The Rare Bit

The Essential One- Giveaway Winner!

2012-02-02T13:31:00.001-08:00

The lucky winner is comment 8- Micaela!
Micaela, you have 72 hours to contact me to claim your fabulous prize!

Morning People

2012-01-20T01:34:00.001-08:00

Could it be that we're turning into morning people in this house? While admittedly I never spring out of bed, it is one of my favorite times of day.

We're not get-up-and-goers. We're jammies, and bed head, coffee on the sofa, and Winnie the Pooh on TV watchers. Cuddles and toast and waving bye-bye to Daddy from the front window. That's how we do it.

Mornings are for coziness. Afternoons are for adventures.

Well that was fun...

2012-01-13T14:44:00.001-08:00

Iwan just started sobbing in the middle of of "3rd and Bird." He was sad because Muffin was stuck on a lilypad. Either he's pregnant or it's naptime.

The Essential One- Review and Giveaway!!

2012-01-11T15:04:00.000-08:00

A little while back I was approached by a great company about the possibility of reviewing some baby clothes for Elle. As you can imagine, as the first little girl on both sides of the family, Miss E is not lacking in attire. What then, would tempt me into adding to our laundry load? Very simple. Nothing but the best. The Essential One baby clothing is that good, folks.

"Okay," I can hear you saying, "but it's baby clothes. What's the big deal? Make a tiny something, slap a bunny on it, and call it a day." But the thing about this company, is that it is more than just clothes. It's an idea. I like ideas. The whole premise of the The Essential One is simply to provide the essentials your baby will need in his first year (think bodysuits, sleepers, hats, snowsuits- the essentials, get it?), but to provide them at an outstanding quality you'd be hard pressed to find on the high street. Furthermore, The Essential One, although operating via web and catalogue sales, seeks to provide a truly boutique experience for their customers.

When the products for Elle arrived, they came in a branded cardboard box and carefully wrapped in tissue paper. What's more, everything had been spritzed with a subtle, gentle, hypoallergenic scent. There was also a personalized note tucked into the box. Lovely. Just lovely. It certainly made me smile.

I was sent loads of great things to review, and had a great time playing dress up with Elle. The Essential One sent us sets of their bestselling bodysuits and sleepsuits, an adorable all in one, two hats, and (my favourite) a furbaby snowsuit. The quality was really apparent as soon as I started handling the products. The fabric is all super soft, and I later learned that it only became more so upon washing. The backings on any appliques are soft and not scratchy. Everywhere I looked I noticed little details revealing how this company goes the extra mile: How the little ribbon zip pulls on the snowsuit are stitched so they stay in place and look neat, how decorative details are all embroidered or applique- not printed, how the sets come packaged in matching fabric bags- there was no plastic in sight!

In size 3-6 months, these clothes fit Elle really well (she was nearly 4 months when we started using them). They even fit well over her bulkier cloth nappies, which is something we often struggle with- especially with bodysuits. The hats especially work really for her- most hats tend to shift and end up over her eyes, but these stay in place and look so darn cute! These clothes wash beautifully- after many many washes, the colours are still sumptuous, the fabric silky-soft and free from pilling.

Everywhere we go, we get comments on these clothes, people always want to know where they're from, and are constantly exclaiming over how adorable they are. But no single item has caused such an uproar as the snowsuit. Taking Elle anywhere in that thing is like the Beatles on Ed Sullivan. People just can't get enough! "She's like a little bear!" "Oh, how sweet!" "I wish they made that in my size!" are just some of the comments we've heard. And let me tell you, we love this thing. I think we have basically used it every day since the beginning of November. Elle is so cosy in it, and it has kept her warm on many a family outing. I really really think that £28 is quite reasonable for something of such great quality that you would get so much use out of. Also, we have washed the snowsuit a number of times and it is still as soft and fluffy as the day it arrived, which has really astonished me.

Cosy and warm in her Furbaby Snowsuit during a recent trip to London

So while my impressions of The Essential One baby clothing is overwhelmingly positive, there are a few things I would wish for: Number one, I wish they had an "Essential Kids" range- I want to be able to continue buying these gorgeous products for Elle once she's older, and I'd love to be able to buy clothes for Iwan at this quality and price point, and in those gorgeous stripes and patterns. I wish that they had more colourful choices in the unisex range. But really? That's about it. Elle's about to move up to the next size, and you better believe that I've been stalking the website!

Now for a bit of fun ****GIVEWAY**** Open until January 25th, 2012

The Essential One has generously offered a great giveaway for a lucky reader of The Rare Bit!

One reader has the chance to win the following prize package:

A pack of sleepsuits in your choice of either rose pink, blue. or unisex.
A £5 e-voucher to spend at www.theessentialone.com and free shipping of your order.

What's more- The Essential One has generously offered to ship this prize anywhere in the world, so this giveaway is open to everyone!

Here's how you can win! Mandatory entries (you must follow these steps in order to win, winning entries will be checked):
Leave a comment saying that you follow The Rare Bit publicly (if you don't already, click on the link to the right to make sure that you do!).

Cruise on over to The Essential One and take a look around- come back here and leave a separate comment telling us which product you'd love to try.

Extra Entry:
Like The Essential One of Facebook and leave a separate comment saying that you do.

Entries will be closed on January 25th, 2012, at 9:00 pm GMT. A winner will be selected at random using random.org

**Full Disclosure**: These products were provided to me for review by The Essential One free of charge. My opinion is my own and based on my own experiences of using the clothing on my daughter for several weeks.

Next on my to do list...

2011-11-11T23:35:00.001-08:00

I seriously need to unsubscribe to emails from Kate Spade.

All my money apparently goes to keeping my kid in Clarks at freaking £30 a pair. Beautiful and overpriced purses? That was a long time ago, my friends.

That just happened...

2011-11-09T14:21:00.001-08:00

I was in a meeting today for over an hour. When I got home and went to feed Elle, I realized that the left side of my nursing bra had been undone the.whole.time. Just further evidence that I am unfit for most social and professional situations.

Are you kidding me with this boy!?

2011-11-07T01:45:00.001-08:00

Oh good morning world. By the way, you're welcome.
BAM!

This is why our marriage works

2011-11-06T14:11:00.001-08:00

Today G and I took the kids to a used book fair. While there we found a 500 piece jigsaw and decided that we both quite fancied it. So we get home, put the babies to bed, enthusiasticaly pull out the puzzle, spend 30 minutes sorting out the edge pieces, another 10 minutes starting to put the thing together. Then we decide it's too hard, pack it away, and spend the evening drinking wine.

An afternoon with my girl

2011-11-04T15:17:00.001-07:00

When Iwan was first born, I remember thinking that I'd be happy to just have a house full of boys. I loved experiencing the growth of my relationship with my new baby son. Having taught middle school, my heart quaked at the thought of ever having a 13 year old girl of my very own.

But then I had Elle, and in the 125 days since she was born, she has dashed these fears. I love having a daughter, and more specifically, I love having Elle as my daughter. She is so sweet and sunny, and has the most amazing capacity for joy, and for bringing joy to those around her.

As much as I love watching my children interact, I cherish the times I get to spend one on one with my little girl. Iwan had me to himself for a long time, so I sometimes worry that Elle is getting short changed.

But yesterday afternoon we did get some of that rare time together. After taking care of a few chores, we snuggled on the sofa, read books, sang songs, and watched a little Gone With the Wind - an especially "OMG I have a daughter" moment. It was a perfect afternoon, and I hope it's something we'll both always make time for. I am so blessed to be able to spend time on earth with this little girl, and I am so excited for the wonderful crazy ride of raising a girl.

Emma's Diary Post- It's all about the poo

2011-11-04T01:44:00.001-07:00

I totally meant for this to be my NaBloPoMo post for yesterday, but I scheduled it to post incorrectly- boo. So you'll get two posts today. That still kind of counts, right?
Anyway, here's my latest piece for Emma's Diary. Enjoy!
Emma's Diary: Just call us the Disgustingtons...

Cousin Love

2011-11-02T11:09:00.001-07:00

They say you can't pick your family, so with that in mind we totally lucked out. Iwan is over the moon about his cousins moving to the neighborhood- and G and I think it's pretty awesomesauce too. I grew up adoring my cousins, but with most of them living 5 hours away, I was often left longing for more cousin goodness in my life.
And so watching the boys together today made me feel all soft and nougaty inside. How could I not? Especially when they do things like this:

NaBloPoMo

2011-11-01T08:12:00.001-07:00

So November is National Blog Posting Month. The idea is that you post every day for the entire month. I'm actually going to try and give it a go. I can't promise that most of my posts won't just be pics of my kiddos, because they probably will, but I will try and get some actual decent writing in as well. Not just rambles. Like this. Hey! Here's a sideways baby!

Half Term!

2011-10-21T11:05:00.001-07:00

Since my husband is a teacher, I sort of live for school holidays. I mean, who doesn't love extra quality family time (and by 'family time' I mean the hubster watching the kids in the morning so I can take a shower for longer than 5 minutes, and put on make up in the bathroom rather than squinting at my reflection in the toaster).
But, I'm excited for reals, you guys. We're heading off to Cardiff for the week, and spending some time in our old stomping grounds. As much as I love living up North, I do miss Cardiff insanely a lot. My to-do list is much too long (is it bad that 90% of the things on the list have either to do with eating food at certain places or drinking alcohol at certain other places?) but I'm hoping we can get around to all of the places we love and hug all of the people we love.

If I've managed to survive the 4 hour car journey with the babies, you can expect updates throughout the week.

Exciting News!

2011-10-18T03:54:00.000-07:00

I don't know why, but since I've had children I always feel the need to preface any exclamation of "Exciting News!" with the disclaimer "I'm not pregnant." So yes, I have exciting news, and no I'm not pregnant.

I'm so very excited to announce that I will be joining 9 other amazing bloggers over at the brand new Emma's Diary Blog! If you've had a baby in the UK, I'm sure you remember getting the Emma's Diary magazine from your midwives Well, Emma has taken her journey as a mother to the web, and has brought together a group of amazing (if I do say so myself) writers to share our experiences as well. Whether you're already a parent, trying to conceive, or are making your way through pregnancy, there will be something for you! I hope you all decide to follow this great new blog!

My first post should go live today. I'd love to have your support :)

Harvest Time!

2011-10-16T13:49:00.001-07:00

Although the weather app on my phone told me that the weekend was going to be a washout, it actually turned out to be lovely. Blue skies, blossoming chrysanthemums, and crisp autumn air.

When the weather is quintessential to the season like this, I always feel obliged to do something seasonal. So today we went apple picking in my father-in-law's allotment.

We picked our apples and loaded up on lots of fresh autumn veg. Iwan took a bite out of a raw potato. Elle sucked on her coat collar and took it all in.

It was just one of those colorful, bright, days where nothing much happens, but the kids come home muddy and tired. We didn't finish much on our weekend to-do list, but I know we'll sleep well tonight.

The weekend went by too fast, but these smiles will tide me over until the next one rolls around.

Maternity Leave

2011-10-12T12:47:00.000-07:00

What kind of stay at home mom takes maternity leave? Apparently I do. Sorry to have left you all in the dark for so long, but, hey, raising two kids in no joke. While the baby is relatively low maintenance (insofar as little babies can be "low maintenance"), I seriously needed the past few months to adjust to this new way of life. But now that I can once again find time to get dressed before lunchtime, I can carve out time for ye olde blog. Oh? What's that? You don't care about me? You just want the details on the baby? Oh alright...

