Jumping up and down with JOY: The happiness of finding a pediatrician :)

The Pure Baby (PB) finally has a pediatrician!!!  I am so super happy :)

PB's new pediatrician is actually a pediatrician that our older boys used to see, back when we lived in this state four years ago. He was a truly wonderful guy. He helped our oldest son (who is on the autism spectrum) with so much. He did all kinds of testing required by our DAN! doctor. He wrote a bunch of notes to the school - lunchtime supplements, diet, clothing issues, and more. He was always available to me for whatever concerns/issues came up.  I was so very thankful for him :)

When PB recently saw his new pediatrician for the first time, he happily remembered our family.  I was a little nervous about asking if he was still on board with taking non-vax patients (especially PB who is 100% non-vax), but I was completely overjoyed at his response of *yes*.  And not only has he taken PB as a patient, he also seemingly made no notation regarding PB's non-vax status.  To top this all off, our pediatrician is homebirth-friendly and actually seems pro-homebirth!  He even recommended homebirth midwives for my future homebirth :)  And as an extra bonus, he even pronouned PB's ethnic name correctly - which lately seems to be a minor miracle 

Unbelievably, this is PB's first real pediatrician.  Previously, there have been no pediatricians who will accept PB as a patient.  Really bizarre.  The pediatricians in our former states have required either (1) vaccinations per their schedule or (2) me signing off on a form stating that I was endangering the life of my child as well as the lives of everyone else by not vaccinating.  Crazy.

When PB was one week old, the front desk women at a  supposed non-vax pediatrician's office attempted to bully me into signing the form - by refusing to let me leave the office!  After all we've been through, I'm a tough mama - and not to be bullied :)  I made my way out of the office (while babywearing my one week old baby!), only to start getting phone calls from the county health department.  Due to the wonderful gift of Caller ID, I was able to let the bullying end there.

I'm so very appreciative of our new (and old) pediatrician :)  While I am very much not a fan of where we live, finding him (again) makes living here almost tolerable.  I'm so glad to have a pediatrician for PB, especially since he is actually ill for the first time right now.  Adding in the fact that homebirth is actually legal here - and with a CNM midwife - maybe I'll be finding some peace in living in this not-so-favorite state of mine.

Babywearing: "Available-now" options, when you can't wait for a custom carrier

Recently, quite a few moms and grandmas have asked me about my Kanga XT.  While I LOVE my Kanga XT, I've been thinking that I should post a bit of information about how to get a Kanga XT of your own as well as thoughts about possible alternative carriers that are easier to obtain.

Kanga XT is made by one work-at-home-mom named Kirsten.  She produces custom carriers, using a custom wait list.  Lately, it seems that the custom wait lists take about 6 months to complete.  The custom list is open for a very short amount of time (as in a couple of minutes).  If you are interested in getting on the custom list, you should join her yahoo group.  There, she makes announcements regarding the custom lists.  She also occasionally posts in-stock carriers for sale:  Kanga XT, Kanga X2, and Kanga J.

My Kanga XTs are the only buckle carriers that I have owned.  Therefore, I truly have no expertise on other ABCs, and I can only recommend based on friends' experiences.  (Buckle baby carriers are known as "All Buckle Carriers" or "ABCs" and "Soft Structured Carriers" or "SSCs".)

For petite moms, the following carriers are supposed to work quite well.  Please keep in mind, though, that fit varies person-to person.  Additionally, these carriers often work well for non-petite moms.

1- Pikkolo by cat bird baby

2- Oh SNAP! by BabyHawk

3- Angelpack LX

4- Action Baby Carrier

5- Calyx  (I am unsure if this company is currently in production.)


In addition to the above carriers, the following carriers are supposed to work very well for non-petite moms:

1- ERGO baby carrier 

2- bECO baby carrier

Another option to find a great carrier is For Sale or Trade at TheBabywearer.com.  This is place to buy and sell previously-loved carriers.  I bought my first Kanga XT here, as well as other carriers :)

Please note that the above listing is definitely not exhaustive and is based on second-hand experience :)

Our New Kanga XT!

