tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-91865933466339233772024-03-13T18:51:33.767-07:00Meraki and AgapeGeorgiahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09168378030141511010noreply@blogger.comBlogger310125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9186593346633923377.post-2899483932921953332023-10-10T14:04:00.001-07:002023-10-10T14:04:00.158-07:00Lightening the Load: Some thoughts on Fair Play<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhxqUdfIbbmnbXCsJ_CbXTkOa1k9JlFz-gqLn2AVSItI-syUTnD5PwjbjJB1Ce9AN_At2gDjpLmHRj_eGKwswbLzrkZKDHFZIXLjiJ82J2W8v2UDWx1y8m3SbQNPeVohZsZ_rPKxNVZNAuKzwsHzGmvOkSJ-5VfDrzzG1vQi54MVVoc1DNbS_JK-3HbNwQ/s4080/PXL_20230927_171242678.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="4080" data-original-width="3072" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhxqUdfIbbmnbXCsJ_CbXTkOa1k9JlFz-gqLn2AVSItI-syUTnD5PwjbjJB1Ce9AN_At2gDjpLmHRj_eGKwswbLzrkZKDHFZIXLjiJ82J2W8v2UDWx1y8m3SbQNPeVohZsZ_rPKxNVZNAuKzwsHzGmvOkSJ-5VfDrzzG1vQi54MVVoc1DNbS_JK-3HbNwQ/s16000/PXL_20230927_171242678.jpg" /></a></div><br /><div><br /></div><div><br /></div>Do you ever feel like there’s so much stuff running through your brain that your head might spin off? Not like, ‘oh what kind of bird is that?’ stuff. Things like, ‘I’d better not forget to email Nicole,’ or ‘shoot I need to put the fish in the oven’, or ‘oh crap, we never RSVP’ed to that birthday party.’
I’m not sure where I read about Fair Play- probably one of my local Mom groups- but as soon as I read it, I was hooked. First, because it gave a name to all these last minute mini-panics spinning through my head at any given time: mental load. Second, because it offered a very appealing possible solution. <div><br /></div><div>A little background: right after Peter and I got married, he left his job and we moved to a new state together. While I started my residency, working up to 80 hours a week (sometimes more,) he was home, job hunting and taking the lion’s share of the household chores. Prior to marriage we were always living apart, so we never really had a traditional division of those kinds of duties as a couple. That being said, I had always wondered why I was the only one stressing about finding and interviewing nannies and sitters, shopping for the next size up of clothes for E, or researching affordable cross-country moving companies.
<a href="https://www.fairplaylife.com/">Fair Play</a>, by Eve Rodsky, is all about the ‘why’ behind this question. I really enjoyed the book- it was well researched, thoughtful and eye-opening (if, at times, rage-inducing.) But what I really appreciated was that, unlike many books in the nonfiction genre, it didn’t just present a depressing problem with no hope of a resolution- Rodsky not only came up with a strategy for couples to re-allocate both visible and invisible tasks, she beta-tested it and it’s now available as a game couples can play to make things a little more equitable- fair play. </div><div><br /></div><div>The concept is surprisingly (almost embarrassingly) simple. The game consists of a card deck of different tasks- from things you do every day (cooking, laundry, dishes,) to the planning and mapping out of life (think meal planning, managing the family calendar,) to things that come up occasionally but still occupy brain space (think taking your car in for repairs and arranging childcare.) There are other cards that I won't go into much detail on - primarily cards to ensure each person is getting not only self care time, but unicorn space time- aka time to pursue your passions as well. The goal is to sit down with your partner and distribute the cards as they're done now- ex, Peter does cooking and dishes, I do laundry, etc. This not only shows you both what each of you are doing to maintain the home and family, but opens opportunities to discuss and redistribute workloads if one person is particularly overwhelmed with duties. This can be repeated as needed when one person goes through a busy week or has an unexpected disruption, but ideally these swaps are planned. Most importantly, the rules stipulate (and the book repeatedly drives this point) that whoever holds the card MUST do the task from start to finish, following the conceptualize -plan- execute model. So if you're the meal person, you need to pick out the recipe, figure out what ingredients need to be picked up, and cook and plate the food. More on this later.</div><div><br /></div><div>We got our cards in the mail a week ago, and I was eager to get started, mainly because I was curious how our cards dealt out. I had a hunch that while Peter did more than the average husband around the house, I was still taking on quite a bit of the mental load. And my hunch wasn't far off!
We ultimately didn't swap or pass off too many cards. I'm lucky to have a husband who's always done his fair share of the visible labor, and is a better cook than me. Plus, I'm focusing on being home with the kids this year, so my workload is significantly lighter. But it did spark a nice conversation about a lot of the work that I do that goes unnoticed - planning out and shopping for holidays, gifts, social calendar, school and childcare, and more (the section of the book on thank you cards gave me a chuckle.)
We had a false start after Peter got a nasty cold over the weekend and we backslid into survival mode. But a week in, I wanted to share how it's going for us and my honest opinion on the strengths and weaknesses of this approach. </div><div><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhYvWINA5uFj_emLgVLxfglarvaz9uWW8KqZzCrs82CEIKp6KEGotTLKv9AssoE_abegKu8Q0WgzDxJ9T647DPXYoqg8PGGJSv-6DmSiHfPCui7FsV3vBU8tdQCt4ndQXWlbOGlJssJfoXHivg7RseAlXD6aZiM4ZuQdq4LNokfXUM4akSTQCtIc26Zz1A/s4080/PXL_20230927_171423415.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="4080" data-original-width="3072" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhYvWINA5uFj_emLgVLxfglarvaz9uWW8KqZzCrs82CEIKp6KEGotTLKv9AssoE_abegKu8Q0WgzDxJ9T647DPXYoqg8PGGJSv-6DmSiHfPCui7FsV3vBU8tdQCt4ndQXWlbOGlJssJfoXHivg7RseAlXD6aZiM4ZuQdq4LNokfXUM4akSTQCtIc26Zz1A/s16000/PXL_20230927_171423415.jpg" /></a></div><br /><div><br /></div><div><br /></div><div><i>The good</i>: right off the bat, I noticed in the book that Rodsky's approach is not punitive or even accusatory. The goal is not to incite conflict .If anything, I found the experience of listing out what each of us did generated some healthy conversations and appreciation of what each of us does to keep things going without a major hitch. Having a visual marker of what I do for us as a family in the form of a pile of cards was also validating for me, since a lot of things I was doing fall under the invisible load category and often go unrecognized. What's more, the rest of the week I found myself thanking hubs for doing things I used to take for granted. </div><div><br /></div><div><i> The tricky.</i> I'll call this section tricky because none of this is necessarily <i>bad</i>. But I did notice certain 'rules' of the game didn't gel with our current system. Which is not a big deal- the point of the game is to make life flow more easily, not to make things more complicated. But I did find myself unsure of whether to pivot from something that seemed like it was working for the sake of following the game to a T. </div><div><br /></div><div>The most common example of this was sticking to the CPE model. According to this framework, whoever does laundry DOES laundry - they recognize we're low on clean clothes without being told, gather up the laundry, wash, dry, fold and put it away. For Peter and I, he often would start the load and I'd fold and put things away. Another example is cooking - at some point I took charge of our meal planning and shopping list, while he would get groceries and cook most days (I would work as a sous chef and do whatever prep I could during the day, or throw together easy meals some nights.) If we're being purists when following the rules if fair play, we really need to bust this system and each of us has to commit to our assigned tasks. Ultimately we found a compromise that worked for us: instead of one person being the dishes person or cooking person, we swap off, with Peter cooking most weeks while I do dishes, and the opposite on my days. Same with laundry: we split it into cloth diapers and regular laundry, so that one person wasn't drowning in this massive task. The only CPE we truly split for now is that I still meal plan, because I enjoy it. And it's worked pretty well for us. The only problem with this is my next point: the baby. </div><div><br /></div><div>Our sweet, adorable bundle of joy is not a big fan of being put down. This is totally normal at this age, and it's slowly getting better, but as the breastfeeding parent, I find myself stuck on a couch or in the bedroom feeding M right when I'm in the middle of trying to get something done, and I often get frustrated that the kitchen is a mess or I left some hands-on task unfinished. This is, of course, a temporary problem - babies grow way too fast and before I blink I'm sure we'll be missing these exhausting, lovely days of the fourth trimester. But for now, I find myself feeling a bit guilty for barking orders at Peter while I'm snuggling with M (ok, I'm not really barking orders at anyone, most of the time.) It's not a huge flaw, but worth noting that the game is probably a little easier to play when a family is past it's young infant stage. </div><div><br /></div><div>It's too early to say how long and how intensely we're going to adopt this approach. At some point I'd like to ditch the cards and make our own spreadsheet, with descriptions of each task and colors to designate who is in charge of what. But we've had our first sit down discussion and both agreed it's going well enough that we're going to stick to it. I've already taken a few more cards after my consulting gig wrapped up and Peter's job started to ramp up for the quarter. At the very least, it's sparked some healthy conversations and helped us both feel seen in a household with two working parents and young kids.
Have you tried this approach? Or something similar? I'd love to hear your thoughts in the comments!</div>Georgiahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09168378030141511010noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9186593346633923377.post-45232630762769703232023-10-09T04:46:00.006-07:002023-10-09T04:50:36.756-07:00Music Monday<p></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhMRGgE1ODS_8fkrBRDqP28FBinfRQLD4DiS4NKrYMlKZkLq4QOO06fbkAsjGX9M5_dfC_latQS_p7heX3V6NYDo177-6UtQQ09HbwLDdrrWkwahm0pjRra6fooSsc3Cq7_SDUWpYQWXc9ZN5XUkr_pZZrZlly9EkE5pL9Cc9VayjohJA2tJrTn2lxp75s/s4080/PXL_20230904_230931527.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="4080" data-original-width="3072" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhMRGgE1ODS_8fkrBRDqP28FBinfRQLD4DiS4NKrYMlKZkLq4QOO06fbkAsjGX9M5_dfC_latQS_p7heX3V6NYDo177-6UtQQ09HbwLDdrrWkwahm0pjRra6fooSsc3Cq7_SDUWpYQWXc9ZN5XUkr_pZZrZlly9EkE5pL9Cc9VayjohJA2tJrTn2lxp75s/s16000/PXL_20230904_230931527.jpg" /></a></div> for indigenous people's day I wanted to share a Native artist. I absolutely adore Raye Zaragoza and she's on tour right now- check here to see if she's coming to a city near you! <p></p><p><br /></p><p>
<iframe allow="accelerometer; autoplay; clipboard-write; encrypted-media; gyroscope; picture-in-picture; web-share" allowfullscreen="" frameborder="0" height="315" src="https://www.youtube.com/embed/d1POi-lLe7M?si=dbdYZCprr4s_sJ7f" title="YouTube video player" width="560"></iframe> </p><p> PS- honorable mention to <a href="https://youtu.be/bc0KhhjJP98?si=tyH5EY0C0CcbqLC1">Redbone</a>, a native band from the classic rock era, and to <a href="https://www.jonesdancer.com/">Notorious Cree</a>, who can fancy dance to just about anything trending on Tik Tok! Be sure to check them out.</p>Georgiahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09168378030141511010noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9186593346633923377.post-27038000318054899082023-09-19T05:47:00.000-07:002023-09-19T05:47:05.528-07:00Music Monday (on Tuesday!)<p> </p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhvxKprwW9e_n8fi9fdlmZABH_5lCoZYx8SJMZdr3K5fLeUbpIry-kPjgqN0lbU_dcd4ygW2phN-qayV8uQ4OODZF7EBRScl5S-5k2KdgOMpeLu8ldauoxO3v8JqoZMQuqKpxEV3CdfhGuYZmpGzuAakOdpdQ5sbeRR2_dEpeihrcrlKdQ8t56neifJQ5Q/s4080/PXL_20230917_222911265.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="4080" data-original-width="3072" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhvxKprwW9e_n8fi9fdlmZABH_5lCoZYx8SJMZdr3K5fLeUbpIry-kPjgqN0lbU_dcd4ygW2phN-qayV8uQ4OODZF7EBRScl5S-5k2KdgOMpeLu8ldauoxO3v8JqoZMQuqKpxEV3CdfhGuYZmpGzuAakOdpdQ5sbeRR2_dEpeihrcrlKdQ8t56neifJQ5Q/s16000/PXL_20230917_222911265.jpg" /></a></div><br /><p></p><p>Lately I have picked up some consulting work remotely, which is great- it's flexible, can be done from home, and allows me to stop and take care of M and the million other tasks I have taken over since leaving my full time job. The only downside...it's a little redundant and can get boring. It requires just enough mental work that I can't listen to a podcast while doing it, but not enough to keep me excited/engaged for very long. And I am definitely a person who likes a little background noise when I'm working!</p><p><br /></p><p>The nice secondary result of this is I've listened to more music than I have in years. It's been great discovering new artists, but even more rewarding has been jumping back into old favorite albums, bands, and playlists from as far back as high school (!) Yellowcard takes me back to driving around in my Grandmother's old volvo; there's one Band of Horses album where the opening soundtrack immediately brings me to the lush green peaks of our family roadtrip to Ireland right after college. </p><p><br /></p><p>So, here's my second re-remembered playlist. Hope y'all enjoy. P.S. you can check out the first one <a href="https://merakikaiagapi.blogspot.com/2023/09/music-monday.html">here</a>.</p><p><br /></p><p><br /></p>
<iframe style="border-radius:12px" src="https://open.spotify.com/embed/playlist/2unUM8QDpRptu0rhJRzJYz?utm_source=generator" width="100%" height="352" frameBorder="0" allowfullscreen="" allow="autoplay; clipboard-write; encrypted-media; fullscreen; picture-in-picture" loading="lazy"></iframe>Georgiahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09168378030141511010noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9186593346633923377.post-64213852303953220092023-09-10T04:10:00.000-07:002023-09-10T04:10:00.141-07:00Life Lately<p></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi63MIYzEGb4CtriJEvJv98hyXtyHItSVUNFDlf3fvmP6mTR-ZKfFDzvvjrrsM0Igkm_FeSRPpUdwOWL-F_xzUKXZ5Nvnz0YbHU2Z7EDEvbzlmxgL9Y-DW8SCMFmQfSHWa95Lk1QYeSHTilOCabLAcTuh-5-2Kp1oVT3_F0x_ajZHL_CWh-gj0rA3HKrtg/s4080/PXL_20230827_165420617.MP.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="4080" data-original-width="3072" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi63MIYzEGb4CtriJEvJv98hyXtyHItSVUNFDlf3fvmP6mTR-ZKfFDzvvjrrsM0Igkm_FeSRPpUdwOWL-F_xzUKXZ5Nvnz0YbHU2Z7EDEvbzlmxgL9Y-DW8SCMFmQfSHWa95Lk1QYeSHTilOCabLAcTuh-5-2Kp1oVT3_F0x_ajZHL_CWh-gj0rA3HKrtg/s16000/PXL_20230827_165420617.MP.jpg" /></a></div><br /> <p></p><p>I don't know why, but I always loved reading the life lately or ten things I'm loving-style posts on old school blogs back in the day. I still read the weekly updates on Cup of Jo and A Beautiful Mess and enjoy them. I wrote a few, but never consistently. I thought it might be nice to do a check in like this once a month.</p><p>- I was reading some heavier things earlier in the summer, and while I enjoyed them (<a href="https://www.thriftbooks.com/w/demon-copperhead_barbara-kingsolver/35367245/#edition=64129061&idiq=52273166">Demon Copperhead</a> was so good y'all,) I was definitely ready for something lighter. <a href="https://www.thriftbooks.com/w/the-very-secret-society-of-irregular-witches/32751568/?resultid=efc1b545-a2bd-46b9-8b3f-b3fd90d5141d#edition=61048062&idiq=52280572">The Very Secret Society of Irregular Witches</a> is definitely fitting the bill. It's got a very cozy vibe which I love</p><p>- now that Peter is back at work, we're trying to come up with strategies to make weeknight meals a lot easier. One thing we've tried is baking protein and veg on a sheet pan and pairing it with a grain and a sauce. I became pretty obsessed with baked salmon sushi bowls during pregnancy, but we recently got <a href="https://www.thriftbooks.com/w/sheet-pan-suppers-120-recipes-for-simple-surprising-hands-off-meals-straight-from-the-oven/9179067/item/11599470/?utm_source=google&utm_medium=cpc&utm_campaign=pmax_high_vol_frontlist_under_%2410&utm_adgroup=&utm_term=&utm_content=&gclid=Cj0KCQjwusunBhCYARIsAFBsUP_Fp68tOvD5-muFgikDS8du7JYiXkW6dEGTn0SWDDjovQFSSuw11MgaAiClEALw_wcB#idiq=11599470&edition=8397263">this cookbook</a> from the library to try some new recipes. Would love recommendations if you have any! </p><p>- since 'rediscovering' some old favorite artists I can't get <a href="https://open.spotify.com/album/1BSwkKATGVCMgNuN8ve7mz?si=bgA5RfyHRf2YC_-zYtQjqw">this album</a> out of my head. Absolutely love it and it brings me back to such a specific time in my life. Here's another favorite older <a href="https://open.spotify.com/playlist/5cYW3kWbW0xnlqFkydvYNA?si=88745a7bc3aa4606">playlist</a> I keep coming back to. And if you have any more recommendations, please share! I'm always looking for new artists to get into! </p><p>- we had to get E an email for her global entry application, and I realized we could sign her up for Crumbl cookies emails and get her a free cookie for her birthday! Just a PSA for any other cookie monsters out there :) </p><p>- it's late in the season but we finally got through our first hurricane touchdown here in Florida. As hurricanes become more severe and intense due to climate change, it's so so important to be prepared for the season. Here's a <a href="https://www.cdc.gov/nceh/features/hurricanepreparedness/index.html">good starting point</a> on what should be in your kit, and a <a href="https://earthathome.org/quick-faqs/how-does-climate-change-affect-hurricanes/#:~:text=A%20warmer%20atmosphere%20and%20warmer,rainfall%2C%20and%20move%20more%20slowly.">short read</a> on how climate change impacts extreme weather events. </p><p>- I recently wrote out some personal and professional goals for the next 18 months and let me tell you, it felt so good to put some concrete plans (and boundaries) around the coming year. Mainly I'm focusing on raising my two little ones, but it feels so great to also have a clear plan to return back to work refreshed after some pretty intense feelings of burnout. I'm also carving out more time for self care via creativity which feels amazing. For something that took five minutes it was well worth the time. </p><p>- speaking of creativity, I submitted another work for publication! It's an essay on the intersection of medicine and motherhood, and I think it's a long shot, but I really enjoyed writing it and the writing process in general, so I'm going to keep at it. I find it to be such a relaxing outlet. In the process of submitting I found <a href="https://jamanetwork.com/journals/jama/fullarticle/2808222">this beautiful essay</a> by another writer so thought I'd share.</p><p>- hard to believe but we're nearly a month into E's school year. It's been a learning curve for her, and she's doing beautifully, but I didn't realize how much of a learning curve it would be for us as well... I find myself scrambling to keep up with the school emails trying to understand the lingo (what's a PAC? PTA?) and trying to stop myself from volunteering for the recycling position I saw that was open (and trying to convince them it should be a sustainability officer...🫣) </p><p>- our garden is looking a bit sad, but earlier this summer our compost finally yielded some good nutritious dirt which is amazing! Hard to believe we need to start planning our winter garden down here already...I'm eyeing these <a href="https://letslassothemoon.com/sunflower-house/">sunflower rings</a> for E and M. We did this once as a kid and I still remember it, I loved it so much!</p><p>- E is really taking off on her bike and it's been so cool to see. She can be a little cautious so every time she overcomes a fear it's a thrill to watch her as a parent. We thrifted her bike, but it's very similar to <a href="https://www.etsy.com/listing/1384331549/pink-wooden-balance-bike-for-children?gpla=1&gao=1&">this one</a>. The balance bike method is new to me as we grew up using training wheels, and then having my dad take them off and shove us down a grassy hill screaming "PEDAL!" at us (nope, not exaggerating. Yes, it's definitely as funny as it sounds, assuming you're not the one learning to ride your bike.) I mean, whatever works, I guess? :) Are you a balance bike or training wheels family?</p><p><br /></p><p>Have a great day y'all. </p>Georgiahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09168378030141511010noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9186593346633923377.post-80009109619245878592023-09-05T04:00:00.002-07:002023-09-05T06:57:19.866-07:00Our Hurricane Kit<p></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiV4t50lOt-s2wFnXBPZ5EdkYgwXz-VpeF6AIC2AX0VjqR-7ddKeiRwyB35KwzyHR8t3Ww3TbyUfKMlHQu3ALa77PeA1opLEwSPxPVFzq_bHqs4emcZHBQNlhzTtrhbC8toNXtSMpqfo0NDEAFj9ApkeOHa5boXl86ppDnE8RJy8yo4ZTqMFi2lLFXimYE/s604/%5BUNSET%5D" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="453" data-original-width="604" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiV4t50lOt-s2wFnXBPZ5EdkYgwXz-VpeF6AIC2AX0VjqR-7ddKeiRwyB35KwzyHR8t3Ww3TbyUfKMlHQu3ALa77PeA1opLEwSPxPVFzq_bHqs4emcZHBQNlhzTtrhbC8toNXtSMpqfo0NDEAFj9ApkeOHa5boXl86ppDnE8RJy8yo4ZTqMFi2lLFXimYE/s16000/%5BUNSET%5D" /></a></div><br /> <p></p><p>Well, our first big storm came and went, and while it didn't come near to our county, it's a been a very good reminder that we need to make sure we're prepared for this type of weather event. It may sound weird, but growing up we looked forward to hurricanes- we were lucky enough to have solid housing and be far from the evacuation zone. Preparing involved making sure you had what you needed to complete any school assignments and helping my parents put up the shutters around the house. As an adult, of course things aren't so simple. Here's a list of what we keep in the house to prepare for storms. </p><p>- <i>first aid kid</i>. My brother actually got this kit not long after the start of the pandemic, and then gifted it to us when we moved (thanks, Luke!) At minimum it should include a few different types of wound dressings (the Red Cross recommends <a href="https://www.redcross.org/get-help/how-to-prepare-for-emergencies/anatomy-of-a-first-aid-kit.html">this list</a>), antibiotic ointment (avoid Neosporin as it tends to cause skin reactions,) and some tweezers. I'd also include any medications anyone in the household takes regularly, plus Acetaminophen, Ibuprofen, and Cetirizine. </p><p>- <i>food</i>. It's not uncommon for hurricanes to cause power outages and limit access to drinkable water, so you'll want some cans and packets or non-perishable food that's easy to assemble and eat. As Trader Joe's fans, we just stocked up on some packets and cans from their nonperishable aisle, but you can also add things like ramen, snack bars, fruit leathers- pretty much anything that requires as little prep as possible. We have a gas camping grill so we just make sure we have a propane tank to heat stuff up on if needed, ideally long before the hurricane panic buying starts. Another note: go through your supplies annually to cycle out anything that's coming up on expiration dates and replenish with newer items. </p><p>- <i>water</i>. As above. You generally want one gallon per person and pet per day in case the water is not drinkable for an extended period. Obviously no one knows how long the power will be out (the longest power outage we experienced was two weeks!) but 3 days is a good start. You can either buy and store gallons of water, or fill containers in your home before the storm hits. There's also purification tablets you can buy and use in a pinch. </p><p>- <i>flashlights and batteries</i>. As a kid, hurricane night meant going to bed with a flashlight on my nightstand in case the power went out (as it often does in hurricanes.) We upgraded to headlamps, and use our camping lantern to as needed. Make sure you have the right unexpired batteries for whatever lighting you're using as well. </p><p>-<i> Important documents</i>. Less of a hurricane kit thing than a life kit thing. Many disaster relief organizations will recommend keeping important documents such as passports, birth certificates and relevant medical information in a single place in the home. Fireproof safes are expensive, but you could also zip them into a water proof bag to keep them dry in the event of flooding. </p><p>-<i> The rest of the stuff</i>. The list can get very long very quickly and depends a lot on individual circumstances. If you are at risk of evacuating having a change of clothes or two packed in a designated spot is also a good idea, as well as supplies, documents and food for pets if you have them. The CDC also recommends keeping a fire extinguisher in the home (which should honestly be an item every household has in working condition.) </p><p>Other things to note:</p><p>- follow official guidelines. The national weather service is a great resource, but please check in and follow along on local official disaster preparedness pages. If you are being told to evacuate PLEASE evacuate. Not only for your own safety - you are endangering others' lives if you get trapped in an unsafe area. </p><p>- Hurricane season runs from June to November, but in general it's a good idea to be prepared year round, as you can use this kind of kit for other emergencies as well. It's also a good idea to check in on everything once a year and make sure replace expired or broken items. </p><p>- if you have any medical devices that require power to run, make sure you know where you can go if you lose power. This was something that happened in Hurricane Maria in Puerto Rico that led to some pretty tragic outcomes. It could be as simple as figuring out if any local friends or family have a generator or solar and battery system you can hunker down with or the nearest hospital that operates as a shelter. Many folks will not have to worry about this but if you use a nebulizer or other respiratory machines or rely on dialysis regularly it's important to look into this. </p><p>So that's pretty much it!. What do you think? Anything you would add? </p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br /></div><p></p><p>PS. The CDC has some really great articles on this stuff that you can find on their website, linked <a href="https://www.cdc.gov/disasters/hurricanes/before.html?CDC_AA_refVal=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.cdc.gov%2Fdisasters%2Fhurricanes%2Fsupplies.html">here</a></p>Georgiahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09168378030141511010noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9186593346633923377.post-73148268075448053672023-09-04T04:00:00.001-07:002023-09-04T04:00:00.138-07:00Music Monday<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjjCrOYD0tC92l14CnN2bm0sheKPwTe_6N-risU3Kv3mJqzdmwZccwslAFVphsBJVJpVUh6ufhocvmXBFFBym88HwO3dyLOVfmcLiWm9-yS9MjlpNi4vwGKbVQAPaoRMzUAIpB8ZwMcj2t861S4-Jc2h8lws6BRzEvPtbhv0f1M_rsBMVdflKm78THSBls/s4080/PXL_20230725_224845680.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="4080" data-original-width="3072" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjjCrOYD0tC92l14CnN2bm0sheKPwTe_6N-risU3Kv3mJqzdmwZccwslAFVphsBJVJpVUh6ufhocvmXBFFBym88HwO3dyLOVfmcLiWm9-yS9MjlpNi4vwGKbVQAPaoRMzUAIpB8ZwMcj2t861S4-Jc2h8lws6BRzEvPtbhv0f1M_rsBMVdflKm78THSBls/s16000/PXL_20230725_224845680.jpg" /></a></div><br /><p>I feel like there needs to be a word out there for the feeling you get when you hear a song that you used to love and haven't heard in such a long time that you pretty much forgot all about it. Is this a thing? If not it should be! </p><p><br /></p><p>Anyways, music Monday is back. With my writing flurry has come a significant dip in my reading (natural I guess, but I'm still kinda bummed.) On the flip side it's been replaced with listening to lots of music, some of which I haven't gone back to in over 10 years. Of course I had to make a playlist. <iframe allow="autoplay; clipboard-write; encrypted-media; fullscreen; picture-in-picture" allowfullscreen="" frameborder="0" height="352" loading="lazy" src="https://open.spotify.com/embed/playlist/4rK2wqFe32TqKRl4C36VSk?utm_source=generator" style="border-radius: 12px;" width="100%"></iframe></p><p><br /></p><p>I posted on Instagram too but friends, what's your favorite song at the moment? I'm loving rediscovering old favorites but need to add some new stuff to rotation too. 💙</p>Georgiahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09168378030141511010noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9186593346633923377.post-72552425869760666692023-08-31T02:35:00.003-07:002023-08-31T02:35:53.123-07:00Dear E<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhQi2igElYnNfemejwEXIi5mU6AL2n8KIjwX_L3zIiC3nD83XAyGsCWom9v4mY7y9C7Skyj8obkesFbZiKHf95SDpR2o2k3K9SZrj5e9DZ3VhErh-k2FQ-rYkoY3um_OlNjceqLfzc4enN-Gntt0K5OVz9jtyPxzIdcWJ4LP9rZ7a-Le6JDdVoNVslwJFc/s3264/PXL_20210419_214937115~2%20(1).jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="3264" data-original-width="2448" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhQi2igElYnNfemejwEXIi5mU6AL2n8KIjwX_L3zIiC3nD83XAyGsCWom9v4mY7y9C7Skyj8obkesFbZiKHf95SDpR2o2k3K9SZrj5e9DZ3VhErh-k2FQ-rYkoY3um_OlNjceqLfzc4enN-Gntt0K5OVz9jtyPxzIdcWJ4LP9rZ7a-Le6JDdVoNVslwJFc/s16000/PXL_20210419_214937115~2%20(1).jpg" /></a></div><br /><p><br /></p><p><span style="background-color: white; color: #202124; font-family: Roboto, Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 16px; font-variant-ligatures: none; letter-spacing: 0.1px; white-space-collapse: preserve;">When you were tiny, just twelve weeks old, I went back to work. I cried as I gave you a kiss and handed you off to Dad so I could go to my first shift, cried in the car on the drive in to the hospital, cried in the call room as I set up my pump parts, ready to go at a moments' notice, so I could pump even if the ER was packed. I remember the first time I was pumping when a code was called, and I spilled milk and flanges scattered across the floor as I scrambled to grab my badge and stethoscope and rush back down to the ER. At 12 weeks, I was not ready to be away from you. You needed your Momma. </span></p><br style="background-color: white; color: #202124; font-family: Roboto, Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 16px; font-variant-ligatures: none; letter-spacing: 0.1px; white-space-collapse: preserve;" /><span style="background-color: white; color: #202124; font-family: Roboto, Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 16px; font-variant-ligatures: none; letter-spacing: 0.1px; white-space-collapse: preserve;">It did get easier, but even as you got older and less dependent on me and my body for love, nutrition and comfort, I couldn't help but have this nagging feeling, this sadness, every time I left. It shifted- from guilt about being away from you when I knew how much we both loved breastfeeding cuddles, to feeling haunted by your cries when I left you in your nanny's arms, even when I found you laughing and smiling with her hours later. </span><br style="background-color: white; color: #202124; font-family: Roboto, Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 16px; font-variant-ligatures: none; letter-spacing: 0.1px; white-space-collapse: preserve;" /><br style="background-color: white; color: #202124; font-family: Roboto, Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 16px; font-variant-ligatures: none; letter-spacing: 0.1px; white-space-collapse: preserve;" /><span style="background-color: white; color: #202124; font-family: Roboto, Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 16px; font-variant-ligatures: none; letter-spacing: 0.1px; white-space-collapse: preserve;">It was a feeling so intense I even turned down a dream job in global health at a reputable hospital, the perfect next step in my career, to be home more with you and baby brother. I was tired of being the Working Mom, constantly missing you, wanting to show up 100% for my job and 100% for you, and feeling like I was failing at both. </span><br style="background-color: white; color: #202124; font-family: Roboto, Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 16px; font-variant-ligatures: none; letter-spacing: 0.1px; white-space-collapse: preserve;" /><br style="background-color: white; color: #202124; font-family: Roboto, Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 16px; font-variant-ligatures: none; letter-spacing: 0.1px; white-space-collapse: preserve;" /><span style="background-color: white; color: #202124; font-family: Roboto, Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 16px; font-variant-ligatures: none; letter-spacing: 0.1px; white-space-collapse: preserve;">Now we're home together as a family of four. I have you and M all to myself (except for Yiayia, who I am happy to share with.) I take you to the playground, to 'cookie dates' at Starbucks, to library class. With M in my arms I tuck you in for naps, help you start an art project or science experiment, make your favorite snacks. The (not so) perfect stay at home Mom. </span><br style="background-color: white; color: #202124; font-family: Roboto, Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 16px; font-variant-ligatures: none; letter-spacing: 0.1px; white-space-collapse: preserve;" /><br style="background-color: white; color: #202124; font-family: Roboto, Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 16px; font-variant-ligatures: none; letter-spacing: 0.1px; white-space-collapse: preserve;" /><span style="background-color: white; color: #202124; font-family: Roboto, Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 16px; font-variant-ligatures: none; letter-spacing: 0.1px; white-space-collapse: preserve;">But now that I've been both Moms, I see things differently. M is 9 weeks. I'm going back to work Friday. Dad will watch you guys while I spend 3 hours at my own Dad's outpatient clinic. You know I am a doctor and that I 'take care of sick babies.' You know I use a stethoscope and bring you back stickers from our nurses at clinic and the busy urgent care one town over. After getting home I trip over myself to change out of my scrubs and hold you. I'm convinced your mommy's home hugs are your best hugs ever. And this broken patriarchal society we live in, I love showing you that I, your mother, can provide for you and for my family. </span><br style="background-color: white; color: #202124; font-family: Roboto, Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 16px; font-variant-ligatures: none; letter-spacing: 0.1px; white-space-collapse: preserve;" /><br style="background-color: white; color: #202124; font-family: Roboto, Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 16px; font-variant-ligatures: none; letter-spacing: 0.1px; white-space-collapse: preserve;" /><span style="background-color: white; color: #202124; font-family: Roboto, Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 16px; font-variant-ligatures: none; letter-spacing: 0.1px; white-space-collapse: preserve;">I'm not sad I turned down the busy hospital job. 15 hour night shifts and a 0.8 FTE are sacrifices I am no longer willing to make for my career, at least not for now. I swapped the high intensity (and high paying) jobs in hospitals for lighter, more flexible work. I swapped the steady paycheck for the ability to say 'no' to work whenever I want to - something that for me feels priceless at this stage in my life. Its a little scary, but I'm thankful I even have this choice. It's a privilege I know many cannot afford. </span><br style="background-color: white; color: #202124; font-family: Roboto, Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 16px; font-variant-ligatures: none; letter-spacing: 0.1px; white-space-collapse: preserve;" /><br style="background-color: white; color: #202124; font-family: Roboto, Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 16px; font-variant-ligatures: none; letter-spacing: 0.1px; white-space-collapse: preserve;" /><span style="background-color: white; color: #202124; font-family: Roboto, Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 16px; font-variant-ligatures: none; letter-spacing: 0.1px; white-space-collapse: preserve;">I used to think that if I succeeded as a doctor I failed somewhere as a Mom, and that if I threw myself into motherhood I was failing myself in my chosen vocation. But it's just not true. </span><br style="background-color: white; color: #202124; font-family: Roboto, Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 16px; font-variant-ligatures: none; letter-spacing: 0.1px; white-space-collapse: preserve;" /><br style="background-color: white; color: #202124; font-family: Roboto, Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 16px; font-variant-ligatures: none; letter-spacing: 0.1px; white-space-collapse: preserve;" /><span style="background-color: white; color: #202124; font-family: Roboto, Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 16px; font-variant-ligatures: none; letter-spacing: 0.1px; white-space-collapse: preserve;">I realize now that it's not that I hated being a working mom. I just needed to do both, on my own terms. </span><br style="background-color: white; color: #202124; font-family: Roboto, Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 16px; font-variant-ligatures: none; letter-spacing: 0.1px; white-space-collapse: preserve;" /><br style="background-color: white; color: #202124; font-family: Roboto, Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 16px; font-variant-ligatures: none; letter-spacing: 0.1px; white-space-collapse: preserve;" /><span style="background-color: white; color: #202124; font-family: Roboto, Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 16px; font-variant-ligatures: none; letter-spacing: 0.1px; white-space-collapse: preserve;">I'm not a stay at home Mom. And I'm not a working mom. I'm just mom. </span><br style="background-color: white; color: #202124; font-family: Roboto, Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 16px; font-variant-ligatures: none; letter-spacing: 0.1px; white-space-collapse: preserve;" /><br style="background-color: white; color: #202124; font-family: Roboto, Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 16px; font-variant-ligatures: none; letter-spacing: 0.1px; white-space-collapse: preserve;" /><span style="background-color: white; color: #202124; font-family: Roboto, Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 16px; font-variant-ligatures: none; letter-spacing: 0.1px; white-space-collapse: preserve;">Love you. </span><br style="background-color: white; color: #202124; font-family: Roboto, Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 16px; font-variant-ligatures: none; letter-spacing: 0.1px; white-space-collapse: preserve;" /><br style="background-color: white; color: #202124; font-family: Roboto, Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 16px; font-variant-ligatures: none; letter-spacing: 0.1px; white-space-collapse: preserve;" /><span style="background-color: white; color: #202124; font-family: Roboto, Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 16px; font-variant-ligatures: none; letter-spacing: 0.1px; white-space-collapse: preserve;">Mommy </span><br style="background-color: white; color: #202124; font-family: Roboto, Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 16px; font-variant-ligatures: none; letter-spacing: 0.1px; white-space-collapse: preserve;" /><br style="background-color: white; color: #202124; font-family: Roboto, Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 16px; font-variant-ligatures: none; letter-spacing: 0.1px; white-space-collapse: preserve;" />Georgiahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09168378030141511010noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9186593346633923377.post-28910004869337722552023-08-24T08:02:00.002-07:002023-08-24T08:02:31.249-07:00Beating the Heat in Florida <div><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg2QPQOu9ASmcyMKydc2d9WjpUv1GHIVRS4zMH6sW8XIHFfEonQvaexPw6NHBF-Px9dFqrWikk79XS_qwIruF5QXHFd5ndoilrlNGNhUrqW3aMaviKEI-mJFibanDAxvSVr3xQ-VcysXpoSTjPKB0HBINHhKGRqGra6JUKhguTTKJ7R3R0F8byO-0pW3NM/s4080/PXL_20230427_151438991.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em; text-align: center;"><img border="0" data-original-height="4080" data-original-width="3072" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg2QPQOu9ASmcyMKydc2d9WjpUv1GHIVRS4zMH6sW8XIHFfEonQvaexPw6NHBF-Px9dFqrWikk79XS_qwIruF5QXHFd5ndoilrlNGNhUrqW3aMaviKEI-mJFibanDAxvSVr3xQ-VcysXpoSTjPKB0HBINHhKGRqGra6JUKhguTTKJ7R3R0F8byO-0pW3NM/s16000/PXL_20230427_151438991.jpg" /></a></div><div><br /></div>Summer is well under way down here, but we just started venturing out into the heat a couple of weeks ago when M turned one month old (before that, the record-breaking heat felt unsafe for a tiny newborn.) We've been getting cabin fever over here, so last week I made my first trip out the door with both kids, solo. We took a 15 minute walk to the playground nearby. And guys, I have a new found respect for moms of more than one kid (ok, I always thought parenting more than one looked hard- turns out I was right.)
