What is Normal?

Joe's been going more and more au natural lately.  All the organic bath and cleaning products I use aren't good enough anymore- he makes his own concoctions out of coconut oil, peroxide, baking soda, and vinegar. He would go barefoot all day if he could.  He fights colds with raw garlic and cayenne pepper instead of nyquil like the rest of us.

 I usually find his crunchy habits pretty amusing, and enjoy hearing the science behind them.  Some of them I've actually embraced, like drinking raw milk and making our own kefir.   But things get a little heated when they involve the baby's health.  I happily breastfeed, and make her organic baby food from scratch, but I'm NOT going to put egg whites in her socks (Joe's idea) or spread coconut oil all over her, thank-you-very-much! 

The most emotional Sisi debate we've had is over formula.  I have plenty of breastmilk to meet her daily needs, but I don't have any extra to leave with babysitters on occasion.  Not a drop.  Trust me, I pumped 3 times yesterday (evening, middle of the night, and morning) to make a bottle for this weekend, and got maybe 1/6th an ounce. Barely a sip.  So frustrating! 

So I assumed we could supplement, on rare occasion, with Earth's Best Organic formula.  No biggie, right? 

Wrong.  Joe thinks some of the ingredients are questionable, and wants to make his own baby formula from scratch using this recipe.  A recipe that calls for rare ingredients that I know we can't procure and test out before this weekend.  After going back and forth about it, Joe agreed it would be ok to give Sisi the Earth's Best formula on rare occasions.  So I gave her 1 oz with her solids today, and I actually cried.  I felt so guilty and sad, like I'd failed. She is no longer an EBF baby.  I know, it's totally silly to feel this way, as millions of babies raised on formula turn out great.  Heck, I was a formula baby and I turned out alright (I think!)  I don't blame Joe for these feelings, since he is never forceful or stubborn about his opinions.  I blame mostly my perfectionism.

I watched Sisi carefully for any negative reactions to the formula, and guess what?  She still has 10 fingers and 10 toes.  I think we'll be alright :)

Back to the topic at hand.  The other day, when Joe was acting especially crunchy, I asked, "Do you do ANYTHING normal anymore?" 

And to that he responded, "What is normal?" 

Hmm, good question.  I guess I know how the typical American eats, how much TV he watches, and how little exercise he gets. Maybe normal isn't always a good thing.

And anyway, I didn't marry Joe because he was normal, I married him because he's passionate, intelligent, and not afraid to look like a weirdo sometimes.   Or a lot of the time :)

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Presentable

My high school reunion is at the end of the month.  Yes, I'm going.  I was part of that "high on school spirit" crowd, and they'd be upset if I didn't go!  Like anyone preparing for the big reunion, I took a long look in the mirror and did a little "hmphh".  What would my classmates think of me now?

In high school, I was very concerned with my physical appearance, to an unhealthy degree.  I didn't have time to sleep, but I did have time to roll my hair in paper towels each night for that perfect spiral curl.  I don't think I even owned a pair of flat shoes because I felt so short and stout. No matter how much I dieted, or planned out the perfect outfits, I was still insecure about my looks.

2001, when the cool hair style was 1/3 curled, 1/3 straight, and 1/3 crimped.  Gee thanks, Britney! 

Oh how I wish I could tell my little high school self to be content!  Had I known I was in my "prime", maybe I wouldn't have complained so much about my "fat knees" and my "short legs" and my "wide nose".  What I wouldn't give to have that wrinkle-less skin or that METABOLISM back! 

It all went downhill after high school, and I blame 3 things:  1) Attending Berkeley, a school where pajamas are perfectly acceptable attire, 2) zero peer pressure from my sweet husband, who thinks I look beautiful no matter what, and 3) I worked through a lot of my perfectionism issues, which is a good thing!

