Homemade lotion

I already did my 'review' of the homemade baby shampoo/soap I made, and now it's time to spotlight the baby lotion I made. I was really excited about this because guess what - I use it too! It was easy, cheap, and we love using it on Ian - he smells DELICIOUS afterwards. As if we don't want to eat him up enough already!

Here's the recipe, taken from Frugal Farm Wife:

1/2 cup coconut oil
1/2 cup aloe vera gel
Essential oil – several drops (optional)

Gently heat coconut oil until just melted – but not hot. Pout into a blender or food processer (or use a cup and stick blender for easy clean up!) with aloe vera gel and essential oil, and blend until creamy and well emulsified. 

Scrape into a container with a tight fitting lid, and store either at room temperature, or in the refrigerator – whichever you prefer.

I didn't spend enough time blending mine together, so there are some chunks of coconut oil in our containers, but they melt almost immediately upon application to Ian's skin, so it's not a huge deal to me. We store ours under the bathroom sink, but like the recipe said you can keep it in the fridge. We just figure that Ian would prefer room temperature lotion to freezing lotion. Here's a picture (it's not very pretty):

The containers are rather small and we haven't even finished one yet - a little goes a long way!

I'm sort of coo-coo for this homemade lotion because I have dry skin, and we live in Idaho, which doesn't help anyone's dry skin case! What I love about non-store bought lotion is that there's NO WATER. If you look on your lotion bottles, one of if not the first ingredients is water, which will only temporarily hydrate your skin, but it quenches your skin leaving you just as dry, so then you have to apply more, and then you're hooked on lotion and they get the big bucks. When your skin is dry, it needs a replenishing of your skin's oils, not water. (Although staying hydrated will definitely help your skin cause) That's why the coconut oil and aloe vera gel are so great, they really hydrate your skin with what your body needs. The lavender smells heavenly, and even though I'm not a huge fan of coconut, I really love the smell of this lotion!

I don't know if Ian has naturally great skin or if it's because of the homemade products that we use, but he has had no "baby acne", and his dry skin, which every baby experiences, went away very quickly, even in this dry winter weather. Maybe it's just coincidence, but I'm a believer.

If you try it out, let me know how it goes!

Homemade Baby Soap

Before Ian was born, we got a LOT of baby products - soap, lotion, shampoo, diaper cream, etc. Also during this time, I had been looking on Pinterest and noticing a lot of "DIY beauty products". My sister Steph is studying to become a holistic nutritionist and uses a lot of natural products besides eating whole, natural foods. I asked her about where to begin in my quest to use better products and she encouraged me to start with my baby, get him set on a less chemically influenced path of life, if you will. I took a look around and found TONS of recipes for all things baby product.

I want to make a note here. At this point, I didn't feel super strongly about using natural products, I didn't "have a testimony" of it, if you know what I mean. Some people go "crunchy" because it's a money saving technique (and yes, it is much cheaper!), while others, like my sister, are more concerned about what kinds of things we're exposing our bodies to by using run-of-the-mill products. I did some research and talked a lot about it with my husband. Ultimately, my attitude was this: maybe it won't make a huge difference either to our bodies or to our budget. But if we can get one step closer to living the holistic lifestyle that we want to live (one day when we can afford the type of food we want!), then let's do it! And let me tell you, I probably would have been just as fine if we had used Johnson and Johnson baby products. I don't look down on anyone for using them, I don't know enough about the big debate to really care. At the end of the day, I had the time to make the products, and I feel good about using more natural products.

Also, I know that every family has their priorities. You know how it is - some families are all about music or sports or playing games or tv or being outdoors or travelling...you catch my drift? To some moms, the most important thing is reading to their kids, to others it's having a clean house. I haven't quite found my main focus (I think there will be more than one too), but after trying this out, I have enjoyed the experience enough that making these natural products, and hopefully more in the near future, will be a priority for me and my family.

Now, where were we?

