Monthly Archives: November 2011

Bike void

I’m pretty sure it’s been over a month since I last rode my bike.  I believe the actual date was October 15th, when I made a late evening gelato run to use a Groupon before it expired.  (I returned home with a quart of half pistachio, half cherry, in case you were wondering.)  So yeah, hard as I try, I can’t come up with a time since then, which makes it a month-and-a-half 😦

When I was a full-time bicycle commuter, I’d barely hesitate before heading out on cold, dark rides.  I’m afraid that I’ve gotten a bit soft after wo years of car commuting, plus the last few post-baby months of barely biking for non-work trips.  Though I long for the day I return to full-time bicycle commuting, the all-weather aspect will require some readjustment.

Knowing I’m not the only new bicycling mama in bicycle withdrawal does help a bit.  If we actually had the baby supporter, we might have given the trailer a real test drive (i.e., one with The Dude) last Friday, but alas, it only exists on our Christmas wish list right now.

I really doubt we’ll take him out in the trailer in the dead of winter, for fear of creating a Dude-sicle, and as goes baby, so goes mama.  That means we’re looking at the spring before any chance even semi-regular biking around here.  It just occurred to me that maybe I should get one of those trainer thingies for my bike, or I might not be fit to ride my bicycle around the block, much less take longer trips pulling a trailer, come spring!

Psst, psst: EC at Four Months

Babies change so quickly in a month’s time, but I don’t think much has changed EC-wise.  At this point, the communication feels fairly one-sided, especially when it comes to pee: we give potty opportunities and cues and he [sometimes] responds.

Despite no diet change (still 100% breast milk), his poops are becoming more, um, interesting, providing extra incentive to get them in the potty rather than the diaper.  His poop cues are fairly distinctive: farting, grunting, fussing while feeding.  Unfortunately, these cues that sometimes mean, “I’m about to poop,” can alternately mean, “I have gas,” or, “I might poop sometime in the next 24 hours.”

In other news, I found a second potty on Craigslist for eight dollars — same brand as the blue pot, slightly different design.  The blue pot now stays at daycare during the week, and I offer potty opportunities when I go over to feed The Dude.  On the weekends, I just leave the pot in the car.  If I slide the passenger seat all the way forward, I can place the pot on the floor behind it, and I’ve caught a couple of pees when we were out and about.

I’ll close this update by sharing a couple of things we’ve discovered on our EC journey.

Tips and Tricks:

  • Sometimes The Dude needs a little help chilling out enough to pee.  For awhile, letting him suck on a pacifier helped accomplish this.  (It also gave me visions of him standing at a urinal in a public restroom when he’s twenty, casually pulling a pacifier out of his pocket before getting down to business.)
  • More recently, the hairdryer is our calming tool of choice.  We’d been using the dryer to calm him during diaper changes and make sure things stayed nice and dry down there.  Matthew discovered that it also helped while on the pot!
  • At daycare, in lieu of the hairdryer, I’ve sometimes resorted to running water in the sink.
  • If you’re not quite “diaper-free” (and we definitely are NOT),  something that’s easy-on and off, like a simple velcro cover with insert, makes potty opportunities more convenient.

Further reading
Diaper Free: FAQs and Facts — Good answers to common EC questions and concerns, written by a dad.
Elimination Communication — Tons of information in this two-year-and-counting chronicle of one family’s EC journey.  While I try to avoid doing too many comparisons, I find it helpful to see where “Itty Bitty” was at various ages and what lies ahead for us.  It also provides encouragement when I feel like just throwing in the diaper towel.

Thankfulness

The past four-and-a-half months have probably been the toughest, most challenging of my life, but in the midst of it, I have so much to be thankful for:

  1. My amazing husband, whose love and support sustains me through the tough days
  2. A healthy body that can walk, run, bike, and nourish my baby
  3. A healthy baby to love and cuddle — a warm little bundle in my arms
  4. A hot meal on the table at night, and delicious leftovers for lunch
  5. Wonderful family and friends

Happy Thanksgiving!  What are you thankful for?

To resist the spirit of consumerism and materialism

We celebrated Gabriel’s baptism on Sunday.  The ceremony reaffirmed  my love for the inclusive, social justice oriented, faith community that is St. Cronan’s.

In keeping with the spirit of sustainability and simplicity, The Dude wore a baptismal gown made by his great-grandmother, previously worn by his father and uncle.

I’m not sure if you’re supposed to have a favorite baptismal promise, but this one is particularly meaningful to me, as a value that can and should be embraced by all humankind, regardless of faith or belief system:

Do you commit yourself to a gospel spirit of poverty and detachment – to resist the spirit of consumerism and materialism – to live a life of generosity – and to exercise a preferential option for the poor?

A good reminder at any time, but especially relevant this time of year.

Two pair no more

It seems like just yesterday that I was writing this post about my maternity wardrobe and being rather content with the simplicity of my limited options.  Nonetheless, I was looking forward to wearing some of my pre-pregnancy clothes.

When I attempted to put on “real” clothes (i.e., anything other than a sundress or gym shorts) for the first time, about two weeks after giving birth, I quickly discovered that, despite having lost a significant amount of the pregnancy weight, my body wasn’t exactly what it used to be.  A few more weeks passed, and some of my “big” pants started fitting, but by week fourteen, when I went back to work, things had not progressed any further.  This left me with exactly two pair of non-summery, work-appropriate pants.

For me, it wasn’t about the number on the scale — it’s fairly common for nursing mothers to retain 5-10 pounds or so until they stop breast feeding — or really even the slightly altered reflection in the mirror.  The thing is, I liked the simplicity of a smaller wardrobe, I just wasn’t expecting it to be quite THAT limited.  While I genuinely enjoyed clothes shopping as a teenager, I rather dislike shopping of any kind now, and the thought of having to buy new (or new-to-me) pants, when I had so many perfectly good ones that didn’t quite fit, frustrated me quite a bit.

Little by little however, I noticed that my “big” pants were actually feeling big again.  Then, late last week, I tried on a pair of pre-pregnancy pants, just to see, and found that they fit!  A little snug, but comfortable enough to wear 🙂

Now that most things fit again, I have to hold myself to my previous statement to whittle down my wardrobe.  While two pair of pants seems a bit sparse, if I can get by with two, I certainly don’t need ten!