Too many teeth!

I have a teething machine. Joseph had 2 teeth come in at 4 months old, and now at almost 8 months of age he has 7 teeth (with more on the way!). I'm glad he's healthy and so "advanced," but sometimes I really, really wish he was a late bloomer who didn't get any teeth until he was 1 year old!

Thanks to the teeth, this past week we have been having problems with feeding. Joseph is a "hasty latcher," meaning that he clamps on very quickly. This wasn't a problem until recently when he started using his bottom teeth instead of covering them with his tongue. I was trying to work with him to get him to open wider, but he was struggling against any interference so I just dealt with the pain and figured it would get better.

Then, on the eve of Mother's Day, he bit down very quickly and got my nipple. Can I just say OUCH!!! I started bleeding and was freaking out a little bit because it's very emotional (and painful!) to feel like you can't figure out how to feed your own child. I was even down on myself a bit because, as a working mom, I sometimes feel like I'm not truly a mom in any way except in being able to breastfeed my son. He spends more time with his auntie and grandmas during the week than he does with me, which, although I am grateful that we have family to help, does sometimes make me concerned about his attachment to them vs. to me in the long run.

I ended up pumping that night and twice the next morning. Joseph wasn't having my interference when I tried to get him to latch in the morning, and he actually reached for the bottle that was sitting on the table nearby. (Talk about rejection.) I also was very nervous about getting him to latch on because I was looking at those teeth just waiting to clamp... Yikes!

I wasn't sure how things were going to end up this week, but (thanks be to God!) my Mother's Day present was being able to work with Joseph to get him to latch on pain-free! Yay! :)

In case anyone else is dealing with a similar problem, this is what I did: I used the hand that's not aiming the breast to push the bottom of his chin open as wide as possible - kind of like you're about to milk a snake (haha). The information I found online recommends cupping the hand underneath the chin, but that's a) uncomfortable and b) he doesn't like that even more than he doesn't like this! I also aim the breast at his nose per the recommendations found on kellymom. (It sounds weird but it does help!)

My husband also wrote me a really nice note in which he reminded me that mothering is about more than just feeding our son, and that he thinks I'm a great mother to Joseph. Of course, that made me start crying again, but it was really nice and it did help me to get out of the emotional valley I was stuck in.

Has anyone else had any special breastfeeding hurdles they've had to conquer?

Dairy-free brownies... yum yum!

Since choosing to go dairy-free, I've been so thankful for the Better Homes & Gardens Cook Book I received as a wedding present. All of the recipes are "made from scratch", so they are very easy to modify for making them dairy-free! The following is my modified version of the Cake Brownies recipe in this cookbook.

Ashley's Choco-licious Dairy-Free Brownies

Ingredients

• 3/4 cup Earth Balance soy-free, melted in a bowl
• 1 1/4 cups sugar
• 1/2 cup unsweetened cocoa powder
• 2 eggs
• 1 tsp vanilla extract (or try almond extract!)
• 1 1/2 cups all-purpose flour (I like King Arthur)
• 1 tsp baking powder
• 1/4 tsp baking soda
• 1 cup chocolate rice milk (use this for best results... you can use almond milk but the brownies will be drier. I haven't tried other non-dairy milks yet.)
• 1 cup chopped almonds, walnuts, or pecans (optional)
• 1 cup semi-sweet dairy-free/casein-free chocolate chips (or chopped dairy-free/casein-free dark chocolate) (optional)

Process

1. Preheat oven to 350 F.
2. Grease a 15x10x1-inch baking pan (or 13 x 9) and set aside. (I use Pam for greasing, it's easier!)
3. Melt the Earth Balance in a microwave-safe bowl on high for 30 seconds (or however long your microwave takes. Mine is very powerful!)
4. Add sugar and cocoa powder, cream until well combined with wooden spoon.
5. Add eggs and vanilla and beat lightly until just combined, scraping down sides of the bowl periodically.
6. In a separate small bowl, combine flour, baking powder, and baking soda.
7. Alternately add flour mixture and milk, mix until well blended after each addition.
8. Stir in nuts and/or chocolate chips, if using.
9. Pour batter into prepared pan and spread evenly.
10. Bake for 15 to 18 minutes or until a wooden toothpick inserted near the center comes out clean.
11. Cool on a rack, cut, and serve.

Note: I've found if you let them sit overnight they 'coagulate' and become even more delicious! However, ours don't normally make it that long...

I used to make these every weekend, but I'm trying to slow down on the sweets consumption so I haven't made them in a few weeks. If you try them, let me know how they turn out!

Fuzzibunz sale!

I had to post a link to this for all of my cloth diapering moms: Buy 5 one-size Fuzzibunz, get 1 free!

Singing to my baby

I make up songs for Joseph quite frequently. He is a music lover and has stopped to listen to piano songs in movies we've been watching (such as Pride and Prejudice). It seems like singing things, even ordinary everyday things like "let's change your diaper yea yea yea" or "time to take a bath! hooray!" make him smile even if he's not that excited about it.