After spending a lot of time deciding which ones I wanted to try, I settled with this recipe for Homemade Baby Soap:

1/4c Dr Bronners Unscented Baby Mild Soap
1/4c Coconut Oil (or vitamin E oil, avocado oil, etc)
1/4c Water, warm/hot
Essential Oils (preferably lavender)

Taken from a greener mama

All of these things are super easy to find. With Coconut oil, you can buy it at a grocery store - don't be fooled into thinking you need to buy the expensive kind at the natural food store that is meant specifically for making beauty products - it's the same stuff as the kind at Wal-Mart. Also, Amazon is great for finding lower prices on these kinds of products.

This is how it came out:

It is VERY foamy, and the recipe doesn't make a ton because the shelf life isn't super duper long. The next day (after taking the picture), the solution was reduced enough that I combined the two containers into one.

We have loved using this at bath time with Ian. I love love love the smell of lavender and I like to think it helps calm him down before going to bed. You do have to shake up the solution when you're about to use it, and you don't need very much so it will last a while. I love knowing that all these ingredients are gentle and even nourishing to Ian's skin. And I like knowing that I can do this! Homemade soap for the win!

Pictures from the first month

After our first night in the hospital, which went splendidly well. Ian is an angel baby!

Daddy made these posters for us :)

During said first bath

I didn't flip these, but gosh Ian makes the best faces when he's milk drunk or half asleep

Cute gassy/half awake smiles

Gosh, can he get any cuter?!

My boys having some snuggle time

Dressed up for the sabbath, though we haven't been to church yet!

1 month

Ian is (over) 1 month old! It has been for sure the hardest, most incredible month of my life. I didn't know that I had the capacity to do what I've been doing - being a mom is hard! The first two weeks were difficult because I was supposed to be recovering but didn't really take it as easy as I should have, so I was in a lot of pain when I didn't need to be. Stupid! Lesson learned.

Also, I didn't know I could function so well when I'm so tired. (I guess that's up for debate, I haven't ventured to ask anyone if I'm up to my own par) I also didn't know I could be so tired. But my body is adapting to this new life of not sleeping as much as I used to, and I'm happy to change.

Things about Ian this first month:

Breastfeeding has been a challenge. It's just been this last week/week and a half that I feel like we're doing this how we need to do it. I'm getting to know Ian better and reading him better, which is a good thing for everyone. We do have to give him formula in addition to breast feeding but he takes a bottle very well, and doesn't seem to have a preference to formula or breast milk necessarily. This is nice because Tom can feed him and have some bonding time too, which he enjoys.

This is the bather we use (it's upside down, sorry!). If you'll notice, there's a nasty big yellow blob up at the top (which is actually the bottom). Ian loves the tub, he finds it very relaxing. TOO relaxing - almost every night he pees and twice now he has pooped in the tub! This was last night's clean up, thanks little dude. Actually more like thanks DADDY who took care of it when I forgot.

Ian really liked his binky for the first two weeks but now he doesn't take it so well. That's okay with me - he will very rarely take it if he gets really desperate. He sucks on that thing HARD, it's hilarious!

He likes to have his hands up on his face as much as possible, and likes to suck on his hands/fingers from time to time, which I find adorable.

I'm not sure who loves this more, Ian or Tom!

This was after his first bath, he just kept his mouth open as if saying "WOW! This tub time stuff is awesome!"

Not very often, but sometimes Ian will let me take a nap with him all snuggled up to me like this. Not for very long, but it's been some of my favorite quiet moments with my son.

Ian has issues with being gassy a lot, though it's getting a lot better. We have to get creative sometimes when he's so worked up about the gas, which means trying different methods of burping. We call this burping technique "The Sloth Hold", and Ian doesn't mind it a bit!

Sometimes he will sit in his boppy and just be so calm and quiet, allowing me to get things done. Win win!

This was taken after a very long night. I was really tired and evidently so was Ian! I don't remember thinking that he would necessarily enjoy this position, but I was out of it. He fell asleep, giving me a bit of time for a nap too, and I guess Tom snapped this picture before he left for class.

