Baby Resources: Books, Books, and a few more Books!

It's been suggested to me that I post some of the books that I found helpful through pregnancy and my first year as a mommy on my blog.

Pregnancy:

• Pregnancy Sucks written by a comedy writer, it is informative and funny. It fit my personality well, because my pregnancy was awful and I like to laugh.
  
• Pregnancy Sucks for men (this one is for the hubby's)
  
• Girlfriends Guide to Pregnancy
• I did not care for What to Expect When You are Expecting, but I know a lot of people like it. I found that it read more like a guide to what may go wrong during your pregnancy, broken down by month.
• If you like to know how things work, then Lise Eliot's What is Going On In There: How the Brain and Mind Develop in the First Five Years is really fabulous. It's a really easy read so you really do not  have to know anything about neuroscience to read and enjoy this book. Believe me, because I didn't. It was so interesting, I walked around for weeks spouting facts like "Did you know a five year old is better able to feel textures with her face then with her fingers?" My husband found these facts less interesting then I did.
• A week by week guide or babycenter.com updates are great and they'll send you a weekly pregnancy update email based on how far along you are with tidbits like 'your baby now has eyebrows and can suck its thumb'
  

Infant/Newborn:

• The Baby Sleep Guide -- really good summary/overview of sleep training methods, options, etc. I found it very helpful. I also really liked 'Happy Baby, Healthy Sleep Habits,' but the Baby Sleep Guide gives a summary of this method in the book so no need to buy it unless you want more detailed info. Which, of course, I did so I read all the books ;)
  
• Happiest Baby on The Block (recommended by my pediatrician, and super helpful)
• The American Academy of Pediatrics Your Baby's First Year
• And oddly, while I didn't like the pregnancy version I did quite like What to Expect Your First Year

Breastfeeding:
The Nursing Mother's Companion -- I used this and found it very helpful
Breastfeeding Made Simple -- I didn't read this, but have heard very good things and will probably check it out next time.
Also, if you are interested in breastfeeding, babywearing (which I HIGHLY recommend) or other baby resources check out the Breastfeeding Center of Greater Washington. It is a great resource for new momma's!

Play Time -- I know some of you just instinctually know how to play with your babies, but after I would read Sam some books, sing a song, I'd think...ummm now what?? These books helped me with ideas for the 'now what'

• Nice and Steady Get Me Ready- An activity a week for the first five years. So far some of the activities and suggestions have been great, and some have been really lame. We skip the lame ones.
• Baby Minds -- Games to play with babies, these are meant to boost their brain. But they are fun and Baby loves them. I kept Sam entertained for heaps of time when he was 3 months old by tying a helium balloon to his leg. He'd move his leg and wiggle the balloon. It's supposed to challenge and stimulate them by teaching cause and effect, but whatever it kept him entertained. Obviously, supervise your Baby during all 'tying' based activities. Scrap that--just ALWAYS supervise your baby :) 
• Baby Play -- Physical games to play with Baby to engage the senses.

Christian Resources:

• Treasuring God in our Traditions by Noel Piper. A great book for thinking about how your family will honor God throughout the year on especially and normal days!
• Fatherhood by Tony Payne. Very accessible read encouraging the vision for fatherhood as disciplemaking. Awesome book.
• Mission of Motherhood, Sally Clarkson is more of a generic mother book, so put this on your back burner but good Christian resource. It's not really a how-to book for little ones.

Three tools we've used for family devotions/quiet times for Sam:

• ESV Illustrated Family Bible - breaks the Bible text down into 200+ stories you can read in one sitting - we read one story each night as part of Sam's bedtime routine
• Big Picture Story Bible - amazingly well written and illustrated it goes from creation to new creation in 26 stories
• Jesus Storybook Bible - a more detailed and still beautifully illustrated overview of the whole Bible message - every story whispers his name!
• Baby's HugaBible - cute with very short Bible
  

Coming in May 2010...it's a...

The Epic of Karolan

Our friend Ari's book is now for sale. Ari is amazingly gifted (he wrote this series while completing his PhD in Astronomy) and P and I have already had the joy to peek at his book electronically but are excited to have a hard copy. Please see info below and please pass on to anyone you know who may enjoy the series.

