When Will My Baby Stop Crying? The little rays of light that might bring peace to your infant.

Right from the get-go Babe was a pretty fussy little princess. In fairness, for the first three or four months she had terrible tummy troubles, so she was fussy for good reason. She spent almost every waking minute (which was 90 per cent of the damn time) being coddled in someone's arms because her little body was just writhing with gas pain. So by the time the tummy troubles subsided she was so used to being cuddled and catered to that she was furious any time she was "abandoned" for even a couple minutes.

For whatever reason she was and kinda still is a really fussy baby. She hated the car and screamed throughout the ride. She wouldn't sleep for longer than an hour at a time and woke up anytime she was put down in her bed. As she got bigger she grew more and more frustrated by her own limitations and so she screamed when she wasn't happy, at any time, for any reason. Sometimes she would simply stop what happy little thing she was doing and scream for no reason at all other than to remind me that, although temporarily sated, overall she was still miserable.

According to various statistics approximately 20 to 25 per cent of babies have colic - which is just a fancy word for, "We don't know what the hell is wrong with this miserable child". Babe was definitely colicky. For sure. And when doctors said that it usually resolves itself in the first four months or so I thought I was going to die. Four months seemed like a long time. But the days turned to weeks and before long Babe's colic had passed. Of course it was replaced by her general bad attitude so I never really noticed that I'd made it past the colic finish line.

Now Babe is almost 16 months old and often still cranky but looking back there were some points along the way where her temperament improved; milestones that helped ease some of her misery and made both our lives a little better. I thought I'd share them here so that this post can stand as a beacon of hope for any new mothers that are wondering, "When is this baby going to stop crying?"

I shall call these milestones or changes "rays of light" because that's exactly what they are and you'll only understand the term when you're buried in the dark cloud of exhaustion that a fussy newborn can bring. And don't be surprised if you don't notice the improvement until later, because for me anyway the improvements were subtle.

The first two rays of light happened around the same time, I can't remember now which came first.

Babe just didn't know how to settle herself at bedtime. She was fussy and fidgety and needed constant cuddling and shushing etc. to get her to sleep. And then she never slept for long. But I knew early on that part of the problem was that she was uncomfortable sleeping on her back - which is the recommended way for babies to sleep. And sure enough, as soon as she learned to roll over I couldn't keep her on her back anymore. I was still paranoid about SIDS and for a while I would spend my nights reaching down and rolling her back over. But I gave up after the health nurse said that if she was strong enough to roll from front to back and vise versa she was strong enough to sleep on her tummy without suffocating. And it did make a difference. Babe started sleeping for longer periods - not much longer - but any little bit was a blessing. And the more sleep she got the happier she was during the day.

Babe still sleeps mostly on her tummy.

Also around the same time Babe started solids. Always a big milestone for babies it definitely calmed Babe a bit. For the first while eating carries provides a lot of entertainment value for babies. Everything is new and exciting and meal times help break up the day into manageable chunks. I don't know if Babe was just really hungry when only supplied with breast milk or if the solids helped settle her tummy a bit but whatever the reason, when she started eating she did become a little less fussy.

The next ray of light shone when Babe became mobile. When she could crawl around and explore and wasn't just stranded on a mat on the floor every time I left the room she became much happier. Again everything was exciting, she had more independence and it seemed to calm her.

Then when she started walking she took off and left her bad attitude in the dust. Of course, she went back and found it later. But walking has made a huge difference in her general disposition. She's free, she's fast, she's a big girl and it makes her really happy. Plus she uses a lot more energy during the day which translates to better sleeps at night which translates to a happier baby during the day. If you have a baby that seems bummed out maybe he just hates sitting still. Look forward to crawling and walking, it might bring out the best in your little one.

As far as the car goes Babe still hates it. But being able to use a forward-facing car seat did help a bit. Babe can see out now and I can see her and interact with her more while we are driving. She can see me in the mirror, we can point things out to each other and I can pass her snacks or toys if needed. Babe is probably never going to be pro-road trip but at least she's not as anti-car as she was before. Of course now the recommendations for car seats have changed in Canada and they say a baby should stay rear-facing until they are two. But trying to drive while Babe shrieks in the back isn't safe either so I'm gonna stick with our forward-facing seat. Whether you choose to put your little one in a forward-facing seat after age one or not until they are two just know that you may get some relief from your cranky passenger once they are looking forward.

