Here's To Silly!

So, I don't know if you know, but I have an amazingly talented crafty seamstress sister.  She made the funnest present for Bean's Christmas.  All Bean-themed.  Can I just show you?
 Ok, let's get closer so you can see how not-just-adorable they are, but also witty.  My sister is the greatest.  Can you guess what these are?

Oh my goodness.  These little onesies are going to make me smile every single time she wears them.  I love inside jokes that are just inside me.  I have a smile all the time and no one really knows why.  These will be like that.  It's like when I spent a year going by a completely fake name (mostly just because I could) and every time I told someone my fake name, I smiled.  I knew it was funny, but they had no idea.  Heh!  Is that weird?  Heh! 

Conclusion:  Laughter is good for my soul.  And my belly muscles, and heaven knows they need all the help they can get these days.

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So, I mentioned earlier (this is normally where I would post a link to the "earlier," but it was just the post before this, so I'm just not) that I love my sling.  Now I have pictures to show you how great it is:
 I know that kind of looks like a boobie-shot, but it's also representative of how cozy it is for Bean.  She falls asleep on walks ALL THE TIME.  It's sweet.  And sometimes a godsend since she's not a great napper.  If all else fails, go for a walk.  This is basically the Dominican equivalent of taking a fussy baby for a car ride.  I am the family car. 
 Can you see what beautiful material it's made out of?  It makes me feel kind of fancy just wearing it.  And the long tail part that you can't see is lovely and feels like a totally chic scarf/accessory of some kind as it floats gently in the breeze.  It also works wonders as protection from the rain (for Bean, not so much me) and extra sun protection.  The site where I found it said the tail can be used as a nursing cover, but we all know I've sworn off those.  Meh.  So far, so good.
And this one had to be included because I feel almost exactly how I did when I was taking belly shots of my pregnant self.  She already is so big I cannot imagine how she ever fit inside me.  She is also a lot of fun and I am glad she is outside me.

All this being said, I have to confess, I have already wondered if I made a huge mistake by not bringing a stroller with me.  One of my favorite moments recently came when I mentioned to a friend (and mother of a small baby) down here that I didn't have a stroller.  She just looked at me in silence for a few moments, with a look of what I always imagined a stupor of thought to be, then it turned to a slightly horrified brow-wrinkle. 

"You don't have a stroller?" 

I laughed at her mainstream reaction to my crazy hippie ways.  But inside, I wondered what I had gotten myself into.  Bean (as mentioned before) got a burn her first day out.  She has gotten heat rash a few different times on her face and chest.  You know, where she is pressed against me and we both sweat and sweat.  And sweat.  She is a very effective heater.  I learned this when she was inside; turns out she also warms me well from the outside (and, like I keep telling myself, it's not even hot yet - eeek!).  She is no light-weight (Wonderman and I, both being good-sized, solid people, have made a solid baby).  Carrying her makes it oh-my-goodness so much more difficult to carry anything else.  Grocery shopping was tough before, with all the walking and no-car-having.  Now?  It's an adventure, to say the least. 

Still, when I talked to another friend, and avid stroller-user, about all the places she can't get to with her stroller, I felt great (and maybe a little superior, because I'm lame like that) about being able to strap Bean to my chest and go wherever I want.  I haven't yet gone on any of the hikes or island adventures, but I am pretty sure I could, and I like that.  Turns out, I'm not positive that all the baby-wearing hippies imagined said baby-wearing in such a warm place.  A stroller may come in handy sometimes.  Meh.  I still figure strollers are for sissies (I can say this because we've looked at our finances and there is no way we'll be able to get a stroller down here anytime soon [because, ps, a stroller that can handle our "off-roading" situation would cost a fortune], so it will be a trial by fire, I'll be wearing Bean no matter what).  Good thing I love my sling.

Conclusion:  All roads have their challenges.  Embrace your choices and move on.

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So, I got no pictures so far.  I'll work on that.  Still, I just wanted to report on a few things. 

