I just went away for five days. It was lovely. LOVELY! But I didn't take my oils. I debated. But I figured that I'm not too attached to them and therefore wouldn't miss them. I was right. Though two nights while I was away I woke up feeling sick to my stomach and boy would I have given peppermint a run for it's money! But tonight I was walking with the kids and my stomach felt a little funky. Yay! Another chance to put my oils to the test! (just kidding...yay is never my gut reaction to funky tummy...no pun intended) Nevertheless, as soon as I got home, I pulled out my peppermint oil and rolled it on my lower abdomen (with my new roller top, thanks to a friend who had some extras after my lid decided to take a trip down the bathroom drain this morning!). Peppermint oil is supposed to calm the rumbles in your tummy and help digestion, I believe. There are a few oils that are supposed to do that, but peppermint is the one I have so I gave it a shot! Did it work? Well, yes and no. Or maybe yes and I don't know. The neat thing about oils, the thing I love, is that you can actually feel them working. It's hard to describe. When I put the peppermint oil on my stomach, I could actually feel it being absorbed, if that is possible. It was like a relaxing, calming, warm hand pressing on my stomach. Now, did it take the tummy rumbles away? Not completely. But I feel better now, a few hours later, and with no sudden runs to el bano this evening! (sorry if TMI) The thing I'm still questioning is whether I would have felt better by now without the oils. Part of me thinks that I would have felt the same this evening, regardless of the oils. Sometimes tummy rumbles just pass on their own. But the feeling I had right after I applied the peppermint oil, the sinking in of the oil...that was worth feeling. So maybe if I'd applied it again, an hour later, that would have done the trick? Or maybe if I'd applied it in a slightly different place? Or added another oil? Who knows. But there's my oil of the day story :) The verdict? It's worth a shot! I'd rather rub (or roll!) on some peppermint than take some Pepto if those are my options!
I'm also conducting an experiment with Frankincense and my c-section scar(s). I'm guessing it will take a while to tell if it's doing anything but I'm curious to see if it will fade my scar faster than regular old "time." I'll let you know.
Oh, and something that I was going to rant about, while I'm blogging about oils anyway, is how much of a nuisance they are to apply. I'm all for natural healing and all that jazz...but we are a socks wearing family (at least myself and the kids are) and often you have to apply the oils far more often than just once or twice a day. Seriously, to have to take socks off every hour or two all day to apply oils? Not fun people. I do wish that I could just apply the oils in the morning and evening, when my socks (and the kids' socks) are off anyway, and have them actually work their magic. We just don't love being barefoot so it's not convenient at all to just stop what we're doing, take off our socks, use our oils, then don our socks again. Just saying. I realize there are other places to put oils, but we are also long pants and sweater wearing people. There's not alot of bare skin in this house to use oils on without undressing to some degree. I guess I might just get used to it...
Friday, September 27, 2013
Thursday, September 12, 2013
Oils of the day
I haven't been posting much the last couple days, but not because I haven't been using the oils! I just haven't been using them for anything new, nor have I been noticing much different from what I've already posted. BUT...I think I'm making progress in my experiment!
PanAway and Valor for aches and pains - I am convinced here. The other day I was walking and my knee was bothering me. It only hurts occasionally so I can't speak to chronic pain relief BUT, I got back from my walk and it was still hurting so I rubbed some PanAway on it and as I walked back to the kitchen, the pain was gone. Then today, my back was hurting (hello, hauling two kids around all day and night!) so I rubbed two drops of Valor on my lower back then rubbed two drops of PanAway on top of that. I must say, my back is feeling pretty good now! So for minor aches and pains, I would definitely recommend these two oils! My guess would be that if you have more intense pain or pain that is constant, it might not respond as well OR you might need to reapply oils more often. But I'd say it's worth a try. I feel better about rubbing some essential oil on my back or knee or jaw (which is also helped incredibly by Valor) than popping a Tylenol.
Lemon in water - I've said it before and I'll say it again: Yum! We are loving the switch to drinking lemon water. And I'm not sure if it's the lemon water that's to thank but I think I'm starting to crave more fruits/vegetables for snacks than sugary cookies and chocolate. All it takes is 1-2 drops of lemon oil in 1 litre of water (in a GLASS or STAINLESS container), give it a little stir and voila. So good.
Lavender and Peace & Calming - I put a drop or two of each of these oils in a warm bath last night for Kayden about an hour before bed. I don't know if it's the oils or if she's just settling into a bit more of a routine (finally?), but she went to bed at 7:45-8pm and was only up ONCE between bedtime and 7:45-8am!! Maybe the oils calmed her so she could rest well. Or maybe they worked on me and I just slept through all the less insistent cries last night...
As far as the smells of the oils go, some of the smells are growing on me. I love the smells of Valor, Lemon, Peppermint, and Peace & Calming. I still hate the smells of Thieves and Purification. The other ones I'm kinda indifferent about.
As far as the smells of the oils go, some of the smells are growing on me. I love the smells of Valor, Lemon, Peppermint, and Peace & Calming. I still hate the smells of Thieves and Purification. The other ones I'm kinda indifferent about.
Friday, September 6, 2013
Oils of the day
Kayden woke up last night around 10:30pm and just wouldn't settle again (usually I just need to go in and pat her side a few times and she's back to sleep). She was just getting more and more worked up as time passed. I noticed that she'd spit up more that day and had an unusually large baby cereal snack right before bed so I thought her tummy might be bothering her. It also seemed like a pain/discomfort thing as she would calm right down then her face would scrunch up and she would arch her back and be wailing again. SO, I pulled out my oils, hopeful that she would settle quickly once I used them on her. Because I suspected tummy troubles, I put peppermint on her tummy. I used lavender on top of that hoping it would settle her and help her sleep. And then, because she was so worked up by this time, I put a drop of peace and calming oil on her feet. I used all of these with a carrier oil (coconut oil). So, the moment of truth...drumroll please! Did it work? Not at all. Nothing. She just kept crying and arching her back. Finally I nursed her, even though I KNEW she wasn't hungry, and that calmed her down and she settled into a deep sleep for the next almost 5 hours. I was disappointed that the oils didn't help more. Maybe I used the wrong ones or in the wrong places? I'm still learning so that could be it. But I know from experience that feeding her when I did would have produced the same reaction, whether or not I'd used the oils. So...the oils were a fail last night. Anyone who is into oils have any suggestions for next time? Gentle baby? Or a different oil/placement? Let me know!
