Pregnancy Awareness Month! (2013)

A resource website created for new moms that provides reliable news, information, support and helpful tidbits.

For more baby related news and information, please review        

 my other pages and the news feeds to the right (scroll down).

 This page features my latest article for new moms. Enjoy!

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                   May is Pregnancy Awareness Month! 

 

***The series "Milestones" will return next month (in May, 2013) with Part 4 of my daughter's early learning experience and will include more of my videos, my activities for her, pictures and my ideas that new moms will find useful for their little one. 

In the meantime, I wanted to make my NetworkforMoms.org buddies aware again this year that the month of May is Pregnancy Awareness Month. The organization Pregnancy Awareness Month, has a free event every May to help pregnant women, new parents, new grandparents and families with information about pregnancy and baby products.

Pregnancy Awareness Month (P.A.M), according to their website, is an 'organization dedicated to inspiring women during pregnancy with educational initiatives spotlighting nutrition, wellness and all around nurturing'.

During the month of May, P.A.M's. conference-style event in Los Angeles, California features a variety of products, specialists and experts in the field of pregnancy, motherhood and children. 

This year the event will take place on Sunday, May 5, 2013 at Writer's Boot Camp at Bergamot Station in Santa Monica, Los Angeles, CA from 12 p.m. - 4:30 p.m.  For those moms that may live in the Los Angeles area, or if you know someone who is pregnant or has small children and live in that area, feel free to pass this information along to them. New moms and moms-to-be will be thankful to you for making them aware of this event! Don't forget to mention NetworkforMoms.org!

In light of this event, I wanted to share with my fellow NetworkforMoms.org buddies products that I found incredibly useful during my pregnancy in 2011.  I found these items to be absolute necessities and completely worth the investment because of the relief, comfort and relaxation that I experienced using these products.


Snoogle Original Total Body Pillow

This pregnancy pillow was an absolute life saver!  At 10 weeks pregnant I was feeling a lot of ligament pain at night and had a very difficult time getting to sleep.  I bought the Snoogle that week and used it for the rest of my pregnancy and for several months post pregnancy. When I used the Snoogle for the first time, I had one of the most relaxing night's sleep that I had experienced in a long time.  I was totally refreshed when I woke up and my ligament pain was completely gone.   I highly recommend this pregnancy pillow - it cradled my stomach, my  knees, my legs and gave me back support as well.

 Get the Snoogle and avoid the need for all of those pillows!

For less than $50, this is an absolute necessity, here is the link:http://www.toysrus.com/product/index.jsp?productId=3190421&cp=&parentPage=search

Prenatal Cradle Best Cradle


After the first trimester, I knew that the weight from my stomach and the ligament pain was going to be very uncomfortable when walking.  I found the Prenatal Cradle Best Cradle support harness to be very helpful in relieving me from this discomfort.  I could wear the Prenatal Cradle Best Cradle under my clothes to give me relief from the ligament pain and enable me to walk with comfort during the second trimester.

The Prenatal Cradle Best Cradle support harness should only be used during the first and second trimester only because, during the third trimester, the stomach is very heavy and the cradle will be too small to support your stomach's weight.  Nevertheless, this cradle brought me great relief from the ligament pain and made walking out to my car or in a store a much less painful experience.  They come in a small, medium and a large size.

This cradle was a great product to have during most of my pregnancy and for @ $52 it was worth every penny! Here is the link:http://www.drugsupplystore.com/servlet/the-9533/Orginal-Prenatal-Cradle-Maternity/Detail#.UUlVVze9t10 

Wheatgrass powder

I ate as healthfully as I could during my pregnancy but still felt that I lacked enough dark green vegetables in my diet.  I bought Amazing Grass Organic Wheatgrass Powder (gluten free) and drank two glasses of it every day with cranberry juice and water.  I had used this Amazing Grass Organic Wheatgrass Powder (gluten free) for 6 months prior to my pregnancy and found that my skin, hair and nails looked a lot better and I had more energy. Since this product was so helpful, I continued to use it during my pregnancy and found that it really helped me with energy and skin issues. 

I highly recommend this product and you can purchase it here for @ $20: http://www.drugstore.com/products/prod.asp?pid=227776&catid=183310&aid=338666&aparam=goobase_filler 

Hypnobabies.com

In the last 6 weeks of my pregnancy, I really started to feel anxious about the big day.  These feelings of anxiety were very paralyzing and I did not want to feel this way on the day that my daughter was to be born. I knew I needed something more than just soft music to relax me and give me some sense of control over these feelings. 


I found www.hypnobabies.com and downloaded an mp3 from their website to help me relax and prepare for the big event. The video really helped calm me down dramatically.

