Changes…

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It occurred to me while browsing NPR Tiny Desk Concerts how much things seem to change. That’s the thing about music, you can always replay in your head where you were when you heard a song. I remember introducing my alcoholic/abusive ex-husband to this band (with these songs!) and now I’m playing this video to see how much my unborn child likes this style of music. Things have surely taken a turn for the better. And I think my baby really likes the music.

Gestational Diabetes is the Worst!

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I think so anyway. I just found out I have it and will meet with a nutritionist next week. In my head I’m imagining eating nothing but vegetables for the next three months, but I’m sure I’m making it seem a bit more difficult than it really is going to end up being… even though this baby loves cake. Babycenter.com has a great overview of gestational diabetes and how it effects a pregnancy and unborn child , but I’m more concerned about what I can and can’t eat to ensure the health of my child (and what will taste good- selfish? I think not.) So far everything I’ve found says just about the same thing… high protein/fiber, low carbs, stay away from sugar. A blogger at Smithsonianmag tells what she did to help regulate her carbs and blood sugar. Maybe that will work for me.

How to pick a crib

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No seriously, how DO you pick a crib? There’s so many options and friends and co-workers seem to have so many opinions. One thing that seems to be a common theme in advice is not to spend too much money if you can help it and there does seem to be some pretty good options out there that won’t break the bank. Still though, how do you (I) pick? Lucky for any new parent to be Kidshealth.org listed these guidelines on how to choose a safe crib for baby.

Exploring the Idea of Nesting

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This week’s blog post was pretty hard to write simply because I couldn’t think of a topic. Then today while unpacking massive amounts of boxes it hit me~ Nesting. Here is some background on the situation: last August there was a fire in my condos and eight units were affected, one being mine. After working all night bartending and going straight to my other job as a traffic reporter it didn’t occur to me when gathering belongings from my smoke filled bedroom just how long I would be dealing with the aftermath, or how much my life would change in the mean time. Fast forward to November when after living in a hotel for two months, my insurance company finally secured me a temporary apartment. Shortly thereafter I found out I was pregnant. The frustration didn’t begin to set in right away, but it seemed the closer my house got to being repaired the more little things seemed to go wrong. The move in date got pushed. Then it got pushed again. It got pushed so many times that I couldn’t stay in my temporary apartment any longer and had to transfer into another hotel room. Then on the last day before going home, it got pushed one more time and with it came another move to another hotel- all of this happening while pregnant, holding down school and a job, and with two very resilient animals in tow. Finally the day came to move back home and I happily did. Sleeping on a mattress on the floor seemed great -as long as it was indeed located in my actual home. It was somewhere between then and now when the panic set in.  I realized today after clearing the last of a gazillion boxes (all of which were located in the soon to be baby’s soon to be room) that I need to get this room empty, so that I can make sure it is clean, so that I can fill it up again- all with stuff for baby. I realize I feel like I am running out of time and am more unprepared than most since I’ve only even been back in my house for three weeks, and that thought is terrifying.

Then it hit me that this could be nesting already. But what exactly is nesting?

Babble.com has an interesting take on the science of nesting and how a woman’s brain changes to prepare for her child. The article states that the changes help the mother to look after her child, but before birth they serve to ‘prepare the nest.’ The changes are supposed to feel like just having to get things done around the house before the new arrival and a ‘laser-light focus’ is even mentioned. So far this sounds like exactly what I am afflicted with, but still the question is why does nesting happen anyway? Kidshealth.org suggests that nesting gives a woman more time to recover and nurture her child after birth, and that seems to make sense. Babble also cites this study that shows that a little bit of stress during a woman’s pregnancy is actually beneficial for the child when it becomes a toddler. Women aren’t the only one’s who are lucky enough to nest though, according to Parentmap.com men experience the same phenomenon in their own way.

So maybe it’s not me. Maybe it’s just biology. Maybe I’m really not totally behind and terribly unprepared. It’s funny though, no matter what I do I can’t help but think that I am.

Sigh.

Exploring hubs and bridges

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I’m new to the world of blogging. Since I’m new to the world of blogging it would only make sense that I’m new to the world of “mommy blogging” as well. It’s strange to think of myself as a mommy blogger considering I don’t have any kids just yet, but in my quest for all things research I’ve stumbled upon some other blogs that I’ve found helpful and entertaining. There are some sites that I frequent often, daily even, and some that I’ve browsed once or twice.

Some of the sites I browse daily tend to be the ones that offer advice, fellowship in the form of forums, health advice, and more. I would consider these sites supernodes. Some examples of this would be Baby Center, What to Expect, and Babble. All of these sites offer pretty much the same thing and could be considered both a hub and a bridge to the readers. They serve to pass on information and connect readers with other things that are going on, but all within the realm of parenthood divided up into stages. There is one thing that Babble does offer that is a bit different from the other sites though and that would be the offering of the sites own bloggers. The Babble bloggers tend to write more of a commentary style of article, letting you follow your favorite and kind of “keep up”.  One of the most notable (and one of my favorite) bloggers on Babble is Christine Coppa, the author of Rattled- A Memoir; which I happened to read way before I knew I had to.