Thursday, September 5, 2013
Seven Months Old
Wow, I just sat down and typed "Four Months Old." Umm...no. SEVEN months old. Yikes. I'm really slipping. Some days I wonder if I'm going crazy. The other day I sat down with my journal and went to wrote the date and I almost wrote October. Yeah. Moving on...
Kayden is 7 months old today! She is growing up in every sense of the word. According to the measurement at her last immunization appointment, she has hit a growth spurt! Though I'm fairly certain that the measurement at her last appointment was off so it's probably just a steady growth. She's getting closer to 50th percentile though has always been under. In the weight vs height ratio, though, she's right near the top! That's the technical way of saying I have a chubby little girl on my hands. And it's lovely! She's so cute :) Kayden weighed 14.8lbs at her last appointment. She could easily be 15lbs by now. She's wearing 6-12 month clothes.
Kayden is sitting with ease, not really tipping much at all anymore. She started sitting in the wagon for walks this month, without having to be tied to the corner with a scarf :D She's an old pro. She stood for a couple seconds at the couch yesterday but she's not really there yet. She doesn't really understand the concept of hanging on to help balance. If she starts tipping, she just falls straight over. (oops)
Kayden loves baths. She's a little water-baby. She and Levi are having baths together these days and they both enjoy playing with each other. Levi was getting a bit too brave in the splashing and pouring of water, though, so the rule quickly became that whatever he does to Kayden in the bath happens to him next. So if he pours a container of water on her face, guess what buddy? You get water in your face too. He's not as comfortable in the water as Kayden is so he's gotten much better about not water-boarding his baby sister all the time.
Kayden doesn't love solid foods, but she doesn't hate them either. Her favourite is slightly warm baby cereal. It doesn't seem to matter what kind. Mix in some raspberries, and that's ok too. She doesn't really enjoy anything with much flavour yet though. Health nurse says I need to be feeding her foods with iron and skip the baby cereal completely. Well, if my baby ate absolutely anything, then great! Bring on the beef/eggs/green veggies. But if she's not going to eat them, I'd rather she fill her little tummy with SOMETHING and perhaps sleep a bit longer at night? She's eaten a couple Aeroroot crackers and animal crackers too, which are a complete and total mess, but she seems to enjoy having something to suck on.
Speaking of sleeping...this month has been a gong show in that department. She had been pretty steady for the first 6 months. And then I decided to push my luck and see if I could eliminate the night-time feeds. I had a couple glorious nights of 10 hours between feeds but since then she's gone to wanting to eat every 3.5-4 hours all night long, which is worse than before. Ugh! Some nights are good, some are bad. I think I'd rather just have a predictable routine if I'm going to be getting up at night. Not knowing if I have an hour or 3 or 6 from the time I go to bed is hard on the body! Naps have been shifting too. We were in a good routine with her longest nap being at the same time as Levi's. Now she's wanting to take her long naps morning and evening and hardly sleeps an hour at the same time as Levi. So I guess we're in a transition time with her and sleep. Makes for a VERY tired Mommy!
We moved Kayden into Levi's room this month! We were at my parents' place visiting and decided to put them in the same room and it worked really well so we figured we'd just continue to have them share a room when we got home. It has been an adjustment, let me tell you! Trying to figure out how much noise needs to happen before we respond (finding a balance between letting them adjust to each other's noise and not wanting everyone in the house awake all night). There have been many a silent curse in the middle of the night of our decision to buy a 2 bedroom house instead of a 3 bedroom. GAH! But it seems like we're making progress and it is nice to have our master bedroom back.
Kayden remains a content baby. She's been sick the past week or so and even in the midst of a runny nose and sore throat (if it's what Levi and I had), she's always ready with a smile for her family! She is a bit more shy with others but so far no full-blown stranger anxiety. Kayden will happily sit in the grass outside for a long time while I garden, just looking around and feeling the grass under her. The same goes for in the house. She's often happy to just hang out in the jolly jumper, exersaucer or on the floor, watching what's going on around her - and with a busy, two year old brother, there's always something happening! Levi loves to make her laugh. His favourite game with her seems to be peek-a-boo which is fairly loud and involves lots of yelling, but fortunately there's a lot of laughter from her too so I just leave them to have fun, despite the decibel being a bit high for my ears. Levi also loves to get her toys and play with her by rolling her over for tummy time and "blowing" on her belly. She takes a lot but there always comes a point when she's just done.
Kayden has started reaching for absolutely everything. And everything she grabs goes straight to her mouth. When she notices that something makes noise, though, she'll wave her arm up and down to see if she can make the noise again. She has no teeth yet, though I think she must be teething. We'll enjoy her gummy smile for a bit longer. Kayden has yet to roll over. She still has blue eyes, though some days I think I might be seeing a bit of hazel(?) coming in from the middle. I do hope that they stay the dark blue that they are right now but I'm sure they'll be beautiful, whatever colour they are. Kayden is starting to babble more. "dadada...aaaaa..." She laughs most when Levi plays with her or when you tickle her ribs. Kayden always wakes up with a smile; going to get her after a nap or in the morning is always so rewarding. (I'm sure it would be rewarding in the middle of the night too, if I could see anything through the groggy blur...)
I'm looking forward to month number 8! I can't believe we're getting well into the second half of Kayden's first year! And yet, it feels like she's been here so long already. Being a mom of 2 is completely routine by now. There are very few moments when I feel pulled in half because both kids need me at once. We've gotten into a wonderful groove and I'm loving it!
