I feel so blessed to have several posts lined up during this beautiful time I have with baby #2. Ever since I became a part of the Philly Social Media Moms group I feel like there has been such great support from all the moms. What a great community. In the next few days or weeks you will see occasional guest posts from several women and moms, ranging from recipes, stories and experiences. Make sure to visit their sites to get to know them better. 🙂
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By Estelle Sobel Erasmus
Music has always been a part of my life. I was in chorale then choir in junior high and high school, and studied opera from the ages of 11-18. I started out in Boston University as a voice major and transferred into communications by the end of my freshman year, mainly because I realized that the concept of waiting tables till I had my big break had little allure (of course, I didn’t realize that the equivalent was graduating and then taking on an oh-so-not-rewarding-for-me secretarial job to men and women less cultural than me).
Growing up I used music to lift me up and make me feel less alone during my angst-filled teen years (I remember dancing around in my basement to the songs “All By Myself,” and “Feelings”, and music-geek that I was, I would always commemorate a special milestone in my life (getting asked out on a date by a cute boy, receiving an academic accolade) by singing a song called “This is One of Those Moments” made famous by Barbra Streisand in “Yentl.” “There are moments you remember for all of your life…There are moments you wait for and dream.” Later days ill-spent in unfulfilling jobs were made easier as on the way to work, I listened to the CD of my all-time favorite existentialist show “Pippin” and boisterously belted out the refrain, windows wide open, from the song, “No Time at All”: “Oh, it’s time to start livin’, Time to take a little from this world we’re given. Time to take time. For spring will turn to fall. In just no time at all.”
It’s no wonder than that I decided to make music a large part of my daughter’s life, even before she came into the world. For example, when her name was just my and my husband’s little secret, I would sing to her (and by her, I mean my belly) every morning, “Good morning, Crystal. The earth says hello. You twinkle above us; we twinkle below. Good morning Crystal. You lead us along. My love and me as we sing our early morning singing song. Lippee lap loopee.” Well, you get the picture…
And when I was going in for my unexpected C-section after fifteen hours in hard labor, I asked the anesthesiologist if he wouldn’t mind if I sang so that I wouldn’t be nervous while my doctor cut me open and took out my daughter. A slightly giddy, rather robust, and probably too loud) rendition of “Summertime” (i.e. Summertime, and the livin’ is easy (yeah, right) was the staff’s, er, reward as my husband held my hand tightly and we welcomed our baby into the world.
Which in a roundabout way brings me to this point:
If you’ve ever wondered whether singing to your child can help his or her development, then ponder no further. The value of music in a child’s development is critical according to the latest research, cited in Psychological Science, which says that in a study of a group of children (ages 4-6) those children who received music training in rhythm and melody for two hours a day for 4 weeks, exhibited significant gains in verbal ability and improved self-control, attention and memory.
Besides offering children an opportunity to act silly, have fun and let loose; music can help develop language, concentration, social skills confidence and self-esteem.
I started very early with my daughter, making up nonsensical (and sensical) rhymes for everything from her er, eliminations so she wouldn’t mind the undignified process of getting changed, to chiming right along with Barney with vigorous renditions of “I Love You, You Love Me,” complete with lots of hugging, and a dramatically acted out “It’s cold, brrr. I wish I had fur, I wish I was a bear with furry, furry hair. Because it’s cold. It’s cccold,” much to my daughter’s delight.
In fact, my now three-and-a-half year old daughter seems to have a fondness for dancing as well as Lady Gaga, and I believe that is because when she was a baby I would crank up the volume on the radio and dance around and sing at top operatic volume to ‘Poker Face,” and “Bad Romance.”
According to music education expert Kenneth K. Guilmartin, Founder/Director of Music Together® which celebrated its 25th anniversary in 2012, I’ve been doing the right thing. “All children are naturally musical. Just as they are born with the potential to learn to speak and understand language, they have the ability to learn music from birth.”
Guilmartin offers some tips to help your children along on their musical journey. I’ve incorporated all these tips into my daughter’s upbringing and I highly recommend them.
Take a Chance; Sing and Dance: Kids learn through imitation. You know, if you read books and have a love of reading, they’ll want to read. If you sing and dance, they will, too. Making music doesn’t have to depend on playing a CD. Sing, bang a drum, get up and dance. Forget about hitting perfect notes or getting every word right. This is not American Idol! It’s about sharing your enjoying of music with your child.