Sweet baby Elle was born on July 2nd, 4 days late (much to my chagrin). She weighed 8 lbs 9 oz, and is the spitting image of her daddy. I won't bore you with a birth story, except to say that it was med free, painful, triumphant, and one of the happiest days of my life. She is sweetness personified, the very image of happiness, and she lights up our hearts with joy every minute of every day.

Ladies and Gentlemen, I give you The World's Sweetest Baby:

Life is good. We are happy, and I'm happy to be back :)

Hibernation

2011-06-01T04:01:00.000-07:00

Before I start this post in earnest, please allow me to direct your attention to the awesome review and giveaway I've written over on Transatlantic Blonde. If you're looking for some seriously comfy and pretty PJs, HOTmilk has got you sorted!

Anyway, I as the lack of posts lately would indicate, I seemed to have entered into that stage of tunnel vision unique to the last several weeks of pregnancy. I'm finding it really difficult to focus on anything that's not directly related to preparing for the baby. And in my mind "directly related" apparently means scrubbing the oven hood and eating my weight in peanut M&Ms.

It's true though, right now if a task doesn't seem to be getting me closer to being ready (whatever that means!), then it doesn't seem to be worth my time and attention. This is why I can seem so productive in some areas, yet such a slacker elsewhere. Although my house is getting cleaner and more organized, the downside of this is that I turn my back on the things that could make the next few weeks go faster: Time with friends, writing, relaxing with my family. Time moves a bit slower when you only stop nesting to analyze every Braxton Hick contraction and every twinge your body makes.

I want to enjoy this time. I want to cherish these last few weeks as a family of three, and shower Iwan with love and attention, to make sure he doesn't feel short changed when the baby arrives. But, man, it's hard to balance this with this need to prepare.

Making a House a Home

2011-05-09T02:59:00.000-07:00

Yesterday G said something that I had been thinking for awhile: "I just want our house to feel like a home." I mean, of course it feels like a home in that the three of us are here together, safe and healthy, and blah blah blah. What he meant is that we haven't done a whole heck of a lot to make this place feel like our own since moving in.

On any given day, it can feel just a bit better than a nicely arranged storage unit, on the bad days it can feel like the place where toy boxes throw up and laundry baskets come to die.

Don't get me wrong, it's a lovely house on a lovely street, the rooms are big and bright, and (luckily) it was nicely painted when we moved in (except for Iwan's room, but I'll get to that in a second). The carpets are new-ish and a nice color, but could definitely use an appointment with the Rug Doctor. We have some nicely arranged photos on the mantle, and have hung two pictures in the living room, but that's pretty much the extent of our decorating up until now.

This is not without reason. We moved in just before Christmas, and then promptly took off to America for five weeks. Add to that, a pregnancy, a one-year-old, a husband in full time graduate school, and the state of our house is definitely understandable.

But, poor Iwan. The kid has been sleeping in a pink bedroom for nearly six months now. Something has to be done. (Although, quite frankly, Iwan doesn't seem to mind the pink).

I would like to get the bulk of this house feeling more homey before the new baby arrives. But I tend to be overambitious in my planning, so I need to prioritize. Next weekend we are tackling the kids' room (yep, Iwan and the new baby will be sharing for the time being, since we'd rather not lose our guest room). Paint is picked out, accessories are ready to go. It should be fairly straightforward.

But there are other, little jobs, that are niggling me. Take our dining table and chairs. We bought them second hand from a charity shop, with the plan of repainting the table and making some cute new covers for the chairs. I have it all worked out in my head, it's the execution (or, rather, finding time for the execution) that's a problem. In my mind I'm Kirstie Allsopp in her homemade home, in reality I usually end up just going to Ikea. But in this instance, the table has already been purchased and is just sitting shabbily in the kitchen, waiting for some time and attention to be lavished on it's water rings.

So here we go, the next few weeks will tell the tale of how much of this stuff actually gets done. Any tips would be welcome, and I promise to update with pictures after we complete any of these tasks!

Delusions of Miniature...

2011-04-20T03:07:00.000-07:00

30 Weeks Pregnant and Delusional

So maybe you've heard about the gorgeous weather we've been having in Britain? Apparently we're one of the warmest countries in Europe right now, which makes me feel a little sorry for all the people who spent money on trips to Spain and Italy for the Easter holidays. It seems we've skipped right to summer, which is fine by me. The only thing is that I've never been pregnant in the summer, so I don't have any appropriate maternity clothes.

In my mind, this was fine because surely my normal shorts and things would fit with the aid of a bella-band. So when I went to get dressed this morning I dug out a cute pair of khaki of shorts and naively tried to step into them and pull them up. Yeah, they wouldn't budge over my ass. The button gaped a good 5 or 6 inches away from the buttonhole. Welcome aboard the SS NotGonnaHappen.

I mean, really. Who was I kidding? I'm 30 weeks pregnant, why in the world I thought I'd fit into a pair of my skinny girl (ok, healthy, average girl) shorts is beyond me. I can't roll over in bed without a very deliberate though process and series of synchronized actions, but somehow those puppies were going to fit? Reality check for one, please?

The good thing is that I don't mind gaining weight in pregnancy. I'm growing a human- it comes with the territory, so this makes it easy to laugh about. In the meantime though, I guess I better go and do a little shopping.

Perspective please...

2011-04-14T02:27:00.000-07:00

I need it!

I know I haven't written much in the past week. What with Iwan turning one, and me turning thirty you'd think there'd be loads to write about, and there is. It's just that with all that's been going on in the past week, I've been left with very little time to write.

And lest you think it's all party party party over here, the biggest time suck of all has been a nasty little virus called Hand, Foot and Mouth Disease. Iwan came down with this little gem over the weekend, and is just now getting over it. Poor baby!

While I'm sure my son would argue (if he could) that the most difficult thing about this illness are the mouth sores that made it impossible for him to eat solid food for a couple of days, I, on the other hand, would say that the waking up at night is the worst part. This is where I need a little perspective. The me of 4 or 5 months ago would laugh in my present face for complaining about this. Iwan was notorious for waking up 3-4 times a night until he was about 8 months old, it was really hard but we dealt with (how we dealt with it is another whole post entirely- I'll get to that someday. Promise!). Since then, G and I have become accustomed to Iwan sleeping 12-13 hours, with the only little peeps heard over the monitor being the contented little snuffles of a blissfully sleeping baby.

But this week he has been waking once or twice in the night because he doesn't feel good. Totally understandable. But here I am, dragging myself around as if I've spent the night mainlining tequila with Charlie Sheen. Again, the me of 5 months ago is shaking her head. For her, waking once or twice would have been a huge sleep victory. Granted, she wasn't pushing her 30th week of pregnancy, but still...

I spent a couple hours this morning wondering if I'm going to be able to deal with a newborn again. I mean, of course I am, but this week has been a little reality check. I guess it all comes down to expectations. I would never expect my newborn baby to sleep through the night, so that makes it much easier to deal with the constant wakings. But when I put my one year old to bed, expecting to snooze right on through, it's much more of a shock to the system when the monitor starts blinking a few hours later.

Here's hoping that little mister feels better soon, and we all start getting a good night's sleep again. At least for the next 10 weeks or so!

On Turning Thirty

2011-04-06T02:39:00.000-07:00

I turn thirty this week, and I'm actually quite excited about it. Since Iwan's birthday is the day before mine, I spent my birthday last year in a hot and crowded maternity ward trying to come to grips with both breastfeeding and hormones that made me dissolve into tears when I realized I'd forgotten to pack a specific pair of pajama bottoms. So I'm looking forward to celebrating a little differently this year.

I was discussing turning thirty with my husband yesterday, and he asked "when you were little, what did you want your life to be like by the time you were thirty?" I will say, one of the many reasons I love G so much is because he asks me questions like this. He challenges me to consider my life from other angles, often revealing a new perspective, for which I am (usually) grateful. When I had thought about turning thirty it was always through the lens of the present, I had never considered what my past self would make of the life I'm leading today.

The present me puts a lot of pressure on myself about the future. The present me also holds a certain degree of guilt for being a stay at home mom. I know that sounds kind of ridiculous, since you always hear about working moms feeling guilty, but it's the truth. While I love that I have the opportunity to be home with my children, there is rarely a day that goes by that I don't think about the time and money that has been invested in my education, the career goals I set for myself, and this drive I've always had to achieve, achieve, achieve!

But when G asked me this question, all I could think of is that when I was a little girl I mostly wanted to be a mommy when I grew up. Actually, when asked "what do you want to be when you grow up" I usually answered with " a mommy/pediatrician/actress/astronaut." I think at one point my goal was to start some sort of commune where everybody would have to live like it was 1850, and I would be the doctor/mayor/mommy. But that was when I was on a huge Laura Ingalls Wilder kick. So, yeah, I've always had pretty big dreams, but being a mother has always been a huge part of those dreams. G's question reminded me of this and put a smile on my face.

I needed that little reminder that we are not defined exclusively by what we do right now. I much prefer the idea that who I am is a crazy concoction of the dreams of the past, the reality of the present, and the hopes of the future. It's all swirled up, and probably doesn't make a lot of sense, but it's me and it's pretty good.

In the first 30 years of my life I've worn lots of different hats, and I'll probably wear even more in the next 30. But that's the neat thing about hats, they can be interchanged, packed away, brought back out and dusted off. You can try on new ones to see what suits, and what's just not a good look. Right now my favorite look is "mommy", and I know that's going to be a staple for the rest of my life. I'm pretty sure there are going to be loads of embellishments added over the years. I mean, thanks to my freakishly large head, my hats are custom made, baby.

Real Easy Giveaway Winner

2011-04-04T01:37:00.000-07:00

The winner of the Real Easy all-in-one minky nappy from BabyKind as chosen by Random.Org, is comment number 19, Working Mama!

Congrats Working Mama- you have 48 hours to get in touch with me to claim your prize (cymrubaby@gmail.com)!

I need to buy mascara

2011-04-01T02:07:00.000-07:00

I really do, you guys. It's getting dire. And lest you think I'm using you as a glorified shopping list, this post does have some sort of a point: Like I said, I need mascara. This is something I have thought of almost every day for the past few weeks as I'm doing my makeup. Each time I pull that wand out of its increasingly dry and empty tubular home, I make a little note in my brain to pick some up next time I'm out.

Problem is, my brain no longer labels this information as vital. As soon as I step out of the bathroom the mascara is shoved out of the way to make way for far more important stuff, like "OMG, why is my child sucking on an open container of lip balm!"

Poor mascara, there was a time when she and her cosmetic compatriots were able to sit comfortably in my mind as I went about the day. I even made trips to the pharmacy just to buy them. To be honest, that thought kind of boggles my mind now. The thought of hopping in my car by myself while it was still daylight, driving to a pharmacy and buying just one item- an item meant to make me look pretty no less, and not something somehow involved with baby poop- radio cranked up, and windows rolled down, just seems so alien now. Perhaps I'd even drop by Starbucks, or have a browse around Target, by myself.