1 - I know I'm 12 days late, but everyone seems to be posting about their New Year's resolutions.  I don't really make those, and if I did, I think that September is a good time to do it.  I read that somewhere, and it made sense to me, what with school starting and the seasons changing and all.  Still, I feel a little bit like making some change for good.  My goal is to floss my teeth daily.  That's been my goal for 12 days now and I have yet to do it once.  Nevertheless, the goal remains.  I thought maybe if I shared it with the internets, it'd give me some accountability.  I used to be good at getting my floss on every day, but I've lost it and I blame it fully on marriage.  I love Wonderman and all, but he put a serious crimp in my hygiene style.  This is the year to conquer that.  I hope.

2 - Can I just write a glowing, rose-colored glasses bit about nursing?  First I will say that I haven't yet experienced the chapped nipples or mastitis or all the things that make nursing hard (although pumping is definitely not my friend).  I'm sure I'll get my turn.  That being said (recognizing that my experience is limited): I love being able to feed Bean with just me, the way we were built to do it.  It's beautiful and incredible and I can't imagine why anyone would say formula is easier because I can't tell you how many times Bean has started to get a little crazy and I just whip out a boob and she's fine (too crass?  sorry).  Love it.  Don't love nursing pads, but I'll take it.  Also, I think I am officially the dirty hippie who nurses sans cover.  Even at church, where I was sure I would always use the cover.  My cousin made me an amazing cover that I used at first, as I was getting the hang of things.  I am grateful for it.  I haven't used it in weeks.  It's so much easier this way.  I think I'm pretty modest and  no one sees anything too exciting and it just feels so natural.  Sigh.  Dirty hippie.

3 - On another hippie note, I have been wearing Bean as we walk around the island.  The Baby Bjorn is good, but she seems a little contorted or something.  Plus, she got a wicked sunburn after just one trip to campus (don't tell my mother-in-law).  I switched it out for this sling that my sister gave me.  Oh.  My.  Goodness.  I love it.  More comfortable.  More cute.  More Bean sleeping sweetly.  More better all around.  Ok, I still love the Bjorn and I know it has its place, but it's going to the back of the closet for a while.

4 - I love my cloth diapers.  I bought these and they work great.  After using disposables for all our travels, I am glad to be back to cloth.  They never come nearly as close to the blowouts or leakage as do the plastic diapers.  I have done a couple diaper laundry loads here on the island and they still work great.  I was worried about our washer being lame or the detergent not being good enough or them not drying or something else I hadn't yet imagined.  All is well.  And this has kept rash at bay so far (I know we're just beginning, but still, I think it's good stuff)

The end of me reporting on stuff today.

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So, I have all kinds of plans to document my foray into motherhood, with deep thoughts and insights right alongside funny stories.  Turns out, blogging hasn't been a priority.  Meh.  Still, I have just a few short tidbits for today. 

Nursing.  I'm a big fan.  Hooray for breastmilk and all its goodness.  However, as I told Wonderman tonight, it's beginning to feel like every day has a different funny/humiliating story related to nursing.  When my friend told me that I was entering the stage of bodily fluids, I had no idea how real that was.  Yesterday I was so pleased with myself.  I topped last week's big nursing accomplishment (I nursed in public [a hidden corner in the back of a Kohl's store] without a nursing cover, and was totally modest yet unashamed) by nursing in public (this time with the cover) while walking around Costco.  That may not sound like a big deal to those of you who have mastered the sling and the nursing that can accompany it.  I, however, simply held Bean in just the right position for almost a half an hour while we shopped because my sling experiences thus far have been far from successful.  My arm, shoulder, and elbow were sore as I buckled Bean into her carseat, but I was so content with my accomplishment.  That is until I looked down and saw that my entire other side (you know, the side that she wasn't nursing on) was quite literally soaked.  Sigh.  I still have so much to learn.

