What We've Learned This Week (Monday, September 16th Late Version)

After our announcement about a great giveaway yesterday, we're doing our What We Learned post a little late this week. So without further ado, I give you...the Mamas.

Liz:

1) What we once loved can become the bane of our existence. Take my dissertation for example. I spent the week focusing on finishing it. I loved this topic intensely when I started this project. Now I do not want to hear about anyone's environmental identity development for at least 6 months. And if one more committee member tells me to do something that goes against what I have learned throughout my program, I may just send them my sources.

"Destroy Buzz Lightyear"

2) Toddler cognition is both interesting and limited. Silas watched Toy Story 3 this week. The next day he took his Buzz Lightyear and removed his jetpack which broke him. Nobody can get Buzz to talk again. When I asked why Silas did this he said, "Spanish Buzz?" Thanks Pixar. My kid thought you could really make Buzz speak Spanish and so he did exactly what you showed him in the movie. And people say kids don't pay attention to movies...Silas now wants a new Buzz. I told him we would ask Santa Clause. "Where he live?" Um the North Pole. "Let's go get him Mommy!" Uh no.

Sage is getting tallllll.

3) It's time for the Great Push Back. If you're a parent you know you distinctly recognize the day when a small person gets tall enough that counters are no longer an obstacle. Sage has reached the "don't leave a plate or knife or anything on the counter" stage. We had to push everything back and be super vigilant with Silas, then he got old enough to know better. So it begins. Again. Thankful this is our last go round with this game as my husband is not good at remembering these things.

Lisa:
1) Sometimes the best thing to do is just to be quiet and listen. I learned that after the girls were busy trying to tell me something and apparently, I wasn't listening. I got a scolding from my spawn and I really felt bad. I mean, what was so important about washing the dishes that I didn't hear them trying to tell me that there was a groundhog in the backyard? I have no idea, but my priorities were not in the right place.

2) I need to pace myself and just enjoy the moment. The Sailor and I put together the girls' swingset that my father had purchased for them before his death in March. We wanted to hurry and get it done as fast as we could, because we wanted to have the afternoon to do other things in the house. Well, it didn't quite work out that way and we spent 5 hours putting it together. You'd think that it was a tedious 5 hours, but strangely and thankfully, we joked and laughed the whole time! It felt really nice to be able to connect again with my hubby on something other than our busy to-dos. The girls still got to play on the swingset and the wolves guarded them...you know, in case a breeze blew a little too close to where the spawn was playing. Sheesh!

3) I finished my bookclub book and man was it good! It was a great gothic-style novel set in the present and past(due to some time travel), and there was a huge cliffhanger which killed me! Because of this, I learned to attempt to calm down and carry on with life, even though I really feel like the world is over after I finish a good book. I love to read, so I go through a mourning period after I finish a book

Robyn:

1. I've learned that back to school also means back to school colds. One of the turds brought it home and gave it to Dad, Mom and Reagan. Thankfully, it's not a stomach bug! It still blows (pun intended) when 'that time of year' is here. 

2.

Sleepy lil' girl

I've also learned how once Reagan goes down for a nap, I can take a few minutes and pick up the house. All Sean's trains go in the basket by the stairs for him to take upstairs when he gets home. Geez! When did the front foyer get so dirty? What's.....yeah, that's a dead scorpion. Get broom, sweep foyer. Gotta flush the scorpion because you can't REALLY trust those things are dead anyway. Ok, it's noon, I'm just gonna nuke up a quick lunch. While the timer is going on the microwave, It's motivation to get other stuff done before it beeps. Run to put broom away. Slide into kitchen while wearing socks before it....BEEP BEEP BEEP.  Heh heh, I smile and nod to Usher's "Yeah" in the background. My lunch is then inhaled as I hear baby stirring over the monitor. Wait, how did that ONE thing turn into 2 hours?!? 

Mama and Baby Reagan

3. I've learned that when Reagan comes close to feeding time, and I'm on the road, I turn into one of 'those' drivers. Get outta my way fellas! I'm passing on the left, and passing on the right. (Still using blinkers, mind you!) I'm running yellow lights, and white knuckling the steering wheel when I'm forced to stop. Ill politely 'shoo' you to the side, and romp on the gas to pass you too! Please comply, or I'll be using one finger to 'shoo' you away! Be on the look out, Woman on a mission here!

What did you learn this week?

Open Giveaway: Safety 1st Advance Air+ Car Seat

Are you an expecting parent or does your family need a new car seat? How fantastic would it be to win a car seat that will fit your child from 5 pounds all the way to 40 pounds rear facing and 7o pounds front facing? Safety is important for our Littles, and that's why we've partnered with other bloggers to bring you this awesome giveaway. Be sure to enter and enter often before it closes on September 29th!

Sept 15-21 marks Child Passenger Safety Week. Did you know that car crashes are the leading cause of death for children age 1 through 12 years old?  Sponsored by the U.S. Department of Transportation and the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration, the goal of Child Passenger Safety week is to make sure all parents and caregivers are properly securing their children (ages 0-12) in the best car restraint (rear-facing, forward-facing, booster, seat belt) for their age and size.  

In honor of this important week, I've partnered with Thrifty Nifty Mommy, IHeart-Motherhood, Housewife on a Mission, Viva Veltoro and a handful of other great bloggers to offer our readers a giveaway for a Safety 1st Advance 70 Air+ Car Seat!

Product Details (provided by Safety 1st):
This convertible car seat was inspired by race car drivers. Air Protect+ combines Safety 1^st Air Protect® Technology with GCell HX™ - hexagonal rebounding foam used in the body of the car seat to protect the child from the multiple hits that occur in crashes. Coupled with this is the placement of Air Protect® Technology which takes crash forces away from a child’s head.  This technology was developed in partnership with racecar engineers at Bald Spot Sports and INDY Car Driver Scott Dixon to better understand the energy dynamics that a high performance driver faces in the event of a crash. 

