Sakura Bloom Sling Diaries: Communication + A Recipe

Cooking is how I communicate. Feeding them wholesome food is how I take care of my family and friends...how I show my love. Almost every day I find myself wrapping Phoenix in the sling and explaining to him what we are making that day. He likes tasting things along the way or helping me rinse vegetables. They say children become readers on the laps of their parents. I believe the same is true for food education. We learn to appreciate healthy and well prepared food if we are exposed to it throughout our lives. 

On this day, Phoenix and I were making a garlic scape pesto. He chomped on a garlic scape as we prepared it and then munched on some fresh basil. I prefer to blanch the garlic and basil as it makes the flavor a bit milder and also keeps the pesto a beautiful green color instead of turning brown. You can, of course, make pesto with regular garlic but we happened to receive these in our CSA this week and I thought it would make a delicious alternative.

Enjoy!

Garlic Scape Pesto

10 large garlic scapes

1/3 cup walnuts

1/3 cup finely grated Parmigiano-Reggiano

salt

1/3 cup extra-virgin olive oil

After wasting and blanching the garlic scapes and basil, puree with walnuts and Parmesan in a food processor until very finely chopped. With the motor running, slowly pour the oil through the opening. Season the pesto with salt to taste. (The pesto keeps in the fridge, covered, for 1 week or frozen for a month.)

Teaching A Class: Super Baby Food

If you live in the NYC area, and are free on June 16th, you should check out my class Super Baby: First Foods and Feeding Toddlers. It's going to be a lot of fun and at one of my favorite stores, Caribou Baby in Greenpoint. Hope to see you there!

When: Saturday, June 16th 12:30-1:30PM
Where: Caribou Baby
Price: $15
Sign Up: Email chefkarolina@gmail.comClass Details:

Let mom and holistic chef, Karolina Palmer, teach you how to prepare fresh, nutritious, and tasty mini meals that your baby and toddler will love to eat. This class will focus on:

• Teaching you how "adult" meals can turn into meals for the whole family

• Which superfoods are important for growing babies and how to use them in preparing meals

• Time saving tips for busy moms, dads, and care takers

• Tasty treats without sugar that keep energy up instead of a sugar crash

Sakura Bloom Sling Diaries: Exploration

I am wearing a Sakura Bloom Linen Sling from the Pixie Collection 

These Days

These days are busy. They are challenging. They are full of laughter, tears, and exhaustion. They are perfect.

In the deepest part of my heart, I never imagined how much I would love being a mom. Especially a mom to this little guy. Even on the earliest of mornings or in the middle of a messy dinner, he looks into my eyes and I just fall for him again and again. Does that sound strange? Falling in love with your child. I thought so too before I did. It just happens. It happens when you least expect it and I swear there are moments when it takes my breath away.

P has started crawling and is getting into everything, not unlike a little puppy. It is both sweet and exhausting. The other day I turned around for one second to grab something from the bedroom closet and heard a deep thump as he rolled himself off the bed. He was mostly in shock, let out a loud wail, and started laughing as soon as I picked him up. He's a tough guy, that P. Mama nearly had a heart attack but P just went on with his day. Luckily our bed is very low to the ground.

These days we are playing in the water playground, learning how to walk, and discovering the ocean. P is eating all kinds of summery meals including his absolute favorite foods, watermelon and curry chicken. He is 7 months old and we have traveled to Europe and back, celebrated mama's birthday, and discovered a love of bike riding. He is gurgling, shrieking with laughter, and nervous when I leave the room. He is turning into such a boy right before our eyes. Each day I try to hold on a little bit longer and hold tight my baby boy a little closer. But I see his little brain processing the world and figuring out how this whole thing works more and more.

These days are speeding up as we try desperately to slow them down, every day.

Family Dinner

I am really looking forward to reading this book. I have been reading Jenny's blog for a long time and have imagined countless times what my own family dinners would look like when we had children.

My own mom cooked every night and there were very few nights that we didn't sit down together and share a meal. Now I have the pleasure of nourishing my baby, laughing with my husband, and filling my own belly every night. I'm sure there will be nights that don't go as smoothly as others. But knowing that we can always sit down as a family, share our day and go to bed satisfied leaves me feeling accomplished. 