It was honestly not the best trip. There were tears and challenges, but we got through it. And it was a huge relief to get out of the house. But it was HOT. July of 2023 was, frighteningly, the hottest month on record. And as I write this, South Florida has yet another extreme heat warning. <div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br /></div><br /></div><div>Extreme heat can be dangerous for anyone, but young children and infants are especially vulnerable, as they can get dehydrated quickly.
Thankfully we took a few steps to prepare so I wanted to share them here. <div><br /></div><div>
<i>We planned ahead.</i> Yes, we looked at the weather forecast. But I also wanted to be back in the house before the hottest part of the day set in, which is typically around 10 am. So we packed up and set out early. If you're not an early bird type, after 4 is typically a good time to head back outdoors. </div><div><br /></div><div><br /></div><div><i>Choose a shady spot</i>. We also chose a playground with lots of shade. Not just because it helps us stay cooler- it keeps the equipment cool as well. Heat related injuries due to extreme temperatures of outdoor equipment is on the rise. In Arizona, there have been <a href="(https://www.nbcnews.com/science/science-news/heat-wave-second-third-degree-burns-illness-heat-exhaustion-rcna95107 ">reports of hot asphalt causing burns</a>, and a surface temperature can be as low as 110 degrees Fahrenheit and cause injury. So look for playgrounds with good tree coverage or sails overhead. </div><div><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhYoRitH5VDB3ihWXJ599y-6_4iHoOlZL37loVqrh0sYpPy5sJOTiCcgc8a27DSx6V7ebksU9VVtLGJFPGtPFerV8p3_3nRSCnWogKu11nGUq4ZrT1viociViYNkUgHL9QqbV8r4Q9wqpVDKce58YiJDu0vCfDDkeYq-1qaogzoIwqrtJmBzufj2BgWq10/s4080/PXL_20230622_144934181.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="3072" data-original-width="4080" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhYoRitH5VDB3ihWXJ599y-6_4iHoOlZL37loVqrh0sYpPy5sJOTiCcgc8a27DSx6V7ebksU9VVtLGJFPGtPFerV8p3_3nRSCnWogKu11nGUq4ZrT1viociViYNkUgHL9QqbV8r4Q9wqpVDKce58YiJDu0vCfDDkeYq-1qaogzoIwqrtJmBzufj2BgWq10/s16000/PXL_20230622_144934181.jpg" /></a></div><br /><div><br /></div><div><br /></div><div><i>Water</i>. Make sure everyone's drinking! Our bodies produce sweat to help us keep cool, so it's important to replenish that. But it's not the only way water can keep us cool. We brought cooling towels that can be thrown around your neck or head to cool your body down, and of course parks with splash pads and other forms of water play are great this time of year. </div><div><br /></div><div><i>Check in with your kids</i>. They may need reminders to pause and drink some water, take a break to rest or have a snack. Signs of heat illness can be subtle, and it can come on quickly- anyone experiencing fatigue, exhaustion, headache, or any change in mental status, needs to get indoors and cool down immediately. Other signs to look for include nausea, vomiting, muscle cramps, and dizziness. And if extreme heat is being reported, consider a trip somewhere indoors. We love the pool and the local library, and the indoor play space at our local mall is another spot we can get some energy out while staying cool. </div><div><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjza0fAcy7tT5pLI4vIhOYd1HBPmmMYt8iCmxJktcjRGrNP8KOcQEvr3qNw2Z5s9B0XnVwBkdwDkEjXoHwlfKtFK29cLBD9F3QZugVOW_PpsnncjBoe5O2DWCFC1Pl9kV2UQQCUUGmdd6gHlPZZcfoM8-_I4p0619EqS-j9qnGT8Se9R47dbSeeQj_hHjk/s4080/PXL_20230727_144110570.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="4080" data-original-width="3072" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjza0fAcy7tT5pLI4vIhOYd1HBPmmMYt8iCmxJktcjRGrNP8KOcQEvr3qNw2Z5s9B0XnVwBkdwDkEjXoHwlfKtFK29cLBD9F3QZugVOW_PpsnncjBoe5O2DWCFC1Pl9kV2UQQCUUGmdd6gHlPZZcfoM8-_I4p0619EqS-j9qnGT8Se9R47dbSeeQj_hHjk/s16000/PXL_20230727_144110570.jpg" /></a></div><br /><div><br /></div><div><br /></div><div>Honestly, it feels a bit sad to have to write a post like this. To see the extremes of weather we've seen in so many parts of the world is scary, and with many climate deniers and down-players in positions of power and authority, it can feel discouraging, especially as a parent with young kids who will grow up in a world where these kinds of weather events will be commonplace. If anything, becoming a parent has made me even more passionate about protecting the Earth for future generations, and these kids have shown us they're not letting us go down without a fight- <a href="https://theconversation.com/montana-kids-win-historic-climate-lawsuit-heres-why-it-could-set-a-powerful-precedent-207907"><br />these teens in Montana</a> have given me hope that together we can make a difference. In the meantime, stay cool out there. </div></div>Georgiahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09168378030141511010noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9186593346633923377.post-49094828652317256302023-06-12T07:20:00.015-07:002023-06-12T07:20:00.155-07:00Baby Registry: 9 things we would (and wouldn't) buy again<p><span style="font-family: Arial; font-size: 11pt; white-space-collapse: preserve;"></span></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: Arial; font-size: 11pt; text-align: left; white-space-collapse: preserve;">The first baby’s arrival is always an exciting, emotional, chaotic time. It also happens to be a time when even the most minimalist parent finds themselves buying a ton of stuff. Odds are, if you are going from a child-free life to one with kids, especially a newborn or infant, you will need at least a few things to get you going. </span></div><span id="docs-internal-guid-fbafacf0-7fff-cb2f-9d7e-d1d1af812006"><p dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><span style="font-family: Arial; font-size: 11pt; font-variant-alternates: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space-collapse: preserve;">That being said, if you spend any amount of time on social media you’ll quickly be convinced you need all. The. things. Mail in developmentally appropriate play kits. Matching first foods kit. Matching pajamas for Christmas and every holiday in between. And don’t get me wrong, I think it’s nice to treat yourself every now and then to something to make your life easier, or just because you want it- but a quick scroll on instagram shows how out of hand this whole thing really has gotten. A </span><a href="https://www.theguardian.com/lifeandstyle/2023/feb/22/the-sudden-dawn-of-the-deinfluencer-can-online-superstars-stop-us-shopping" style="text-decoration-line: none;"><span style="color: #1155cc; font-family: Arial; font-size: 11pt; font-variant-alternates: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; text-decoration-line: underline; text-decoration-skip-ink: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space-collapse: preserve;">quick read</span></a><span style="font-family: Arial; font-size: 11pt; font-variant-alternates: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space-collapse: preserve;"> from the guardian can show you how something that started out as a low-waste initiative, the reusable cup, quickly became a greenwashed social media marketing campaign as companies fight to keep people buying more and more stuff. </span></p><br /><p dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><span style="font-family: Arial; font-size: 11pt; font-variant-alternates: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space-collapse: preserve;">Before things get to ranty, I’ll go ahead and share my list- it’s certainly not groundbreaking or the end-all be-all by any means, but here are 3 things we registered for and are very happy with, 3 things we wish we purchased but didn’t, and 3 items we bought that I’d probably leave off our registry if I had to do it again- here goes!</span></p><br /><p dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><span style="font-family: Arial; font-size: 11pt; font-style: italic; font-variant-alternates: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space-collapse: preserve;">Items we’re so glad we registered for: </span></p><br /><p dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><span style="font-family: Arial; font-size: 11pt; font-style: italic; font-variant-alternates: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space-collapse: preserve;">Baby monitor</span><span style="font-family: Arial; font-size: 11pt; font-variant-alternates: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space-collapse: preserve;">: This was my husband’s pick. It seems like a no brainer, but in his own words, ‘we traveled a lot [and it worked well in] a lot of different sleep settings’ It helped us both for safety purposes, for sleep training, and for our own entertainment (watching her sing to herself- so cute!) To be fair, if you’re in a small space or sleeping one room over, you may not need one, but both of our permanent home situations with E we’ve been separated, either by a floor or by the rest of the living space. We actually still use it now (she tells us when she has to use the potty at night through the speaker.) </span><a href="https://us.eufy.com/products/t83001d2?ref=navimenu_5_2_1_img" style="text-decoration-line: none;"><span style="color: #1155cc; font-family: Arial; font-size: 11pt; font-variant-alternates: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; text-decoration-line: underline; text-decoration-skip-ink: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space-collapse: preserve;">This is the one we were gifted</span></a><span style="font-family: Arial; font-size: 11pt; font-variant-alternates: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space-collapse: preserve;">, and we’re probably just going to add a second camera when our baby boy arrives :)</span></p><br /><p dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><span style="font-family: Arial; font-size: 11pt; font-style: italic; font-variant-alternates: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space-collapse: preserve;">Nose Frida and thermometer</span><span style="font-family: Arial; font-size: 11pt; font-variant-alternates: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space-collapse: preserve;">: this is 100% biased by me being a pediatrician, and maybe I’d just purchase it for myself, but this is something you definitely want to have when you walk through the front door with your newborn. I have counseled hundreds of parents before they take their newborn home, and seen dozens of newborns in the ER for both colds and fevers. I tell every parent the same thing: you need to have a thermometer that can check a rectal temperature, and you need a nasal aspirator for your baby’s first cold. The first because fever in a newborn can be the only sign of a serious bacterial infection, a true emergency in the first few months of life. The second because the nasal passageways are tiny and even a small amount of congestion can make breathing difficult for a young infant. Newborns are also more prone to a cold traveling to the lungs and causing bronchiolitis. These two items can be crucial to recognizing a serious bacterial infection and also helping your child through respiratory infections at home, before things get too serious.</span></p><br /><p dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><span style="font-family: Arial; font-size: 11pt; font-style: italic; font-variant-alternates: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space-collapse: preserve;">Carrier</span><span style="font-family: Arial; font-size: 11pt; font-variant-alternates: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space-collapse: preserve;">: I have to say, before we had E, we registered for 2 carriers (both Sakura brand) and were gifted 2-3 secondhand ones. I 110% am SO thankful for this, but I also sort of wish we had done more research on the type of carrier that would work best for us. I returned the wrap carrier pretty quickly because I was feeling overwhelmed and unsure how to make it work for us, but many people love them! I probably will stick to our core 2 carriers this time around (</span><a href="https://sakurabloom.com/" style="text-decoration-line: none;"><span style="color: #1155cc; font-family: Arial; font-size: 11pt; font-variant-alternates: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; text-decoration-line: underline; text-decoration-skip-ink: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space-collapse: preserve;">the Sakura Scout and Ring Sling</span></a><span style="font-family: Arial; font-size: 11pt; font-variant-alternates: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space-collapse: preserve;">,) but I’m also going to learn how to get more use out of the ring sling, which I ended up loving when E was just at the top of the weight limit for that carrier. This is definitely an area where a little research will get you far! </span></p><p dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><span style="font-family: Arial; font-size: 11pt; font-variant-alternates: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space-collapse: preserve;"><br /></span></p><p dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgFbnzWUB26QaD989tud-YPMy2mJdAx6iz7mYuGmrFJ1uq9AcDh8wPcZZ_eOSPop-B_jXL0rB7bXymSJg3nf_ev0029JFFwTXdUJmbfKsV9VaxMG4KyK4c9gMb20dXJ0n9EOr8AnsUS-MCnSaIa0VDJW9WzQ4jB1ax5X_dM3X-Jkcgzww-KYq3ypYAi/s4032/PXL_20210111_225728597.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="4032" data-original-width="3024" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgFbnzWUB26QaD989tud-YPMy2mJdAx6iz7mYuGmrFJ1uq9AcDh8wPcZZ_eOSPop-B_jXL0rB7bXymSJg3nf_ev0029JFFwTXdUJmbfKsV9VaxMG4KyK4c9gMb20dXJ0n9EOr8AnsUS-MCnSaIa0VDJW9WzQ4jB1ax5X_dM3X-Jkcgzww-KYq3ypYAi/s16000/PXL_20210111_225728597.jpg" /></a></div><br /><span style="font-family: Arial; font-size: 11pt; font-variant-alternates: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space-collapse: preserve;"><br /></span><p></p><br /><p dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><span style="font-family: Arial; font-size: 11pt; font-style: italic; font-variant-alternates: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space-collapse: preserve;">Items we wish we registered for but didn’t: </span></p><br /><p dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><span style="font-family: Arial; font-size: 11pt; font-style: italic; font-variant-alternates: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space-collapse: preserve;">White noise machine</span><span style="font-family: Arial; font-size: 11pt; font-variant-alternates: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space-collapse: preserve;">: A minimalist at heart, I tend to shy away from items that really only serve a single purpose, so we left this one off our registry. Within the first two months my parents bought us one and I’m so glad they did- we tried out youtube clips and even a static-y radio and nothing was working. But pretty much everyone and their Mom told us we needed a white noise machine and when my parents got us one, it was a life changer when it came to E’s sleep. I can’t even find the model online right now, but </span><a href="https://www.nytimes.com/wirecutter/reviews/best-white-noise-machine/" style="text-decoration-line: none;"><span style="color: #1155cc; font-family: Arial; font-size: 11pt; font-variant-alternates: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; text-decoration-line: underline; text-decoration-skip-ink: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space-collapse: preserve;">this list</span></a><span style="font-family: Arial; font-size: 11pt; font-variant-alternates: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space-collapse: preserve;"> should be a good place to start.</span></p><br /><p dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><span style="font-family: Arial; font-size: 11pt; font-style: italic; font-variant-alternates: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space-collapse: preserve;">Baby bouncer/lounger</span><span style="font-family: Arial; font-size: 11pt; font-variant-alternates: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space-collapse: preserve;">: I don’t even know why we didn’t originally register for a baby bouncer- it just didn’t cross my mind, I guess…my sister actually surprised me with one from Fisher Price and we ended up using it everywhere at a certain point - when one of us had to shower, cook a meal, or put E down for a Zoom class or meeting, the bouncer was absolutely essential to freeing up our hands to get a bit of work done (and she love it!) </span></p><p dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><span style="font-family: Arial; font-size: 11pt; font-variant-alternates: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space-collapse: preserve;"><br /></span></p><p dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh4L0jAd3Dv6QobPXQ33Qw9-WRbRlIFVOcxpGvi5jjvJRSWDCYpLwN70ivP6RbIEcL0nYAHiTuhm1LSgab40an-BjpdO61ATdLZS6Vfa3Kc7yK1flhgvT3G9CzDz_EIXouJIG_zTckE39SK4AV70c7A1cy4JckfqxtcnBPmHe9o1VlultXow8KIqU58/s4032/IMG_5720.heic" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="4032" data-original-width="3024" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh4L0jAd3Dv6QobPXQ33Qw9-WRbRlIFVOcxpGvi5jjvJRSWDCYpLwN70ivP6RbIEcL0nYAHiTuhm1LSgab40an-BjpdO61ATdLZS6Vfa3Kc7yK1flhgvT3G9CzDz_EIXouJIG_zTckE39SK4AV70c7A1cy4JckfqxtcnBPmHe9o1VlultXow8KIqU58/s16000/IMG_5720.heic" /></a></div><br /><span style="font-family: Arial; font-size: 11pt; font-variant-alternates: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space-collapse: preserve;"><br /></span><span style="font-family: Arial; font-size: 11pt; font-variant-alternates: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space-collapse: preserve;"><br /></span><span style="font-family: Arial; font-size: 11pt; font-variant-alternates: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space-collapse: preserve;">The </span><a href="https://www.babybjorn.com/products/baby-bouncers/bouncer-bliss/?gclid=CjwKCAjw0ZiiBhBKEiwA4PT9zytDlKQU6HYtVVQH_nAmexDcZ4q5NUshHsiAHDhthlj-9sPQGRoTIBoC0-sQAvD_BwE" style="text-decoration-line: none;"><span style="color: #1155cc; font-family: Arial; font-size: 11pt; font-variant-alternates: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; text-decoration-line: underline; text-decoration-skip-ink: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space-collapse: preserve;">babybjorn bouncer</span></a><span style="font-family: Arial; font-size: 11pt; font-variant-alternates: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space-collapse: preserve;"> was extremely popular among parents in our area (I actually bought and re-sold one secondhand in a span of months!) but you’ll do just as fine with one of the fisher price ones (or any other brand), which can just as easily be found at target as they can on facebook marketplace.</span><p></p><br /><p dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><span style="font-family: Arial; font-size: 11pt; font-style: italic; font-variant-alternates: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space-collapse: preserve;">Breastfeeding Supplies/milk collectors</span><span style="font-family: Arial; font-size: 11pt; font-variant-alternates: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space-collapse: preserve;">: For parents that plan to breastfeed, the </span><a href="https://www.haakaa.co.nz/blogs/blog/why-you-should-haakaa#:~:text=The%20Haakaa%20breast%20pump%20helps%20you%20collect%20both%20foremilk%20and%20rich%20hindmilk." style="text-decoration-line: none;"><span style="color: #1155cc; font-family: Arial; font-size: 11pt; font-variant-alternates: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; text-decoration-line: underline; text-decoration-skip-ink: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space-collapse: preserve;">haakaa</span></a><span style="font-family: Arial; font-size: 11pt; font-variant-alternates: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space-collapse: preserve;"> and similar </span><a href="https://haakaausa.com/products/haakaa-silicone-milk-collector-1-pk?variant=35554460041365" style="text-decoration-line: none;"><span style="color: #1155cc; font-family: Arial; font-size: 11pt; font-variant-alternates: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; text-decoration-line: underline; text-decoration-skip-ink: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space-collapse: preserve;">milk collectors</span></a><span style="font-family: Arial; font-size: 11pt; font-variant-alternates: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space-collapse: preserve;"> are both phenomenal for adding a little extra milk to your supply. I actually think I registered for the haakaa, but left off the milk collectors. One tip: when using the haakaa, don’t use excessive suction, as it can push you into over-supply, which then makes you more prone to discomfort, clogged ducts and potentially mastitis.</span></p><br /><p dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><span style="font-family: Arial; font-size: 11pt; font-variant-alternates: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space-collapse: preserve;">In addition, there’s about a dozen or so different breastfeeding related items that will make your life so much easier if you plan to nurse your baby. I used these </span><a href="https://bamboobies.com/collections/washable-nursing-pads" style="text-decoration-line: none;"><span style="color: #1155cc; font-family: Arial; font-size: 11pt; font-variant-alternates: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; text-decoration-line: underline; text-decoration-skip-ink: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space-collapse: preserve;">bamboo pads</span></a><span style="font-family: Arial; font-size: 11pt; font-variant-alternates: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space-collapse: preserve;"> instead of single use ones, and I joke that I should have bought stock in Lansinoh because I used so many tubes of nipple cream those first three months. This time around our list also includes </span><a href="https://www.legendairymilk.com/products/silicone-breakmilk-storage-bag?currency=USD&variant=39429967347847&utm_medium=cpc&utm_source=google&utm_campaign=Google%20Shopping&gclid=CjwKCAjw0ZiiBhBKEiwA4PT9z160ErAyXEOz-DYtR-k2bFkuIMplSxOCAn8_YJuLesE7THuw0ymm0BoCX90QAvD_BwE" style="text-decoration-line: none;"><span style="color: #1155cc; font-family: Arial; font-size: 11pt; font-variant-alternates: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; text-decoration-line: underline; text-decoration-skip-ink: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space-collapse: preserve;">silicone milk storage bags</span></a><span style="font-family: Arial; font-size: 11pt; font-variant-alternates: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space-collapse: preserve;"> and </span><a href="https://www.usa.philips.com/c-p/SCY913_04/glass-natural-baby-bottle?utm_id=71700000066107125&origin=7_700000001596682_71700000066107125_58700005828570349_43700053251159956&gad=1&gclid=CjwKCAjw0ZiiBhBKEiwA4PT9z2Qxa3t9vo9l4N322fFXtCu-Mi3Inc4VRhCVf5HvDz0uKhzvoFgh6xoCS9AQAvD_BwE&gclsrc=aw.ds" style="text-decoration-line: none;"><span style="color: #1155cc; font-family: Arial; font-size: 11pt; font-variant-alternates: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; text-decoration-line: underline; text-decoration-skip-ink: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space-collapse: preserve;">glass bottles</span></a><span style="font-family: Arial; font-size: 11pt; font-variant-alternates: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space-collapse: preserve;">, since we are trying to move away from plastic.</span></p><br /><p dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><span style="font-family: Arial; font-size: 11pt; font-variant-alternates: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space-collapse: preserve;">Items we wouldn’t register for/purchase this time around</span></p><br /><p dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><span style="font-family: Arial; font-size: 11pt; font-style: italic; font-variant-alternates: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space-collapse: preserve;">Clothes</span><span style="font-family: Arial; font-size: 11pt; font-variant-alternates: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space-collapse: preserve;">: this one may come as a surprise, but I actually feel pretty strongly about it- the reason is twofold. First, babies grow so fast that the secondhand market is incredible- you can get gently used baby clothes from 0-12/24 months for a really good deal, both online and in person. And secondly, no matter what you register for, </span><span style="font-family: Arial; font-size: 11pt; font-style: italic; font-variant-alternates: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space-collapse: preserve;">some people are just going to buy you baby clothes anyways</span><span style="font-family: Arial; font-size: 11pt; font-variant-alternates: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space-collapse: preserve;">. This happened to us a lot- it really surprised me! But honestly, thinking back to before I had kids, one of my favorite things to do when a friend had a new baby was buy them an adorable new outfit (honestly, I still find this hard to resist.) </span></p><br /><p dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><span style="font-family: Arial; font-size: 11pt; font-style: italic; font-variant-alternates: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space-collapse: preserve;">Receiving Blankets</span><span style="font-family: Arial; font-size: 11pt; font-variant-alternates: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space-collapse: preserve;">: As for receiving blankets, they’re cute, and beautiful to look at- but their use is a bit limited. I think we ended up with 4, and were gifted 3 additional handmade ones (all of which are beautiful, and my daughter still plays with them!) But we quickly switched from blankets to velcro swaddles (specifically </span><a href="https://theollieworld.com/products/single-swaddle" style="text-decoration-line: none;"><span style="color: #1155cc; font-family: Arial; font-size: 11pt; font-variant-alternates: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; text-decoration-line: underline; text-decoration-skip-ink: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space-collapse: preserve;">this one</span></a><span style="font-family: Arial; font-size: 11pt; font-variant-alternates: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space-collapse: preserve;">, which is worth the money, IMO, since it is incredibly easy to use and will get you through 0-6 months of age!) In the future I’d register for 1, maybe 2, as you can use them as floor mats and photo backdrops- but take it from someone who spends all day in newborn nurseries swaddling and unswaddling babies- the velcro ones are much better. </span></p><div><span><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEieAmWEdHnQHADq_ut_NqLEs8vnYZ5Jk7R4ug-byTleA0O-1moo3-G6EtB-g-wVBAbCyaeo_cCAcyicDPoLz8m634JXknWwer7Ifz9KRgrJ9mmciI2obg2L0R-zdy5b18nRvSGLL3AFRDXCQpYLbKsudpRszWR03OF6qkKC9Go4TldL0pLXLuFGxEBN/s4032/PXL_20201211_182144656.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="3024" data-original-width="4032" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEieAmWEdHnQHADq_ut_NqLEs8vnYZ5Jk7R4ug-byTleA0O-1moo3-G6EtB-g-wVBAbCyaeo_cCAcyicDPoLz8m634JXknWwer7Ifz9KRgrJ9mmciI2obg2L0R-zdy5b18nRvSGLL3AFRDXCQpYLbKsudpRszWR03OF6qkKC9Go4TldL0pLXLuFGxEBN/s16000/PXL_20201211_182144656.jpg" /></a></div><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br /></div></div></span></div><br /><p dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><span style="font-family: Arial; font-size: 11pt; font-style: italic; font-variant-alternates: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space-collapse: preserve;">Bassinet</span><span style="font-family: Arial; font-size: 11pt; font-variant-alternates: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space-collapse: preserve;">: Ok, this one honestly pains me to write. Let me start by saying I loved </span><a href="https://www.designdua.com/?gclid=CjwKCAjw0ZiiBhBKEiwA4PT9zzNZt2rhQIlRF7PJ6I3ZIwvc4QJ6P4KCycdkjtaZ0qZ2ldtPpIQ78BoCu18QAvD_BwE" style="text-decoration-line: none;"><span style="color: #1155cc; font-family: Arial; font-size: 11pt; font-variant-alternates: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; text-decoration-line: underline; text-decoration-skip-ink: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space-collapse: preserve;">our bassinet</span></a><span style="font-family: Arial; font-size: 11pt; font-variant-alternates: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space-collapse: preserve;">. It was an incredibly generous gift from my core group of friends. I couldn’t bear to sell it, even when it didn’t make much sense packing it in the move, and we will still use it with baby #2. And then keep it forever and repurpose it as storage or something else because it’s too pretty to look at and I can’t bear to even give it away. </span></p><br /><p dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><span style="font-family: Arial; font-size: 11pt; font-variant-alternates: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space-collapse: preserve;">But. </span></p><br /><p dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><span style="font-family: Arial; font-size: 11pt; font-variant-alternates: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space-collapse: preserve;">Many babies outgrow bassinets </span><span style="font-family: Arial; font-size: 11pt; font-style: italic; font-variant-alternates: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space-collapse: preserve;">fast</span><span style="font-family: Arial; font-size: 11pt; font-variant-alternates: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space-collapse: preserve;">. Some within weeks! And in the life span of baby products, the amount of time that a bassinet is usable and useful is incredibly short. You will do just as well starting them right off the bat in a crib or pack and play. For parents who plan to breastfeed, there are ones with an (FDA approved) drop-down side to easily access your infant for feeding. As much as I love our sweet little moses basket, I don’t think I would register for it the second time around. </span></p><br /><p dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><span style="font-family: Arial; font-size: 11pt; font-variant-alternates: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space-collapse: preserve;">Other things to consider:</span></p><br /><p dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><span style="font-family: Arial; font-size: 11pt; font-style: italic; font-variant-alternates: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space-collapse: preserve;">Have a variety of price points</span><span style="font-family: Arial; font-size: 11pt; font-variant-alternates: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space-collapse: preserve;">. The people who want to gift you something to celebrate the baby may surprise you! Especially for the first baby, people will want to contribute in some way, big or small. It’s nice to have items from a few different price points so that everyone who wants to gift you something can participate, without feeling the pressure to spend a lot of money.