Damian the Two Year Old

I love having a two year old. Really, I do.

He’s full of personality. We can “talk” about things. We do more of things together now. Our interactions are my favorite part because I don’t find myself feeling as lonely as I did when he was a baby. (Sure, a two year old conversation doesn’t compare to an adult one, but it’s better than nothing!) I love seeing his interests and watching him become a ‘big boy.’ I’m always amazed at things he remembers or learns. He thinks he’s hilarious which is just funny to watch. And I melt every time he comes up to me and says “Hi mommy” and then plants a big ol’ kiss on my lips. He brings me a lot of happiness and joy.

That being said… It isn’t all sunshine and roses over here. Sure he’s more interactive than he was as a baby, but he’s also a lot more work. And then there’s the “Terrible Two” ness we have to deal with. We’ve finally hit a stage where Damian is trying so hard to communicate to us, but we very often don’t understand a new word he’s working on or some concept he’s trying to convey. This usually results in a VERY frustrated 2 year old and two parents at their wits’ end. The second he doesn’t get his way, the overdramatic, “my life is over, why do you hate?!?!” tears and screaming begin. I try to be patient with him because I know developmentally this is just where we are at. And in the right mood, sometimes I can find it almost comical to see him react like a 13 year old girl when I tell him he can’t pour water all over the floor. But dear Lord in Heaven…. Sometimes… Sometimes I fail to see any humor in it at all. I don’t know how my sweet little boy can turn into a raging, screaming mess. However, the part that really blows my mind is how suddenly the storm can be over and everything is fine again. It’s a constant emotional roller coaster. Two year olds have to be bi-polar.

It helps knowing that he’s not being ‘bad.’ He’s two. He’s not capable of being ‘evil.’ Sure he’s doing things to test the boundaries and probably push my buttons; but it’s because he’s at the age where he wants to know how everything works. Unfortunately that includes how mama and boundaries work as well. I’ve also just come to terms with the fact that these tantrums are going to happen when he doesn’t get his way. He’s impulsive and emotional because he’s two. He can’t sit down and rationally think out why we can’t be an hour late to church because he wants to wash his hands forever and ever. (Are you noticing a love of water theme?) It’s the moments that I tell myself in advance “This is going to cause an outburst” that I’m able to calmly deal with, and for the most part ignore, what happens next. It’s the ones that catch me off guard–like when I don’t understand what he’s saying to me in the car–that are tricky.

So while there are a ton of moments where Nate and I stare at each other in wide-eyed fright, there are still plenty that make up for it all. This is only a phase. It will pass as they all do. I just have to hang in there for the ups and downs. Pray a bit harder for strength and sanity. And maybe start counting down the days until I can drink wine again… (which is about 125 days…give or take.)

22 weeks…

Dear Baby Girl,

What an exciting past two weeks! We found out you were a little girl, and as predicted, I shed a few tears. I can’t tell you how excited we are. I would have been excited too if you had been a little boy, but I feel like this will be a brand new adventure having a fellow girl around. I’ve been outnumbered for awhile now. I’ll try to convince Daddy that we need to get two more female pets so we can truly be even.
Something tells me that I won’t be very successful in that endeavor.

You’ve already got a pretty substantial wardrobe, which is impressive considering we’ve known you’re gender for less than two weeks. Apparently everyone was anxious to buy some pink! You even have your first pair of boots already… I swear you’re going to end up being better dressed than me at 2 months old! I’m loving all the pink though.

Nesting has hit big time. I’ve got two knitting projects going. I’ve been making soap for crying out loud. And I won’t even start on my random “must clean/purge the house” urges I’ve been getting. I love doing this kind of stuff though, so the nesting hormones are just finally giving me the motivation and energy to go full steam ahead. I hope you like arts and crafts too!

I haven’t thought much about your nursery yet because, until we move, you and Damian will be sharing a room. And I kinda promised him his room could be train-themed once we switched it over to his ‘big boy room.’ Soooo hopefully you like trains? I’m sure Damian and Daddy will indoctrinate you soon enough.