I watched it 2-3 times per week for the last 6 weeks of my pregnancy.  Hypnobabies.com has an extensive program to help women relax and feel calmer, especially during pregnancy. They offer two free MP3s on their website; the one called "Relax Me" is a nice example video of their program.  You can download both example mp3s directly from here, you just need to register with the website:https://www.hypnobabies.com/about-hypnobabies/experience-hypnobabies

Pure Stress Relief by LifeScapes 


I also listened to a stress relief CD called "Pure Stress Relief" by LifeScapes. This CD is a 3 box set that includes a piano music CD, a guitar music CD and a pure relaxation CD (this one was my favorite!). You can find it here:http://www.amazon.com/Pure-Stress-Relief-Various-Artists/dp/B007U0VAS4/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1453558767&sr=8-1&keywords=pure+stress+relief+lifescape

Both the music CD and the Hypnobabies.com mp3 really helped me to feel totally relaxed and calm during my pregnancy, which ultimately, made my labor a lot easier. (Just as a footnote, I was asked by the maternity ward doctors about the types of relaxation techniques that I had used during my pregnancy because I was so relaxed during labor).   


Hyacinth Diffuser Oil by Seda France 


In the final stretch of my pregnancy, the Pure Stress Relief CD, Hypnobabies.com mp3 and using Hyacinth scented diffuser oil with reed sticks (during early contractions) were an absolute necessity.  

Inhaling the strong, sweet scent of hyacinth oil as soon as a contraction occurred significantly reduced the intensity of the labor pain, making the contraction more tolerable for me. A sweet, strong scent interrupts the brain's pain receptors by activating the brain's pleasure receptors, resulting in less pain during contractions. Here is where to find Hyacinth diffuser oil by Seda France: http://www.zanadia.com/Seda-France-Diffuser-Refill-Hyacinth_p_14486.html 
Also, here are the diffuser sticks: http://www.amazon.com/Hosleys-Set-Rattan-Diffuser-Reeds/dp/B00UCFY9PA/ref=sr_1_5?ie=UTF8&qid=1453558638&sr=8-5&keywords=diffuser+sticks

Depend Underwear for Women (Maximum Absorbancy)

In the last month of my pregnancy, I wanted to be prepared in case my 'water broke' at an inconvenient time (in a store, in the car, etc.). I came up with the idea of wearing Depend Underwear for Women (Maximum Absorbancy). After I had my daughter, I continued to wear them for another 2 months post pregnancy. I found them very convenient because I could dispose of the Depend Underwear every day and there was less laundry at the end of each week!  Here is the link to the Depend Underwear in size Large:

http://www.target.com/p/depend-for-women-maximum-absorbency-l-underwear-17-count/-/A-14765963#prodSlot=medium_1_16&term=depends

DoggiePeePads.com

Also, some women that I spoke to used Doggie Pee Pads to line the seat of their car for extra protection in case their 'water broke' while driving.  The Doggie Pee Pads come in many colors, are machine washable, contain absorbent inner layers and a leak-proof barrier.

You can purchase the Doggie Pee Pads here for @ $21:http://www.doggiepeepads.com/dog-pee-pads.php

Other Necessities to Consider during Pregnancy:


Buying the Medela Breast Pump Backpack

My husband, Frank, feeding our 5-day-old daughter. Yum!

When I was four months pregnant, I decided to begin the shopping for my post pregnancy time and bought the Medela Breast Pump in the Backpack.  This breast pump was an absolute lifesaver! With this breast pump I never suffered from being engorged and my husband could bottle feed our daughter (giving me a little break). The backpack version here allowed me to take the breast pump with me safely on trips and place it on my back which saved room in my stroller storage bag.  I highly recommend buying this version of the Medela Breast Pump as soon as you can (also Babies R Us offers insurance for this product):http://www.toysrus.com/buy/preemie-shop/preemie-feeding/breast-pumps/electric-breast-pumps/medela-pump-in-style-advanced-backpack-57062-2815290


My Brest Friend Breastfeeding Pillow


The My Brest Friend Breastfeeding Pillow was a life-saver and wonderful to have when I fed my daughter.  It has a built-in pillow for her head, making access to her food easier and more comfortable. The adjustable strap allows this pillow to fit a woman of almost any size in the postpartum period.  The pillow is stiff and does not bend in the middle at all (making the breastfeeding easier), is well supported with comfortable padding in the back and has a removable cover for easy cleaning (the Boppy, for example, bends in the middle, does not fit properly around a women's mid-section and was not originally designed as a breastfeeding pillow).  Using this pillow allowed me to feed her without having to hold her up all of the time and wearing down my arm muscles in the process!