</span></p><br /><p dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><span style="font-family: Arial; font-size: 11pt; font-style: italic; font-variant-alternates: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space-collapse: preserve;">Think about how far ahead you want to look.</span><span style="font-family: Arial; font-size: 11pt; font-variant-alternates: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space-collapse: preserve;"> At first we thought maybe we’d only register for items we’d need for the first 6 months, but the first year of a baby’s life can really add up cost-wise, if you’re not careful. While feeding that tiny newborn solids may </span><span style="font-family: Arial; font-size: 11pt; font-style: italic; font-variant-alternates: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space-collapse: preserve;">seem </span><span style="font-family: Arial; font-size: 11pt; font-variant-alternates: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space-collapse: preserve;">far away, it sneaks up on you. Consider throwing in your high chair and feeding supplies, or that push walker- you’ll be using them before you know it! Also, registries like, Amazon, Target and Babylist will often offer a one-time ‘completion discount’ close to your due date on whatever you register for- so it makes sense to stock up on any items you may need through the first year.</span></p><br /><p dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><span style="font-family: Arial; font-size: 11pt; font-style: italic; font-variant-alternates: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space-collapse: preserve;">Consider some non-tangibles, too.</span><span style="font-family: Arial; font-size: 11pt; font-variant-alternates: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space-collapse: preserve;"> Far and away some of the most helpful things I can think of in the newborn period were the meals people sent to us (I still dream about the chicken cacciatore my sister made for my first meal home from the hospital!) and the endless loads of laundry my mother helped with when I was recovering from my c-section. It’s ok to ask for these types of contributions, whether its a door dash gift card, a laundry/cleaning service, or even donations to a college fund (it’s never too early to start saving :)) </span></p><br /><p dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><span style="font-family: Arial; font-size: 11pt; font-variant-alternates: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space-collapse: preserve;">Secondhand Alternatives to purchase baby gear: Lastly, I wanted to end with a list of places you can purchase items secondhand. Not to sound like a broken record, but the first two years your baby grows </span><span style="font-family: Arial; font-size: 11pt; font-style: italic; font-variant-alternates: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space-collapse: preserve;">so fast, </span><span style="font-family: Arial; font-size: 11pt; font-variant-alternates: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space-collapse: preserve;">some items you’ll use for just a few short months before moving on to the next size or toy or model. It’s ok if every single item you use for your baby isn’t brand new. Plus, if no one else in your family or circle is having kids any time soon, if you’re anything like me you may be eager to de-clutter some items once your child has outgrown them.</span></p><br /><p dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><span style="font-family: Arial; font-size: 11pt; font-style: italic; font-variant-alternates: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space-collapse: preserve;">Buy Nothing Groups</span><span style="font-family: Arial; font-size: 11pt; font-variant-alternates: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space-collapse: preserve;">. I will forever sing the praises of Buy Nothing Groups. I’ve received and gifted so much baby stuff in these spaces. People’s generosity will really amaze you, and it builds community as well. </span></p><br /><p dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><span style="font-family: Arial; font-size: 11pt; font-style: italic; font-variant-alternates: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space-collapse: preserve;">In person secondhand stores</span><span style="font-family: Arial; font-size: 11pt; font-variant-alternates: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space-collapse: preserve;">. Check your local google maps for consignment shops focused on kids- in addition to local spots, we like </span><a href="https://kidtokid.com/stores/" style="text-decoration-line: none;"><span style="color: #1155cc; font-family: Arial; font-size: 11pt; font-variant-alternates: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; text-decoration-line: underline; text-decoration-skip-ink: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space-collapse: preserve;">Kid2Kid</span></a><span style="font-family: Arial; font-size: 11pt; font-variant-alternates: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space-collapse: preserve;"> and </span><a href="https://www.onceuponachild.com/" style="text-decoration-line: none;"><span style="color: #1155cc; font-family: Arial; font-size: 11pt; font-variant-alternates: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; text-decoration-line: underline; text-decoration-skip-ink: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space-collapse: preserve;">Once Upon a Child</span></a><span style="font-family: Arial; font-size: 11pt; font-variant-alternates: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space-collapse: preserve;">.</span></p><br /><p dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><span style="font-family: Arial; font-size: 11pt; font-style: italic; font-variant-alternates: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space-collapse: preserve;">Facebook Marketplace</span><span style="font-family: Arial; font-size: 11pt; font-variant-alternates: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space-collapse: preserve;">. I haven’t ventured into this space as much down in Florida, mainly because the local Boston parent BST groups were so well moderated and many of the ones down here are just a bit messier. But if you’re looking for something specific or too large to practically ship (like a jogging stroller, or a particular brand of clothing,) these can be a great option.</span></p><br /><p dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><span style="font-family: Arial; font-size: 11pt; font-style: italic; font-variant-alternates: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space-collapse: preserve;">Other Online Markets</span><span style="font-family: Arial; font-size: 11pt; font-variant-alternates: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space-collapse: preserve;">. </span><a href="https://www.kidizen.com/" style="text-decoration-line: none;"><span style="color: #1155cc; font-family: Arial; font-size: 11pt; font-variant-alternates: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; text-decoration-line: underline; text-decoration-skip-ink: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space-collapse: preserve;">Kidizen</span></a><span style="font-family: Arial; font-size: 11pt; font-variant-alternates: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space-collapse: preserve;"> is probably my favorite and where I’ve had most success finding baby items, but Poshmark, Thredup and Goodbuygear are some other great options. </span></p><br /><p dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><span style="font-family: Arial; font-size: 11pt; font-variant-alternates: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space-collapse: preserve;">That’s all I’ve got! Anything I missed? What would you add or take away from your registry for baby #2?</span></p></span>Georgiahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09168378030141511010noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9186593346633923377.post-89388786413540230582023-06-07T07:19:00.003-07:002023-06-07T07:19:52.938-07:00Cloth Diapering, Part 2: Choosing your cloth diaper<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><span id="docs-internal-guid-88ab75f5-7fff-7595-e99f-8e17583436f1"><p dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><span style="font-family: Arial; font-size: 11pt; font-variant-alternates: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space-collapse: preserve;"></span></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/a/AVvXsEgqdplZXvaJFUjB2zK5KkJJRLITCsx_YXLv_52ZNRwemLIteX7542rjRAE2XXtLYowfzhCLpP5-8XdWq1O8G-wsKFgZx0lSlREwE-Shpjp3JRnF5fGd-3elyoiOQSId5vWZzvILsxLMZ5zDGaTqy2tkYYgQefyZ4y_A0EiTSIsL-5kxzvRVxy1yzVId" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img alt="" data-original-height="854" data-original-width="641" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/a/AVvXsEgqdplZXvaJFUjB2zK5KkJJRLITCsx_YXLv_52ZNRwemLIteX7542rjRAE2XXtLYowfzhCLpP5-8XdWq1O8G-wsKFgZx0lSlREwE-Shpjp3JRnF5fGd-3elyoiOQSId5vWZzvILsxLMZ5zDGaTqy2tkYYgQefyZ4y_A0EiTSIsL-5kxzvRVxy1yzVId=s16000" /></a></div><br /><br /></span><p></p><p dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><span style="font-family: Arial; font-size: 11pt; font-variant-alternates: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space-collapse: preserve;">Hi Again! </span></p><br /><p dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><span style="font-family: Arial; font-size: 11pt; font-variant-alternates: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space-collapse: preserve;">Today we’re going to be discussing types of cloth diapers- this is a great post for the parents who want to cloth diaper, but don’t really know where to start and which type of diaper they’re looking for. While we haven’t used every single type of diaper, we have tried quite a few brands at this point, and I have some pretty strong feelings about a few of them. Like so many aspects of parenting, this really isn’t a one size fits all choice- what works well for us may not be your cup of tea! </span></p><br /><p dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><span style="font-family: Arial; font-size: 11pt; font-variant-alternates: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space-collapse: preserve;">Lastly, this list goes from least complex → most complex in terms of systems. In this case, least complex means most basic, so prefolds are technically the simplest system but require the most ‘effort’ on a caregiver to learn folding, proper pinning, etc. While more complex systems, once you can master them, at least theoretically, put the least effort on parents. I’ll do my best to describe all the options and will link a few of our favorite resources at the end. As always I love both questions and comments/outside opinions, so please let me know your thoughts below! </span></p><br /><p dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><span style="font-family: Arial; font-size: 11pt; font-variant-alternates: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; font-weight: 700; vertical-align: baseline; white-space-collapse: preserve;">Prefolds</span><span style="font-family: Arial; font-size: 11pt; font-variant-alternates: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space-collapse: preserve;">. These are exactly what they sound like- a rectangular cloth that must be folded and pinned onto your child, either with clothespins, or more commonly with a t-piece. The cloth will absorb the pee and poo, but these diapers do need a waterproof covering, with wool, fleece or synthetic materials. While the cloth itself gets washed with each use, the cover can typically go through a few changes unless it gets soiled. They are typically the most affordable of the diaper systems. </span></p><br /><p dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><span style="font-family: Arial; font-size: 11pt; font-variant-alternates: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space-collapse: preserve;">We have never used these types of diapers personally. I don’t have a photo of them, but </span><a href="https://shop.diaperlab.com/cloth-diapers/prefolds/" style="text-decoration-line: none;"><span style="color: #1155cc; font-family: Arial; font-size: 11pt; font-variant-alternates: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; text-decoration-line: underline; text-decoration-skip-ink: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space-collapse: preserve;">here is a link</span></a><span style="font-family: Arial; font-size: 11pt; font-variant-alternates: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space-collapse: preserve;"> to what they look like. At the time that we were switching to cloth diapers with our first child, we were also brand new parents and feeling overwhelmed, so we opted for more user-friendly systems. That being said, I know two or three families who used and loved this style of diaper. </span></p><br /><p dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><span style="font-family: Arial; font-size: 11pt; font-variant-alternates: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; font-weight: 700; vertical-align: baseline; white-space-collapse: preserve;">Fitted diapers.</span><span style="font-family: Arial; font-size: 11pt; font-variant-alternates: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space-collapse: preserve;"> These are similar to prefolds, in that it’s essentially just a cloth, but this one has elastic around the waist and legs and snaps so it is fitted around the baby’s body without any folding, pins or t-piece. It also requires a waterproof diaper cover. We used these during the newborn phase- the brand we used is called Luladew and they rarely leaked, we loved them! Another popular brand that has gained a lot of attention on social media is Esembly. I haven’t tried them, mostly because I think there’s a trend tax going on and they’re not the best value for your money, but they certainly look very cute.</span></p><p dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><span style="font-family: Arial; font-size: 11pt; font-variant-alternates: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space-collapse: preserve;"><br /></span></p><p dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiFmozLWLUdIvZLuARrRqCHSiMDhSUzlA4BMg31LMODEMKpBzbykP3xXouo4TpklGf5DtGqFv4CYE6MqBLoqkB-_IDV8VD9xprKU_9vLM-B4hVu8wUkvOWuIDOLurfMgBM7sdxOjifv_Ox_uHz3dHvY2Robx4NBcMAH2zbxw-rJPMpMKrXawff97-fS/s4080/PXL_20230607_115907049.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="3072" data-original-width="4080" height="241" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiFmozLWLUdIvZLuARrRqCHSiMDhSUzlA4BMg31LMODEMKpBzbykP3xXouo4TpklGf5DtGqFv4CYE6MqBLoqkB-_IDV8VD9xprKU_9vLM-B4hVu8wUkvOWuIDOLurfMgBM7sdxOjifv_Ox_uHz3dHvY2Robx4NBcMAH2zbxw-rJPMpMKrXawff97-fS/s320/PXL_20230607_115907049.jpg" width="320" /></a></div><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhpyrNz0dC-LAIWe18MoYBSMtRqiIs_7a4XDNQ1Q5s67ddV0TsYsvRNIBKml5V5gocMQjFgBq9MjdqF5u-upav4oS5cQxCYqE1Tsxu10UdgP6E9CdQJfgjy_-kC9ZPUToiUFlrYzBrdIll92Vtpt9m70XEHSaWPYBLAhXkjSm2OtHhJ5d0cXPYWfLUc/s4080/PXL_20230607_115920478.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="3072" data-original-width="4080" height="241" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhpyrNz0dC-LAIWe18MoYBSMtRqiIs_7a4XDNQ1Q5s67ddV0TsYsvRNIBKml5V5gocMQjFgBq9MjdqF5u-upav4oS5cQxCYqE1Tsxu10UdgP6E9CdQJfgjy_-kC9ZPUToiUFlrYzBrdIll92Vtpt9m70XEHSaWPYBLAhXkjSm2OtHhJ5d0cXPYWfLUc/s320/PXL_20230607_115920478.jpg" width="320" /></a></div><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg1kkbPF5QO943pJfwkj_bXu8c9eFSiT6ZdiHJ5Lp5pKtW34MQ568d6KBirB4DR19AQ0JzHOm2zjGhRrJ3TuAVXLnJZsfRWVRfI242G10bohix3SUpu3Y2x8S6uLm5hx0ca7G9UannTX9xFmq5yf6TD6KDmmMq3UIZ2jbhV_4MjzwWUId8YJAdTsyqr/s4080/PXL_20230607_120134277.MP.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="3072" data-original-width="4080" height="241" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg1kkbPF5QO943pJfwkj_bXu8c9eFSiT6ZdiHJ5Lp5pKtW34MQ568d6KBirB4DR19AQ0JzHOm2zjGhRrJ3TuAVXLnJZsfRWVRfI242G10bohix3SUpu3Y2x8S6uLm5hx0ca7G9UannTX9xFmq5yf6TD6KDmmMq3UIZ2jbhV_4MjzwWUId8YJAdTsyqr/s320/PXL_20230607_120134277.MP.jpg" width="320" /></a></div><p></p><p dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><br /></p><p dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><span style="font-family: Arial; font-size: 11pt; font-variant-alternates: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; font-weight: 700; vertical-align: baseline; white-space-collapse: preserve;">Pocket diaper.</span><span style="font-family: Arial; font-size: 11pt; font-variant-alternates: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space-collapse: preserve;"> in this system, there is a waterproof cover/outside, a microfleece/fabric interior that goes up against the skin, and a ‘pocket’ between the two. They have the same snaps and elastic as the diaper covers described above, but can also use velcro to close at the waist.</span></p><p dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><span style="font-family: Arial; font-size: 11pt; font-variant-alternates: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space-collapse: preserve;"><br /></span></p><p dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhJX6nLSTQdmWEyt0zb6Ic4NTof3d7RMbnsGTLx4sPn8FlllZLrBGVaPJGRTt48tkXSP9JQcVgoA0sXTOCMtJkPnCpYwoHXESIVxrnnTuxH9YFSHF_4t4dq4nOwsH1hDI5_5w-UiyK9jNwrIdkSuswRIcNHizaouwKnh-nIq8PsAPVmJbLXBob_rSv7/s4080/PXL_20230607_120627712.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="3072" data-original-width="4080" height="241" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhJX6nLSTQdmWEyt0zb6Ic4NTof3d7RMbnsGTLx4sPn8FlllZLrBGVaPJGRTt48tkXSP9JQcVgoA0sXTOCMtJkPnCpYwoHXESIVxrnnTuxH9YFSHF_4t4dq4nOwsH1hDI5_5w-UiyK9jNwrIdkSuswRIcNHizaouwKnh-nIq8PsAPVmJbLXBob_rSv7/s320/PXL_20230607_120627712.jpg" width="320" /></a></div><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi-T729O2TgNa6JUum6aMluSuKrKPHQRvYiDQbU68Ls0n0O9Fj-mblJRttno4XYamH4LLBsGYm07eSb_iWWDDNz3cIb2HViuIpxwrmtHyw0mAjJFsgUP8rRdvoJtA4z8AlS-1dOx3jQyzZnUpeUk2mu8UaZFLW0Kus6_2xVuhX93u_RYv3W9O-B6nVL/s4080/PXL_20230607_120639930.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="4080" data-original-width="3072" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi-T729O2TgNa6JUum6aMluSuKrKPHQRvYiDQbU68Ls0n0O9Fj-mblJRttno4XYamH4LLBsGYm07eSb_iWWDDNz3cIb2HViuIpxwrmtHyw0mAjJFsgUP8rRdvoJtA4z8AlS-1dOx3jQyzZnUpeUk2mu8UaZFLW0Kus6_2xVuhX93u_RYv3W9O-B6nVL/s320/PXL_20230607_120639930.jpg" width="241" /></a></div><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg5N5VHVXOoX3r1nvT3wpJ0Nqwz256E7pJms4Q2BfdpU5vORFX-9WHsJifHMrb2JMVc_knyuO3IKFW5j_7NXaZTMKrwSMxsA4gtNYPQwiVGHCZj-KBeUjByu1xJIGIUSIf1uLQW4X3lkhH05Vmw5RHZ6Bp871HQw0aXZQ5hXegNkeBK7XviQx_pygM5/s4080/PXL_20230607_120727709.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="4080" data-original-width="3072" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg5N5VHVXOoX3r1nvT3wpJ0Nqwz256E7pJms4Q2BfdpU5vORFX-9WHsJifHMrb2JMVc_knyuO3IKFW5j_7NXaZTMKrwSMxsA4gtNYPQwiVGHCZj-KBeUjByu1xJIGIUSIf1uLQW4X3lkhH05Vmw5RHZ6Bp871HQw0aXZQ5hXegNkeBK7XviQx_pygM5/s320/PXL_20230607_120727709.jpg" width="241" /></a></div><p></p><br /><p dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><span style="font-family: Arial; font-size: 11pt; font-variant-alternates: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space-collapse: preserve;">Inside the pocket, you place 1-2 absorbent inserts to absorb pee. These can be disposable, bamboo, microfleece, or another material. When soiled you take the inserts out before washing them. Because of this, they also tend to dry faster than some other styles of diapers. We used these most frequently from when E was 3 to 20 months old and found them really easy to use. There are many great brands here; when we lived in Massachusetts, Bumgenius was very popular; personally I found them no better or worse than Alva or Nora’s nursery, except that the alva baby opening to place the inserts into was smaller and it took a little adjustment to get good at stuffing the clean diapers with inserts prior to use.</span></p><br /><p dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><span style="font-family: Arial; font-size: 11pt; font-variant-alternates: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; font-weight: 700; vertical-align: baseline; white-space-collapse: preserve;">All in one</span><span style="font-family: Arial; font-size: 11pt; font-variant-alternates: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space-collapse: preserve;">. In this system, the cover and ‘inserts’ are combined into one. Instead of a hole and space between the waterproof cover and the inside for inserts, in these, the insert is built in, either sewed to the back of the diaper or snapping in place. (caveat: in some cases there is still a space for additional inserts, for kids that tend to pee very large volumes.) </span></p><p dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><span style="font-family: Arial; font-size: 11pt; font-variant-alternates: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space-collapse: preserve;"><br /></span></p><p dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjgY2MxPpI_kp7_zg_DWVL0UWDWYz6C0_l58TUOb-z2IFu2hn-xJqSLmyTNEyCN5dxLL6_M9q1COJeYeUcHhi5pp93_6qi7-IQqPAOKNE14VbdHILkQBBVlYyc4N4P2Jw7TduBAmM8AXvjSihuyGuQSp4LyO_uFr-lKQ3X2Nx_dHQDCW0mG0l3KcFAV/s4080/PXL_20230607_120746737.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="3072" data-original-width="4080" height="241" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjgY2MxPpI_kp7_zg_DWVL0UWDWYz6C0_l58TUOb-z2IFu2hn-xJqSLmyTNEyCN5dxLL6_M9q1COJeYeUcHhi5pp93_6qi7-IQqPAOKNE14VbdHILkQBBVlYyc4N4P2Jw7TduBAmM8AXvjSihuyGuQSp4LyO_uFr-lKQ3X2Nx_dHQDCW0mG0l3KcFAV/s320/PXL_20230607_120746737.jpg" width="320" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">All in one with a snap-on insert. More can be added by additional snaps</td></tr></tbody></table><br /></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhbB-RbdfLbIpPh0OWI_X6hnkAVAVi0QDSqSP5NE3M74WxQRDIEZozlA2vr7oPhp3JhLMp-rCR07CQjzxESST4csWnD8wtZMtZ8kKtg6ixoITZBv8fYE5oCzEIEEr2iAxxRWjPTCy9qoj6j1xXROhX8sUsNiEFBrUYnB1qVebdsqrEZCGv2CPBrso9R/s4080/PXL_20230607_120752361.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="3072" data-original-width="4080" height="241" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhbB-RbdfLbIpPh0OWI_X6hnkAVAVi0QDSqSP5NE3M74WxQRDIEZozlA2vr7oPhp3JhLMp-rCR07CQjzxESST4csWnD8wtZMtZ8kKtg6ixoITZBv8fYE5oCzEIEEr2iAxxRWjPTCy9qoj6j1xXROhX8sUsNiEFBrUYnB1qVebdsqrEZCGv2CPBrso9R/s320/PXL_20230607_120752361.jpg" width="320" /></a></div><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg1Eboa5Tr1kXsujGhb24NgpY9UW01-xtuaECxJPQwJv7lgTw2Oyrl6a3z1aigtR2cs4mX2UQVxNnNMhEYQ5mKQ9Ei9TFajiIZLwRtV05JCOzMcFIYDaW0lpG6PohSph6TAvFDLG6CvT2G9Gqiek2nKPsjXvdh7H-Tx08220t8c9TaPQjViFZHwgvyO/s4080/PXL_20230607_120803608.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="3072" data-original-width="4080" height="241" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg1Eboa5Tr1kXsujGhb24NgpY9UW01-xtuaECxJPQwJv7lgTw2Oyrl6a3z1aigtR2cs4mX2UQVxNnNMhEYQ5mKQ9Ei9TFajiIZLwRtV05JCOzMcFIYDaW0lpG6PohSph6TAvFDLG6CvT2G9Gqiek2nKPsjXvdh7H-Tx08220t8c9TaPQjViFZHwgvyO/s320/PXL_20230607_120803608.jpg" width="320" /></a></div><br /><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj6h-msR-v-wRLIzHfyO0IOsVaUz5dUlZQBUse6Tn_hI14r3Zbqx2s16V8qQhMAxTRl6yqWJIz_FtrZP0FU96qIhs330HBKlDP7ey2xlU0kWW3zvqYbG8ryLnySkykqAprX7IdWmxZSGzjV04aQmWWHQQnfU0_UwjnbxoCo6hD3fobsmyPOnEMOPNud/s4080/PXL_20230607_120201985.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="3072" data-original-width="4080" height="241" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj6h-msR-v-wRLIzHfyO0IOsVaUz5dUlZQBUse6Tn_hI14r3Zbqx2s16V8qQhMAxTRl6yqWJIz_FtrZP0FU96qIhs330HBKlDP7ey2xlU0kWW3zvqYbG8ryLnySkykqAprX7IdWmxZSGzjV04aQmWWHQQnfU0_UwjnbxoCo6hD3fobsmyPOnEMOPNud/s320/PXL_20230607_120201985.jpg" width="320" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">All in one with one end of insert sewn to the edge of the pocket. You can add additional inserts as needed.</td></tr></tbody></table><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgnamYwacWoI8YmRkBKXq-VA2wqGvBGcKDQ1-v5WtnXpHDLDW8v0E_X_25BKHEEhwKtbSEqIT1GnvaaCLpz3yUxTvKzVxLR8pTZcsbkE4wuL9rkeaIwvpUxmTUpH94ZeRPPBePJzBzpYlPbdyWfp28ou4v0mZ4h3sRC3BrpyFwotMdgxWyKscWt_ae4/s4080/PXL_20230607_120210662.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="4080" data-original-width="3072" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgnamYwacWoI8YmRkBKXq-VA2wqGvBGcKDQ1-v5WtnXpHDLDW8v0E_X_25BKHEEhwKtbSEqIT1GnvaaCLpz3yUxTvKzVxLR8pTZcsbkE4wuL9rkeaIwvpUxmTUpH94ZeRPPBePJzBzpYlPbdyWfp28ou4v0mZ4h3sRC3BrpyFwotMdgxWyKscWt_ae4/s320/PXL_20230607_120210662.jpg" width="241" /></a></div><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj20z9UbXbTexL94aXVMMD2cmsZ4Dnu3tlPPV5Ry9XgInG0mQEzzbLXu4v0v3GvHSkaMgJ527nRxmR3kqZBVxq4nAJx1kwoah4021v3MhYGlKaG6ayGDXcWGC5mm6DB6LA1n6SxvA-e8EAAaS2V2tl1Z4F3Ts_bAmzwbpApHi978-qODR7JWdMWg8sS/s4080/PXL_20230607_120241340.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="3072" data-original-width="4080" height="241" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj20z9UbXbTexL94aXVMMD2cmsZ4Dnu3tlPPV5Ry9XgInG0mQEzzbLXu4v0v3GvHSkaMgJ527nRxmR3kqZBVxq4nAJx1kwoah4021v3MhYGlKaG6ayGDXcWGC5mm6DB6LA1n6SxvA-e8EAAaS2V2tl1Z4F3Ts_bAmzwbpApHi978-qODR7JWdMWg8sS/s320/PXL_20230607_120241340.jpg" width="320" /></a></div><span style="font-family: Arial; font-size: 11pt; font-variant-alternates: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space-collapse: preserve;"><br /></span><p></p><br /><p dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><span style="font-family: Arial; font-size: 11pt; font-variant-alternates: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space-collapse: preserve;">In theory they’re easier to use, but I personally didn’t find them much easier or harder to use than the pockets. This may be because our oldest is a ‘heavy wetter,’ meaning she peed a lot and often leaked with this type of diaper unless we adjusted them (i.e. added more absorbent layers. We had a few Grovia brands and really loved them! </span></p><br /><p dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><span style="font-family: Arial; font-size: 11pt; font-variant-alternates: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; font-weight: 700; vertical-align: baseline; white-space-collapse: preserve;">Hybrid/other</span><span style="font-family: Arial; font-size: 11pt; font-variant-alternates: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space-collapse: preserve;">. this term typically describes when you use a cloth diaper cover with a disposable layer, that looks like a pad beneath it. These are very convenient to use but obviously you lose some of the low-waste element there. They will also cost a bit more money since you need to keep buying the inserts. </span></p><br /><p dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><span style="font-family: Arial; font-size: 11pt; font-variant-alternates: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space-collapse: preserve;">A lot of people will use these when out or on the go for convenience. I have never used them, but we’re considering this option for next time around, when we’ll have two kids and maybe need to simplify our on the go cloth diapering situation.</span></p><br /><p dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><span style="font-family: Arial; font-size: 11pt; font-variant-alternates: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space-collapse: preserve;">That’s about the gist of it- it’s worth noting that within each category, there are sometimes dozens of different brands vying for your money. I truly don’t think one brand is that much better than the other- some will have good reputations from other parents/word of mouth (hi, Bum Genius!), Others have excellent marketing strategies (Esembly). Ultimately, what worked great for our family might not be the best fit for yours- babies come in all shapes and sizes, and yes, they even pee differently! I hope this bird’s eye view is a helpful starting guide for anyone looking to try out cloth diapers but not sure where or how to start. </span></p><br /><p dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><span style="font-family: Arial; font-size: 11pt; font-variant-alternates: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space-collapse: preserve;">If you’re looking for more info, check out some of the resources below, which we found incredibly helpful throughout our journey (I still refer to these now with our cloth pull ups!) And definitely let me know your thoughts in the comments :)</span></p><br /><p dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><span style="font-family: Arial; font-size: 11pt; font-variant-alternates: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space-collapse: preserve;"> Diaper Lab Cambridge- </span><a href="https://www.diaperlab.com/class-list" style="text-decoration-line: none;"><span style="color: #1155cc; font-family: Arial; font-size: 11pt; font-variant-alternates: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; text-decoration-line: underline; text-decoration-skip-ink: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space-collapse: preserve;">https://www.diaperlab.com/class-list</span></a><span style="font-family: Arial; font-size: 11pt; font-variant-alternates: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space-collapse: preserve;"> I still reference this shop and website so much. If you’re local to Cambridge/Somerville/Boston, I highly recommend going in person, joining their Facebook group and taking one of their intro to cloth diaper classes. It was incredibly helpful when we were starting out. </span></p><br /><p dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><span style="font-family: Arial; font-size: 11pt; font-variant-alternates: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space-collapse: preserve;">Cloth Diaper Subreddit - </span><a href="https://www.reddit.com/r/clothdiaps/" style="text-decoration-line: none;"><span style="color: #1155cc; font-family: Arial; font-size: 11pt; font-variant-alternates: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; text-decoration-line: underline; text-decoration-skip-ink: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space-collapse: preserve;">https://www.reddit.com/r/clothdiaps/</span></a><span style="font-family: Arial; font-size: 11pt; font-variant-alternates: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space-collapse: preserve;"> the folks in this space are a great wealth of information, especially for us novices who are troubleshooting while learning the ropes! </span></p><br /><p dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><span style="font-family: Arial; font-size: 11pt; font-variant-alternates: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space-collapse: preserve;">Eco-parent groups- We had a local group in Massachusetts that I still pop into when I have questions. For this kind of practical knowledge, they really are the best. We haven’t found a similar group down here yet, and I’m finding I’m really missing the awesome low waste-focused group of folks I leaned on in those early days of parenting. </span></p><p dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><span style="font-family: Arial; font-size: 11pt; font-variant-alternates: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space-collapse: preserve;"><br /></span></p><p dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><span style="font-family: Arial; font-size: 11pt; font-variant-alternates: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space-collapse: preserve;">What questions do you have about cloth diapers? If there is a lot of interest, I'd be happy to make another blog post. As always, thanks for reading <3</span></p></div><br /><p></p>Georgiahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09168378030141511010noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9186593346633923377.post-32168656907620789492023-03-08T08:27:00.003-08:002023-03-08T08:27:52.574-08:00The True Spirit of Buy Nothing Groups<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEii4v7_bTdrwpAOYHJYOa0mQdR_IwOeYQbevQsAtXeX-IG6pQfTdHAzzIvB__3aciJWaOeyhDPHWEiEB3F9auJOLweQyxKXSGK5SIfTHanMMDTLBPpm_fp4FYatyptY13IIaZiYcIqnhPkXxl-3o9gESSlplOyp1fkyA6KH8nurqXOxWxjliK97C37B/s4080/PXL_20230308_161751497.