Oh little girl, getting to see you on the ultrasound was such an amazing experience. And now that you’re a baby girl (and not just a baby) in my mind, I’m even more thrilled to meet you. I feel so much responsibility now knowing I have a daughter. I get to teach you how to be a woman. I know just as I look up to my mother, you’ll look to me for advice and guidance. Honestly, I’m a little intimidated. But hopefully that inspires me to be a better person–to work harder at being a good mom to both you and Damian, a loving wife to your Daddy, and especially a faith-filled woman. I long to hold you in my arms and see your face, learn your personality and watch you grow.

I love you my little girl!

Mama

NORA Tea

For my pregnancy with Damian I decided to go the traditional route of delivery with an OB. And while I loved my OB and looked forward to all my visits with that eccentric old man, I wasn’t a huge fan of how the ‘birthing process’ went (and no I don’t just mean that labor hurt.) For this pregnancy, Nate and I chose to go with a midwife. This has come with a lot of advantages–she comes to my house for all my appointments, it’s very laid back, I’m “in control” of most decisions and my health, and she’s prevention-minded rather than just treating symptoms as they appear. There are a lot of things I could share with you that’s she’s taught me, but the one thing she swears by for every pregnant lady is something called NORA tea. And since I’m addicted, I thought I’d share it with you.

NORA tea is made up of four herbs–Nettles, Oatstraw, Red Raspberry Leaf, and Alfalfa. This pregnancy tea helps the body prepare itself for birth by working to coordinate smooth muscle contractions (making labor shorter by having more efficient uterine contractions,) increasing your blood supply and body’s ability to absorb minerals, and it is great for your overall health while pregnant as well. I could go on and on about all the great things it does, but I thought I just outline a few of the vitamins/minerals and benefits of each.

Nettle

*Iron, Vitamins A, C, D, and K, very high in minerals
*Helps with kidney function which have an increased workload during pregnancy
*Maintains a normal blood pressure by strengthening blood vessels and arterial elasticity
*Creates nutrient rich breast milk after delivery

Oatstraw

*Vitamin B, Silica, Calcium, Magnesium, Potassium, Iron
*Strengthens the nervous system helping the body deal with stress
*Lowers blood sugar and fluid retention
*Helps with irritability and mood swings
*Aids healing of damaged tissue

Red Raspberry Leaf

*Phosphorus, Potassium, Calcium, Magnesium, Zinc, Vitamins A, B, C, and E
*Works to make uterine contractions less painful and more efficient
*Increases milk production and reduces bleeding after birth
*Long tradition of use with pregnancy

Alfalfa

*Vitamin K, A, B-6, E, D and K, Iron, folic acid, fatty acid, copper, biotin, chlorophyll
*Rich in trace minerals
*Balances blood sugar swings common in pregnancy
*Help to balance the digestive tract enzymes

So how to make this wonder tea…

Mix two parts Nettles and Red Raspberry Leaf with one part Oatstraw and Alfalfa (2N, 1O, 2R, 1A). You can find all these herbs at your local natural health store. I know a lot of people also buy them from Mountain Rose Herbs. I mix a large amount in a ziplock bag and shake well. Each night before bed I place about two handfuls in a quart sized mason jar so that there’s about 1/2 inch at the bottom.

I then pour boiling water until about 1/2 inch from the top of the jar and place the lid on. After letting it steep overnight, I strain my tea into a pitcher and add ice and lemon juice. A lot of people will add honey, fruit juice, molasses, etc to help sweeten it. I add some lemon juice because I really love the tart/bitter taste and drink it over ice all day long. It’s a nice break from just drinking water. It’s best to drink a quart a day, but if you have a hard time with the taste you should at least aim for 2-3 quarts per week. Also, try changing up the concentration of the tea–maybe dilute it with half juice or half water. Some women love it reheated, but it’s just too hot in the summer time for me to drink hot tea. Also, I should mention that there has been some controversy over drinking Red Raspberry Leaf during the first trimester. Everything I read seems pretty iffy regarding it’s connection to miscarriage, but until there’s a more definitive answer on it, my midwife suggested I wait until between 16-20 weeks before drinking it.

Seven Quick Takes

Linking up with Jen for another 7 Quick Takes!

1.

This week felt like a bit of a waste because Tuesday night Damian came down with a stomach bug. Poor kid… It was pretty nasty so I’ll spare you the details. Thankfully, he only got sick for a few hours but then fought a fever for 24 hours. We spent all of Wednesday snuggling it up on the sofa watching movies or sleeping. Poor guy would sit up for a second and then say “No. Night night!” and rest his head back down on something. It’s amazing how still a sick toddler can be. Thankfully he seems to be about 100% today. Just praying Nate and I don’t get it!