Make Music Your Muse: Respond musically to cues from your child. For example, if your baby or toddler “coos” on a pitch, return the sound. Join in with your child if she starts singing in the car or when she’s playing. If your child brings you an instrument, or creates one, make sure to stop what you are doing and play along.
Show That Family Time is Sublime: Make music as a family. Initiate a dance party or a sing-along. Pull out the pots and pans and form a marching band. Try nixing TV time or technology (i.e., computer games) in favor of a fun, musical evening at home.
Say a “Sound” Goodnight: Create a regular bedtime routine by singing a lullaby, either alone or together. The soothing sound of your voice can give your child an oasis of calm in a busy day.
Don’t Pass on a Music Class: You may feel your schedule is already too busy to add one more activity to it. But don’t miss out on joining an early childhood music program that offers a rich musical experience in a fun, informal environment, without the pressure to “perform.”
All children can learn to sing in tune and move to the music, as long as you start them on that path early. Bottom line: “It’s not important that you sing or move well; its important that you model singing and moving for your child,” says Guilmartin.
So the next time your child is humming the theme to her favorite cartoon and rocking to the beat, make sure you join in and make some music together.
I know I’m glad I did–and still do.
How did you introduce your child/children to music?
Estelle Sobel Erasmus is an award-winning journalist, author, blogger and columnist who went from dating diva to married lady to older mom in the blink of an eye. She is a 2012 BlogHer Voice of the Year, a 2012 Listen to Your Mother NYC cast member, and a 2012 Circle of Mom’s Winner for Top 25 Best Family Blogs by a Mom. In her blogMusings on Motherhood and Mid-Life she chronicles her often humorous, sometimes serious, and always transformative journey through motherhood and marriage. Her latest funny escapade involves Preschool Speak for 5 Common Phrases Used on a Cruise. Her goal this year, to crack that Babble egg. Find Estelle on twitter at@mommymusings011 and on Facebook at her Author page
HI everyone! I wanted to pop in and let you know how things are going. Our lives have been enveloped with our precious addition to the family, our baby girl. She was born February 15th at 3:12am. I was trying to hold out for a Valentine’s baby but I opted out. 🙂 There are several people that asked why they did not know I was in the hospital or why I had not updated my Facebook that I was going to the hospital to have this baby. I decided not to because it was too difficult and stressful of a time to do it.
So when was my due date? It was February 9th and here it was February 14th and I was looking at being induced. The due date had always been an issue and I was not sure when this baby would arrive, especially if she decided to come naturally (more on that later). I had my first ultrasound before we left from Michigan which I was told has to be the most accurate reading for a due date. When I got to Pennsylvania I had two more ultrasounds, one at the 20th week and another at the 36th week because I was showing placenta previa. After I had those ultrasounds my due date changed from February 9th to the 20th. Um that is a difference! I did not want to wait another 2.5 weeks for my baby or even be surprised by a baby. It was QUITE frustrating to get the midwives at the clinic to finally decide that they initially read my first ultrasound incorrectly. I was due on February 9th and I was told at my 36 week appointment which really was my 38 week. Good thing we were prepared but for some reason it freaked me out. Not a good thing when my blood pressure was reading pretty high the last three appointments.
I knew everything about this pregnancy was going to be different. I knew it with my symptoms and with how I was feeling day to day. I had a lot more nausea my third trimester and I also had to deal with extreme itching. No, it was not the normal itching because of hormones or dryness, but after a few blood tests it was discovered I had cholestasis. NO FUN KIDS!! Intense itching all over my body! You get to look up what that is because I am tired of having to think I had to deal with it. I love the fact I carried my precious daughter but I was NOT happy I had to itch for almost a month before it was quite relieved by labor and delivery. Once it was confirmed that I had this condition, it was decided that since I was 5 days overdue, that I should be induced. Here I was in a new state and I had decided I wanted to TRY to have a natural childbirth at a birth center. I had all my appointments with different midwives from the birth center and continued to like each and every midwife I met. When the time came I would get the miwife on-call which hopefully would be one that I had already met. Unfortunately I landed a midwife I had not met yet since there were about 15 in the whole group. I enjoyed meeting her and chatting with her a bit before I went to the hospital but it was all new.
