Making my own baby food for Isla was easy, but with all of the inexpensive organic options out there I often wondered if it was really necessary. Inhabitots posted an article/study that makes it very clear why (after exclusive breastfeeding for the first six months) making your own baby food is best.

Isla is at that stage now where she likes to imitate everything I do. She wears my high heels around the house, repeats what I say to the dog, and the best fun she has is carrying the broom and dustpan around the house pretending to clean.

I had to seize the opportunity. Since she was born, I've had trouble cooking. She really loves to be held, and really can't tolerate attention being split between her and anything else.

This is where the apron comes in. I don't know why I even have one for myself, but I do, so I put my apron on, which makes Isla want one for herself. She has a very adorable one my friend Carrie made her, and it's just her size. She knows aprons go on in order to cook dinner, and she can't wait to get a wooden spoon in her hand and some vegetables to put in a cup. We kind of make a game out of it, and it works almost every time.

Happy Green Bee Clearance

If you haven't already, I highly suggest stopping by Happy Green Bee's online clearance store. I just bought nine things for under $40, (probably at about 90% off), and the shipping was free! All of their clothing is organic cotton, and Isla is a big fan of their cozy tees and dresses.

Baby Brag Necklaces

Simple, handmade, hammered gold letters keep your little lovey close to your heart.

A Smoothie for the Busy Natural Mama

Now that I am pregnant again, I am cutting back on how much Isla nurses. We've been pretty consistent for the last week or so at about 8 nursings in 24 hours. This is way less than the 20-30 nursings we used to do. I started feeling like she should be drinking milk, so I've been giving her different temperatures of different types of milk in cups and bottles. She's not so keen on any variation I've tried... except one: the smoothie! All it is is mostly milk, with a little banana blended in to make it sweet.

More Magical Room Decor

If Isla's room weren't already strewn with mobiles, I would have a hard time not buying one of these magical hanging art pieces by Puddle Stomper.

Isla's New Favorite Toys

Ill share our secret resource for the coolest toys: Green Man Shop. The pea pod babies are among our favorites, along with Ganesha, Gnome-Butterfly Babies in hanging cocoons, and the sweet Dad and Daughter Hugging Dolls.

Fun, Green Toys to Make

Fortytworoads promises that with these instructions, recycled cardboard, wire hangers from the dry cleaner, and odds and ends you most likely already have around the house, you will construct a functional washer and dryer that is adorable and remarkably sturdy. Looks pretty awesome to me!

The Pregnant Lady's Cheat Sheet

A list of everything I would have loved to have when I first found out I was pregnant:

1. What do I do first?

-Contact Anna, Alice, And Laurel (Santa Barbara Midwifery), even if you are not planning on a home birth. They are a great place to start and have volumes of information and resources, and books to lend, and your initial meeting is free. You can find more information on their website at www.santabarbaramidwifery.com or give them a call at: 805.563.0348 . **Please see my earlier post about my home birth experience.

-Subscribe to Mothering Magazine immediately.

-Find a pre-natal workout class for fun and some exercise. You'll end up meeting the ladies you'll be spending all of your time with for the next couple of years here. I like Tracy Schmidt's class at the SBYMCA. It's kind of jazzercize-y and it takes away morning sickness. Also, Fredda Spirka teaches a great free pre- and postnatal yoga class through adult ed. This may be your most valuable resource. You will learn so much about doctors, midwives, pediatricians, birth, etc. from the women in these classes.

-Make sure you are taking a good pre-natal vitamin

-Grab a book on each of these: pregnancy, baby's first year, breast feeding. The Traveling Pants in Carpinteria usually has used books which are really inexpensive. The thrift store at St. Joseph's is also a great resource, but you have to dig and they are only open Wednesdays and Saturdays until 2 pm.

-Get insurance if you don't already have it. AIM is great for those who qualify. It's worth taking a look: www.aim.ca.gov/

2. Where do I register?

***I have an older post that is a sample registry that might be helpful, and you can find it by scrolling down.

-Find a site like myRegistry.com where you can register at any online store, and have just one list for everything. Some great online stores include palumba.com, novanatural.com, albeebaby.com, and babiesRus.com.