It's not so much that these things happened, it's that they happened without a second thought. It's not inconceivable now that I could carve out a few hours for myself to buy beauty products or get a cup of coffee, but it is inconceivable that this would be a spontaneous occurrence. The trip would have to involve a discussion with my husband about when the baby was last fed/changed/exposed to sunlight, and would most likely also involve an element of practical multi-tasking (I would probably need to pick up milk, bread, and baby wipes). And, unlike my 26-year-old self, I would relish the outing as a major event, rather than a quick to-do list cross off.

I have spent some time wondering if this is how some new parents begin the process of letting themselves go. Step one, run out of mascara/whatever makes you feel "put together" and mean to buy some more. Step 2, constantly forget to buy new mascara, realize you can live without it. Step 3, run a few quick errands in your pajamas. Step 4, your friends nominate you for "What Not to Wear." It's a slippery slope, my friends.

I love my son, and I love how my priorities have changed since becoming a parent. But, I also love feeling good about myself. And, for better or worse, something that makes me feel good everyday is putting on real clothes and little bit of makeup. For some people, it's making the bed every morning (quite obviously not the case here, if you were to have a peek in my bedroom), or finding time for exercise. I think the whole idea of letting yourself go means deciding that this thing that makes you feel like you can take a backseat to life's other priorities. I'm going to try really hard to keep that from happening. It may not be earth-shattering, but I'm going to go write "mascara" on my shopping list. Right after I scrape dried mushed banana off the sofa.

Better in Britain- Guest Post over on Transatlantic Blonde

2011-03-27T14:26:00.000-07:00

As an extra treat for today, I'm being featured as a guest poster over on Transatlantic Blonde . I have been following Blondie for a couple of years now, so needless to say I was quite excited to be able to contribute! So head on over and check her out! Like me, she's an American expat raising a little boy in the UK, but there's more to her blog than the usual mommy stuff. Enjoy!

Whenever I get into a discussion with a stranger over here (and it happens a lot- friendly American that I am) there’s almost always a moment, about 45 seconds into the conversation, where they realize that I’m not a wayward tourist, but that I’m actually choosing to live in Britain. In Wales for that matter. Why? They’ll ask, why in the name of Tom Jones and all that is holy would we live here when we could live there? I get it, or at least I think I do, if all you know of a place is what you’ve seen on holiday or in the movies, it’s bound to look more fun/glamorous/exciting. I mean, if someone I knew married Mickey Mouse I’d be shocked if they didn’t choose to live at Disney World. But, while there would certainly be some advantages to upping sticks for America, there are a few things that I think are much better in Britain and that I would definitely miss should we ever move.... Keep reading! Find the rest of this post over at Transatlantic Blonde

Real Easy Nappy Review and Giveaway!

2011-03-27T11:50:00.000-07:00

I don't think I've really discussed in much detail here that we are a cloth nappy family. The decision to cloth diaper was one that we made before Iwan was born, and we have learned so much about it in our first year as parents. Our decision was made on two factors: Financial and environmental. I love the fact that cloth diapering both saves money and saves us from sending piles of disposables to the landfill.

A year in, we're in a nice little groove with our nappy routine, we know which types of nappies best meet our needs, and easily field questions from interested but uninitiated friends and family. But we have come to recognize that this nice little routine will be shaken up in a few months when we add another baby in cloth to the mix. As you can imagine, I've become interested in reaching out of my fluffy comfort zone and trying new nappies. And while I've never found cloth diapering to be much extra work, anything to help streamline things is great!

In my first year as a mother, I've found the company BabyKind to be super helpful! They offer all sorts of great natural baby products, and a wonderful selection of cloth nappies. I also love that they're a small company based in North Wales, as Gez and I prefer to support local businesses when we can. So I was very pleased when BabyKind offered to send us two of their Real Easy all-in-one sized nappies to try out, one with a PUL shell, and another with a plush (and adorably spotty!) minky shell. Admittedly, I have never been much for all-in-one nappies so I was a little skeptical of the claims that the Real Easys dried quickly on a line. Like many British families, we live without a tumble dryer, so we tend to go for pocket nappies, where the shell and absorbent insert can be separated for faster drying. But with an open mind, I was ready to put the Real Easys through their paces!

Real Easy AIO nappies- size medium, in Blue Dot minky and Seaspray PUL

Like my super fancy backdrop? I promise I do own an iron- I just thought the wrinkles gave it an "arty" look...

After a couple weeks of testing, during which time Iwan diligently gave these nappies the best he had, we have to give the Real Easy a big thumbs up! The pictures above were taken after more than two weeks worth of heavy use and washing, and it's easy to see how well they've held up. The soft fleece lining is still fluffy and snowy white, with only the expected amount of pilling. The colors have stayed vibrant despite days of line drying (we've had lovely stint of sunny weather here in North Wales), and the minky outer is still as soft as the day it arrived.

I loved the way these fit Iwan. The Real Easys are sized, which I know many people prefer, but I tend to go for one size nappies because I think they tend to be better value for money. I've gotta say, these were a good deal trimmer than our normal one size pockets. The rise did seem a bit low to me when I first put them on Iwan, but we never had any leaks or blowouts so it was fine.

And let me tell you, the Real Easys were really put through the ringer: In a bad mommy moment, we were caught out of the house for a whole afternoon while Iwan was wearing the PUL Real Easy. In my rush to leave the house I had neglected to check if the changing bag was fully stocked. It wasn't. So as much as I hate to admit my mistake, my little boy was in this nappy for much longer than he should have been. When we got home, I was expecting to have a full-on laundry emergency, but nope, not a leak in sight! Definitely impressive.

I also wanted to give the Real Easy's a whirl for night time. Iwan is only a moderate wetter, so I was fairly confident that they would be fine. Our normal night time diaper consists of a one size pocket stuffed with a microfiber insert and two microfiber boosters. The directions that came with the Real Easys suggested also adding additional stuffing for night time, so I followed the advice. In order to see if the Real Easy could beat our normal pocket dipe for night time, I used only one booster (a BumGenius microfiber booster pad, if you're interested). It made for a much trimmer fit under Iwan's jammies, and after 12 hours of sleep we were leak free the next morning. If your baby is a heavy wetter you would probably need to add a bit more, or use a more absorbent hemp or bamboo booster.

The claims of fast drying held up too. These nappies took no longer to dry than the microfiber inserts I usually use with my pocket diapers. Again, quite impressive. Although, I still enjoy that with the pocket you have the versatility of using the shells (which dry super quickly) with additional dry inserts if need be. You lose out on this with an all in one, but in reality I have enough nappies in my stash that I never need to do this anyway. For someone just building their stash, it could be something to consider.

All in all, I really liked the Real Easys, and they've become a useful component in our cloth diapering routine. Because they're so foolproof, they'd be great to send along to nursery, and perfect for someone making the switch to cloth diapering. I do wish that they came with an option of a hook and loop closure, and not just snaps, but that's a purely personal preference. This is a great diaper, and it really is "Real Easy."

Now for the fun part!

****THE GIVEAWAY****

BabyKind will be giving away a free MINKY Real Easy all-in-one nappy to one of my lucky readers. The winner will be able to choose the size and color/pattern.

The best part is, BabyKind has kindly (hehe, get it?) offered to ship the prize anywhere in the world, so this giveaway is open to everyone!! Here's how to enter (both steps must be completed in order to win):

1. Follow my blog publicly and comment that you do (or that you already do).

2. Go on over to BabyKind's website and have a browse of all of their amazing products. Leave a separate comment saying what product you'd like to try (it doesn't have to be nappy related)- they have loads of great stuff!

The giveaway will close on Sunday April 3rd at 9 pm GMT. A winning comment will be chosen at random, and the winner will be posted here on the blog- be sure to check back to see if you win!

Good Luck!

This is going to hurt me a lot more than it will hurt you... Lessons in discipline

2011-03-23T03:25:00.000-07:00

If I had a penny for every time someone took a look at my son and said "well he's a bruiser!", well, I wouldn't be rich but I might be able to treat myself to an upgrade in popcorn size at the cinema (that is, if we ever had time to go to the cinema), but I digress. I have a big boy, but for the most part he's a gentle giant. As one of the youngest in his group of little friends, he's quite happy to watch and learn, and follow the lead of the bigger kids.

Lately though, things have been shifting. As Iwan has become more active and mobile, he's increasingly intent on exploring. He not only wants to explore his environment (hey, what will happen if I bang this ceramic elephant on the fireplace hearth?!), but he also wants to explore his ability to effect the world around him (hey, what will happen if I smack this kid in the face?).

While all of this is developmentally appropriate, it's clearly not okay for Iwan to go around smacking kids in the face. Especially because, the favored variant of this game is "what will happen if I smack mommy in the face/pinch her neck/bite her arm?" Again, not okay.

Bolstered by advice from other mom friends, we tried redirecting (I don't know how many times I've used the phrase "no, gentle, nice!"), putting him down for 30 seconds (yeah, he didn't care), and many other gentle techniques. The hitting still continued, so clearly he wasn't seeing a connection between his behavior and the consequences, or the consequences didn't really bother him. Methinks it was the latter.

I struggled with what to do. In my former life as a teacher, discipline always seemed to work best if it was a logical response to the behavior, a learning opportunity. This philosophy is one I hope to extend into my parenting, but maybe this time I just needed to take a hard line and nip things in the bud. It became increasingly clear that this was necessary after this weekend when Iwan not only smacked his older (and bigger!) cousin in the face, but also managed to pull his hair a couple of times (in Iwan's defense, his cousin does have some awesome curly hair, and I think he just wanted to get his hands into all of that goodness). I don't want my son to be a bully, or the mean kid. I don't want him to think that aggression is the proper outlet for feelings of frustration, curiosity, or excitement.

And so the next day the two of us were playing at home. He stopped in the middle of our game of rolling a ball, looked at me intently (I could see the decision in his eyes), reached out and smacked me hard in the face, keeping his eyes on me to gauge my reaction. I leaned over until my face was level with his and firmly said "No. No hitting." His eyes widened in shock, and then his face crumpled. He erupted in tears, and cried for all he was worth. While we have certainly told Iwan "no" before, I think this was probably the first time he understood that I was unhappy and what he had done was unacceptable.

It didn't feel great. I was quite tempted to sweep my baby up in my arms and calm his tears. But then I thought that this is one of those times that being a good parent isn't so fun, and to undermine the standard that had just been set would only make things more difficult for the both of us in the long run. After waiting a short time, I picked him up said something I can't even remember about being gentle, and distracted him with a new activity. This was a few days ago and there has been no hitting since. Or, no aggressive hitting I should say. A couple of times he has hit me playfully, looked at me gravely, and then shook his head "no." As if he's saying that he knows it's wrong to hit. I really hope this is one of the first steps of Iwan learning to explore his world carefully and gently, as he learns to reconcile those (sometimes overwhelming) feelings of curiosity, excitement, and frustration with the feelings of others.