Sculpture at the Flora and Fauna exhibition at The Bloedel Conservatory.

I hope that my personal rays of light have given you some hope that things will improve. I know it seems like nothing works with your cranky baby but I bet in a couple years you'll look back and realize that there were some key changes that gradually helped lighten their little spirits.

Good Luck.

The Last of the Summer.

Inside the Little Cabin.

Babe and I are back in town now. We had so much fun on Hornby. I wish we could have stayed longer but we were gone for three weeks and J really wanted to see Babe, so we came back.

I still haven't decided if being alone on vacation with Babe was easier or harder than I had imagined. Definitely not having running water was a total drag. I'm used to it but with a baby who is constantly covered in poop, food or dirt it was worse than I had remembered.

And I had planned to re-sleep train Babe while we were at the cabin...but...

Yup. Once again I have failed at sleep training and given into my little devil. Which is just the absolute worst thing you can do. But in all fairness to me she is really, REALLY stubborn. Last time by night five Babe was sleeping through the night in her crib. This time I made it to night seven and she was still screaming for hours. She's always had the same bedtime routine and she is happy as a clam until she sees that we're heading for her bed. Putting her down in the crib is like lowering a cat into a bathtub. She wraps herself around my arms, digs her nails in and starts screaming.

But now I have decided that I actually like sleeping with her and I don't need to make her spend the whole night in her own bed. I do however, need her to go to sleep in her own bed and stay there for the first few hours so that:

A: I don't have to go to bed when she does.

B: I can leave her with a sitter and have the sitter be able to put her to sleep without crawling into my bed.

So that's what we're working on now.

Babe winning the battle. In bed with Mommy early one morning.

The trip was made a lot easier by having my aunt and uncle right next door. They were able to take Babe off my hands sometimes so that I could get things done. Everything at the cabin is dirty and not baby-proofed so there was literally nowhere to put Babe down. I did have her playpen with us but she'll only stay quiet in that little padded cell for so long. So I had to get used to doing everything with Babe hanging onto my leg. Washing dishes, cooking, cleaning, doing laundry - any chore I had to get done took twice as long with her attached to my body. So it was great when my aunt would hold her for twenty minutes while I showered or went to the bathroom (can't put Babe down in the outhouse either).

My aunt giving Babe a bath in a bucket. Our beautiful beach in the background.

And even as the trip wore on and I got more and more used to it being just the two of us, there was the occasional shitty moment.

One night Babe and I went to a party at a friend's house. It was way past Babe's bedtime and I was prepared for total meltdown. But Babe was an absolute doll the whole time. She crawled all over the house, chasing the children who could easily escape her grubby paws. She danced to the music and flirted with all the grown-ups. We were having a great time and I hadn't yet really noticed that almost everyone else were in pairs. Single pairs, married pairs and pairs with their babies. If I had noticed I guess I hadn't given it enough thought to bother me. But then a woman whom I hadn't seen in a long time came over to congratulate me on my baby. And as she was watching me watching Babe she casually asked, "Are you alone?" She's the sweetest lady and didn't mean anything by it but I felt like I had been punched in the gut. I don't even know why really. On another day with another person asking, the question wouldn't have fazed me. But I guess I had forgotten for a second and was unprepared for the look of concern on her face.

But these moments were few and far between and mostly we had great weather, great fun and made many great memories.

Babe loves music and was thrilled that my friends had so many instruments at their house.

Cymbal, marimba, cymbal, marimba...

She went straight for the drums every time we went over to their house.

In the lagoon. I know she isn't wearing a life jacket. Relax.
We're in two feet of water. Photo and kayak loan by Judith Coleman.

Napping in the hammock.

Again in the hammock.

Photo by Sung Van, a family friend who rents my aunt's
cabin every summer. I love this shot.

Babe with my good friend D on the beach the day before we left.

This summer I finally got to read some books too. From the time Babe was born until last month I haven't been able to finish a newspaper article never mind an entire book. After finishing Two Kisses for Maddy I read The Birth House (which has been sitting on my nightstand since Christmas).