2.

I’m sure if you’ve been around the blog recently you’ve seen the homemade bonanza going on. I’m blaming a lot on nesting, but a lot of it also has to do with a burning desire to THROW.EVERYTHING.AWAY. Ok it’s not really that bad, but the clutter has got to go. The excess toys have got to go. Our life is too short to be filling it with all this ‘you know what.’ So I’m trying to do my best to simplify things from the meal we eat to things we buy to the way we live.
Part of that has inspired me to look more closely at Montessori for Damian and now little miss. This will be a whole separate post, but I’m finding my spare time (aka midnight to 1:30 am) being spent reading a ton of books and learning all I can about it. Nate’s aunt is also AMI trained and plans to give me a lot more books to read through when I see her in a few weeks. It’s all so interesting that I’m literally reading 5 books at once thanks to all the great stuff out there (not sure if that counts as simplifying.)
Thankfully I have a great friend going through all this with me. Simplifying isn’t easy in this world of “MUST HAVE IT ALL,” and Montessori is very overwhelming at first. She’s keeping me sane, helping me prioritize, and giving me the “it’s ok you didn’t ruin your child” pep talk only 100 times now. If only she didn’t live 11 hours away, and we could take turns babysitting while we de-clutter! Anyway, she gave me a beautiful shout out on her blog. So go check hers out too if you don’t read it already. It’s lovely, just like her!

3.

Tell me if this is too 1950s housewife?
I think I’m going to start wearing an apron all day. I’m sooo tired of changing my clothes 353 times because either Damian’s wiping something on me or because I’m not use to the belly and spill something on it. I wore an apron the other morning while baking with Damian (because not doing so is just asking for it…) and then forgot to take it off. By the end of the day I realized my clothes were still so clean. I could actually put them back in the closet and not in the dirty clothes. That would mean less laundry, which would also mean I’d be simplifying right?? When I start wearing pearls and heels to vacuum then you can call me out ok??

4.

It’s been in the 90s this week and it’s AWESOME! I love the hot hot hot. I’ve been looking forward to summer for so long and it seems like it’s finally here! Now to go get a pedicure because soon I’m not going to be able to reach the toes!

5.

So this is still in the preliminary rounds of discussion in our household and the rest of Team Damian, but we need to figure out where we want to run our fund raising marathon. We’re thinking that Disney isn’t going to happen this year Apparently Nate isn’t convinced that running a marathon 3 months after giving birth/going to Disney World with a 3 year old and a 3 month old is wise. He’s probably right… Currently we are thinking about the Rock N Roll Marathon Series in DC in March. That would give me 6 months after Baby GIRL to train and get ready for it. It would also help me cross off another “state” on my “Run a Marathon in every State” bucket list. Anyway, stay tuned because we’ll start talking about it in the next few months, and I’ll be trying to convince you to run 26.2 miles with us.

6.

I’m having a GIRL! ESTROGEN! PINK! (Sorry, I’m still really excited!)

7.

However, baby chica has no name. We would keep it a surprise even if she did have one, but it’s starting to bug me a bit. We had one for a week and it just never really sat right with me. So I nixed it much to Nate’s dismay. Now we’re back to the drawing board. Ugh… I really thought it was going to be easier this time.

Making Soap

Word of Warning: I will preface this post by saying I am DEFINITELY not a soap making expert. I did the most basic recipe I could find, and there’s still a lot I want to learn about different techniques and what not. I was also a little worried the whole time that I’d blow up the house or melt my skin off… So, if you choose to make soap because of this awesome post, do some research first and don’t sue me if you blow up something. End of dramatic warning.

To continue my DIY, handmade, ‘Mary Helen is a nestin’ ‘ series, it’s time for me to share the magic of soap making with you. There are endless possibilities when it comes to making soap. From the oils and liquids you use, to the methods, molds, scents, etc etc. You could likely make a different batch each time for the rest of your soap using life. There are also quite a few reasons to make soap–you like to craft/DIY, you care about what goes into the products you use, you want to save a buck or two, you’ve got some time to kill and are dying to try out a caustic chemical creation. Whatever your reason, soap making is an old and beautiful tradition.