We are flying to Texas in 8 days (!!!!) and I'm a little bit super scared to fly with a 5, almost 6 week old. We've been practicing using our Moby wrap (it's actually just jersey cloth given to me by my MIL, cut the same as a Moby wrap but a fraction of the cost - score!). Ian wasn't too sure about it at first but we're working on it. There isn't really another option, so it has to work haha! Actually, he is currently in the wrap sleeping against me as I write this. So I'd say things are getting better.

Ian has mostly grown out of newborn clothes (except the pants, those fit him much better), which I have mixed feelings about. He only stayed in newborn diapers for about two and a half weeks, and as of late has been displaying some nice rolls, a double chin, and hefty "jowls" as my Dad would call his big, kissable cheeks.

He has had two blowouts, and they weren't bad at all. Knock on wood!

We already had our first out-of-state experience with Ian when we went to Utah for Thanksgiving with Tom's family. He did well in the car, but adjusting to a different place seemed to throw him off. Thankfully he's back in a groove - just in time to leave again, oh joy.

As for me, I'm adjusting. I have started walking on the indoor track with him in the jogging stroller this week, trying to very slowly ease back into an active lifestyle and begin prep for half marathon training! (My goal is to complete a half marathon in 2015). I may or may not have gone 5 days without showering, I guess you'll just have to assume I didn't. The first two weeks consisted of a LOT of tears and some breakdowns, thank goodness for Tom. I can count on one hand the number of times I've gotten dressed completely with hair and makeup done. I can't eat chocolate (sad) but Ian seems to be pretty tolerable of most everything else I eat, and I hope that when I get brave enough to slowly introduce chocolate back into my life, he'll be okay with it - fingers crossed!

But, I have never been happier. I have a new found confidence that I didn't know existed, and I feel like my head is on totally straight and that being Ian's mom is coming naturally to me as I prayed it would. I have felt God's love for me, His guiding hand, so often. I know that my new job of Mom is the most important one I could have, and that my success as a mother is important to Heavenly Father. He loves Ian as much as He loves me, and He wants us both to be happy - He won't let me fail! I am so grateful for that, and for the sacred moments I have had over the last month that confirm to me that God and His son Jesus Christ live and love me! What a powerful thing to know.

Tom and I have this moment several times a day where we're both looking at him and we look at each other and say "Is that really our baby?" I was just getting used to the reality that yes, Tom and I really are married to each other and I'm not dreaming, and now we have this angel baby with us! It's all very surreal. We think our baby is the most handsome sweet boy in the world. We love his sleepy smiles and funny faces that he often pulls, we love his cute little noises, and most especially how close to heaven he is. We love our Ian boy!

Ian: A Birth Story

Tomorrow my baby is a month old, so I find myself in this awkward place where I should have written my son's birth story a long time ago. I have written it down already in his journal (more on that another day), but I wanted to share it here because it's a beautiful story, really. Plus, there are some people who I love and blogs are unfortunately the only way we stay connected, and I want you all to be on the in with how Ian Timothy Cook came into this world.

My due date was Thursday, November 6. Leading up to the day I kept thinking that every contraction (probably just Braxton Hicks) was the beginning of labor. When my due date came and went with no change I was really disappointed. Everyone told me first babies are always late, that I should plan for an extra week at least. Tom and I had started talking about having an induced labor because it would be so much more convenient what with his school schedule, my mom already being out west, and family not having to take off any work to come meet our boy. I called my doctor and they scheduled an appointment for Friday, November 7 to see if I was far enough along to be induced. When I went in, nothing had changed: for three weeks now I had been dilated to a 1 and 50% effaced. The appointment overall was a terrible experience and Tom wasn't with me and I did NOT like the doctor and they kept me there forever and I was already really emotional and my phone died so I couldn't complain to Tom or update him on what they were doing and, and, and. It was not a very good day. Tom showed up at the doctor's office in time for them to do an ultrasound to make sure baby was okay (this doctor was convinced every time I saw him that there must be something wrong with the baby since I was so small my whole pregnancy). I wasn't expecting him, and it was such a relief to see him there. He drove me home after and surprised me with TACO BELL. Bless you, Tommy Ray. Long story short, I was not in a place to be induced unless I wanted to run a high risk of c-section. We scheduled an appointment for Monday, November 10 and would reevaluate then.