Kayden is sitting with ease, not really tipping much at all anymore. She started sitting in the wagon for walks this month, without having to be tied to the corner with a scarf :D She's an old pro. She stood for a couple seconds at the couch yesterday but she's not really there yet. She doesn't really understand the concept of hanging on to help balance. If she starts tipping, she just falls straight over. (oops)
Kayden loves baths. She's a little water-baby. She and Levi are having baths together these days and they both enjoy playing with each other. Levi was getting a bit too brave in the splashing and pouring of water, though, so the rule quickly became that whatever he does to Kayden in the bath happens to him next. So if he pours a container of water on her face, guess what buddy? You get water in your face too. He's not as comfortable in the water as Kayden is so he's gotten much better about not water-boarding his baby sister all the time.
Kayden doesn't love solid foods, but she doesn't hate them either. Her favourite is slightly warm baby cereal. It doesn't seem to matter what kind. Mix in some raspberries, and that's ok too. She doesn't really enjoy anything with much flavour yet though. Health nurse says I need to be feeding her foods with iron and skip the baby cereal completely. Well, if my baby ate absolutely anything, then great! Bring on the beef/eggs/green veggies. But if she's not going to eat them, I'd rather she fill her little tummy with SOMETHING and perhaps sleep a bit longer at night? She's eaten a couple Aeroroot crackers and animal crackers too, which are a complete and total mess, but she seems to enjoy having something to suck on.
Speaking of sleeping...this month has been a gong show in that department. She had been pretty steady for the first 6 months. And then I decided to push my luck and see if I could eliminate the night-time feeds. I had a couple glorious nights of 10 hours between feeds but since then she's gone to wanting to eat every 3.5-4 hours all night long, which is worse than before. Ugh! Some nights are good, some are bad. I think I'd rather just have a predictable routine if I'm going to be getting up at night. Not knowing if I have an hour or 3 or 6 from the time I go to bed is hard on the body! Naps have been shifting too. We were in a good routine with her longest nap being at the same time as Levi's. Now she's wanting to take her long naps morning and evening and hardly sleeps an hour at the same time as Levi. So I guess we're in a transition time with her and sleep. Makes for a VERY tired Mommy!
We moved Kayden into Levi's room this month! We were at my parents' place visiting and decided to put them in the same room and it worked really well so we figured we'd just continue to have them share a room when we got home. It has been an adjustment, let me tell you! Trying to figure out how much noise needs to happen before we respond (finding a balance between letting them adjust to each other's noise and not wanting everyone in the house awake all night). There have been many a silent curse in the middle of the night of our decision to buy a 2 bedroom house instead of a 3 bedroom. GAH! But it seems like we're making progress and it is nice to have our master bedroom back.
Kayden remains a content baby. She's been sick the past week or so and even in the midst of a runny nose and sore throat (if it's what Levi and I had), she's always ready with a smile for her family! She is a bit more shy with others but so far no full-blown stranger anxiety. Kayden will happily sit in the grass outside for a long time while I garden, just looking around and feeling the grass under her. The same goes for in the house. She's often happy to just hang out in the jolly jumper, exersaucer or on the floor, watching what's going on around her - and with a busy, two year old brother, there's always something happening! Levi loves to make her laugh. His favourite game with her seems to be peek-a-boo which is fairly loud and involves lots of yelling, but fortunately there's a lot of laughter from her too so I just leave them to have fun, despite the decibel being a bit high for my ears. Levi also loves to get her toys and play with her by rolling her over for tummy time and "blowing" on her belly. She takes a lot but there always comes a point when she's just done.
Kayden has started reaching for absolutely everything. And everything she grabs goes straight to her mouth. When she notices that something makes noise, though, she'll wave her arm up and down to see if she can make the noise again. She has no teeth yet, though I think she must be teething. We'll enjoy her gummy smile for a bit longer. Kayden has yet to roll over. She still has blue eyes, though some days I think I might be seeing a bit of hazel(?) coming in from the middle. I do hope that they stay the dark blue that they are right now but I'm sure they'll be beautiful, whatever colour they are. Kayden is starting to babble more. "dadada...aaaaa..." She laughs most when Levi plays with her or when you tickle her ribs. Kayden always wakes up with a smile; going to get her after a nap or in the morning is always so rewarding. (I'm sure it would be rewarding in the middle of the night too, if I could see anything through the groggy blur...)
I'm looking forward to month number 8! I can't believe we're getting well into the second half of Kayden's first year! And yet, it feels like she's been here so long already. Being a mom of 2 is completely routine by now. There are very few moments when I feel pulled in half because both kids need me at once. We've gotten into a wonderful groove and I'm loving it!
Wednesday, September 4, 2013
Oils of the day
Peppermint - Nathan used peppermint on the back of his neck for a headache (he's going off coffee)...he said it really seemed to help. He didn't take anything else for the headache.
PanAway - I hold alot of tension in my jaw and it often clicks when I open it - which hurts! I put PanAway on it and, while it didn't make the clicking completely go away, I did notice it relax and stop hurting enough to chew. Was it the oils? Or was it the massaging of my jaw? I'm not sure. I do know that the area where I rubbed the oil felt strangely...good? Haha. How's that for a description? My jaw did feel more relaxed after I used the oil. Was it all in my head? Did my jaw relax because I was thinking about it? Who knows. I do plan to use this more often as my jaw bothers me and maybe time will tell if it was actually the oil that made the difference.
Lemon - day 2 of drinking lemon oil in our water. SO GOOD! (*oils should always be used with glass or stainless steel containers)
Levi loves smelling the oils whenever I have them out. I'm hesitant to let him sniff them all at once because they really are quite potent. But tonight I let him take a good whiff of the Valor oil, in hopes that he would have a really good night's sleep. He did settle pretty well, though he often does these days. It's so hard to tell with oils! Are they working? Are they making a difference? Or is it all in the mind? So far I'm not convinced, BUT I'm certainly having fun experimenting with them and I'm open to having my mind blown. :)
*correction...I put Valor on my clicking jaw, not PanAway. When I used PanAway this morning, it really didn't seem to make much difference, but then I used Valor and that was the feeling I was talking about. It feels like relaxation just starts on the skin and soaks on down. Still a little tense, but not clicking or hurting nearly as bad!
