Free Stuff for Baby!

How to Save Hundreds of Dollars Every Year on the Things You Need Most, by Sue M Hannah

I found this great book and I borrowed it from the church nursery. There are a list of websites and phone numbers for coupons and free stuff, and a few recipes for homemade toys.

CLAY for Baby's Handprints or Footprints

Materials
1 cup baking soda
1/2 cup cornstarch
1 tablespoon salt
3/4 cup water
large plastic margarine container

Instructions
1) Mix all the ingredients in a medium sauce pan
2) Heat on high heat until boiling starts
3) Turn heat low and keep stirring until mixture is thick and creamy and hard to stir
4) Remove from heat, cool it
5) Knead with your hands and place into containers, flatten the top
6) Baby places hand/ foot prints
7) Write name and date on the clay with a tootpick or pencil
(8) For hanging, poke a hole into the top section of the clay, tie with a ribbon after
8) Decorate with stones, seashells, marbles or mosaic pieces
9) Hardens over a few days
10) Another idea, roll clay flat with a rolling pin and use cookie cutters to cut shapes. Poke a hole in the top section, decorate etc. Baby's first Christmas ornament!

JIGGLE SOAP
Bathtime and Jello!

Materials
1 package gelatin (clear, unflavored)
1/2 cup hot water
1/4 cup liquid bubble bath
food colouring

1) In a small bowl dissolve gelatin in hot water
2) Mix in bubble bath and stir thoroughly
3) Optional, mix in a few drops of colour
4) Refridgerate four hours and cut into cubes
5) Store in the fridge until use

Other ideas: Fish in a bag! Triple the recipe, use blue food colouring to make "water" and pour into a plastic bag. Add a plastic fish or sea creature and refridgerate the bag for 5 hours. Jar of Jello Soap! Pour the soap into jars, make layers too,and tie with ribbons to make a cool party favor.

PLAY DOUGH
2 cups flour
3/4 cups salt
4 tablespoons vegetable oil
3/4 cups water
large mixing bowl
food colouring

1) For colour, add food colouring to wet ingredients first
2) Mix flour, salt, vegetable oil and water in large bowl. Knead until smooth.
3) Store airtight in the fridge

OCEAN IN A BOTTLE
Materials
2-litre plastic pop bottle with a screw on lid
2 cups of cooking oil
funnel
Blue food colouring
glitter, metallic confetti and sequins
water

1) Pour oil into the bottle
2) Add blue food colouring
3) Add glitter etc
4) Fill to the top with water
5) Option, secure lid with glue gun or strong lid

Waterslide Dream

The other day, I awoke to the sound of Maggie giggling and laughing in her crib. She was contently on her belly, arms flailing and her head flipping from side to side as if she were slippling, sliding and splashing down a winding waterslide at a waterpark. Her eyes were closed and she was quite asleep but dreaming I imagine.

I let her sleep a little longer so I could sleep a little bit longer too! Yah, we often flip her over on to her belly if she awakens too soon in the middle of the night. We found that she actually sleeps alot longer on her belly, and even if she awakens, she stays quiter and more peaceful on her own.

The Jesus Storybook Bible; every story whispers His name.

In the wee hours of the night while breastfeeding, I’m always listening to the radio. Sometimes I catch the sermons on CHRI. But there was an extra special treat yesterday. There was an interview with a children’s author introducing her new book, “the Jesus Storybook Bible; every story whispers his name” by Sally Lloyd Jones. Wow! She writes every story in the Old Testament and reveals the hidden messianic prophetic message those words using words that every child can understand. She does not reveal Jesus’ name until it is actually given to Virgin Mary, but the way she finishes every story really keeps the kids hooked. They want keep listening to figure it out! For example the one about Abraham and Isaac finishes with words like “… and one day, another very special baby will be born as God’s most precious gift.” Or another story about the Tower of Babel, “… you see they were trying to build a ladder to heaven, but one day God himself will reach down from heaven to earth.” I can’t repeat her words the same way, but I was so touched that I stayed up to listen to the whole interview and I’m going to order a copy for my baby girl and one for a friend. Check it out on http://www.haventoday.org/

Day Routine Summary

I was determined to make each day as productive and action packed as I ever could. After my mother returned to Calgary and I was on my own, I knew I had to take care of my baby on my own, to resume all the household tasks, to keep up with my hobbies and social life. I started with establishing Monday and Wednesday as the chore day (laundry and vacumming etc) and writing down all of the other activities completed. However only “working” on certain days and playing the rest of the week was not quite practical. Of course there was no set schedule cuz everyday was different. I gave myself time to explore and develop a flow or routine naturally.

This has worked well for me, to dedicate the “first task” of the day to the study of God’s word. I’ve already finished reading the book of John and Acts, and I will continue with the rest of the New Testament. I’ve been journaling and also reading the Daily Bread, Blessed Be Your Name, and Thirsty. It has truly been revealed to me, “See ye first the Kingdom of God and His righteousness, and all these things shall be added unto you.”

And obviously, feeding, playing, singing/ talking, changing and rocking Maggie are essential tasks, especially with the implementation of cloth diapers and IPT. She she naps and has been regularly sleeping by 8pm or so. Therefore I have a lot time to do my things!

Day Routine
* this task never changes

MORNING
*Always Pray
*Begin with the Bible/ Breakfast
Chores (laundry, vacuum, clean etc)
Correspondence (cards, email, journal, blog etc)

AFTERNOON
Music study
Nap optional
or Photos/ Scrapbooking
Prep dinner

EVENING
Music study
or Engineering discovery

Alternate Activies as required
MORNING
Playgroup
or Appointments
AFTERNOON
Shop
Walk
Workout
EVENING
Social

Maggie’s Day Routine (in 3 to 4 hour cycles)
Maggie wakes
IPT over the sink. (Awh-Shhhhhhh Shhhhhh and ANnnnng boot boot)
Nurses (about 25 - 40 min)
Plays or Listens to music (about 30 min)
Signals to pee (IPT)
Ten minutes later or at her next signal, poo and pee (IPT)
Keeps playing or gets cranky/ tired
Sleeps (one to two hours)

At nighttime, there is no playtime obviously. IPT is done only when she wakes, cuz it doesn't make sense to stay up to pee/poo right? So far I’ve been using up fewer diapers cuz she’s learning to pee/ poo in the sink and not the diaper!

Accidents do happen but it's totally ok, cuz I end up washing fewer diapers. My record so far is using the same diaper for 10 hours cuz she never made it dirty (fart stains are dry and ok).

Week 9 IPT

We decided to try something that was already natural for babies, called infant potty training. As you can see the common practise in North America, we are training the babies from birth that it's OK to pee and poo into a diaper, contrary to what the babies would rather do naturally... reference to the projecile poo incident! And then when they are toddlers, they are expected to unlearn this. The web references say it's about communication, timing and patience. http://www.timl.com/ipt/

Since we've already been washing her bum in the sink and while squirming and crying, there was always poo squirting, it's almost like we've been doing IPT already without realizing it. It's happened a few times that she's peed in the sink too. Now it's just associating those actions with a noise like "Annnngggh...boot boot" and "Awwh Shhhhh Shhhhhh" as the first step, then later on when I can recognize her timings, these words will become commands to release the muscles.

I started officially last night. The usual practise is a diaper change before feeding, which is usually preceded by a nap/ sleep cycle. So at 9pm it was very natural for us to take off the diaper and just wait for a poo and a pee, so we made the signal noises so she could learn to associate the actions with the words. She even peed twice! Brian gave her a bath and then we had the last feeding before the official bedtime. Well she woke up again at 1030pm so we thought maybe she had to go again. The diaper was still clean! So we did the whole procedure all over again and even reused the same clean diaper and put her back to sleep.

I mean, it's not possible to do this everytime especially in the middle of the night or when we're at the mall but they say even if it's done only part-time the early training goes a long way! The idea is to change the diaper often so she will learn NOT to be comfortable in a wet diaper, and we're using cloth so it's all easy to clean and hang dry! I'm glad I heard about these techniques early enough because I'm still within the window of optimum learning at 0 to 6 months.