Anyway, here is was Valentine’s Day, and I was 5 days overdue, and I was called by a midwife letting me know that the last blood test confirmed I had cholestasis and that I come to the hospital and be induced. Hopes were all crushed. I had to go to the HOSPITAL. There was a SMALL chance that the baby could be stillborn because of this condition but they still wanted to take all precautions so I had to be induced. My hospital bag was packed and I gave the midwife a time when I would be at the hospital and I left things prepared at home. All that was even more of a mess too. My husband was going out of town THAT day for a conference in Texas but luckily my mother had arrived a few days earlier so she was able to keep my Julianne. So who was going to be my support person through labor and delivery?
This was quite last minute and well it turned out that my support person ended up being my neighbor who I had known for only 6 months. We had been able to get to know each other through different outings and dinner get-togethers, but somehow I felt like she would be able to help me. Did she know what she was signing up for? Granted I could have gone to the hospital by myself and had the midwife be my support person but after everything happened later, I hardly think I would have had the support I needed. It was quite difficult having to be in a new city with hardly knowing anyone and having to know who is going to be there to help you. If I had realized how my condition had progressed I could have planned my induction BEFORE my husband left but such is life. My mother was in town and that was the most important thing for me at that time.
I was supposed to arrive at 3pm at the hospital but because I was a nervous wreck I arrived almost 2 hours later. My neighbor drove me and she dropped me off while she parked. She was planning to stay the whole night and next day if needed be so she was settling in. I met the midwife who promptly told me to change into my sexy hospital gown. HA! Something different I was doing this time was NOT going through pitocin first. I was told I could try Cervidil, a medication to get contractions going naturally in the cervix. I was game with that. It could take 12 hours to take effect and if it did not then pitocin was the next step. I was SO not looking forward to a long labor since my first one lasted 17 hours. Ugh. I was not ready for that.
Here it was 5:30pm on Valentine’s Day and the medication was administered. My neighbor kept me entertained with great conversation, magazines, food discussions and more. By 7pm I had a church friend come by and visit and it was like a girls night out at the hospital. The nurse came in several times asking where the party was. We were laughing and having great discussion. I apparently was going through contractions. My friend would tell me if I noticed a difference because she could tell my the monitor that I was having them. I said I felt them but they did not hurt. My church friend left at 10:30pm just as my contractions were getting a little more intense. The big contractions started then and by midnight they were a lot more intense. The med took effect really at 10pm so I asked the nurse to check and see if I had dilated. I had dilated to 5cm and she removed the medication. She indicated that the contractions COULD stop but they could also continue to progress on their own. I totally did not like that either. I was thinking my body would say, “fake out” and turn off all contractions, but they kept coming. The midwife gave a few quick pointers to my neighbor to help me through contractions since I was NOT taking any pain medications. I also shared with her a few things I had done with the first pregnancy that would help remind me about my breathing.
I labored from midnight to 3am with intense contractions. I alternated standing, lying down, bouncing on the yoga ball and sitting. I hardly saw the midwife but when I did she told me I was doing a great job. I started getting light headed into 1am or 2am and nothing alerted the staff but I was told I could lie down which I did. I lied down on my side for an hour. The midwife came back to tell me she was going to be in and out because she was with another patient next door who was getting an epidural. She had been at the hospital already 18 hours with no sign of a baby. Who needs support from a midwife when you are getting a epidural?? I am the one laboring without pain meds and I need all the support over here. That was one down for that midwife. By 3am I had had it, with lying down my my right side. I decided I wanted to switch to the right side but I somehow could not switch over. These darn contractions were coming one after the other and they were painful. My friend was trying to help me flip over but I needed to breathe through the contractions. As I was trying to flip over I decided I was just going to face the bed and hold on to the rails. THAT was painful! I decided to stay there for a bit which was only for 3 contractions and all of a sudden I felt like pushing. My water decided to break at that very moment. My friend wondered who threw the water balloon because it was HUGE! It was hilarious in retrospect. I thought that the nurses should know that had happened because I had not seen anyone in the room for a while. Yes, there was no nurse in sight! I thought and had heard that the baby does not always arrive after the water breaks so I was not holding my breath. I still decided to wanted to get in a position to have the baby just in case but somehow I could not because I was in pain and I was trying to breath through every contraction and all I wanted to then was just push. Oh my goodness, pushing.