The Gourmand

2011-03-19T13:13:00.000-07:00

When we eat out at as a family, I have two criteria when ordering food for my son: It has to be non- messy and it has to be pretty cheap (this might make me sound like a mean mom, but I don't want to wince every time he throws something on the floor. That would be a lot of wincing). So we tend to steer clear of tomato sauce, baked beans, barbecue sauce and the like. Iwan's restaurant meals tend to be relatively beige and practical for now. This is okay because a.) we don't eat out very often; and b.) Iwan gets lot of messy, fun, colorful food at home.
Well, we happened to go out for lunch today during a day out in Chester. We ordered Iwan some very beige and practical cheese on toast, which he loves. There was no cheese on toast listed on the kids's section of the menu, so I asked Gez to make it clear that it was for a baby when he was at the counter ordering (in the hopes that they would give us a smaller portion and charge a bit less). Apparently the message didn't get through because the server eventually brought out a small pile of cheese on toast, accompanied by some lettuce, tomatoes, and a bulgur wheat salad. Hmmmm.
Iwan happily tucked into his toast, and I tasted the bulgur salad. It was really nice. Quite delicate and zesty, dotted with colorful corn, beans, and red onion. I shrugged and decided to see if my little boy would taste it. I put a little on a fork and he obligingly opened his mouth and tasted it. He chewed thoughtfully for a couple of seconds, and then his eyes lit up and he smiled. And proceeded to eat up every bite of that bulgur. I'm not sure why I was really surprised. He's never been a picky eater. One of his favorite foods right now is mushrooms, which he'll pick out of his food and gobble up before anything else. I guess I just assumed that bulgur wheat salad is a very adult taste, and since it's not something you'd normally see a child eat, my child probably wouldn't like it. But the thing is, nobody's told him he shouldn't like it, nobody's ever restricted him to the children's menu, which means he's able to make up his own little mind about what he likes and doesn't like. And apparently one of the things he likes is bulgur wheat salad. Okay then.
I couldn't help feeling just a little proud of my adventurous little eater. When we put him back in his stroller after lunch, I passed him a bit of a baguette to nibble on. He looked like a little foodie, relaxing back and casually biting chunks out of his bread as we strolled along the River Dee. Not to mention that I had managed to put on both sunglasses and a necklace before we left (the idea of accessorizing, sadly, doesn't often make it into my brain space these days), so I fancied we made quite the striking mother-son pair, what with baguette and accessories and everything (yeah, yeah, laugh it up).

Behold the baguette

Emboldened by Iwan's adventure with the bulgur wheat, we decided to serve up some cous cous with roasted vegetables for dinner tonight. We watched eagerly as Iwan picked up a bit of roasted butternut squash and conveyed it into his mouth, just knowing that his sophisticated little palate was going to sing with joy at it's taste. Yeah, he spat and sputtered and scraped it off his tongue, as if we'd given him rotten cod liver oil. He then spent the next half hour happily throwing handfuls of cous cous over the side of his high chair. Kids are fickle.

Desperately Seeking Sunshine

2011-03-16T02:37:00.000-07:00

Ever notice the effect that the slightest hint of a nice day has on people in March? It's as if, by this point, we're so desperate for any sign of Summer that we're willing to to great lengths to pretend it's actually July. We had a gorgeous day here last week. The kind of day that made me want to open every window in the house, turn on some samba music, and whip up a big pitcher of sangria. Apparently it was a beautiful day the length and breadth of Wales, because I heard from my sister-in-law that the university students in Cardiff could be seen making their way to the city's green spaces, dressed in shorts and flip-flops, and setting up barbecues. Doesn't that thought just make you happy? I mean, if we're being realistic, shorts and flip flops are probably pushing it, but we're talking about students here. Students have a heightened sensitivity to the arrival of Spring, so seeing several of them draping themselves languidly over the park grass, sunglasses in place, and red plastic cup in hand, is as much a sign of coming warm weather as a robin pulling a worm from the garden.

So the report of students starting their migration this year was welcome news in our house. We're feeling ready for some sunshine. Apparently, however, the temperature in North Wales was not quite as balmy as in Cardiff, because there was still a bit of a chill in the air, which meant Iwan and I could not yet lie languidly in the garden soak up the rays. The sangria would have to wait (several years in his case, several months in mine). Luckily though, our house is equipped with a wonderful in-between option: The conservatory, or a sun room for you Americans. Since we moved into our house in late November, we hadn't been able to properly use this space. It's main job until recently was to hold unpacked and broken down boxes, Christmas wrapping, and various bits that needed to be taken to the garden shed. However, being not that far removed from students ourselves, our springy-senses were a-tingling last weekend, and so we my husband spent the better part of Saturday tidying the place up. The man was a machine. He swept up yucky dead spiders (that I had noticed for a month or so but didn't go near because they were scary), mopped, vacuumed, and even scrubbed windows. With the sunshine streaming through the newly sparkling glass, it was easy to see what a pleasant space this would be for the next several months.

And with that, we've begun our emergence into the sunlight. Like animals emerging from a den, it felt nice to let the fresh, chilly breeze blow over our skin, whisking away the winter blues with promises of even nicer days to come. I can't wait for warm summer days, when Iwan and I can play out on the patio or the lawn, while the doors of the conservatory are thrown open, and the new baby naps peacefully (delusional much?) in the moses basket.

We've got our flip flops and sunglasses ready to go! What are you looking forward to this summer?

Splish Splash!

2011-03-12T05:55:00.000-08:00

As a full-time mom, I confess that I often struggle to think of fun new things to do with Iwan. We've become pretty permanent fixtures at the playground, library, and various community playgroups. But sometimes I get the feeling that we're just making the rounds, and I get the urge to mix it up a bit. But this where I often come up against a brick wall. I love crafts, but Iwan's still a bit too young. Playdough would be fun, but he'd probably eat most of it before I could roll out my first snake. He loves to read books and sing songs, but we already spend half the day doing that.

He does get more fun every day, though. I can tell the next few months are really going to be a blast, as he masters new skills and we can do new activities. It's a far cry from when he was a newborn. Sure he was cute and sweet, but newborns don't really do anything. As much as I cherish those early days, I have clear memories of exhausting my newborn baby entertaining repertoire, and finally looking at him with an "I've got nothin', sorry kid." He was cool with it, though, because although newborn babies don't do much, they also don't tend to get bored. He was happy to chill in his bouncy chair watching a patch of light on the wall.

Not so much anymore. Which is why I've been racking my brain (and google) for novel fun things to do with an almost-one-year-old. The other day a friend mentioned how her two boys love to play outside with their water table. A water table, what a great idea! Iwan would love that! Problem is, said friend lives in sunny California, not North Wales. It's not really outside water table weather here yet. No problem. Tiled kitchen floor? Check! Wash bowl? Check! We could make this happen. And we did.

It was a fun change. Yes he got soaked, and so did the floor, but the reality is that he wipes dry and my floor can always use a wash. I had toyed with the idea of stripping Iwan to his nappy, but the idea of sitting barelegged on a cold tile floor didn't seem too appealing to either of us. He didn't mind his clothes getting wet, and he had a blast scooping, splashing, and pouring. It beat the afternoon doldrums and tired him out for his nap. All in all, a good rainy day activity.

What are some of your go-to activities for the littles in your life? No really, I could use the ideas!

What's in a name?

2011-03-12T05:26:00.000-08:00

Quite a bit, it turns out. You may have noticed that our blog title has changed. This is a development that I'm really excited about, as "Baby Jones" was only ever meant to be a place holder. It was fine, and sort of cute (I thought anyway), while the purpose of this space was to keep my far-flung family and friends updated on my pregnancy with Iwan. But now we're headed onwards and upwards, and it was time for a change. I love the new name, it's funny and sweet and kind of ironic- sort of like me sometimes (or so I flatter myself). So, welcome to The Rare Bit, there'll be more exciting things coming your way soon. I've got some fun guest posts, reviews, and giveaways comin' atcha. And because I don't really like it when bloggers blog about blogging, that's all I have to say about that. That's right, I Gumped ya- don't pretend you don't like it!

Wordless Wednesday- Signs of Spring!

2011-03-09T13:21:00.000-08:00

It's not you, it's me...Breaking up with the TV

2011-03-07T02:18:00.000-08:00

So... yeah, the television. I have a weird relationship with it. On the one hand I love it, and I want to write it poetry about how grateful I am that it allows me 15 minutes to drink a cup of coffee in peace while entertaining my child with singing puppets. On the other hand, every second that it's on while Iwan is awake makes me feel like a lazy, wretched, excuse for a mother. So in order to try and reconcile these feelings, I try not to have kids shows on. I mean, the news isn't bad, right? Surely there's some educational value to Homes Under the Hammer, yes? No... no there isn't.

The thing is, Iwan is 11 months old, he can't really follow a storyline, so for him there's not a huge difference between CSI and Postman Pat. Sure, the bright colors and songs of children's programming will induce him to look at the screen a bit longer than otherwise, but he'll still look up from his toys and clap and dance when the theme to The Wright Stuff starts playing, which tells me that to him TV is TV. And, oh television, you've become too much of a crutch around here.

Pregnancy is my main excuse, and granted I don't have the same amount of energy I had even a few weeks ago, and so while putting the telly on when I need a 15 minute break would certainly be understandable, it doesn't go very far to explain why I leave it on as "background noise." We just plain have it on too much these days. It needs to go.

Ok- so not the whole television. But the screen time needs to be drastically cut back before we start setting a bad precedent. The reality of it hit me like a ton of bricks this morning when I noticed Iwan wasn't even listening to me read him one of his favorite books, but was staring at a news story on BBC Breakfast (that was on just as "background noise")- ooff, bad mommy.

So TV- we're officially on a break. I'm going to try keeping you turned off between the hours of 9-5 for a few weeks. I love you, but I'm not in love with you, and quite frankly, there's somebody else.

The Dating Game- Mummy Style

2011-03-06T02:00:00.000-08:00

No, Gez and I haven't decided to become swingers. I'm talking about mothers making friends with other mothers. While I'm certainly not the first person to liken this process to dating, I'm going to go one step further and say it's harder than dating. (::cue single friends rolling their eyes::).

Seriously though, when you're a new mama, you instantly become thrust into this new, unfamiliar, social group. Maybe you're lucky enough to already have a large group of friends with a passel of kiddos just waiting for you to sashay into playgroup- I wasn't. If you're the first of your friends to have a baby, or, like me, you live far away from any friends with children, you're left to fend for yourself. And it's a scary place, my friends. The bars and clubs of yesterday become the parks and playgroups of right now. Flattering mood lighting becomes harsh daylight, and your group of socially savvy girlfriends is replaced by a crying, squishy little thing that you only hope doesn't erupt in an explosion of poo just as you're making you're move on that nice group of girls over there. There's no social lubricant of cosmos or manhattans, no loud music to drown out awkward silences. It's hard.

But the thing is, you don't really have a choice. Both your kid and your sanity are depending on you to put yourself out there, so you do. When we first moved to North Wales, I must have tried eleventy billion (yes, that number is a FACT) different playgroups, trying to find friends for me and Iwan. We had a good time at each of these playgroups, but it took awhile before we found the right one. And just like with real dating, when you find the right one, you just know. These girls were smart, fun, and people I felt like I could be friends with outside of kid stuff, you know? So imagine my dismay when, a couple weeks into this new playgroup the leader announced that it was ending. Panic! My hard earned attempts at friendship were going to be lost. It was last call, the lights were coming on and I didn't have any numbers. Should I give out my number? Would that be weird? Thankfully, before I could devolve into socially-inept hysteria, it was coolly suggested that we all exchange numbers and try to get together outside of playgroup. Yay!

So, I've managed to make a few friends with kids. Iwan and I have things to do during the week, and the world isn't such a scary place. I don't have to walk into the club alone anymore.

You want the cute? You can't handle the cute.