We decided to (try) not worry about it, to just take this whole experience as it comes. We made plans to go to the temple that night, something that was long overdue I'm ashamed to say. We bought ingredients to make homemade pretzels, complete with salsa con queso to dip them in.

At 5 we were walking into the temple and I felt pain, a different kind of pain. Not just a tightening of my stomach, but like a menstrual cramp kind of thing. I told Tom that this was a different kind of feeling and we thought "hey that's cool". While we did sealings, I had 2 more of those. Then we went to the store, and I had a few more as we walked around. By the time we got home to make pizza and pretzels, I had talked to my mom and confirmed that these probably weren't Braxton Hicks anymore, downloaded a contraction timer app, and began timing every one. It was awfully exciting, but we were trying not to get too excited, I was still feeling a little fragile, ya know? By the time we finished watching Stardust, my contractions were coming consistently 5-7 minutes apart. I didn't want to go to bed, I wanted to walk to China and back to help keep this going! But we did go to bed, and I didn't sleep much since I was waking up to time the contractions. Somewhere around 3 am they died down, and by the time we got up at 7 they were so few and far between I stopped keeping track. Again, I was disappointed. We went to the Biggest Winner Team Challenge, which was really fun! It was a good distraction.

Later that day we decided to go to the gym and I was determined to have contractions again. My Mom decided to not fly home that day (Saturday, Nov 8) but to come to Idaho, just in case. At the gym, I wasn't necessarily trying to be careful, but I was still smart. And the whole time I walked/biked/ellipticalled (is that a word?!) I was praying for contractions to come back. They did, boy they came back! They weren't super consistent, but they were more intense. We made plans to meet Mom in Idaho Falls to do some grocery shopping, and as I got ready to go I was getting more excited because gosh these hurt, and this seemed more like the real thing.

Side note here: being in labor is NOTHING like the movies. I mean, it would be really nice if the contractions just all of a sudden hit and your water gushes out 1 minute later and 20 minutes you're at the hospital screaming "GIVE ME THE JUICE" and 5 minutes after you're pushing and after 3 good pushes boom you've got yourself a baby. If only, if only.

So we drove to Idaho Falls, timing contractions and having to remind myself to breathe through some of them. It was SO good to see my Mom, I don't think I've ever been so relieved to see my Mom in my life! I think it was just knowing that she's what I would consider an expert laborer/deliverer/mother, and it was nice to have her there even though I didn't realize completely what was going on. We shopped at Sam's club, then Winco. When we got back to Rexburg, the woman we live with had her family over (we're talking 45/50 people here) so we decided to go out to eat and catch a movie. We ate at Ramires', which I wouldn't recommend to anyone, We went to see "The Giver", which I would recommend to everyone. We came home and talked for a while, then went to bed. Read: not sleep. My contractions were coming stronger and stronger, though not consistently. At 3:30 am Tom and I turned on the light and gave up on trying to get sleep - I was audibly breathing through my contractions and it was keeping Tom up, so we turned on an episode of Biggest Loser.