PanAway - I hold alot of tension in my jaw and it often clicks when I open it - which hurts! I put PanAway on it and, while it didn't make the clicking completely go away, I did notice it relax and stop hurting enough to chew. Was it the oils? Or was it the massaging of my jaw? I'm not sure. I do know that the area where I rubbed the oil felt strangely...good? Haha. How's that for a description? My jaw did feel more relaxed after I used the oil. Was it all in my head? Did my jaw relax because I was thinking about it? Who knows. I do plan to use this more often as my jaw bothers me and maybe time will tell if it was actually the oil that made the difference.
Lemon - day 2 of drinking lemon oil in our water. SO GOOD! (*oils should always be used with glass or stainless steel containers)
Levi loves smelling the oils whenever I have them out. I'm hesitant to let him sniff them all at once because they really are quite potent. But tonight I let him take a good whiff of the Valor oil, in hopes that he would have a really good night's sleep. He did settle pretty well, though he often does these days. It's so hard to tell with oils! Are they working? Are they making a difference? Or is it all in the mind? So far I'm not convinced, BUT I'm certainly having fun experimenting with them and I'm open to having my mind blown. :)
*correction...I put Valor on my clicking jaw, not PanAway. When I used PanAway this morning, it really didn't seem to make much difference, but then I used Valor and that was the feeling I was talking about. It feels like relaxation just starts on the skin and soaks on down. Still a little tense, but not clicking or hurting nearly as bad!
Tuesday, September 3, 2013
Home-making
I was bitten by the domestic bug pretty early on (and no, not the bed bug variety of domestic bug). I've always wanted to be homemaker. Dream job. I love it. And I take it pretty seriously too. (I'm really gunning for that promotion..oh wait) To me, being a homemaker is about so much more than cooking and cleaning and taking care of the kids. There is so much more to a home than just errands and chores and schedules. Homes are living, breathing organisms. How do I want our home to feel to the people who live here, not to mention every person who walks through the door? What values do we have? If I don't want bitterness to eat away at my family, I'd better watch my attitude. If I want a joyful house full of laughter, I'd better be willing to do what I can to create that atmosphere. (Though there are certainly things out of our control that can change the way we "homemake"...I'm not saying that its as simple as just smiling all the time if we want a happy family life.) Anyway, I digress.
These days, my homemaking is consisting of putting away food for winter so we can eat home-grown food long after earth freezes over. Yay! I've never really canned anything before. I tried pickles last year and they were sorely disappointing. But! I am not beyond trying again! This year I have expanded my horizons and so far I have canned strawberry and raspberry jams, pickles (gotta get this one right!), apple sauce and juice, and apple pie filling! It feels so so good to see all those empty jars downstairs slowly being filled with colourful and tasty treats for winter!
I've also developed a love for gardening this summer that was never there to this degree before. As a kid, I hated gardening because it was always a chore. Pull that acre of wild mustard, please. Weed the rows of peas, please. Time to plant/hill/dig potatoes! Here are some peas that need shelling. (Ok, I always enjoyed that one because my sister and I discovered that we could do it in front of the tv) Anyway, my mom always said that we would enjoy it when the gardens were our own and I never believed her. But it is so true! I've been loving my gardens. Though interestingly, the weeds are no more fun to pull, whether or not the garden belongs to you...
Random sidenote on oils: we started drinking lemon oil in our water today. AMAZING! I don't know about any benefits other than taste at this point but wow. It is so fresh and clean tasting. And because its oil, it kinda coats the inside I your mouth and leaves your mouth feeling wonderfully fresh (mouth-coating is not as gross as it sounds...unless you're drinking something like Thieves, then it's grosser than it sounds).
Monday, September 2, 2013
Oils - an introduction to my introduction to oils
So, you all know me. I'm a fad-follower. I dive into the deep end as soon as each new fad makes its appearance. I was the first one with a cell phone. I was the first one wearing skinny jeans when they made their comeback. I was the first one dying their hair when it became popular back in junior high. I was first in line to buy a CD player, MP3 player and then iPod when tapes started going out of style.
Ok, if anyone is fooled, let me tell you, this is so far from who I am. I'm usually the one who sits back and watches to see if the latest craze is sticking around long enough for me to buy into it. I didn't have a cell phone until two years ago. I didn't dye my hair until grade 9 (everyone else started in grade 7!). And I didn't buy a pair of skinny jeans until a few years in, once I made sure I wouldn't look like a geek the next time I stepped out the door, lest the style change while I was sleeping.
The latest "thing" in our area is essential oils. These are therapeutic grade oils that one uses for an endless number of things. (Young Living is the company everyone uses around here.) These oils are used for everything from the common cold to headaches to cleaning the kitchen sink to brushing your teeth to emotional healing to mosquito repellant. Seriously, people use them for everything. After hearing people talk about them and rave about the difference they have made in their families' health (and after talking with a friend who encouraged me to give them a try), I broke down and bought a basic "starter kit". It contains all the most basic, often-used oils to get you started. To convince you. To lure you into their depths.
I will admit, I am quite skeptical. But they promise the world (well not quite, but close!) so I figure I'll share a bit of my experience with them here. I've had a number of people interested in hearing about them so if you're one of those people, this is the place to follow along while I experiment with Young Living essential oils!
First off, you're all probably wonder how they smell. Well...one of my greatest fears in starting down this essential oil road is that my house will begin to smell like the oils. I'll admit, I'm not a fan of most of the oils I've smelled. Lemon smells amazing. Peppermint is pretty good. But some of the other ones...I'm just not loving it. I hear that they grow on you...or don't. We shall see. I also fear that my kids will smell like them when they go to school and will be made fun of because of it. (I remember a boy in my class in grade 3 who was basically shunned because he smelled different...kids can be so cruel!) Aside from those two things, I have nothing to lose!
You're probably also wondering what I've used them for so far. Well, I only got them 3 days ago but so far I've used:
- Peppermint for a headache - I rubbed a drop of peppermint oil into some coconut oil (aka carrier oil) and applied it to my temples and back of my neck. Those are the spots where the headache was. Did it work? Well, I'd say the pain in my head indeed felt less almost immediately. Unfortunately I think it was due to the burning of my eyes from having the oil so close to them (temples). I'm going to double-check whether or not that was the correct way to apply the oil in this situation.