2011-03-05T12:49:00.000-08:00

Seriously- you can't. Every time I look at this picture my heart explodes a little bit. Although I'd enjoy dressing Iwan up as ye olde fashioned lad on any given Monday, this was actually for St. David's Day last week. The fact that I managed to take a picture that included a simultaneous smile, unmolested daffodil, and jauntily placed flat cap is nothing short of a miracle.

I'm not even going to apolgize...

2011-03-05T12:30:00.000-08:00

::Looks down at last post::
::Looks at baby, now nearly 11 months old::
::Hangs head in shame::

I have really really good excuses though! Want to hear 'em? We've moved a couple of hundred miles, and are now settled in North Wales, which meant we were holed up for several months with my in-laws while we searched for a suitable place to hang our hats. We also took a wonderful (and much needed) holiday to visit my family in America over Christmas. Iwan and I were there for 5 whole weeks, and I braved the flight back by myself (the husband had to return 2 weeks earlier) with the baby. But do you wanna know my biggest excuse? Are you ready for it? We're expecting another baby! I'm due on June 28th, and will be pleased if you will hold all questions about my sanity until a later date. So now that I've begun wrapping my head around the concept of two under two, moving into a new home, travelling internationally with someone who lacks the capacity to wipe their own bum, and the general craziness of life with an almost-one-year-old, I'm ready to give you my undivided attention. Everybody buckled and ready to go? Good. It's gonna be a crazy ride.

Two Months Old!

2010-06-08T07:57:00.000-07:00

I'll take is "official" 2-month picture later today, but we had a bit of a rough morning and he's (finally) napping, so for now you'll have to be content with this cute shot from this morning.

Iwan is growing and changing so much everyday. He's so big and strong and healthy, people are always surprised to hear that he's only 8 weeks old. He's already hit some pretty exciting (well, to me anyway!) milestones. He waves his hands towards dangling toys and focuses with such intent, a couple of times he's even managed to grab them (although I don't know how intentional this was)- and is very pleased with himself when he does. His head and neck control are pretty awesome, and we think he might be ready for a Bumbo (he loooves to sit up). But my favorite milestones by far are the smiling and the cooing. Oh my, the cooing! Iwan loves to have conversations with me. When he's in a happy mood we'll talk all about his dreams and what toys he wants to play with. He loves to answer back with his patented "ah-goo!" or sometimes just "gooooo!" When he's in a content little mood he'll make happy chirping and squeaking noises. I like to imagine he's saying "ahhhh, it feels so great to get that poo off my bum, thanks Mommy!"

And the smiles! It's soooo nice to feel appreciated. Before he started smiling it was easy to feel like he didn't know me, which might sound odd, but at times I felt like "Milk Lady." As if my newborn baby boy only cared about the milk, not the mommy. But now he smiles at me while I'm nursing him, and I can tell they're Mommy Smiles, not Milk Lady Smiles. Let me tell you, those smiles make the sleepless nights much easier to deal with as well. When you wake up at 2 am, it's hard not to smile yourself at the cheeky grin of your baby. And this is important because sleep is something we're still working on. It's not terrible, but it's not great either. Iwan has slept through the night on 2 occasions, most nights he's up only once or twice. But last night. Oh, last night he was up.every.hour. Not even exaggerating. It was rough. We're getting through it though, and in the meantime I'm trying very hard to appreciate the extra cuddle time we get during those awakenings. I hear they're a bit hard to come by later on!

So, Happy 2 Month Birthday to my strong, sweet, smart, sturdy, smiley little man. I love you, Forever and Ever and Always.

Where have I been?

2010-06-08T07:48:00.001-07:00

Let's get caught up nice and quickly, shall we? Well, this happened:
Baby Iwan, born April 8th 2010 at 4:02 pm, weighing 8lbs 11ozs, one day before his due date via induction (my blood pressure was all wonky- I promise to post a birth story with more details soon). The past 2 months have been a blur. Completely wonderful and overwhelming all at the same time. I can't wait to continue to share our adventures as a family of three!

Holy Mother of Goats!!!

2010-03-27T07:01:00.000-07:00

38 Weeks & 1 Day

2010-03-26T02:49:00.000-07:00

Apparently I'm pregnant with some sort of moose, or a humpback whale, because holy shit my unborn child is measuring in the 97th percentile and they're estimating his weight to be somewhere between 8-9 lbs right now, so who knows how big he'll be by the time he's born. All of this came as a huge surprise because my belly isn't measuring very big at all and I really haven't gained that much weight. The only reason I had an ultrasound today was to check on a cyst they spotted at my 20 week scan (seems to be fine, by the way, but they're doing another u/s at 6 weeks postpartum just to be sure).

Anyway, they brought an OB in to speak with us about this monster child (over here you generally only deal with midwives, unless there are special circumstances or emergencies), and she basically said "if you try to have a home birth your baby could get stuck in your pelvis and die". well, maybe she didn't say it exactly like that but that's how it came across to me, because I instantly burst into tears, and then she backtracked saying that was really rare but it was still a risk and it was better to be in a hospital. She then left to speak to a midwife and when she came back in she told us that the midwives can't deal with us anymore, and we have to be in consultant-led care (with the OBs). So this not only means no home birth, but it means we can't even have the baby in the nice birthing center in the hospital- we have to be in the high risk unit. I mean, yeah this is a big baby, but it's not like it's all that unheard of, even if he's 10 lbs at birth. Besides growth estimates can be off by as much as a pound, so he might only be 7ish lbs right now (not thinking that this could also mean that he's already almost 10 lbs...). So the high risk unit? Really?

Both Gez and I were pretty disappointed, and I was crying so much in the hospital and when we got home. I know it's really silly, because all of this means that we have an extremely healthy baby, and people are often faced with much much worse news about their babies. But I'm 38 weeks pregnant, apparently carrying Andre the Giant, not even dilated a little bit, and that news made me sad.

I know that no matter what it will be a wonderful experience, and all that matters is that we end up with a healthy baby. I'm feeling much better about it now, just trying to get my head around this new plan, and hoping that I won't need to have a c-section in the end. I guess it's just a little reminder of what happens to the best laid plans.

Oh the cherry on the cake was when she just went ahead and scheduled me an appointment for 41 weeks, "which is when we'll start talking induction if you haven't had the baby yet." Ummmm, I'm pretty sure that by 41 weeks this child will have a beard and an Elks Club membership because he'll be the size of a 36 year old man, so any sort of induction at that point better involve a steady drip of tequila, Harry Connick Jr singing in my hospital room while Jennifer Aniston braids my hair and Gerard Butler feeds me french fries. Oh and Maya Angelou reads a selection of inspirational poems.

Blech- no thanks! this baby needs to be born yesterday!

Total blogging fail

2010-03-20T11:53:00.000-07:00

I apologize! I know after my last little hiatus I said I'd never leave for so long again. The bad thing is that I don't really have much of an excuse. I've been finished with work for almost 3 weeks now (God bless you, awesome British maternity laws!), and it's not like I have a baby to take care of yet or anything. Y'all should be swimming in posts at this point. Apparently I'd rather sit around watching Frasier reruns and eating PB sandwiches in my jammies (which totally rocks, I'm not gonna lie).

Ok, the question everyone keeps asking me is "how are you feeling?" Well, I'm feeling pretty good for having a 37 week and 1 day baby inside of me (read: a fully grown human infant). I'm not completely uncomfortable, but if he felt like making his big debut I wouldn't be adverse to that. Sleeping is the worst- even though I'm totally dead tired by like 9 pm, I'm up every 1-2 hours in the night, mostly to pee, sometimes for no reason at all. A couple of nights last week were spent wrapped in my bathrobe in the living room, trying to find some online distraction between 4-6:30 am because the only thing on TV was some Eastern European football. I know a lot of this is partly because my body is preparing itself to care for a demanding newborn. Side note: How do you do that, body? I mean you've never had a baby before, so where are you getting this information? Can't we just have a quick briefing on the future requirements followed by a restful nights sleep? Please? I'll bring donuts!

Another thing people ask about is nesting. Up until yesterday I was swearing up and down that I wasn't nesting (remember the Frasier/sandwiches/jammies combo?), no way would I stoop to such a pregnancy cliche. But Friday morning saw me dusting every room in the house, cleaning the bathroom and kitchen, doing all of the laundry (our hamper is empty, folks, this is totally unprecedented), and even washing the sofa cushion covers. I'm still a leeetle unconvinced that this was actually nesting, and more of a realization that I was now carrying a full term baby, my house was a mess, and hello we're having a home birth! I didn't want the midwives to see my house that way, because they probably would have refused to let us keep our son. Speaking of the midwives, I'm completely and irrationally obsessing about their comfort while they're in our home. As if I'm going to be a charming hostess or something. Today we stocked up on special cookies to have on hand for them during the birth (it's sort of common sense, would you want grumpy, hungry midwives all up in your world delivering your baby? You see, everyone is happier with a few cookies under their belt). In reality, I think it goes back to my innate need to be the best at things. I have visions of the midwives going back to their midwife friends and saying how we were "the best home birth! It was like delivering in a 5-star hotel, and Meg was completely delightful through the whole thing! OH, and did we mention the cookies!?"

Yeah, so that'll be a funny contrast to what actually goes down. Which hopefully won't be too far in the future. I'll try my best to keep you updated until then. You know, if I can fit it in between Frasier episodes.

31 weeks 2 days

2010-02-07T06:24:00.001-08:00

How far along? 31 weeks 2 days
Total weight gain/loss: Not sure, I think I'm on track though
Sleep: It's great until I have to flip over, which is quite a feat of engineering at this point!
Best moment this week: Picking out all the fixin's for our new kitchen, Mom buying her plane tickets, finalizing baby shower plans with Celyn & Sian- I'm excited!
Movement: Tons, and he feels super low, judging by the pressure on my bladder
Gender: Boy!!
Labor Signs: Lots and lots of Braxton Hicks contractions, and their starting to get pretty uncomfortable. Other than that I'd say he's still cooking happily!
Belly Button in or out? Still an innie, I can't really see it popping out, but who knows!
Food cravings/aversions: None really, I'm just hungrier than normal, so I'm pretty much eating constantly at this point!
What I miss: Being able to walk a reasonable distance without getting the overwhelming urge to pee.
I am looking forward to: My baby shower at the end of the month!
Weekly Wisdom: Now that I'm getting into the home stretch, I'm trying to take things day by day, rather than looking towards the "finish line" too much. Otherwise, I find I get overwhelmed with all we have to do, and frustrated feeling like there's still so much time to go.
Milestones: Tons! Baby boy can now open and close his eyes, see light through the walls of the womb, he can practice breathing movements, and is now head down (let's hope he stays that way!)

Going By The Book

2010-01-22T09:54:00.000-08:00

There's a morning talk show over here in the UK called "The Wright Stuff." The format of the show is pretty basic in that several topical questions are posed for a panel to debate, and viewers are invited to call in and share their opinions/experiences. I've only watched it maybe a handful of times since moving over here, but happened to tune in one day last week (or maybe it was the week before...) when one of the topics happened to be the use of manuals in child-rearing. This debate was brought up when Nick Clegg, the leader of the Liberal Democrats, roundly criticized Gina Ford's The Contended Little Baby Book. Clegg had become exasperated with the book after a night of his baby crying prompted his wife to ask in a panic, "what does the book say!?"

This then prompted Clegg to liken raising a child via manual to assembling Ikea furniture. Obviously, unlike the Ikea furniture, one set of instructions cannot be applied to every child. So why are so many parents relying on books rather than their instincts?

