Chattahoochee Mama

How To Make A Baby

In case you need to stall a certain 5-year-old with questions about how babies are made, show her this video. At the very least, you'll both have good giggle.

ht: Design Mom

Baby News of Giant Proportion

I picked up the most recent edition of our local Coffee News at Starbucks this morning and saw an interesting article about a big baby in Delhi, India. I googled it and it looks like it is actuallly last year's news, but worthy of sharing anyway.

10-month-old Karan weighs 49 pounds, 3ft. 2 in. and wearing clothes that would normally fit a five-year old. His mother, Svetlana Singh (photo: on right holding Karan) is the world's tallest woman at 7 ft. 2 in. She said that her son was the size of a two-year old when he was born and "he never stops eating and never stops growing."

Karan's dad is tall, too, measuring 6 ft. 6, and apparently there are other extraordinarily tall folks in the family. His father says that "Karan could not have been born any other way."

Whole Foods Market "Baby's Favorite Foods" Photo Contest

Whole Foods is hosting a national contest in search of cute photos of your baby enjoying his/her favorite meal. The winner(s) gets a fabulous prize... like a Canon Powershot SD880 digital Elph camera, a "Whole Baby" gift basket, or one of several gift cards. You have until March 13 to upload a photo, and the winner(s) will be announced on March 31st. Click here for details.

How Do You Feel About The C-Word?

There's a fun site called Momversation.com that features several of the popular mommy bloggers in video coversations about parenting hot topics. People like Heather of Dooce, Maggie of Mighty Girl and Alice Bradley of Finslippy offer their personal opinions about issues like homeschooling, breastfeeding and sex after baby. Recently, they posted an episode about whether circumcision is wrong.

I have to say that I never second-guessed our decision to circumcise either Wyatt or Dylan, but it certainly makes for an interesting debate. Bottom-line (in my humble opinion) is this: Circumcision is not infant mutilation. But it is a personal decision. Check this out...

Most Popular Baby Names

When Ben and I came up with our boys' names, it didn't have anything to do with whether it appeared on a baby name list. Of course, our hope was always that it wouldn't be the most common name in the world... but we like what we like.

The other day, I was on Baby Center searching the meaning of a few names we've been tossing around for the new bambino. Just for fun, I clicked on a link to the 100 Most Popular Names of 2008.

I'm always surprised that the majority of names tend to be the same year to year. I also noticed that Wyatt finally made it in the top 100... and we always knew Dylan was a popular name, but apparently it was #16 last year! I like to think we just have good taste.=)

  

Baby's First Christmas

One of the sweetest memories I have of my boys is that of their first Christmas. I've been looking over old pictures and getting very sentimental, realizing that every child only ever has one first Christmas and how special that is for the whole family. Wyatt was 7 months old on his first Christmas and he really absorbed it all... the lights, the tree, the tearing of wrapping paper. Dylan was only 3 months old and spent many hours just staring up at the tree from the floor. My niece Sadie will be celebrating her first Christmas this year, and I can't wait to see all the photos of her sweet expressions.

 

Zuma Nesta Rock Rossdale

Gavin Rossdale and Gwen Stefani released the first official photo of their new baby Zuma, 10 weeks old, on Gwen's website this week. He's definitely a cutie, and his name... well, what do you think of his name?

New Baby in the Blogosphere!

There's a new baby over at Anna's house!

On Monday, my sweet blogging friend, Anna, gave birth to a beautiful boy named Kellan Daniel. Kellan joins 3 older siblings, which means he will be a very loved little baby. =)

Isn't he precious?

Home Birthing in the Family

Lately, I've been on pins and needles... I'm expecting THE CALL from my sis that she is in labor with my little niece Sadie. She's planning to have a home water birth attended by a midwife and doula, so I can't wait to hear how it goes. Her son Joey is now 3 and taking a huge interest in the whole process, especially now that the birthing tub is set up in her bedroom.

Tiffany told me that she recently watched portions of water births with Joey to give him an idea of what was going to happen with Mommy. After watching the video, he told her that Sadie is going to come in her own special tub, and then he gave her lots of hugs and kisses and told he loved her a million times. What a sweetie!

Stay tuned... I'll be sharing how the whole process goes once the day finally gets here. =)

My obsession with Grease continues

Green with Belly?

If your belly's ripe with baby and you're too big to hug a tree, check out this unique baby registry at Organic Green Mommy. It's a complete and green registry with over 300 items, including green gear, organic clothes and bedding, BPA-free bottles, natural toys and furniture... even organic mattresses.

Not pregnant? Create a Child Registry for your kids next birthday party. I used to think birthday registries were a little ridiculous, but after shopping from one for a little friend, I'm singing a different tune. It's quick and easy, and you know you're getting something the child wants.

Maybe being green isn't as hard as I thought.=)

My Little Torti-Babies

Okay, here's my experience with congenital torticollis. Cliffs notes version: This is where your baby's head tilts to one side due to a fibrous mass in the neck from birth trauma. It can become a serious problem if not treated because the baby's skull can become malformed... not to mention cause muscle and nerve damage.

Both of my boys had torticollis when they were born. I had them both treated by a chiropractor, who gently massaged and adjusted the neck area. I could see a dramatic difference after the first time, especially with Dylan whose case was a bit worse. In both of them, the condition cleared up within 4-6 months.

If your baby's torticollis hasn't gone away on it's own by 3 months, your doctor may suggest physical therapy or even surgery. If you're skeptical, look for a pediatric chiropractor. They are extremely gentle and soothing... most babies love it! But the key is to get treatment quickly.

Cute Celebrity Mom Quote

Sheryl Crow, on life since adopting son Wyatt Steven, 15 months:

It just makes every day like Christmas. I wake up in the morning and I can't wait for him to wake up, or he wakes me up and I run up and get him.

Can I get an "Awww..."? =)

ht: Celebrity Babies

Baby Naming Trend

Hearing that Nicole Kidman and Keith Urban named their new baby girl (congrats Nic and Keith!), Sunday Rose Kidman Urban got me thinking... what's up with the celebrity naming business? It's not that they aren't nice names... Sunday is lovely... as is Apple and Ocean... and numerous others. But I just don't hear the average non-celeb donning their little cherubs with names quite as different.

Do you think celebrities feel pressure to name their kids really unique names? In another life, would they have chosen a different name? I realize these are very serious though-provoking questions, so before your brain explodes, go check out this list of 50 Craziest Celebrity Baby Names. Some are just wrong. But that's just me.=)

Recovering from sleep deprivation

Having recently blogged my own sleep troubles, I found this article (linked to yesterday's) both interesting and helpful. Experts say that it can take several weeks or months for parents' internal clocks to adjust, but that there are some helpful things we can do to help the process along:  

• Wake up, eat and go to bed at the same time every day
• Eat breakfast near a sunny window or take a walk in the sun
• Breast-feed (apparently this promotes deep sleep)
• Develop a regular bedtime routine
• Exercise in the later afternoon or early evening
• Avoid caffeine after 2 pm
• If you arent' asleep after 10 minutes, get out of bed (do something relaxing and return when you can't keep your eyes open)

Medical term for 'losing my mind'

I had to laugh as I perused this article in USA Today last week called The 'Momnesia' Effect. It read like a page out of my own mental journal: Forgetting to strap your child into the carseat... unfortunately yes. Burning the teapot on the stove... that was a bummer. Putting the milk back in the cupboard... okay, I admit it already.

It seems momnesia - 'the mental fuzziness and memory lapses that set in shortly after childbirth' - is not all that uncommon. Women across the world are walking around in a haze they fear will never lift. However, one contibutor to the article, neuropsychiatrist Louann Brizendine, offers hope that this condition is neither permanent nor a sign that we are losing it. Brizendine says:

Women don't get dumber after childbirth. Instead, like sleep-deprived medical residents who learn on the job, their brains are getting a workout. 'You are learning a lot," she says. 'Once your mommy brain gets readjusted, you get more efficient, and you become smarter and learn things faster, but it won't happen all at once.'

She also goes on to say that being a mother to an infant causes 'certain parts of your brain to work hyper, hyper, hyper well. But it requires other parts of your brain to play second fiddle.'

So we're not crazy and we have superpowers. I like it. =)

A blog for all the beach babies at heart

My hometown is Virginia Beach, so I'm thrilled to announce that some friends down there have started VaBeachBabies.com. It's a fun blog with multiple Mommy-authors, all passionate about raising healthy and happy kids at the beach.

Va Beach is chock-full of healthy people, eateries and grocery stores, so I'm looking forward to living vicariously through their beach-inspired blog. And I'm sure I'll pick up a few parenting tips along the way;)

(Pic of co-author Sara Beth with daughter Addy.)

Inspiration

After seeing some of the designs featured in Serena and Lily's new book, Nursery Style, I was inspired to redecorate... my own bedroom. They are beautiful, and I can't wait to peruse the whole collection when the book finally comes out. You can reserve your own copy now, that will be shipped upon arrival.

A boy named Cole

There is a wonderful family in Va Beach that attends my sister's church. Last month their 2-year-old son Cole was diagnosed with leukemia, and he is already undergoing chemotherapy. His little body is having to endure so much and he is in a lot of pain. I know this must be the hardest thing to watch your child go through, so please join me in praying for Cole, as well as his parents Mike and Dalynn. Pray for healing, but also for grace and rest over the months to come.

Baby Piercing

I was just having a conversation with a friend who is debating getting her little girl's ears pierced. She's 3. I know lots of moms who do this when their babies are just a few months old, and others who wait until they are much older.

My parents didn't let me get my ears pierced until I was 8. Even then it was a little early for my mom. But my dad swayed her and told me that I could get them pierced if I won first place in a race that I was running. I did.

Not having any girls of my own, I haven't had to think too much about this. So I'm just wondering...

What are your thoughts? Do you think there's an appropriate age to get this done?