Friday, August 31, 2012

It Happens So Fast!

So I thought I could take my time off and catch everyone up on how the Vegta Baby is growing and changing. Ultimately, though, I spent my time off taking care of him, my house, and myself. To be fair, I'm not entirely sure where exactly my little baby was the last time I wrote regularly, and he changes all the time! So, I've decided to browse through my photos and videos to share today as I head into a busy, new semester.
He rolls over like a champ.
He has so many teeth! (Waiting on #6 to start any time now.)
He spends lots of time with his toes.

He met Grandpa.
He met his big sister (and brother) and watched some derby.
He watched his first fireworks (and did really well).
He went to his first baseball game.
He spent time at the beach.

He started eating solids...
... and really liked it. (Please disregard the Bumbo on the table. I know.)
He can sit up on his own, and only crashes every once in awhile.
It's hard to believe my little baby is 6 months old! I see crawling in our near future...

So for now, I'll probably disappear back into my school abyss. If you ever want to see what I'm up to there, I keep a blog for that part of my life too: Blooming a Teacher.

Tuesday, July 31, 2012

It's Been Awhile...

My summer semester basically took over my life. I can't even begin to describe how this Vegta Baby has changed since my last post. Rolling, grabbing, growling... the list goes on! I'll post photos and videos to get you all caught up soon.

I'm just trying to soak up the mommy time right now. I have four weeks to be a stay at home mom. My house and my baby really need it. I need it too.

See you soon!


Monday, June 11, 2012

One Step at a Time

In case you haven't noticed, I've been ridiculously busy. Like crying at night because I can't possibly get everything done on time busy.

I love my step kids, but it has been more than a challenge trying to keep up with everything plus them. Needless to say, my house started to fall apart a bit during their two week visit.

I called out to my mommy friends for help, and they directed me to the Fly Lady. This site has a 31 day jump start program to getting your sh*t together, and it's not exactly what you would imagine. Well, today, I took my first step. I shined my sink.


Well half of it. I realized after I started that I don't have a stopper for the disposal side. Anyway, it does look pretty doesn't it?

Okay, back to life. This little guy just woke up.



Friday, May 25, 2012

Babywearing Blogging Fail.

I had hoped to blog about babywearing this week, but my schedule was so tight it just didn't happen. I do want to plug one babywearing accessory I love though. If you use a SSC or mei tai, you've probably seen suck pads available from ERGO or Beco to keep your little beaver from gnawing on the straps. Well, I like to support local, small businesses when I can, so I bought mine from Tag Along Blankets and Suck Pads. You can get them with or without tags, and you won't find a better deal. They are soooo cute! I love them!

My mei tai is my go-to carrier, so that's where they live, but I'm thinking about buying another pair for my Boba...


So, I know it's a terrible thought, but what if you don't win the ERGO or Pikkolo baby carrier from the Carry Me Please giveaway?

Half Off Depot has you covered. Spend $20 and get $40 off a baby carrier, sling, or wrap from TLC Natural Baby. It's taking all my willpower not to buy myself a ring sling!

Don't forget, there's still a little time left for this cool deal from MamaSource too. Spend $12 and get a mystery baby box from TeetheMe. If you use the code MAY10, you get 10% off too! I'm super excited to see what we get!

Saturday, May 12, 2012

Carry Me Please!


Welcome to the Carry Me Please giveaway!  Babywearing can be a wonderful time for both mom (or dad) and baby!  For some it is a necessity for others it is just a way of life.  For what ever reason you wear your little one, you should be able to do it in style!


Tailor Made Momma has put together and amazing giveaway and is offering up the winner choice of an Ergo or Pikkolo baby carrier!

This giveaway is open to the US and Canada and will end on May 26th!

Don't forget to come back and get your daily entries in!

I'll be posting about babywearing during the course of the giveaway, so if there's anything you'd like to see me cover, let me know!

Friday, May 11, 2012

Good Advice

In dealing with our napping issues, one piece of advice kept coming back to me:

Just don't stress too much because as soon as you figure one thing out, everything changes.

Well, that certainly seems to be the case. We definitely don't have naps completely resolved, but for three mornings in a row, my little boy has taken at least a 45 minute nap all on his own. In fact, on the first day, he even put himself to sleep without any fuss.



So that was the advice to me. My advice to you? Find a good support group, two or three or ten women who have similar parenting philosophies and goals or a handful who just look like they're doing an awesome job. For me, it's a weekly meeting and Facebook group composed of mostly attachment parenting moms. For you, it could be a playgroup or daily coffee with friends. Take the advice that works for you, and leave the rest. Most importantly, follow your instincts. You are a rockstar mom, even if you don't realize it.