I'm sure there are several answers to this question, and the root of it is probably that many of us don't really grow up taking care of babies, and so have no idea where to start. Plus, a lot of other things in our life are governed by manuals, from cooking to self-help, so why would people think they can realistically undertake the momentous task of raising another human being on their own !!gasp!!?

I mean, I'm pretty fast and loose with my instincts, and even I can't get away from baby manuals. I've looked into several, but my by-far favorite so far has been The Happiest Baby on the Block by Dr. Harvey Karp. But I think the reason I enjoy the theories behind the advice in this book so much, is because they do seem to match with my instincts. As I read the book I kept thinking "yes, this feels right." In that sense, I don't think it's wrong to use a baby manual that confirms your parenting instincts, gives you some confidence, and some great techniques for dealing with emotional situations. The problem occurs when parents neglect to check in with their instincts, and just go along with the first book that was given to them at a baby shower, or the book that worked for their friends. Also, I think a lot of parents tend to judge their instincts as "wrong" when they don't mesh with the advice in a particular book.

I just think we need to trust ourselves a little bit more. Our instincts have been carefully honed for thousands of years, and there's a reason people say a mother's intuition is usually right. At any rate, this post has gotten away from me a little bit. I had hoped to talk a bit more about Dr. Karp's ideas and why I think they'll work for me and Gez, but I think I'll save that for tomorrow or another day. Until then, Happy Friday and enjoy your weekend!

Changes abound

2010-01-15T03:27:00.000-08:00

Ok- so I don't really have a clear topic to write about today, I've been so neglectful for the past few weeks that there's quite a lot to catch up on, please excuse me while I ramble...
So, if you're wondering, I am, in fact, alive. My nose is stuffy and making weird noises, but it's sufficiently bringing breath into my body (sometimes with the help of copious tissues and Vicks VapoRub), so we're all good.
Little Mister is doing really well, and becoming more and more active by the day. The most amazing thing happened last night: I was in bed and could feel him repeatedly kicking in one spot on my left side, so I put my hand there and pressed in for a few moments, and then he moved and I felt an actual limb. I'm not sure what it was, and I don't care, it affected me in a way I couldn't predict. It was the fetal equivalent of Shock and Awe. Our little laid back, relaxi-baby, simply had me at hello with that one little prod. It's nothing I expected to happen, like feeling movement for the first time, or seeing my belly move, and maybe that's why it caught me so off guard. We played like that for a few more minutes, me pressing in and him kicking back, and I can't describe the joy in feeling my child's flesh and bone for the first time. I know that sounds a little weird, but that's what it was.
Meanwhile while I'm gushing away Little Boy is probably thinking, "back up out my space!"

In other news, we've made tons of progress on the nursery since I last updated. We finished all of the painting and touch-ups, arranged the furniture, put new knobs on the dressers, so it's looking good. My parents and Nana were so generous and bought us our nursing armchair for Christmas, which I was so excited about. By the way, the things I got inordinately excited about this Christmas also included a Sophie The Giraffe and a set of Aden & Anais swaddling blankets, so just to put things into perspective here... But I think the chair, being an extremely generous and infintiely useful gift, was well deserving of the excitement bestowed upon it. We were able to pick it up last weekend and it totally makes the room. I'll post pictures once the whole nursery is put together, and we can have a big Trading Spaces type reveal.

All-in-all things are good here at Chez Jones. Changes are taking place awfully quickly, and the reality of this little boy is becoming more apparent by the day. My handsome, loving husband turns 27 tomorrow so we're looking forward to a fun-filled weekend with good friends and family. I'm sorry I've been so conspicuously absent. I will behave far better in the future.

23 Weeks!

2009-12-11T16:19:00.001-08:00

How far along? 23 weeks
Total weight gain/loss: No idea!
Sleep: It's definitely still on and off. I think I've finally met up with the dreaded 2nd Tri Insomnia!
Best moment this week: Putting up our Christmas Tree and decorating the house!
Movement: Lots! And Gez finally got to feel the baby moving from the outside, which was a pretty special moment. Last night I even saw my belly moving when the baby gave some especially big kicks!
Gender: Boy!!
Labor Signs: I'm pretty sure I felt my first Braxton Hicks contraction, but that is common at this stage, so not really a labor sign per se.
Belly Button in or out? Still an innie
Food cravings/aversions: This week I've developed a renewed (and unfortunate) appreciation for Snickers Bars.
What I miss: I've got nothing this week. Although I am starting to feel a bit more cumbersome and limited physically- so I'm sure that will begin to prove frustrating
What I am looking forward to: My visit with the midwife next Friday, I think we'll begin discussing a preliminary birth plan.
Weekly Wisdom: As exciting as it is to think about the holidays next year with a baby, I'm trying to take the time to appreciate these last few months as a couple.
Milestones: Our little boy can now hear things going on on the outside!

2009-12-09T06:33:00.000-08:00

Today I completed my first real parental act: I booked daycare for my child. This is something that has been weighing on my mind since we first found out that I'm pregnant. You see, I'm a bit of an overplanner, I hate the feeling of not having all of my proverbial ducks in a row. Year-long waiting lists scare me! I couldn't escape the scary image that we would totally fail to be prompt about finding quality care, and our baby would be stuck watching Blues Clues reruns and drinking Pepsi out of his bottle, while his "daycare provider" chain-smoked in the next room. So as soon as we hit the 12 week mark of this pregnancy Gez and I started doing our research. We had a conversation about what type of care we were both comfortable with, and decided that we wanted a center, rather than any type of in-home carers. Now, I'm sure that there are some really really great in-home daycares out there, but for me it just wasn't something I wanted to consider. I personally feel that centers are a bit more regulated, tend to have a stronger educational base, and are better able to provide fun and enriching experiences (field trips, outings , etc). We did have to make some compromises, though. For example, we were really hoping to find a Welsh-Language nursery, but out of the acceptable ones that we found one was wayyy outside the city and the other never returned my calls, which totally turned me off.

But we're so happy with our final choice. Upon our initial visit we were greeted warmly by the staff, the babies seemed to be either playing or sleeping happily. We were pleased with the level of interaction, as well as the quality of the facilities. I was duly impressed when they showed us the food-prep area (I was going to ask to see it anyway, but was pleased that I didn't have to reveal the level of my paranoia), which was clean and sanitary. It's a bright, colorful, cheerful place, and I know that our son will really enjoy it there.

None of this, however, makes it any easier to think about. Although I'm lucky that I'll have 5 months at home with my baby before he starts at the nursery, I don't like thinking about having to leave him. And yes, I know it'll be harder on me than it will be for the little guy- he'll be having tons of fun playing with all of his new buddies, singing songs, and fingerpainting while I have to leave my baby and go to dumb ol' work! I just keep reminding myself how much harder it would be if I wasn't 100% comfortable with the care he was receiving. And anyway, now that it's taken care of, I don't need to think beyond those wonderful first 5 months, for now anyway!

2009-12-08T04:55:00.000-08:00

Yesterday I started crying during a Coca-Cola commercial. Not even one of the ones with the polar bear and baby seal. Nope. The one with the big Coca-Cola trucks rolling into the snowy town under the Christmas lights. WTF?

I also cried while watching Elf last weekend. Awesome. Thanks, hormones!

Ooh la la!

2009-12-07T07:02:00.000-08:00

Do you like our new look? I've had a bunch of fun this afternoon playing around with new formats and color schemes, and I think this pretty green and blue style works best. I happen to love it, and I hope you do too!

At any rate, we had a pretty fun and lowkey weekend. Poor Gez seems to have contracted a stomach bug, and so was off both Thursday and Friday. He wasn't 100% over the weekend either, but gamely went forth on Saturday for some holiday cheer. We were able to get some Christmas shopping under our belts, had a lovely lunch in our old neighborhood, picked out our Christmas tree, and managed to decorate it once we got home. So all in all, not a bad start to the holiday season. The house is decorated, the shopping is done for all the American relatives (and will hopefully be mailed this week!), all we need to do is write out our Christmas cards and do some baking.

I do love the whole Christmas season, but it's difficult not to feel a little homesick around this time of year. And living in the city, with rain falling for the past month, makes me wistful for the woods and snow, and the Christmas tree in my parents' living room. Anyone who has ever gone for a walk in the Vermont woods while snow is falling knows the particular sort of silence that it holds. I miss that. I am so looking forward to next year when we can share that experience with our little boy. In the meantime though, it's also nice to make new traditions with my husband and family over here. Having already spent a Christmas in Wales (how very Dylan Thomas of me), there are now different things I'm looking forward to, like mince pie and Christmas pudding, the Doctor Who Christmas Special, and of course Christmas morning with my husband and in-laws.

However, when it comes to my side of the family I think everyone is already looking forward to next Christmas, as crazy as it sounds! Not only will we be over with the little one, but it will also be my brother and SIL's year to have Christmas in Vermont, which means that we'll all be under one roof. I think my mother will implode with excitement! All 3 grandchildren together! While our baby will only be about 8 1/2 months, my nephews will be 4 and 2 1/2, so they'll be all excited for Santa. It'll be a family Christmas of Griswold-ian proportions. We're all excited. No joke, my brother was talking about it to the girl cutting his hair the other day...

21 week 4 days

2009-12-01T07:56:00.000-08:00

Here it is! The long awaited for bump-pic. Please excuse the frizzy, crazy hair! I'm starting to look a bit more pregnant- although, from my view the change is much more dramatic!

I haven't done one of these surveys in awhile- so here we go:

How far along? 21 weeks 4 days
Total weight gain/loss: No idea!
Sleep: It's touch and go right now. It's getting more and more difficult to get comfortable.
Best moment this week: Thanksgiving- and realizing that next year we'll have our little guy to celebrate with!
Movement: Tons- especially after I eat or drink some juice or (gasp!) a little soda.
Gender: Boy!!
Labor Signs: Nope, thank goodness!
Belly Button in or out? In, but it's gotten the teensy bit shallower, and I'm finding it really interesting. Is that weird?
Food cravings/aversions: Not really- I'm pretty much back to normal as far as what I enjoy eating.
What I miss: Being able to stay awake past 10 pm.
What I am looking forward to: Getting our Christmas tree- painting Little Boy's nursery!
Weekly Wisdom: There's seriously so much crap you can buy for a baby- try to set a budget and stick to it- not always easy!
Milestones: Our little boy now has a crib of his very own! All cute and set up in his room! And his Nana is making him a matching crib skirt and window valance- what more could a guy want?!

