Feb 5 2013

coconut oil – a slow convert

Posted on February 5, 2013 by Ashley

Caroline has a bad case of cradle cap. Actually, it’s not that bad – my pediatrician said it was really mild – but since Savannah didn’t have it at all it seems bad to me. :-)

The pediatrician recommended olive oil, but I found that messy and I felt like I was anointing her. (Heh) Someone else recommended coconut oil, so I decided to try it. Apparently coconut oil is the new (old) miracle cure for anything. I’ve heard about it a lot, but never really investigated myself. So the next time I was at Trader Joe’s, I picked up some Organic Virgin Coconut Oil. The first thing I noticed is that it smells soooo good. I want to eat the whole jar. It smells like coconut I guess, but to me it reminds me more of cookies. Yum.

One awesome thing about coconut oil is that its melting point is 76 degrees, which means it melts on contact with your skin. At first I melted it over a flame until I realized that step was unnecessary for what I was doing. ;-) So I actually keep it by the changing pad and dig out a little bit with my fingers and rub it all over Caroline’s scalp. The result? No flaky skin. Also, her hair looks FABULOUS. That may be coincidence, or it might be the coconut oil, but her hair is full and sooo soft. I’m a fan!

I have to repeat every few days, but so far that’s fine with me. (Cradle cap is just a cosmetic issue anyway.) I also use the coconut oil for diaper rashes. So far, it’s worked the best of all the “natural” ointments I’ve tried. (Caroline is less rashy than Savannah was, so I don’t need it too often.) And another unexpected benefit – I lost my deodorant after our trip to Florida for Christmas. Coconut oil worked in a pinch until I could buy more! I will say though I tried it for 6 days straight and after the first few days it stopped working for whatever reason – even after showering.

Anyway, I’m sure I will continue to explore all the benefits to coconut oil. I haven’t brought it downstairs to use in cooking yet (I think I need to buy a separate jar for that), but I’m sure that’s the next step.

And just for fun, pictures of Caroline’s hair right after I rubbed her scalp with coconut oil. (Savannah wanted in the pictures too.)

C-hair1

Jan 13 2013

best Netflix shows, according to Savannah

Posted on January 13, 2013 by Ashley

Shortly before Caroline was born, we got a Roku box so we could watch Netflix on our TV. I initially got it for me (and my babymoon), but we didn’t have it very long before I realized what a plethora of children’s shows they have on there. Savannah loves it, and knows how to navigate and work the Roku box completely by herself without help from me. She generally gets to watch TV for a bit in the late afternoon when I’m trying to get dinner ready, and we’re all starting to get tired and wishing Daddy was home. I also totally use TV as babysitter when I have a migraine and need to lay down.

Here is her list of the best Netflix has to offer, in alphabetical order (only because that’s how WordPress placed them into the blog post).

Babar
Savannah loves animals, so it’s not really surprising that she took to Babar immediately. She loves this show (produced from 1989-1991, with a random weird season produced in 2000). She also enjoys the two Babar movies that Netflix has to offer (1989 and 1999).

Bo on the Go
This show has no plot, really. But, it’s cute. The idea is to get kids up and moving around while watching TV. The first time I watched it, I scoffed at its shallowness and predictability, but it totally worked. Savannah totally runs in place and jumps around, pretends to get keys and go through doors. I will even use the concepts when we’re out and I need to distract her – “Get the key, Savannah! Jump!” It totally works to calm her down and help her focus her energy on something specific.

Curious George 2
I love the Curious George TV show. It’s so interesting and educational. This movie is sweet, and Savannah loves it. It also features and elephant, which is currently her favorite animal.

My Little Pony: Friendship Is Magical
This is our current favorite. This is the newest generation of My Little Pony, and Savannah is HOOKED. She loves it, which surprises me because she’s totally not into girly stuff. I guess it’s because ponies are animals? I must admit, I really enjoy this show too and would have TOTALLY been into it when I was little.

