How to Take Your Baby to the Beach (in 21 Simple Steps)

This past weekend we took Scoops to the beach for the very first time. She's seen the ocean before, because we happen to live near it, but she hadn't had a beach day until now. She practiced (and pretty much mastered) the art of sitting up while on the beach blanket, but I'm sure the small divot I made in the sand for her butt played a part in that. She was pretty intrigued by the sand, liked being out in the fresh air and bright sunshine, and cried when we put her toes in the chilly water. We giggled and smiled, we snacked, we relaxed. Scoops even got targeted by a rude bird taking a mid-air deuce. It was perfect. (Would have been more perfect without the bird poop, actually, but I'll take what I can get.)

It wasn't until we were packing up to leave that I realized how much sh crap we brought with us. As my husband commented on the way home, "In my day, we brought a towel." Mine as well, dear. But now we have an infant, and while I'm sure we'll get better at this over time, this time we packed the whole house.

So without further ado, here are my (not so serious) tips for taking your baby to the beach for the first time in just 21 simple steps.

1. Wait until the morning of to start gathering your stuff. Whatever you do, ignore the reasonable voice in your head telling you to pack the car the night before. Really, it can wait. The adrenaline and frustration you experience with trying to pack your bags and then the car while the baby is awake will only fuel your speed-packing abilities. Besides, isn't there a rerun of The Bachelor on tonight?

2. Arise nice and early when your sweet baby does, promptly at 6 a.m. Feed the baby, and then fall back asleep. Did you think I'd advise you to get moving and get to the beach before the crowds descend on all the available parking? No. Review step 1 regarding adrenaline and frustration. It's good for you.

3. Roll out of bed bleary eyed and cranky about 9 a.m. Change the baby's diaper.

4. Hopefully you've already acquired a bathing suit, rash guard, bucket hat, and sunglasses for your sweet little cherub. No matter, pack clothes anyway. Who knows how long you'll be out? Infants are hardy and versatile, after all, and the last time you went day drinking near the beach you were out all day. It could get chilly between your early morning arrival at the sand and your sunset departure. Pack a long-sleeved onesie, a short-sleeved onesie, two pairs of pants, four pairs of socks (hey, they fall off and get lost), a fitted hat, and a jacket. Reread that list. Pack duplicates of each of those items, just in case. And make sure they match. God help you if they don't match. Bonus points if they coordinate with whatever you're wearing (but don't actually match what you're wearing, just coordinate -- you don't want to look like you're trying too hard).

5. Pause to change the baby's diaper.

6. Ask your partner to make you breakfast, because you're busy changing the baby's diaper. Wait, no. Forget to ask for breakfast, because you're distracted by that adorable little face. Just change the diaper. That's all.

7. Put on your bathing suitDONOTLOOKINTHEMIRROR! Don't do it. You look fine. Just step into the suit, and step. Away. From the mirror.

8. Pause to feed the baby again. (Spoiler alert: she's going to need another diaper change when you're done.)

9. Change the baby's diaper.

10. Pack two kinds of sunscreen (lotion for you because you're sensible, spray-on for your partner because he won't wear it anyway). Don't forget that infants can't wear most brands of sunscreen before 6 months of age, and pack a ridiculously heavy jar of coconut oil for baby's sun protection. As you did for baby, pack yourself some clothes for later. Shorts, a tank top, a T-shirt, jeans, sweatpants, a hoodie, and a hat you have no intention of wearing. Cram all items into several small bags. You could put it all in one big bag, but there's no challenge in hauling one bag out to the car. Don't you want to challenge yourself?

11. Lug your many small bags and squishy baby towards the car, grabbing last minute items like several baby carries, extra shoes for yourself, and snacks as you head towards the door. Don't worry if these extra items don't fit in your many bags. Just tuck them under your arm. The one that's not holding the baby, preferably.

12. Drop your items by the door and go back inside to change the baby's diaper.

13. Put the baby in her car seat, then pack all your crap into the car. Wait. Was that a squishy poop sound coming from the direction of your little angel? Go back to change the baby's diaper.