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="4080" data-original-width="3072" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEii4v7_bTdrwpAOYHJYOa0mQdR_IwOeYQbevQsAtXeX-IG6pQfTdHAzzIvB__3aciJWaOeyhDPHWEiEB3F9auJOLweQyxKXSGK5SIfTHanMMDTLBPpm_fp4FYatyptY13IIaZiYcIqnhPkXxl-3o9gESSlplOyp1fkyA6KH8nurqXOxWxjliK97C37B/s16000/PXL_20230308_161751497.jpg" /></a></div><br /><p><br /></p><p>The other day (okay, this was actually months ago!) I was reading an article on <a href="https://www.apartmenttherapy.com/">Apartment Therapy</a> on Buy Nothing Groups. In it, the author shares tips and secrets to 'scoring' the cutest and best home decor on these sites. The article wasn't terrible in its entirety, but the focus and common thread throughout was: "use buy nothing groups because you can get a lot of stuff for your house for free."</p><p>I find this take interesting, and I guess unsurprising- Apartment Therapy is a home and style website, which translates to lots of marketing and a push for more stuff- stuff to fill your space, to leave your signature on, to make it pretty. I get that. I too, want the perfectly curated space, the instagrammable, light-filled, themed-but-still-beige-y-enough-to-appeal-to-the-masses vibes that seem to be both on trend and weirdly soothing. </p><p>The thing is, that is really only half of the story behind Buy Nothing Groups. Having participated in two such groups in the last 2 years doesn't by any means makes me an expert, but it doesn't take a philosophical deep dive to understand the purpose of these groups. The origins of the Buy Nothing Project may surprise you. </p><p>The story goes, two parents in the Pacific Northwest became concerned about the plastics they were finding washed up on the shore of their coastal town. This deep concern about waste and its impact on their local ecosystems and environments led them to brainstorm ways to become less reliant on purchasing 'stuff' altogether. </p><p>While you can read more about the origins and current philosophies about <a href="https://buynothingproject.org/about">Buy Nothing Groups</a> here, the spirit of the groups really isn't about getting free stuff to fill your home with. It's about avoiding the urge to buy something new, in communities where overabundance is already a huge problem. It's about finding what we need within our own communities. And I'd argue, it's about giving more than we receive. </p><p>I'll be the first to admit that as a new parent and now a new homeowner, I have more often than not been on the receiving end in our community. Both in and out of the Buy Nothing Groups, I've benefited from the generosity of others- Our biggest piece of decor (the one in the top photo) was a curb drop off by a neighbor down the street. But the receiving feels a lot more powerful when it's coupled with giving- for us, that's the old baby clothes we no longer need, or the gate that doesn't quite work in our current space. </p><p>The true spirit of the Buy Nothing Group is found in the handful of respondents eager to collect our spare Black Lives Matter sign, or the fellow mom talking about her little one's favorite dress as she passes on the pieces her toddler outgrew. Or the woman collecting all our moving boxes and bubble paper, some collected from our Boston Buy Nothing group, before her own cross-country trip. </p><p>I suppose we could always resell some things too (and sometimes, we do!) But in my humble opinion, if you're active in a Buy Nothing Group, you're really in the business of giving.</p><p>I'm curious, what's the nicest or most interesting thing you've given or received through a Buy Nothing or similar group? I'm super thankful for the artwork our neighbor gifted us, but my new (old) writing desk is a close second!</p>Georgiahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09168378030141511010noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9186593346633923377.post-19857691528441594202023-02-28T04:53:00.001-08:002023-02-28T04:53:13.360-08:00Lessons in Camping<p></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgSZdd0rC3FwKxYRUj42Jb_Qd-yVLkeZVSyOgAW8eomLXciddy_vjzcXLZYoiUdSvNraq7JjXVmiiz7yXgZdhsvSuAANeKmOMxxCIVUlhzDULPw2YuVlNodmDskVb1dZcfxE_LNZTYmLcKTEkHOZ7X3dsnG-ZpnI8_bS_PKTrEg7Wsx6TqYE8LTh9lj/s4080/PXL_20230206_210524197.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="4080" data-original-width="3072" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgSZdd0rC3FwKxYRUj42Jb_Qd-yVLkeZVSyOgAW8eomLXciddy_vjzcXLZYoiUdSvNraq7JjXVmiiz7yXgZdhsvSuAANeKmOMxxCIVUlhzDULPw2YuVlNodmDskVb1dZcfxE_LNZTYmLcKTEkHOZ7X3dsnG-ZpnI8_bS_PKTrEg7Wsx6TqYE8LTh9lj/s16000/PXL_20230206_210524197.jpg" /></a></div><br /> <p></p><p>Did you know that camping season in Florida is actually the winter? Even after growing up here, it didn't occur to me until chatting with another Mom in the outdoor playgroup I set up after moving here. But if you think about it, it makes perfect sense! Winters in Florida are beautiful- they're cooler, less humid, even a little less buggy. It's why we get 'snowbirds' all the way from Canada weathering out their winters here. </p><p>Peter had a couple vacation days that were going to expire, and I was itching to explore a new part of Florida- camping seemed like a natural fit. So I threw together a quick plan and we were off. </p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiEJp3Lb0Y01YTL-HcdPAND3CTbUlPWMUHXgJ_zrF6Pik0WJCMhnzzV7VDS1qxWiRAT-VYSXQyHdBOoRsmS4BZ9qgZIDPny15I-34JgEmEaM-i9_8KDHv1jk89UfZiIDvjz-q13o-Epw3bTkFvb0UBNGUZHjvSbz4PgS9s5v8UdAharnV6K8TOg5Zpk/s4080/PXL_20230207_120726766.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="4080" data-original-width="3072" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiEJp3Lb0Y01YTL-HcdPAND3CTbUlPWMUHXgJ_zrF6Pik0WJCMhnzzV7VDS1qxWiRAT-VYSXQyHdBOoRsmS4BZ9qgZIDPny15I-34JgEmEaM-i9_8KDHv1jk89UfZiIDvjz-q13o-Epw3bTkFvb0UBNGUZHjvSbz4PgS9s5v8UdAharnV6K8TOg5Zpk/s16000/PXL_20230207_120726766.jpg" /></a></div><br /><p><br /></p><p>We chose the campsite (<a href="http://www.brevardfl.gov/ParksAndRecreation/Campgrounds/LongPointParkCampground">Long Point Park in Sebastian</a>) purely from the recommendation of another parent. It's a nice little organized campground, but you definitely don't feel like you're out in nature- most folks have RVs with hookups, and there's a pretty clean bathroom/shower area that we were thankful for, plus a playground for kids. It was great- just not exactly the quiet set up I was expecting. That being said, we'd love to come back, maybe with kayaks or canoes, since our campsite had a spot for launching small boats!</p><p>On day one we arrived in time to set up our tent and cook dinner before it got too dark. E was SO excited to sleep in the tent- we had opened it on a test run the day before in our yard and she asked right away if she could sleep inside it. So I guess she gets it? </p><p>That being said...sleeping in a tent proved challenging for our girl. I kind of expected it- apart from the occasional car nap and if she's overtired, E does NOT sleep well on the go. I joke that she is over-sleep trained because she really does struggle outside of her dark, cozy room and bed (or pack and play.) The white noise machine did help, a bit. So definitely bring that if you've got littles. The silver lining: she loved seeing all the stars at our camp site.</p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhy5m6uloqyY67aE8EhWfYzZ4UTi7xkl__F10Tb0J3e3ea2hfrWFPj3_ePGplpA6Pay5piXAsgJb0IPExTSmkBKLqaK0dkh9-LMtNDIvDI5VKD4KpszWAUi5jlcugSaoORmtK6xBqJGX4gTnw55t44EbTS9GfL9fS2CWdjfYXqzaq67ZHwFP0v7QzN5/s4080/PXL_20230207_151422785.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="4080" data-original-width="3072" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhy5m6uloqyY67aE8EhWfYzZ4UTi7xkl__F10Tb0J3e3ea2hfrWFPj3_ePGplpA6Pay5piXAsgJb0IPExTSmkBKLqaK0dkh9-LMtNDIvDI5VKD4KpszWAUi5jlcugSaoORmtK6xBqJGX4gTnw55t44EbTS9GfL9fS2CWdjfYXqzaq67ZHwFP0v7QzN5/s16000/PXL_20230207_151422785.jpg" /></a></div><br /><p><br /></p><p>The next day we spent the morning/mid-day at the beach. We packed a picnic lunch and E loved digging in the sand. We didn't swim (most of the beaches have dangerous rip currents, huge waves, oh- and it's man-o-war season!) but it was honestly not too warm and we all just enjoyed getting some sun. There is a smaller cove-type beach in the park just down the road that is great for littles to splash around in. </p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg_tKCADRRIP4QbyLTK60NcuZJV3Dc2kBmXNCGDpzmfXIWLXTzcXl-n5D_st_7tUfCehUgij7VwEo_ZnNZczXICikH5emnMaruhZ9FfPvGNIazO2i8bMOaG1u_mwIy2iPV6fjQk3awo9AgUA-3HZqYs2WEBszZZ14YgWYTXauyoAQdqBw-B1HaO0CDn/s4080/PXL_20230207_195609903.MP.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="4080" data-original-width="3072" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg_tKCADRRIP4QbyLTK60NcuZJV3Dc2kBmXNCGDpzmfXIWLXTzcXl-n5D_st_7tUfCehUgij7VwEo_ZnNZczXICikH5emnMaruhZ9FfPvGNIazO2i8bMOaG1u_mwIy2iPV6fjQk3awo9AgUA-3HZqYs2WEBszZZ14YgWYTXauyoAQdqBw-B1HaO0CDn/s16000/PXL_20230207_195609903.MP.jpg" /></a></div><br /><p><br /></p><p>By the afternoon it was too hot to swim (or to nap inside the tent,) so we went for a drive. I was secretly hoping that E would fall asleep on the way down A1A, but no such luck, so we visited a small treasure museum (<a href="https://verobeach.com/vero-beach-community/mclarty-treasure-museum">McLarty, more info here.</a>) It was not at all expensive and an easy way to escape the heat. This part of Florida is known as the treasure coast because a number of shipwrecks from the Spanish colonial era have been found here. The staff was really knowledgeable- we got to chat with a ranger who grew up in the area and described moments where you'd just put your hand in the sand and pick up Spanish coins- so cool! It was a nice way to kill an hour and escape the heat. </p><p>The second night was a little warmer, which meant a LOT more bugs. It didn't help that our independent little gal was a little bit slow getting herself into the tent- unfortunately that combo meant lots of bug bites that night :( note to self, re-apply deet at bedtime!!) </p><p>Overall, we had a great time, with lots of valuable lessons learned about bringing small kids along for the ride and how camping in Florida is different from other parts of the country. Here's a few:</p><p>- <i>Start with a game plan. </i>I made a planning template for our first camping trip with E back when she was a baby. In addition to reservation dates and details, it included a packing list, meal plan, and list of local activities and hikes. I basically adapted the same template, tweaking it for Florida. And we'll definitely adjust the packing list slightly for our next trip</p><p>- <i>get organized before you go. </i>I got this tip from another blog/instagram Mom, <a href="https://www.instagram.com/caliwolf/?hl=en">Cali Wolf</a> - in addition to having all the camping gear in one place in the garage, we keep the smaller odds and ends in two bins- one for kitchen stuff (the bin doubles as a wash basin) and one for miscellaneous smaller items. It makes packing 10x faster!</p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg2ge3NacAu5h_YGsWAoD6uLgo-fbywGBipr1ueWgwSn0g_GDj3V10gBRy3kDRC-nTqwUEZnOoS2Ey_2Qe9QG76N3WM311OYLiZ1c-09UFJ7Tc8Qr_1j7V-xtRleZuYiT4GewkQYtSEqIzlog3Ln8mF7I9KxZowAlPfHrTFksoh58dZT_uh_wa1GSKr/s4080/PXL_20230227_223948609.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="4080" data-original-width="3072" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg2ge3NacAu5h_YGsWAoD6uLgo-fbywGBipr1ueWgwSn0g_GDj3V10gBRy3kDRC-nTqwUEZnOoS2Ey_2Qe9QG76N3WM311OYLiZ1c-09UFJ7Tc8Qr_1j7V-xtRleZuYiT4GewkQYtSEqIzlog3Ln8mF7I9KxZowAlPfHrTFksoh58dZT_uh_wa1GSKr/s16000/PXL_20230227_223948609.jpg" /></a></div><br /><p><br /></p><p>- <i>adapt for littles.</i> This is really true of all trips- pre-kid, I was definitely the travel that was always on the go- I wanted to squeeze as much as I could and see as many places as I could into a single trip. That really does not work for kiddos. We've found since having E cutting the pace by 50% and leaving afternoons open for quieter activities (or the occasional precious car nap, haha) works much better for us. Oh! and don't forget to add a few things to your packing list for the baby- namely, a place to put them down, like a pack and play, potentially a travel high chair and bassinet, and any other small essentials you need.</p><p><i>- prepare for all weather. </i>Especially in Florida, winter doesn't mean consistent cold- a chilly evening and morning can swing into a hot afternoon. The key is bringing light layers so you can easily adapt.</p><p>- <i>bug defense! </i>This was the toughest lesson for us- even though I lived here in Florida for years, I forgot how bad bugs can be, even in the winter. We brought deet, which helped, but just one night without applying it meant we went home with dozens of bug bites. Next time we'll add citronella candles to the packing is. We have an insecticide-treated mosquito net too, but I'm not sure if we'll use it. Lastly, permethrin treated clothing is another good way to keep the bugs away- I had a scarf I was wearing the first night that I ditched because I was too hot, and I'm convinced it helped. </p><p><br /></p><p>Thoughts? What would you add to this list? If you've camped with littles I'd love to hear your tips!</p><p><br /></p>Georgiahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09168378030141511010noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9186593346633923377.post-13592379769929484642022-11-30T02:57:00.000-08:002022-11-30T02:57:11.000-08:00We potty trained our 2 year old. Here's how.<p> <span style="font-family: Arial; font-size: 11pt; white-space: pre-wrap;">As promised, here’s the nuts and bolts of how we actually potty trained our little gal. </span></p><p><span style="font-family: Arial; font-size: 11pt; white-space: pre-wrap;"><br /></span></p><p></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiovIVRyZIv-vydbtYbOq79Ace4_uF3l5DspEl9Tr-LHGJ3EyeUB2wBKirSKPiQXlReOoV3YxqUoZjSG5CXUN5XPnQV4Rz-lQSxHngg8HIpV5jjwOSEqdODKtsxbjV7m0m3F5pV8BRv2CBfRjkD_QcqiLUP_astD5q4rueUWFhniWPFShNvIcgpQZNq/s4080/PXL_20221126_181321928.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="4080" data-original-width="3072" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiovIVRyZIv-vydbtYbOq79Ace4_uF3l5DspEl9Tr-LHGJ3EyeUB2wBKirSKPiQXlReOoV3YxqUoZjSG5CXUN5XPnQV4Rz-lQSxHngg8HIpV5jjwOSEqdODKtsxbjV7m0m3F5pV8BRv2CBfRjkD_QcqiLUP_astD5q4rueUWFhniWPFShNvIcgpQZNq/s16000/PXL_20221126_181321928.jpg" /></a></div><br /><span style="font-family: Arial; font-size: 11pt; white-space: pre-wrap;"><br /></span><p></p><span id="docs-internal-guid-befa2527-7fff-c59a-e6ed-a0d315a6c477"><br /><p dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><span style="font-family: Arial; font-size: 11pt; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">Just a note: a lot of this is from Oh Crap, minus the intensity and sexism. No claims here to original content in terms of approach; this is just exactly what we did, with a lot of modifications. There were SO many little things we had to pivot on, but because this still worked, I’m writing it all out with what we learned on the way, in hopes it will help another parent somewhere out there. Also, every kid and family is so different, I imagine some of what worked for us won’t work for others, and some of what didn’t work well for us worked for others. So you get it all, even the messy bits!</span></p><br /><p dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><span style="font-family: Arial; font-size: 11pt; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"><i>We set a date</i>. We picked a handful of days when I was on vacation and my husband was on a lighter schedule in July to be home, inside of our house, with absolutely NOTHING else going on. Not one single birthday, museum or beach trip. Nothing. I actually think our daughter benefited from more of this. It’s a big thing to learn, so it really does need to be the most mundane, un-busy 3 day weekend you can find. But honestly, more is better. </span></p><br /><p dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><span style="font-family: Arial; font-size: 11pt; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"><i>We talked about it</i>. A LOT. But honestly, maybe not enough? I think this was our pitfall. One part of Oh Crap that is a bit conflicting to me is that in certain parts it says not to make too big a deal of things, but on re-read, you do want your child to be prepared for what's to come. Once we started and things were going badly, we didn’t go back, but we did (while keeping her in diapers only for naps and sleeping) check out books, watch videos and sing songs about using the potty. We always sort of talked about it (she came with us to use the restroom, and we’d explain to her exactly what we were doing), but I think at this (and so many ages) really sitting down and talking them through big changes in age-appropriate detail is important. I think we should have done this BEFORE we started potty training. Unfortunately we didn’t. </span></p><br /><p dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><span style="font-family: Arial; font-size: 11pt; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"><i>We prepared.</i> We bought the potties (you may need several, considering borrowing from friends.) We rolled up the carpets. We decided about rewards (at first we decided against them, eventually we caved and gave her prunes for poops in the potty.) We did a couple of fun things together the days leading up to potty training, then got a good night’s sleep. Oh, and we hid the diapers and made a sort of big deal of it (‘bye bye, diapers! These are your new sleep pants!’) </span></p><br /><p dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><span style="font-family: Arial; font-size: 11pt; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">Days 1-3. The goal of day 1 in Oh Crap is to help your child move from ‘I peed’ to recognizing when they’re peeing, and finally recognizing that they have to go before they pee their pants. These 3 days were SO HARD. We got her up, took off her diaper, and started our day. You are more or less supposed to either see them peeing, tell them ‘hold it! pee goes on the potty’ and physically move them to the nearest potty. OR, every hour-ish prompted them to sit on the potty. Things went downhill pretty quickly. Our kid had EC’ed, so we knew she already recognized the feeling of peeing, and we knew COULD sit on the potty. She just didn’t want to stop playing and do it. But she saw my (hard to hide) stress after the 3rd, 4th and 5th mess, and it definitely rubbed off on her. She started to hold her pee until naptime, when we put her back in a diaper. But she absolutely no-way-in-hell wanted to sit on her potty, and was losing it by the end of the day (and so was I.)</span></p><br /><p dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><span style="font-family: Arial; font-size: 11pt; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">Luckily the next day Peter was off work and I wanted to see if his approach would yield better results. So we kept it up. It was the same awfulness, except now she held her poop AND pee in to use the diaper at naptime and soaked through them. We figured we’d give it one more day and call the pediatrician Monday to make sure our child holding it for 7-8 hours wasn’t completely detrimental to her health. By day 3, while she still pooped in her pants, she was holding her pee and at the very least not peeing on the floor (when she did, we cleaned it together, as non-punitively as possible.) I did a lit search and couldn’t find strong studies on urine withholding and long term negative effects. </span></p><br /><p dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><span style="font-family: Arial; font-size: 11pt; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">With my pediatrician’s support (she didn’t think UTI’s or later bladder issues were a major risk either), Peter and I had a talk and ultimately decided that while things felt pretty stressful, they weren’t exactly going…badly? By then, she had managed to sit on the potty a couple of times, and we made a big deal of it with a lot of verbal praise. We also played a few games on the potty to re-acclimate her to the potty, and she finally stopped screaming every time we went near it. Lastly, we stopped making a big deal of peeing and pooping altogether. Sunday night rolled around, and we had to decide if we were going to keep it up, or go back to diapers and try again in a few weeks. We decided to power through and see what happened.</span></p><i><br /></i><p dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><span style="font-family: Arial; font-size: 11pt; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"><i>Days 3-75 (kidding, sort of.)</i> From there it slowly got easier every day. Our mantra became, ‘I trust you to tell me when you need to use the potty. When you need to go tell me, and I’ll help you’ but with some prompting thrown in. We also invited her to come and pee with us, and potty is now part of the nap and bedtime routine (although it does take a bit of bribing with books.) She still had more poops in the diapers than the potty, but would occasionally have a success on the potty. The pooping did scare her a bit, so we tried to keep things calm, rub her back and read books. If she got a poop in the potty, she got prunes! This is also a great time in potty training to introduce stool softeners (both natural and miralax! I’m a fan of both. Talk to your doctor before starting any new medications) </span></p><br /><p dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><span style="font-family: Arial; font-size: 11pt; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"><i>We started with outings</i>. Ok this may be out of timeline. I stayed inside for way too long, so maybe plan an outing sooner. It WILL build your confidence. But for us, on day 3 or 4, we HAD to go out- she had a doctor’s appointment- so away we went. </span></p><br /><p dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><span style="font-family: Arial; font-size: 11pt; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">It was a ten minute drive. I was terrified of her peeing on the car seat (I had to take the WHOLE THING apart and wash it after a bout of carsickness not 2 months before.) I even lined the car seat with a chuck (absolutely do not do this- it’s not safe!) </span></p><br /><p dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><span style="font-family: Arial; font-size: 11pt; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">She did fine. No accidents!</span></p><br /><p dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><span style="font-family: Arial; font-size: 11pt; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">Then we went to the park 3 minutes away in the stroller, also lined with a chuck- fine. </span></p><br /><p dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><span style="font-family: Arial; font-size: 11pt; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">The library, a ten minute walk- fine.</span></p><br /><p dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><span style="font-family: Arial; font-size: 11pt; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">Church- a ten minute drive and TWO HOUR SERVICE- no accidents. </span></p><br /><p dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><span style="font-family: Arial; font-size: 11pt; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">The following days and weeks were a blur, but in short- she did great! And we both enjoyed ourselves and were happier to get away from that house and all those weird potty training vibes. I truly thing it was a boost in confidence for both of us. And to this day she hasn’t had one accident in the car seat (and just one in the stroller in 3 months!) </span></p><br /><p dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><span style="font-family: Arial; font-size: 11pt; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"><i>The final lap.</i> Poops took awhile, but truly, since I wrote this out in October, I think we had 3 accidents. We really were close!</span></p><br /><p dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><span style="font-family: Arial; font-size: 11pt; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">On our trip to London in September, something very interesting happened to us- jetlag. With the whacked out sleep schedule, she didn’t get into her beloved pooping pants (sorry, diaper) until 27 hours after we left our house in Boston (we used cloth pull ups on the flight, with only one accident when we couldn’t get up during landing to pee.) So right before her first nap, to everyone’s shock, she pooped on the potty! (She hadn’t done this in a while.) I was thrilled and proceeded to put her down for her nap the next day without a diaper on. After which she promptly pooped her pants. An unpleasant and natural consequence of this was having to wake her early from her nap and clean her up. She was understandably very upset. I felt terrible. I think we both did. </span></p><br /><p dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><span style="font-family: Arial; font-size: 11pt; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">I think after this she began to naturally have an aversion to pooping in her pants, but continued to do so (in a diaper) during naptime because she’d wake up from her naps really distraught. Occasionally she’d poop on the potty around breakfast, but often she’d poop in the crib. It seemed like maybe we were doing her a disservice by putting her down to her nap too early, not getting her up quickly enough in the morning. So we started getting her up right away, and at naptime, if she asked for more books, we’d allow it- on the potty. In October, it clicked. She pooped on the potty before her nap one Sunday, then again, then again. She had an accident after one week, then went two weeks without any accidents. Another two on our road trip. It's now been about 3 weeks and she consistently uses the potty. </span></p><br /><p dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><span style="font-family: Arial; font-size: 11pt; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">I want to close this up by saying I don’t think this is the right approach, mostly because I don’t think there is one right approach. Potty training isn’t as scientifically rigid as, say, deciding which febrile kid in the ER gets a work up. It’s social, psychological, developmental- and way more nuanced. I think we did some things right (train early.) I think we did a lot of things wrong (over-prompting, under-preparing her for day 1, letting her poop her pants in London.) I think we have a ton of privilege- a space where we could allow for accidents, access to resources to learn and get advice, and most importantly, the privilege of lots of free time off together this summer. I know many families don’t have that. If you do, or even if you don’t and want to give potty training a younger toddler a shot, go for it- I’ll be your number one cheerleader. I hope this was helpful on your journey, and I hope it goes great. </span></p></span>Georgiahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09168378030141511010noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9186593346633923377.post-71941233665787279532022-10-16T21:18:00.007-07:002022-10-16T21:18:53.780-07:00We Potty Trained Before 2. Here's Why.<p></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgOGMnZry9uICQjEUmGlk7xsTYP_roeclmjlzJigCmHxntVUaUQ6tK0u10SvtMWXQUilxBLuUYGgrQgU2AQB8iKdVhpJmO9bMf3J-lKA24l62FmmsZAwJdjmkFZhqlIdKToR-BwF-b03J_0wPPoNs5-X0Y04RJZGGy4__cQW8R7HlE2ET-mAUslEx3-/s4032/PXL_20220925_164125672.MP.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="4032" data-original-width="3024" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgOGMnZry9uICQjEUmGlk7xsTYP_roeclmjlzJigCmHxntVUaUQ6tK0u10SvtMWXQUilxBLuUYGgrQgU2AQB8iKdVhpJmO9bMf3J-lKA24l62FmmsZAwJdjmkFZhqlIdKToR-BwF-b03J_0wPPoNs5-X0Y04RJZGGy4__cQW8R7HlE2ET-mAUslEx3-/s16000/PXL_20220925_164125672.MP.jpg" /></a></div><br /><span style="font-family: Arial; font-size: 11pt; white-space: pre-wrap;"><br /></span><p></p><p><span style="font-family: Arial; font-size: 11pt; white-space: pre-wrap;"><br /></span></p><p><span style="font-size: 11pt; white-space: pre-wrap;"><span style="font-family: inherit;">Hiya! I wasn’t sure when I’d be writing this post. We started potty training in the summer. I wanted to be sure we had fully made it before sharing our experience. We used a three-day method, so I figured it couldn’t be that hard…</span></span></p><span id="docs-internal-guid-06c9f736-7fff-2e8b-9181-e488520a4530"><span style="font-family: inherit;"><br /></span><p dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><span style="font-size: 11pt; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"><span style="font-family: inherit;">3 months later, I see things VERY differently. I absolutely do not have any regrets, but it’s definitely been a humbling experience! That being said, I am so glad we toilet trained when we did. Here’s why.