Shaun the Sheep and Timmy Time
Shaun and Timmy are produced by the same person/company – the latter is aimed at preschoolers. They are British claymation-looking sheep and the episodes don’t generally have any dialogue. I really enjoy them (moreso Shaun, but Savannah prefers Timmy).

Jan 11 2013

a 3 year old’s thoughts on birth

Posted on January 11, 2013 by Ashley

This morning, Savannah and Caroline and I were lounging on the bed before we got up for the day. I turned to Caroline and said, “You were born right here in this very spot!”

Caroline, of course, just grinned and waved her arms and legs.

“Caroline was born here,” Savannah echoed.

I turned to her, interested. “Do you remember that?”

“Daddy told me to go nigh-nigh and I closed my eyes. But when I opened them, I didn’t see you! I saw Caroline.”

“You saw Caroline being born?”

“She was in Mommy’s tummy! And there was a noise!”

“Caroline was crying?”

“No, noise from Mommy. Like uhhhrgh.” (She actually captured the sound of a woman having a contraction pretty well! :-))

I laughed and gave her a hug. “I’m glad you were there when Caroline was born.”

“Yeah. In Mommy’s tummy.”

Sep 8 2012

behind the names!

Posted on September 8, 2012 by Ashley

I’ve seen others write posts like this, and I think it’s always fun to know the story behind the names that are chosen for their kids.

Savannah River
Savannah – We visited Savannah, Georgia a few months before we got pregnant. We were there for almost a week and had an absolutely lovely time – it very quickly became my Favorite City Ever. While there, I started thinking about Savannah as a girl’s name. I thought it was beautiful, elegant, and delightfully Southern. I loved how the S’s and A’s all flowed together and made the name a pretty picture. (I base a lot of how I feel about a name on the forms of the letters and how the name looks written. It’s hard to explain, but I fill it in with pictures in my mind. That’s how I can like a name like Teresa, but not as much Theresa.) When we found out we were having a girl, the name Savannah just seemed beautiful to me. (Note: we’ve been asked if she was conceived in Savannah. The answer would be no! And I think it’s a weird question to ask someone.)

River – Paul had been advocating the name River for a girl even before we got married. It very slowly grew on me, but around the time that we were choosing a name I still wasn’t sold enough to make it her first name. I decided a middle name was fine, and so we set about finding a good first name for River. Of all the first names we considered, I liked “Savannah River” the best. I love the name River now, and I especially love the unintentional nod to Firefly.

Savannah’s verse – “He tends His flock like a shepherd: He gathers the lambs in His arms and carries them close to His heart; He gently leads those that have young.” Isaiah 40:11 (NIV)

Savannah’s song – I felt bad that Caroline had a song and Savannah didn’t, so I found this one for her.

Caroline Serenity
Caroline – We wanted a name that went with “Savannah”; specifically, a traditional Southern name. There are many beautiful names, and Caroline was an early favorite. My grandmother’s middle name is Caroline, and I thought that was a neat way to honor her. Her mother (my great-grandmother) also had a middle name of Caroline, and when I looked through our family tree I noticed several other instances of it as a first name. I think it’s a beautiful name.

Serenity – Serenity means “calmness, tranquility”, and we thought it was a beautiful name that we hoped would describe her personality. Oh, who are we kidding. We named her after this:

Caroline’s verse – “For this child I prayed, and the Lord has granted me my petition that I made to Him.” 1 Samuel 1:27 (ESV)

Caroline’s song – I’d never heard this song until after she was born, but now I can’t get it out of my head. I love calling her Sweet Caroline.

Sep 8 2012

sisters: comparing pictures

Posted on September 8, 2012 by Ashley

I had ambitious plans to bring these into Photoshop so you can easily see side-by-side and compare, but I am too tired. So I present you with comparison pictures of Savannah and Caroline, taken at about the same ages.

Savannah: