Or totally setting her up for a life of obesity, diabetes, high blood pressure and social awkwardness. It's all up to you, the parent!
A reader recently wrote in with praise for Jinwood Shoes. Based out of British Columbia, this shoe company produces groovy, soft-soled infant shoes (available in 0-24 months) that have a skid resistant sole, Velcro styling for easy on and off, and come in a variety of cool retro stripe color combinations (shown, Green Stripe). Available for $25.95 at Simple Me Boutique.
UPDATE (3/5/07): In addition to standard free shipping on orders over $25, Simple Me would like to offer Boston Mamas readers 10% off orders over $50 using the code BOSTON.
The last couple of weeks with our new resident Pee Master have been marvelous. And Laurel recently surprised us by making a couple of unexpected solid deliveries into the toilet.
It’s only a couple of data points, but we’re wondering whether our “play it cool” approach is contributing to the ease of this new development. Despite Laurel’s clear preference to use a diaper for pooping, we decided to simply continue to offer a choice of diaper or potty when she needs to poop, assuming she’d come around at some point (plus, it’s all about having choice with her). This process has worked really well; it seems to provide some practice thinking about bodily control, and has helped avoid soiled underpants, potty regression, and constipation (from not wanting to let go in the potty).
We’ve also extended the play it cool approach to the recent instances where Laurel unexpectedly started pushing after a pee. While quietly elated at the prospect of retiring our Diaper Champ, I just continued to read books with her so she would stay relaxed and keep trying. When she finished, I said “Good for you!” (our typical potty verbiage) and she was excited to check out her work and then say goodbye to it. I was too.
Holy crow, it’s almost March! This means our contest in partnership with Lotus Children is closing tomorrow at midnight. Click here to enter to win one of two amazing baby/toddler clothing gift sets from Lotus Children. This contest is open to entrants worldwide. Good luck!
My friend Shannon was my sorority sister (I know, ew, sororities, you may tear your clothing now, silly people). When we lived together in the hallowed halls of Sorority to be Unnamed to Spare Recruitment Problems From Having Accepted Me, Shannon used to hang a red curtain up in her room, pull out one of those new-fangled video camera things and tape us doing Real World Confessions. (This was when the Real World was a relatively new phenomenon.) I once confessed to being that annoying chick who would take one bite out of something and put it back in the fridge - FOR ME, PEOPLE - but for some reason that really torked everyone off and they would leave hostile notes on the refrigerator and stuff.
Anyway, for years Shannon has been sending out her awards-show commentary, and it is so good, I stopped watching the shows themselves and waited for Shannon's comments, so I could go Google just the good stuff. Turns out Shannon's got herself a blog. Shantertainment. I highly encourage you to go waste your entire lunch hour on this blog.
Enjoy.
Parenting is one of the toughest jobs out there; tack on the pressure to conform to the ever present “shoulds” (offered by those who know you well or not at all) or the breezy, effusive parenting reports from celebrities, and it’s no wonder parents often feel that they have to put on airs about how seamlessly things are going at home.
On the flip side, you’ll get nothing but the truth from Meredith O’Brien, a Boston-based writer/blogger whose new book, A Suburban Mom: Notes from the Asylum
If you are looking for quantitative documentation that you can still be a good, loving parent while not doing everything letter perfect, O’Brien’s book will make for an entertaining read. And while I have a few parenting quirks (e.g., a penchant for handmade cards and lunatic birthday baking) that likely would render me as decent fodder for some of O’Brien’s commentary, I’ve got plenty of other parenting imperfections that – thanks to a great therapist – I’ve learned to embrace. And Laurel seems to be surviving the ride.
A well-shaped brow can make even the most frazzled mommy feel utterly put together.
Yesterday I got the best eyebrow treatment ever while kicking back with Laurel at Baby Loves Disco. Arwen of The Salon at 10 Newbury brings her acclaimed eyebrow shaping prowess (she has been lauded by InStyle, Allure, and Boston Magazine) to this hottest ticket in town. (She is providing her services to BLD gratis so please tip kindly.) In the past I have asked other aestheticians to give my brows a slimmer, more arched shape and they all claimed it wouldn’t work. I thus didn’t bother making any specific requests, but Arwen shaped my brows exactly as I had always envisioned. I feel like a new woman.
It may prove tough to see Arwen at Baby Loves Disco if you don’t already have tickets (new dates into the summer already are sold out), so book an appointment with her on Newbury. You deserve it.
The Salon at 10 Newbury, 10 Newbury Street, Boston; Tel: 617-247-4900
Editor’s Note: This just in from our new friends at The Salon at 10 Newbury. Mention BostonMamas.com and receive a facial, eyebrow waxing, and blow dry for $125 (regularly valued at $160).
It's occurring to me I will NEVER get those vacation photos posted because tomorrow I am going on a business trip for a few days, and after that I will be spending the next two weeks convincing the little angel I'm really not leaving again until I leave again to go to BlogHer Business near the end of March. SO. On the off chance I really do post photos tonight instead of frantically packing and fast-forwarding through the DVR-ed Oscars, I'll just illustrate my story then.