I was having this baby within minutes of my water breaking and THERE WAS NOONE ELSE IN THE ROOM EXCEPT FOR ME AND MY FRIEND!!! Yes it was that crazy, I got a squat position trying to get on my back but I did not make it folks. I just kept screaming and pushing and in 3 pushes, the baby was delivered by itself onto the bed with no nurse to catch her. My friend was trying to alert a nurse to come in but she wanted to stay with me and help through my contractions. As soon as the baby was delivered there were SEVEN nurses in the room and everyone was scurrying around and getting things prepped.
Everyone seemed amazed that this baby had been born so quickly and guess how heavy she was? 9 pounds and 4 ounces. Yes, folks. When the body asked to deliver this baby the body did as it nautrally was going to do. I was NOT going to wait for any nurse or midwife. Oh yes. I had no midwife to deliver this baby. She has been taking a 20 minute nap or rest because she had been dizzy. She was also 7 months pregnant. Supposedly she had told the nurses to keep a watch on me. They were watching their foots for all I know. I delivered this baby all by myself with God’s help because I thankful was on that bed. It has been a bit of a traumatic experience but I am working through it and thanking God for how safely this baby came into the world. I am THANKFUL and GRATEFUL!
Our baby girl Kathleen was born on February 15th at 3:12am and we let the world know. I was on a high until I napped at 8am. I am thankful it is all over but I know even now that the process will again be different the next time around. I am just happy that we are all safely home.
My mom is a great cook. No, she isn’t a famous chef or an accomplished graduate of any culinary institute. She just cooked the way her mom cooked. And I’m sure Grandma learned from her mom and so on and so on all the way back to my ancestors crushing strange berries and leaves with a rock outside of some cave somewhere. I’m really happy that my mom always made food a big deal in our lives.
When my sister and I were kids, our mom always included us in the kitchen. We often tested out different, interesting foods. Colorful and exciting fruits and vegetables found in the far reaches of the produce section always made it into our cart. The cans that collected dust on the high shelves because everyone else passed them by looked appealing to us. We tried everything.
Now that I’m a mom myself, I love to cook. One of my favorite things to do in the kitchen is whip up a concoction of whatever is in the fridge. It reminds me of being a kid in the kitchen with my mom. The other day, I came up with a version of Shepherd’s Pie that I’d like to share with you. It may not be a traditional Shepherd’s Pie, but I will call it that just the same.
I like it the way it is, but by ALL means change it around to suit your tastes. In my opinion, that’s the only way to cook.
Cindy’s Shepherd’s Pie
1 lb ground beef 1/2 chopped onion 1 small chopped carrot Handful of frozen corn Dash of Worcestershire sauce 2 beef bouillon cubes dissolved in 1/2 c hot water Thickening agent- either 1 Tbsp flour or 1 tsp corn starch – dissolved in 3/4 cup water Topping: 3 cups prepared mashed potatoes (instant works just fine) 1/2 cup of cheddar cheese 1 tsp minced chives Brown the ground beef and onion together in a pan. Add the carrots, corn, Worcestershire sauce and beef bouillon mixture. Stir in thickening mixture and let it come to a short boil. Turn off the stove and pour the mixture into a large pie plate or lasagna pan. Mix the mashed potatoes, cheese and chives together. Dollop the potato mixture on top of the beef mixture and spread it across. Don’t worry about it covering the whole top. It looks more “rustic” if it’s kind of messy. Sprinkle the top with a little more cheddar cheese and bake the whole thing at 375 about 30 minutes or until it bubbles over and the top looks crispy.
There you go! Grab a loaf of crusty bread and you are all set for dinner. Eating this dish will always remind me of my mom’s cooking… although she most certainly would make it much better than I ever could.
Cindy Dudas is a work-at-home mom who started blogging as a way to get her feelings out there. She is a freelance writer currently writing for the Parental Guidance section of NJ.comand her own blog Whatever Works.
This is Barb from A Life in Balance, guest posting about fitness for new
moms while Noelle’s enjoying her new little one. As a mom of 5 kids and
avid exerciser/runner, I’ve spent a lot of time getting back in shape
after the birth of a little one. I had my first baby when I was 28 and my
last one at age 40.
It Took 9 Months to Grow a Baby; It May Take 9 Months to Lose the Weight
Anytime, I hear a mom talk about losing the weight, those are the first
words out of my mouth. I get that you want to get back into your
pre-pregnancy jeans. I get that you’re tired of maternity clothes. Just
remember you spent the last 9 months growing a little one in your body.