- Peace and Calming for putting kids to bed - I've used a drop of this oil on the bottoms of Levi's feet for two nights so far. He usually goes to bed pretty well so I wouldn't say I've seen a huge difference. He was pretty hyper one night before bed and settled really well but he might have done that anyway. It's hard to tell. This morning, Kayden was wide awake at 5am (three hours early according to our routine) so I used a drop of this oil on her feet. I was really hoping that she would calm right down and go back to sleep but she just kept crying like nothing had happened. *sigh* So much for a miracle-worker.
- Peace and Calming AND Valor for having house-guests - I'm usually pretty laid-back when we have people over but every once in a while the lack of sleep from having two young kids mixes with people coming over mixes with LIFE and I feel a bit on edge when we're supposed to have people in our home. I started the day with a drop of Valor on the bottom of each of my feet. Throughout the day, if I ever felt myself getting anxious, I would just go into the bathroom and take a deep whif of one of those oils. I've gotta say, it was quite a relaxing day! Completely not what I expected, to be honest with you. I'm still not convinced that it was due to the oils alone, but hey, I'll give them another chance :)
- PanAway for hubby's sore knee - Nathan has a knee that bothers him from time to time. So, when he mentioned that his knee was bothering him, I pretty much tackled him with oil in my hand, ready to rub it into his aching knee. haha. I asked him a couple hours later if his knee still hurt. It didn't. Was it the oils? Could be. I'll need more to convince me that it was!
- Thieves for sore throat - they suggest putting one drop of Thieves oil into four cups of water, then drinking it if you have a sore throat. I am game to try anything so I mixed it up and took a big swig. You know how something can be so bad that you involuntarily shudder after ingesting it? Like Buckley's? That was me and Thieves. Gross. And the worst part is, because you're drinking water mixed with oil, the oil coats your mouth and throat so you can't get rid of the taste. It's just...there. Ick. NOT doing that again.
I look forward to learning more about these oils and sharing what I find. I think they have potential to be better for some things than for others, but we'll see. I'll try to post regularly about what I'm learning and finding. Follow along!
You're probably also wondering what I've used them for so far. Well, I only got them 3 days ago but so far I've used:
- Peppermint for a headache - I rubbed a drop of peppermint oil into some coconut oil (aka carrier oil) and applied it to my temples and back of my neck. Those are the spots where the headache was. Did it work? Well, I'd say the pain in my head indeed felt less almost immediately. Unfortunately I think it was due to the burning of my eyes from having the oil so close to them (temples). I'm going to double-check whether or not that was the correct way to apply the oil in this situation.
- Peace and Calming for putting kids to bed - I've used a drop of this oil on the bottoms of Levi's feet for two nights so far. He usually goes to bed pretty well so I wouldn't say I've seen a huge difference. He was pretty hyper one night before bed and settled really well but he might have done that anyway. It's hard to tell. This morning, Kayden was wide awake at 5am (three hours early according to our routine) so I used a drop of this oil on her feet. I was really hoping that she would calm right down and go back to sleep but she just kept crying like nothing had happened. *sigh* So much for a miracle-worker.
- Peace and Calming AND Valor for having house-guests - I'm usually pretty laid-back when we have people over but every once in a while the lack of sleep from having two young kids mixes with people coming over mixes with LIFE and I feel a bit on edge when we're supposed to have people in our home. I started the day with a drop of Valor on the bottom of each of my feet. Throughout the day, if I ever felt myself getting anxious, I would just go into the bathroom and take a deep whif of one of those oils. I've gotta say, it was quite a relaxing day! Completely not what I expected, to be honest with you. I'm still not convinced that it was due to the oils alone, but hey, I'll give them another chance :)
- PanAway for hubby's sore knee - Nathan has a knee that bothers him from time to time. So, when he mentioned that his knee was bothering him, I pretty much tackled him with oil in my hand, ready to rub it into his aching knee. haha. I asked him a couple hours later if his knee still hurt. It didn't. Was it the oils? Could be. I'll need more to convince me that it was!
- Thieves for sore throat - they suggest putting one drop of Thieves oil into four cups of water, then drinking it if you have a sore throat. I am game to try anything so I mixed it up and took a big swig. You know how something can be so bad that you involuntarily shudder after ingesting it? Like Buckley's? That was me and Thieves. Gross. And the worst part is, because you're drinking water mixed with oil, the oil coats your mouth and throat so you can't get rid of the taste. It's just...there. Ick. NOT doing that again.
I look forward to learning more about these oils and sharing what I find. I think they have potential to be better for some things than for others, but we'll see. I'll try to post regularly about what I'm learning and finding. Follow along!
Wednesday, August 7, 2013
Comparisons
I always find it fun to play the "who does Baby look like?" game. I can't be the only one who enjoys this game. So let's take a look at who Kayden looks like, shall we?
Here is Kayden:
Here is Daddy:
Here is Mommy:
Here is Levi:
And here are her twin cousins at a similar age (who I've heard her compared to over and over and over again):
So what do you think? Who does Kayden look like? Thoughts?
Here is Kayden:
Here is Daddy:
Here is Mommy:
Here is Levi:
And here are her twin cousins at a similar age (who I've heard her compared to over and over and over again):
So what do you think? Who does Kayden look like? Thoughts?
Monday, August 5, 2013
Six Months Old
Six Months. Half a year. This milestone comes with alot of accomplishments that indicate that our little baby is, in fact, growing up!
Kayden started sitting independently this month! She was almost there last month at this time but now she's got it. Mostly. She still gets tired and tips over eventually, but for the most part she's pretty steady on her bum :) Kayden hasn't rolled over on her own yet. She's been helped over numerous times by her well-meaning, very helpful older brother but she has yet to do it by herself. I think she's just so content however we leave her that she doesn't really feel like rolling is necessary!