Lovers of deeply characterized, heroic adventures, rejoice! Bright Against the Storm, available now from http://www.hopewriter.com/Karolan.html, begins an epic on the scale of J.R.R. Tolkien’s The Lord of the Rings – and one with “the wonder, the awe, and the heroism” of Tolkien’s masterpiece.

With the neighboring realm of Norkath girding for a brutal war of conquest, King Thomas of Karolan sends young Sir Ilohan on a quest. Ilohan chooses the bold peasant blacksmith Jonathan as his companion. The quest seems too easy at first – an irrelevant footnote to the coming war. Soon, however, the travelers find themselves hunted by pitiless foes. Back in Karolan, the beautiful shepherdess Naomi prepares to face the war alone, wondering if Jonathan will ever return to her to redeem his pledges of undying love.

Bright Against the Storm is the first book of four in The Epic of Karolan. The other three volumes are already written, and are scheduled for release in the spring, summer, and fall of 2010, respectively. The Epic of Karolan was written for adults and older teens who enjoy fantasy or Christian fiction. The books may not be a good choice for children under 14. Bright Against the Storm is an average-length fantasy novel, at 424 pages, or 125,000 words. It is self-published by the author, Ari Heinze, and therefore is not backed by the advertising budget of a large corporation. Please send this on to anyone you know who might enjoy The Epic of Karolan. Scroll down to read endorsements for Bright Against the Storm, and a more detailed plot introduction.

Endorsement 1:

“In Bright Against the Storm, Ari Heinze does a number of things that I did not think possible in a 21st century novel: he offers a believable and compelling portrait of true honor and chivalry; he depicts both male and female goodness in a way that is neither clichéd nor cloying; he creates a medieval-like world that is suffused by Christian faith but that never degrades into mere piety or self-righteousness; he meditates honestly on both the glory and horror of war; and he offers one of the best and truest portraits of a virtuous pagan that I have ever encountered. Lovers of Tolkien’s Middle-earth will find in Heinze’s Karolan a world that is far closer to our own—all the characters are human—but that nevertheless retains the wonder, the awe, and the heroism of The Lord of the Rings.”
Louis Markos, Professor of English and Scholar-in-Residence, Houston Baptist University

Endorsement 2:

"Bright Against the Storm, the first volume of this epic fantasy, is beautifully written and realized, its style exuberant, with a sense of immediacy that draws the reader deeply into the narrative. I look forward with anticipation to reading the rest of the Karolan series!"

Luci Shaw, author of Breath for the Bones, and Writer in Residence at Regent College.

Endorsement 3:

“Bright Against the Storm is a work I commend to all those who would be stirred in mind and heart by a saga taking on the grand themes of faith and fortitude, doubt and destiny and the abiding presence of the goodness and grace of God in the midst of the travels and travails of life in any time or place.”

Reverend Paul Karlberg, Proclamation Presbyterian Church, Bryn Mawr, Pennsylvania

Plot Introduction:

King Fingar of Norkath is planning a brutal war of conquest against neighboring Karolan, allegedly justified by a mysterious betrayal decades old. Karolan has a history full of heroism, but dread weighs heavily on her people now. Aging King Thomas has no heir, and they may face Fingar’s onslaught without an effective leader.

In beautiful Glen Carrah in Karolan, Jonathan the blacksmith and the shepherdess Naomi exchange pledges of undying love. Confident in his strength and skill, Jonathan tells Naomi that he will find and rescue her, no matter what, if war separates them. The separation comes unexpectedly soon, when young Sir Ilohan asks Jonathan’s company on a journey commanded by the king.

Is Ilohan’s mission what it seems, an irrelevant footnote to the gathering storm of war? Why do deadly foes dog his footsteps almost from the beginning? Can Jonathan and Ilohan escape their enemies and finish the king’s quest? Will Karolan – and Naomi – weather the storm?

Baby Morris!

We are very excited to announce we are expecting the littlest Morris in May! :)

Melanie's Easy Travel Recipe

I think you all know, I travel a lot. Additionally I grew up overseas this means that I have spent a great deal of time on transatlantic/pacific flights. I have, what I think, is the most refined travel system of all time.  In my own very modest opinion, my system works so well that I often arrive feeling relatively fresh and rarely have terrible jetlag. Fresh of my flight to Oz I thought I'd post it. This tip is only for long haul flights, if you try it on a brief 3 hour flight, I think it will just make you uncomfortable. I should also, begin by saying this is a modification of my mother's travel system that I watched her use when I was a kid. 