On another hippie note - Today marks one full week of nothing but cloth diapers.  There is much to say regarding, however today I will simply celebrate.  You may infer that I did, in fact, use some disposable diapers.  Alas, for all my big plans and ideals, I did.  I think that all is well and figured out and we are on our way.  Thank goodness, since we leave the country soon and I don't want all my baggage (and budget) to go to support a diaper habit.

The end.  For tonight.

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So, my doula really was magic!  Bean came, and without my amazing doula it would have been a much more difficult experience.  More on that later.  Probably.  For now, here's the obligatory baby picture:

Bean is more fun and more challenging than I could have ever imagined.  I've learned so much already and I somehow imagined I'd be blogging about my journey into motherhood.  However, I spend my days focusing on feeding Bean and sometimes me and doing my best to see that we both get enough sleep.  That pretty much takes what I've got (I already worry about what I'll do when it's time for Bean's sequel.  Sigh).  We'll see if I write more as her night sleeps continue to lengthen (Don't laugh.  It could happen.  Wait, are you laughing at the thought of me blogging more or her sleeping more?  Seriously, both are legitimately possible.  I swear [but a little less now that there's a little one around.  you never know when they start to pick up on things]!)

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As I am approaching my birth experience, my blog will probably begin to revolve more and more around my crazy hippie ideas and philosophies.  I have a lot to say as I have spent much time pondering and studying (in fact, Wonderman has multiple times expressed bewilderment at how much thought I have put into this process, as he can't imagine doing so himself.  I told him that is why I am having the baby and not him).  We've talked a lot about doulas.  I have a lot to say on the subject, and I haven't even hired a doula yet (let's all pray that I have time to find a great match in between my rush home and Bean's rush appearance).  I only wish I had seen this post (I have to confess, it's a link from another blog I read, but I don't remember which one.  I just open links that seem interesting and then have a bunch of tabs open and sometimes have no idea why when I get around to looking at them) earlier, as I think it may have convinced Wonderman a little sooner about the benefits of having a doula.  She describes my thoughts quite succinctly, although I do not think that Wonderman is a lame tard.

Conclusion:  Who wouldn't want a doula?  It seems crazy to do this without one.  And I may be crazy, but not like that.

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Last night I had an interesting experience.  A friend of mine told me that I look really cute pregnant, followed with the clarification: "I know you never feel cute pregnant, but you really look cute pregnant."  I smiled and said thank you, as my mommy trained me to do.  Still, it kind of took me aback.  I realized that even though I often feel that I am in extreme discomfort with the heat and humidity and crazy shooting muscle pains and general fatigue, I don't feel that different than I did before.  Sometimes I still get surprised when I look in the mirror, because I look exactly the same - only with a HUGE belly.  It's like I haven't changed at all and this whole pregnancy thing is all a figment of my imagination.  Anyway . . . back to the cute thing.  I didn't like being told how I felt.  I actually still feel cute.  Call me crazy.  Acknowledge that I have a way over-developed sense of vanity.  Whatever.  I almost always feel generally cute.  I also assume that most people can tell that I'm cute (ok, "cute" may not be the word choice I would generally go for.  I'd probably choose something like "wildly attractive," but that's just my sense of hyperbole coming into play again).  I figure being pregnant is kind of like being bald: 
 I still felt cute (mostly).  I was definitely glad to not be bald anymore when that stage passed, but the lack of hair didn't detract from my cuteness.  Being pregnant, I am fully looking forward to wearing real clothes again and being able to slip through a crowded room without bumping people, completely unaware of the actual size of my bod.  Still, I'm cute.  And you can't take that away from me.  I'm not sure if that's weird, annoying, or good.  Hopefully I can successfully transfer that to the rest of my life, just like Amy is in the process of doing.  Although, sometimes my lack of caring what other people think about me has actually caused more problems than it has solved.  Meh.  I'm sure I'll find the balance somewhere.  Or not.  Who needs balance, when you're cute like me?  Exactly.

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