</span></span></p><span style="font-family: inherit;"><br /></span><p dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><span style="font-size: 11pt; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"><span style="font-family: inherit;"><i>[PS- before we get too deep in the weeds. We potty trained our daughter on the earlier side compared to other U.S. kids. If this topic is bothersome or triggering to you, for ANY REASON- please don’t read. Potty training is not easy, and what it looks like can vary so much from family to family. When we were ready may not be when your family is ready. And that is 110% OK. The intent of this post was not to make folks feel crappy about when they decided the timing was right for their kid. As a pediatrician, I am a child health expert- but you are the expert on your child. I say this to parents all the time in the hospital. And I really, truly believe that.]</i></span></span></p><span style="font-family: inherit;"><br /></span><p dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><span style="font-size: 11pt; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"><span style="font-family: inherit;">Why we trained early: </span></span></p><span style="font-family: inherit;"><br /></span><p dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><span style="font-size: 11pt; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"><span style="font-family: inherit;"><i>We wanted to get out of diapers quickly. </i>As a cloth diaper family, I think this is a common motivator- toilet training decreases your laundry by 70%! That was super appealing!! But the other piece of it is definitely sustainability. Our goal was always as few diapers as possible (hence the EC adventures and later cloth diapering, you can read more about that here.) </span></span></p><span style="font-family: inherit;"><br /></span><p dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><span style="font-size: 11pt; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"><span style="font-family: inherit;"><i>I am a readiness skeptic.</i> It’s not that I don’t believe the challenges parents are facing with potty training aren’t real- potty training was the hardest thing I’ve done as a parent (and we sleep trained and took multiple red eye flights in the first year.) But I went into it knowing the folks I worked with in Liberia had trained their children for pees by age one, and poops by two. Obviously the challenges facing a parent in Liberia versus a parent in the United States are incredibly different- but I think readiness may be over-emphasized over here. </span></span></p><span style="font-family: inherit;"><br /></span><p dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><span style="font-size: 11pt; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"><span style="font-family: inherit;"><i>But also, we saw some signs of readiness.</i> I know, really classy move to contradict myself the next line over. But after an ER trip where she held a ton of pee for 6 hours, I realized ou kid could recognize some feelings around peeing and fullness. She could also sit up much and walk better than when she lost interest in the potty during EC. Because of EC, we (meaning all of us) recognized when she was peeing and pooping, we felt like we could help her get those pees and poops on the potty! She couldn’t physically push her pants down, but we figured if we were training early, we could help her with that (and 3 months in, now she can!) </span></span></p><span style="font-family: inherit;"><br /></span><p dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><span style="font-size: 11pt; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"><span style="font-family: inherit;"><i>I wanted to avoid any older toddler battles</i>. I managed to get through one book about potty training, Oh Crap. I honestly didn’t love the tone, and found some of the sexist moments off-putting, but I do think the author is right about one thing- toddler resistance gets more intense around age 2.5, and we really wanted to be done by then. This also tailored my approach- we didn’t make a big deal of it either way. Accidents happened and we cleaned up together. Apart from talking about, reading about, watching some children’s shows, we sort of built it into our daily life. We did add some rewards later, but nothing too wild. </span></span></p><span style="font-family: inherit;"><br /></span><p dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><span style="font-size: 11pt; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"><span style="font-family: inherit;"><i>It was summer! </i>This may sound silly, but summer means hot weather, aka perfect commando toddler weather, more outdoor play where pee messes aren’t a problem, and plenty of popsicles and cold drinks to make more pee (for practice.) I highly, highly recommend regardless of your child’s age, if you live anywhere with any kind of seasonality, go for the summer. </span></span></p><span style="font-family: inherit;"><br /></span><p dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><span style="font-size: 11pt; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"><span style="font-family: inherit;">Ok, now that we’re done with the why! Next up is the how! I’ll post it later this week!</span></span></p><div><span style="font-family: Arial; font-size: 11pt; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"><br /></span></div></span>Georgiahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09168378030141511010noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9186593346633923377.post-53843660878989497822022-08-30T12:30:00.000-07:002022-08-30T12:30:00.402-07:00Our Home: Before tour and Our Sustainability Plans<p></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br /></div><br /><span style="font-family: Arial; font-size: 11pt; white-space: pre-wrap;"><br /></span><p></p><p><span style="font-family: Arial; font-size: 11pt; white-space: pre-wrap;">
</span></p><blockquote cite="https://www.tiktok.com/@gceldridge/video/7137263229234924843" class="tiktok-embed" data-video-id="7137263229234924843" style="max-width: 605px; min-width: 325px;"><span style="font-family: Arial; font-size: 11pt; white-space: pre-wrap;"> <section> <a href="https://www.tiktok.com/@gceldridge?refer=embed" target="_blank" title="@gceldridge">@gceldridge</a> Our house tour!! this house was a lot of things when we first saw it (after closing 😱) but growing up in a home just like this one, I'm confident we can put our stamp on it and make it the perfect space for our family. it was built in the 60s-70s and pretty much has not been touched since then so it needs a ton of work! head over to my blog for full details on that merakikaiagapi.blogspot.com <a href="https://www.tiktok.com/tag/homedecor?refer=embed" target="_blank" title="homedecor">#homedecor</a> <a href="https://www.tiktok.com/tag/homereno?refer=embed" target="_blank" title="homereno">#homereno</a> <a href="https://www.tiktok.com/tag/renovationproject?refer=embed" target="_blank" title="renovationproject">#renovationproject</a> <a href="https://www.tiktok.com/tag/housetok?refer=embed" target="_blank" title="housetok">#housetok</a> <a href="https://www.tiktok.com/music/Our-House-6705048764052146177?refer=embed" target="_blank" title="♬ Our House - Crosby, Stills, Nash & Young">♬ Our House - Crosby, Stills, Nash & Young</a> </section> </span></blockquote><span style="font-family: Arial; font-size: 11pt; white-space: pre-wrap;"> <script async="" src="https://www.tiktok.com/embed.js"></script>
</span><span style="font-family: inherit; font-size: 11pt; white-space: pre-wrap;"> Hi! Wanted to share some before pics (and a video) of our home, and also talk about our goals for making our home sustainable, weather-proof and low waste wherever possible. In many ways these goals are intertwined, as things like hurricane-proof windows and doors are also better at sealing in heat or cool. </span><div><span style="font-size: 14.6667px; white-space: pre-wrap;"><br /></span></div><div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhbftGiCC6exJobhPpOvet0o3lYkXKGOP6hFOZWWWCZZ09K434NxHo8otiM0BuyDb3QAywOmPyQUI8jE-8UoZ7W5W1Lqi6tfJBK6FioRJjYSNGNMen5T2Gc7I-TjAyJS6QCX-kDtygip_GpwLRNsTNYHYFRvYXIAH9FZv5KTFusCfu7r9hfcpW-3VSE/s1600/WhatsApp%20Image%202022-08-30%20at%203.18.36%20PM.jpeg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1200" data-original-width="1600" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhbftGiCC6exJobhPpOvet0o3lYkXKGOP6hFOZWWWCZZ09K434NxHo8otiM0BuyDb3QAywOmPyQUI8jE-8UoZ7W5W1Lqi6tfJBK6FioRJjYSNGNMen5T2Gc7I-TjAyJS6QCX-kDtygip_GpwLRNsTNYHYFRvYXIAH9FZv5KTFusCfu7r9hfcpW-3VSE/s16000/WhatsApp%20Image%202022-08-30%20at%203.18.36%20PM.jpeg" /></a></div><br /><span style="font-size: 14.6667px; white-space: pre-wrap;"><i>This is it! A pretty typical style for our neighborhood. My favorite part about the location- it's right across the street from where I grew up.</i><br /></span><p></p><span id="docs-internal-guid-0a53f79c-7fff-d450-d78c-85db1f233f33" style="font-family: inherit;"><p dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><span style="font-size: 11pt; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">A major goal of our renovation was to do things as low-waste as possible, but also within our budget. I had a lot of ideas about this, some of which we had to put off or abandon all together, but I think we’ve reached a point where we are getting the best renovation we can within our price range, and have a plan for future renovations that we’ll work towards doing every 1-2 years. </span></p><p dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><span style="font-size: 11pt; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"><br /></span></p><p dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgfPrxjM6MyQF8K-0X59Wr2ihrelfYWZ7vumTzExrx1wxoO7Ddtebs_mTYJvBnJAM2IXDGaIcsAvgkD7B5YIX3C_nbNUmD9AMf-y7AVIQqUKm5B41f169yHqJBKntpVoj8SfXZ0ubkQL2P7LouB-7uJb8XrAhvQGlp3Ggg8XKEABwca-D7keiMYtLiM/s1600/WhatsApp%20Image%202022-08-30%20at%203.19.27%20PM.jpeg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1200" data-original-width="1600" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgfPrxjM6MyQF8K-0X59Wr2ihrelfYWZ7vumTzExrx1wxoO7Ddtebs_mTYJvBnJAM2IXDGaIcsAvgkD7B5YIX3C_nbNUmD9AMf-y7AVIQqUKm5B41f169yHqJBKntpVoj8SfXZ0ubkQL2P7LouB-7uJb8XrAhvQGlp3Ggg8XKEABwca-D7keiMYtLiM/s16000/WhatsApp%20Image%202022-08-30%20at%203.19.27%20PM.jpeg" /></a></div><br /><span style="font-size: 11pt; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"><i>Our living and dining space had some pretty interesting color choices. </i></span><p></p><p dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br /></div><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiOI7kcMSkK34JHEMGJLAkBnDhEsRsKG_a0lkbjD_av8d3SztavduQvdk8StGj0hGaig734wYFg4_Mq2BV0PuuB3JaMkGOpAt90Hy7H0Kvr9fD4849quuarPneBkvIjGSt5U0k_lE-xnZJdBrVeaQDrvU-Fxe3XuGQfdfVbs2E0J8gWkQJJyizEZC_p/s4032/PXL_20220828_214305407.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="3024" data-original-width="4032" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiOI7kcMSkK34JHEMGJLAkBnDhEsRsKG_a0lkbjD_av8d3SztavduQvdk8StGj0hGaig734wYFg4_Mq2BV0PuuB3JaMkGOpAt90Hy7H0Kvr9fD4849quuarPneBkvIjGSt5U0k_lE-xnZJdBrVeaQDrvU-Fxe3XuGQfdfVbs2E0J8gWkQJJyizEZC_p/s16000/PXL_20220828_214305407.jpg" /></a></div><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi4wgIqcy1VQOIa4HlG0cN4KzQcBM_YbVwjY-Z8mZJ5oVRWlnRXbsc9q9FXmcR5Ep_2OESJ6PS1yS9JOYxyC8fINoD0TtX2_H6o3u-RZtHSpnCWGYlq8InqOqPJOimlO6Pe-B7pWye8hBtjv2YDxWyMUAUAw-Lv96S7qOY-gySldJuAXg35QU-6qFE4/s4032/PXL_20220828_214317137.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="4032" data-original-width="3024" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi4wgIqcy1VQOIa4HlG0cN4KzQcBM_YbVwjY-Z8mZJ5oVRWlnRXbsc9q9FXmcR5Ep_2OESJ6PS1yS9JOYxyC8fINoD0TtX2_H6o3u-RZtHSpnCWGYlq8InqOqPJOimlO6Pe-B7pWye8hBtjv2YDxWyMUAUAw-Lv96S7qOY-gySldJuAXg35QU-6qFE4/s16000/PXL_20220828_214317137.jpg" /></a></div><p dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><i>One of the four bedrooms- the house is pretty small by square footage but has lots of great usable space.</i></p><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjdjQUVt30NysyhdlOhw3Pa51T3Qw5BBnSW0HqLTvAImiSdxxeuCmNHXpqI4Q29zDrGI0UTLzVBoa5VMUYxj7WSSuhQ-wGWphwfH_iiQNT2S-4ZiRjZ3LUPj9QLXUNCci7ctVhejzxg3fpF20_XlpXVAfNGKmRLMl17xEYRgRbeKHkgfxyterYiOGyG/s4032/PXL_20220828_214322803.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="4032" data-original-width="3024" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjdjQUVt30NysyhdlOhw3Pa51T3Qw5BBnSW0HqLTvAImiSdxxeuCmNHXpqI4Q29zDrGI0UTLzVBoa5VMUYxj7WSSuhQ-wGWphwfH_iiQNT2S-4ZiRjZ3LUPj9QLXUNCci7ctVhejzxg3fpF20_XlpXVAfNGKmRLMl17xEYRgRbeKHkgfxyterYiOGyG/s16000/PXL_20220828_214322803.jpg" /></a></div><p dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><i>The kitchen hasn't been updated since the home was first built.</i></p><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjsVde6GpnGpVdZwSt5W2zoKSZp_IKg2ISminQ13er0IlOAnxCzzWQkUKVuY3kXYx5micLeNZrcO4x-vTVmdTNEVU-65lQwoDKU7nkvk4UItW2MtoBLkmOziiti9B68cCePpsLnC7V4HqvuyjUCJvmw0C2Es1cZPqzoI4KiWRY47qr4DRpGGOdBPAPI/s4032/PXL_20220828_214330873.MP.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="4032" data-original-width="3024" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjsVde6GpnGpVdZwSt5W2zoKSZp_IKg2ISminQ13er0IlOAnxCzzWQkUKVuY3kXYx5micLeNZrcO4x-vTVmdTNEVU-65lQwoDKU7nkvk4UItW2MtoBLkmOziiti9B68cCePpsLnC7V4HqvuyjUCJvmw0C2Es1cZPqzoI4KiWRY47qr4DRpGGOdBPAPI/s16000/PXL_20220828_214330873.MP.jpg" /></a></div><i>A look back from the entryway into the 'family' room, with the kitchen to the right.</i><p></p><p dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><i><br /></i></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjYrRglpbc7V0vfOiGM6AEqAFdcg33GWGrDfpWM0kobDuj2OlP2XL01LH2lV2hcWPSn0xXNHtLNhImTkqyM5VAO2LjMXpSrZpYDiITR16JEgDC2gPFZwKmSswifTQej9CbGlpaCJhidAckU0WjIx_APxfIW-z2X8_d_7fYUbdLMZoSxZqJ8kx4G3d6T/s4032/PXL_20220828_214715659.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="4032" data-original-width="3024" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjYrRglpbc7V0vfOiGM6AEqAFdcg33GWGrDfpWM0kobDuj2OlP2XL01LH2lV2hcWPSn0xXNHtLNhImTkqyM5VAO2LjMXpSrZpYDiITR16JEgDC2gPFZwKmSswifTQej9CbGlpaCJhidAckU0WjIx_APxfIW-z2X8_d_7fYUbdLMZoSxZqJ8kx4G3d6T/s16000/PXL_20220828_214715659.jpg" /></a></div><br /><span style="font-size: 14.6667px; white-space: pre-wrap;"><i>Our kitchen with this awkward low ceiling that was apparently popular at one point- it's all demolished as of today!</i></span><p></p><p dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><span style="font-size: 14.6667px; white-space: pre-wrap;"><i><br /></i></span></p><p dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><span style="font-size: 14.6667px; white-space: pre-wrap;"></span></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhvQRVPcwsAgy7sBiEd9lzl9lJ54-pAsnW7vR2yORegMgj61SgrGjFdKsw2OTwSTkw3sApyrOqrgDHr4H6fwOXVHyj5LDysST2pNfZXWV8hLeuIQB4-A88GOaRFFKCkJS6mXcwCkCrDzuUZ_r7a9bt-xG0telUR4J1-_9fodzeIYpBbtCRA8Mt5v48n/s2048/WhatsApp%20Image%202022-08-30%20at%203.19.40%20PM.jpeg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="2048" data-original-width="1536" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhvQRVPcwsAgy7sBiEd9lzl9lJ54-pAsnW7vR2yORegMgj61SgrGjFdKsw2OTwSTkw3sApyrOqrgDHr4H6fwOXVHyj5LDysST2pNfZXWV8hLeuIQB4-A88GOaRFFKCkJS6mXcwCkCrDzuUZ_r7a9bt-xG0telUR4J1-_9fodzeIYpBbtCRA8Mt5v48n/s16000/WhatsApp%20Image%202022-08-30%20at%203.19.40%20PM.jpeg" /></a></div><br /><i>The bathroom is very pink! We debated keeping the color, but ultimately decided to go with a clean white look.</i><p></p><br /><p dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><span style="font-size: 11pt; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">It’s hard to see from the photos, but while our home doesn’t have the most practical layout (looking at you, entryway pantry-closet!), it does have really good bones! So as much as I’d love to change things up with a full remodel, we’re really just updating existing structures for the most part. This also feels less wasteful to me since we won’t need to destroy and rebuild things that are working pretty well as is (again, just a guess.) Once we finish with this round, we also plan to keep things more or less the same with a few exceptions. Here’s a few ways we plan to make this renovation sustainable:</span></p><br /><p dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><span style="font-size: 11pt; font-style: italic; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">Sourcing materials secondhand or recycled when possible</span><span style="font-size: 11pt; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">: For items like fans, ceiling lights, and bathroom vanities, this makes a ton of sense! Unfortunately we don’t live locally yet, so it was difficult to hunt things down leading up to our renovation on places like FB Marketplace and local secondhand stores. I have my heart set on furnishing the space slowly after we move in, so hopefully we’ll have better luck in this area when we buy our furniture, since we plan to gift and sell the few pieces we have in Massachusetts.</span></p><br /><p dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><span style="font-size: 11pt; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">We had some big dreams to use recycled products when possible (I had my heart set on recycled glass countertops or this super intriguing material made of recycled paper- more on that </span><a href="https://elemental.green/15-fabulous-eco-friendly-countertops/" style="text-decoration-line: none;"><span style="color: #1155cc; font-size: 11pt; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; text-decoration-line: underline; text-decoration-skip-ink: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">here</span></a><span style="font-size: 11pt; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">!), sadly it just was not in the budget as it would have cost us at least 25% more than traditional countertop choices such as quartz. We are saving for another big chapter of the renovation next year that we think will be a huge step toward a low waste lifestyle (see below!)</span></p><br /><p dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><span style="font-size: 11pt; font-style: italic; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">Weather-proofing the house</span><span style="font-size: 11pt; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">. This actually started before we purchased the home. We had been looking for a few months at the time and already knew we didn’t want to buy in a high-risk flood zone, given Florida’s risk of rising water levels (more on that here.) We ultimately got lucky enough to find a home in a </span><a href="https://www.floodsmart.gov/understanding-my-flood-zone" style="text-decoration-line: none;"><span style="color: #1155cc; font-size: 11pt; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; text-decoration-line: underline; text-decoration-skip-ink: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">low- medium risk flood zone</span></a><span style="font-size: 11pt; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"> away from any canals or large bodies of water. </span></p><br /><p dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><span style="font-size: 11pt; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">Apart from this, we chose to install a tile floor rather than wood. Wood is a great look, don’t get me wrong- but tile will sustain water damage much better in the event of a flood. There are other options too, as you can see on this </span><a href="https://www.thespruce.com/best-and-worst-floors-for-moisture-prone-rooms-1821646" style="text-decoration-line: none;"><span style="color: #1155cc; font-size: 11pt; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; text-decoration-line: underline; text-decoration-skip-ink: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">website</span></a><span style="font-size: 11pt; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">, but we were happy to go with tile as it has the added benefit of helping to keep the house cool.</span></p><br /><p dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><span style="font-size: 11pt; font-style: italic; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">Decrease energy and water usage</span><span style="font-size: 11pt; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">: I lumped all of this in one category because while the approach is different it’s ultimately the same end goal: reducing reliance on the grid. Florida Power and Light is notoriously difficult to deal with and has no plans for divesting in fossil fuel energy, which is pretty wild to me considering we live in the sunshine state. So our next big ticket item is going to be a new roof and solar panels! The newest Federal Laws around climate change have extended the 30% rebate on solar panels for several more years (yay!), making this change a bit more affordable. You can find more info on solar panels in Florida </span><a href="https://www.forbes.com/home-improvement/solar/solar-panel-pricing-incentives-florida/" style="text-decoration-line: none;"><span style="color: #1155cc; font-size: 11pt; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; text-decoration-line: underline; text-decoration-skip-ink: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">here</span></a><span style="font-size: 11pt; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">.</span></p><br /><p dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><span style="font-size: 11pt; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">We also plan to swap out older appliances for high efficiency-grade ones. The biggest saver here will typically be the fridge, but toilets, washer-dryers and dishwashers can also make a difference. There are also smart sprinkler systems that help avoid unnecessary watering (more on that later, and a link with some info on energy efficient appliances </span><a href="https://www.solarreviews.com/blog/top-energy-efficient-appliances" style="text-decoration-line: none;"><span style="color: #1155cc; font-size: 11pt; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; text-decoration-line: underline; text-decoration-skip-ink: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">here</span></a><span style="font-size: 11pt; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">.) </span></p><p dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><span style="font-size: 11pt; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"><br /></span></p><p dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiScAtJM-lWiljxvmTlD-c7OEpPAKJnzlBth5dDfK5YbT_d8--dff57SS5hHMfvsqM4R8xUycx22qA4x6YECtVi3dhhnvAgTAwDSm8evBY4-KaVgLxptS58CflpyhUpY0EVXMnScDuYSAk3cKNW_IFWpBoByaSC6FmIZpoQJ-zTkM21SWQOHtU7snRc/s1600/WhatsApp%20Image%202022-08-30%20at%203.18.48%20PM.jpeg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1200" data-original-width="1600" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiScAtJM-lWiljxvmTlD-c7OEpPAKJnzlBth5dDfK5YbT_d8--dff57SS5hHMfvsqM4R8xUycx22qA4x6YECtVi3dhhnvAgTAwDSm8evBY4-KaVgLxptS58CflpyhUpY0EVXMnScDuYSAk3cKNW_IFWpBoByaSC6FmIZpoQJ-zTkM21SWQOHtU7snRc/s16000/WhatsApp%20Image%202022-08-30%20at%203.18.48%20PM.jpeg" /></a></div><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEivuiWdFkhiC9nTJOIU6HV83GLliBodQg5-2q0VJjPD0FrGoLalp9EycVK7yFMfsJUhFBKuQebJa8H-bkZ3eNZLOqmQ4f2kgxgz9pTJq387S9XupnRjy15Mmo5mTuJkdT7V0jN97q2-ggFwI0OWUfM7BqwlGQEIO8AVIhz7X1lIlYq_olqlI4pdiV4F/s1600/WhatsApp%20Image%202022-08-30%20at%203.18.57%20PM.jpeg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1200" data-original-width="1600" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEivuiWdFkhiC9nTJOIU6HV83GLliBodQg5-2q0VJjPD0FrGoLalp9EycVK7yFMfsJUhFBKuQebJa8H-bkZ3eNZLOqmQ4f2kgxgz9pTJq387S9XupnRjy15Mmo5mTuJkdT7V0jN97q2-ggFwI0OWUfM7BqwlGQEIO8AVIhz7X1lIlYq_olqlI4pdiV4F/s16000/WhatsApp%20Image%202022-08-30%20at%203.18.57%20PM.jpeg" /></a></div><p dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><i>The garden- we're very excited to start planting here!</i></p><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhjN1eF9elYPJjFjJARGq4oxG25-R2jQ3w7ZbljFtqRT14sKr4tZOJqkpbHpVZB2GWhENhiJoT-y5AxAhL-S1QS6_7e2yAE5D_T8h1qlf-FGLyVUPwW6qwzMGD_BgpuBchv-F8NNUVY_27iY6z9Wgt3zJU8A-1YoDh3uVgIU7I59Z92Go09-3PZS1A0/s1600/WhatsApp%20Image%202022-08-30%20at%203.19.07%20PM.jpeg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1200" data-original-width="1600" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhjN1eF9elYPJjFjJARGq4oxG25-R2jQ3w7ZbljFtqRT14sKr4tZOJqkpbHpVZB2GWhENhiJoT-y5AxAhL-S1QS6_7e2yAE5D_T8h1qlf-FGLyVUPwW6qwzMGD_BgpuBchv-F8NNUVY_27iY6z9Wgt3zJU8A-1YoDh3uVgIU7I59Z92Go09-3PZS1A0/s16000/WhatsApp%20Image%202022-08-30%20at%203.19.07%20PM.jpeg" /></a></div><i>The house has a pool that was just about the only thing that had been updated in recent years. </i><br /><span style="font-size: 11pt; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"><br /></span><p></p><br /><p dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><span style="font-size: 11pt; font-style: italic; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">Eco-friendly gardening</span><span style="font-size: 11pt; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">. This might be the part of our new home that I’m most excited for- the garden! We live in a sub-tropical climate where planting can go on year-round. I don’t want to be too ambitious because I haven’t had much luck with gardening in the past, but lucky for me Peter has a pretty green thumb! In addition, we’re hoping to eventually adjust our landscaping to add more native plants and flowers that will benefit the local flora and fauna and attract some native pollinators, add in a smart sprinkler system like </span><a href="https://www.nytimes.com/wirecutter/reviews/best-smart-sprinkler-controller/" style="text-decoration-line: none;"><span style="color: #1155cc; font-size: 11pt; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; text-decoration-line: underline; text-decoration-skip-ink: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">this one</span></a><span style="font-size: 11pt; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">, and start composting! UF has an amazing website and app about native pollinators and sustainable landscaping- </span><a href="https://gardeningsolutions.ifas.ufl.edu/about/" style="text-decoration-line: none;"><span style="color: #1155cc; font-size: 11pt; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; text-decoration-line: underline; text-decoration-skip-ink: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">here is their about page</span></a><span style="font-size: 11pt; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"> for more info.</span></p><br /><span style="font-size: 11pt; font-style: italic; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">Projects for further down the line</span><span style="font-size: 11pt; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">: While I’d love to have more room in the budget to accomplish all of our goals, like most folks, we’re going to wait a couple years on a few things, including our primary bathroom, adding insulation, and adding hurricane-safe windows and doors. We’re not entirely sure how long we’ll be in Florida, but it was important to us to reduce our carbon footprint since we are privileged enough to live in an area with so much potential for sustainable living. Do you have any questions? Better yet, any advice- drop them in the comments! Would love to hear from you if you’ve had experience with eco-friendly and low-waste renovation :)</span></span></div>Georgiahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09168378030141511010noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9186593346633923377.post-65921203233850454922022-08-01T06:00:00.001-07:002022-08-01T06:00:00.179-07:00Low Waste Mama: Cloth Diapering<p></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjWBJtlf2o3VuWLZFC5K7OwwbU8ztLY6DG_FEUz8OcQJ-hL00EedMwfT-vrez9lSyR8BvzTcIEhmkm_j--dwbyTGlQgmS34_f0DCOqP3x263Zy6CeeqaRlJ8fI9Mf2nETNuqjyt4Gu9GMBubRI9OPiVG8a2U4tfTMbs7Ssdr6FjsfHh97D3hXmVSM0N/s872/PXL_20220621_195628419.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="872" data-original-width="654" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjWBJtlf2o3VuWLZFC5K7OwwbU8ztLY6DG_FEUz8OcQJ-hL00EedMwfT-vrez9lSyR8BvzTcIEhmkm_j--dwbyTGlQgmS34_f0DCOqP3x263Zy6CeeqaRlJ8fI9Mf2nETNuqjyt4Gu9GMBubRI9OPiVG8a2U4tfTMbs7Ssdr6FjsfHh97D3hXmVSM0N/s16000/PXL_20220621_195628419.jpg" /></a></div><br /><span style="font-family: Arial; font-size: 11pt; white-space: pre-wrap;"><br /></span><p></p><p><span style="font-family: Arial; font-size: 11pt; white-space: pre-wrap;">We have been at this cloth diapering thing for over a year now, so obviously I have some THOUGHTS. Too many thoughts for one blog post. I tend to be horribly long-winded when I write, so I’ll probably break this down in a couple of posts. This one will just go into how we decided to go for it, what we took into consideration, and how we came to the final decision that it made sense for us as a family, because we were definitely on the fence initially. I also want to acknowledge that although there are some workarounds, I also recognize that choosing cloth diapering is a privilege made easier for us by living in a very sustainability-minded community, our income, our work schedules, and a number of other factors. I hope none of this comes across as ‘cloth diapering is easy! And everyone should do it!’ Because cloth diapering is great, and I want it to be a reasonable option for everyone, but it may not be for you or your family, for a number of reasons, and that’s ok. Ultimately I hope it becomes something that is accessible to all families who want to give it a go. </span></p><span id="docs-internal-guid-e1de145b-7fff-3907-47ca-3b336172a022"><br /><p dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><span style="font-family: Arial; font-size: 11pt; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">Now that that’s out of the way, let’s dive in!</span></p><div><span><br /></span></div><div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgBFpEriDcwMUkUIBJpnHuZY3r5FMUGtj2Efvl7T3x960jbOfPv_EymioGLaEa5C_ur8qpbYPEuJntL19keEazHqBq0tZUeeC4arrWWO0Y_TN3WBETYsgsEIkrA67v_ahzlG93fXtfYr7QD32DdH1pFnGN_wg5DtAejib8GWvi9dU0htNYreJ38Sbv_/s872/PXL_20210526_212623250.