One lucky person will win a Safety 1st Advance 70 Air+ Car Seat, valued at $190!

Open to the US only, ages 18 and up.  Ends 9/29/13 at 11:59 PM EST.

Enter using the Giveaway Tools form below.  Good Luck!

Entry-Form

Disclosure: The participating bloggers have not been compensated to host this giveaway. Prize fulfillment is the responsibility of Safety 1st. If you are a business or company and you're interested in being featured in a giveaway like this, please contact Thrifty Nifty Mommy.

Keep Calm and Pump on

This past week, I've been trying to pump and get a good supply together in preparation for going back to work in a few weeks. It's been quite difficult to produce extra with baby number 3. I mean, with picking up Kasen in the early afternoon, waiting for Sean's bus, and taxi-ing Bailey to practices 3-4 times a week, it leaves hardly any time to pump for Reagan.

I was running out of options and damn near ready to give in. Just then, I turned to the best of BF advice in Oklahoma, my sister. She is a RN and has practiced midwifery for many years. Her advice is always helpful and I'm thankful to have her to turn to. She understands exactly what I mean (I think she's seen it all, folks!) and uses homeopathy. She believes in natural and organic remedies when a client has a dilemma. (No artificial crap, or unnecessary prescriptions) She preaches on eating right, and not pumping chemicals into a woman's body to have a healthy pregnancy, delivery and recovery. Its not like the cavewomen back in the day could get a Vicodin script for a headache. I mean, how did they survive? Must've been rough (Yes, that's sarcasm).

I told my sis what kind of pump I was using, and she opened my eyes to the misconceptions of the sellers. If that particular brand also sells formula, do you think they would design a pump to help you exclusively breastfeed? Wow, holy smokes. She's right. Ain't that some BS? Here I am (and many other women too), trying to do the right thing. Im trying to provide my baby with the right nourishment for her first year of life. I bought a (shi-tay, but not cheap) breast pump only to be set up for failure. Whats worse, I gave them my trust (and dollar bills) just to be lied to. Thanks. Just awesome. 

But, I still won't let them get me down! No way, no sir-ree! After they took my money and a smidgen of my pride, I'm more determined than ever to be successful at BF'ing!!!

So, you wanna know the secrets to pass on? Huh, do ya?! Then, read on my friends.

Mother's Milk tea, by Tradional Medicinals. 

I've been drinking 3 cups a day, for 3 days and have successfully pumped last night and this morning (5 oz each time. Can I get a 'Hell yeah'?!)

More milk plus by Motherlove. 

It's en route, and I can update when I know more. Its a little bit pricey, but highly recommended as far as effectiveness goes. So, we shall see. 

Dark German beer.

Dark beer has more hopps and helps stimulate milk production. Also, since breastfeeding requires more calories, this can help with daily caloric intake. I tried this, but it made my tummy bubble (all night and all day) and that's no fun. 

The last thing my sister recommended was to take Fenugreek and Blessed Thistle, 2 capsules, 3 times a day. I haven't tried this one personally. I'm taking on one option at a time and will try these if all else fails. 

My sister and I are not doctors and provide no professional medical advice. Please take this into consideration while sharing the advice on this blog. I listen to her because I know she knows what she's talking about. We're family. I trust and love her, and am thankful for her wisdom. 

Lets spread the good word. Do you have any advice for increasing a milk supply? What does and does not work? 

We Need Your Opinion

Have you ever woken up and thought, "My bedroom needs a new color paint?" So you go to Home Depot and you look at the paint swatches and try to decide what would be cool.

But then your two friends are there, and they spend a lot of time in your house and you want them to have input too. But nobody is "OMG!" excited about the same paint.

Welcome to our world. I (Liz) am tired of the blog's look. It needs a makeover (especially after this week's "code takes over the home page" fiasco which has caused the current template choice). So I started looking at templates and sent some to Robyn and Lisa. The ones Lisa loved, Robyn "meh"d and vice versa. You try getting three chicks to agree on one template!

So we're turning to you, our readers. The ones who, you know, look at the blog. Four options. Choose your fave and comment with "blue," "yellow," "pink," or "rainbow."

"Blue"

"Yellow"

"Pink"

"Rainbow"

Show me...the MRI

As a psychologist and a scientist, I love reading research related to parenting and kids (both psychological research and biological research). I will regularly do a Google Scholar search for parenting-related research articles just to see "what's going on." So...what's going on this week?

Testicles.

Seriously.

Researchers at Emory University studied 70 fathers and found that men with a smaller testicular volume were more likely to demonstrate empathy towards their children and to provide more of the care for their children than men who had a larger testicular volume. They also found that men with lower levels of testosterone are likely to do more of the child care in the home.

As a researcher my first thought is, "A sample size of 70 participants is..." well not so hot. Typically if you want to make big claims, you need a big(ger) sample size. But the empathy and testicular volume measurements were taken via MRI, and that's a + (whereas the sample size would be a -).

So what does this mean? Do dating women who want kids need to take their beau to the doctor for a brain and testicular MRI prior to deciding to have kids with them? "Sorry babe, we have to get your 'T' checked before I'll agree to marry you. I don't want to end up changing all the diapers." Should women be avoiding "macho" men (who may have higher testosterone) if they eventually want a family? Or is it possible that as men age their testosterone decreases as does their testicular volume, and thus older men would be more empathic and change more diapers?

This. This is why I love reading research studies.

What have you read that was of interest to you recently?