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Hi, I'm here. Just taking a breath. Last week we were in Amsterdam. Yesterday was my birthday. I feel like this year, more than any other, I have a lot to be thankful for and a lot to reflect upon. This past year was the most challenging and enriching one I've lived through. I entered it three months pregnant and finished it with an almost seven month baby. That is an incredible span of events in just a year. I celebrated last year bowling with most of the same amazing people whom I spent laughing with this year. Scott and I hosted a brunch on Sunday with a few of our closest friends. There was great food, plenty of bloody marys, a butterfly cake, and lot's of laughs. As I stepped back and looked around the room, filled with people who came over just to spend time together and make my day special, with a bubbly baby boy (almost) crawling around, and a sweet husband at my side,  I couldn't ask for much more.

The first few days of my new year have been quiet and gloomy outside but on the inside, my heart is full of gratitude for such a tremendous year and anticipation for what's ahead. Having a birthday on the cusp of summer is always a nice way to start the new year. I am looking forward to watching this little baby blossom into the funny little boy he is becoming, build my business and support more new moms, spend lot's of quality time with family and friends, travel as much as we can, and look back on this day next year with the same appreciation I have today.

Time for a Sugar Detox!

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Since I am a Holistic Health Coach and Natural Foods Chef, I eat well. As a family, we eat tons of green vegetables, a variety of grains, and organic proteins. In general, our meals would be considered "healthy" and well balanced.

Lately, I have been pretty out of balance. I'm not one to have a crazy sweet tooth. I do enjoy dark chocolate and I can definitely get into a delicious pastry or home made cookie. But I was never a person who ate sweets daily. (I would much rather eat a block of cheese...) However (!) since Phoenix was born, I am constantly craving sugar. It began as something to do. We would leave the house for a walk and I would stop to get a coffee. Cookie? Sure. Maybe a croissant the next day. This became a regular thing. Now, don't get me wrong, I'm not talking about over eating, like a box of Oreo's. No, just the simple fact that I am consuming a sweet daily. And then maybe having a few (read: a lot) dark chocolate covered almonds in the evening. Once you have one, it's a slippery slope friends. I would end the day with a stomach ache and a sugar hang over.

Recently, I became really aware of my sugar addiction when I grabbed some of those delicious almonds before breakfast. This is too much, I thought. I decided to evaluate where this intense craving was coming from. When I examined the whole thing, it was so obvious. I am looking for that sugary buzz. And it makes sense that it correlates with becoming a new mom. I'm always needing that extra little jolt. What's even more interesting is that I try to keep my caffeine intake pretty moderate. I noticed that P doesn't do great when I have too much (neither do I) so I limit it to a cup of tea in the morning and usually a coffee in the afternoon. This way the coffee is also part of our daily walk. It's a little ritual. We walk to the coffee shop and then the park.

So what to do?

Well, I know myself and I am aware that I do not thrive on very restrictive diet plans. I'm not one to eliminate anything in my life. I definitely subscribe to "everything in moderation." Also, I am not eliminating all sugar forming foods such as bread, grains, fruit, etc. There are many levels of sugar elimination. For the sake of my sanity, I am just eliminating actual white sugar at this point. So, I have decided on this plan for myself:

• Increase protein - It's obvious that my body is pleading for more energy. One way to supplement that is to increase my protein. It's easy for me to forget to eat enough meat and we limit our soy intake so I have to make sure I'm eating enough daily. This also includes eggs, grains, beans, dairy, nuts, and vegetables.
• Increase leafy greens - I already eat tons of greens on a daily basis and we always have kale in the fridge. However, since green vegetables have an alkalizing affect on our bodies (sugar is acidifying) I will be trying to combat the damage I have done to my cells over these past few weeks. 
• Have fruit on hand - This may seem counterintuitive but it's hard to kick sugar! I love all fruit and it's much healthier to have a whole piece of fruit, with all it's own fiber and vitamins, rather than juice. The more you replace your sugar cravings with naturally sweet foods, they less you will crave white sugar. Really!
• Drink even more water - I already have to drink a ton since I'm nursing but I'm challenging myself to drink even more. When I was pregnant, I would refill my water class whenever I finished one, so it was always there to remind me. I am getting back into that habit. 
• Have snacks with me when going out - It's easy to be tempted to buy something at the coffee shop when I'm starving. It's important to have high protein snacks with me to have with my coffee.