14. Reinsert baby into her car seat. Start your engine (the car, duh!). Go back into the house (please leave your partner in the car to mind the baby) to get your partner's jacket. You could have packed this when you were packing your own things, but you thought for sure he packed his own sh stuff.

15. Get back in the car and buckle your seat belt. Wait. Did you remember to pack 16 pairs of baby socks? You better go grab a couple, just to be safe.

16. Drive to the beach. Argue with your partner on the way there about which beach you'll drive to. You didn't talk about this last night when you weren't packing the car? Good. It's much better to just assume you both mean the exact same fu effing thing when you say "The Beach."

17. Sit in predictable beach traffic for FOUR HOURS before circling the parking area NINE TIMES and passing by at least THREE SPOTS that you pointed out but your partner didn't want to stop the car to claim. Make your partner stop the car obnoxiously in the middle of parking lot traffic so you can take your screaming child out of the car and go feed her. Grab the diaper bag, and nothing else of your boatload of luggage. Let your partner circle the lot another nine times, or as long as it takes to find parking.

18. Since you only grabbed your baby and the diaper bag, have a seat on the sand and begin to feed your darling little squish. Feel the healing power of the waves as you watch them crash on the shore, let the warmth of the sun melt the tension in your shoulders, and silently curse whomever just dared to light that disgusting cigarette as they walked past you at a distance of 25 feet. Give in to the sights, sounds, and smells that surround you, relaxing as your toes wiggle into the sand and your baby begins to doze in your arms, exposing your boob in all it's milk-spraying glory to the entire beach.

19. Smile angelically at your partner as he lugs the first load of sh crap across the sand. Don't feel guilty for not helping. You're holding the baby (she needs a diaper change, by the way). Wait patiently as your partner repeats the trip at least once more to get the rest of the crap you packed for your sojourn to the sand. (Spoiler alert: you won't be here that long.)

20. Pray that a bird doesn't sh poop on your baby. 

21. Enjoy watching your baby experience the sun, sand, and salt water. Take too many pictures. Don't stress about how dirty everything is getting. Tell your partner you love him. Smile. Have fun. Like every day, you'll never get this one back, and this one happens to be your baby's first day at the beach.

Simple Pantry Organization

You may have picked up on the fact that I enjoy organization. I mean, really, who doesn't? Saying you like to be organized is a little like telling a Realtor you want to find a house with a nice kitchen. Really? As opposed to a house with a crappy kitchen? Aren't you the trend-setter. Point is, I'm pretty sure most normal people at least appreciate organization, even if they don't always enjoy implementing it themselves. As a mom on a serious budget in a small home with odd quirks, I am always on the lookout for cheap and easy ways to organize the small space I have to work with. 

During a recent postpartum nesting phase (I swear it's a thing), I went on a mad purge of expired and useless food items in my kitchen. Now, I don't have a real pantry, just some crappy old cabinets, so all my pots, pans, utensils, and food have to play nicely wherever I can find space for them. I also have very limited counter space (and don't like things sitting out anyway), so having neatly organized cabinets is really the only option besides insanity. To organize my "pantry" cabinet, I employed my own advice on how to successfully organize any space:

Step 1
Take everything out. Eh.Vry.Thang.

Step 2
Separate Eh.Vry.Thang into three piles: Keep, Toss, Donate. (In some cases, you can add a fourth pile for items you intend to Sell, or make that your third pile with the intention that whatever doesn't Sell is then Donated. The danger with a Sell pile is that unless you find a buyer or have a garage sale very soon, you're still holding on to a pile of stuff you're not using, and it's just taking up space indefinitely. So be wary of that.)

Step 3
Once you've sorted all your items and removed the Toss and Donate piles from your space, organize what's left in the Keep pile. If it's clothes, that might mean grouping items by sleeve length or season. If it's food, ya probably want to consider grouping similar types of food together. Example, put all the rice together. It just makes good sense, people.

Step 4
Put it back. Organized this time. Use boxes or bins or jars or whatever makes sense for your budget, time, and items/space you're organizing.

