Nipples and Dinosaurs

As most of you probably haven't even  noticed, I've taken a bit of a hiatus from posting. Here I return with yet another promise of updating more often. And to mark this momentous occasion and because I really need another project like I need another hole in the head - I've decided to make a quilt. Well, not for the blog, for P, but I'm going to document my journey to quilt hood right here.

Let me start off by saying- I have no idea what the hell I'm doing. However, I've always wanted to make a quilt so I decided to throw caution to the wind. It can't be that hard right?

I've decided to document the process for a couple reasons, but mainly for shits and giggles the sakes of archiving a process in which I have no idea what I'm doing, in order to reference at a later date, when I decide to undertake this project for J and E (if I ever actually finish it).

Since my last posting a lot has happened in the world of toddlerhood here at our house. P has started transitioning into a part time home daycare, which has been a big deal for all of us. Aside from the obvious reasons of myself and G being extremely over anxious at the thought of him being in someone else's care for a couple of hours a day- there is also the issue of him falling asleep without his Eee-yats (boobie snacks).

You see, I like my co-blogger Svea, am also a perverted masochistic extended breast-feeder with wrecked nipples who is raising a spoiled perverted child with rotten teeth. Or as I like to refer to it -  a believer of self led weaning. As such, P is turning two very shortly and is still breastfeeding. At first, I was worried about how this might affect his transition into a daycare environment. This whole process got me to thinking of how I might be able to make the process easier for him - or more likely ease my over paranoid nerves into the process, as he seems to have adapted extremely well and has no need of my presence while he's there..... However, during nap time he does like to have a blanket in his hand to play with to help him fall asleep. Which is where the idea to actually buckled down and go about making a quilt came from.

I had to decide on what the theme of the quilt was going to be. I knew that I wanted to combine really soft materials with something he liked and an educational element. I came across some very soft minky fabric that is called "dimple dot." The dots were the perfect size nipples and since P loves to hang on to a nipple to fall asleep and I wouldn't be available for nap time, why not combine his two favorite things for the theme of the quilt? Nipples and Dinosaurs! 

So I picked out a pattern that I'm going to tweak here. Found and purchased all the fabrics I felt would look good together, and essentially the idea will be to make this:

Into a quilt. Judging from what I've read it looks like alot of work. I'll be posting updates  on a semi-weekly basis on the process. Wish me luck!

Sampling and the Sensory-Rich Anal Canal, or 'On (not) Pooping in the Bath'

My sister sent me this video yesterday.

And I thought, how à propos. First, because she used to poop in our bath when we were little. And second, because just that day I had jumped out of the bath in a fit of terror, holding Sweet Baby James at arms' length and saying (ever-so-sweetly, I'm sure), "Do you need to go pooping? Would you like the potty?"

You see, in our family we do a modified sort of elimination communication (yes, I said 'in our family'. Everyone in our family communicates about elimination, it happens as soon as you get married). I was supposed to write about EC a year ago when we were doing it with SBJ and it was really working, but by the time I got around to it, he had stopped. He started crawling and exploring the world and suddenly, no matter how many funny song-and-dance routines I did, sitting on the toilet just wasn't entertaining anymore.

But he hasn't pooped in the bath since he was three months old and we bathe together every day. I don't know why I was scared. I guess it was the toots I heard/felt. They seemed serious. But no poop was forthcoming. False alarm, Maman!

But I started thinking, how do we know when it's just going to be a toot, not a poop?

For answers to questions like these, I turn to Ingrid Bauer. I have a huge mama-crush on Ingrid. She lives on Salt Spring Island (I used to live there!) and she speaks French (I used to speak French!), she coaches parents (I'm judgmental!) and she must be the most amazing mother. I read her book, Natural Infant Hygiene when I took it out of the library and then I decided had to have it.

   

Only problem is, it's out of print and second-hand copies are going for over $200. 

Whaaaat? At least it's available on Kindle for $11. Anyway.

Here's what she says:

"Like urination, defecation involves a series of events that include muscles under both voluntary and involuntary control. As food is digested and leaves the stomach, it moves through first the small and then the large intestine. The descending colon of the large intestine empties into the sigmoid colon and then into the rectum. As the rectum fills, stretch receptors (similar to those in the bladder) produce signals that lead to an awareness of the urge to defecate. The distension of the rectum initiates the rectoanal inhibitory response. An involuntary reflex relaxes the internal anal sphincter, while the external sphincter contracts.

This process allows for the sampling reflex in the sensory-rich anal canal. Sampling, which occurs throughout the day, helps the individual determine whether the rectal contents are gas, diarrhea, or normal stool." (pp.100-101)

First of all, I would like to thank Ms. Bauer for the opportunity to use the words "sensory-rich anal canal" in a mama blog post. I don't think that would have been possible without her.

On another blog, maybe.

And second, I had totally forgotten the sigmoid colon exists! I love that little guy! In case any of this confuses (confeces?) you, here's a diagram. This is one medical image about which I'm happy there's little context included.

Image brought to you by Sitting Toilets: The Secret Very Few Know Today

So there you have it, folks. Sensors in the anal canal let you know how much it's stretching to hold in that poop. And if they're telling you it's not stretching very much, then you know it's just gas.

Aren't you glad you asked?