not a manufactured world in which adults are bored out of their minds and babies are given plastic imitations of adult tools to play with."  --Natalia Rose, CN and Amanda Dennis, MS Lifeforce Families, Birth to 5 Months

For more on the In-Arms Period:
THE CONTINUUM CONCEPT, by Jean Liedloff
LIFEFORCE FAMILIES, BIRTH-5 MONTHS by Natalia Rose and Amanda Dennis
*Book to be released on/before December 2011
For slings as above:
SAKURA BLOOM

if i had a girl: part 2

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i'd dress her in anything but pink...like this funky romper from the spanish label nadadelazos available via sweet william in nyc.

if i had a girl: part 1

...i'd be making this doll and suitcase, tout de suite!

this moment

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i read this post on dearbaby with tears in my eyes.

in the past months i've caught myself saying  "i can't wait until...i don't have to breastfeed sooo much/A can talk/A can hold his toy/ A can walk/etc etc". i usually catch myself, but sometimes like today when nothing seems help my teething upset babe, a reminder is more than welcome.

Feldenkrais Class with Baby Liv

Several weeks ago I met Dafna at the beautiful Carmel Blue in North Beach. She is trained in Feldenkrais and in the First Step Method. Crossing fingers, I can fit into one of her infant development classes...Along with just about every other class offered at Carmel Blue. (:

Sleep Deprived Us

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Last week, my husband told me he couldn't find the fresh pot of coffee he had just made until he later found he had put it in the cabinet with the dinner plates. 

Yesterday, I tried to open the front door of the house with a car beeper.

A week after my husband and I decided "Ok, let's do this! Let's make a baby" the most immense life-stopping fatigue took over my body as all the cells in body shifted to support new life. I knew I was pregnant; Was it foreshadowing of what was to come? 

We were chatting with a young mom (21 years old) at our breakfast diner over the weekend; she said "I used to look at moms with their short hair-cuts and wonder why they did that, and why they always looked like they had just been hit by a truck. Now I get it!". Well, I'm a good ten years older than this momma we were talking to, but right now I feel about 20 years older. 

I have some momma friends with babies sleeping through the night and napping from the get-go, but my active alert bundle is far too interested in this big world to find time for consistent sleep. At the reunion yesterday, a lot of us, moms and dads alike, admitted we didn't know just how hard it would be. We were all prepared to be whipped on our asses by love, but not this...

Several parents said they found some luck with the No Cry Sleep Solution, but at the end of the day, you know what, every night's gonna be a little different and sometimes developmentally your baby is going to need to wake up or eat in the middle of the night even though you did all the "tricks" that worked just the night before; We all agreed as well, this time isn't forever, it's flying by in fact and all we can do is stay in the moment.

An interesting short on new parent sleep on NPR today.

Homebirth Baby Reunion

One little, two little, three little babies...

Today was the reunion for all the families in our Homebirth prep class taught by the incomparable Jane Austin. It was so wonderful to come full circle with the 13 other families in our group. My husband made a good point months ago when we were all nervous and expectant parents-to-be; He said "You know essentially we're all strangers, coming from such different backgrounds, but we're in the midst of one of the most important phases of our lives together...there's something uniquely special in that."

We are all of different socio-cultural, ethnic, and even sexually-oriented backgrounds (hey, this is San Francisco!), but there was such a special connection from the get-go of our 6-week course. Maybe, even more so since we were all homebirthers. The percent of families deciding to birth their babies at home in the United States is less than 1%, so most of us found it especially therapeutic to be a room with 28 other adults who didn't think we were "crazy/brave/reckless/etc" to want to birth our babies at home.