Kayden has started solids. As in oatmeal cereal and wheat cereal. I wouldn't say that she has a preference. She doesn't seem to LOVE either one. But she gets some down and doesn't gag so I'd say that's a good start. It looks like the texture is what she's most finding an adjustment.
Sleep this month has actually been worse than almost ever before. The exception would be a few nights in the first two weeks of her life when she would randomly want to be awake for a couple hours in the middle of the night. But that was sorted out quite quickly and since then she has almost always been up twice a night with a five hour stretch at the beginning of almost every night. This month we stepped back and allowed her to space out her daytime feeds if she so desired. Until now, I'd been assuming that whenever she got fussy after 2 hours, she was hungry. Turns out she wasn't necessarily hungry and she now goes 3-3.5 hours between feeds. The theory was that she would start to sleep a bit longer at night if her daytime feeds were spaced out a bit. Umm...complete opposite. She started eating every 3-3.5 hours day AND night. Which was a setback in terms of getting a full night's sleep, that's for sure! But we have done some sleep training (NOT cry it out but also NOT feeding her every time she wakes) for the past 3 nights and I'm happy to say that she slept her first (?) 8 hour stretch last night! Kayden wakes for the day around 8am these days. She naps between 10-11am, between 1-3pm, and again between 5-6pm. Then she goes down for the night around 8pm. Kayden has started sleeping in her bed (still in our room) for all naps as well as night (until now, she's been napping in the stroller while walking, on our bed, and other random places). And we tried a few nights with her in Levi's room in the crib, which went well, but we decided to wait until she's sleeping through the night before making that a permanent arrangement. :)
Kayden weighs about 15lbs now and is wearing mostly 6m clothes, though she's moving rapidly toward 6-12m and 9m sizes.
Kayden loves her Jolly Jumper. She jumps so energetically, it's so fun to watch! She loves to watch whatever her brother is doing. Levi can make her laugh like nobody else, mostly by throwing things to our dismay - always a big mess to clean up after they've been playing! She also likes peek-a-boo and will laugh so hard when Levi's little face pops out from somewhere unexpectedly. She is also fascinated by Lennox, who leaves her alone for the most part. Kayden doesn't like loud noises, they will often make her cry as we found out at the local car show this month. She enjoys walks, we hardly hear a peep out of her when we're out with the stroller - and not because she's sleeping! Kayden is in the stage of putting everything in her mouth and her little hand gets a firm grip on anything within reach. Kayden is fairly ticklish, mostly on her ribs...tickles are always good for some laughs :)
Kayden's eyes are still blue (yay!)...they're a dark blue with an even darker ring around the outside of the iris. They are gorgeous. She still has her bald spot on the back of her head and the rest of her hair is pretty sparse too. I don't think it's thinned too much since she was born, but her head has grown so her hair now looks alot thinner than when she was born! Hopefully it'll start growing before too long! Some days it looks like there's a smooth, new layer coming in underneath so here's hoping! Kayden doesn't have any teeth yet but the way she sometimes chews makes me think that they could be close.
Kayden is such a joy. She's only really fussy when she's tired, dirty (she CANNOT be dirty or overly wet for long), or hungry. Or when she's supposed to be sleeping but wants to be awake - in fact, I can hear her right now...silly girl.
Happy half birthday, Kayden! Daddy said I should bake you a cake today to celebrate so tomorrow we might have to do that because it's far too late now. We love who you are becoming as we see your personality coming out more and more all the time. You are sweet and patient. Fun-loving and full of joy. We love you Kayden Grace!
Kayden started sitting independently this month! She was almost there last month at this time but now she's got it. Mostly. She still gets tired and tips over eventually, but for the most part she's pretty steady on her bum :) Kayden hasn't rolled over on her own yet. She's been helped over numerous times by her well-meaning, very helpful older brother but she has yet to do it by herself. I think she's just so content however we leave her that she doesn't really feel like rolling is necessary!
Kayden has started solids. As in oatmeal cereal and wheat cereal. I wouldn't say that she has a preference. She doesn't seem to LOVE either one. But she gets some down and doesn't gag so I'd say that's a good start. It looks like the texture is what she's most finding an adjustment.
Sleep this month has actually been worse than almost ever before. The exception would be a few nights in the first two weeks of her life when she would randomly want to be awake for a couple hours in the middle of the night. But that was sorted out quite quickly and since then she has almost always been up twice a night with a five hour stretch at the beginning of almost every night. This month we stepped back and allowed her to space out her daytime feeds if she so desired. Until now, I'd been assuming that whenever she got fussy after 2 hours, she was hungry. Turns out she wasn't necessarily hungry and she now goes 3-3.5 hours between feeds. The theory was that she would start to sleep a bit longer at night if her daytime feeds were spaced out a bit. Umm...complete opposite. She started eating every 3-3.5 hours day AND night. Which was a setback in terms of getting a full night's sleep, that's for sure! But we have done some sleep training (NOT cry it out but also NOT feeding her every time she wakes) for the past 3 nights and I'm happy to say that she slept her first (?) 8 hour stretch last night! Kayden wakes for the day around 8am these days. She naps between 10-11am, between 1-3pm, and again between 5-6pm. Then she goes down for the night around 8pm. Kayden has started sleeping in her bed (still in our room) for all naps as well as night (until now, she's been napping in the stroller while walking, on our bed, and other random places). And we tried a few nights with her in Levi's room in the crib, which went well, but we decided to wait until she's sleeping through the night before making that a permanent arrangement. :)
Kayden weighs about 15lbs now and is wearing mostly 6m clothes, though she's moving rapidly toward 6-12m and 9m sizes.