This pillow was suggested to me by the instructor for my breastfeeding class that I took prior to my daughter's arrival.  She told me that the My Brest Friend Breastfeeding Pillow was the only one that was actually designed as a real breastfeeding pillow - so I bought it right away!  I highly recommend this pillow and purchasing it well in advance of your baby's due date. Here is the link: http://www.target.com/p/my-brest-friend-deluxe-nursing-pillow-green/-/A-10539020?ci_src=17588969&ci_sku=10539020&ref=tgt_adv_XS000000&AFID=google_pla_df&CPNG=PLA_Baby%2BShopping&adgroup=SC_Baby&LID=700000001170770pgs&network=g&device=c&location=9001997&gclid=CKPdobn0v8oCFU4WHwodqqsNNg&gclsrc=aw.ds


Think of Creating new Storage Spaces

My daughter's nursery prior to her arrival!

During the second trimester of my pregnancy, I decided that new storage space would be a necessity in the nursery beyond the closet storage.  I needed it to be easily accessible and I wanted to be able to see all of the products and supplies that I had purchased as well.  I went to Home Depot and bought 3 inexpensive wire closet shelving pieces (these ones can support 20-25 pounds of weight) and placed them behind the door to the nursery (which is normally a useless space).  The diaper boxes were too heavy for the shelving which is why I placed them in the floor area of the storage space.  I bought an asian-style room divider and used that to create a wall around the shelving so that it looked attractive, but hidden.

The newly added storage space!

I also bought several 8 1/2 x 11 inch pre-cut plexiglass pieces and placed them on the shelving. This allowed me to place bottles and other small items on the shelving without having them fall over or fall through the prongs of the shelving - it also allowed me to line up all of the products in order to see them better (see picture above).

Home Depot can cut these closet storage shelving pieces to fit your space - just measure the space out beforehand. To cover the sharp, cut edges of the shelving, I bought ClosetMaid Large and Small Shelf Caps.  This shelving/storage project (which I nicknamed "The Store") worked out really well for us and has been very convenient when accessing our baby supplies and storage. In addition, it made a great storage area out of a completely useless space in the nursery.  (I also had the room painted 6 months before our daughter arrived with a low-VOC paint/primer by Behr called "Southern Beauty" - however, Behr now makes Zero-VOC paint/primer, you can find my paint color sample here:http://www.homedepot.com/p/BEHR-Premium-Plus-Ultra-8-oz-140C-1-Southern-Beauty-Interior-Exterior-Paint-Sample-140C-1U/202181806#.UY-cNUo9Pnk

GardenMoms.com

This website is a great parenting resource for moms, dads, moms-to-be and grandparents. GardenMoms.com was created by a few customers of the former Garden of Eden Restaurant in Boston, MA (mostly mothers with small children) in order to connect to each other for support. http://www.bigtent.com/groups/gardenmoms

Once you sign up for a free account you can post a thread on GardenMoms that is forwarded by e-mail to the entire membership (you can choose whether or not to receive copies of the threads by e-mail).
The membership (currently about 9500 members) consists of mostly Massachusetts and New England parents and grandparents with many professional backgrounds who can post helpful answers to your thread. You can answer any thread yourself and view other members' threads as well!  GardenMoms.com is the best website for moms who are looking for lots of opinions on a specific issue related to babies, children or children's products.

NetworkforMoms.org is on the 'GM Voices' list on GardenMoms.com under the "news" tab. This website is a great to use during pregnancy and while your child is young. Click this Link to sign up!





I found these products to be very helpful during my postpartum period:

FreeStretchMarkCure.com

During my pregnancy, I found Jean of FreeStretchMarkCure.com, a fellow 'mompreneur', who sells a kit with her remedy to help reduce the look of stretch marks after pregnancy (or the look of the stretch marks that teenagers experience).  She developed her stretch mark remedy 14 years ago and her kit includes a scrub, massage tool, healing cream and instructions. This kit costs @ $47 and can be purchased here:

http://beautybeyondskin.com/products/ekit

Stretch Mark Removal Massage Remedy Kit

Once you purchase the kit, you can follow her directions online here or follow the kit instructions:http://www.freestretchmarkcure.com/

My stomach, 1 month post pregnancy.

My stomach, 1 1/2 years post pregnancy

I used the kit regularly for 6 months post pregnancy and
intermittently over the next 12 months (in some cases only using the cream after bathing). This remedy was very effective in reducing the look of my stretch marks. At 1 1/2 years post pregnancy, my stomach looks a lot better and the dark scars have significantly faded.