The key ingredient is a fully stocked carry on bag. In this carry on bag should be: toiletries (toothbrush, toothpaste,  make up, brush, I like wet wipes, deodorant, and whatever else you need to get ready). Also and entire change of clothes, including socks, shoes, everything. 

FYI, my carry on of preference is a backpack you can cram it full of junk and carry it around easily. I found it more comfortable than a shoulder bag and more mobile than an annoying wheelie bag. (I'm short and rather clumsy so I find the overhead bins a pain and I invariably run over someone's foot with a wheelie bag) 

Step 1: Stay up late, wake up early the night before. I like to get on a plane slightly sleep deprived, I find it helps me sleep better on a flight. Find whatever sleep aid on a plane works for you-- sleep deprivation is my key, but a glass of wine on the flight works well, as does a dose of melatonin or tylenol pm. 

Step 2:  Immediately before leaving for the airport take a shower. It do it so immediately before that I arrive in the security line with my hair still dripping wet. It's a real treat for everyone.

Step 3: Relax on the flight and try to sleep, but if you can't sleep just try to rest/relax don't stress about not sleeping.

Step 4: About 1-2 hours before landing take your carry on bag stocked full of goodies and head to the lavatory.

Step 5: Transformation. This is the key part. Pull down the little shelf in the bathroom and put your bag there. Now brush your teeth, wash your face (use the wet wipes if you'd like), brush your hair and change into your new outfit. The bathrooms have outlets so if you curl or straighten your hair feel free to do that as well. You'll need to ignore the other passengers who will be banging on your door at this point and asking you to hurry up.

Step 6: Conquer Jetlag: If your flight arrives at your destination (my preference) push through the day. Do NOT under any circumstances go to bed early or take a nap. Go out, site see, whatever but stay awake.  Also, have something planned for the next morning. This will force you to go get up at a reasonable time and push through another day. I find that by the evening on the second day I'm pretty well acclimated. If your flight arrives in the evening, go to bed at a reasonable bedtime, and then follow the other steps. Have something planned in the morning and push through and entire day. Repeat. 

I can't guarantee a good vacay--but I think these tips work well! :) 

PS-- Have to give props to my mother. This system is really just an adaptation of hers, I watched her use it for years as a kid. 

The Perils of Training or Oh My Achin' Bod!

We're less than two weeks out from our next tri and things are not going well. In addition to my pre-existing condition of a torn ACL and cartridge damage in my knees I've developed a new condition. Searing arch pain! This has reduced me to putting arch supports in my shoes like a 90 year old.

The new low point for me came during my 3 hour brick (bike/run combo) last weekend. I was happily biking along the Mount Vernon trail, about 2 hours into my workout, (For those of you who don't know, the Mount Vernon trail is like a tiny road, it has lane dividers and it's used often by serious bikers) when I come whizzing down a hill, around a blind curve and to my surprise what is on the other side of the curve-- teenagers on skateboards!!! Skateboarding horizontally across the trail and blocking both lanes!!! I slam on my brakes and scream "LOOK OUT, GET OUT OF THE WAY!! MOVE!!!" but still WHAM I slam right into one of the kids. I, still clipped in to my bike, go flying and smack down on the pavement. By the time I landed in a heap on the asphalt the kid I hit was already there to see if I was okay, and to apologize. I said I was okay, and made sure he was okay too. As I sat on the side of the road and bandaged my wounds (this is why I carry a first aid kit) he kept apologizing. I told him we were lucky we weren't hurt more seriously, and that in the future they should be more careful and we'll all just chalk it up to lesson learned. He promised to be more careful in the future, assured me that he was fine and off I hobbled pushing my poor broken bike.

I'm okay, for the most part, my left side is bruised and scraped but nothing serious. My bike is damaged, but I'm not sure how much yet. Now I'm in the awkward position of being injured enough to not train but not so injured that I want to skip the tri. I think if my bike can be ready I'm still going to go for it and hope I can just finish-- even if it takes me 6 hours!

Isn't this really everyone's goal?

LOL--I saw this sign driving home from work.