Kayden loves her Jolly Jumper. She jumps so energetically, it's so fun to watch! She loves to watch whatever her brother is doing. Levi can make her laugh like nobody else, mostly by throwing things to our dismay - always a big mess to clean up after they've been playing! She also likes peek-a-boo and will laugh so hard when Levi's little face pops out from somewhere unexpectedly. She is also fascinated by Lennox, who leaves her alone for the most part. Kayden doesn't like loud noises, they will often make her cry as we found out at the local car show this month. She enjoys walks, we hardly hear a peep out of her when we're out with the stroller - and not because she's sleeping! Kayden is in the stage of putting everything in her mouth and her little hand gets a firm grip on anything within reach. Kayden is fairly ticklish, mostly on her ribs...tickles are always good for some laughs :)
Kayden's eyes are still blue (yay!)...they're a dark blue with an even darker ring around the outside of the iris. They are gorgeous. She still has her bald spot on the back of her head and the rest of her hair is pretty sparse too. I don't think it's thinned too much since she was born, but her head has grown so her hair now looks alot thinner than when she was born! Hopefully it'll start growing before too long! Some days it looks like there's a smooth, new layer coming in underneath so here's hoping! Kayden doesn't have any teeth yet but the way she sometimes chews makes me think that they could be close.
Kayden is such a joy. She's only really fussy when she's tired, dirty (she CANNOT be dirty or overly wet for long), or hungry. Or when she's supposed to be sleeping but wants to be awake - in fact, I can hear her right now...silly girl.
Happy half birthday, Kayden! Daddy said I should bake you a cake today to celebrate so tomorrow we might have to do that because it's far too late now. We love who you are becoming as we see your personality coming out more and more all the time. You are sweet and patient. Fun-loving and full of joy. We love you Kayden Grace!
Friday, July 19, 2013
Seasons.
Life. It's such a series of waves, it ebbs and flows.
There are phases, swells, seasons.
I think part of maturing is learning to ride the waves with grace, and to understand that everything is but a season.
What feels like the end today is hope tomorrow. What is painful today gives strength for another day.
Nothing is forever.
When we learn that life is so much more than what is happening in this moment, we can live more gracefully because we know that tomorrow will be new...it will bring new things, new emotions, new people, new routines.
Being in the moment can be beautiful or painful, seamless or complicated, healthy or ailing. And the moment is certainly one to be lived, experienced, held. Each season must be given space to unfold so that we're ready for the next.
Without summer we cannot have fall.
Without winter, there is no spring.
The difficulty comes when we see no end to the winter we are in. We don't understand why summer can't last forever. But we can't experience the peaceful, beautiful seasons in their fullness, we can't be truly ready for them, unless we walk through the dry and lonely seasons first.
Life is coming. And with life there will be richness. And richness will certainly cycle through to autumn and winter again.
Life. It's such a series of waves, it ebbs and flows.
Dwell in the moment and know that it is preparing you for what is next. Summer is filling you for dryer times. And know that in times when we feel weak, there is beauty being prepared under the soil so that, when the time is right, life will burst forth in full bloom once more.
So keep walking, my friends, and stay strong in this season. We won't be abandoned in winter. It is simply preparing us for spring.
*Ecclesiastes 3:1
There are phases, swells, seasons.
I think part of maturing is learning to ride the waves with grace, and to understand that everything is but a season.
What feels like the end today is hope tomorrow. What is painful today gives strength for another day.
Nothing is forever.
When we learn that life is so much more than what is happening in this moment, we can live more gracefully because we know that tomorrow will be new...it will bring new things, new emotions, new people, new routines.
Being in the moment can be beautiful or painful, seamless or complicated, healthy or ailing. And the moment is certainly one to be lived, experienced, held. Each season must be given space to unfold so that we're ready for the next.
Without summer we cannot have fall.
Without winter, there is no spring.
The difficulty comes when we see no end to the winter we are in. We don't understand why summer can't last forever. But we can't experience the peaceful, beautiful seasons in their fullness, we can't be truly ready for them, unless we walk through the dry and lonely seasons first.
Life is coming. And with life there will be richness. And richness will certainly cycle through to autumn and winter again.
Life. It's such a series of waves, it ebbs and flows.
Dwell in the moment and know that it is preparing you for what is next. Summer is filling you for dryer times. And know that in times when we feel weak, there is beauty being prepared under the soil so that, when the time is right, life will burst forth in full bloom once more.
So keep walking, my friends, and stay strong in this season. We won't be abandoned in winter. It is simply preparing us for spring.
*Ecclesiastes 3:1
Thursday, July 4, 2013
Five Months Old
Five months. If I were on mat leave, I'm sure I would dread these monthly updates a little more because every month would be one month closer to going back to work at one year. I am so blessed to be able to stay home with our two little munchkins. There are certainly days when I wish I could have a bit of a break but overall I just love my job and each month is a celebration of our kids getting older rather than one month less before I have to return to work. :)
Kayden continues to be a content baby, usually happy and with smiles for anyone who takes the time to smile and talk to her. She's not a very outgoing baby, though doesn't seem too shy either. She hasn't been making strange at all yet. She's also not reaching out for everyone who looks at her! This month we spent a few days at camp while Nathan was speaking and then a few days with my parents. We know now that she's not as happy as usual when there is lots of activity and her regular routine is thrown off. I kept telling people that she was a content, happy baby and she kept fussing and crying and letting us know that she wasn't happy. Oh well, we're all allowed to have "off" days sometimes! Once things settled down on our travels and the noise died down, she brought out the smiles and laughter a bit more.
Kayden was weighed this month and was 13lbs 6oz. Still so light, though she is double her birth weight so I'd say she's right on track! And you would never guess she's light by looking at her. She is one chubby girl. I just love her little pudgy arms and hands and legs! She was only 22 3/4" long when she was measured this month so I guess she's short and chubby. I'd call that CUTE!
Kayden is dealing so well with her older brother's affections. He loves to roll her over onto her tummy and give her "tummy time" multiple times a day. She doesn't protest at all, usually, unless she is left on her tummy for extended periods of time. She hasn't figured out the rolling over thing yet so once she's on her tummy, she's stuck there until someone flips her over. Yesterday she rolled from her side/back onto her tummy though (more than just a fall to her tummy) so perhaps that milestone is just around the corner!
Kayden is almost sitting on her own! I would definitely not leave her sitting in the middle of the room alone yet, but she can balance for probably 20-30 seconds at a time. We get a kick out of how, when we try to lean her back either in our arms or against a pillow, she will pull her neck/head up to try to sit straight up instead of leaning back. It's like she's trying to say, "I'm not a baby! I want to sit up and SEE everything!" Haha.