My stomach, 28 months post pregnancy

I  resumed using the kit (at 1 1/2 years post pregnancy) for 4 months straight. I used the healing cream for the next few months and took this picture to the right at 28 months post pregnancy. As you can see, the remaining dark scars have faded and my stomach skin no longer looks as severely scarred and damaged. I am happy with the result from using this kit, especially since it did not involve special skin treatments.

This is a great product for postpartum women or teenagers (who experience stretch marks during their development).


Belly-Jeans.com

I found a great service for postpartum women looking to alter their old, pre-pregnancy jeans that don't quite fit anymore. This company recognizes that a lot of women are tired of ill-fitting maternity jeans or are not able to find the right fitting jeans to fit their waist!

The website www.Belly-Jeans.com is owned by another fellow 'mompreneur', Cheryl Holst, who, after her 5th pregnancy, decided to use her sewing skills to make her jeans more comfortable during, and after, her pregnancy.

Cheryl can convert almost any pair of jeans into comfortable maternity jeans using a special elastic band, known as the 'Belly Band'.  She offers different styles, fabric choices and other sewing services such as V-Fly extension, hemming and patching.  She can also convert shorts, skirts and other 'jean-cut' style pants.

Half DemiBand with V-fly extension

The average Belly Jeans maternity conversion runs $20 - $25 per pair of jeans (not including shipping).  If you are looking to convert your old or new jeans to fit you better in the waist, check out her site and salvage your favorite jeans! Don't forget to mention NetworkforMoms.org!

My Belly Jeans conversion, 10.2.12

Here is a pair of my old jeans altered by Belly-jeans to fit my postpartum waistline (see picture to the left).

As you can see, my jeans have a fun waistband color that will compliment my baby's clothes and my stroller.
I chose the 'Full DemiBand' Belly Band with the V-fly extension. I just love my Belly Jeans and am so thankful for this service.  Thanks Cheryl!

Diastasis Recti

According to the old IsisParenting.com blog (now only on Facebook), "During pregnancy the two halves of the outermost abdominal layer, the rectus abdominis, can become separated. This separation is called diastasis recti, and the separation happens because the growing baby and uterus put a forceful pressure on the connective tissue that holds the two halves of the muscles together, causing the connective tissue to stretch apart and become weak." (To read a copy of this article, see my post "Lost the weight but not the waistline?"  http://www.networkformoms.blogspot.com/2012/06/welcome-to-networkformomsorg.html

Unfortunately, left uncorrected, this condition can cause long term back pain. There are ways to reduce the stretched muscles and connective tissue in order to correct the diastasis. I know of three:  Yoga, Pilates and crunches at home using a split.  I provide more information and useful videos in my June, 2012 post about Diastasis Recti and how to correct it here:http://networkformoms.blogspot.com/2012/06/welcome-to-networkformomsorg.html



The Belly Bandit

In addition, the Belly Bandit is a popular splint used by women who are trying to get their stomach back in shape. The Belly Bandit can be found here:
http://www.diapers.com/p/belly-bandit-original-23012?site=CA&sku=LF-010&utm_source=Google&utm_medium=cpc_D&utm_campaign=GooglePLA&utm_content=pla&ca_sku=LF-010&ca_gpa=pla&ca_kw=&cvosrc=cse.google.LF-010&cvo_crid=42814834057

Livestrong.com: My Plate

I had used the "My Plate" application and database from Livestrong.com 6 months before I was pregnant to help me successfully lose weight.  I absolutely love My Plate - you can set a weekly weight goal using their database, create menus for each meal in your day and check the database for food that you are not sure about in terms of calories, fat, cholesterol, sodium, carbohydrates, fiber, protein and sugars. The My Plate program calculates the amount of each of these items based on your weight goal and intake. It also displays the correct amount of each item that you should consume per day!  My Plate on Livestrong.com is a fantastic tool and I highly recommend using this site when you are ready to lose weight (you will lose it the right away!). Here is the link for more information and you can sign up for a free account with Livestrong.com: http://www.livestrong.com/thedailyplate/

Once you are signed up with a free account, set your weight goals and start a My Plate menu. 

For online weight loss support, go to the tab called 'Community', click on 'Lose Weight' to join the weight loss support thread - I found this thread very useful and it was nice to talk to other people who were trying to lose weight. This is a very positive and supportive group - one that I found very encouraging during my weight loss.

I hope these ideas have been helpful and feel free to e-mail me anytime with questions at JoyE@NetworkforMoms.org  

Happy pregnancy awareness month everyone!

Joy E.
Posted April 25, 2013

Our family at lunchtime in the Prudential mall! 3.29.13

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Milestones: Part 3 (March 2013)

A resource website created for new moms that provides reliable news, information, support and helpful tidbits.