And, of course, the other reason is to make him smile just for the sake of seeing him smile! I have a 'special' little ditty I made up for him that I've been singing to him since he was born. Each and every time I sing it to him he smiles. It's one of the best things ever!

My mom (first-time grandma) also has a song she made up for him that has been repeated quite frequently, and he has the same reaction. (However, the rest of the family has gotten tired of hearing it... but she doesn't care! :)

I may not sing in public ever, but at least I can sing for my favorite audience and get rewarded with love.

Reflections on logos

Today I'm taking a break from mom posts and instead posting about something near and dear to my professional heart: logos.

As a marketing professional with a background in graphic design, I've designed logos for bands, companies, et cetera. I won't claim to be a professional designer, but I've done it.

That being said, something that irks me to no end is when companies change their logos. I read a press release today about a company launching new logos with its' structure change. I do understand the theory behind changing a logo with corresponding corporate changes--i.e., this is a 'new' company, so we should have a new logo!--but I think that, in most cases, the change isn't needed. If your brand/logo has positive, long-standing associations with it, why change it? Change the rhetoric, change the way you do things, but keep a well-designed logo in place!

Examples of bad logo changes:

• The Gap
• This change was so bad that the Gap went back to the old one...
• Old logo on R below, former new logo on L

• Xerox
• C'mon, really? What does the "shiny marble" really add? Oh well.
• Old logo on L below, new logo on R

•  Best Buy
• Yes, let's swap our totally recognizable logo for a new blase one!
• Old logo on L below, new logo on R

Well, that's the end of my rant for today. Anyone else have any other bad logo changes they can think of?

Making baby... food

You thought I was going to title this something else, didn't you?

As a new mom, I didn't know anything about feeding babies. Thankfully the What to Expect the First Year book was given to me so I could learn the basics. I also received four different baby cookbooks that give some information, but a lot of it is contradictory to the other books. Asking other mothers and the doctor for insight (mostly) resulted in replies like "oh, you know, just start them with a little and see what happens." AAAGH. My nerd-like instincts to read everything available aren't very helpful when the information is vague.

However, the cookbooks have been helpful because baby food is rather pricey (especially if you are buying organic) and Joseph rapidly progressed from 1 solid 'feeding' a day to 3. (He'd like to advance to more, but we are holding steady for now since I'm trying to make sure the breast feeding stays steady too!) I started making my own baby food and think it's super easy! If you're interested, read on for the basics of how to do it yourself.

To make baby food, you don't need very much. My recommended tools are:

1. Steamer basket - this is the one I bought: Progressive International 11 Inch Stainless Steel Steamer Basket
2. Baby food containers - I like Fresh Baby So Easy Baby Food and Breast Milk Trays and Annabel Karmel Stackable Food Pots (or just use glass jars!)
3. Food processor - we were given one for Christmas a year ago, whoo hoo!

Place the steamer basket in a pot with enough water at the bottom to avoid burning the pot (which I did once and had to toss the carrots as they tasted metallic... yikes!). Bring to a boil and let steam (covered) for 6-12 minutes, depending on the type of food you're cooking. Dump the results (carefully... don't get burned!) in the processor along with some or all of the water from the pot (based on your preference). Puree to desired consistency, cool, place in containers, and freeze! It'll keep for up to 3 months.

Types of foods to try: sweet potatoes, carrots, sweet peas, green beans, butternut squash, pumpkin, pears, apples. Most of these need to be peeled and cut up before steaming. (Also, it might be easier to do squash and pumpkin in the oven and scrape the ooey goodness into the processor after.)

In summary, pretty much anything you can get at the store in a jar you can make yourself! I have yet to try meats but they will be coming up on the menu soon! :)

Also, for the lazy moms out there (can I get a what what?) ripe bananas and avocados are super easy-- just mash them up, add some breast milk for texture--and they have been a big hit with the little guy!

And, on a side note, I've stopped giving Joseph rice cereal. It just seemed like it was constipating him (which also has happened with bananas and carrots too) and I think he is getting enough iron from the milk without needing more. Anyone else have any thoughts on that?

Guilty pleasures and actors/models

I don't view myself as a celebrity stalker. I dislike the concept of paparazzi. I'm not into reality shows. I don't even watch TV (we don't have one, although we do have Netflix via a Wii and a projector).

However, I know more about the love lives and activities of celebrities than most people. How so? My 'guilty pleasures:'

• Reading celeb magazines (i.e., People) in waiting rooms. 
• Looking at the red-carpet photos the night after a big event (i.e. the Oscars).

I'm sure other people out there do the same thing... but I cringe from telling people this (although now that it's on my blog, it's out there for all to see!). Perhaps it's because I'm supposed to be 'smart?' Or because, quite honestly, who cares who is dating whom or working on what movie? Regardless, it's something I find myself gravitating towards every time I'm at the doctor's, dentist's, or anywhere else with magazines.

On a semi-related topic, how does this whole beautiful people dating beautiful people thing work? Do people just walk up to each other at events/parties and say, hey, we should be beautiful together? Is it all the work of managers/publicists? Is it just because these people get thrown together because of their 'fabulous' lives and they realize that they like each other?