-It is so important to register at a physical location. Summer for Kids in Montecito has some excellent natural choices and Chicken Little in Santa Barbara has a huge selection as well.

3. Is home birth for me?

-Please look into this, even if you don't think it's for you. We are so lucky in Santa Barbara to have such great choices, and since this is one of the biggest decisions you'll be making in your life, it probably deserves a little research. I was terrified of home birth before I had real information. I watched movies and talked to midwives and women who had given birth at home and decided undoubtedly that it was the safest and best decision for me and my baby.

-Watch some movies! So important. The Baby International Film Festival has some great ones. I recommend The Business of Being Born, with Ricki Lake if you only plan on seeing one, or as a starting point.

Good Books

My new favorite book is Earth Child by Kathryn Sheehan and Mary Waidner, PhD. It seems to be the perfect Earth science resource for a parent or teacher. The sections include "The Circle of Day and Night," "Earth Celebrations," "Wonders in the Garden," "Trees Are Terrific," "Hurt No Living Thing," and "Let There Be Peace on Earth." It's full of "games, stories, activities, experiments, and ideas about living lightly on Planet Earth," as well as songs and crafts.

Yesterday my daughter and I observed rainbows in our kitchen, and watched how they moved when we moved the crystal in the window. She was in awe as we put the rainbows on our hands and feet. Today we took a nature walk and found some ladybugs to inspect and kindly touch. I am thrilled with the possibilities in this book and am literally vibrating with impatience to share them with Isla.

Get Rid of Cradle Cap

The best cure for cradle cap is actually the most natural. I didn't want to use Head and Shoulders on my daughter since I had heard it could burn her scalp. The hot tip was olive oil. Just drizzle olive oil all over baby's head and massage in. I left it on her head for about twenty minutes. Then, exfoliate gently with a comb. I turned the comb on a 45 degree angle and gently scraped off the pieces of crust that came off easily. Then, shampoo as normal with a natural baby shampoo (we like California Baby). Repeat this process the next day if needed, and it should all be gone.

Educational Dolls

MamAmor makes these incredible educational mama dolls. They can be pregnant, and birth babies which not only have detachable cords and placentas, but they also breast feed (Im guessing their snap-mouths snap on to the snap-nipples on the mama doll). Amazing for a child expecting a new sibling, especially if you plan on letting her or him watch the birth.

Yoga for Babies?

Our love of mama and baby yoga is growing along with my toddler. Once she started doing downward dog on her own I really wanted her to have her own yoga mat. She carries her rolled up mat to Emma's class, and spends some of the time practicing moves on it (the rest of the time she plays with the other babies.)

She really likes to use it at home. We put on Kyra Willey and practice sun salutations together.

The Best Anatomically Correct Baby Dolls

My search for the best anatomically correct baby doll for Isla is over. I settled on the Gotz Aquini doll with a potty for a few reasons:

1. the price was pretty reasonable

2. she comes with a potty that looks just like Isla's potty and may help make potty training fun

3. she is recently made and presumably not toxic (the anatomically correct vintage newborn twins I bought for her online smelled like toxic fumes... and they were made decades ago)

4. she's pretty cute, and smells nice

You can find this doll on Amazon, ebay, and at Chicken Little in Santa Barbara.

Imaginary Play

Dragonfly's Hollow makes incredible custom Waldorf dolls. This fairy mermaid is one of Isla's favorites.

Another key play item is playsilks. They are great for all ages, and "grow with your child." You can find them almost anywhere, but I like the ones from The Farm House Boutique for their hand-dyed uniqueness.

Toddler Backpacks

When Isla started trying to carry around more than she could hold comfortably in her arms, I decided it was time for a backpack. The best ones I've seen are hand made and available here.

Magical Kids' Room Decor

Harvest Moon By Hand makes these beautiful window stars for your little one's room.

My daughter has the rainbow sun catcher up in hers, and it definitelyadds a touch of magic to her space. They start at $10 and are available here.

International Bebé

What was I thinking taking my toddler to Europe?? My first advice is don't do it. If possible, postpone until your child is older and take a more child-friendly vacation. If that's not possible, then I do have a few tips for you to hopefully make your excursion easier for you and Baby.