Your body will need at least that time to get back to the new normal. Yes,
it’s a new normal because it will look different.
Get Moving in Little Ways as Soon as You Can
I’m not a medical expert (nor do I play one on tv). If you’ve had a
difficulty pregnancy or delivery, go very slowly when it comes to moving.
Check with your doctor first. Getting up, getting a shower, and getting
dressed counts as moving. Take your time, don’t stay on your feet too
long, and don’t stay on your bottom too long either. Moving gets the blood
flowing which helps the body recover faster.
If you have the green light from the doctor, start walking around your
neighborhood wearing your little one if you can. I found that my newborns
were more willing to go with me if they were snuggled in close to mama
rather than riding in a stroller.
Generally, runners can start running again 6 weeks after the baby’s
delivery. If you’re doing any kind of high impact activity like running or
Zumba, check with your doctor first and start out slowly.
Stretch Your Muscles and Strengthen Your Abs
I have been doing sit ups and stretching in the evening for years. I swear
by sit ups and stretches. Sit ups strengthen the ab and lower back
muscles, both of which need to be strong for all the baby lifting and
carrying. If you’ve had any physical issues during pregnancy or delivery,
make sure your doctor is okay with doing sit ups and stretching. They may
suggest modified versions until you’ve made a full recovery.
Workout Options as Your Baby Grows
Once you’re given the green light around the 6 to 8 week mark, slowly add
on more vigorous exercise. Take a day off between your workouts until
you’re ready to tackle more. With so many options out there, you can find
something that works with your schedule. Remember as your baby gets older,
your options may expand and change. When my babies were newborns, walking
on the treadmill, walking around the neighborhood, or doing a workout
video fit with my schedule. As my kids got older, I could try a local
class or go for a run in the morning.
Barb is a mom of 5 kids who spends her day keeping track of socks, stuffed animals, library books, and a 4 year old when she isn’t writing about all the frugality, gardening, cooking, and reading she manages to fit in between the chaotic moments. She can be found at A Life in Balance, Frugal Local Kitchen, or on Twitterwith daily doses of life in 140 characters or less.
It is 5 in the morning and all I can think about is this baby still in my womb. I am at 40 weeks and eagerly anticipating the arrival of our baby girl. What am I doing? Writing a post about baby products and getting ready to use this product with a new babe in our home.
So excited!!!
Another product I got to try and test was this Natural Touch Warmer and Sterilizer. It does several things and is pretty cool. I did not have anything like this for Julianne and did everything old school but I knew I had to do something different with a second baby in tow.
This sterilizer and warmer safely warms up breast milk, formula and baby food and it also sterilizes bottles and pacifiers. SCORE!
This product comes equipped with instructions on how much water to place in the warmer based on the function and use. For this instance, I was going to sterilize a pacifier and a teether. It asked to fill the warmer with 45ml of water. One of the nice features is a measuring cup that comes attached to the warmer.
I added the water to the warmer, placed the sterilizing basket inside the warmer and placed the items to sterilize inside the basket. I closed the warmer with the lid provided and simply pressed the button. The items were sterilized within minutes. It was QUICK and the items came out looking so clean.
I do not know about you but I am constantly obsessed about germs so sterilizing pacifiers, bottles and other items will be easy to use with this product. I am so excited!! The clean-up process is easy too. All I had to do was make sure to dump any excess water, dry the inside and let the rest air dry. The other items could air dry as well.
Even though my Julianne is not eating too many purees nowadays I did attempt to warm up a food packet successfully. I also look forward warming up baby #2 ‘s food in the coming months. I love my new product and I know it will be used VERY well.
Where can you buy this? Check it out at Buy Baby Direct or sign up to win your very own!
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Estelle Sobel Erasmus is an award-winning journalist, author, blogger and columnist who went from dating diva to married lady to older mom in the blink of an eye. She is a 2012 BlogHer Voice of the Year, a 2012 Listen to Your Mother NYC cast member, and a 2012 Circle of Mom’s Winner for Top 25 Best Family Blogs by a Mom. In her blogMusings on Motherhood and Mid-Life she chronicles her often humorous, sometimes serious, and always transformative journey through motherhood and marriage. Her latest funny escapade involves Preschool Speak for 5 Common Phrases Used on a Cruise. Her goal this year, to crack that Babble egg. Find Estelle on twitter at@mommymusings011 and on Facebook at her Author page