Happy Mothers Day, and stay tuned for another giveaway starting this weekend!

Thursday, May 10, 2012

Let's Get Ready for School!

It's coming. Another return. I have to go back to school.

Going back to school is so much scarier than going back to work or to derby. I have homework. I'm under constant evaluation. Okay, so it's a little like derby, but tougher. I can do squats while I wear a baby, but he's going to have little interest in my text books and research papers I'm pretty sure.

I've been working hard to stock up on milk for the little bug.

15 1-2 oz Frozen Bags
4 Fresh Bottles (Will stock up to 6 or 7)

Thankfully, his long night sleep stretches give me a good pump in the morning. This is just one breast!

I'm a lefty ;)
I pump after practice too and can usually get about 3 oz then.

I'm really anxious about this. I want to do well, and I'm kind of a perfectionist when it comes to my school work. I'm very blessed to have family to take care of little man for me, so that's one thing I don't have to worry much about. Any words of advice, comfort, or encouragement are greatly appreciated!

At least he's easing my worries about his napping a little bit. Today is the second day in a row that he has put himself down for a morning nap. Yesterday it was 45 minutes all on his own. We'll see how long today's goes, but isn't he just the most adorable little guy you've ever seen?

Wednesday, May 9, 2012

Walking Wednesdays

I see so many things on our daily walks, that I have decided to share them on a weekly basis.

This week: Duck Parade



The ducks at our park are often hanging out on or around the path. On this day, they politely crossed ahead of us, and I thought it was a sweet moment.

Tuesday, May 8, 2012

In His Own Room

Well, starting this week, our baby has moved to his own room. It seemed like the right time. He's sleeping through the night more often than not, and he's just getting too long for his Moses basket. Co-sleeping never really worked for us. It always seemed like our bed was too small, and he has always been a pretty good night sleeper in his own space.

The first night, he didn't wake up once between 8:30 and 6:30, but I did. Every little squawk or grunt on the monitor had me lifting my head to watch and see if the little red dots kept going. Last night, he did wake up once... after eight hours, so I can't really complain. Overall, he hasn't really seemed to notice.


I'm pretty good with the move too. Last night I slept a little better, and it's nice to not have him wiggling around so much in his sleep right next to me.

Our naps our still stuck though. He can't stay asleep without a crutch, either sleeping on my lap, or on my back, or in the car... just not in his crib or on our bed. It's not a huge deal when I'm home, but I'm a little worried about the next few weeks when I'll be at school every day. So I'm always looking for tips there!

Friday, May 4, 2012

Baby's First Beach Day

We had a derby family picnic at the beach last weekend. The Vegta Baby spent most of it asleep in the Mei Tai, but he did wake up long enough for me to try out my new TaylorMade Water Sling.


We have some trouble getting a good seat in tummy-to-tummy position, but he seemed to be happy as a little Buddha baby.

Lucky me, my Bali Breeze wrap came today, so I have a new toy to play with. More on that during Tailor Made Momma's Carry Me Please Event!

Wednesday, May 2, 2012

New Fluff!

Who would have thought there would come a time when I was so excited to get some diapers?


Monday, April 30, 2012

Tailor Made Mama Carry Me Please Blogger Sign Ups!

As you know, I'm a babywearing enthusiast. If you blog and love babywearing as much as I do, you should sign up for the FREE blog opportunity set up by Tailor Made Momma
The event will run run from May 12-May 26!  Prize will be winner's choice of an Ergo or Pikkolo baby carrier!
This will be a FREE event!  The only requirement is that you post about the sign-ups and then you post about the event when it goes live!
Links can be Facebook, Twitter, Pinterest or RSS.  Sorry No Google!
Sign ups will close on May 10th.  The Rafflecopter and HTML for the giveaway will be sent out on the 11th!
If you have any questions please e-mail Tailormademomma@gmail.com!

We Walk

Almost every morning, baby and I take a walk. We used to walk with him in the stroller, but for the past two or three weeks I've carried him in the Boba. Sometimes he fusses when I put him in, but it's amazing how quickly he's out once we step outside. I walk 3 or 4 miles in 60-90 minutes, and that's his morning nap.

I was inspired by Live. Learn. Love. Eat. to take some pictures on one of our recent adventures. I may not be terribly fond of living in Florida, but I am always amazed by the wildlife.
  