After I took everything out of my "pantry" cabinet, tossed what was expired, gave to my neighbors what I knew I wouldn't use, and prepared to put everything else back, I was faced with the task of corralling the remaining items into like categories. Some items were already somewhat organized, like my spices all on a lazy susan (not actually my ideal choice for spice organization, but I don't feel like spending cash on a door-mounted spice rack at the moment, thanks), and coffee and filters in a little rush basket. Aside from that, the three biggest sub-piles within my Keep pile were pasta, cereal, and rice. I shoved them all on the top shelf because, let's face it, I use them a lot and know I'll take them down. Small items like spices or canned food on the top shelf might as well not exist in my house, because I won't see them, which means I'll forget about them, which means they'll never get used. In order to make it easier to get these oft-used items off that pesky top shelf, however, I needed to put them in containers. Ikea pulled through for me again, this time with the versatile SAMLA box. 

Trader Joe's and Ikea meet again.

I brought home three of these babies and discovered they fit my groceries, and my needs, perfectly. I'm not gonna lie, I'd be stoked to have some super trendy and oh-so-cute chicken wire baskets with chic petite chalkboard labels, but those things ain't cheap. These little plastic boxes are less than $1.50 a pop. They're also clear so I can see the contents without bothering with labels, sturdy enough to hold heavy bags of rice, and perfectly washable in case I ever need to hose 'em down. Simple, cheap, works for me. I also like how uniform this shelf looks now (I had previously considered using my old standby - shoeboxes - which would have been free but not as presentable). This was a small investment that makes my daily life a little easier.

What's your favorite cheap 'n' easy organization tool? Where and how do you use it? Have you ever used the SAMLA box for organization? How have you used it?

Need a Pick Me Up?

My Writing Assistant: sadly, just a pretty face.

Man, I have been off my game recently! Ever feel like that? I have so many posts I want to write, but I feel like I don't have the available brain cells to actually write them, at least not in a way that would make them worth reading. Scoops has been completely reinventing her schedule patterns in ways that are not at all conducive to ever leaving the house. I have extremely limited motivation to keep up with the laundry (clean underwear is pretty much my primary motivating factor), almost zero motivation to engage in physical activity, and I can't seem to decipher any of my child's requests (read: whining cries) anymore. It's not like everything is going especially wrong, I just feel... off. You know the feeling. I'm sure you do. It's somewhat akin to feeling not-good-enough, which is a terrible feeling.

It's times like these I'm thankful that I have a good support network to pull me out of my funk. I know I can always count on my husband to remind me that I am enough, and more than enough. If he's busy at work and can't chat, I know I can call my mom or sisters and they'll tell me the same. It's important to me that I'm able to remind myself that I am enough, but sometimes I just don't have the energy for it. It's like taking a class in something you're qualified to teach. You can totally do it yourself; you can even teach other people to do it, but sometimes you just don't have the energy for that and need someone else to lead you through what you already know. Or maybe you just need chocolate. Whatever it is that makes you feel better and gets you back to that place where you recognize and embrace "I am enough." 

And on that note, here's a little pick-me-up. I hope it makes you smile as much as I did. :)

What do you do when you're feeling down, or off? How do you get out of your rut and back to feelin' good?

My Top 3 Uses for Coconut Oil

If you've been on the internet at all in the past couple years, you've probably seen plenty of people touting the benefits of coconut oil. I was skeptical for a while, but when I ran out of body lotion and was perpetually stuck at home with a newborn Scoops, I reached for the coconut oil in my pantry and decided to give it a shot. Much to my tropically scented delight, it worked even better than my old body lotion ever had. I've been slowly incorporating coconut oil into my daily routine, and have found it great for use on my:

1. BODY
I already gave this one away, I know. No joke though, you guys. I keep a jar of coconut oil in my bathroom and slather my body with it, from my neck to my toes, every time I get out of the shower (not brave enough to use on my face regularly). My skin has never felt softer, and since coconut oil is a known natural sunblock, I'm protecting my skin, too. My husband loves the smell of it, and when my baby tries to use my hands, arms, shoulders, or knee caps as teething toys, I don't have to worry about her ingesting some perfumed, chemical-laden lotion. Since coconut oil is solid in cooler temperatures, I keep a large tongue depressor (fat popsicle stick) next to the jar in my bathroom, so when I'm scraping the bottom of the jar I don't have to break my hand trying to get the last of the solid oil out.

