Honey, do

A few weeks ago I attended a mead making class with a good friend. Since mead is wine made with honey and yeast, the instructor also provided a lot of background information about honey before we got started. I was surprised to learn that it is a good source of B vitamins and has antibacterial qualities: it has low water molecule transport properties and is highly acidic, preventing the growth of microorganisms. You can use honey on cuts or an an antiseptic gargle, and some posit that eating locally harvested honey helps prevent seasonal allergies.

Bean has been sick this week: poor little bug has two ear infections, conjunctivitis, and a dry cough. Her doctor prescribed an antibiotic for the infections, but does not recommend using over-the-counter cold medicines to ease symptoms such as runny nose and cough until she's much older. And, indeed, there has been a lot of information in the news lately about the dangers associated with giving these readily available cold meds to babies and young children.

So I decided to put honey to the test to help Bean's cough. I dissolved a teaspoon of the golden sticky goodness in lukewarm water, and she stopped coughing after a couple sips. And of course she liked the taste. My hubby had a sore throat, so I made him a gargle with honey, lemon juice, and water, and that gave him some relief, too.

It's good to have this natural, inexpensive, safe remedy in my mommy arsenal. (Please note: honey is NOT safe for children under one year of age.)

Personally, I became addicted to honey while reading Sue Monk Kidd's The Secret Life of Bees, eating it by the spoonful straight from the jar. Do all those good qualities counteract the calories??? Judging by the size of my...hive...I'd guess not. ;-)

Quote of the day

From my hubby:

"Bean, that's not the kind of 'whine' that mommy likes."

Puttin' away the pump

I made it to a year. I'm still nursing my Bean two to three times a day, but the dreaded PUMP has been shelved until number two (if there is a number two) comes along. Actually, I shouldn't say "dreaded" pump - that wonderful device allowed me to feed my baby breastmilk even when we were apart.

When Bean was consuming the most - around the six month mark - it was quite satisfying to pump and get six to eight ounces, plus a couple more for the freezer. But once she was eleven months or so, I'd massage my breasts and vary the pump speed and drink mug after mug of lactation tea and try all sorts of tricks to increase the flow, only to eek out an ounce or two....hardly worth the time spent drawing the blinds, assembling the pieces, pumping for fifteen minutes, and then cleaning everything afterwards. It was taking me several pumping sessions just to make one bottle.

I don't think I realized that the last time I pumped would be THE last time. I don't miss it (the way I'm sure I'll miss nursing after Bean is weaned). And I REALLY don't miss pumping at work. Luckily, working from home 4+ days a week meant that the in-office pumping sessions weren't that frequent. Another bonus is that I have an office at work with a door and blinds, which makes it very easy to get the required privacy. My "Mommy things in progress; please come back in 10 minutes" sign and the hum and whir of my pump behind the closed door raised some eyebrows (oh well). My boss is a dad, and I know he supports my breastfeeding efforts; but I also know that the thought of or the sight of my pump makes him uncomfortable (to which I shrug my shoulders and keep on pumpin' - it's my daughter's health and well being at stake here, after all).

Anyway, it's a relief to not have to lug the pump into the office, find 20 minutes three times a day, stash the little bottles in the community fridge, and then make the 1.25 hour drive home with them on ice.

So, while I'm glad to be done with my pump, I also am immensely grateful to the thing. It allowed me to meet my breastfeeding goals and keep my Bean healthy while working full time and even having a (very) occasional night out. And for that, it's worth its weight in (white) gold.

One year.

My Bean is a year old. That a year has passed since she came into our lives is incomprehensible.

In this one year Bean has...

- Nursed herself from just under 8 to 20 pounds
- Learned to hold her head up
- Learned to roll over, first back to front, then front to back
- Learned to sit up
- Been extremely healthy
- Made a best friend in her silly dog Moomoo
- Learned to sleep through the night
- Brought joy to everyone who knows her
- Smiled and laughed more than she's cried
- Eaten and thoroughly enjoyed a wide variety of foods
- Spit up 8,374 times
- Learned to roll from one end of the room to another
- Learned that crawling is a more efficient mode of transport
- Had her picture taken by mom/dad at least a million times
- Cut three and a half teeth
- Learned to say "Dad-dee" and "Mum-mum" and "up" and "yeah"
- Developed an obsession with the dog's food dish and several other off-limits items
- Discovered a whole new world in her view as she pulls up on the furniture
- Taken a few hundred walks in her stroller
- Outgrown three huge bins of little pink clothes
- Cultivated a belly laugh that sounds exactly like her dad's
- Finger painted (her paper, high chair, shirt, face, hair)
- Learned to say "Aaaaah" (and then crack up) after drinking from her sippy cup
- Decided that mom's car keys, cell phone, and lap top are her very favorite toys

I too have learned a few things in this short year...and have experienced more joy (and less sleep?) than in all my other years combined. I still haven't lost the baby weight (not even close), some days I don't find time to shower, my house is in a state of perpetual disarray and dog-hair-infestation, and I bitch at my hubby (and the poor dog) way too much. But all in all I'm proud of what I've accomplished in this one year. Parenthood is challenging, exhausting, selfless, dirty, frustrating, and downright wonderful. And the Bean amazes me and melts my heart on a daily basis. On to year two!

Family vacation

We're on our first official family vacation with Bean: a week at the lake. I love being a mom. I love my family. Life is good.

Ode to my....Swiffer WetJet

Need I say more? I never realized how DISGUSTING my hard wood and linoleum floors were until my Bean started crawling. Granted, we have a very hairy dog, and keeping up with her shedding is a never-ending struggle. But I thought vacuuming twice a week would do the trick. Nope. It seems like no matter how hard we try to keep the floors vacced and scrubbed, the baby's knees are dirty and she's covered in those DAMN fine black hairs.


So I've attacked the problem with my Swiffer WetJet. I feel guilty using it because it's such a waste - the bottles of liquid and batteries that need frequent replacing, the disposable pads that only last for on use, and on and on. But it's just so easy. Grab it, squirt squirt, clean clean. I've become a bit obsessed with the thing, using it whenever I have a spare moment. And you know what? That pad is always dirty when I'm done. Where does it COME from?

We're moving soon to a house with (incidentally) more carpet and less hardwood. Though I prefer the look of wood, I'm hoping the carpet is easier to keep clean. Or maybe the hairs and dust will cling to the rug instead of my Bean.

Ew.

Joy and zest

Bean is 11 months old now: crawling, babbling, screeching, and generally loving life. Everything she does is with utter joy and zest - whether it's exploring a new toy with her hands, feet, and mouth, making it to the other side of the room, splashing in the tub, or trying a new vegetable. I love to just sit and watch her. There is never a dull moment, and every second holds something new to be learned. What must it be like when EVERYTHING is new? My Bean is re-opening my eyes to things I see everyday but take for granted. I wish my memory was strong enough to remember every second.....every moment of her every day.

Mother's Day

I got an unexpected surprise when I picked the Bean off at daycare today: a Mother's Day gift in a pretty blue bag! The tag said, "Happy Momma's Day, Love Bean."

Mother's Day is 3 days away, but I couldn't resist taking a peek. Inside the bag was a flower pot with soil and seeds in a baggie. It was painted pink and covered in Bean's handprints in yellow paint. Along the top were the words "Watch Me Grow."

I cried when I saw it... I think it's the best gift I've ever received!