So there you have it. I am already on day two of no sugar and it feels good. Last night I had an orange when my late night craving hit and it felt much lighter. Since I am holding myself accountable by posting this online, I will be writing an update as I make progress.

Do any of you have a sugar addiction? Are you thinking of curbing your cravings? Want to join me?!

Newborn Essentials Part 2

Part two of my newborn essentials!

(5 months in his bouncer)

BABYBJÖRN BabySitter

We weren't really interested in getting a standing swing because we were concerned about space. When I wrote yesterday to start with the basics and buy as needed, that has been our approach to almost everything so far. I hate having clutter so the less we bought in to the things we "needed" the less we accumulated. Anyway, this bouncer rocks! It doesn't shake, vibrate, light up, sing, or any of the other bells and whistles that some other swings have but it has been perfect for us. Aesthetically, it is designed so much nicer than the gigantic plastic ones and it can also be folded and tucked away. It has several settings from sitting up to laying down. When Phoenix was tiny, he napped on the lowest setting all the time. We didn't have a crib and since he was sleeping every few hours, we would keep this bouncer in the living room and just lay him down when he was asleep, bouncing him whenever he stirred. It was perfect. Now that he is 6 months, we don't use it for sleeping but we do still use it daily. It's super helpful as a safe place to put him while I leave the room for a minute or can keep him entertained while I'm cooking. Around 4 months he started getting bored just sitting in it so we bought the wooden toythat went along with it. He really loved it and still plays with it all the time. I highly recommend this simple little bouncer if you are looking for an alternative to hideous plastic swing machines.

(one month old on his play mat)

Skip Hop Activity Gym

I was really against getting a play gym. Why? Because I thought they were all so tacky, huge, and loud. At the last moment, I put this one on our registry and when some sweet friends got it for us I could feel my anxiety setting in about actually taking it out of the package and using it. It seemed so big and colorful. Fast forward to about two months and P couldn't take his eyes off of it. I took it out of the package one day and we have been using it every day since. As these things tend to come, this is a pretty cute one. The colors are somewhat subtle and tasteful and the modern design (throughout the brand) lends itself to a more pleasing aesthetic in your shared family space. Basically, it doesn't scream "Hey, a baby lives here!!!" Even though it does. The birds/animals also squeak and make little sounds but not in an obnoxious way. I love that one of the birds is holding a wooden ring which has been both a teether and pull up, in the past few weeks. Now that P is on the verge of crawling, he likes exploring the actual mat and yell at the apples and leaves. Obviously, he loves it.

(4 Months in his stroller)

(5 months and very serious)

UPPAbaby Vista Stroller

I adore our stroller. I didn't really start using it much until about a month and a half ago. Until then, I almost always wore Phoenix. Even though I still wear him a lot, it's nice to have the option to take him in the stroller for a longer walk, since he's getting so heavy. Now, I've never had another stroller to compare this one to but I did practice on a few while I was pregnant and this one felt the most comfortable, for sure. The main reason I liked it though, was that it came with a bassinet. I know that several different brands also come with a bassinet so maybe those work better for you. The other feature I love is the huge basket underneath with pockets. I have crammed so many groceries under there, plus a baby bag, plus blankets, toys, etc... The canopy also has a built in UV/SPF pull down extension which is helpful on super sunny days. The interior of the bassinet is made of organic cotton and the mattress is made out of organic soybeans, if that's important to you. Oh, and Scott was impressed with the suspension and handling. Maybe your husband/partner will be to. (Suspension, what?) 

Sleep Sheep

I think I may enjoy the Sleep Sheep more than I should. I have told Scott that I think they should restructure their business and market to adults. That's another post...

This little guy is soft, soothing, and pretty neutral (which we enjoy). He make four sounds, one of which is an intense and scary sounding heart beat. We don't put on that sounds, ever. However, we all enjoy the waves crashing, rain falling, as well as the whale sounds. Thank you Sleep Sheep. I'm not sure if you actually put our baby to sleep (Wait, babies sleep?) but you put me in a generally more restful state every evening. 

(In his sleeping gown - 8 days old)

Sleep Gowns

You will change a lot of diapers. Day and night. In general, you want to make this task as quick as possible, but at night you you want to be able to do it with your eyes closed. Enter: the sleep gown. I originally didn't buy any of these for baby P because I thought they didn't look as cozy as his little jammies. I was wrong, wrong, wrong. These gowns are heaven sent. No zippers or even worse, snaps (uuuugghhhh) to deal with. Just hike up the elastic. Swap out diaper. Boom, done! And he looked so sweet in it. I was sad when he grew out of these little dresses, er, gowns. 