For more baby related news and information, please review        

 my other pages and the news feeds to the right (scroll down).

 This page features my latest article for new moms. Enjoy!

***********************************************************************************

Milestones: My Daughter's Early Learning, Part 3

Drums and Music

In some of the baby classes that I have attended, there were large drums provided for the children.   At the time, I noticed that the babies in class did not know any consistent beats and typically hit the drum randomly.  This was fun for them at first, but eventually became boring.  My daughter was 11 months old when I decided that it would be better to introduce to her a consistent beat that I was familiar with from the song 'I Like to Be in America' from the play West Side Story.  

 The popular hand/foot clap combination from this song was a favorite of mine from my youth.  I played this beat on the classroom drum for her several times, then let her attempt to repeat it.  This was the only beat I played on the drums, or on a box at home, so that she would become familiar with it and, possibly, repeat it.  Below is a video that I made in which I play this drum beat slowly for everyone to follow along:

Drum beat, West Side Story song,  00:47

Peabody Essex Museum, Salem, MA

 

The day before she was 13 months old, we visited the Peabody Essex Museum's children's area in Salem, MA and I wanted to show her the wind/sand exhibit that included a large circular wind machine with a thick glass top to allow the children to view the movement of the sand.  When I placed her on the machine to view the sand, she took a few minutes to observe and then began using the glass top as a drum.  I was amazed when she repeated the 'I Like to Be in America' song's drum beat that I had introduced to her one month beforehand! She repeated the beat using both hands for percussion.  It was an exciting moment for both of us, and made me realize that babies could learn something like a drum beat quickly and make it a part of their play time. I was finally able to capture her repeating the drum beat in the short video below at 13 months old:

 Playing drum beat from West Side Story 10-12-12, 00:33

Also, at 1 year old (12 months), I decided to introduce her to some new classical music pieces that I thought she might enjoy.  I have 'The Nutcracker' music on a CD and played the entire playlist for her one morning as we both sat together on the couch.  The music was coming from my portable cd player/radio and she liked touching the speakers as well as some of the buttons on the front of the player/radio. 

Over the next few weeks, I noticed that when she spoke in her 'baby talk' she sounded like she was singing some of the songs from The Nutcracker!  I was pleased to hear her 'singing' these songs because these songs were meant for children and since classical music has a more organized beat, I felt it was probably easier for her to recall (as opposed to other genres of music).

Magazines

In addition to the music, at 1 year old (12 months), I thought that it might be fun for my daughter to experience playing with magazines and exercise her fingers by turning the pages. I had a few Dwell magazines, an Elle Decor and a few Parents magazines available for her to explore (I chose these magazines because they did not have inappropriate or indecent pictures).  She went through each magazine and moved the pages back and forth. In some cases, I had to open the magazine in order to get her started.  I noticed that she didn't rip any pages, she just looked at them carefully and enjoyed moving the pages along to look at more pictures.

Over the next few weeks, I noticed that she enjoyed picking up her books and flipping through the pages, examining the pictures and speaking as if she were reading a story.  I enjoyed watching her entertain herself in this way. I could see that she was very happy and was enjoying her fantasy play.

Relaxing Scent

I noticed that my daughter really loved the scent of my Coconut Body Mist spray from The Body Shop. I noticed that she would relax more when she smelled this scent on me.  

I wondered if I sprayed this mist anywhere, would she relax once she smelled this scent (because it smelled like mommy). Since she had become resistant to riding in the stroller, and didn't like being strapped in, I decided that I would pump the Coconut Body Mist spray a couple of times over the stroller seat to make it smell desirable to her in hopes that she would sit in her stroller without resistance when we were ready to leave. 

As it turned out, the Coconut Body Mist spray was very effective in encouraging her to sit in her stroller and not resist being strapped in.  I was so happy to see that the mist worked - and I noticed once I stopped spraying, she became resistant again to sitting in the stroller. I sprayed the stroller every couple of days so that the scent remained present in the stroller.  I think she might have been comforted by the smell because it 'smelled like mommy' and made her relax.  The successful use of this scent as a way to get my daughter to relax in her stroller was one of the best accidental discoveries that I have had, here is the link to the spray: http://www.thebodyshop-usa.com/bath-body-care/body-mists/coconut-body-mist.aspx?vendor=CSE_GOOG&mr:trackingCode=40D6D030-D3BA-E111-8A92-BC305BEDEAD8&mr:referralID=NA&mr:adType=pla&gclid=CIjtndiygrYCFYqf4AodZkQA0g

Mommy elephant with baby 

Once my daughter started to crawl at 12 months old, I crawled along with her and sang her name like elephants do for their young to get them to follow the mother elephant.