Yesterday and Today

How I felt Yesterday
I was officially bored for the first time ever!!!! It was the most productive day in terms of devotions, two loads of laundry, cooking dinner, making soup, and even scrapbooking three pages and writing a bunch of letters and cards, (and of course feeding the baby at her demand, is given), and then walking aimlessly at Walmart and Futureshop. I called my Dad too. But I was sooooo bored, like what should I do next?

I guess all of these "productive" tasks have finally now become routine... well now I know what I am missing in my life finally, it's my work, like I mean real Engineering work, engaging my mind, troubleshooting technical problems or learning/ applying some kind of new technology. Maybe tomorrow I should build something or put something together. argggh!
Cooincidently it is the day that I did not play piano. usually a Bach Invention or Prelude and Fugue is pretty engaging. And maybe finally incorporating some real excercise would really help :)

I do thank GOd and praise him for putting me in this situation obviously, but I am also thankful I will only have to be at home fulltime for a year (or less) :)

How I feel Today
I went to the extraordinarybabyshoppe again and I borrowed a Hotsling to try out. I used it all afternoon and she slept like a baby (for real)! It ends up feeling like a hammock for her, and the positioning is just like it was for her in the womb I suppose. I felt really close to her for the first time in that way, like it was for me when she was inside my belly. Like I wanted her close to me like that forever. Well I have to return the Hotsling tomorrow but I am going to buy one for sure.

I did not play Bach today, but I did not feel bored at all today, maybe because I spent more time with her instead of rushing around being busy around the house! Everyday is a different day.

Week 7: Cloth Diapers

We switched to cloth diapers on Sunday! I bought 24 chinese infant prefolds and 4 whisper white bummis wraps from the www.extraordinarybabyshoppe.com
They’ve got a lot of neat stuff there besides cloth diapers – like the hotslings which come in a variety of fashionable colours and designs. tube tops to keep your tummy warm while breastfeeding that you can wear under regular shirts and a selection of fancy European wooden toys.

I wonder how many times a day babies really poo and pee. I’m going to guess countless times because there is no way to count every squirt and every pee. However, they do recommend that an baby should have 6 heavy wet diapers and 3 good loads of poo. They recommend changing a diaper before every feed for sure, and definitely as logically necessary in between. They do cry because of discomfort so… be nice but bear in mind there is no logical way to change a diaper everytime there is a squirt and I doubt it is necessary. So basic stats - we used about a pack of 40 diapers every four to five days. That would be $13.97 for a pack of Pampers from Walmart. The cloth diapers cost $30 for a pack of 12. I bought 24 diapers, plus 4 bummis wraps for $11.99 each. Knowing how easy it is now, I would’ve switched sooner.

I think using cloth diapers is an environmental solution cuz there is less waste thrown into the trash, and also the materal is made of all natural fibres so there is less irritation. People even say that potty training is easier with cloth diapers. I can see why, because they do get soaked and wet a lot faster.

I am changing her diaper more frequently because of that. There could be three explanations 1) cloth diapers don’t have that kind of technology that absorbs high volumes of liquid into the specialized synthetic materials. I remember that a really wet Pampers or Huggies feels like a hard squishy jello because the liquid has filled all the spaces in the absorbent core. 2) maybe she just pees more and that’s why. 3) I’m not wrapping the cloth diaper in the most efficient manner. Regardless, washing is pretty easy. I decided to only do laundry on Tuesday, (Thursday), and Saturday and it’s been working out!

Here are some steps
1) Fill wash bucket with HOT water
2) Grab a soiled cloth diaper and scrub away poo with brush under running COLD water
3) Toss the scrubbed cloth diaper into the hot water and soak until washing machine is available (not too long though)
4) Place cloth diapers into the washing machine for a rinse and spin cycle on SMALL and COLD/ COLD.
5) After rinse/spin cycle finishes, add detergent and run a regular wash cycle on SMALL and HOT/ COLD.6) Dry them completely in the dryer, or at halftime, hang them outside in the sun.