AMAZING book! Loved, loved, loved it. It's happened to me before that I've had a book kicking around for a long time and then when I finally read it I can't believe that I just let it sit there for so long. The Birth House is one of those books. It's the first book by award winning journalist and author Ami McKay. It's about the practice of midwifery on the east coast during the first world war. The main character reluctantly takes over as the single midwife of a small fishing community outside of Halifax. Even as she helps women through the birth of their babies, protects them from their husbands and a solicitous doctor and keeps their secrets safe she is seen as a witch and treated as an outcast. "The Birth House is an unforgettable tale of the struggles women have faced to have control of their own bodies and to keep the best parts of tradition alive in the world of modern medicine," says McKay's website. I haven't enjoyed a book this much since The Help and I found myself hoping someone would make a movie out of this one too. 

On the way home I detoured a little to take Babe to see the goats on the roof at the Coombs Country Market. I think she was a little surprised to see a big animal on top of a building. We were lucky to see them. I've been many times when the goats haven't been on the roof as advertised. We shopped around the market and the surrounding stores and it was a nice break from the drive down Vancouver Island (which Babe spent the first half of screaming while I sang Old MacDonald over and over).

Goat.

Babe watching the goat.

After the market we caught a night ferry back to Tsawwassen and stayed at my parent's place before coming home the next day. I miss Hornby Island already but it's good to be home. How long we get to stay here I'm not sure. I've just started applying for jobs and most of them aren't in the Vancouver area.

Sailing home.

Life Goes On.

Babe catching some zzz's while I make some
extra cash helping my aunt with her taxes.

Babe and I have always done a lot of stuff just the two of us. But now that I am officially a single mom there’s a finality lurking in the shadows on every outing. Before the separation Babe and I were doing things alone but I knew J was at work, or at home. I knew that he could come if he wanted to and that maybe he would come the next time.

Out for dinner.

But now I know it’s going to be just us on the outings. There’s no chance that it might be three. While it’s a relief to just go ahead and do things without being disappointed when J decides not to join us, it is sad to see all the other families when we go out.

I guess it’s because it’s summer and everyone is on holidays that now we see families wherever we go.

When we eat out we inevitably get seated in the family section where the other tables have two parents sipping their wine and trying to get the baby to take a bite of something.

When we go to the park we see mommies and daddies teaching their toddlers how to ride a bike or fly a kite.

Currently Babe and I are on my beloved Hornby Island for a vacation and the other day I took her to Whaling Station Bay for the first time. Babe had lots of fun crawling all over the sand. She was thrilled to be free to go as far as she cared to in any direction.  We built a sandcastle and dug a hole and played in the tide pools and the waves.

Playing dress-up with Mommy's jewelry.

But while Babe was having a blast I had mixed emotions. Part of me was so excited to be with my baby in the place I love. I’ve daydreamed about this first summer with my baby for so long and to have that dream finally realized is pretty awesome. But of course it was a little bittersweet. Under the other beach umbrellas and sitting on towels were whole families having fun at the beach together. The fathers were building sand castles, swishing their babies through the waves and running back to the cars for forgotten items. It’s funny that just something as little as seeing a man put sunscreen on his wife’s back kinda hurt a little.

And it was probably just me but I felt like people were wondering where my husband was or feeling sorry for me because I had no company and no help with the baby.

But we had a good time anyway. And Babe even had a nap at the beach, which allowed me some grown-up reading time!

I’m currently reading Two Kisses For Maddy by Matt Logelin. I stumbled across his blog while playing on my phone and nursing late one night. It’s been around for a long time now but it was new to me. Logelin writes about raising his baby girl on his own after the sudden death of his wife only hours after the birth. His blog is touching; both heart-breaking and heart-warming. And I figured since I am now finding my footing as a single mother of a (relatively) new baby I could maybe find some solace in his book. And I have. It’s a beautiful story about Logelin’s struggle to overcome his personal grief while raising his new daughter. I highly recommend it if you are still looking for a good beach read.

Anyway, I feel that this vacation will set the tone for how well we can handle the next few months as we transition into a one-parent household and I return to work. So far it hasn’t been easy. Babe is back to sleep training which means she has been crying off an on all night and practically insufferable during the day. And my parents have been visiting Hornby as well so I’ve actually had some help. But they leave tomorrow so here’s hoping I can make it at least another week. We’re really roughin’ it up here. I have no TV or Internet (I have to go to the school just to post this) and Babe and I are living in a one-room cabin with no running water. It’s a lot of work but I’ve waited years to have this time at Hornby with my very own baby!

Life goes on. 

Playing in the ocean while waiting for the ferry.

At the beach.

Sleeping at the beach.

