Your Custom Text Here
This precious boy of ours turns one today and I can't quite believe it! It's crazy that it's been a year since he was born right here in our own house! He continues to live up to his name, not only in physical strength, but in character as well. He is strong, funny, smart, adventurous, sweet, friendly to all, a fabulous eater, and a lover of music. I'm so excited to celebrate him and his birth this weekend.
Happy Birthday, Oak Alexander! We love you so!
Christmas. It's over and January is in full swing. It feels great, doesn't it?!? I love Christmas; it's one of my favorite times of the year, but when January arrives, I'm always so very ready. I love the quiet, calm of January. It's a great time to organize, purge, rest, and recoup. It's a lovely month of solitude and reset, and a fabulous way to start the new year, if you ask me.
And while January is here and we're actually nearing the end, I wanted to take a moment to share with you a few of my favorite giving moments of the holiday season. The holidays can be so full of family and generosity, but they can also so easily be consumed by commercialism, consumption, and leave us with a feeling of needing to buy and spend more, more, and more. As you can probably guess, if you've read even a little of my writing, that side of Christmas is not my cup of tea. I love giving gifts, but I hate so much of what goes along with that. Setting foot in a mall with a list in hand is nauseating to me. I think malls should be reserved for leisurely window shopping with a best friend, coffee in hand, and babies in strollers...not for frantic Christmas shopping and navigating crowds of other desperate and rushed shoppers. Gross.
In the past, I've combatted these feelings by shopping online for as many things as I can, which is a great strategy for avoiding malls, but not a great one if you're looking to support your local economy. So, this year, I tried a few other strategies (some I've done before, and some new to me as well) and I thought I'd share those with you today.
How about you? Did you find any new ways for making your giving simpler and more intentional this year?
Our little book lover got himself a mama-made 100% wool sweater last weekend! The pattern is called Storytime Scholar and I knit it up in some deliciously squishy Plymouth Yarn Homestead Tweed in Taupe purchased at a new favorite local yarn shop of mine. I LOVED working with this pattern and yarn! (My Ravelry link can be found here.) A baby cardigan knit with bulky yarn on size 9 & 10 needles?? A breeze!! I made the 12-18 month size for him, and it fits great! He has a bit of extra space in it so that it will fit him through this winter. I really debated over whether to make it extra big in order to hopefully get another winter out of it, but I decided that at this age that's probably unrealistic. He would end up wearing a huge sweater this winter and a tiny one next. Silly. Instead, he has a sweater that fits great right now, which is perfect for the cold weather that has certainly arrived and for the chilly house that we keep. He's been wearing his sweater most days this past week and it makes my mama heart happy each time I see him in it.
I also added adorable sheep buttons that I found at another local craft shop. How cute are they?!
This boy's handknit collection is growing and I must say it is so fun! There is nothing quite like dressing my baby for cold by wrapping him up in a mama-knit hat, mittens, cowl, socks, and sweater. Yes, knitting for my baby is good. Very good.
Teething Tea!! Yes, tea for babies! I've talked before about how we use teas and tinctures in our house to fight off sickness, calm our minds and bodies, for reproductive health, and for overall enjoyment, but I've also started using them to comfort and calm our little guy. I've heard that babies react to teething in different ways...some seem unfazed, while others react as if the world is ending. Our little Oak falls into the latter category. He experiences all the symptoms of teething from runny nose, to a chin-full of drool, to whining, fussiness, and full out screaming to express his frustration and discomfort from those impending teeth.
So, with that being said, I've tried a few natural remedies, including homeopathic teething tablets and essential oil blends, and this teething tea. They are all helpful and useful at different times (ie. the middle of the night!), but I find that the teething tea I feel most comfortable using liberally and consistently. Because it is a simple blend of herbs, it is gentle, natural, and perfectly safe! I've used the tea in two different ways. One way is to simply put it in a bottle and have him sip on it. The other way, which he prefers, is to freeze it in ice cube trays and then plop one of the cubes into this little mesh teether/food feeder thing we have. (Side note: I've never actually used those things for food, but they do work great for ice cubes!) If you don't have a mesh thing like that, you could also use a piece of cheese cloth or muslin and tie the ice cube in it, as long as the cloth is big enough and the ice cube is securely tied inside of it in order to prevent choking. Obviously, use your common sense. The ice cube method is great because not only is it fun for him, but the ice also soothes his gums.
I've found that right before nap-time or bedtime is a great time to give Oak the tea. It calms him before sleep and helps relieve any discomfort he may be feeling from the teeth, which is helpful for sleep as well. It's also a great distraction for him when he's being fussy, which gives me a few minutes to get a few things done around the house or in the kitchen.
1 part dried chamomile flowers (a calming and inflammatory herb that promotes sleep)
1 part dried lavender flowers (a relaxing and calming herb)
1 part dried lemon balm leaves (a soothing and calming herb that promotes sleep)
1 part dried valerian root (an herb that promotes sleep)
1 part dried catnip (a calming herb that relieves irritability and pain)
Mix all of the herbs together and store in an airtight container away from direct sunlight. When ready to use, use 1 teaspoon of herbs for each cup of water and steep until the water has cooled to room temperature. Always allow tea to cool completely before giving it to your little one in a cup or bottle, or freeze in ice cube trays and let baby suck on the ice cube. This should ONLY be done if the ice cube is inside of something in order to prevent choking. Store extra ice cubes in the freezer for easy future access.
Dosage: According to Rosemary Gladstone, when an adult dosage is 1 cup of tea, a child under 2 years should have 1/2 to 1 teaspoon. I recommend freezing ice cubes in 1 teaspoon amounts. You can also add a teaspoon of tea to a bottle and dilute it with a bit of water, breastmilk, or formula.
When using herbs, I encourage you to do your own research. Most places and websites will tell you to talk to your doctor about them. That is definitely an option! However, many doctors are not herbalists and are often not familiar with the many different herbs out there and how they can be used safely and effectively for medicinal purposes. So, if you're wanting to learn more, start studying some well-known herbalists! Two of my favorite books on medicinal herbs are Rosemary Gladstar's Medicinal Herbs: A Beginner's Guide and Conceiving Healthy Babies: An Herbal Guide to Support Preconception, Pregnancy, and Lactation. The latter is a great reference whether or not you are in your childbearing years.
References:
Gladstar, Rosemary. Medicinal Herbs: A Beginner's Guide. Storey Publishing: North Adams, MA. 2012.
Mountain Rose Herbs. https://www.mountainroseherbs.com/
High Garden Tea. https://highgardentea.com/
A few creative projects have been happening here over the past few months and this is one of them! With our drafty hardwood floors throughout the house, I wanted our little buddy to have a quilt to play on that was easily movable from room to room and that wasn't too sentimental to get well-used. Before I made this, I was using the quilt I'd made for his room, but I was sad every time I found it getting dirty from the high-traffic floors or from too much baby slime. Some quilts are made to stay on beds and be loved while sleeping, while others are made to be sat on, played on, and beat up. This playtime quilt is exactly that. It was a quick project made from Lions, Tigers and Bears from Cloud 9's Lore Collection by Lean Duncan, the arrow fabric from Cotton + Steel's Mustang Collection by Melody Miller, and Cotton + Steel's XOXO basics in Dijon Mustard. Made with a cotton batting, a simple square shape, wide binding, and straight quilting stitch, I finished this project in an afternoon. It's just what we needed and it gets used every day! Now that our little tree is scooting all around he's not often on the blanket for long periods of time, but it's a great starting place and a warm place to put him down as our house is starting to get it's wintertime chill.