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="872" data-original-width="654" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgBFpEriDcwMUkUIBJpnHuZY3r5FMUGtj2Efvl7T3x960jbOfPv_EymioGLaEa5C_ur8qpbYPEuJntL19keEazHqBq0tZUeeC4arrWWO0Y_TN3WBETYsgsEIkrA67v_ahzlG93fXtfYr7QD32DdH1pFnGN_wg5DtAejib8GWvi9dU0htNYreJ38Sbv_/s16000/PXL_20210526_212623250.jpg" /></a></div><br /><span><br /></span></div><br /><p dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><span style="font-family: Arial; font-size: 11pt; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">Like a lot of parents, Peter and I must have spent hours researching the ‘best’ of all the things for those first months of life: the best stroller, best way to sleep train, best parenting books…and yep, the best diapers. We didn’t personally know anyone who cloth-diapered and had heard conflicting info on whether it was the most eco-friendly way to go; some argue against it because of the cost, or because of the amount of energy used washing and drying, when you could buy compostable diapers instead. We ultimately decide to try cloth diapering (CD) for a number of reasons: </span></p><br /><p dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><span style="font-family: Arial; font-size: 11pt; font-style: italic; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">Composting diapers is…complicated. </span><span style="font-family: Arial; font-size: 11pt; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">Many sources offer compostable diapering as a reasonable eco-friendly alternative to CD. The reality is much more complicated. For us, it was very difficult to compost- pick up compost organizations will not accept human waste, and our sibling/roomies ultimately veto’ed a backyard compost for our home, so that was out. Which meant that in our situation, any fancy, expensive compostable diapers would just really just be expensive, single use diapers going straight into a landfill. That didn’t feel great to us. </span></p><br /><p dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><span style="font-family: Arial; font-size: 11pt; font-style: italic; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">We found ways to mitigate cost.</span><span style="font-family: Arial; font-size: 11pt; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"> Depending on how you calculate things, yes, cloth diapering can be </span><span style="font-family: Arial; font-size: 11pt; font-style: italic; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">very </span><span style="font-family: Arial; font-size: 11pt; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">expensive. Just like any capitalist venture, people will try to sell you the newest, the best, the most advanced/easy/convenient system, etc. If that brand new, high tech system is what you go for, then, yes- cloth diapering is going to get expensive. </span></p><br /><p dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><span style="font-family: Arial; font-size: 11pt; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">But- there is another way. We ultimately bought one new set of newborn diapers, large and small wet bags, and a couple of other items along the way, and purchased everything else secondhand. Larger sizes of diapers included. This may not be appealing to some, I get it. But having done this several times, I feel pretty comfortable diapering our kiddo in secondhand diapers. They were always perfectly clean when purchased, and we washed them before using them with E. As far as I can tell, she has never had an infection related to diapering. I never felt that we were compromising on hygiene. (Actually, I feel like her skin hygiene is better in cloth than in disposable diapers- more on that later.) </span></p><br /><p dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><span style="font-family: Arial; font-size: 11pt; font-style: italic; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">We found ways to maximize usage and decrease waste.</span><span style="font-family: Arial; font-size: 11pt; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"> A super common argument against cloth diapering is that it’s not as energy-saving as folks tout it to be, and that </span><span style="font-family: Arial; font-size: 11pt; font-style: italic; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">can </span><span style="font-family: Arial; font-size: 11pt; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">be true. Think of it this way: what if we bought 24 brand new cloth diapers and inserts, used them for 6 months, then ditched them for disposable…we really aren’t maximizing that product’s use, are we? Now think about using the same diapers twice, for 2 kids, over the course of 18-24 months per kid, and then selling, gifting, or donating them to a charity like </span><a href="https://www.theclothoption.org/apply" style="text-decoration-line: none;"><span style="color: #1155cc; font-family: Arial; font-size: 11pt; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; text-decoration-line: underline; text-decoration-skip-ink: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">this one</span></a><span style="font-family: Arial; font-size: 11pt; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"> that refurbishes old diapers and gives them to folks in need? You’re certainly getting a lot more bang for your buck.</span></p><br /><p dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><span style="font-family: Arial; font-size: 11pt; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">Similarly, people like to point out that you use a lot more energy washing them- and yes, it’s true, you’ll do a </span><span style="font-family: Arial; font-size: 11pt; font-style: italic; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">ton </span><span style="font-family: Arial; font-size: 11pt; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">more laundry. There’s no way around that. But you can line dry, you can maximize your load usage, you can throw towels into the second wash (cloth diapers require a hot a cold wash)- basically, there are ways to be more efficient with your energy use. </span></p><p dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><span style="font-family: Arial; font-size: 11pt; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"><br /></span></p><p dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhlT5wsOQa_dHp89aSIlPMB53nDA-33xrE_3M1vMmcCYC4gvrv2JDHPVEMrz2twgDHpeIjPqoihefhOGBnTRUUpcayTNXJBZIPwAu9z8v0om4iSMoL8YRyGLCF9dFckQcBTuI-1McF0IJRbG7NqrWNdj64D68n3UqKRgpg8w_w6q_3If53CQoYp3sJA/s872/PXL_20210526_141600481.MP_2.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="872" data-original-width="872" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhlT5wsOQa_dHp89aSIlPMB53nDA-33xrE_3M1vMmcCYC4gvrv2JDHPVEMrz2twgDHpeIjPqoihefhOGBnTRUUpcayTNXJBZIPwAu9z8v0om4iSMoL8YRyGLCF9dFckQcBTuI-1McF0IJRbG7NqrWNdj64D68n3UqKRgpg8w_w6q_3If53CQoYp3sJA/s16000/PXL_20210526_141600481.MP_2.jpg" /></a></div><br /><span style="font-family: Arial; font-size: 11pt; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"><br /></span><p></p><br /><p dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><span style="font-family: Arial; font-size: 11pt; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">I also want to throw a note out there on another common and pretty strong argument against CD. It is time consuming. It basically triples your laundry. Easily. This is true- I can’t argue against it. We wash our child’s diapers about 2-3 times per week. Peter washes. I reassemble. I don’t have a great argument for this one. We both work and choose to spend a lot of our time cleaning our child’s cloth diapers. You might decide you’d rather dedicate your time to something else besides doing cloth diaper laundry 3 nights a week. No judgment. If money were no object I might have looked into sending our cloth diapers out for cleaning, which some local companies do in our area. It’s getting more common to see cloth diaper services like this all over the country, which I think is great. </span></p><br /><p dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><span style="font-family: Arial; font-size: 11pt; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">Lastly, if this sounds intimidating to you and totally not your jam, I want to add that just like anything in life, this is not an all or nothing game. We do not use cloth diapers at night. We have taken breaks from them- like when we traveled to England and South Dakota, and when we were going through a TFMR with our second child. We’ve gone as long as a month using no cloth diapers at all. There is a quote by Anne Marie Bonneau that I really like: </span></p><br /><p dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><span style="background-color: white; color: #0f1419; font-family: Roboto, sans-serif; font-size: 17.5pt; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">We don't need a handful of people doing zero waste perfectly. We need millions of people doing it imperfectly.</span></p><br /><p dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><span style="background-color: white; color: #0f1419; font-family: Roboto, sans-serif; font-size: 11pt; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">I think that applies so well in the parenting space.</span></p><br /><p dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><span style="background-color: white; color: #0f1419; font-family: Roboto, sans-serif; font-size: 11pt; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">This isn’t a race, nor is it a competition. This is the long haul effort to consume less and reduce waste, ultimately to improve the future for our children. Which is why I’m perfectly happy to sit on the sofa at 8 at night watching netflix and shoving cloth inserts into cloth diapers multiple nights per week :) </span></p><br /><p dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><span style="background-color: white; color: #0f1419; font-family: Roboto, sans-serif; font-size: 11pt; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">That’s all I’ve got for part one of our experience with cloth diapering! What else would you like to know? Leave questions in the comments, and I’ll share my answers or any other takes in the next part of this post! </span></p><div><span style="background-color: white; color: #0f1419; font-family: Roboto, sans-serif; font-size: 11pt; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"><br /></span></div></span>Georgiahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09168378030141511010noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9186593346633923377.post-87295965758132966222022-07-25T11:03:00.004-07:002022-07-25T11:03:40.949-07:00Low Waste Mama: adventures in EC<p> <span style="font-family: Arial; font-size: 11pt; white-space: pre-wrap;">Hi! </span></p><span id="docs-internal-guid-369fe5e8-7fff-1702-818a-d44b77368d7f"><br /><p dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><span style="font-family: Arial; font-size: 11pt; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">One of my goals after completing my MPH was to write more, so moving forward I’m committing to writing one blog post a week. It’s probably going to focus on low waste, parenting, and sustainability topics, maybe with some home decor thrown in there. This one is about our year using EC with our daughter. Hope you enjoy! </span></p><p dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><span style="font-family: Arial; font-size: 11pt; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"><br /></span></p><p dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjrI0s0pBWUZuwn7wRiuXTx7jzTsuQM4HFA5SGS6rtgptb3v9EylZbO-ReGRLB8rIxQhMPHqleScy1pEZ_fC4XyLL0DKC2NudlC_xkbIrfz0Iqry3lhOm-KPZjk0WqKLWh-jq6b9ZPGMrpP0k9myQJ4KfdJQYtQT9zfJsYFQvl2FV1QxkmUz6ZzNaud/s4032/PXL_20201115_153847695.MP.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="4032" data-original-width="3024" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjrI0s0pBWUZuwn7wRiuXTx7jzTsuQM4HFA5SGS6rtgptb3v9EylZbO-ReGRLB8rIxQhMPHqleScy1pEZ_fC4XyLL0DKC2NudlC_xkbIrfz0Iqry3lhOm-KPZjk0WqKLWh-jq6b9ZPGMrpP0k9myQJ4KfdJQYtQT9zfJsYFQvl2FV1QxkmUz6ZzNaud/s16000/PXL_20201115_153847695.MP.jpg" /></a></div><br /><span style="font-family: Arial; font-size: 11pt; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"><br /></span><p></p><br /><p dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><span style="font-family: Arial; font-size: 11pt; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">As we prepared for E’s arrival, both Peter and I were focused on trying to keep things low waste. We are in no way perfect, but are really trying to reduce use of single use items when possible, etc. Quite quickly we saw how bringing a new baby into the world would change that, and we started looking into ways to limit our footprint. One topic we stumbled onto was elimination communication, or EC. I honestly can’t remember where I first heard about it; probably somewhere between googling ‘how to limit diaper use’ and parenting practices I had encountered working outside of the U.S. We decided to give it a try. </span></p><br /><p dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><span style="font-family: Arial; font-size: 11pt; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">You might be asking yourself what EC is at this point. It’s essentially what it sounds like: <b>learning your infant’s bodily cues and using them to help your child pee and poop on a toilet</b>. Here is a VERY watered down summary of what we did: </span></p><br /><p dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><span style="font-family: Arial; font-size: 11pt; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">In the early weeks of our daughter’s life we observed her, both with and without her diaper. We noted times she tended to poop and pee (nursing seemed to do the trick for her!), and what kind of behaviors she had while pooping. For most babies this is some version of grimacing, reddening in the face, or squirming. For pees, which are a little less obvious, we also watched her while diaper free on a pee pad. </span></p><br /><p dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><span style="font-family: Arial; font-size: 11pt; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">Once we figured out her cues, we tried to do EC when we were home with her. This evolved quite a bit during E’s first 12 months of life. During the first twelve weeks, before I returned to work, I’d catch her straining to poop and sit with her between my legs facing backwards on the toilet or potty (see below.) I actually got pretty good at catching her poop when it didn’t occur while breastfeeding. Peter ordered the tiny EC potty that some breastfeeding parents use to do EC while ACTIVELY nursing, but dear reader, I was never going to be that parent. My coordination is just not that great (if you’ve seen me play any video game ever, you know this to be true.) </span></p><p dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><span style="font-family: Arial; font-size: 11pt; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"><br /></span></p><p dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhbf90_ucy0wgzO4vKr1B1VRCZF8qgqK_77tTNCsgw_rvilS77WAb7m_D030xZJpKh6UDYsjkRMA8GEbg_fJfcpnMjONDOpp0rMW6QXQzxqpGYpmpW7ByT2Lr6vnT5Eo59BQ5bsIpgND1qI1cqsLnqfy5g_tjYgQE-T0A1nFXggnxZ6gYaVEjucjFqo/s872/EC.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="872" data-original-width="654" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhbf90_ucy0wgzO4vKr1B1VRCZF8qgqK_77tTNCsgw_rvilS77WAb7m_D030xZJpKh6UDYsjkRMA8GEbg_fJfcpnMjONDOpp0rMW6QXQzxqpGYpmpW7ByT2Lr6vnT5Eo59BQ5bsIpgND1qI1cqsLnqfy5g_tjYgQE-T0A1nFXggnxZ6gYaVEjucjFqo/s16000/EC.jpg" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">At this point E was a bit heavy for me, so we switched to sitting her on the potty, but the position is essentially the same!</td></tr></tbody></table><br /><span style="font-family: Arial; font-size: 11pt; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"><br /></span></p><br /><p dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><span style="font-family: Arial; font-size: 11pt; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">We also went through a phase of giving her opportunities to pee every 3ish hours. I chose convenient times for us, like right after waking her from a nap, diaper changes, etc. This worked marginally well, but we found it to be pretty time consuming, and once I started working at the hospital again, we just didn’t have the time to do it consistently. </span></p><br /><p dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><span style="font-family: Arial; font-size: 11pt; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">EC blogs will also tell you to make a noise (like tsss tsss for pee and a hard K sound for poo,) that your child can start to associate with voiding and stooling. This didn’t work for us, but probably because we both began working when E was 12 weeks old and were not able to be consistent in our practices after that point. Overall, once I was back at work we practiced EC a lot less, but still tried to catch poos when we recognized that she was trying to go. We even got into a good rhythm where around 9-12 months, when she could sit independently, we’d sit her on the potty, make our little tss tss sound, and let her pee before bathtime. I think she actually enjoyed this routine too, and it certainly saved her a few diaper rashes from all that diaper free time.</span></p><br /><p dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><span style="font-family: Arial; font-size: 11pt; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">Around 12 months, we had gotten into a rhythm, but E was not feeling it any more. We’d place her on the potty and she’d immediately stand and try to walk or crawl away. We decided it was time for us to call it- I had gotten busier with my class and work schedule, and Peter was working harder than ever- we just didn’t have the space for EC anymore, and didn’t want to push our child when she was clearly resisting.</span></p><br /><p dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><span style="font-family: Arial; font-size: 11pt; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">A few folks have asked me since then about our experience- was it worth it? Is it doable while working? Does it help with toilet training? Would we recommend it to other parents? </span></p><br /><p dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><span style="font-family: Arial; font-size: 11pt; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">I can’t speak for my partner, but here’s my own perspective of our year of EC: </span></p><p dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><span style="font-family: Arial; font-size: 11pt; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"><br /></span></p><p dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhsTF9aWd61R4_AK_v3lJJBgsnEQX9VoGRNlMhIuwvQOVuz7gLSWYxpliFG6Xl8his1mnRoFh8lTHY3tZQgw5dsTbRoPoxyXtWaUaryRl6fhqVmU047ERliUM8kflTJf-8U2Ei0Q9GY43YjkJvSYtNkI1khapxERot0DjbU9tjYbIsk5aDxrGOnBVib/s3264/PXL_20210117_184006943.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="3264" data-original-width="2448" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhsTF9aWd61R4_AK_v3lJJBgsnEQX9VoGRNlMhIuwvQOVuz7gLSWYxpliFG6Xl8his1mnRoFh8lTHY3tZQgw5dsTbRoPoxyXtWaUaryRl6fhqVmU047ERliUM8kflTJf-8U2Ei0Q9GY43YjkJvSYtNkI1khapxERot0DjbU9tjYbIsk5aDxrGOnBVib/s16000/PXL_20210117_184006943.jpg" /></a></div><br /><span style="font-family: Arial; font-size: 11pt; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"><br /></span><p></p><br /><p dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><span style="font-family: Arial; font-size: 11pt; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">It’s a great and unique way to learn about and bond with your child.</span></p><br /><p dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><span style="font-family: Arial; font-size: 11pt; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">It’s not hard to learn, but is physically and logistically challenging. We struggled to find time to EC with E as two working parents, but I imagine that even with a parent home, it would be time consuming to watch your kid closely, stop what you’re doing and rush to catch a pee or poop. </span></p><br /><p dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><span style="font-family: Arial; font-size: 11pt; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">It </span><span style="font-family: Arial; font-size: 11pt; font-style: italic; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">maybe </span><span style="font-family: Arial; font-size: 11pt; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">cut our diaper usage down by 5%. </span></p><br /><p dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><span style="font-family: Arial; font-size: 11pt; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">We just started working with E on toilet training this month, and from what I can tell (from our n of 1), it has had zero effect on potty training our child, either positive or negative. And from my brief literature search, there is no solid evidence that EC contributes to early toilet training. </span></p><br /><p dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><span style="font-family: Arial; font-size: 11pt; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">And that’s our EC journey with E! Do you have any questions, or your own experience? I’d love to hear in the comments.</span></p><p dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><span style="font-family: Arial; font-size: 11pt; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"><br /></span></p><p dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><span style="font-family: Arial; font-size: 11pt; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">Here is a <a href="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=YMR3lSSGjCA">video</a> we found super useful when first looking into EC.</span></p><p dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><span style="font-family: Arial; font-size: 11pt; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"><br /></span></p><p dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><span style="font-family: Arial; font-size: 11pt; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">And here is a <a href="https://publications.aap.org/pediatrics/article/140/1/e20170398/38046/Elimination-Communication-Diaper-Free-in-America">great article</a> about two pediatricians who did a combo of cloth and diaper free! </span></p><br /></span>Georgiahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09168378030141511010noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9186593346633923377.post-34857386773477037502022-05-10T05:00:00.000-07:002022-05-10T05:00:26.110-07:00More or less what happened.<p></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjxf_Zg0kZ9OzWkNdq8du5Vf7hdPDa3Qj8_J8ch20ePCk6gBPxPk8Cs-IcrZ4Q15w0uAROadbuGwX8YqduWnCfBq3rCzLv-K4StZLpeGsZyNRltg-vsh7Cwn_6c2i0EHyL87AxYwOvxEo5wTmDkqGG131CWA7jPjlqhjwnPqIEWjosqp_I8YeojKPsR/s4032/PXL_20220413_125512919.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="4032" data-original-width="3024" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjxf_Zg0kZ9OzWkNdq8du5Vf7hdPDa3Qj8_J8ch20ePCk6gBPxPk8Cs-IcrZ4Q15w0uAROadbuGwX8YqduWnCfBq3rCzLv-K4StZLpeGsZyNRltg-vsh7Cwn_6c2i0EHyL87AxYwOvxEo5wTmDkqGG131CWA7jPjlqhjwnPqIEWjosqp_I8YeojKPsR/s16000/PXL_20220413_125512919.jpg" /></a></div><br /> <p></p><p>A little over a week ago, for the first time in a while, I took a break from both blogging and social media. I have to say it felt really good and was much needed, but probably deserves some explanation. We have had some really high highs and some pretty abysmal lows the last few months, some of which I'm ready to talk about (and, unfortunately, feels like something that needs to be said given the current mood these days.) </p><p>I'm going to at least make an attempt at brevity by rolling this up into a timeline of sorts, starting in December of last year.</p><p><i>December</i>: two things happened at once. One, we found out a home would be available on my parents' street, right across from them, <i>and we had a chance to buy it off market. </i>This was a very big deal for us, because homes don't often become available in my parents neighborhood, the market's been crazy tough, and even if we'd wanted to buy we would likely be outbid. We began the long, slow process of purchasing a home off market. </p><p>At the same time, we found out some news that was both exciting and scary- I was pregnant. We were excited because we wanted a second child, and scared because we just hadn't expected it to happen this soon- I still had a thesis to finish and have been working really difficult hours. Nevertheless we were thrilled- I immediately bought E big sister t-shirt to break the news to our immediate family, made a list of things to look out for secondhand for baby #2, and began revisiting our old baby name google document and debating whether we'd be having a baby boy or baby girl.</p><p><i>February</i>: we had just gotten back from traveling to Liberia as a family and I had my 13 week scan. As usual, I was friendly and chatty with the ultrasound tech, while sort of side-eyeing the numbers on the screen. Because I work in child health, I knew a little bit about the scan I was getting, but not quite enough to be sure if what I was seeing was abnormal. </p><p>I'll cut to the chase- it was. My baby had increased nuchal thickness, which can be a marker for major genetic disorders. Within minutes I was placed on the phone with an MFM doctor, and together we decided I'd get a CVS (basically a needle inserted into my placenta to test the cells for different genetic disorders) that day. I called Peter and panic-power-walked through freezing rain to the nearby hospital. </p><p>After that very tumultuous and scary day, things sort of...got quiet. We waited as test results trickled back bit by bit. The first test came back normal. Then the next one. Slowly, we allowed ourselves to breathe and I started to get excited about the baby again. Our 16 week scan appeared normal, apart from the nuchal thickness that had been diagnosed at 13 weeks. The doctor told me our risk was similar to other pregnancies. I told friends and coworkers we were expecting, as my belly was showing.</p><p><i>March</i>: the day before I turned 20 weeks, Peter and I walked into my anatomy scan excited to take a peek at our baby again. The same tech was there, and after just a few minutes mumbled something about confirming she was getting the right measurements. I didn't pick up on the weirdness of that, but I probably should have. Minutes later, an MFM doctor came in, this time in person, and essentially told us the most crushing news I've ever received: our baby had severe fetal hydrops, it could affect my health if we continued the pregnancy, and even if we waited to deliver, our baby would probably not survive. They recommended terminating the pregnancy.</p><p>I won't go into the details of this here, but it was easily the most devastating experience of my life. I was just beginning to feel my baby kicking, and E had started giving my belly kisses just a day or two before. I wanted a miracle so, so badly- but I am also a realist, and I knew enough about fetal hydrops to know it was not going to get better. I actually had a case as a resident in the NICU- and I didn't want our little one to go through what I had witnessed. Thankfully, I live in a state where abortion has not been criminalized. In early April, at 21 weeks, I had surgery to terminate the pregnancy. </p><p><i>May</i>: The rest of April was a blur of crying in the shower, trying to keep up with the absolute minimum at my job and at school, and a bout of Covid-19 at the worst possible timing (we spent our third Easter home alone, thank you Covid.) </p><p>On May 2nd, after a lot of legal and financial nightmares, we closed on our home. A home that hasn't been updated in nearly fifty years, and that we have never once set foot in. But it's ours. We didn't have a chance to celebrate since I had to prepare for my thesis presentation and the dive into a month of working nearly every weekend, but we are incredibly thankful for the chance to raise our daughter in the town I grew up in, with the same lovely neighbors who I visited and house-sat for growing up, just across the street from her grandparents. </p><p>I don't have the space yet to talk more about the loss we experienced last month. It still feels very raw. The leak from the US supreme court didn't help either- hearing that news felt like a punch in the gut, and it makes me sick to think that women and birthing persons, especially those who are from historically excluded groups, may no longer have access to safe abortions in so many parts of this country. I am thankful that I was able to choose what happened to my child and my body. I am scared and angry about what may happen in the coming months. I am happy to be done with graduate school and cutting back my work hours in a month. In short, I am feeling a lot of different feelings.</p><p>If you read this far, thank you so much for being here. Truly. I imagine this space will soon go through a shift yet again, and I appreciate you sticking around to see where it ends up. If you're going through something similar, feel free to reach out. I don't wish this experience on anyone. Below are two online resources that you may find helpful if you are going through pregnancy loss. Wishing you the best. xx.</p><p><a href="https://talktfmr.podbean.com/">Time to Talk TFMR</a>- a great podcast that gave me so much comfort in the last month as I went through this.</p><p><a href="https://studio.fertilebodyyoga.com/product/16686/lessons">Online yoga course for pregnancy loss</a>- I haven't had time to start this course, but it came highly recommended by my OB.</p><p>It also goes without saying, if you're angry and scared like me, you can donate to non-profits that help women with limited resources or access to safe abortions- I chose to support <a href="https://abortionfunds.org/fund/indigenous-women-rising/">Indigenous Women Rising</a>, but there are plenty of other options too.</p><p>Lastly, because, as always, music stepped in to save the day, <a href="https://open.spotify.com/playlist/6vTe1ROdfp6LAWhcH6i39z?si=5be961b771b94580">here's what I've been listening to the last month</a>.</p>Georgiahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09168378030141511010noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9186593346633923377.post-57213326877637916152022-05-06T10:53:00.000-07:002022-05-06T10:53:05.105-07:00Hi, I am bad at blogging consistently.<p></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjFsnSzlM9k97bbxf06TkR6QOnE0lzcaTRPp9lqHdAk7cU7aVHccqHArINpuBAR8U80lO3OhbG7m7o2Y57ulVPxCyUg4vYNRSVjjZy4x4W0IVy7Va3EVolXkVxa6mnLovtMwMdVuB_bRpQ/s4032/PXL_20210515_124454045.