Testing out the new stroller for its intended function - walking around Helliwell.

The First Trip: part two.

See Previous Post For Part One.

So after hauling ass on the Vancouver Island highway we caught the ferry to Denman Island and actually managed to make the last ferry onto Hornby Island. Babe had her first three ferries in one day! We even saw a pod of dolphins leaping in the waves off the side of the big ferry - a rare sight these days. I think they came out just to help celebrate the occasion for Babe.

When we finally arrived at the cabin it was dark and stormy and I was thoroughly exhausted. So I was irritated to find a big white van blocking the driveway. It turns out that a pipe had burst in the cabin and one of my uncles (who was staying next door) had called an old family friend to come help get the water running again. It was great that the men were trying to fix the problem for us, but it was sucky that after such a long trip we arrived to such chaos. Soaked floors and wet carpets, boxes pulled out and tools everywhere.

And to make matters worse the little bassinet that I brought to put Babe into while I unpacked everything and got her bed set-up had managed to get soaked by the leaky window in the canopy on the truck, so I had no where to put Babe down when we arrived. AAAGH!

But finally the guys managed to get the water running again (thank you, thank you, thank you) and I had dragged all our gear from the truck to the cabin and set up mine and Babe's beds. Babe and I were ready for sleep.

But...I didn't get much sleep. Babe seems to be sleeping less and less as the days go by and on our trip she was waking up every 20 minutes or so all night. Which drove me nuts. On top of her waking up constantly I hadn't packed enough blankets for myself because I had planned on arriving in the daylight and unpacking the extra bedding that I store in "my" little cabin at the back of the property. But when we arrived it was too dark to try to and find the blankets, so I was making do with one thin one and after the fires burnt out I was freezing.

Babe was OK because she had her sleep sack plus some extra blankets but even so her little hands were icy cold and I tried to warm them up every time she nursed.

And as if the cold and the baby weren't enough to keep me out of dreamland the wind was also playing with me. The property is just filled with tall skinny pole trees and in high winds they sway like flowers. I spent almost all of the precious moments that Babe was asleep laying wide awake terrified that a tree would crush us in our beds!

I've spent hundreds, probably thousands of nights on Hornby before and never worried much about the trees, but now with my darling daughter to protect I worry about everything - falling trees included. I'm actually going to talk to my counsellor about how much I am worrying about Babe's safety, I think it's getting too extreme.

Anyway, that first night really kinda sucked. I prayed a lot and the trees on the property were still standing by morning.

Here's some of the trees outside the bedroom Babe and I were in. That's my Grandmother's cabin in the background.

I had a lot of things I wanted to do on the trip: Take Babe on some beach walks. Collect shells at low tide. And take advantage of all the family babysitters on the property to go for some runs by myself. But the weather didn't really co-operate. It was too wet and slippery to walk the rocky beaches and try to bend down to collect treasures with Babe. And I was so tired in the days that I didn't have the energy to go for any runs. I never even unpacked my iPod.

But it was still nice just to hang out on the island with my family and take Babe on some of her first Hornby Island walks.

Here's a pic of Babe trying to keep her eyes open in the high winds at Helliwell Park. The family was doing the whole walk through the forest and out around the cliffs, but because of the nasty winds Babe and I just walked with them through the forest and then back by ourselves.

And Babe asleep on her very first walk on Hornby.

It was also nice to watch all my little cousins play with Babe. She loved listening to their little voices and watching the funny faces they made at her. All in all it was some good family bonding time.

We also visited with my good friends and Babe loved playing with their kids too. We got together to eat Hornby's famous pizza and my friend J knit Babe an adorable hat but it's still a little too big.

The rest of the nights were variations of the first. Cold, windy and a lot of fussing on Babe's side. But it was still great to get out of the city and take Babe to my beloved Hornby for her first visit. I can't wait to go back this summer!

Babe chilln' out on the last ferry home. She's already logged six ferry rides! An old pro, just like her Momma.

The Sleep Standoff.

This is a rare sleeping Babe shot taken months ago.

Babe doesn't sleep. EVER!

OK obviously that is an exaggeration. She sleeps, just not as much as I would like her too. In fact, there is a deep echo-ey valley of difference between the amount that she does sleep and the amount I would like to have her sleep. And as far as I can tell there is no rope bridge or other means of connecting the gap between the two sides. So Babe and I are at an impasse.