When we got up for the day, we went for a walk. It was a beautiful morning! We came home and I still wasn't having consistent contractions, so we decided to go to church. That didn't last long, we took the sacrament and made it through one talk before I asked if we could leave, my contractions were really hurting me and I was having a hard time keeping quiet about it! So we went home and tried to take a nap (Tom slept in the other room so I wouldn't keep him up again haha). That wasn't very successful on my part. I talked with my mom and we decided to call the nurse to see if I should go in. At this point I still didn't think I was in "labor", per se. I didn't think I was going to have a baby that day. As far as I knew, I was still dilated to a 1 and 50% effaced, like I had been for three weeks. The nurse was hesitant to say I should go in because my contractions were inconsistent and I could still "walk" through my contractions (it was really more of a slow waddle). In fact, she only said to go in once I told her about some brighter blood I had experienced that morning, and she said getting checked wouldn't hurt. I asked Tom for a blessing, which was very special. I am so grateful for the strength that Tom was throughout this whole thing! I couldn't have done it without him. The delivery of our son was such a sacred, bonding experience for us.

Tom and I walked to the hospital because that had been a goal of mine from the very beginning - to walk to the hospital to have the baby. I still didn't think I was going to have him, but it was a beautiful day so we though "why not?". Mom drove over with our stuff, and when we got there, it was almost completely vacant, so I got right in. They hooked me up and asked me a bunch of questions, and then checked me. Lo and behold, I was dilated to a 7 and nearly completely effaced! That was such a relief to hear, that the pain I had been going through wasn't for nothing!

Everything happened so fast...they called the doctor out of church (I LOVED my doctor!) and he broke my water, which was an interesting experience. Not what I was expecting. Then the contractions started coming quicker and stronger. After a while I requested an epidural, which took a long time to get. The anesthesiologist also was called out of church to help me, but I guess he didn't get the page for a while. I was delirious with pain at this point, but it was such a joyful thing to go through! Nonetheless, when the anesthesiologist came in and told me he hadn't gotten the page for a while, everyone else said something along the lines of "oh that's okay!" but I said "Don't say that, don't say those kinds of things to me!" Yeah, I was not exactly myself at the time. The epidural was fantastic, and soon I was numb and happy as a clam. A birthing clam.

All of a sudden, it was time to push. They could already see baby's hair, which I thought meant he was practically here. Baby was posterior, meaning his body was turned so his head was looking to the side, not down as is ideal for delivery. They tried to turn him, but he kept turning back, so we decided to just roll with it. Unfortunately, baby wasn't recovering between contractions as well as they would have wanted, so they put an oxygen mask on me. I didn't realize all that was going on, which I'm grateful for. The doctor never told me that the baby was in a bit of danger, but at one point the doctor said "I need you to listen to me", and I knew I had better tune in good. He told me it was all up to me, that we needed to get the baby out now. I prayed for extra strength, because honestly, I couldn't feel anything down there and as far as I knew, I was pushing the best that I could! But the next few pushes did feel different, and they worked very well.

Within a few more pushes, they helped my baby out and laid him on my stomach. That was an indescribable moment that I replay in my head every day. He was the most beautiful thing, even purple and covered in goop as he was. Tom cut the umbilical cord, and they took him away to clean him up. Listening to him cry was so surreal, I couldn't believe he was finally here! The doctor stitched me up (they had to do a small epesiotomy (sp??) and I had a couple of other tears) and they brought me dinner - chicken tenders and tater tots, oh yeah! Soon Ian, as we officially decided to call him, was back in my arms. We had some skin to skin time and he immediately ate very well.

The whole time, that whole evening, was so surreal. I felt like I was in heaven, I had my sweet Ian, and my incredible husband with me. I could not have asked for a better delivery. Ian was perfectly healthy, and except for the biggest cone head known to mankind and a nasty hematoma from being stuck in the birth canal, there was nothing wrong. My dreams had come true, I was a mother.

7 lbs 10 ozs, 21 inches long, my beautiful baby arrived at 5:41 pm on Sunday, November 9th. I couldn't be happier.

I was so grateful to have my mom there for the whole thing. I love my mom so much! Tom's mom and sister came up that night to meet Ian and left the next morning, we have the greatest support from the best family!

If you made it this far, I congratulate you! This was quite the novel. I'll keep trying to play catch up because the last month has been quite the whirlwind!