2. HAIR
When my ends look a little dry, I just run bit of coconut oil through them. I also saturate my hair and scalp with coconut oil every so often, probably about every other week, as a deep conditioning treatment. This works best if your hair is damp before you add the oil, but really as long as you're putting the oil on there you're getting some awesome moisture benefits. Coat your hair, comb through it, and pile it up in a loose bun for a few hours (if you can). Then just shampoo it out in the shower. It'll probably still feel like your hair is greasy, but I promise you don't need more shampoo. Unless you used half a jar of oil on your scalp, your hair will probably dry perfectly soft and not at all greasy (I recommend air drying, but I recommend that anyway, regardless of whether you're using coconut oil).

3. BREAST FLANGES
Yep, you read that right. If you're a pumping mama, I hope you're at least using nipple cream on those little funnels before you stick your boobies in them. But there's no need to get special nipple cream. Coconut oil works perfectly! Just dab a little on your finger and spread it on the inside of the flange, where the funnel section tapers into the tube section (see photo). You can also use coconut oil directly on your nipples to heal them if they're cracked or sore. It's food, so unless your baby has a rare allergy to coconuts, you know it's safe!

Have you tried using coconut oil? Do you cook with it, or just use it as a beauty staple? Share in the comments!

How I Know My Baby Loves Me

When Scoops was a newborn, I heard more than a couple people tell me something to the effect of "You know she only loves you for your milk," or "It's not you, it's the milk." In fact, I was still occasionally hearing that a few months into her life. I laughed the comments off every time, or halfway agreed that she definitely loves the milk. But after a while I felt like a more appropriate response might have been, "Yeah, that may be true. On the other hand, go screw yourself." Because really now. Why would you say that to me?? What a stupid, useless thing to say to a new parent!

Here's the thing: I was going to look up some official, scientific, peer-reviewed studies proving that while babies do associate the mother or primary caretaker(s) with basic nutrition and survival, they also feel genuine affection for that person; but then I realized I didn't need to look up those studies. First of all, I have no idea whether studies like that even exist. Secondly, all evidence may articulate otherwise, that babies don't feel affection. But most importantly, it doesn't effing matter. What matters is that I know beyond a shadow of a doubt that my child loves me, and not just because I share my boobie juice with her.

As soon as she learned to reach, she started reaching for me. Now that she's good at it, she reaches for me frequently, not just with her arms, but with her eyes.

When I'm feeding her and take my gaze away for a bit, I'll often feel her stop suckling. When I look down, she's usually staring at me with her hand extended towards my face. As soon as I kiss the back of her hand, she smiles and goes back to eating. (She's been doing that since she was about 9 weeks old, no lie.)

Sometimes when I feed her, we stare into each others' eyes, and I actually see the love and affection she feels for me, radiating from her beautiful soul-windows.

When she's upset, I pick her up and she snuggles her head right into the crook of my neck and stops crying.

When she cries, she asks for me. I know, I know, she's only 5 months old, she doesn't know my name is "mama" and she's not actually asking for me when she cries "mama." Except that she is. Because she also technically doesn't love me, she loves my milk. But that's a lie, too.

I know it's a lie, because when I hold her close to me, and press her heart to mine, I feel her love. I feel the most amazing exchange of energy between us, unlike anything I've ever felt before. Other family members have actually said they've felt the same thing when they've held Scoops, but I'm positive no one feels it like I do. I'm also positive that if they feel it, and they told me so before I told them that I've felt it, then it must be real. No, it's not science, it's anecdotal. But I'm living this anecdote. This is my experience, and my experience is that my baby loves me, just as fiercely as I love her. So the next time some Jerkface McCynic tries to tell you your baby only cares about the fact that you sustain his or her life, feel free to respond however you see fit. But whatever you say or don't say to that person, know in your heart that your baby truly loves you. That's no lie.