Although I'm so relieved to be free from that obsession, I do want to make sure I look presentable on a daily basis.  I had a baby 6 months ago, which means no one can expect me to have it all together.  But it also means enough time has gone by that I should look presentable. So I think it's time to set some very attainable ground rules.  Here they are in order of importance.

1.  Wear actual clothes.  Not pajamas or sweat pants.  A real outfit.  It needn't be fancy- a sundress or a  tank and jeans will work.  I find that wearing something embarrassing to bed motivates me to get dressed first thing in the morning, since I wouldn't want the mailman to see me in a nightgown or giant tie dyed t-shirt.

2.  Wear makeup on days I leave the house.  Just some powder foundation, lip gloss and curling my eyelashes would be a big improvement.  Some red lipstick if I'm feeling fierce :)

Laura Geller's Balance-n-Brighten baked foundation is amazing for lazy people like me.

3.  Basic hygiene.   Clean shaven, heels pumiced, toe nail polish unchipped, nails trimmed, smelling good.

4.  No more librarian buns. Sisi loves to pull my long hair, so I'm in the habit of putting it in a super dorky bun every single day.  I like the simple hairstyles here, especially twisting bangs to the side or doing a loose fishtail braid.

5.  Accessorize!  Punch up basic outfits with cute earrings (I'm stocking up on studs as baby likes to pull my danglies) or a fun necklace.

Betsey Johnson studs.

6.  Wear my corset.  I have minor diastasis recti from the pregnancy, made worse by all the bending and baby rocking.  Thanks to breastfeeding and being too depressed to eat, I was able to shed the baby weight in a month.  But my belly still looks about 4-5 months pregnant.  I purchased the squeem corset to help tighten the muscles, and now I just need to wear it!  It's annoying to deal with during the day, but at night (when it's most beneficial) I fall asleep and don't even notice it.

Also, please help!  What do you wear to a reunion at 12 noon at a sports bar? 

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Throwing a Baby Shower

Using my best friend Angel's blog post about how to throw a baby shower, I got to work planning my friend Aime's baby shower.  I've never really spearheaded any type of party.  I like to decorate- give me some tables and I'll make them beautiful.  But coming up with a budget, food, invites, and knowing where to place something like the gift table is daunting.  That's why I became a florist and not a planner!

I went with a beachy/surfer theme, since Aime was born and raised in Hawaii.  Best part, it's gender-neutral, and she's not finding out the sex until the big day.

Aime's dear mother in law offered her lovely home as our party spot. Thanks Carla for everything!

I was on a budget, and managed to scrape everything together for a few benjamins and some change.  What I found myself doing a lot was envisioning something super fancy and fabulous, calculating the cost, FREAKING out, then figuring out how to do it myself for cheaper. Champagne taste, beer budget, fo sho. For example, I picked out gorgeous letterpress  invites online, but ultimately turned to etsy to buy a customizable template, and print them out myself.

At first I pictured dozens of beach balls and flower pomanders that look like beach balls hanging from the trees... then I remembered I'm afraid of heights and have no assistants to help me, so I threw them in the pool instead.

 

For the table decor, I used containers left over from my old florist days- bamboo plates and mismatching recycled glass vases, accented with coral and starfish.

The day before the shower, I went to Mayesh to pick out some tropical flowers. Tropicals are striking in small amounts, and I wouldn't have to worry about them wilting. 

As Sisi and I strolled through the mart, a florist had rented out space there to prep a wedding.  She was slaving away on hundreds of delicate hydrangea garlands. IN 90 DEGREE WEATHER!  I could just feel the stress.  One of the hardest parts about being a florist was keeping the flowers alive in the summer.  So much is beyond your control, and you're just praying that the thousands of dollars worth of flowers are still alive by the time you arrive on site. In the moment, I did not feel at all jealous.  I'm happy just to be a flower dabbler for now.

 I facebooked asking for fun, kitschy tablecloth ideas.  Thanks Melissa for suggesting beach towels!  It added the perfect pop of color and texture to the tables.