Granted my husband and I didn't go the midwifery route like everyone else in our class, I have such a profound respect for the training and work of these exceptional practitioners. I don't think most know just how much schooling (both in practicum and in university) a Certified Nurse Midwife undergoes and just how much they are equipped to handle. In our group there were 10 pound babies!, 89-hour labors, a need for pitocin, catheters, going in and yes! stripping out a placenta that would not detach...that's just the tip of the iceberg of the work these amazing women do. However, they are also well-trained to make the call when and if it's time to transfer to a hospital. Since they are self-employed and their livelihood could potentially be on the line, this is not something they take lightly. Ever. Several midwives in our group moved their mamas to the hospital to birth their babies. And with much gratitude, these mamas birthed their healthy babies in the L&D ward. No regrets!*

Throughout my pregnancy I was under the care of a traditional OB, one voted year after year by other doctors as one of the very best in the entire country. Because of my exceptional health and pregnancy stats, she even said "If anyone is suited for a home birth, it is you". Also respectful of the midwifery profession, my OB sang the most praise to Maria Iorillo, LM, CNM. Maria has delivered over 1, 000 babies over the course of her career; several of those babies are pictured above. One of Maria's sayings that a mother shared with us is:

"It's not home birth at any cost;
 it's home birth when home birth is safe."

I love that and I find the sentiment so important to share, because I think there is a broad misconception that families choose home birth at any and all costs. This is neither true of the parents or of quality midwives. In Jane's class, we talked about how unpredictable birth can be and that despite all of us having specific visions of how we wanted to birth, as in most of life, we all had to be willing to go with the flow. And truth be told, none of us had "perfect" dream births, but we had our births and wow! the triumph in that...

*Even if you don't birth at home, the benefits of planning for a home birth and working with a Midwife are too numerous to even begin mentioning here. One however, that stands out above all else is the Postpartum care. During this incredibly hormonal and vulnerable time period a midwife will come to your home and check on you and baby 1 day after, 3 days, 1 week, 2 weeks, and thereon for 6 weeks. Traditional medicine? You leave the hospital and your on your own with a short OB follow-up at 6 weeks. 

Middle Way Parenting

"This middle way involves not hanging on to our version so tightly. It involves keeping our hearts and minds open long enough to entertain the idea that when we make things wrong, we do it out of a desire to obtain some kind of ground or security. Equally, when we make things right, we are still trying to obtain some kind of ground or security. Could our minds and our hearts be big enough just to hang out in that space where we're not entirely certain about who's right and who's wrong?"~Pema Chodron, When Things Fall Apart

Vintage Crib Sheets

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I've long been a fan of little Gemma Bird's vintage crib sheets, but have always felt way too intimidated by the elastic-business to give them a go at the machine. This tutorial makes them a little more tempting to try.

Natural Teething Remedies

1). Lifefactory Silcone Teether BPA, phthalate, PVC, and latex free

2). Sophie the Giraffe Made of natural rubber. BPA and phthalate free

3). Dress Me Up Organic Teething Bonbon Organic cotton and naturally antibacterial lamb’s wool

4). Dandelion Classic Organic Bear Teething Blanket organic cotton fabric, corn fiber filling

5). Chewbeads Necklace Silicone. BPA phthalate free

6). Natursutten Apple Teether EVAtane. Silicone free

                                              *Lots of  wooden options out there like this ring or this one.

7).Baby Safe Feeder Fill will organic fruit or whatever is soothing to baby! BPA, PVC, phthalate free

                                              *Also the Nibbler by Nuby and the Sassy Feeder.

8). Amber Teething Necklace. Many other options on Etsy as well

I also find myself quite enchanted by these beautiful necklaces from Finnish designer, Koukku:

Another option is making your own teething necklace from organic or vintage fabric. This tutorial looks fab:

Do you know mama natural? I always find her site so informative & hilarious at the same time. Here's a brief video from her offering a few other natural options:

Taking our pediatrician's advice, for the time being we're staying away from oral medicine (homeopathics, flower esscences included); however there are some interesting options HERE.)

OR...

 you can take the path of the nonchalant mom, and make do with what ya got which is what we're doing right now since the whole teething adventure kinda sprung up early and out of nowhere. So for now it's chilled carrots, frozen organic washcloths, dada's fingers, and a little extra time on the boob (with Netflix and a glider, ain't no thang). So far, so good!

Happy Chaos

I'm probably dating myself by saying this, but here goes; I lurved Punky Brewster when I was young! Ok, I all too much related to Punky Brewster when I was young. And maybe even so now (my socks rarely match & as my husband would attest, for better or worse I still got a little rebelious sass leftover from those early years)!