A Little Boy

2009-11-20T06:19:00.000-08:00

That's who is coming our way in April. We're beyond thrilled and have been making plans and looking at gorgeous boy-baby clothes since finding out yesterday. We also got some pretty rad ultrasound pics, which I'll scan and share once we unpack the proper equipment to do so. I know it's sort of the done thing to post a pic that clearly shows, in all of its leg-parting glory, that the baby is a boy or a girl. No offense to those that choose to do this, but I'm gonna pass on this tradition. If my son wants to publicly reveal himself, then that should be his decision- preferably made while on Spring Break in Daytona Beach, while helping an 80-year-old Jerry Springer judge a wet tee-shirt contest, and under the influence of several kamikaze shots. But for now, as his mama, I'm not going to post pictures of his boy-parts for all to oggle.
Anyway, back to the ultrasound. It went great! The little one looked healthy, and still measuring 4 days ahead, so right on target! He's still very relaxed and mellow, some might say lazy, but we prefer "laid back." When the scan began he was curled up and looked so comfy, with his head tucked down on his little chest and his legs curled up. The tech thought I might have to take a break and drink something to get him moving, but it worked out fine- she was able to get some initial measurements and then he started moving around a little bit more. I think the pressure from the little scanner-thingy (and yes, that is the technical term for the device) started to piss him off, which is why he started moving more.
The only thing that they found that gave any cause for concern was what they believe is a cyst on one of my ovaries. The only thing is that it's not the usual shape of a cyst. So a doctor was called in to have a look, but she didn't seem too concerned, she said the reason for the shape might be because it's collapsing and degrading. Some other doctors will take a look and if they feel the need to follow-up then they'll contact me, which would just probably mean another ultrasound. At any rate, it doesn't present any risk to the baby or to me, so nothing to be worried about!
Now a word on names, because people have been asking- yes we do have a name chosen for this child. We will not be revealing this name until the baby is born (cue "pregnant women are smug" video). I will tell you that the last name is Jones.

Living without internet is no fun...

2009-11-18T07:46:00.000-08:00

How did we used to do it? Richard Branson sure took his sweet-ass time sending his pawns out here to hook us up...
Anyway, all is well and here we are settled into the new house. Well, by "settled" I mean we know where the kettle, peanut butter, and TV are, and have made a pretty valiant effort at unpacking the mountains of boxes (either that, or stuffing them into the spare-room wardrobe...). At any rate, we're comfortable and thrilled to be here, and proud as punch to be in an actual house rather than a flat.
I love that the baby also has an actual room- not that we've done much beyond placing inside of it a bag consisting of a stuffed lamb, 5 receiving blankets, and 3 items of unisex clothing- but stay tuned because it's our next project!
Speaking of the bambino, tomorrow we get to find out if it's a boy or a girl, barring any tragedies of the modest leg-crossing kind, which would result in perhaps the world's first in-utero time out (still figuring out the logistics of an in-utero time out, but trust me, I'm creative). But in all reality I'm much more excited then I'm letting on, because I fear that if I fully let the excitement wash over me then I will basically be paralyzed with it. No matter what, for the rest of our lives we will have either a son or a daughter, there's nothing that can or will change that fact- and the magnitude of that is immense. This is the last night of our lives that we won't have that knowledge, the last night that we'll have to say "him or her", the last night that we'll be without this tiny little window into the person our child will become. From tomorrow we'll be asking ourselves if she'll be a tomboy or a girly-girl, if he'll cheer for Wrexham like his Daddy or if he'll be Cardiff City boy?
I never completely believed people when they said they don't mind if their baby is a boy or a girl, but I totally get it now. I would love to have a daughter and have the experience of that bond, to read "Anne of Green Gables" and "Little House on the Prairie" with her, to plan sleepovers, and do arts and crafts projects involving lots and lots of glitter! But equally, I'd love to have a son. To see my husband racing around with our little boy, getting all excited over the dinosaurs in the museum, and to watch him grow into a smart, polite, and good man. Both dreams fill me with joy, I think because they are centred around a happy and healthy child, which in the end is all that we want.
To that end, I'm trying to remind myself that the reason for the ultrasound scan tomorrow is not so we can see our adorable baby and find out the sex, it's an actual medical procedure to check on the baby's general health and well-being, everything else is secondary, albeit exciting.
Look for an update some time tomorrow!

Holy October, Batman!

2009-10-23T04:42:00.000-07:00

I didn't really expect so much to be going on this month. I had no idea how busy this month would be (hence the lack of updates, for which I apologize). But October has come along and hit me upside the head with a great big reality check!
For starters, I have gone back to work at a new job. The work itself is nothing completely exciting, mostly general admin stuff. But it pays well, and the people in my office are great and very friendly. My hope is to be able to work there until the baby is born in April (or until I get too uncomfortable to contemplate working), take the spring and summer off to be with the bambino, and then go back to teaching next fall. And being the planner that I am, you can bet I already have feelers out to accomplish this plan, not only the teaching aspect, but a place to keep the little nugget while Gez and I are at work. Yup, I've already been in touch with several daycares. Ideally we would've liked to put the baby in a Welsh-language nursery, but there just don't seem to be any that are located conveniently for us. We did discuss the option of driving out of the way, but I really think I'd be uncomfortable if the baby wasn't near to either home or one of our jobs in the event of an emergency. Luckily though, there seems to be a great one just literally around the corner from our new house, so we have an appointment for a tour in a few weeks on the same day as our big ultrasound! Cross your fingers that the children in this daycare look happy and well-adjusted, and a good proximity away from knives, lead paint, campain posters for the British National Party, hard core porn, and the Teletubbies. If everything looks good, safe, nurturing, and reasonably educational then it sure would make things much easier!
Speaking of the new house, that's another large October project. It's really great to watch it come together. The new carpet was put in a couple of weeks ago and made a huge difference, we were able to get in and paint the living room last weekend, so now all we have to do is paint the accent walls in our bedroom and the dining room. Oh yeah, and pack up our flat and move all of our crap. Crap. We should be packing this weekend, but I'm not sure how much is going to get done, considering as I write this I've been laid up with a nasty bug for the past few days. I'm hoping that I'm feeling well enough to get a little bit done this weekend, but most likely it'll turn into a last-minute job where things are thrown into boxes willy-nilly (I always sort of have this fantasy where all the boxes are beautiful labelled and marked for the right room, while their contents are cross referenced in organizational perfection). Ah well, I suppose as long as it gets there, right?

14 weeks 3 days

2009-10-12T12:09:00.001-07:00

How far along? 14 weeks, 3 days
Total weight gain: No earthly idea, and I sort of like it that way!
Maternity clothes? I'm still mostly squeezing into my regular clothes, but beginning to add in more and more maternity pieces
Sleep: Much better lately! I wake up fewer times in the night, I sleep more deeply. I think this probably has to do with the fact that I started working full-time again this week!
Best moment this week: My cousin Clay was visiting from America this week, it was great having family around!
Movement: I'm pretty positive I felt the baby for the first time last night!
Gender: I'm still thinking boy, but we shall see!
Labor Signs: No, thank goodness
Belly Button in or out? In
What I miss: You know, not too much this week.
What I am looking forward to: Moving into our new house in a few weeks, hopefully continuing to feel movement.
Weekly Wisdom: Know your limits. I just don't have the energy to do everything my pre-PG self did, sometimes it's frustrating, but I've found that pushing myself physically just doesn't work these days.

Thankful Thursday- one day late

2009-10-02T04:44:00.001-07:00

Okay, okay, but "Thankful Friday" just doesn't have quite the same ring to it! I've been the beneficiary of the some amazing generosity as of late, so I just wanted to properly give thanks where it's due and AW the awesome gifts a bit. Last week I wrote about the awesome morning I had shopping with my friend, Celyn. Above are her first official baby gifts, two articles of clothing that reduced us, highly educated women, to 11-year-old girls at a Hannah Montana concert. I wish you could tell from the picture how soft they are!

I am fortunate to be the member of an amazing online community of pregnant women and new mommies. We've developed into quite the tight-knit group, and just that in itself is enough, but I have to give a shout out to the wonderful Mrs.Bro for this cute little Welsh Dragon sleeper and hat! Gez, of course, loved this but commented that the white might show where the baby spills his Guinness on international match day, to which I gave him a very cutting side eye.

The last is that little treasure trove pictured above. A boxful of American treats sent by lovely Mama, which will satisfy many a craving! Yep, that's Mac & Cheese, a variety of Jell-O flavors, homemade bread & butter pickles, Country Time Lemonade, two (yep, count 'em, two!) jars of Skippy crunchy peanut butter, and a few cute maternity shirts thrown in for good measure! I literally squealed out loud when I opened the box.

Let this be a lesson to all of you- send me awesome presents and get mad props!

Thank you!!!

What Do We Give Up?

2009-10-01T06:46:00.000-07:00

Honestly, I don't only want to write about stroller reviews and mucus plugs (yep, I said it). There are lots of things (besides my bladder) that keep me up at night thinking. Not because I'm scared, guilty, or worried, but simply because I can't wrap my head around it and come to any sort of satisfying conclusion. One thing I've been pondering as of late is how much we, as women choosing to have children, give up. Like most little girls raised in the 80's I am a product of "you can be anything you want to be," and revisited fairy tales in which Cinderella found her own damn shoe, decided she wasn't a big fan of dancing or princes, and moved to Berkeley where she shacks up with a shorn-headed Rapunzel.

I know the debate about whether or not it's possible to "have it all" has been argued to the point where it's beyond cliche, and I'm not trying to revive it here. I'm sure the journey is different for each woman, but I do think every woman is forced to make some pretty important choices on the road to motherhood, and do these choices speak to any sort of a larger picture? For my part, I've certainly put my career on hold- not simply to have this baby but also to move to the UK, and I'm ok with that. But part of me (probably the part of me that came of age watching a young Diane Keaton single handedly raise her adopted daughter, tough out a New England winter, and build an organic baby food company in Baby Boom) feels guilty for not feeling guilty.

It's not only physical aspects of having a child that cause other important life events to take a back seat. For many women, work doesn't fade into the background just because you have to take time off. It's psychological as well. This is something I never really understood before, but pregnancy really is all-consuming. I am always, always, always thinking of this baby- even when I'm talking about something else. Hell, I've devoted a whole blog to it. Emails to friends are basically just disjointed ramblings about baby and pregnancy (sorry guys), and it's something over which I have very, very little control. Other pregnant women I talk to report the same thing, even those who have devoted themselves for years to building a career, always making it the priority, find their minds wandering to Babies 'R Us during important meetings. It's nature, it's natural, so then why do I sometimes feel the Ghosts of Feminists Past breathing down my neck? Is it all those gender theory and history classes (curse you, Laura Lee Downs!!)? I'm not sure, although I suspect it's the deep, deep appreciation I have for the fact that I can make these choices, and a desire to honor the hard work of others that made having both a career and a baby (or just a baby, or just a career) a possibility.

Thoughts on Home Birth

2009-09-27T10:49:00.000-07:00

I had never actually considered having a home birth until relatively recently. But as I've been thinking about labor and our birth plan (thankfully we have a looooong time until any of this needs to be set in stone), I'm beginning to think that this might be the best option for us. I know it's not for everybody, I fully expect to come up against several pairs of arched eyebrows, but I think that being a parent is recognizing what works best for your family, even if others wouldn't necessarily go in the same direction.

So how have Gez and I come to this decision? Well, first of all, I use the term "decision" here pretty lightly, as there are so many variables that could come into play within the next 28-ish weeks. At any rate, I know me- the things I tend to stress over and fear are the things I am unfamiliar with or unable to control. I know that if I were to plan a hospital or birth center birth, once I actually did go into labor I would be so worried about the timing of everything- making sure I got to the hospital/birth center early enough, but not so early that I'd be sent home (something I know that would be really discouraging for me). I'd worry about the drive there, the traffic, the parking. I'd stress about the way things are done in the hospital, and whether or not they'd be sympathetic to our birth plan and wishes- I know we'd definitely be briefed on all of this, as well as given a thorough tour, but I also know I'd still worry about it despite that.