Notice the little Hawaiian rubber duckies! Aime had actually registered for these after I purchased them as decor.  A happy coincidence!

This was a late morning shower to avoid the blaring California sun, so we served simple brunch fare- quiche and pecan sticky buns from a local bakery, fruit salad, green salad, and yogurt parfait.

 

Our friend Jen's mother in law created these hilariously cute cake pops as party favors.  This woman is truly a supermom- she's a lawyer AND a nurse AND a Martha Stewart Jr.
 

Although I had my mind set on fancy cupcakes from Sweet and Saucy Shop, I had to go the more modest route.  I made these brownie/cupcake combos and decorated them with tropical toppers. 

Here's me and the adorable preggo!  She's using the same midwives as I did, and I know she'll be an incredibly graceful mama.  Cheers to Baby Nagel (who is probably a boy, as predicted by all the Asian ladies at the nail salon.)

*photos by the dad-to-be, Corby.

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Half Birthday!

SIX MONTHS.  Really?  We made it? 

All the been-there-done-that mommies told me 6 months would be a turning point.  We'd find our groove then, and this crazy new life would start to seem normal.  I can honestly say they were right!  Our days now have a fairly predictable rhythm to them.

Here is our baby, looking a little more melancholy than usual because she has the summer flu and a U.T.I., not to mention going through the tumultuous "Wonder Week 26".  I look at these pictures and my heart just swells with love and pride, but also a bit of sadness.  She's definitely not a newborn anymore.  After all, what newborn finds drinking from a big girl cup wayyyy more interesting than a breast?  There was a time I thought she would never be unglued from my chest.  It makes me a little sad!

The lilypad headband is now listed on etsy!  A perfect baby shower gift!  Will soon be available in other colors.

 

She's saying "Yes Sir!" in the middle pic...

 

The sparkly black headband is also available on etsy!  It's made of soft black netting, not itchy tulle, just FYI.  I stocked up on those "My Little Legs" leg warmers because Siena is on the verge of crawling, and we've got nothing but cold, hard travertine floors.  At 2.00-4.00 a pop, they are a steal!  I guess they are a wannabe "Baby Legs" brand, but I have both and can't really tell the difference, besides the price.  

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PROOF

PROOF that this blog is still about my etsy shop, and not *just* about Siena (although she takes up about 99% of my time, and therefore 99% of my blog...)

See?  I created this new headband as part of the Petal and Thorn Kidlets collection :)

It features a kanzashi lotus flower atop a fuzzy felt lily pad, on a super comfy headband that Sisi didn't even try to pull off. 

More cuteness to come! 

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Our Fourth of July

*I'm on a posting frenzy!  This is very belated, but I finally have pictures of our 4th.*

Good friends, heat wave, hot dogs, homemade mango salsa, tequila rickeys (Joe), coca cola (me), planned nautical outfit coordination (see pics below), all crammed into the short window of 3pm-7pm, between Sisi's second nap and bedtime.  Thankfully we were not the only parents to leave the party early to get the kiddos to bed, so I didn't feel like a such a weirdo!

 

After Siena was sound asleep, we spent the rest of the night calming down stressed out puppies who hate fireworks.  We were dogsitting, so in addition to Pesto and Basil, we had a German shepherd and a rat terrier to look after. 

I can't believe we're smack dab in the middle of summer!  When I sign checks, I tend to think it's April for some reason.  I'm in this weird time warp. 

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Diet Decisions

Warning:  Vegetarians need not read this! 

Joe went in on 1/2 a cow with a friend, had it butchered, and brought home some of the spoils yesterday. He took out each meat part, explained what it was and how we could cook it.  He even said, "Have you ever seen such beauty?" while holding up some steak. He looked at me with *almost* the same adoration on our wedding day.