 

What makes you certain your baby loves you? Have you heard people tell you your baby doesn't actually love you? How have you responded, or how would you respond? Share your stories in the comments!

Cheap, Easy Wall Art

If you spend about 15 minutes talking with me, you'll probably learn that I have a slight addiction to two stores: Ikea, and Trader Joe's. If you live in an area that doesn't have either of those, I feel for you. Especially if you don't have Trader Joe's (sorry, Montana). One of my favorite Trader Joe's products is not actually not a food item, but their 99 cent greeting cards. The cards are very artful and often printed on nice, heavy weight cardstock. I started collecting them years ago, stocking up on favorite designs once I realized they don't stock 'em indefinitely, and now I've got a healthy stash ready to go whenever a birthday, baby shower, wedding, or graduation comes up. When I was pregnant, I found a card that fit perfectly with the nursery decor and decided to frame it. 

I used the Ikea VIRSERUM frame (see note above about my minor Ikea addiction), which cost only about $5. Obviously, though, you could use any frame that fits a 5x7 inch card. I did the same for a couple of other cards with quotes I love, and colors and design that coordinate well with the rest of my home, and incorporated them as part of a large display of family photos. Check it out:

The frame with the butterfly card is from Target, and it used to be black. Rather than buy a new frame, I just spray painted it white to better match the rest of my frames. All of the "art pieces" in these frames are simple greeting cards from Trader Joe's.

I realize it's pretty self explanatory, but in case you like specific directions, here is how I put these together.

Find a card you like, preferably one that coordinates with your home decor, and makes you happy with a fetching image and/or inspiring quote. Then, find a frame that fits the card. Could have a mat, doesn't have to. If it doesn't have a mat, just pop your card in the frame and be done. Simple. If it has a mat, you'll want to grab some tape and a letter opener or flathead screwdriver, and follow these instructions. 

Remove the backing from your frame. Ikea frames don't have those fancy little screw tab things to hold the backing in, just tiny metal tabs that you have to bend 90 degrees upright in order to get the backing out. Do yourself a favor, folks: don't fu screw up your manicure on a $5 frame. Put that letter opener or flathead screwdriver to use and pry those puppies up.

Next, tear off a piece of tape, about an inch will do, and attach it to the back of your card at the top, sticky side up, extending about halfway off the edge of the card. Do the same at the bottom of the card. (Note: I did this on the very back of the card, but it may actually be a little easier to do this on the inside of the front flap of the card, so the tape is only covering one layer of cardstock rather than two.)

Lay your card face up on a table or other sturdy surface, and position your mat over the card until it lines up exactly where you want it. Press your mat down and massage that thing right into the sticky tape, top and bottom.

Put the mat, with the card now taped to it, back into the frame, and double check that the tape is secure. Trust me, you don't want to hang this on the wall and have to take it off later because the picture slipped, all because you got lazy about the tape. Don't question me, just tape it.

Put the backing back into the frame, push the tabs back over the backing, and bam: beautiful, cheap wall art. Use it to decorate your office, home, or man cave. Impress your friends with your creativity, frugality, and amazing taste, you classy person, you. Better yet, go the free route and frame a card someone wrote in and gave to you already. Chalk it up to your sentimental side (I won't tell what a cheapskate you really are.) Try it out and share your creations in the comments!

Hanging Basket Storage Solution

My home was built in the mid 1960's and is full of quirks. Like, for example, the upstairs linen cabinet that is as deep as my arm. Seriously, it's uselessly deep. Things that get stored in the back are practically lost forever, because it's such a hassle to remove stuff from the front in order to get things out from the back. I realized a while ago that I was going to have to start utilizing the inside of the cabinet doors in order to properly maximize the space in the linen cabinet. In my pregnant nesting phase, I managed to get two wire baskets mounted to the inside of one door, and they have been incredibly useful for storing oft-needed things like washcloths, hair towels (old T-shirts), and hand towels. 

