Christmas photo

A little late, but here's a picture of Hannah Christmas morning. It was fun watching her with the boxes, bows, paper, and new things with tags! Tags are a big favorite of hers. She got some new toys and clothes and books from some family members, not too much, just the right amount! We got to see lots of family members! It was a nice Christmas.

Ecological savings

I just found this link where you can enter a quantity of t-shirts and it will calculate the "ecological savings" of purchasing hemp t-shirts rather than a shirt made from cotton grown with pesticides. For 20 shirts, which most of us will use in the next 10 years, the savings in water is 14,900 gallons. The savings in terms of chemical fertilizer is 3.36 pounds. The savings in terms of pesticides is .02 pounds. That just for 20 shirts!! Here's the link, it's in about the middle of the page: http://www.threehighguys.com/theguys/Ecological.html

Nine in, Nine out

Hannah is nine months old today! When I was pregnant, I remember reading about the concept of "nine in, nine out" meaning that a baby gestates inside the womb for nine months, and should be held or carried for the nine months after birth. (And beyond, of course, but in particular for the first nine months.) I have made it a point to carry her or have her on me in a wrap, sling, or carrier since she was born. In the beginning I struggled with people wanting to hold her, then setting her down when they were done holding her. (Why didn't they just give her back to me??) I remember even at one potluck a friend was holding her, then put her down and said, "So and so told me to put her down." Well, that person is not her mother, I am! So I just held her myself, for the most part. My parents have held her a lot, too, but it's mostly just been me holding her. How lucky am I! The idea behind this, as I understand it, is to hold them close and give them all the security and touch they need, and when they are ready, they will be more independent.

Hannah must have known that the nine month mark was a time to become more independent, because JUST THIS WEEK she has shown many signs of being independent! She even crawls into another room, out of my line of vision! I mean, with me out of her line of vision. Up until this week, when I needed to go to the bathroom, typically I would plop her down on the floor while I went, then scoop her back up when I was done. Sometimes I would even hold her then, but mostly not after the first three months. She would frequently fuss when I set her down, and I would talk to her and pick her back up as soon as I could. Just the other day, she just crawled away! It was so funny to see! Later that day, she was playing not too far from the bathroom, and I just casually went to the bathroom without moving her. It was so nice! Honestly, for the first hour or so, it was so strange to have her be so independent. I didn't even recognize her. But then I embraced the transition and have been enjoying a little bit of time to get some things done. She still needs to be close, and spends a lot of time in the carrier, but she is definitely maturing in the area of being independent.

I feel so good about this! I am happy that her independence is something that she has matured into, and not something that I have forced onto her. I'm happy about how the last nine moths have gone!! And happy 9 month birthday, Hannah!

(photo taken back in August)

Last Day of 2008

It's New Year's Eve Day, December 31, 2008. Even though it doesn't make sense, I am sad to see the end of 2008. It was definitely the best year of my life! The year Hannah was born! I have been thinking about "2008" ever since I found out I was pregnant and realized I was having a baby in 2008. So basically since the beginning of August, 2007! So much for living in the present moment! I do always like New Year's, it's a neat time of year. 2008 will always hold a special place in my heart!

We're home!

We're home from our holiday travels. We left the afternoon of Christmas Eve for my mom's. We stayed there through Saturday morning. Saturday we drove (Grandpa Roy drove!) to Ventura to hang out with relatives there. We spent Sunday night back at Mom's, then home yesterday. Hannah still isn't much for traveling, but it was easier once I figured that out. After our two previous trips, she had a couple of rough days, and this time is no exception. It reminds me of when I have a particularly crazy or emotional trip, it takes me a few days to unwind, too! By Sunday she only wanted to hang out with me (more than usual! she usually only wants to hang out with me or on me!) and she woke up crying several times in the night. She rarely cries in the night. Right now she's napping peacefully and I need to unpack from our travels! Most of the time during our travels I was exhausted, but it was nice to see family. Christmas day she went a long time without napping, and I learned that day to make sure she gets a nap! Soon I will upload pictures of her unwrapping presents!

Business License

I just found out today that I my business license application was approved! So I can start selling socks any time! Right now I'm looking into web sites for my store. I like one that Marija from EC Wear uses (http://www.ecwear.com/) and I will probably go with them. The owner of the company is a WAHM and I like the idea of supporting another WAHM. I need to order some socks and start taking pictures of them! I would like to find a few more suppliers, I suppose that will take time and some more phone calls.

How exciting!!!!!

Henna!

Today I hennaed my hair for the third time. I discovered "body art quality" henna when Hannah was about 4 months old. Before that, I hadn't had my hair colored since the week before I got pregnant. I had looked into henna when I was pregnant, actually, but only came across products that included henna and a mix of lots of harmful chemicals. I made a query on MDC and was directed to the henna for hair website: http://www.hennaforhair.com/
What I learned there is that only henna sold as "body art quality" is pure henna and is completely safe and natural. I loved that I mixed it with orange juice! Then I mixed it with some tea the next day, and drank the tea that I didn't need! (You can't do that with the hair dye from a box!) I also love that I can use my regular kitchen utensils to stir it, and I can wash them in the sink and not worry about getting chemicals on my dishes. So from a non-hazardous perspective, it's great! I also love how it conditions my hair! Whatever I don't use, I just put in the freezer and take it out when I'm ready to do it again.

Putting it on is a completely yummy process, too. The first time I put on way too much, and it started to drip. I learn each time! I love the earthy smell of the henna. I love the way it feels. This time it was pretty cold when I put it on, but at least that way I could tell where I'd applied it. I can see why it is considered a luxury treatment. On the website, the woman who put it together says to relax while letting the henna work its magic on your hair. I don't think those directions were directed at moms of babies!

The first two times I hennaed my hair, I timed it around Hannah's naps. Currently, she only naps when she's on me, so that wasn't going to work this time. I started the process right after she woke up from one of her naps. I let her play with my camera and my cell phone and a bunch of other new things while I put it on. She was fine, and I put it on pretty quickly! We hung out for two hours and then I took a shower. Now my hair is drying, and I can tell I not longer have grey roots! Mmmmmm, I do love the smell!

I bought some indigo, which I haven't used yet. I would like to, one of these days. It's so easy for now to pull out the mix that I already made. Maybe next time I start a new mix I'll add the indigo.

I'm a definite henna convert!