I've watched Joe grow in his passion for food over the past few years. He's become much pickier about what goes into his body, so much so that he's pretty much taken over the grocery shopping. He's a true caveman now, eating lots of carefully selected meat, fish, eggs, and vegies.  Lots of raw cultured butter, kefir, and coconut oil.  The only carbs he really eats are sweet potatoes and squash. 

In this alternate universe of his, pork rinds are a healthier choice than plain popcorn, heavy cream is better than skim milk, and greasy bacon is better than chicken breast.  Just ask him about the time he ate a whole stick of butter (well, he got through 3/4 of it) to see if it would boost his energy.  He is on a strict "paleo diet", and as much as I tisk tisked the whole thing at first, a year later he's got a washboard stomach, rarely gets sick, and has more energy than he knows what to do with.  His idea of fun is to get blood tests done and watch the doctor look amazed at how low his triglycerides can be on a mostly bacon diet.  When he "cheats" and has something "forbidden", he feels sick the rest of the day.  

Now, if Joe is doing the grocery shopping in our household, where do I come in?  Where does Siena come in?  If Joe is Tarzan, must I be Jane and Sisi a little monkey? 

After many an eye roll, I'm starting to head in the paleo direction.  I gave up cereal quite a while ago, because it does nothing for me besides spike sugar cravings for the rest of the day.  So for breakfast, Joe makes his pile of bacon, eggs, and vegies, and puts a little aside for me.  Or I'll have kefir and wild blueberries and a hard boiled egg. 

For lunch, I do my own non-paleo thing. This is my chance to eat grains or pasta.  For the past week, I've been into Trader Joe's microwaveable bibimbap with heaps of kimche on top. Sooo good, and a little rice is not gonna kill me. 

My dinner is always paleo, because I refuse to cook two dinners. And practically speaking, paleo dinners are very easy to cook.  I choose a meat from the fridge and start marinading it during Sisi's second nap.  I pop a few sweet potatoes or squash in the pressure cooker for 7 minutes.  I stir fry a few vegetables with the aforementioned meat, and bam.  Dinner in 20 minutes or less!  We keep it semi-interesting by rotating meats, spices, and vegies.  I also feel really good ending the day with such rich, satisfying meals that leave me full but not bloated the way a pasta dish might. But I still have bread and pastries from time to time, and still have to have a daily dose of sugar.  I've never been a fanatical dieter (except that random 1 year stint as a vegan) so I'm okay having one foot in and one foot out.  But I wonder if a year from now I'll be full-on paleo. We'll just have to see!

I'm guessing that all the healthy fats I'm consuming must be wonderful for Sisi's breastmilk, because she's got leg rolls galore and a triple chin.  And you know what else is made of fat?  BABY'S BRAINS. So hopefully her's is growing well, too.

We just started feeding Sisi solid foods. So far she's had avocados, egg yolk, squash, sweet potato, liver, and a little bit of apple sauce (to make the liver taste good).  She loves it all, and swallows most of it!  We end each meal with a few sips of water from mommy's cup, which makes her beam with pride.We skipped the rice cereal completely after reading some research that babies actually don't produce the enzyme to digest complex carbohydrates until they are about 1 year old.  So I guess Siena is on the paleo diet, too!  I'm not really doing that on purpose, it just so happens the most nutrient rich easily digestable foods for babies tend to be paleo-approved.  I'm using the Nourishing Traditions website as a reference.  It's a great resource for those who don't want to take their pediatrician's advice blindly.

And since somehow every post leads to that baby sleep issue (sorry guys for beating a dead cow!), you know that wives tale about getting baby to sleep longer by feeding solids?  I really really don't want to jinx it, but she's given me several 10-11 hour stretches the past week.  Could be a coincidence though since she's also on a schedule now.

Oh yeah, one more thing, Joe even has the dogs on a paleo diet.  They get raw beef scraps (also from our 1/4 cow) exclusively now.  Thanks to that cow for feeding our entire family!  We're saving a lot of money too.

PESTO AND BASIL'S DINNER.

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