                     Crawling and passing flower, 10-12-12,  01:00

In the cell phone video above (pardon the graininess), you can hear me singing her name as she crawls towards me.  While playing 'mommy elephant', I would sing her name after every third thump (my elephant moved very slow because of this). 

 

Full body roll and chase (beginning at 1 year old)

In this activity, I would lay on the ground on my back, extend my arms over my head and slowly roll over onto my stomach and then over again onto my back.  My daughter loved this because she could chase me and, at times, push me over onto my stomach.  I loved doing this activity with her because she always laughed very hard and enjoyed turning over her mom.

After about 6 weeks of this activity (she was 13 1/2 months old), my daughter would lay on her back sometimes after playing with her toys.  I decided that this was her way of signaling to me that she wanted me to play the 'game' full body roll and chase with her. As soon as I completed one full body roll, she immediately rose up, crawled over to me and attempted to roll me onto my stomach.  This activity was really fun for both of us - she had a chance to play with me, get some exercise and I had a chance to rest a little bit on the floor! 

Chewbeads Necklace and Block Sorting

With all of the little milestones that she had so far, I was most pleased on the day that she turned 13 months old and was playing with my pink Chewbeads necklace (www.Chewbeads.com). This was the day that she put the necklace over her head and wore it as a necklace for the first time!  She then removed the necklace by pulling it carefully over her head again, unassisted by me. She did this a few times while I sat and observed.

Once she was done, she left the necklace on and began to crawl away - that is when I removed it immediately - for safety reasons, I did not want her crawling away with the necklace around her neck. As she grew older, I made sure that this necklace was always in a safe place.

What was most amazing about this event is that I had not shown her how to wear the necklace in our play time. She had only seen me put the necklace on in the morning every day. She obviously learned to wear the necklace by observing her mom and decided to try it on herself.  By the way, if you decide to buy this necklace, the brighter, solid color (pink or green) necklaces are better than the darker ones.  I noticed that my daughter's baby pals were more attracted to my pink necklace than a darker colored necklace. Her baby pals that had not been introduced to a brighter colored Chewbeads necklace became very excited once they saw my pink necklace and wanted to play with it, bite on the beads and wear it (including many of her boy pals!). Color, in this case, mattered to these babies.

My daughter's favorite blocks, chosen by her, 10-10-12

Between 13 months old and 13 1/2 months old, my daughter became more selective with her blocks. She would collect her favorite blocks and place them in a see-through container (the blue container shown is originally from her infant toy the Melissa & Doug's Deluxe Fishbowl Fill & Spill Soft Baby Toy,  http://www.melissaanddoug.com/fishbowl-fill-and-spill/3044.html ).

At this point, I decided that I would record which blocks she chose as her favorites. I took this picture above immediately after she was done choosing these blocks, placing them in the blue container and had crawled away.  I found it interesting that she had chosen blocks that had animal printing as well as two different shapes of the non-printed blocks.

It was nice to see that after 2 1/2 months of playing with her blocks how much she appreciated these shapes and colors. Also, since these were her favorite blocks at the time, I decided to pay closer attention to her color choices and use this as a reference for future toys. 

Open Creative Play Time

I decided at 13 1/2 months that my daughter's play time would include time in which I would quietly observe her play with toys and other items that she found interesting.  I never expected her to have the type of creative play as she did in this next video.

During this video of her play time (she is 13 1/2 months old) I was able to capture her using new packages of diapers as drums and playing her own beat. This was an activity that she made up herself on the spot without any suggestion or intervention from anyone.  I was so surprised to see my daughter creating her own 'toys' from items in the baby supply area of her nursery.  Additionally in this video, she puts on the Chewbeads necklace and uses her feet for the first time to kick away some of her blocks .

Kicking blocks away, putting on necklace and 
 playing a beat on 'drums' 10-20-12, 00:22:05

Words

By 12 1/2 months old, she was using the words 'hey', 'this', 'that', 'that's', 'Dad' and 'Mama'.  By 13 1/2 months old, she had spoken a few more words including 'why', 'look' and 'yes'. I was happy to see that by 13 1/2 months old, my daughter had spoken these 9 words and was using more than half of those words regularly.


As far as I was concerned at the time, speaking these words was another one of her milestones and showed me that her mind was progressing rapidly and that her level of knowledge was compounding at an accelerated rate.

Also, at 12 1/2 months old, I bought her a wonderful book called "Hugs" by iBaby. My daughter enjoyed this book like a toy and she played with it all of the time.  The ribbons made the book interesting to her and allowed her to 'play' with it and the characters in the story.