Disclaimer: it doesn't always look this good. My mom was entertaining Scoops when I took this picture, so I had time to take everything out and fold it neatly before putting it all back.

I mounted the baskets simply by hanging them from plastic adhesive hooks. I can't really give a proper tutorial for mounting this kind of system, because, like my cup hook drain cover storage idea, I just eyeballed it. I hung the bottom basket from the hooks and held it as low as I could without hitting the shelf below it, then stuck the hooks in place on the inside of the cabinet door. Same thing for the top basket, I just tried to make sure it wasn't going to hit the shelf above it. I don't have the patience to measure these kinds of things out properly before installing them, so I just kind of guess. The nice thing with these baskets is that the width between the spokes (?) is generous enough to allow for some discrepancies even if you do choose to actually measure this out (and especially if you don't).

Some things to keep in mind when installing a system like this:

1. When you hang baskets on the inside of your door, you make your door thicker. This means if you have two doors on your cabinet (like mine) you might have to open them both at the same time in order to open the one with the baskets on it. If I don't open my left cabinet door first, then when I open the right (the one with the baskets on it) the baskets tend to smack into the edge of the closed left side door. Sometimes they pop the closed door open, sometimes it just looks like they might try to jump off the hooks. It makes for a less-than-perfect system, but it's still better than digging through a too-deep cabinet!

2. These baskets are tapered (smaller on the bottom, wider at the top), so they hang on an angle. If you don't want your baskets to hang on an angle and would prefer the bottom of your baskets be parallel with the floor, don't use tapered baskets.

3. Since these two baskets are hung so close together (necessary because of the shelves above and below them inside the cabinet) I sometimes need to remove the top one in order to get to the bottom one. This is not a hassle, as the baskets lift off the hooks easily and just as easily can be set back on them.

I purchased all of my materials (baskets and hooks) for this storage solution from Bed Bath & Beyond. I will shamelessly admit that I used a 20% off coupon for probably each item I bought, because they send those things out so frequently I've managed to accrue an enviable collection. (Did you know those coupons don't actually expire? They never do! I've used coupons from 2006 with no hassle!) The baskets were about $6 each, and the hooks were about $3 per pair, so after taxes and without coupons I still put this whole thing together for less than $20. With the coupons, it was about $15. Unfortunately I can't seem to find these particular baskets anywhere on the Bed Bath & Beyond website now, but they do have them in-store (see photo). If you're looking to buy online or just from another retailer, the ALGOT wire basket from Ikea is very similar in structure and price, and these freezer storage baskets from The Container Store appear to be exactly the same as the ones I used.

Have you used hanging baskets to organize your home? What do you store in them? In which areas of your home do you find them most useful? What about just general door mounted storage? What kinds of organization projects like this have you had success with? Share your stories and tips in the comments!

Sick and Tired. And Breaking Down.

Last week I was sick, like I haven't been in what feels like forever. I woke in the wee hours of the morning to the sounds of Scoops crying and almost fell over when I got out of bed. I was so dizzy and felt such pain and pressure in my ear, I was certain I had an ear infection. By the time I got up for the day and brushed my teeth though, I wasn't convinced anymore, and failed to call the doctor. At the end of the day it was more in my nose, so then I reasoned it was "just a head cold." Next morning, I swore I had a sinus infection. Why do I not just call the doctor? I don't actually have one right now, but if I did, I'm still not sure I would have called. I dunno why. Going to the doctor is a hassle I guess. And I don't like waiting rooms. Or prescription antibiotics (oh, those nasty side effects).

Anyway, the first couple days really weren't that bad, but by the third day I was actually miserable. The whole day I felt an intense need to sneeze, but I COULD NOT SNEEZE. I had the most ridiculous pressure in my head, my eyes were watering, my nose was dripping, and I realized that for the first time I was on my own, caring for my infant while battling a nasty head cold. Sinus infection. Whatever. I kept trying to put some pants on so I could take the dog for a walk before it rained and he refused to go outside, but Scoops was a whiny unsatisfied mess, and I finally ended up back in bed, trying to lay down and nurse her so we could both take a nap. I was trying to be ok with the fact that the dog might whiz on the carpet and I might honestly have a sinus and/or ear infection, but it was all going to be alright, but then the baby just would not stop crying and I. Broke. Down. 