First, do bring a stroller. Yes, if you are taking the subway and traveling on cobbled streets and climbing crazy staircases a stroller will suck, but not as much as not having one at all. I only brought my ergo pack, and wore her the entire time. We won't go into the back problems I am still dealing with.

Second, consider your baby. Both France and England have great parks, and really any patch of grass where Baby can safely run around for a while will be much appreciated. London has the best parks we've ever seen, with special buzz-in gates surrounding the child area to keep kidnappers and pervs away. Besides the parks, the only other places we saw other babies were the toy stores. We played for hours in each one. **Make sure you make a time agreement with your little one rather than just scooping him or her up when you are ready to go. Tantrums are guaranteed if I don't let Isla know when she only has one more minute left to play. I remind her again at thirty seconds, and then count down from ten.

Third, bring your partner. My husband was still recovering from back surgery when we took our trip. The single parent thing is even harder than it looks.

Lastly, don't forget to ask! Or at least make sure the person in charge sees you have a babe with you. France is so baby-friendly. People smiled at me just because I was carrying a baby... kind of like they do here in the states when they see a pregnant lady. We did not have to wait in line anywhere because as soon as Isla and I were spotted we were whisked away to the front. Do ask if you are able to get a bassinet for the flight. Whether or not you choose to use it, you will be seated in a row with substantially more leg room.

I have a feeling this was my last trip to Europe for a long time. I am, however, heading off to Cabo after the first of the year, so I'll be sure to post about that. This time I will have backup, and between my husband, siblings, and mom I'm anticipating a more relaxing trip.

***Cabo was excellent. Probably the most fun we've had as a family, ever. Go someplace warm with an ocean and pool, and save the Europe trip for when Baby is older!

Why Anatomically Correct Dolls?

In my search for the best anatomically correct dolls, I found a surprising amount of opposition.  Even some of our family members didn't understand why we wanted Isla to have a couple of anatomically correct dolls.  What started out as a simple quest for a good Christmas toy turned into an interesting debate with friends and family.

Why would we want Isla's dolls to have genitals.  Simple:  Gasp!  She has genitals.  So do all of her baby friends, and every other human being I know of.  Why would her dolls have faces, arms, hands, feet, and bottoms like her, but in the place of a vagina, only a flat spot?  Rag dolls barely resemble real-life babies, so their missing genitalia isn't an issue for me.  The baby dolls she likes, though, are of the plastic, extremely lifelike variety, and I don't want my daughter thinking there is something wrong with her because she has a vagina rather than smooth plastic in her diaper.

An argument against anatomically correct baby dolls is that it would make kids prematurely interested in genitals, and cause exploration.  I think we can all agree that this happens with or without dolls, and maybe exploration with one another would be less important if children could answer those questions by looking at their dolls.  

Another thought - what about siblings?  When we have another baby, I bet he or she will have genitals.  Would the "progressive and understanding" women who are so against anatomically correct dolls consider a new baby to "...numb [our children] to the sacred nature  of our bodies," or see the new baby as "...adding to the pile of [nudity]?"  Then why on earth would a doll?

I'll have to finish this when I have more time, but please post if you have any ideas that can enlighten me in either direction.

A Pancake Recipe for Cold and Flu Season

We are not vaccinating. Yikes. Instead, we are opting for preventative measures. We swab her nose (and mine) once a day with saline and aloe solution. We also give her a children's formula sambucus (elderberry extract) which contains echinacea and astragulus. The sambucus is liquid, and tastes really good, but Isla won't take it in water as suggested. I had to get creative. I do things like pour it on her pancakes as syrup.

The pancakes are fantastic, and our whole family loves them:

2 cups whole wheat flour

2 teaspoons baking soda

dollop (about 2 or 3 tablespoons?) molasses

enough milk, soy milk or water to make it the right consistency

Mix above ingredients. Cook on a hot skillet. Flip once. I eat mine with butter and sometimes syrup; Isla has hers with sambucus and kids liquid vitamin drizzled on top.

*Obviously check with your doctor before using any supplements.