I placed each baby animal into the proper sleeve with the matching 'Mommy' animal character. When I read each page, I pulled out the baby animal and identified the name of that animal, then placed the baby animal back in the sleeve. Since this story is all about hugs between mothers and babies, it is a very pleasant and loving story.  This book can be purchased FOR $9.00 at any Walmart, http://www.walmart.com/ip/Ibaby-Hugs-Tuck-Each-Baby-Into-a-Loving-Hug/13255645 

If for some reason this book is sold out at Walmart.com,  here it is with FREE SHIPPING!:
http://www.bookdepository.com/Ibaby-Hugs-Tuck-Each-Baby-Into-Loving-Hug-Ikids/9781601690203

My daughter's 12th and 13th month were a lot of fun for both of us. I was very happy that she was learning new ways to play with me, her toys and other objects in our home.  Just as a recap, here is my list of the categories of my activities and ideas shown above:

1. Drums and Music

2. Magazines

3. Relaxing Scent

4. Mommy elephant with baby

5. Full body roll and chase

6. Wearing Chewbeads necklace and block sorting

7. Open Creative Play Time

8. Words

I hope my fellow new moms and NetworkforMoms.org buddies have enjoyed this latest installment of the 'Milestones' series.  There will be more of this series to follow in the next few months along with more of my ideas, activities, videos and pictures that involve my daughter's early learning experience.  In the meantime, NetworkforMoms.org turns 1 year old on April 11 and my daughter and I will be celebrating along with our NetworkforMoms.org fans!

Happy play time everyone!

Joy E.

Posted March 31, 2013

JoyE@NetworkforMoms.org

*NetworkforMoms.org is not paid by any of the companies mentioned above.

**Please do not use my articles, photos or videos without permission from me.

***The Feedjit audience tracking gadget tracks my readers' visits to my blog and if you would be so kind, please link this post to your MySpace, Flickr, Friendster, AOL IM, YouTube, 43Things, Facebook/Twitter, Tumblr. or FunP page or join the site with Google Friend Connect by using the gadgets in the right panel of this website. Feel free to comment on my articles as well, don't be shy!  Thank you.

Milestones: Part 2 (February 2013)

A resource website created for new moms that provides reliable news, information, support and helpful tidbits.

For more baby related news and information, please review        

 my other pages and the news feeds to the right (scroll down).

 This page features my latest article for new moms. Enjoy!

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Milestones: My Daughter's Early Learning (Part 2 of the series from October 2012)


Shapes and Blocks

Once my daughter was 11 months old and was ready to start crawling soon, I knew, with that, would come the need for more intense exploration.  I knew she would want to explore new types of toys and objects.  So, I decided that it would be best for her to start playing with different shapes, so that she could spend some time learning about what those shapes are; and what they looked like up close.

I began by purchasing the Natural Animal Wooden Blocks set by Hape Toys via Babies R Us.  She spent almost her entire 11th month playing with her new blocks and enjoying her older toys as well.  She seemed to really like the triangle shape the most and the brightly colored blocks (neon green and yellow mostly). They now have a new version called Maple Blocks sold at Hape Toys here:
 http://hapetoys.shptron.com/products/productdetail/part_number=HAPE0409/327.0

Once she turned 1 year old (12 months), I decided that she needed to explore other shapes.  She was excited to play with some of her birthday gifts which included the Edushape Sensory Balance Toy and the Melissa & Doug Chunky Puzzle of Safari Animals. So, we opened these gifts together and had fun playing with these new toys.

"Yay, my new shape toys - I can't wait!"

My daughter really liked the circular shapes the most. They came in blue, hot pink and yellow. She really loved the feel of these shapes since they were soft and easy to handle. I brought them with us wherever we went.  She was always entertained and happy with this toy.

I also decided to arrange the blocks in sets of three where one block was in a different color. In the picture below is a typical arrangement that I put together for her. I noticed that she would study the blocks more than usual when she saw them in this arrangement.

Next on the list was the Melissa & Doug Chunky Puzzle of Safari Animals. She loved the animal shapes and would hold on to her favorite ones the most.  She was not ready to place the animals back in the puzzle, but I figured, that this would come with time.  In the meantime, she could have fun enjoying the safari animal puzzle pieces!

Sorting Shoes

After about 2 weeks with her new toys, I decided that I would need to play with her differently, because just having her sit and play with her toys was not going to be enough to entertain her.