If I plan on giving birth in my own home I know I will cut out these stresses and worries. One of the best ways to naturally reduce pain during childbirth is to remain calm and relaxed, and I know I will feel much more calm and relaxed at home, although I know many women would feel much more relaxed in a hospital with lots of doctors close at hand. When making these decisions, I think it all comes down knowing yourself, and knowing what's going to freak you out (besides having to squeeze a watermelon through a coke can- we all have to face that little chestnut no matter where we decide to give birth). At this point (and this may change) I am less freaked out by the pain of having a baby than the actually logistics of going somewhere else to do it.

It's also quite important to me to have a med-free birth to the extent that it's possible. Obviously, the most important thing is the health of a baby, and if that requires an inducement, a cesarean, or an epidural then of course everything else goes out the window. I'm fully cognizant of the fact that about 1/3 of all planned home births result in a hospital transfer, and I'm going to be as realistic and flexible as possible. I also think that here in the UK home birth is far more accepted than in the US, and many midwives actually encourage it where the baby and mother are healthy and willing; and it's law that 2 midwives be present at each home birth, which means that you usually get more attention and targeted care than you would in a hospital.

So if everything goes as planned and we have no complications, little Baby Jones will be born at home in early April 2010!

12 weeks 2 days

2009-09-27T10:41:00.000-07:00

How far along? 12 weeks 2 days
Total weight gain/loss: No idea :)
Sleep: Much better this week!
Best moment this week: Lovely dinner at Prezzo on Friday- also a wonderful day with Celyn on Tuesday!
Labor Signs: No, thank goodness
Belly Button in or out? In
Food cravings/aversions: Still generally craving salty-ish, tart, or sour things. I'm loving Greek Yogurt, and would really like a nice gyro with lots and lots of tzadziki sauce.
What I miss: A glass of red wine with dinner on Friday would've been really nice.
What I am looking forward to: My cousin, Clay, is coming to visit from America next Saturday- should be lots of fun! Also, I got a letter from the hospital this week saying that our big ultrasound (where we get to find out the sex of the baby) is schedules for November 19th- so mark your calendars!
Weekly Wisdom: I'm really so lucky and blessed to have parents that are so supportive in so many different ways!
Milestones: As we head into October we head into the last month in our flat- can't wait to move into our house in a month!

Through Rain, Through Sleet, Through Dark of Night...

2009-09-24T03:38:00.000-07:00

This is most certainly not the motto of Her Majesty's Royal Mail Service. As it turns out, many British postal workers have decided to go on strike. Now for me, this basically only means that the delivery of my "Love Film" (British version of Netflix) DVDs are delayed, no big deal really. Except that my lovely mama sent me a package almost 2 weeks ago and I still haven't gotten it ::pouts::. Do you know what this package contains? Edible Gold: None other than boxes of Kraft Macaroni and Cheese, which I have been craving for weeks and which you cannot buy anywhere on this island. Just the thought of that neon-orange cheese powder sets my heart a-beating with longing. I bet if the postal workers new how I was suffering they'd forget their contract demands, rush off the picket line, and start sorting mail...

Ah well, aside from the trauma of waiting for my Mac & Cheese it's been a pretty uneventful week so far. A big highlight was Tuesday, when I spent the morning shopping with Celyn. Of course, as I was walking to meet her I managed to spill coffee all over my white shirt (I guarantee it wouldn't have happened if I was wearing black)- so the first order of business was a visit to H&M to buy a new shirt- my first officially item of maternity clothing (even though I don't really need mat clothes yet, it seemed practical to buy something that I'll actually be able to use in a few months). "Auntie" Celyn was very excited to buy some baby items, so went to the department store, Debenhams, where the selection of unisex clothing is admittedly sparse. We found a soft little blue and white striped sleeper though, and couldn't resist it. I suppose it is more boy-oriented, but it would totally work for a little girl too. Another Auntie Celyn purchase was a teeny-tiny little panda sweater from Topshop, which we both couldn't help going all squidgy and slushy over- I'll post pictures at some point!

Because I had been craving Japanese noodles for awhile, we opted for lunch at the delicious Wagamama. It was gooooo-oood! It was one of the best days I've had in awhile, and after lunch I walked Celyn back onto the university campus- we both went into the library, Celyn to work on dissertation research, me to use the bathroom (if that doesn't sum up the difference in our lives right now, I don't know what does!). I was surprised with the little tinge of sadness I felt when I realized that it was the last day my student card would admit me into the Arts & Humanities Library. I don't think it had anything to do with nostalgia about time spent hunched over piles of articles copied from the Austrian History Yearbook, but more about the ending of what was probably the most dynamic year of my life. The idea that everything is about to change.

Here's Baby Jones!!

2009-09-20T14:21:00.000-07:00

Here's our sweet little relaxi-baby! We have 3 other pics, but they are all basically a variation on the same theme. Little Jones was very happy just hanging out on his/her back and kicking those little feet. If you look closely you can see one little leg in mid-kick, with the other (foreground) folded down by his/her bum! And you can see Baby's little arm up against its side as well. We did manage to get to see a little roll and a couple of little waves, but none were captured on film. All-in-all it was so amazing to see our child, and I could've watched him in there all day! What a cutie pie!! Also, Baby is measuring 4 days ahead, so it's still up in the air as to whether or not my due date will be changed, so for now I'm still going with the original date.

With that being said, here's this week's update:

How far along? 11 weeks 2 days (Baby is measuring 11 weeks 6 days)

Total weight gain/loss: still up about a pound so far.

Sleep: Meh, it's touch and go- I get really tired but seem to have trouble falling asleep lately. Plus I have to get up and pee sooo many times a night!

Best moment this week: Seeing little Bebe on the big screen of course! Also, Gez and I had a great weekend- nothing special, it was just fun and nice to have a weekend at home together.

Gender: We both got a a definite boy vibe from the ultrasound pics, but who knows.

Labor Signs: Definitely not, and it better stay that way for awhile!

Belly Button in or out? In

Food cravings/aversions: The thought of spinach still makes my skin crawl, but I seem to be less nauseated this week. I could still eat fruit all day long- particularly apples!

What I miss: American apple cider, but it has nothing to do with being pregnant, just because they don't have it over here!

What I am looking forward to: Seeing what this week will bring! Hopefully feeling movement within the next 4-6 weeks.

Weekly Wisdom: Not really baby related, but I've noticed that when I don't have extra money to spend and go into a shop I see a ton of things I want, but when I do have money to burn I find many fewer things that I want, what's up with that?

Milestones: Only 2 more weeks in the first trimester! Baby is now the size of a lime (I gave this statistic the side-eye though, going from a prune to a lime in a week seems rather dramatic... so let's take this one with a grain of salt, hmmm?)

Ye Olde Pregnancy

2009-09-17T05:04:00.000-07:00

My thoughts have a tendancy to veer off into strange directions, especially now that I'm pregnant. Last night, as I was drifting off to "sleep" (what I like to call the short nightime intervals between bathroom visits), I was thinking how sucky it would've been to be pregnant in the Olden Days. For example, yesterday I was cleaning the house and got tired about halfway through, thought "eff it", and sat down to watch Gilmore Girls reruns on E4. I don't think your average pregnant pioneer woman would stop in the middle of preparing salt pork and think "meh, we probably have enough to get through the sub-arctic Dakota winter. I think I'll just take a load off and have a look through Godey's Ladies Book." Call me skeptical, I just don't think it happened that way. Also, my husband has been a saint, preparing meals, picking up the slack on the housework, and just generally being supportive. I don't think Lady Piffington of Elizabethan times would have been quite as lucky. I can't imagine Lord Piffington stepping in with "No, milady, allow me! Let's swap historically appropriate gender roles, and I will finish embroidering that tapestry..."
Most importantly though, I can't imagine living in a time where it was generally taboo to refer to your pregnancy at all ("No, no, I'm not ill, I have my head over the chamber pot every morning just to check the new maid's thoroughness..."). I'm sure women did discuss things in private, but probably not with the same "TMI" thoroughness you get these days, and for which I'm sure many a pregnant woman is grateful (Ever wonder what to expect from your first post-partum shower? Well I did, and even though the answer made me recoil in horror a bit, I'm happy I know). Anyway, for all the moaning we pregnant ladies tend to do, I have to admit that we have it pretty good compared to our forbears.

10 weeks 2 days

2009-09-16T02:59:00.000-07:00

Well, today I am actually 10 weeks 5 days, but I sent this out to my family last Sunday, and so have decided to re post here, since this will be the forum for all babeh-related info:

How far along? 10 weeks 2 days
Total weight gain/loss: up about a pound so far.
Sleep: I just can't get enough! I think I've finally mastered sleeping on my side, this is a big deal for a confirmed stomach sleeper such as myself!
Best moment this week: Playing with Osian, our little nephew (Gez's sister's 8-month-old son)Movement: Just my tummy rumbling because I'm constantly hungry!
Gender: No idea- I fail so far at maternal instincts
Labor Signs: that would be no bueno
Belly Button in or out? In
Food cravings/aversions: Craving lots and lots of fruit this week, which is good considering last week when I ate my weight in potato salad (seriously, why is it soooo delicious?). Aversions continue, including anything green and leafy, fish, and weirdly enough, chicken (all things I love normally). This is new for me because I have never ever been a picky eater.
What I miss: A size eight buttoning under its own engineering..
What I am looking forward to: First ultrasound on Friday!!
Weekly Wisdom: Be grateful and appreciative of your family.
Milestones: As of last week we oficially reached fetus-hood!! Baby is now the size of a prune ( continuing the weird classifications of measurement that enjoy comparing your offspring to things that grow on trees). Baby's little arms and legs are waving away!

Strollers or "You Know What Really Grinds My Gears?"

2009-09-15T09:23:00.000-07:00

I find it somewhat fitting that my very first blog post has to do with something that has been on my mind since before I was pregnant. Strollers. Prams. Pushchairs. I mean, I admire a Quinny or a Bugaboo as much as the next guy, but there has got to be some sort of mommy-etiquette training, or some sort of lesson on how to properly push one down the street without being a total d-bag.

Living in the city, I walk mostly everywhere- unfortunately, so do the bajillions of ladies taking advantage of the awesome maternity laws over here. There are just a few points I'd like to make regarding proper stroller/pushchair/pram policy:

1. Ok, so you chose the massive Silver Cross Chav-ster 3000. I'm not here to judge the fact that you apparently enjoy pushing your child around in something that resembles nothing less than a coffin on wheels. Morticia Addams would be proud. Seriously though, in our fair city there are a number of lovely parks that would be simply divine for wheeling around little Pugsley in the morbid-mobile. But I'm guessing this would take up your time which is more usefully spent buying neon orange things at Primark.

2. It's wonderful that you've made other mommy friends. I can imagine it being quite isolating sitting home alone with your new baby. I really get it. But do the 4 of you really need to walk abreast along the sidewalk as if you're rolling into Kabul or something? We all know you're going to Starbucks, the conversation about nipple flow can surely wait until then.

3. It is beyond gratifying to see that you wish to expand your child's mind, as well as support the local economy, by shopping at the local bookstore. But when your pram takes up roughly 82% of the 150-year-old shop, you might want to consider popping that kid in a Moby or something. Otherwise, I hear Borders has wide aisles, and an elevator, and a Starbucks....

I'm 95% sure this post is going to bite me in the ass in approximately 6 1/2 months, and at that point you all have permission to laugh in my face. Until then though, Get out the way!!