Oh God. I don't even know what I'm rambling about. Something about a rope bridge? I really am that tired.

I read in one of my fairly useless baby books that a newborn baby can sleep for up to 23 hours a day. Ba hahahahaha ha - for all you future moms out there; that's crap! My newborn didn't sleep more than eight hours (total, not consecutive) a day in the early weeks.

Currently Babe is sleeping in an Arm's Reach Co-sleeper beside our bed. Correction: my bed. J abandoned this noisy little creature a long time ago and has taken up residence on a foamy in the nursery. I resent this greatly. Sometimes at four o'clock in the morning when I am feeding Babe for the fifth time since she went "down for the night" and J is snoring in the other room I lay there and think up new reasons to hate him. Some are legitimate; he leaves all the cupboards in the kitchen open so that every time I walk into the room it looks like a poltergeist has been there. Other reasons are not good reasons to hate someone; he puts the soap on the tub ledge instead of the little seashell soap dish on the wall. Actually, neither of these are good reasons to hate someone but he's not losing any sleep so F him.

Anyway...Babe usually goes to sleep between nine and 10 at night (this is a vast improvement from two months ago when she usually went to sleep between two and four am). It usually takes me at least half an hour of nursing to get her to doze off. This wouldn't be a big deal if I could nurse her in the rocking chair and lay her down once she was asleep. But that's not how my baby rolls. She needs to be already in her bed and then be nursed to sleep. This is the real shitty part. In order for her to be in her bed while nursing I have to lay on my side and stretch my tit like silly putty into her open beak. I'm not sure, but my guess is that this won't play out real well for the appearance of my boobies later on. Especially since her co-sleeper is forever on the same side of my bed so it's the same tit that gets stretched night after night.

All this effort and booby sacrifice on my end only to achieve a state of perpetual light dozing in Babe. She must have some ailment that keeps her from ever falling into a deep sleep. I don't know what it is but if I find out what's causing it I'll post the name of it here and I'd encourage you to donate money to the cause. Personally I think there's a little troll inside her with a zapper and when she shifts into REM he shocks her awake. If this is in fact the cause of her wakefulness I suppose I could try to flush him out with some sort of baby enema. But the baby books say nothing about the safety of baby irrigation. It's also possible that it's gas and not a troll with a zapper.

She's been to a pediatrician. He knows about the gas - even saw it on an x-ray. He referred her to a gastroenterologist but that was a month ago and she still doesn't have an appointment. I tried being the squeaky wheel and calling his office but I still didn't get an appointment. The secretary told me that he has the file and will basically make the appointment whenever he bloody well feels like it - only she said it politely.

So the sleep standoff continues. I try and try to get her to go down. It takes forever. She finally falls asleep. I lay down and close my eyes and hers pop open and she gives me an adorable but absolutely infuriating grin as if to say - now what?

It's been four months. At what point do you shift from really, really tired to throwing feces at the walls of your padded cell? I'd like to nip this in the bud before I get there.

After Bath.

I just thought I would quickly post a few Instagram photos of Babe after her bath this evening. She loves her rubber duck that her aunt J gave her. Well, she usually loves it - not so much in the last shot.

Tomorrow I will post my long overdue vaccination post. But for now I am exhausted so I am going to bed. Goodnight.

Best Buys: stuff we like.

So Babe is now three and a half months old and I thought I would just quickly make a post about some of our best buys i.e. things that have saved us at some point so far.

Toys.

This is Mr. Rat a tat tat. Babe loves him, I don't know why. We get a lot of strange looks when we're out for our walks with him. People don't think a rat is a very cute baby toy, but Babe doesn't care. I got it at Ikea for under five dollars.

Nature Bear. I think it's actually called Fisher Price Peaceful Planet Soothing Sounds Bear, but I call him Nature Bear. I bought this bear almost 10 years ago for the baby I knew I would have one day. I'm not sure if it is still available but I know most toy stores sell a version called a Sleep Sheep which comes in a travel size as well. Both are great. Nature Bear also has a little light on his tummy which completely mesmerizes Babe.

The Lamaze caterpillar is a big hit with Babe. She can stare at it for ever and loves to suck on his legs. He plays music, rattles, crinkles and has different fabric colours and textures. And on the flip side are measurements like a yard stick. I also use it to prop Babe on her side when she is laying down. I think they are about $25.00, not sure.