Most of the blogs mentioned above kind of seem like faceless corporate entities, even though some are personalized by the article and authors who write them. Finding personal blogs that were interesting to read seemed a bit more difficult to do. I mean, it couldn’t be as simple as googling “best mommy blogs”, could it? Yes! Yes it could. Doing just that helped me discover this list of the best mommy blogs of  2012. It surprised me to see The Bloggess at the top of the list, simply because I have been reading her for a year or so and I didn’t consider her strictly a “mommy blog”, but more just freaking funny. I could see how she would serve as more of a bridge to her audience, connecting them to things they may not otherwise explore (like taxidermy!).

I’ve also stumbled upon  The Successful Single Mom. This blog could act as a hub to its audience, passing along information that is interesting and helpful to single mothers. Dads are even getting in on the blogging action as shown by Single Dad Laughing.

It seems like the bigger sites like Baby Center and What to Expect come off more corporate, even though they are very informative to the audience while the personal sites tend to focus more on personal experience and humor. Most of the bloggers who I find myself interested in also seem to have books published or in the works as well, which shows their love of writing about their subject matter. I wonder if the actual bloggers aim to serve as a bridge or hub to their community or just focus on the more simple task of just writing. Is it possible to be an accidental success in the form of a hub/bridge? That… would be awesome.

24 Weeks!!!

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I always forget how far along I am until I make a comment on a Baby Center Forum and see my little ticker at the bottom of the screen that reminds me I’ve hit another milestone. Today that milestone was 24 weeks. 24 Weeks?!?!!? What tha… when did all that happen? Four more weeks until the third trimester and then I guess it’s all downhill from there. The good thing is baby can hear… and a whole bunch of other stuff. 

fetal development, 24 weeks

Weird.

 

 

Photo courtesy of Everydayhealth.com 

 

 

 

Minimalism in Parenting

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The minimalist movement has been sweeping across the country (and globe!) and it has even made its way into the way people interact with their children. Minimalism is a helpful way to reduce noise and really get to live a life without useless things.   There are many ways to incorporate minimalism into child rearing, but first lets take a look at minimalism in general.

Minimalism is a new way of life for people who want to live without clutter. You can do this in many forms. Look in your closets and notice the garments that haven’t been worn in 6 months. Get a bag and donate them. Seem to not have time for loved ones? Start cutting down commitments with your job and pencil in your family. Keep your workload to a minimum. However, everyone knows that Minimalism can also be a design concept. Think about Apple and the crisp white they choose for their products. Notice that there are no crazy buttons and the navigation is easy to manage. The aesthetics is not complicated and neither is the functionality. That is because everything is kept to the bare essentials. Everything is kept to a minimum.

 While keeping everything to a minimum seems like common sense when it comes to minimalism, how is someone supposed to do that when it comes to entertaining and raising a young child? The common practices of minimalism can still be followed according to Christine Koh and Asha Dornfest, co-authors of the book Minimalist Parenting. The book encourages cutting down on the daily “noise” of life and focusing on what is really important to a parents and their families.

The Minimalist Mom argues that following a life of minimalism as a parent can give you more time, money, and space – all of which are important to parents. This can be due to the fact that a minimalist parent is buying less things that children seem to outgrow or grow bored with easily and are cutting out activities that do not serve the best needs of the family. She also posts a blog to help the minimalist parent get ready for baby, showing that this form of parenting can be started at any stage or level of experience.

While Minimalism has taken on its own form of influence in parenting, that isn’t the only way that it has crept into the lives of children. Other forms of the movement influence the parent and in turn, influence the child. One form that is easy to recognize is in furniture and design.

Furniture can seem daunting to shop for but its easier when you keep minimalism in mind. Designs are sleek and modern. Modern cribs are the answer to keep your babies room stylish while offering some function as well. This baby car seat is another example of how a modern design can bring style and comfort together. When baby furniture is modern it seems easier to clean, transport and assemble. Also, choosing a calming color in the nursery is in the realm of minimalism. Choosing a light blue, beige, or white might help calm a baby rather than exciting bright colors like a red or an orange. Minimalism as a design concept can help parents control the vibe in a room. Options are plenty on the internet, and decorating a nursery minimally adds to the space that was promised above.

It seems that in the world of bringing up children minimalism would be the last thing on every parent’s mind. At the same time it seems that every parent also seems to want what minimalism promises time, money ,space, and a shot at being less stressed. It can be the take away that might make you calm in the chaotic moments that parenting can offer. Minimalism may not be for everyone, but there could be something to be said for trying to cut out the noise brought about by the clutter of life.

**This post written in conjunction with Saul Cabral, author of House of Blocks, a blog on minimalism.**

What a Home Birth Looks Like

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Every Saturday I watch as the app on my phone upgrades my baby’s growth according to the size of fruits and vegetables. Last week we were at a carrot, this week my son is a papaya. At twenty-two weeks, I’ve passed the halfway point and in about four months my life will never be the same. That being said, a girl gets to wondering about what exactly happens when this comes about. What is childbirth like? Babble.com  contributor Erin Loechner decided to help answer that question by posting pictures of her own home birth.  Ohhhh, home birth. I don’t think I could do it.

 

Single Mom Dating

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Seeing as how I’m currently pregnant with my first child, I haven’t really thought too much about dating. There are some experts though that seem to have differing opinions. Check out this conversation between the blogger known as Wealthy Single Mommy and the team behind Singlemomstv.com. It looks like much is up for debate.