Our new Kanga XT went to the zoo!  The Pure Baby (PB) fed a giraffe, from the safety of his Kanga XT :)  He was a bit apprehensive, but the option of safely being behind mom brought suffficient bravery to allow PB to participate in this fun privilege.

After months on the Bloo Kangeroo custom wait list, I was extremely thrilled to receive my new Kanga XT in the mail.  I absolutely love the Marimekko Unikko fabric that a very sweet babywearing friend shared with me!  Thank you so much :)  And Kirsten at Bloo-Kangeroo did a marvelous job and created perfect matching strap canvas!  I love love love my new Kanga XT!!!

Our new Kanga XT has a petite waist, extra-petite straps, and has a 1/2 inch wider base on each side.  The 1/2 inch wider base allows for the knee to knee support that you can see above, even in an older baby/toddler.  At the same time, Kirsten says that our Kanga XT should be fine for a younger baby around 12 months or so (and up).

The Children's Museum of New Hampshire ~ amazing and wonderful fun for children on the autism spectrum!

This past weekend, our family happily visited The Children's Museum of New Hampshire for the first time!  I've been wanting to check it out, and we had an amazing opportunity to attend the special autism-only hours.  On the second Sunday of each month, The Children's Museum of New Hampshire opens early and offers free admission to children on the autism spectrum along with their entire families.  And not only that...  Additionally, the Museum seeks to offer networking and socialization opportunities for the families.  And, the families are invited to spend the entire day at the Museum - not just the special autism-only hours.  Plus, on top of that, the Museum gave us free tickets for our entire family to come back any time!  Pretty incredible, I think.  We've lived lots of places - and have had memberships at several children's museums - yet, we've never found a children's museum who has this loving heart for children with autism.

So, if you live in New England, I greatly encourage you to pay a visit to The Children's Museum of New Hampshire!  With or without autism, its a super fun place to play :)

A Recipe for Holiday Fudge - GFCF and Feingold-approved

Holiday Fudge

2 1/2 cups sugar
1/4 cup Earth Balance margarine
5 ounces canned coconut milk
1 container (7 ounces) Tiny Trapeze Confections marshmallow creme (available at Whole Foods Market)
3/4 teaspoon salt

3/4 teaspoon vanilla
12 ounce package semi-sweet chocolate chips (made with real vanilla - available at Whole Foods Markets as well as some supermarkets)

1- Combine first five ingredients.  Stir over low heat until blended. 

2- Bring to a boil over moderate heat.  Boil slowly, stirring constantly for five minutes.

3- Remove from heat.  Stir in chocolate chips and vanilla unil chocolate is melted.  Pour into a greased 9 inch x 13 inch glass baking dish.  Cool.

I've made two batches of this yummy fudge recipe so far this season, and it truly tastes like "the real thing" - even to the unaware :)

First Snow!

Yesterday morning, we awoke to winter's first snow!

Playing in the Snow!

Eggs: Why Organic?

Last week, The Pure Baby (PB) had a fun - though quite cold! - day at a nearby Audobon nature center and farm!  Among other things, the farm raises chickens and actually sells "free-range" eggs for $4.50/dozen.  The eggs, though, are not "USDA organic" - so we did not take any eggs home with us. 

I think that there is probably lots of confusion regarding "free-range" or "cage-free" versus "USDA organic" and possibly some people may be confused into thinking that "free-range" or "cage-free" is "USDA organic".  The labels of "free-range and "cage-free" are basically unverified claims that any egg producer can claim.  Essentially - and very sadly -, that means that "free-range" and "cage-free" are worthless when one is seeking the healthiest eggs to take home to his or her family.

For our family, buying "USDA organic" eggs is extremely important for the following reasons:
1- "USDA organic" eggs are free of antibiotics  - and -
2- USDA organic" eggs are free of arsenic.

Sadly non-organic eggs are contaminated very much in the same way as non-organic chicken.  Lots of antibiotics and lots of arsenic.  Not what you want to serve your family.