SO. Vacation stories. Let's see. First day: Acclimation. We got to Denver around 10:30, took the shuttle (I highly advise the shuttle, and I'll explain why in a minute) to Breckenridge, got off the shuttle and WENT IMMEDIATELY TO THE BAR. This is how you acclimate. Drink equal amounts of water and alcohol immediately. You'll still get a pleasant buzz, but you won't get so dehydrated.
And for those of you who won't drink alcohol immediately when you go on a child-free vacation, go read someone else's blog, because I don't know how to relate to you.
Tuesday we decided to actually, you know, ski. I learned to ski just about eight years ago, as an adult, and I have never been an ambitious skier. I'm scared of hurting myself. I have bad balance. I had high anxiety for the first three trips, even though I steadily advanced from bunny to green to blue. This was actually the first year I felt confident and loose going down the harder blues. I credit the change to a few things:
- My iPod Shuffle. For some reason, it's hard to be so tense about killing yourself skiing while listening to Eminem or Laura Branigan.
- Pilates. It really does affect your balance, especially the strength in those core-y areas so necessary to correct oneself from overbalancing.
- Shame. I'm sick of being scared of skiing. I never get to go on vacation, and I was just determined to enjoy it. Also, I was trying to impress my beloved.
Skiing was good. The first day was a little crusty, the second day it started to snow about 2 and kept on snowing until the minute we left a day and a half later. We woke up at 9, we went skiing until 2ish, then we drank, sat in an outdoor jacuzzi with snow falling on our heads, took naps, listened to bands, ate good food and did other things adults who are vacationing without children do. It was a good time, and I don't care if the little angel is mad about it - I'm glad we went. We needed to go. We needed to have that time together to have fun like the irresponsible kids we were when we met at 25. We got engaged in Steamboat, and skiing has always been about frivolity for us.
Interestingly, the first time we went skiing post-angel, she was eight months old. We were overwhelmed still, and I think I was actually suffering from a little depression. We decided on that trip not to have any more children, so we could get our lives back to normal. We couldn't stand the chaos. This time, exactly two years later, we feel back in control of our lives, and we spend about a half hour of the vacation agreeing on boy names and girl names for the second child we may now have. If anything, looking at one ski trip to the next has reinforced for me how quickly circumstances can change, and how hard times truly do pass eventually.
Oh, and yes, I did win the Whale's Tail hula hoop contest on the night before we left. There were a lot of incredibly drunk people in the bar, which improved my odds. The singer/comedian kept calling everyone Little Miss This or Little Miss That. I was Little Miss Kansas City. When I won, I got to take a lap around the bar carrying a plastic liberty torch and an American flag, and I was gifted some Mardi Gras beads, which I gave to the little angel upon my return. I told her I won the hula hoop contest, and she said, "What's a hula hoop? Can I have one?"
Child of the media, she is.
The only bad part was that little period of seven hours during which I-70 was closed while the state patrol dynamited the mountains so we wouldn't be covered by an avalanche and die, and during which we missed our flight back to Kansas City. We did find (after five hours of listening to the extremely verbose driver) that the CME drivers have to pass ridiculous driving tests, including tests with the state patrol in which a 600-pound sled is shifted back and forth in the back of the van to induce intentional skids. FUN. But I did feel much safer than say, if my beloved had been driving in inclement weather at a 45-degree angle. Just saying.
The only backlash has been the sleeping and the daycare drop-offs, both of which I'm happy to say are improving. After a bad sleeping situation on Friday and Saturday nights, we told her last night that she couldn't go to her friend M's birthday party at McDonald's tonight unless she slept all night. Even though it took an hour and a half to get her to sleep, once she fell asleep she slept until 5:45, which I considered a victory. I gave her some bubble gum (drat her teacher for telling her what it is), which she promptly swallowed (Mommy! I ate it all up!), a Backyardigans puffy sticker and told her we could go to M's party. She still threw a bit of a fit when I left her at The Emerald City, but I think the appearance of M with birthday cupcakes quelled the fury of the spurned redhead. There really isn't much in a two-year-old's world that cupcakes can't fix, after all.
One challenge of passing the initial solid food dabbling phase (where its more about exposure than quantitative intake) is how to provide a variety of nutrients to accommodate tapering off of breast milk or formula, while dealing with your baby’s limited interest windows and tummy size.
Plum Organics offers an excellent solution for busy parents. In addition to their Real Smooth starter fruit and veggie purees (for babies 6 months and up), their More Texture collection (for babies 9 months and up) includes all-in-one meals well balanced to cover the basic food groups. Thoughtfully composed options such as the Chicken Whole Grain Pasta (organic chicken, carrots, peas, and whole grain pasta) and Red Lentil Veggie (organic potatoes, carrots, corn, and red lentils) pack a nutritional punch; sweet finishes include the Banana Peach Rice Pudding and Pears & Apples. Available in the freezer section of local retailers nationwide; from $2.89 to $3.49.