(9 days old on his blanket)

Aden + Anais Swaddling Blankets

I know these blankets are all over the place and I know it's crazy to pay so much for blankets but these blankets rock! You will (as I did) receive tons of receiving blankets. People love to give blankets for some reason. But if some sweet friend or relative asks you what you're looking for, suggest these. They are big enough to swaddle your baby, lay out as a play blanket, drape over your stroller, fold up into a little pillow, or use as a ribbon dancing toy as we do. There are really so many possibilities. Since P was born in the winter months, we didn't really uses these to keep him warm but I have been using them a ton lately. And the colors/designs are really cute compared to some of the teddy bear overload out there. 

Medela Pump in Style

What can I say about breast pumps? It is not super pleasant to pump. But most of us have to at some point. I am lucky that I work from home and so I don't have to pump exclusively for P like some (amazingly dedicated) moms do. But when I do, I thank my lucky stars that I have this pump. It is easy to use, gets the uncomfortable job done quick, and is a breeze to clean. I've never used a manual pump but if you are going to go the route of an electric pump, this is an excellent choice.

Easy Meals

Remember when I posted this pumpkin mac and cheese recipe? Yum. Well it was only a few weeks prior to my due date and I was starting to stock up on freezer meals. I made a few trays of food as well as some home made frozen burritos for us to have on hand. Even though we still ordered take out, it was so amazing to have fresh, wholesome food on hand with no time or energy to cook. Nursing around the clock makes you both insatiably hungry and super thirsty so eating too much sodium laden take out or processed meals will just make you feel even more depleted than you already do. Not to mention, whatever you eat goes to the baby and you don't want too much of that in your body or theirs.

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The Internet

Both a blessing and a curse. I think if you looked back in my Google search history, you would find anything from, "Can I really survive on two hours of sleep?" to "What color should a newborn's poop be." Real life. Things get questionable around 5 am when you're delirious and have no idea what to do. In times of despair I found the ramblings of other moms and dads to be a comfort as well as sometimes instilling sheer terror in me. If you're really unsure of something, ask your doctor, of course. Blogs are nice to read to keep your sanity and feel like you're not the only one out there experiencing this craziness. But I think you'll find that your instinct will always lead you to do what feels right in your heart. Many times when I have felt that I was "supposed to" do something that didn't feel quite right, I agonized over it. Reading different studies, opinions, and blogs. In the end, I usually went back to my first instinct and immediatley felt so much relief. That fact that you are choosing to bring a baby into this world gives you enough knowledge and credibility to make the choices with conviction that you inevitably will. Trust yourself mama, you will always know the right way in the end. And know, you are not alone. 

My Newborn Essentials List Part 1

A few of my girlfriends are pregnant right now (yay!) so I thought it would be fun to put together a list of my personal essentials. I know there are a ton of these lists floating around the internet, pregnancy magazines, etc. but these are all the things that I found to be life savers in those first few weeks/months. Don't forget that most of those magazines are paid by advertisers to feature their products (as are celebs!) so try not to get too caught up by the "must-have's" you come across. Yes, even mine.

Start out with the basics and buy things as needed, otherwise you will end up with tons of unworn clothes, toys, and random stuff you won't use.

With all that said, here's is my list:

Ikea Spoka Night Light

We have used this little mouse from day one and still use it every night. It was so helpful during those first few weeks when we would be up every two hours. That way we didn't need to turn on the light for feedings and diaper changes. Also, it changes colors which P was and is still mesmerized by. In those early days, when he would get fussy, Scott would bring him over to the little mouse and bounce him as he watched the soothing colorful glow. It would calm him down every time. Oh, and it's portable!

My Brest Friend

This really was my best friend. This pillow and I spent more time together than I would like to remember. It was attached to me ALL THE TIME. I'm not kidding. If the baby was there, you could pretty much count on the pillow being there. As I mentioned, Phoenix and I had a lot of breast feeding trouble in the beginning and this little pillow was a lifesaver when it came to holding him for hours and hours of eating and learning how to latch. He also slept on it, curled up next to my belly many times. It served as back pillow for me on numerous occasions, as well as a tummy time activity for P. Now that he is a huge baby, I no longer have to use my beloved pillow. But I would not have made it through those long nights without it.