After my daughter's 1st birthday, I noticed that she liked playing with my summer sandals. I decided to let her play with two pairs while I watched. She really enjoyed playing with the sandals, and eventually, as you can see in this video below, she sorts the sandals by type.  I am in the background saying the word "shoe" or "shoes" depending on whether she was holding one shoe in one hand or if she was holding a shoe in each hand. In this way, we made a little game out of matching the sandals together.

If you have a chance, and want to understand this activity, watch the 04:09 video below. My daughter is 12 months and 12 days old in this video. I love this early video because she very happily sorts the sandals and is into her play time.  Also, it gave me a chance to observe her learning process and enjoy the fact that she was having fun with my old sandals!

                                                   Sorting Shoes 9-8-12 .MOV

I hope the video was helpful to those trying to help their babies explore the big world around them, while having fun with their baby (without stressing them out before they have had a chance to become who they are supposed to be in life).

This series will continue over the next few months and I hope my fellow new moms (and dads!) will have fun enjoying the videos, pictures, ideas and activities that I created for my daughter. In some cases, I created activities by accident while playing another type of game with her. By creating these activities, I found that the last 7 months have been an enjoyable, happy and exciting time for my daughter.

I love the fact that now, at 18 months old, she is a very happy, smart and pleasant person to be around. I hope these ideas benefit my fellow new moms and my NetworkforMoms.org buddies. Feel free to contact me any time, if you need to, at JoyE@NetworkforMoms.org.

Happy play time everyone!

Joy E.
Posted February 28, 2013
*NetworkforMoms.org is not paid by any of the companies mentioned above.

**Please do not use my articles, photos or videos without permission from me.

***The Feedjit audience tracking gadget tracks my readers' visits to my blog and if you would be so kind, please link this post to your MySpace, Flickr, Friendster, AOL IM, YouTube, 43Things, Facebook/Twitter, Tumblr or FunP page or join the site with Google Friend Connect by using the gadgets in the right panel of this website. Feel free to comment on my articles as well, don't be shy!  Thank you.

Catch the Crabapple Fever! New Cookbook by Joy E. of NetworkforMoms.org (December 2012)

A resource website created for new moms that provides reliable news, information, support and helpful tidbits.

For more baby related news and information, please review        

 my other pages and the news feeds to the right (scroll down).

 This page features my latest article for new moms. Enjoy!

***********************************************************************************

Catch the Crabapple Fever!
My new Cookbook: Cooking with Crabapples: Tasty Recipes

Hello Friends:

I know everyone was busy shopping for all of those
great toys mentioned in my last article, but now it is time to get excited about the newest cooking trend!

Joy E. of NetworkforMoms.org introduces her new cookbook with delicious recipes for crabapples.  Ride the runaway crabapple cooking trend with 'Cooking with Crabapples: Tasty Recipes' by   Joy E. of NetworkforMoms.org.

These recipes allow everyone to enjoy crabapples in a delicious way.  The cookbook includes several delicious tart recipes in addition to some baked items. It also makes a great gift for any occasion!

Catch the crabapple fever!  Once crabapple season is upon us again, you can find crabapples at local farms in your area. Keep in mind that crabapples need to be put in your freezer immediately (or the freezer section of your refrigerator).  Crabapples will begin to break down, change color and lose their health properties if you do not freeze them immediately!

For the more industrious chefs: if you freeze a large amount of crabapples, you can make my crabapple recipes in the off-season as well!

Once all of you savvy cooks bake these crabapple recipes, I am sure that this cookbook will become a fixture in your kitchen.  The cookbook is on sale now for just $22.50 (shipping incl. U.S. only) and makes a great gift for anyone who loves to cook! **SOLD OUT, please check back!***


For those cooks who are into baking healthy fare, according to HealthBerth.com, crabapples are 'a good source of fibre, Vitamin C and minerals (especially potassium).'  In addition, according to HealthBerth.com, crabapples' other health benefits are: 'the soluble fibre may lower blood cholesterol and may help to protect against heart and circulatory disease' (You can read HealthBerth.com's 2010 article 'Crabapples May Protect Heart Health' at this link: http://www.healthberth.com/2010/12/crab-apples-may-protect-heart-health.html).

Happy crabapple cooking everyone!

Joy E.
Posted December 21, 2012
JoyE@NetworkforMoms.org
*Please do not use my articles and photos without permission from me.

My happy daughter playing with her toys and looking forward to meeting Santa!

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***The Feedjit audience tracking gadget tracks my readers' visits to my blog and if you would be so kind, please link this post to your MySpace, Flickr, Friendster, AOL IM, YouTube, 43Things, Facebook/Twitter, Tumblr or FunP page or join the site with Google Friend Connect by using the gadgets in the right panel of this website. Feel free to comment on my articles as well, don't be shy!  Thank you.