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...so it was treat to hear a couple years back that Soleil Moon Frye, the show's star, opened an eco-friendly children's store in LA called the Littlest Seed. A mother of two, she has also written a book called Happy Chaos to be released August 23rd. A description from Amazon:

'Soleil believes that "happy chaos" is the sign of a family operating at its best-when parents accept that they'll make mistakes, that there will be messes, tears and skinned knees. She learned to love a jumbled life during her own childhood, when her own mom created an atmosphere that was thoroughly unconventional. Their house in Los Angeles was a haven for many young stars of Soleil's generation, often far from home and looking for a safe place to hang out. In this book, she shows how her happy but chaotic childhood informed her parenting: Each chapter begins with a telling reminiscence before moving into insightful advice and fun stories about life with her husband and two adorable daughters'. 

• click here to view a video trailer for the book
• soleil's personal blog
• to pre-order the book

Low Fat Oatmeal Banana Bread

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Just another overcast summer day here in San Fran, so I'm off to bake this banana bread recipe c/o the adorable & talented Joy the Baker. Because, I never stick to recipes (a trait I learned from my husband), I like to add walnuts, a dollup of greek yogurt, nutmeg and then shredded coconut on top. Yeah, it ups the fat anty, but I don't really care about that (now that I'm nursing the little engine that could, I need all the calories I can get. In the words of my 89 year old neighbor back in Asheville, 'Ain't nobody want a bone, but a dog!').
The reason I like this particular recipe is because of the oats, which are considered a galactagogue. For more on galactagogues and diet considerations while nursing I HIGHLY recommend the book MOTHER FOOD.

Girl Talk

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How often does this scenario come up?...You meet a friend's little boy and you comment on his personality, how bubbly/alert/smart he is, etc. Maybe you ask him to tell you about the monster on his shirt or pick up book or toy to engage him with so he doesn't toddle off to something far more interesting. 

Now switch it up. Your friend has a little girl instead and you break the ice with "Hi, I LOVE your dress! And your hair, it's sooo pretty!" And then you turn to your friend, nod approvingly and say "Oh my God, she is so gorgeous!!" 

Of course these are  b r o a d  generalizations, and we'd all like to think our responses are genuine and unique to each child we meet. But Lisa Bloom, author of the article How to Talk to Little Girls says there's a little more at hand in this subversive culture of ours that lends to the following:

• Nearly half of all 3-6 year old girls worrying about being fat. 
• 15-18% of girls under 12 regularly wear mascara, eyeliner, and other makeup
• 25% of America's young women would rather win Next Top Model then a Nobel Prize
• Eating disorders continue to proliferate; while self-esteem appears to be dwindling in mass

*These stats come via Bloom's article and book, Think: Straight Talk for Women to Stay Smart in a Dumbed-Down World

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Bloom's thought is that in lieu of stats like these we all need to re frame the way we talk to little girls. The online commentary on her article is ablaze, but there are two mommas whose thoughtful opinions on the subject ring most close to home. They come from Claudia @ Aux Petit Oiseaux and Joanna @ A Cup of Jo.

This got me thinking about a previous post of mine. It's easy to read these stats and go "Phew! Glad I don't have to deal with that shit. I have a boy. Thank God, I have a a boy."

But it's not that easy, of course; As in any cultural phenomenon we all have role & responsibility. Therapist and father of two boys, Ian Kerner explains this far better than I in Boys Will be Boys, But Will They Grow to be Gentlemen?

* If this subject is of particular interest to you, take a listen to this audio interview with Nicole Clark writer/producer/director of the documentary Cover Girl Culture.  

Mimi Kirk: 72 Reasons to Go Raw

if mimi kirk (age 72!!), mother of four, grandmother to seven and winner of the "sexiest vegetarian over 50 award," isn't reason enough to eat a primarily whole raw foods diet, i don't know what is...

*i showed this video of mimi and a few others to my husband last night; we practically raced to the kitchen to make a green juice. (: Truly an inspiring cool cool lady! Thanks, Mimi!


MIMI'S WEBSITE
MIMI'S BOOK * very curious about this one!