(4.5 months old in a Fuzzibunz)

Cloth Diapers

Yes, we are those people who cloth diaper. I could write a whole post about which brands we chose and how we ended up liking them (and I will!) but my best advice is to get a few different styles and brands and then invest in the one you liked most. Keep in mind that you may like different ones for different ages/purposes. For example, we have a few that we like at nighttime only and several that we loved when he was tiny, etc. There is A LOT of choices when it comes to cloth and we have loved using them. There are, of course, environmental reasons for replacing disposables but for us it was all about the money. Using disposables exclusively can cost roughly $2000 a year. That is crazy. And $2000 extra that we don't have. By using cloth, you can argue that we still have the expense of washing them, detergent, and of course the initial investment. But it is no where near $2000. We actually received the bulk of our supply as shower gifts and have added on to our stash whenever there are sales on mini social, zulily, or gilt.

Seventh Generation Diapers

As much as we love our cloth diapers, we are also reasonably normal people who need to sometimes use disposables, and we do. For this purpose, we buy a package and use as needed. I'm not too militant about only cloth diapering so if we are on a long car trip or planning to be out of the house for a long time I have no problem using these. Especially because we live in a city and we can't just stash dirty diapers in the car. You have to carry those stinky bombs around with you all day. Yeah...

(Phoenix in the Ergo insert - 9 days old)

(Going to our first ped's appt. in the Ergo - 10 days old) (Also, I look so exhausted. Wow.)

 (Four months old on a walk)

(Day 2 in his insert) (Also, wow. TINY.)

Ergo Carrierwith Infant Insert

I love my Ergo. I really, really, do. And the infant insert was so nice in the beginning. It's like a tiny down sleeping bag and often I would just snuggle P in in and lay it down in the bassinet so he was extra cozy. It also felt so much more secure for taking him out of the house in those early days. It supported his neck and kept him warm. Now, I'm not sure how great it will be for infants born in the hot summer as it is pretty cushiony and was ideal in the fall and winter. We have had a stroller since before P was born but used it all of once until he was about three months old. Even then, I mostly carried him. It felt so strange putting him in this giant bassinet and pushing him around. I loved having him close to me (and so did he!) and carried him everywhere. That's why we have a few different carriers. I don't use this one around the house as it is a bit bulky for just hanging out but it definitely has enough support to carry around this 20 lb boy these days.

(Phoenix in the Sakura Bloom sling- 2 months old)

Sakura Bloom Sling

I treated myself to a Sakura Bloom sling towards the end of my pregnancy. I had been seeing them on Leigh's blog, Marvelous Kiddo and thought they looked so beautiful. I was a little intimidated to use it at first as I wasn't quite sure how to position the baby. A sweet lactation consultant and baby wearing expert showed me when P was about 4 weeks old and I couldn't believe the difference. The baby's weight is distributed completely differently than the other carriers. Also, without the extra bulk of the carrier itself, he felt much lighter and my back didn't hurt as much. I originally bought myself the simple linen sling which is going to be perfect for the upcoming months. Now I also have the silk, which is beautiful in itself! I also love the slings for hybrid days when I want to take the stroller out but still toss it in the basket for wearing him when we arrive at our destination, such as a friend's house or dr.'s appointment (which is what I did yesterday). It's so compact and light and also a great accessory for your outfit. Even though I am part of the Sling Diaries, you can be sure that this is not a sponsored review. I really do love my Sakura Bloom sling!

(Phoenix in the Moby-4 days old)

Moby Wrap

The Moby was the first carrier I used after P was born and while it takes a little while to figure out, you can put it together pretty quickly once you do. It's basically a long piece of jersey fabric that wraps around you and your baby to keep them snuggled up close to you. It was a nice way to keep him warm and cozy around the house and when he was light, it worked nicely. After about 15 lbs or so I packed it away because he was getting too heavy and I had to keep retightening the fabric as I wore him. Big boy.

Well that's all I have time for right now. Also, it is taking me forever to write this post as I am looking at photos of a tiny babe that no longer resembles the giant boy that is napping in the other room. Ahhhhh...must slow down. If anything, this always reminds me to keep up with my photos and videos. Stay tuned for part two of my list tomorrow!