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="4032" data-original-width="3024" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjFsnSzlM9k97bbxf06TkR6QOnE0lzcaTRPp9lqHdAk7cU7aVHccqHArINpuBAR8U80lO3OhbG7m7o2Y57ulVPxCyUg4vYNRSVjjZy4x4W0IVy7Va3EVolXkVxa6mnLovtMwMdVuB_bRpQ/s16000/PXL_20210515_124454045.jpg" /></a></div><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjr2KpVE62K8n9ix2Ic7DSFRsYw08t1u4immlWY7TGkTKQUgpmJ39oKL3sdOCjSP30LTn5wJMztl7yUKQ3IVKwPjqJ-v1V1d0Ap13xntaQLXHcrG54jCIqpi3_iOG-s4-jbSexYOUVRF60/s4032/PXL_20210507_221150693.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="3024" data-original-width="4032" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjr2KpVE62K8n9ix2Ic7DSFRsYw08t1u4immlWY7TGkTKQUgpmJ39oKL3sdOCjSP30LTn5wJMztl7yUKQ3IVKwPjqJ-v1V1d0Ap13xntaQLXHcrG54jCIqpi3_iOG-s4-jbSexYOUVRF60/s16000/PXL_20210507_221150693.jpg" /></a></div><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi2gO8ZaXJhvcaUK9cfG6qItoqhyphenhyphenhEe62M0g8XsbjAlWIMeLaWlT33xPszlDBU46LdAcRZtsV_Y3VxxrGJHK6lAikWASpM4dy0NgBaFGHvgOl-Fyz1IGU15Xlk6bFDzhhjKwa8TbiHby7I/s3264/PXL_20210515_223123763.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="2448" data-original-width="3264" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi2gO8ZaXJhvcaUK9cfG6qItoqhyphenhyphenhEe62M0g8XsbjAlWIMeLaWlT33xPszlDBU46LdAcRZtsV_Y3VxxrGJHK6lAikWASpM4dy0NgBaFGHvgOl-Fyz1IGU15Xlk6bFDzhhjKwa8TbiHby7I/s16000/PXL_20210515_223123763.jpg" /></a></div><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br /></div><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg0YajXA_LJETJuhNmIMxR-q5p24YoLKWV2Bnx-5-5bWZP3XDpNzVUi6quqFNAE1rCaaayX72v7faOFQJ_5xpA91-YR0vRR7uySYn_ltnO1IjRHHQimXGR9trkGQUWsguqg89bcx0uS3yk/s4032/PXL_20210508_183915319.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="3024" data-original-width="4032" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg0YajXA_LJETJuhNmIMxR-q5p24YoLKWV2Bnx-5-5bWZP3XDpNzVUi6quqFNAE1rCaaayX72v7faOFQJ_5xpA91-YR0vRR7uySYn_ltnO1IjRHHQimXGR9trkGQUWsguqg89bcx0uS3yk/s16000/PXL_20210508_183915319.jpg" /></a></div><div><br /></div>Just popping in to share some last photos and recommendations from our trip to South Dakota...A WHOLE YEAR LATER. Guys, idk what to say. In my defense I was kind of busy this year...had a lot going on that I'll share in a later post. For now, enjoy some great views of the American West, and see below for some of our recommendations from our time in South Dakota.<div><br /></div><div>First off, the parks. We absolutely loved driving through Badlands National Park on the loop road and the unfortunately named Custer State Park. We drove through Badlands and didn't do any hiking, and ended up in Wall, SD- a cute but kind of touristy town that I think I'd skip next visit. Also, don't do as I do and speed through the park (in my defense, I had no idea what the speed limit was...insert embarrassed face here.) </div><div><br /></div><div>Custer State Park, which is historically located on land belonging to the Cheyenne people, was by far my favorite spot. While I wish we had been able to do more hiking, I was really happy to be able to explore some of the trails with our daughter. We hit a lot of the highlights, including the Needles Highway, Cathedral Spires trail, seeing buffalo, prairie dogs and wild donkeys on the wildlife loop road, and an easy but beautiful walk around the Sylvan lake. We also made sure to see the Crazy Horse Memorial on the way out (we skipped the other one.) Since we didn't have a ton of time off because it was a work trip for me, we stayed in the park at one of the cabins, which was a little pricey but worth it to be so close by to everything the park has to offer. </div><div><br /></div><div>In future visits (either sans kiddo or when E is a bit older,) I'd definitely want to do some longer hikes and possibly some backpacking or camping. I also want to return in the summer, as that's when traditional Lakota powwows, or 'wacipi' take place. There are also opportunities to support local indigenous businesses through tipi stays; you can find more information on that here at the <a href="https://www.lakotayouthdevelopment.org/tipi-stays">Lakota Youth Stay</a> website.<br /> <p></p></div>Georgiahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09168378030141511010noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9186593346633923377.post-40793447971567620122021-08-25T09:58:00.002-07:002021-08-25T09:58:18.971-07:00That time we went to South Dakota<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhmNnRW5VO5VxnutSOV6I78q9WgfFLgPb95yiCxXUE_5_rxoJR2B-b1lvNW5ih_c2lJDZA126yf8-Im3gJ8AkdsSTyCk77VdmmrC32fI8uF5RfQnFLdaIV2wnfszzM-x8iEDDRuFrhq9C8/s4032/PXL_20210508_181953471.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="3024" data-original-width="4032" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhmNnRW5VO5VxnutSOV6I78q9WgfFLgPb95yiCxXUE_5_rxoJR2B-b1lvNW5ih_c2lJDZA126yf8-Im3gJ8AkdsSTyCk77VdmmrC32fI8uF5RfQnFLdaIV2wnfszzM-x8iEDDRuFrhq9C8/s16000/PXL_20210508_181953471.jpg" /></a></div><div><br /></div><div><div>I never mean to take as much time off as I end up doing when I get busy with life and school and other things. I had every intention of making a nice, curated travel guide for visiting South Dakota. Instead please accept these unedited photos from our travels. I'll make a short list of things to do as well. One thing I do want to say is the mark of white colonizers on what was once indigenous land runs deep in this state. Anywhere we travel in the U.S., it's important to know the often damaging history and impacts of white folks on the land, and even more important to understand who the original custodians are and were.</div><div><br /></div><div>Any trip you take I would strongly encourage you to visit native-land.ca to learn more about the original tribes of indigenous peoples who originally occupied these spaces. During our time, we spent time on Sicangu Lakota Oyate land as well as on the land of the Oglala Sioux Tribe. You can find more information about the 18 tribal nations of South Dakota <a href="https://nativegov.org/south-dakota-tribes/">here</a>.</div></div><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgXxMh8p_a4Il-PXMYAD40R9n4qFZEGxB_917eAgdZ3FgXwnQ3IBYPQ1_3TT_W9m4EE038PyL4kFlFn4iLL2jcvJNDzNWQ_w56DQvLcjImVQa7iPu-BQvYdQYR2NVTctII1EmaJdjbNH7A/s4032/PXL_20210508_182919442.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="4032" data-original-width="3024" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgXxMh8p_a4Il-PXMYAD40R9n4qFZEGxB_917eAgdZ3FgXwnQ3IBYPQ1_3TT_W9m4EE038PyL4kFlFn4iLL2jcvJNDzNWQ_w56DQvLcjImVQa7iPu-BQvYdQYR2NVTctII1EmaJdjbNH7A/s16000/PXL_20210508_182919442.jpg" /></a></div><div><br /></div><div>We spent most of our times on the plains as I was working at a small hospital there, but we spent a couple of weekends in the Black Hills and it was gorgeous. We only did a few short hikes with the little one (Silver Lake trail and Cathedral Spires were both fantastic) and really enjoyed some scenic drives in the area. We used an <a href="https://www.osprey.com/us/en/product/poco-POCOCHS20.html">Osprey Poco carrier</a> my parents generously gifted to us and it worked great. Next time we go we also plan to stay in a traditional tipi like <a href="https://www.tipistays.com/">this one</a>, which helps raise funds for local Lakota Youth Programming. </div><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgZUBDMpa9qaKyCS2cd0YtgAHsSGOOU0QFshKk-iTWnsGKmQFEvGkMHWtHGnRexGkoVYmD0Zj4qazCWuB_3hVFUnyqDpHpsDIP9Vmv4PlEjPvpdJtbsr_nAUStveZuIus-WsTSd5q6pKGY/s4032/PXL_20210508_203834687.MP.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="4032" data-original-width="3024" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgZUBDMpa9qaKyCS2cd0YtgAHsSGOOU0QFshKk-iTWnsGKmQFEvGkMHWtHGnRexGkoVYmD0Zj4qazCWuB_3hVFUnyqDpHpsDIP9Vmv4PlEjPvpdJtbsr_nAUStveZuIus-WsTSd5q6pKGY/s16000/PXL_20210508_203834687.MP.jpg" /></a></div><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgKy5UQ0cM5laIbaKFu5hNq3wX60k2Fuj5M6QTNJUnvdy3BgCfi1W0Q_BwuXTrqjbRlzYtRS2iPJ4WcIFBQ-wB0tIDKAvDgrkveYrKebCDPuViMCChsW9Dej645hFpLJYcZQBJ2qinSY9g/s4032/PXL_20210509_184924770.MP.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="4032" data-original-width="3024" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgKy5UQ0cM5laIbaKFu5hNq3wX60k2Fuj5M6QTNJUnvdy3BgCfi1W0Q_BwuXTrqjbRlzYtRS2iPJ4WcIFBQ-wB0tIDKAvDgrkveYrKebCDPuViMCChsW9Dej645hFpLJYcZQBJ2qinSY9g/s16000/PXL_20210509_184924770.MP.jpg" /></a></div><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEidANsqnrntcp9HGRCrKr7yl5fNgGC2ZrMIAHU9XB8ycgyuKn3QaWSnZW3igsmAAudxq1auzIUupnaeKX7xd-_lIv6dt1gMF9s2zHnqk1XvZYzYJRjRK9gmNdeNhuv-N_T9hRSUXtGRiKo/s4032/PXL_20210509_190136798.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="3024" data-original-width="4032" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEidANsqnrntcp9HGRCrKr7yl5fNgGC2ZrMIAHU9XB8ycgyuKn3QaWSnZW3igsmAAudxq1auzIUupnaeKX7xd-_lIv6dt1gMF9s2zHnqk1XvZYzYJRjRK9gmNdeNhuv-N_T9hRSUXtGRiKo/s16000/PXL_20210509_190136798.jpg" /></a></div><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhGKxO5PrPsO3dY6RGZHD4DR35OtH4pwv22TIWyV6rjMI-szqdHTG6zJwWXwY54781V2tloCVwaMXPVB2Ars8PgkwoI6O3VDgQRtkSLv14a8FRUq7MfYQ2V14SIaJjpNXKsqsjD-wlZdfQ/s4032/PXL_20210510_003516569.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="3024" data-original-width="4032" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhGKxO5PrPsO3dY6RGZHD4DR35OtH4pwv22TIWyV6rjMI-szqdHTG6zJwWXwY54781V2tloCVwaMXPVB2Ars8PgkwoI6O3VDgQRtkSLv14a8FRUq7MfYQ2V14SIaJjpNXKsqsjD-wlZdfQ/s16000/PXL_20210510_003516569.jpg" /></a></div><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg1ZgM1THxaP5ae7Ypqc1d30idswDUxsUBC6wAxt3-lm3mjo9YHq_XSzHWfcPUeQK_g1cgSrRaQgAJ5QcdgvJuTLhK3v2oUPH5F73CnMKrshUsMo0jqOZeNA3OJAbK8_UeiQ2Qc1AiLCaI/s4032/PXL_20210512_202154178.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="4032" data-original-width="3024" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg1ZgM1THxaP5ae7Ypqc1d30idswDUxsUBC6wAxt3-lm3mjo9YHq_XSzHWfcPUeQK_g1cgSrRaQgAJ5QcdgvJuTLhK3v2oUPH5F73CnMKrshUsMo0jqOZeNA3OJAbK8_UeiQ2Qc1AiLCaI/s16000/PXL_20210512_202154178.jpg" /></a></div><div><br /></div><div>Johnny Cash actually visited Lakota country at one point in his life. This guitar on display at a museum was part of a local performance.</div><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgr3o1uEYHplAEUiXNNH3gAICbyamHdu_36EB7-A7GN3cDIvwsqsTg-Sel1SP9hQuEVixLtQ5Rd7Y34G6ii8TCQPuuFvOXCI8kO-rHkYEvqzGJkn-fbg_qukhX2gLDqqeU06hM3dkADMFE/s4032/PXL_20210512_202417689.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="4032" data-original-width="3024" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgr3o1uEYHplAEUiXNNH3gAICbyamHdu_36EB7-A7GN3cDIvwsqsTg-Sel1SP9hQuEVixLtQ5Rd7Y34G6ii8TCQPuuFvOXCI8kO-rHkYEvqzGJkn-fbg_qukhX2gLDqqeU06hM3dkADMFE/s16000/PXL_20210512_202417689.jpg" /></a></div><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgu8fmfhhXEisV8yyXm3sBpJxc5LTXOIzCwdKZGeBokdNJoeV-hjt-ySk2nyi9XBcqwi08Qf1gQHHSMO6DzkOOQ6XthfCEDE9N1OUhv9TLyyH4DsFC9AMWjY2GhBCoho5qL1uC8EDJ_abY/s4032/PXL_20210512_203702102.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="4032" data-original-width="3024" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgu8fmfhhXEisV8yyXm3sBpJxc5LTXOIzCwdKZGeBokdNJoeV-hjt-ySk2nyi9XBcqwi08Qf1gQHHSMO6DzkOOQ6XthfCEDE9N1OUhv9TLyyH4DsFC9AMWjY2GhBCoho5qL1uC8EDJ_abY/s16000/PXL_20210512_203702102.jpg" /></a></div><div><br /></div><div>One thing I fell in love with in South Dakota was the beading art. Pieces like the ones above are incredibly intricate and would have taken hours for the maker to complete. It wasn't uncommon at the hospital to see the clerk working on beading baby moccasins in her down time, and a local youth development programs often teach beading to teenage tribal members as a meditative and calming practice. I was lucky enough to have the stethoscope below made by an incredibly talented member of the local Lakota tribe. <a href="https://shopping.aktalakota.org/">This museum shop</a> carries some pieces of his and other local makers.</div><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgXJv2QJXlWAAYjasYiW_8Ns3UlEr8Y3g_7fxZm4RJJgvUJidrKlvtwX4wyIyY0M7A_mugXJRKK842W-avUSfMThLlj2d-PdvWhPeBPj6kCdwoUsKDPJmSsszT8YUjJsfPYHC7XgpdFa0M/s4032/PXL_20210513_204849093.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="4032" data-original-width="3024" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgXJv2QJXlWAAYjasYiW_8Ns3UlEr8Y3g_7fxZm4RJJgvUJidrKlvtwX4wyIyY0M7A_mugXJRKK842W-avUSfMThLlj2d-PdvWhPeBPj6kCdwoUsKDPJmSsszT8YUjJsfPYHC7XgpdFa0M/s16000/PXL_20210513_204849093.jpg" /></a></div><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjpolXicsmGYCbF4-cadMrmhcyVVmh978O-HVGUo5RER4e-ZxLlz5I7JGiEQfV2tHxhjldskw_Y4pyLvuPch-XdDKgLhsyGCCHG6eOh2vVFCZH2dTEWBcrXAoLLj8x2_rkgo0677XCU94A/s2560/IMG_20210513_181816.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1440" data-original-width="2560" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjpolXicsmGYCbF4-cadMrmhcyVVmh978O-HVGUo5RER4e-ZxLlz5I7JGiEQfV2tHxhjldskw_Y4pyLvuPch-XdDKgLhsyGCCHG6eOh2vVFCZH2dTEWBcrXAoLLj8x2_rkgo0677XCU94A/s16000/IMG_20210513_181816.jpg" /></a></div><div><br /></div><div>One of my favorite days was this one, when I had the chance to teach kids from a Lakota language immersion school about health and doctors' visits! Kindergarten is such an awesome age. Loved working with these kids.</div><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhgbMs7fRx6VISrvcknTm7AP_K5ZGgPx-1LdC8oX65GQJ117plUCRI8qaHoHq2inEvQp7A0sNchB6YkyPLKx5rBVpxf0PS_I9U9imCen2tiin7qXArCI-lLxyw6XpKCAWKHJ1grXma6QPg/s4032/PXL_20210514_220337720.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="3024" data-original-width="4032" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhgbMs7fRx6VISrvcknTm7AP_K5ZGgPx-1LdC8oX65GQJ117plUCRI8qaHoHq2inEvQp7A0sNchB6YkyPLKx5rBVpxf0PS_I9U9imCen2tiin7qXArCI-lLxyw6XpKCAWKHJ1grXma6QPg/s16000/PXL_20210514_220337720.jpg" /></a></div><br />We spent one of our last weekends visiting Wounded Knee, the site of one of the worst massacres in our country's history. 150 Native Americans were killed here in 1890. It was later the site of a protest against mistreatment of indigenous peoples by the U.S. government in the 1970s. <div><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjuit0yOXkXIgyglgWoTqgLkieyOR05WlQFt-7R_oLJcbfVbWXNF3Aw5VgeTOTKbCEyk8xM4bY3_1F0iKDUD5ns8aCzT15UFfGpkurL_l_fCIr1YwC26EZVPw6PNAS6VXu4TK7F4vqKXiE/s4032/PXL_20210518_185729785.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="3024" data-original-width="4032" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjuit0yOXkXIgyglgWoTqgLkieyOR05WlQFt-7R_oLJcbfVbWXNF3Aw5VgeTOTKbCEyk8xM4bY3_1F0iKDUD5ns8aCzT15UFfGpkurL_l_fCIr1YwC26EZVPw6PNAS6VXu4TK7F4vqKXiE/s16000/PXL_20210518_185729785.jpg" /></a></div><br /><div>As I mentioned above, our trip was related to my work and while I wasn't expecting much, we were blown away by the natural beauty and history of South Dakota. We're looking forward to heading back when we can, and hopefully doing some of the stuff we didn't get the chance to see on this trip. If you want to learn more about the Lakota people and this part of the country, I've listed a few resources below: </div><div><br /></div><div><a href="http://www.beacon.org/An-Indigenous-Peoples-History-of-the-United-States-P1164.aspx">An Indigenous People's History of the United States</a> by Roxanne Dunbar-Ortiz <br /><a href="https://www.penguinrandomhouse.com/books/316457/the-heartbeat-of-wounded-knee-by-david-treuer/">The Heartbeat of Wounded Knee</a> by David Treuer (Ojibwe)<br /><a href="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=AlrWRttLTkg">The Rider</a> film by Chloe Zhao</div><div><a href="https://www.lakotayouthdevelopment.org/">Lakota Youth Stay</a> Cultural Tourism Opportunities </div><div><br /></div><div>If you have more please share! And <i>please- </i>support indigenous writers, artists and makers. There is a ton of work out there that plagiarizes, manipulates and capitalizes on Native American traditions for mainstream/fast fashion, which is not ok. </div>Georgiahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09168378030141511010noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9186593346633923377.post-54414600928658401942021-05-28T06:05:00.002-07:002021-05-28T06:06:29.952-07:00Songs to Drive to.<p> </p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhYNWleI7kthVmN78EtYk5k1bhvS6Ypc9k2sgebldzHtzHsi4yalzBOXmcYUFHQzeOQzxcMph_6JRqJgB5qXw86Akc2xiUP9EZBsYH9EsKp1DqimBLjl4yy0IbTKSkpS76hx4svDDxP4JM/s1600/roadtripplaylist.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1200" data-original-width="1600" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhYNWleI7kthVmN78EtYk5k1bhvS6Ypc9k2sgebldzHtzHsi4yalzBOXmcYUFHQzeOQzxcMph_6JRqJgB5qXw86Akc2xiUP9EZBsYH9EsKp1DqimBLjl4yy0IbTKSkpS76hx4svDDxP4JM/s16000/roadtripplaylist.jpg" /></a></div><br /><p></p><p>I used to be a big curator of playlists. I think in another life I would have loved to be a radio DJ (I know that is a very weird alternate career, but it works. haha!) </p><p>I haven't had the bandwidth to do this in a while but I enjoy it and it makes me happy. So one of the afternoons when my Mom had E I threw something together for our trip to South Dakota. To be honest I was really intimidated by the idea of being on our own out there with no help or support and hours of driving to get around with a young infant. Obviously many folks do all of this and more alone, so no complaining here- but I was nervous!</p><p>She did great, and we had an amazing time. And this is some of the music we listened to driving those country roads winding their way through the plains. Hope you enjoy :) Will drop a little summary of what we got up to later when I have some more down time!
<iframe src="https://open.spotify.com/embed/playlist/7rptrzNug2G7YIkTb4rwYG" width="300" height="380" frameborder="0" allowtransparency="true" allow="encrypted-media"></iframe>Georgiahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09168378030141511010noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9186593346633923377.post-69878694186214462222021-05-20T07:52:00.003-07:002021-05-21T08:37:18.773-07:00Travel with a baby (hi, we have a baby!)<p> Um, hi, hello! I always tell myself I will never take a month off from writing...and then life hits. And to be honest, I don't think I've ever had a bigger distraction than the one we've got right now...</p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh-ZuXXpkgidRDzDRw6rmzKc0ToGatZqsFBLSBMXLARzYMQfKTM9trsC0-Ei93HXugVYGgx6Afyhwsk4l3S_5swAoGcIW36bzdmG68dsPSRUd5usZucumjlRT9FnqBguZFg5yq7gcThAA8/s2048/DSC05757.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="2048" data-original-width="1365" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh-ZuXXpkgidRDzDRw6rmzKc0ToGatZqsFBLSBMXLARzYMQfKTM9trsC0-Ei93HXugVYGgx6Afyhwsk4l3S_5swAoGcIW36bzdmG68dsPSRUd5usZucumjlRT9FnqBguZFg5yq7gcThAA8/s16000/DSC05757.jpg" /></a></div><br /><p>In November I became a mom, maybe a couple days after that last post (and a few days early, to my shock and disbelief!) It has been a wild ride but suffice it to say we are so incredibly happy to have little E in our lives.</p><p>I'm not up for sharing the birth story just yet (may never be, to be honest) but I did want to pop on here and share how our travels went and what we learned. We traveled a lot before E came into our lives, and since her birth we've lived in 3 different places(!) Some days I felt really awesome managing to continue working in global health and travel with a baby in tow. And some (many) days I felt like I was drowning and life was irrevocably changed and I was failing at both my career and being a good mother. I think both are true to an extent (that's a story for another day.) So without further ado, here's some general advice and things we found that made traveling with a baby easier. </p><p><i>Have a loose routine</i>. Like it or not, your life will change when a baby arrives. When E first came (aka before reality hit,) I was very motivated to keep life as unchanged as possible. I tried to get her to sleep anywhere, with normal daily life buzzing in the background, in hopes that she'd learn to sleep on the go. HA. ha. Did you know that babies are actual humans? (note the sarcasm here.) And sure, some humans can literally sleep anywhere...Others need pitch black, total silence, Abby the bear and a lavender diffuser in the room to sleep well. Once we were exhausted into submission, we found a happy medium that worked for us by tracking and identifying our kiddo's wake windows/sleepy times and establishing a flexible schedule and sleep routine that worked for us. We loved the <a href="https://huckleberrycare.com/">Huckleberry app</a> for this (side note: none of these shares are sponsored.)</p><p>Obviously we didn't want something too complicated so it would be easy to implement in a bunch of different places (in the last month alone we have put her down for naps/bedtime in 2 houses and 3 different hotel rooms plus the occasional car or lap on the airplane.) So I'd argue for something really simple/loose- for us it's change diaper, sleep sack, books, bed with the sound machine on/lights out for naps (we just add a bath for bedtime, which can be skipped in a pinch) and naps around 9 am, 1 pm and 5 pm +/- 30 minutes. It really did work wonders for us. E is a different kid when she's able to sleep well, and this simple routine goes a long way in helping her get the rest she needs.</p><p><i>...And be willing to break it.</i> Ok so I know I just went on and on about how amazing routines are...but hear me out. If you've got limited time somewhere (whether a few days or a few weeks,) you're not going to want to spend 5 hours of your vacation sitting in a hotel room in the dark, texting your significant other because you can't actually speak since the little one is sleeping two feet away. Peter and I agonized over this for a long time. Ultimately what worked for us was prioritizing naps in the first parts of the day, and either skipping or pushing off the later nap to do things as a family, since the third nap is hit or miss for her anyways. Sometimes we ended up with a grumpier baby. Sometimes it ended with E excitedly flailing her arms at the sighting of her first ever bison, a truly sweet and hilarious thing to see. </p><p>We really tried not to do this every day, but on weekends or special occasions we wanted E to see or do something with us as a family, we made it work. It ended up giving us some sweet family moments that we would have missed out on if we were nap-trapped in our hotel room. </p><p><i>Have an on the go routine option. </i>I guess this is an extension of having a routine. South Dakota is pretty rural and spread out, so we spent many 3 hour chunks of time driving with E having a meltdown because she was so tired and couldn't sleep more than 10 minutes. That was until we stumbled on the magic of mimicry- in an act of desperation I flung my nursing cover over the car seat, we blasted the AC to make some white noise and just kept driving in total silence. While I wouldn't recommend using this method routinely, it did work for us and could prove useful if you're in a bind. </p><p><i>Modify your expectations</i>. When we first arrived in South Dakota one of the first websites I found had a list of '15 things to do in a day in the Black Hills.' Being a realist with a 5 month old, I cut the list down to 8 or 9 things that were realistic with an infant and sounded like fun. In the span of 4-ish days in the area we did 4-5 of them. Some of that was weather and not baby-related, but the reality is time just disappears with an infant. The days of driving for 8 or 9 hours straight are gone- instead, every 2-3ish hours we were stopping to check a diaper and feed. When we visited the site of the Wounded Knee Massacre I ended up stuck in the car nursing and didn't get to climb the hilltop to pay my respects. </p><p>The first weekend I was super disappointed that my 7-item to do list went so terribly. By the last weekend there, we'd figured out that for stuff we were trying to do (mostly scenic drives, sight-seeing and short hikes) a list of 3 felt less daunting- 2 things we would definitely get done and one that was a maybe, depending on how well the day had gone. You can probably adjust this based on driving time, how long it takes to do something, your child's age, etc. But the more laidback schedule definitely made for a more enjoyable time for all of us.</p><p><i>Stay close to the action</i>. I wish we had learned this sooner! Our first weekend out exploring we booked a hotel that we knew was kid friendly but was also an hour away from the hikes and parks. With a small infant often the timeframe that they're awake and happy is pretty short- in our case at most 3 hours on a good day. Staying somewhere we could walk or quickly drive to the spots we wanted to check out made a huge difference! Less time driving = more time to do things you enjoy as a family. It's that simple :) If you do one thing differently on your travels, I'd say this should be it, even if it means paying a little more for that convenience.</p><p><i>Come up with your packing list.</i> Having moved to two states in E's first 6 months, I now have a good sense of what we do and don't use for her in the span of a couple days, a couple weeks, etc. This will definitely look different for everyone, but in general we realized we should have packed more clothes and fewer toys. E went through multiple outfits a day some days thanks to spit up, drool, and blow outs, and babies are often down to play with just about anything (just make sure it's safe/not a choking hazard.) They also LOVE repetition- she ended up playing with the same 1-2 toys every car ride, and we read her 4 of the same books over the span of of that month we were gone. I would also add that it is helpful to calculate how many diapers your kid goes through in 24 hours, then figure out how many you should bring for your travel day from there and maybe multiply by 1.2- just for peace of mind :) then you can buy as many diapers as you need once you arrive. We always purchased more than we needed and ended up donating what was left over to a local organization. </p><p>As far as large items, a few things to know before you go: if you're renting a car you can also rent a car seat, and most hotels have pack and plays/cribs you can use- just ask! If you've got a mobile little one I'd also think about if there's a safe space to put the baby down, if you can make a space up by moving stuff around, or if it's worth it to try and buy an exer-saucer or playpen secondhand. I'd also add if your kiddo is taking some solids a high chair would be useful if you're going to be somewhere long term. We had some pretty comical dinners where we'd sit E on our laps in a diaper with a towel to keep things clean. A high chair would definitely have made life easier!</p><p><i>Stroll (or carry? or...)</i> So this is less of a recommendation than a call for advice...do you bring your stroller or carry your little one through the airport? We've done both- it was super useful to have in Boston when we flew to Florida with all our stuff- but once we arrived at our hosuing in South Dakota we didn't touch the stroller as Peter carries E in our <a href="https://www.lillebaby.com/">Lille carrier</a> (linked, no commission.) I imagine once the family grows the stroller is kind of a must. But with one baby and a backpack diaper bag we found it much easier to navigate travel with our <a href="https://sakurabloom.com/">Sakura Bloom</a> or the Lille. We also found the more stuff we could check or gate check to the final destination, the easier life was. And the less sore and exhausted we were by the time we made it to our lodging.</p><p>If you're a parent let me know what you find to be the best way to travel with your little one! Would love to hear more tips/advice. :)</p><p>Photo by the insanely talented <a href="https://lyndsayhannahphotography.com/">Lyndsay Hannah</a>. Definitely check her out if you are in the Boston area and in need of a family photographer.</p><p><br /></p>Georgiahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09168378030141511010noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9186593346633923377.post-85740395710783676282020-11-03T05:32:00.001-08:002020-11-03T05:32:20.309-08:00Schlepping into the last trimester.<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjM_5R4t7Z7bqjri_EFiur2TlvF2aL0YNp0EfYHK95SM2-Dr7XoA5clDtfL2o0OmnZ8x_45lF9pzvCsX_mkd_flKzUIpAr3L3sgx6imZyFBNUglrmamHSiT793zpmHuE7cq33IDePE4_iE/s2048/2020-11-03-080932132.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="2048" data-original-width="1507" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjM_5R4t7Z7bqjri_EFiur2TlvF2aL0YNp0EfYHK95SM2-Dr7XoA5clDtfL2o0OmnZ8x_45lF9pzvCsX_mkd_flKzUIpAr3L3sgx6imZyFBNUglrmamHSiT793zpmHuE7cq33IDePE4_iE/s16000/2020-11-03-080932132.jpg" /></a></div><br /><p>Hi! How are you holding up? Like much of the world, I’m
pretty anxious about today. I voted early to avoid having to stand in line at
the polls too close to my due date, and since I suspect there won’t be a clear
winner tonight maybe even for a couple of days, I have a pretty hefty to-do
list to try and distract myself from doom-scrolling. First off: a 3<sup>rd</sup>
trimester check-in, because why the hell not? <span style="font-family: Segoe UI Emoji, sans-serif;">:) </span></p><p class="MsoNormal"><o:p></o:p></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><i>Currently</i>: I’m 39 weeks, so the baby could come any day, or
hang out awhile. I am definitely in a semi-denial state; for several weeks I’ve
been telling people the baby will come after their due date, that first babies
never come on time(I even looked up data on this to corroborate my conviction
because, well, have you met me?)…but it is entirely possible I’m kidding myself!
Babies come when they want to! I need to get over that fact. Clearly I am not great at being out of control of things. <o:p></o:p></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><i>Feeling</i>: Ready and not ready. I work with children so I know
enough to know this is going to be a shock to the system. On paper, we’re ‘ready’-
hospital bag packed except for last-minute toiletries, car seat base installed,
bassinet assembled, birth classes read and reviewed… but the truth is, you’re
never fully prepared. You just can’t be. One day you’re living your life, barely
feeling like an adult, and the next you’re responsible for keeping this tiny,
complex being alive, warm, fed and safe. Not to say I’m not excited- both P and
I are so stoked to meet this kid. But I’m trying mentally to be prepared to
feel unprepared. <span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span><o:p></o:p></p>
<p class="MsoNormal">Physically, I overall still feel pretty ok. I am wishing I’d
been better about actual exercise, but I’ve managed to keep walking throughout
the pregnancy and we’ve even hiked quite a bit, so I haven’t done too bad.