To begin, you need to decide if you want to go with a cold-process soap or a hot process soap. I chose hot process because it doesn’t take nearly as long to cure. We all know I’m not the most patient person. So once you figure out the process you want to use, it’s time to decide what you want in your soap. The original way of making soap is using lye; however, because this is a dangerous chemical, some people choose to use Melt and Pour bases or rebatch soap instead of working directly with the lye. I chose to go for the original and try the lye. I was able to find it at Lowe’s in the plumbing aisle with the drain cleaners. (This sounds so pleasant for your soap doesn’t it…) I got the Roebic Crystal Drain Opener. Whatever you get make sure it says 100% lye, and maybe even double check the manufacturer’s website to be safe.

After you hunt down some lye, there are some other supplies you will need for this recipe– a scale, a crockpot, a stick blender, and heat proof bowls, vinegar, and spoons (along with your soap’s ingredients–see below.)

Ok so now that all that messy and boring stuff is out of the way, time to determine what is going in this lovely soap. I went super simple. The whole point of this is to simplify my life and use ingredients I have on hand so this recipe has only 5 ingredients–Olive Oil, Coconut Oil, Lye, Water, and Lavender Essential Oils.

For this batch I used (make sure to notice the weighted vs. fluid ounces)

*26 weighted oz Olive Oil

*6 weighted oz Coconut Oil

*12 fluid oz Water

*4.375 weighted oz Lye***

*15-20 drops Lavender Essential Oil

***When making soap with lye, ALWAYS run the measurements through a lye calculator. I used this one and went with between 5-6% extra fat. This is the amount of fat that is in excess of the amount needed to react with the lye. This process is called super-fatting and by doing it you’re making sure there’s not lye that is left unreacted. I wouldn’t recommend going lower than 5%. You can go higher and the soap will be softer due to the extra fat.

THE PROCESS

1.

Weigh out your oils. (Be sure to zero out your bowl!)

 

2.

Add them to your crockpot set on Low. Let them melt and give them a good stir.

3.
It’s lye time baby! Wherever you decide to do this step, make sure there is good ventilation as lye can give off some fumes when added to the water. I chose to do it outside to be extra safe. I also wore gloves and safety goggles because Nate was convinced I was going to make a bomb. Measure out your lye and water separately. Then–AND THIS IS VERY IMPORTANT–add the lye TO the water. If you pour water into the lye, it will create a volcano-like eruption. And unlike your 4th grade science experiment with baking soda and vinegar, this will seriously burn you. Mix the lye and water solution until dissolved. Be careful because this reaction will also create a lot of heat so you’ll want to use your heat-proof bowl for this. (To clean anything that comes in contact with the lye, use a water, soap, vinegar mixture to neutralize the reaction.)

4.
Once your oils are melted and the lye mixture is dissolved, carefully pour the lye mixture into the crockpot. Then procede to mix it with a stick blender for the next 5-10ish minutes. Make sure to pulse your stick blender and take some short breaks otherwise you’ll burn out the motor. You’ll want to blend it until it reaches the consistency of thick pudding and is a lot lighter in color. I’m assuming you could do this part by hand without a stick blender and just constant stirring, however I have a feeling it will take you a long, long time. (I could have sworn I took a picture of this, but apparently I did not.)

5.

At this point you are ready to set it and forget it. Leave the crockpot on Low and set the timer for 30 mins. After 30 minutes it should start to look hard on the sides and liquid in the middle.

Continue to check on it every 5-10 minutes (depending on how quickly it’s progressing)

until the entire thing looks solid (also missed a picture of the final state before stirring…)

6.

Turn the crockpot off and mix in the essential oil.

7.

Pour into your mold.
I just used a tupperware container. I didn’t use any wax/parchment paper but I may next time as it would make it easier to remove (I’d coat the paper with some coconut oil first.)

8.

Leave the soap to rest in the mold overnight.
The next morning my soap was still soft enough to cut into bars but firm enough to get out of the mold. After cutting into bars, let to soap harden for at least another 24-48 hours. If you wanted you could use the soap right away, but the longer you let it harden, the longer the soap will last. I plan to let mine sit out for about 2 weeks considering I still have some castile soap left. (Damian’s toilet paper roll octopus is keeping an eye on them for me!)