He's passed out.

I love these trees.

Turtle in the sun.

Hunting Crane

Turtle on a log



Mama and babies
One of our friendly neighborhood gators.

Here's one a little closer.

This one's just for fun. He just didn't look like he was "Born on the Streets."
Sadly, on our last walk, one of the ducklings was missing. That's the downside to living side by side with things like alligators :(

Friday, April 27, 2012

Weekend Flash Giveaway!


Welcome to Paypal Flash Cash Giveaway
Sponsored by:

It's All Coming Back To Me...


Well, sort of. Last night was my second scrimmage since getting back on skates. The first one was positional blocking only and this one was 50%, but it feels like I'm getting back into the groove of things. My timing is waaay off, and I lack a lot of core support. I'm not huffing and puffing in the back of the pack though, and I feel like my awareness is decent.

To get ready for the April bout, we had team and individual photos taken.

Vegta Bully (618) (C)Minh Insixiangmy -all rights reserved

Cat-O-Strophix (C)Minh Insixiangmy -all rights reserved
Hot Rod Hotties (C) Leigh Armstrong
The Refs (C) Leigh Armstrong
The Fresh Meat (C)Minh Insixiangmy -all rights reserved
Even the Vegta Baby got in on the action.

He had a great time meeting all the pretty derby girls!
This past weekend, our league, Deadly Rival Roller Derby, had it's first official bout of the season. The Cat-O-Strophix (my team) took on The Hot Rod Hotties. I wasn't bout-ready yet, so I called lines. I have to thank my team for paying attention and getting out there when they were supposed to. Sometimes bench bitching is a challenge, but they made it a breeze! The Hotties started off strong, and we fought to stay tight in the score. At half time, it was still anyone's game, but in the second half, The Hotties started to fall prey to penalties. In the end, The Cat-O-Strophix took the game!



Our MVP's
Thank you Leigh Armstrong for some great shots!

If you live in the area, we are currently recruiting. If you can't skate (and don't want to learn) we really, really need non-skating officials (NSO's). You'll have a little job to do, but you get in free!

In other news, check back later tonight. I might just have a chance for you to win some cash!

Thursday, April 26, 2012

What Do You Feed a Vegan?

I am not the creative cook of the family. That's my husband, but he hasn't shared his yummy vegan lactation cookie recipe with me yet. That means I'll just have to make sure you know about some other great vegan food blogs.

These are a few recipes I'm drooling over lately:


Luminous Vegans - Bread Pudding Muffins

The Mighty Vegan - Pepper-Crusted Cashew Vegan Goat Cheese

In more personal news, the baby has decided he's gotten way too old for naps. It's kind of exhausting, but I have to be soooo grateful for his night sleep. I actually think he could sleep through the night if I didn't wake him after 7 hours. Any tips or tricks for day time naps you'd like to share?


Wednesday, April 25, 2012

Why Eggs and Dairy Are Bad For Babies

This is not a post about health. Well, not human health.

This is a post about the things that people don't think about when they buy eggs and milk. This is a post about why you, as a parent, should care.


Both industries have one unfortunate byproduct: boys.

Think about it. Eggs and milk come from female animals, right? And to keep the industry going, they have to keep breeding more animals. More egg laying hens and more dairy cows. Just like any other time, though, half of the babies will be boys, so what happens to them?

First, lets point out a fact that is often overlooked. Cows produce milk for their babies. You don't lactate when you haven't had a baby right? Well, cows are just like us, so they are kept perpetually pregnant to keep lactating. The male calves that result are most often used for veal. Maybe you don't realize just how cruel veal is, so I'll share. When I was an intern at Farm Sanctuary, Farmer Brown took us to visit a stockyard, so I was able to see firsthand. The calves are taken from their mothers as soon as possible, maybe a couple days old if that. They're put into a pen together and shuffled around with canes and electric prods. I saw the workers cracking them in the heads to get them to move where they wanted myself. They're scared. Then they are auctioned off and taken to a strange place. There, they are kept confined either in a crate or on a very short tether. They're fed an improper diet and kept from moving so that they don't develop any muscle tone. Then, they're slaughtered while they're still babies.

Veals in crates.

The egg industry is even more ruthless. As the chicks are sexed, the males are simply tossed into trash bags to suffocate or ground up alive. It's that simple.

Male chicks left to die in a dumpster.

That is why eggs and dairy are bad for babies.

Please, sign the pledge to go veg for one week, and consider making it a lifelong change.