Toys on a string that vibrate when pulled. Babe loves them and they are pretty cheap. Possibly the best buy yet. Babe used to hate the car and having someone sitting in the back with her pulling on the vibrating toys was the only way to keep her quiet. This bee was $9.00 and worth every penny.

Books. Hard. Cardboard. Books. We read to Babe every night and she really enjoys it. These baby books are always on special at local bookstores.

Bedroom.

I wouldn't get any sleep without our Angel Care monitor. The monitor has a sensor pad that lays under the mattress and senses Babe's nocturnal movements. If she stops breathing the alarm on the monitor sounds. For a paranoid mom like me the monitor lets me sleep in peace. Some people say these types of monitors are more trouble than they are worth because they sometimes sound false alarms. I haven't had a false alarm yet. And for me I'd rather have a few false scares than the alternative. I nannied for a family that had one a few years ago and ever since then I swore that I would buy one when I had a baby. Absolutely wouldn't trade it in for a regular monitor. It's expensive though - I paid $150.00.

Also the frog. It's the cheaper version of the Twilight Turtle. I can't remember what company makes this but I bought it at Walmart. It plays music, nature sounds and a heartbeat/white noise sound. And it also projects stars onto the ceiling. Babe loves the white noise option and watching the stars. It turns itself off after about 10 minutes. It cost usabout $25.00.

The Arm's Reach Co-Sleeper. After the first few weeks Babe wouldn't sleep in her bassinet or her crib. She would only sleep beside me. While I loved having her close I couldn't use the Angel Care monitor I mentioned above if we were sleeping in the same bed. Plus I didn't sleep as soundly if she was in bed with me because I was worried about smothering her. So I searched Craigslist and found a family that was selling their co-sleeper. It's the best. Babe thinks she is in bed with me but being on her own surface allows me to use the sensor pad. She is still close enough to reach out and touch or roll over and feed in the middle of the night. And if I have to pick her up and bring her into bed with me I can do so without disturbing her too much. It also saved us space because there wasn't enough room for three of us in the same bed. I loooove this thing. Babe hardly sleeps as it is and my life would be crap without it. It also converts into a playpen. I bought mine used but I think they are about $200.00 new. Prices vary by model.

Babe looooooves this Fisher Price Ocean Wonders Aquarium. It attaches to the side of her crib, plays music and water sounds, lights up and the fish swim. It's really soothing and Babe can stare at it for quite awhile. Even though she isn't sleeping in her crib yet I do use it as a safe place/playpen during the day and the aquarium buys me time to make lunch, throw in some laundry etc. Definitely a good buy, especially since ours was a gift. I think they run about $60.00.

The Butterfly Baby Head Support Pillow is an Anti-Pressure Pillow and was a gift from friends. We actually don't use it in Babe's bed but we do put it under her head during the day when she is laying around on the couch or the floor. It's supposed to decrease the pressure on the back of baby's head which helps to keep that pesky flat spot away. Hey whatever works. My doctor told me we only have the first five months to keep Babe from getting a flat spot and that if she got one the special helmet or whatever that fixes it costs $5000.00! I'm sticking with the pillow. Again, I don't know that it is safe for sleeping. Babe doesn't use it at night. I don't know what it costs.

That's it for now. In another few months I'll post our new favorite items.

Amber or Wood?

Babe has started teething. Don't get too excited. There aren't any little white buds bursting through. Teething can be a long process. She drools everywhere and is chewing so hard on her hand that I'm afraid she may gnaw it off altogether! She is also so uncomfortable that she is waking up every hour or so throughout the night, which I'm not enjoying.

So I went out in search of an amber teething necklace. Now, I am very skeptical about the effectiveness of this little accessory. But what the hell? I'll give it a go. I am however mildly concerned about the safety of these necklaces.

The necklaces are supposed to work by releasing Succinic Acid from the amber into the skin. Succinic Acid is used in various medications such as sedatives and antiplegms. There is a lot of doubt that this seepage is even possible (here's a great blog post about this) never mind at all beneficial but parents all over the world swear by it and amber has been used medicinally for hundreds of years.

I was mostly concerned about the safety of having a necklace on my baby. It seems a little foolhardy to put any jewelry on a baby, especially a necklace, which could pose a choking or strangulation hazard. The amber necklaces usually have a knot between each bead to prevent it from exploding beads all over the place. And the clasp is designed to break before it chokes. Still I wouldn't leave it on an unattended baby and I also wouldn't leave it on all night.