Funnily enough after being so worried about getting certain symptoms, the worst
one has been one I didn’t expect- reflux! Majority of pregnant women get it and it. Has. Been.
A. nightmare. Luckily I’ve gotten away with smaller, more frequent meals and
popping tums like there’s no tomorrow. But I really can’t wait for that symptom
to settle down. <o:p></o:p></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><i>Craving</i>: Confession time: I never had any major cravings or
aversions. I wanted more of the stuff I usually like- sweets/desserts, and spicy
foods (I could probably eat buffalo chicken on a bed of greens every day if you
let me!), but there was nothing I was absolutely desperate for. Same with the
aversions- the smell of eggs threw me off very briefly, but since the second
trimester I haven’t had any problems with food intolerance or nausea, which I’m
super thankful for.<o:p></o:p></p><p class="MsoNormal"><i>Wearing</i>: Down to pretty much 1 pair of maternity leggings from Pact (thanks sis!) and 2 hand-me-down maternity jeans. Luckily since I'm done with work pants are mostly optional and I pretty much live in sweats and loose t-shirts these days. When I do go out, more often than not I'm wearing one of my husband's sweaters and a North Face coat I bought second-hand for my Mom's stay, since mine is way too tight and currently on loan to my sister. Considering how much new stuff we bought and received as gifts for the baby, it feels good that I haven't had to invest in too many new pieces for myself. Not spending or buying too much is also a big motivator to get back into my pre-baby clothes, but I'm going to give myself a year and a lot of grace since growing a baby is hard work and I want to go easy on myself and my body as it recuperates. </p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj_QMlNGVCQ1tlYzAk363HWHzuFFRegbmhuMhRm_RU9GUB2M1LkgrNwrvKN1YGw_PjrKSpGge-RINvGhXxG3BVxeDc6F___tyTmBbpjo_B9lDKlAJ0v21gN51XjeF51omeqCeqr5CQK-9I/s1600/2020-11-03-080931960.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1600" data-original-width="1200" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj_QMlNGVCQ1tlYzAk363HWHzuFFRegbmhuMhRm_RU9GUB2M1LkgrNwrvKN1YGw_PjrKSpGge-RINvGhXxG3BVxeDc6F___tyTmBbpjo_B9lDKlAJ0v21gN51XjeF51omeqCeqr5CQK-9I/s16000/2020-11-03-080931960.jpg" /></a></div><br /><p class="MsoNormal"><i>Listening</i>: Ok so I may have put together a playlist for our
little one already, and it *may* be well over 6 hours of songs and music (<a href="https://open.spotify.com/playlist/6wyHiCRfYdu17EscMsdG6e">linked here</a>). Other
than that I’m definitely not mad that Fleetwood Mac made a surprise comeback
thanks to tik tok, but I wouldn’t be mad if the world decided to obsess over another
song of theirs eventually (<a href="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=eDwi-8n054s">so many great options to choose from</a>!) P has been
playing guitar for our little one every
bedtime- he’s nailed Country Roads, which my Mom used to sing to me and my siblings, and I’m convinced
the baby loves it since they start kicking when they hear the first chords <span style="font-family: "Segoe UI Emoji", sans-serif;">😊</span> </p><p class="MsoNormal"><o:p></o:p></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><i>Reading</i>: Mostly for class- on <a href="https://www.rollingstone.com/politics/political-commentary/wildfires-california-2020-climate-change-effect-1059197/">wildfires and climate change</a>- this article was a good read,
on psychology and the Covid-19 response, on healthcare systems and supply
chains in different parts of the world- fascinating stuff and I have to pinch
myself every day that my job is paying me to learn about these things. I’m also
trudging my way through a book on breastfeeding (<a href="https://ebooks.aappublications.org/content/new-mothers-guide-to-breastfeeding">you can find it here on the AAP website.</a>) It’s a little hard tp get into because there’s
so much about breastfeeding technique that is hands on and nuanced- how to hold
the breast to help your baby latch, positioning their body against yours, how
their mouth fits over the breast- that it can be a little dry and hard to
follow. Luckily there are some great resources online, including free info from
board-certified lactation consultants on Instagram (I know, proceed with
caution on social media!) If I have time <a href="https://milkology.teachable.com/p/breastfeedingclass?affcode=86567_omz0e8lr">I may try this $20 course thisweekend</a>. We’ll have to see.<o:p></o:p></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><i>Making</i>: mostly just drafting work for school- papers, project
proposals to submit to our IRB- I haven’t felt up for drawing recently, which
is fine. We did do some tie-dying at my baby shower, which was really fun and
has left me with an excessive number of hippy-style baby outfits (not that mad
about it, TBH, but this kid will stick out at the playground.) I’m also baking
a TON, which is a first-ever for me (<a href="https://thebeachhousekitchen.com/chai-snickerdoodle-cookies/">these were delicious</a> and a big step up
from my usual funfetti from the box cookies)… I’ve found writing here and in my
journal to the baby to be really cathartic as well.<o:p></o:p></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><i>Hoping</i>: we get good news on election night, though if
history repeats itself we’ll be stuck with the current president for 4 more
years. Heartbreaking, especially knowing how much work we need to do to make
this country a safe place for Black families, migrants, minorities, and so many
others. <o:p></o:p></p>Georgiahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09168378030141511010noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9186593346633923377.post-33996566098549796222020-10-22T07:13:00.004-07:002020-10-22T12:17:52.814-07:00Dipping our toes into low-waste parenting.<p><span style="font-size: 11pt; white-space: pre-wrap;"></span></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg1lHm3uAoAbeMEOpjMzN-YxMDdnjd5M6xOkInGRDOcIOIC2sr_2OhhWYwhzkpcKGc0KYs3kP2OISQEgBuVB3LQcgjNJEqNSOwciwG3tKGGuL-2jSoJAMKT7rxePnmwBWgTmG8QBPP5dYQ/s2048/October+Hike.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="2048" data-original-width="1536" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg1lHm3uAoAbeMEOpjMzN-YxMDdnjd5M6xOkInGRDOcIOIC2sr_2OhhWYwhzkpcKGc0KYs3kP2OISQEgBuVB3LQcgjNJEqNSOwciwG3tKGGuL-2jSoJAMKT7rxePnmwBWgTmG8QBPP5dYQ/s16000/October+Hike.jpg" /></a></div><span style="font-family: inherit;"><br /></span><p></p><p><span style="font-size: 11pt; white-space: pre-wrap;"><span style="font-family: inherit;">Hey friends! Hope everyone is doing ok. It’s been insanely busy around here and I’m REALLY looking forward to being done with clinical duties (after this weekend! So close!) The husband and I have meanwhile been trying to wrap up a few last minute tasks before baby’s imminent arrival- installing our car seat base, packing the last odds and ends into our hospital bag, and squeezing in quality time whenever we can. After all, we’re not going to be a twosome much longer :) </span></span></p><span id="docs-internal-guid-d8e5a4c4-7fff-138e-83aa-19f12560bca8"><p dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><span style="font-size: 11pt; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"><span style="font-family: inherit;">I’ve been wanting to write about low-waste parenting throughout this pregnancy. Reducing our impact on the environment is something I’ve been interested in since learning about how my fast fashion habits were impacting the planet, and since raising kids inevitably requires that you increase your consumption, we’ve been thinking and reading about this quite a bit lately and wanted to share some of what I’ve learned. This may or may not be inspired by the <a href="https://www.zerowastenyc.info/">zero/low-waste parenting panel (link)</a> we attended last night :) But for real, we have been making a LOT of purchases we normally wouldn’t and also reading a ton on this topic. So it's definitely been on my mind quite a bit. </span></span></p><span style="font-family: inherit;"><br /></span><p dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><span style="font-family: inherit;"><span style="font-size: 11pt; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">Before we dive in I wanted to raise a couple caveats to the low-waste parenting movement. I think talking about any aspect of parenting gets tricky - there can be a lot of emotions and criticism of the ‘other way’ of doing things when it comes to parenting, and I want to say off the bat - </span><span style="font-size: 11pt; font-style: italic; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">there are very few wrong ways to raise a child</span><span style="font-size: 11pt; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">. I’m not a parent yet, but from my experience as a pediatrician, this is 110% true. Do what works for your family. A lot (but not all) of zero-waste lifestyle choices are time-consuming and costly. Even considering cloth diapering as an option is a privilege. For that and plenty of other reasons, I think shaming families for choosing to do things a different way is unacceptable and not what this post is about. </span></span></p><span style="font-family: inherit;"><br /></span><p dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><span style="font-size: 11pt; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"><span style="font-family: inherit;">Secondly, a big criticism of the consumer side of low-waste/zero-waste movements is that big corporations generate a LOT more waste and play a bigger role in squandering our natural resources, so what’s the point of ditching plastic straws? My response to that is I agree that we need to hold large, powerful corporations responsible for how their actions impact all of us- we can do this through advocacy and political activism, as flawed as the process is. But I don’t think that negates the importance of individual choices, and if I have the privilege to choose a more sustainable option, I’m certainly going to try and do that.</span></span></p><span style="font-family: inherit;"><br /></span><p dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><span style="font-size: 11pt; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"><span style="font-family: inherit;">Lastly, in total and complete transparency, I am not a perfect consumer. I’m really lucky to have the time and resources to consider some of these options as a parent. I also work nights, attend grad school part-time, and have a not-great debt-to-income ratio. While we haven’t fully decided, we are definitely going to at least start this kiddo out on disposable diapers. We also received a really generous gift card to Amazon from family, so we’re going to be making some purchases from Bezos. I guess my point is I don’t want this post to come off as holier than thou. I’ve learned a good amount the last few months and want to share in case another parent finds it helpful. So with that in mind, here’s a few of the big take-home points we’ve gathered the last few months.</span></span></p><span style="font-family: inherit;"><div><span><span style="font-family: inherit;"><br /></span></span></div><div><span><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEghGPZAuPbpPDWjQvDP05GqdD1487smAvSwY1eIaFbvNgReNHBjZasi2P1QVqAjMxzv94jXMf-OqtBLmISbjl-L76y8e3eQC3YhzoDQTjVwDzUMOCU1H6amZIpAym_iPwTMew9Ywjf8__Q/s1600/October+Bump.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1600" data-original-width="1200" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEghGPZAuPbpPDWjQvDP05GqdD1487smAvSwY1eIaFbvNgReNHBjZasi2P1QVqAjMxzv94jXMf-OqtBLmISbjl-L76y8e3eQC3YhzoDQTjVwDzUMOCU1H6amZIpAym_iPwTMew9Ywjf8__Q/s16000/October+Bump.jpg" /></a></div><br /></span></div></span><p dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><span style="font-family: inherit;"><span style="font-size: 11pt; font-style: italic; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">Get items used or second-hand if you can</span><span style="font-size: 11pt; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">. This spring I learned about the buy nothing movement and it has honestly been a life-changer. I received some unused breast pump parts and a bottle rack for free, and plenty of strollers, baby clothes, toys and gear have been posted since I joined. If you live in a larger town, I can almost guarantee there’s also a parenting listserv you can join where people will be giving items away or selling them at low costs. I also really like buying clothes second hand when I can (Poshmark is my favorite so I can search specific brands but there’s literally dozens of sites and of course in-person stores if its safe in your area.)</span></span></p><span style="font-family: inherit;"><br /></span><p dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><span style="font-size: 11pt; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"><span style="font-family: inherit;">One caveat to this that parents should be aware of is car seats. Because the plastic decays in heat, most infant car seats aren’t safety approved beyond about 6-10 years. Believe it or not, they have an expiration date you can check on their label or manual if its still around. There’s also a risk of a car seat that’s been in a crash being unsafe, even if it looks ok. So keep this in mind when scouring second hand sites and groups.</span></span></p><span style="font-family: inherit;"><br /></span><p dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><span style="font-family: inherit;"><span style="font-size: 11pt; font-style: italic; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">Get on top of gift giving</span><span style="font-size: 11pt; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">. It’s no secret that Americans own a lot of stuff, and yes, you can actually have too many toys. Kids tend to play better if they just have a handful to choose from. In addition to this, while the jury’s still out on the human health impacts of microplastics, they definitely aren’t great for the environment, especially marine life. One option we’re considering to curb excess and unwanted plastic toys is a gift moratorium - outside of immediate family, requesting no gifts for your kid at holidays and birthdays. Instead, you can ask for donations to a favorite nonprofit, or for people to contribute to a college fund if they’re able- or nothing! A mom on a recent panel also suggested guiding grandparents towards second-hand gift options, preferably plastic free, which I think is a great option.</span></span></p><span style="font-family: inherit;"><br /></span><p dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><span style="font-size: 11pt; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"><span style="font-family: inherit;">Another parent at the panel we watched recently emphasized experiences over stuff, so if you’re in an area where it’s safe to do so, having an aunt take your child for a day of fun together can also be a really special gift option that doesn’t have to generate waste.</span></span></p><span style="font-family: inherit;"><br /></span><p dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><span style="font-family: inherit;"><span style="font-size: 11pt; font-style: italic; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">Repurpose for play</span><span style="font-size: 11pt; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">. This is one we probably all grew up doing- our paper towel rolls became castle towers, cardboard shipping boxes were anything from boats to houses to planes, and we raided the garage as kids for junk to make into robots, costumes, and pretty much anything you can think of. Sure there’s plenty of sparkly, colorful, fancy kits you can buy to add to your arts and crafts box, but looking around at home first can yield a lot of great options! Side note: did anyone else grow up playing with home-made playdough? <a href="https://domesticsuperhero.com/best-homemade-playdough-recipe/">Here’s an easy recipe </a>. </span></span></p><span style="font-family: inherit;"><br /></span><p dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><span style="font-family: inherit;"><span style="font-size: 11pt; font-style: italic; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">Alternatives to diapering</span><span style="font-size: 11pt; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">. this is one P and I are still scratching our heads on. <a href="https://www.nytimes.com/wirecutter/blog/cloth-vs-disposable-diapers/">Wirecutter has a really great article that briefly addresses the environmental impact cloth to disposable diapers (link)</a></span><span style="font-size: 11pt; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">, and unfortunately, <a href="https://www.madeformums.com/reviews/do-biodegradable-nappies-biodegrade/">the term biodegradable diaper is somewhat misleading as well (see this post)</a></span><span style="font-size: 11pt; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">. Another option, <a href="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=YMR3lSSGjCA">elimination communication (explained in detail here)</a>,</span><span style="font-size: 11pt; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"> involves monitoring your child’s behavior to figure out when they void and stool and offering them the toilet when they give you these cues, but requires a lot of time and attention (also I’ve heard from a personal account it gets quite messy.) </span></span></p><span style="font-family: inherit;"><br /></span><p dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><span style="font-size: 11pt; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"><span style="font-family: inherit;">I’m going to be honest here- we’re not sure what we’re going to do in terms of diapering just yet. We really want to find the lowest impact option that works for us as a home with two working parents and a limited budget. I’ll keep you posted on this one (and if you have any advice or experience, I’d love to hear!) </span></span></p><span style="font-family: inherit;"><br /></span><p dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><span style="font-family: inherit;"><span style="font-size: 11pt; font-style: italic; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">Consider your feeding options</span><span style="font-size: 11pt; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">. Another sensitive subject that comes with a lot of emotions packed into it, so I will start by saying, in all caps letters, while pulling my pediatrician card: FED IS BEST. If your baby is developing and growing on target, great job Mom! (and Dad :)</span></span></p><span style="font-family: inherit;"><br /></span><p dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><span style="font-size: 11pt; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"><span style="font-family: inherit;">Now that that’s out of the way, breastfeeding (whether breastfeeding or pumping and giving breastmilk) is the most low-waste option, if it works for you and your baby, but that doesn’t mean there aren’t ways that formula can’t be lower waste, too. The most wasteful option is unfortunately the most convenient- pre-mixed bottles that just need a nipple attachment, and can then be tossed or recycled once the baby has emptied the bottle. Obviously re-using bottles by mixing your own formula is a better option, and should only take a little more work. Just follow the instructions on the can...I am not 100% sure, but I believe this option is a lot cheaper, too. </span></span></p><span style="font-family: inherit;"><br /></span><p dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><span style="font-size: 11pt; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"><span style="font-family: inherit;">Once you hit around 5-6 months, and have been cleared by your child’s doctor to start introducing solids, a whole new fun challenge arises- pre-packaged baby food! If you do have the time to make your own veg and fruit purees at home, this is just another small area to reduce single use items in your home and life. To be clear, it IS extra work- remember that babies have immature kidneys and can’t handle the salt and seasoning that you have in your own food, so even that pureed spinach needs to be prepped separately. If you can manage to prep some baby-friendly solids at home, even a couple times a week, its a great option to reduce your use of single-use plastics. </span></span></p><span style="font-family: inherit;"><br /></span><p dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><span style="font-size: 11pt; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"><span style="font-family: inherit;">That’s all for now! The reality here is we are first-time parents, and are in for the ride of our lives. That’s partly why I wanted to post now, pre-baby, when I’m not sleep-deprived and can be a total optimist; I am sure this list will look totally different in reality once the baby comes, and I will try to post a follow up so we can see what worked and didn’t work for us in a few months’ time. I’ll leave you with a few resources we’ve used to gather information on low-waste parenting these last few months. Have a great week!</span></span></p><span style="font-family: inherit;"><br /></span><p dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><span style="font-size: 11pt; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"><span style="font-family: inherit;"><a href="https://www.babylist.com/">Babylist</a> - this isn’t a low-waste resource per se, but using a babylist registry allowed us to register for more items from smaller businesses and fair trade/sustainable companies over Amazon, when we could find them. You can still register from bigger sites like Amazon and Target, but also include these smaller companies, or even a cash fund, so it's pretty flexible, which is nice.</span></span></p><span style="font-family: inherit;"><br /></span><p dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><span style="font-size: 11pt; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"><span style="font-family: inherit;"><a href="https://www.zerowastenyc.info/">ZeroWasteNYC</a>: While their focus is NYC, we really appreciated the low-waste parenting panel they hosted. We found it through Instagram, and they were able to sponsor some free tickets as well to make the event more accessible. I also appreciate their honesty about the privilege behind whole zero/low-waste parenting and importance of advocating for policy change as well as individual lifestyle changes to tackle climate change.</span></span></p><span style="font-family: inherit;"><br /></span><p dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><span style="font-size: 11pt; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"><span style="font-family: inherit;"><a href="https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/zero-waste-baby-with-veronica-milsom/id1531827488">Veronica Milsom/Zero Waste Baby</a>: She was a panelist on the ZeroWaste talk we attended last night, and I really appreciated her candor on a lot of subjects, including the cloth versus disposable nappy debate. She has a low-waste parenting podcast I’ll definitely be following :)</span></span></p><span style="font-family: inherit;"><br /></span><p dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><span style="font-size: 11pt; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"><span style="font-family: inherit;"><a href="https://www.thegoodtrade.com/">TheGoodTrade</a>: A site I’ve loved for a long time, mostly because they post great lists of organic and fair trade companies for all sorts of things, from baby products to thrift stores to home goods. </span></span></p><span style="font-family: inherit;"><br /></span><p dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><span style="font-size: 11pt; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"><span style="font-family: inherit;">Any sites or resources I’ve missed? Any personal experience or advice with living low-waste with a baby or kids? Would love to hear! </span></span></p><div><span style="font-family: Arial; font-size: 11pt; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"><br /></span></div></span>Georgiahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09168378030141511010noreply@blogger.com5tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9186593346633923377.post-89053063983961968502020-10-19T18:18:00.004-07:002020-10-20T18:40:21.881-07:00Things my grandfather taught me <div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjT6nJrcwf6kQwHkjpa5GL3SWqnz5bUm-RJH8cXUibm1EP0HepG0GoDFCoz66w4D_usImPgjlgBFknxpDC5IbXRosfN1BiTz32T6B_0hxMnMvMw9NJQ1gO4uxt2BNzYahtc5YiX5sTPbsE/s2048/2020-10-19-091030338.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="2048" data-original-width="1536" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjT6nJrcwf6kQwHkjpa5GL3SWqnz5bUm-RJH8cXUibm1EP0HepG0GoDFCoz66w4D_usImPgjlgBFknxpDC5IbXRosfN1BiTz32T6B_0hxMnMvMw9NJQ1gO4uxt2BNzYahtc5YiX5sTPbsE/s16000/2020-10-19-091030338.jpg" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><span style="text-align: left;">Hey friends,
So obviously posting consistently has been a bit hard- my apologies. I think the heavy political climate coupled with a ramped up work and school schedule kind of wore me down. Add to that a belly sleeper who can no longer sleep on her ginormous belly and you get...well not a reliable blogger, that's for sure. </span></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><span style="text-align: left;"><br /></span></div><div style="text-align: center;">Oh, and my grandfather died a few weeks ago. So there's that. </div><div style="text-align: center;"><br /></div><div style="text-align: center;">It's always sad when you lose someone you love. Even someone who hasn't been well for a long time. In my training I've witnessed a lot of suffering (<a href="http://merakikaiagapi.blogspot.com/2020/03/untitled-just-call-it-insomnia.html">more on that here,</a>) and it really changed my outlook on death. There are times that a good death, a passing with peace and dignity, can be better than even a few days or weeks trudging onward. </div><div style="text-align: center;"><br /></div><div style="text-align: center;">Still, I never thought I'd miss my grandfather's funeral. Nor did I think he'd ever be alone in a hospital room, no visitors allowed due to Covid-19 restrictions. I never thought I'd be coaching my parents through donning and doffing PPE to safely say goodbye. I never thought <i>I </i>wouldn't get a proper chance to say goodbye, for that matter.</div><div style="text-align: center;"><br /></div><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgvVTakET2VapDs_ln5r78UMY27ladMxru2oaKKSnV5fOmy1snGT70TSPj95AisE342aW8QrRAxjARqC4h0zKl_7Y0K7TJnOOc9e6U6-wdOUlIHx0h4rAJPivqHSbIL8WetC8bt94uyYEM/s720/%255BUNSET%255D.jpg" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="720" data-original-width="540" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgvVTakET2VapDs_ln5r78UMY27ladMxru2oaKKSnV5fOmy1snGT70TSPj95AisE342aW8QrRAxjARqC4h0zKl_7Y0K7TJnOOc9e6U6-wdOUlIHx0h4rAJPivqHSbIL8WetC8bt94uyYEM/s16000/%255BUNSET%255D.jpg" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"> hanging out at our favorite place in Florida<br /></td></tr></tbody></table><div style="text-align: center;"><br /></div><div style="text-align: center;">But there you have it. I've adopted an 'it is what it is' mentality to soften the blow, but it does suck all the same. I take some small solace in knowing that at thirty-something weeks pregnant, there's probably little chance I'd be able to get home to say goodbye anyways, in the counterfactual world where the pandemic doesn't exist. </div><div style="text-align: center;"><br /></div><div style="text-align: center;">Nevertheless, I didn't write this post to score internet pity points. Because my grandfather had many years of declining health, I didn't really know him as well as I thought I did. As it turns out, the real beauty of these last few weeks has been in the quiet unfolding of little stories and anecdotes I never knew, and great accomplishments I'd never heard about, partly due to his inability to communicate for some time, but also because of his humility. He was not the type to brag. I didn't know he started his career caring for Indigenous People through the Indian Health Services. I learned in my classes at Harvard about his involvement in a men's health study that is still referenced and talked about in academic circles, all these years later. I didn't know that he attended Juilliard before pursuing degrees in medicine, public health and nutrition.</div><div style="text-align: center;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEilJPtppQOrEGmskrr3G_XDp16YqRr5FL64l8dg8M1OxoY7KutD2DACVTOcOIC4UHVmpU8KIFYheMqWHBRgRKmX23MV2sh_tVRIQa_51Z7wvlUJzyZDC03Tk_5M_E4iQqvIrzVqXDvwYXs/s750/3E3E48A7-91E7-4903-B66C-284803B41485.jpeg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="400" data-original-width="750" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEilJPtppQOrEGmskrr3G_XDp16YqRr5FL64l8dg8M1OxoY7KutD2DACVTOcOIC4UHVmpU8KIFYheMqWHBRgRKmX23MV2sh_tVRIQa_51Z7wvlUJzyZDC03Tk_5M_E4iQqvIrzVqXDvwYXs/s16000/3E3E48A7-91E7-4903-B66C-284803B41485.jpeg" /></a></div><div style="text-align: center;"><br /></div><div style="text-align: center;">And that's just the professional CV. From our time together I knew how much he loved his wife, his children, his grandkids (all 19 of us), and his faith. And how much he loved dessert and coffee (I'll forever think of him and smile when I see halvah at the local Lebanese shop.) How he cared for his father-in-law for <i>years </i>after my grandmother died, as if he were his own parent. </div><div style="text-align: center;"><br /></div><div style="text-align: center;">Anyways, there's no need for me to re-hash his beautiful life here, so I'll stop. That's what obituaries are for, right? I'll leave you with a few lesson he taught me in the time we shared together. I hope you find them useful, interesting, or at least a brief distraction from this crazy world we're living in. </div><div style="text-align: center;"><br /></div><div style="text-align: center;"><i>Work hard and humbly</i>. As I alluded to above, my grandfather accomplished a lot in his professional life. He conducted the orchestra at Stuyvesant high school before attending Juilliard and going on to obtain 3 health-related degrees and working internationally in nutrition and health. But those just weren't things you'd hear about if you sat down for a talk with him. At least when I knew him, he preferred to talk about his childhood on the Upper West Side, where he was in a gang known as the '103rd street sharks,' and even more keen to tell stories about my grandmother. In a world obsessed with the hustle, winning, and outward displays of success and wealth, I think he sets a great example of a a more beautiful, quiet and better way to live. </div><div style="text-align: center;"><br /></div><div style="text-align: center;"><i>Have faith</i>. My grandfather's faith ran extremely deep. He met my grandmother at a bible study in New York, and when he couldn't remember who his own kids were, he remembered every word and hymn in the Orthodox liturgy. Even after losing his wife too soon to cancer, his sadness had a hope about it because he knew he'd see her again one day. I can't be sure, but I think it also really drove him in his work, as his career focused public health and service, and on using his skills and knowledge to help others. As a Christian in medicine, I've found myself thinking a lot about his ability to balance the use of his skills to help as best as he could and surrendering the final outcome to God. Faith and science aren't always complementary, but when I think of him as a scientist and Christian, how he had faith in God and faith in evidence-based medicine, I realize you can have and practice both in life. </div><div style="text-align: center;"><br /></div><div style="text-align: center;"><i>Find joy in the small things</i>. For such an accomplished guy, the grandfather I knew was also quite a lovely, silly person. I can't tell you how many photographs and home videos we have of him delightedly bouncing a baby in his lap, striking a silly pose, whole-heartedly immersing himself in a classical performance (he conducted many a Youtube video concert in his later years!) or sneaking food from the table to the family dog. He even greeted us on entry with a self-composed 'grand entrance' tune, every time he visited, without fail. I'll never forget what a joy he was to be around :) </div><div style="text-align: center;"><br /></div><div style="text-align: center;"><i>Broaden your horizons</i>. Through his jobs in the Coast Guard, consulting and volunteering with the the Orthodox Christian Mission Center, my grandfather spent a good amount of time traveling the world. When I was five, he took me and two cousins out of the country for the first time. I actually remember hating the trip- a typical American kid, I didn't like the taste of Greek food (I know how insane this sounds now), I missed my parents, and half of us ended up with a stomach bug. It took a few more years, along with some tales and souvenirs he brought back from Japan, Russia, and Kenya, but I eventually came around. I used to describe his home as a museum, full of fascinating tchotchkes from places I couldn't pronounce the name of. I'll forever be thankful I picked up his travel bug gene. </div><div style="text-align: center;"><br /></div><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiDitSfpQwhZ4BhkWWHAOzvmE82EoW6siHxZcBvE4T_UAUGkJSKcHYozLOeuFKdUe-xVffssME5nTEzQ30Y8fvDWzNgsoE6QXSJjmb5wf5hpe-d3Ec3nSj25dRGy62-mAzORF8qY9clre4/s1440/179B9457-838C-440D-BDC6-08A050437B0E.jpeg" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1440" data-original-width="1000" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiDitSfpQwhZ4BhkWWHAOzvmE82EoW6siHxZcBvE4T_UAUGkJSKcHYozLOeuFKdUe-xVffssME5nTEzQ30Y8fvDWzNgsoE6QXSJjmb5wf5hpe-d3Ec3nSj25dRGy62-mAzORF8qY9clre4/s16000/179B9457-838C-440D-BDC6-08A050437B0E.jpeg" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">blurry photo of the two of them together, probably New York<br /></td></tr></tbody></table><div style="text-align: center;"><br /></div><div style="text-align: center;"><i>Love never fails</i>. We lost my grandmother way too soon, before I was old enough to remember much about her. But I feel like I knew her all the same, through the stories my grandfather told so sweetly and tenderly, over and over again. He was amused and amazed by everything she did- from calming down an angry mentally ill patient as a young nurse in Manhattan, to trying a cigarette on an airplane once, even the most mundane moments with her were like magic to him. From a young age I remember confiding with the other girls in the family how we all aspired to find a love like they had, to find someone who talked about us the way my grandfather talked about our Yiayia Emmy. If only we were so lucky, we'd say. </div><div style="text-align: center;"><br /></div><div style="text-align: center;">Well that was therapeutic. Hope you found it interesting, or at least a brief diversion; either way thanks for indulging me. Stay safe and well. </div>Georgiahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09168378030141511010noreply@blogger.com1