After that, I’ll just wrap them in wax paper and store them away. You can leave yours out as long as you’d like though!

 

So that’s soap making. It’s not nearly as hard as I thought. I’m excited to look up some more recipes, and read my new book from the library (The Soapmaker’s Companion by Susan Miller Cavitch.) However, I don’t know if I’ll need to make soap anytime soon, as I’ve got a lot now

Happy Soap Making! Share your favorite recipe with me if you’ve made some before! I’m already starting a list!!

Running While Pregnant: Product Review

You may remember from this post that I’ve been experiencing all kinds of fun ligament soreness. For days after running, I felt super stiff and walking was difficult. After doing some research I decided to invest in the Gabrialla Elastic Maternity Belt.

I’ve worn it the last few runs and can tell a huge difference! My legs are still sore after I run, but the belt can’t change the fact I’m gaining weight. However, the ligament soreness in the pelvic and hip regions is gone. It’s awesome!

As far as how the belt feels while wearing it, I can honestly say it’s not that bad! I thought it was going to be uncomfortable having that big band strapped around my back but it’s really not any worse than wearing a hydration pack or belt pre-pregnancy. It does make me a little hot, but it’s in the 90s now… just being outside makes me hot. Anyway, the band works by Velcro-ing closed under the belly. There are then two side straps that allow you to adjust the support even more. The side straps are my favorite part because I can easily fix them while running.

There are only two downsides to the belt that I’ve found. The first is that I find I need to wear a tank top or something under the belt and then a shirt over it. I’ve not tried running with the belt just on my bare skin, but I’m fairly certain it would be irritating. Plus there’s the sweatiness thing… So that adds to the heat factor having to add an extra layer. The other downside to the belt isn’t really even a problem for me because I only wear it while running. However, the belt is a little bulky. I don’t foresee me being able to ever hide it under anything I wear on a regular basis.

I would definitely recommend the belt to anyone who wants to run while pregnant. It’s giving me a bit more confidence that I’ll be able to run into the later stages of pregnancy. I’ll let you know as I get bigger if the belt continues to work well!

Homemade Laundry Detergent

In an effort to simplify my “domestic supplies” and live on the frugal side of life, I’ve been researching everything from handmade soap to all natural cleaners. I figure if I can make things from a few simple products, I can easily cut back on how much we spend on a variety of things. Now if there’s one thing this household goes through like water it’s laundry detergent. After looking up what all was involved in making some, which turns out to be not much at all, I decided to give it a go.

All you need is baking soda, Borax, and pure, basic soap. (The type of soap you want is one without moisturizers, etc in it. Common soaps that are used are Ivory, Fels-Naptha, or pure Castile soap.) Based on this recipe, she figures that it comes out to just $0.05 a load. That’s crazy cheap! Most laundry detergent is at least $0.20 per load, often more.

I only made a half-batch to give myself a test run with it.

* 8 cups of baking soda
* 6 cups of borax
* 4 cups of grated soap

I first cut the soap into 1 inch cubes and then grated it in the food processor. Once I had four cups of soap I found that it was a little too clumpy for my taste. Some people will dissolve their detergent in warm water before putting it through their machines. But ain’t nobody got time fo’ dat! So I added some of the borax/baking soda mix to the grated soap and food processed it again. That made the soap a beautiful, fine powder and now I’m not worried about it clogging up my washer. At this point you can add essential oils for a scent, however the Ivory soap does have a fragrance so I didn’t add any.

It’s recommends 1/4 cup for HE washers and 1 1/8 cups for regular washers. However, that’s for heavily soiled loads…which unfortuantely we have often with a 2 year old. But you can use as little as 2 Tablespoons for lightly soiled/smaller loads, which makes it even cheaper per load.

I’ve been using it for a week now, and it’s working great! And I have to ton of the ingredients left over, so making more will be a cinch. Once we run out of our trusty bottle of Shout, I’ll start looking for a homemade stain treatment. I’m also not sure if this is safe with cloth diapers, which is kinda a bummer because that means we still need a bottle of Tide. However, if anyone out there knows if it is safe, let me know!

Stay tuned for some more homemade recipes later this week! Also feel free to share some of you own favorite handmade things, because this nesting mama is having a little too much fun making things from scratch!