When I went to buy one today two things happened: First, I found an amber anklet for Babe. This immediately relieved my fears of strangulation. Yay! And if it does break while I'm not looking, an anklet is further away from her mouth than a necklace is. This extra distance might buy me a few more seconds to notice the disaster before Babe gets the beads into her mouth. The second thing was that the store I bought it from was also selling Hazelwood teething necklaces, which I've never heard of.

Amber Glow Teething Anklet

Apparently Hazelwood absorbs excess acid through the skin. People use these necklaces for ailments such as eczema, heartburn and migraines, and baby ailments such as diaper rash and teething.

I couldn't decide between the two so I bought both to try. Here is the website for the brand of Hazelwood necklace that I purchased.

Both types of necklaces are designed to be used 24 hours a day and according to the seller's websites the more of it that is in contact with the skin the more beneficial.

Pur Noisetier Hazelwood Necklace

I however will not be leaving either one on Babe for 24 hours. Partly because I don't think it's safe for her to wear them while we're sleeping and partly because if they do in fact work I'm uncomfortable with them emitting anything into her skin in large amounts or over long periods of time. Just because it's natural does not mean it is safe!

Breaking the 24 hour rule may mean that I won't see the benefits that other parents have seen, but I'll let you know how the trials went and which I prefer.

If you've tried either and found success or failure post a comment below.

Update.

Just a quick post to talk about changes that have been happening in the last few months.

Update 1:

If you read my last post on baby kicks you know that although it is all very magical I was finding it a little exhausting and honestly...annoying. It still is. As Baby got stronger so did her movements. They changed from what felt like little twitches to stronger rolls and punches, which I think are actually less annoying. I much prefer the strong sometimes painful movements to the ones that are just strong enough to feel like a little spasm under the skin. So I was/have been pretty happy with that change. However what hasn't changed is the worrying about the movements. In this way I am most definitely a first time mom. I've called the midwife at all hours. When Baby moves too much, when Baby doesn't move enough etc. If there was a kiosk in the mall that installed a window in your uterus I would pay twice what I just paid for my IPhone skin.

Update 2:

I now have an IPhone. I don't understand it yet and much like when I switched from a PC to a Mac, the phone and I are NOT bonded yet. It took two months for me to bond with my Mac Book. I don't respond well to electronic change. Most people get a new toy and rush home to spend the night playing with it. I sat on the floor and cried and glared at it from across the room. I behaved the same way with the laptop.

But this has nothing to do with being pregnant except that of course I had trouble changing from my old phone to the new one which left me phoneless for over an hour. This was just enough time to totally convince myself that I would go into labour and be unable to reach my midwife.

Update 3:

Despite having decorated and shopped almost exclusively for girl things since finding out 13 weeks ago that Baby is a girl, I am still paranoid that she will sprout a weenie before her birth and I'll have to rush to return everything. I am looking forward to an upcoming ultrasound (to check on my fibroid) in the hopes that I can convince the tech to take one last peek at the goods.

Update 4:

Symptoms. I've had them all but I still consider myself lucky. I think I've had it relatively easy so far. Every symptom has been manageable and has only lasted a short time. Although recently I have developed carpel tunnel (which is apparently common in pregnancy) and also edema in my hands and feet. This is by far the worst symptom because although it really isn't a big deal it is robbing me of what little sleep I am getting.

Oh sleep! I don't get that anymore. And as the weeks progress so does my need for pillow support at night. I'm now half-way to a sitting position and should be sleeping fully upright by the end of September. My wonderful Snoogle pregnancy pillow is pretty flat now and while I still do use it every night it just isn't enough anymore.

Update 5:

I have loved setting up the nursery and washing, folding and putting away all the baby stuff. It is my favorite part of pregnancy so far. I will share some pics of the nursery soon and of some favorite items I have acquired. I could spend the rest of my life decorating nurseries.

Update 6:

So basically I'm still doing good. The last few weeks have been pretty uncomfortable and I have bad days now where I'm just too exhausted to fake it. I'm still working and will be for another couple weeks. Baby is head down and in position for blast-off or whatever it is that's going to happen to my down-theres. She is still moving like mad but already seems to be lulled by the rocking chair and J's hands on my belly (only his). The midwife predicts she will be long just like her Daddy and today she is hovering around 6 pounds - with 4.5 weeks to go!

So that's it for now.