Kayden has grown to LOVE her Jolly Jumper this month. She bounces happily in there multiple times a day, which is very handy when I'm making supper or doing something with Levi. Levi likes to help her learn to bounce (you can probably picture that) and push her like she's in a swing. I get kinda nervous when he does that but as long as it's within moderation, I let him have his fun. She doesn't seem to mind and as long as nobody is getting hurt (including my walls), I'd rather pick my fights and this one doesn't seem worth it. With a two-year old, "pick your fight" is the name of the game!
We're still not sleeping through the night in this house, though I think we might be getting closer! In the past week, Kayden has had two 6-7 hour stretches at night! Last night I got to sleep from midnight until 6am without waking up once! It feels so amazingly good. Usually, though, in the 12 hours that Kayden is in bed for night, she eats 3-4 times. She's starting to space her daytime feeds from every 2 hours to every 3.5-4 hours.
Kayden has learned to grab toys this month, though only if they're held in front of her. She has a favourite toy, the Discovery Toys Super Yummy. She will get so excited when she sees it. She wouldn't need any other toys, just that one :) She loves to watch Levi doing whatever he's doing. She's also noticed Lennox a few times and watched him. Kayden has also been enjoying her exersaucer, though for now it's just a place to look around from, not so much a place to play. Her cradle cap was taken care of this month and hasn't come back. Oh, and she's trying to become a thumb sucker but I am trying just as hard to make sure that doesn't happen. I'd rather prevent it now than wean her later. Everything is going in her mouth these days though!
She still sleeps in our room, though she's shared a room with Levi a couple times as we've been traveling this month and they've both done just fine, not waking each other up. So I'm slowly putting Kayden in her crib in Levi's room more and more so she gets used to it while awake. Right now she's in the play pen in our room. We're all sleeping well, though, so I'm in no hurry to switch things up :)
And that's our 5 month old! She's such a joy. She's starting to laugh more and more, usually when we "blow" on her belly or tickle her, though sometimes just talking to her will get her going, especially when there's an element of surprise ("PEEK!" or "HI!"). What a little doll. Looking forward to month #6 with our girl!
Kayden continues to be a content baby, usually happy and with smiles for anyone who takes the time to smile and talk to her. She's not a very outgoing baby, though doesn't seem too shy either. She hasn't been making strange at all yet. She's also not reaching out for everyone who looks at her! This month we spent a few days at camp while Nathan was speaking and then a few days with my parents. We know now that she's not as happy as usual when there is lots of activity and her regular routine is thrown off. I kept telling people that she was a content, happy baby and she kept fussing and crying and letting us know that she wasn't happy. Oh well, we're all allowed to have "off" days sometimes! Once things settled down on our travels and the noise died down, she brought out the smiles and laughter a bit more.
Kayden was weighed this month and was 13lbs 6oz. Still so light, though she is double her birth weight so I'd say she's right on track! And you would never guess she's light by looking at her. She is one chubby girl. I just love her little pudgy arms and hands and legs! She was only 22 3/4" long when she was measured this month so I guess she's short and chubby. I'd call that CUTE!
Kayden is dealing so well with her older brother's affections. He loves to roll her over onto her tummy and give her "tummy time" multiple times a day. She doesn't protest at all, usually, unless she is left on her tummy for extended periods of time. She hasn't figured out the rolling over thing yet so once she's on her tummy, she's stuck there until someone flips her over. Yesterday she rolled from her side/back onto her tummy though (more than just a fall to her tummy) so perhaps that milestone is just around the corner!
Kayden is almost sitting on her own! I would definitely not leave her sitting in the middle of the room alone yet, but she can balance for probably 20-30 seconds at a time. We get a kick out of how, when we try to lean her back either in our arms or against a pillow, she will pull her neck/head up to try to sit straight up instead of leaning back. It's like she's trying to say, "I'm not a baby! I want to sit up and SEE everything!" Haha.
Kayden has grown to LOVE her Jolly Jumper this month. She bounces happily in there multiple times a day, which is very handy when I'm making supper or doing something with Levi. Levi likes to help her learn to bounce (you can probably picture that) and push her like she's in a swing. I get kinda nervous when he does that but as long as it's within moderation, I let him have his fun. She doesn't seem to mind and as long as nobody is getting hurt (including my walls), I'd rather pick my fights and this one doesn't seem worth it. With a two-year old, "pick your fight" is the name of the game!
We're still not sleeping through the night in this house, though I think we might be getting closer! In the past week, Kayden has had two 6-7 hour stretches at night! Last night I got to sleep from midnight until 6am without waking up once! It feels so amazingly good. Usually, though, in the 12 hours that Kayden is in bed for night, she eats 3-4 times. She's starting to space her daytime feeds from every 2 hours to every 3.5-4 hours.
Kayden has learned to grab toys this month, though only if they're held in front of her. She has a favourite toy, the Discovery Toys Super Yummy. She will get so excited when she sees it. She wouldn't need any other toys, just that one :) She loves to watch Levi doing whatever he's doing. She's also noticed Lennox a few times and watched him. Kayden has also been enjoying her exersaucer, though for now it's just a place to look around from, not so much a place to play. Her cradle cap was taken care of this month and hasn't come back. Oh, and she's trying to become a thumb sucker but I am trying just as hard to make sure that doesn't happen. I'd rather prevent it now than wean her later. Everything is going in her mouth these days though!
She still sleeps in our room, though she's shared a room with Levi a couple times as we've been traveling this month and they've both done just fine, not waking each other up. So I'm slowly putting Kayden in her crib in Levi's room more and more so she gets used to it while awake. Right now she's in the play pen in our room. We're all sleeping well, though, so I'm in no hurry to switch things up :)
And that's our 5 month old! She's such a joy. She's starting to laugh more and more, usually when we "blow" on her belly or tickle her, though sometimes just talking to her will get her going, especially when there's an element of surprise ("PEEK!" or "HI!"). What a little doll. Looking forward to month #6 with our girl!
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