I started sobbing, which made Scoops stop for a moment and stare at me, and just as I was starting to wonder whether I was scarring her for life she started sobbing, too, and I realized I kinda didn't care in that moment and instead loudly begged her to please stop crying while I finished positioning us for nap-time nursing so she could eat and I could hopefully sleep. Once I got her latched on we both stopped crying, and then I felt a little ashamed of myself. But not much.

The rest of the day included such fun activities as trying to pause the TV with the mute button; attempting to throw together some chicken noodle soup while Scoops napped by herself for 0.34 minutes; returning to the kitchen to find said soup boiled over and inside the stove; and leaving a wooden spoon on top of a stove coil, not realizing that burner was still on and wondering which of my next door neighbors was using a fire pit in the middle of the damn afternoon - no wait, that's just me trying to burn down the building. By the time my husband got home from work, I was so happy to see another capable adult I think I almost scared him right back out the door. After Scoops went to bed (fortunately, very early) I decided to try something semi-drastic to help myself feel better. 

I had been drinking fresh ginger tea with lemon and honey all day, which helped, but in the back of my mind I kept remembering KellyMom's advice to choke down some raw garlic as an alternative antibiotic treatment for mastitis. I figured mastitis, sinus infection, antibiotics would be prescribed for either. I'd never done this before and was incredibly nervous that it would upset my and my baby's stomachs, but decided to take my chances by justifying that tummy troubles could not possibly be as bad as The Sneeze That Never Happens. As suggested by KellyMom, I swallowed a whole clove (cut into about 5 or 6 pieces). Since nothing catastrophic happened, I took another clove the same way about an hour later (that's not recommended in the original article, but it's also not advised against and I was feeling desperate). Within about 15 minutes of swallowing the second clove of garlic the swelling in my nose went down and I could breathe. By morning, I woke up with a smile and felt ready for the day. I took my garlic medicine about 4 times that next day, and by the following day felt almost completely cured, so I only did one dose/clove of garlic. Just 3 days after I first tried the garlic remedy, I was completely back to normal. And I realized I learned a few things from this experience.

First: Fresh ginger tea is really easy to make, and so much more delicious (and effective) than dry tea bags.

Second: GARLIC. Holy Vampire Slayer you guys, that sh stuff really works! (And I'm happy to report it did not cause tummy trouble.)

Third: I have a breaking point.

This third point I already knew, of course, but this was the first time I'd really felt it. I'd never sobbed at my daughter before. When she was first born I was amazed by how I could feel so exhausted and frustrated at 3 in the morning, and yet so overwhelmingly in love with the source of my exhaustion and frustration. This sickness was the first time I didn't feel that overwhelming sense of enchantment with Scoops in spite of feeling exhausted and frustrated. My biggest concern, as I alluded to above, was how my breaking down would affect her. I thought about it later, after my head had cleared (literally and figuratively), and tried to remember my mom breaking down when I was a kid. If I thought about it really hard, I could sort of imagine that I remembered her being overly frustrated and crying a couple of times, but I'm not even sure those were real memories. Whether they were or not, I'm obviously not scarred for life since I can't even clearly recall those incidents. I'm certain that, as she is human, my mother had her fair share of moments of severe frustration, moments that probably involved tears and the phrase "break down." So I'm sure I saw my human mother feel human emotions and recognize her very natural breaking point. I turned out ok. In fact, I turned out being able to recognize my own breaking point, and embracing the fact that I am a human with human emotions. 

I'm sure I'll wonder plenty of times whether I'm ruining my daughter's childhood or scarring her for life. But I hope I can remember to acknowledge my humanity, and the fact that I turned out pretty normal, and trust that my daughter will grow up knowing that it's ok to feel and appropriately express human emotions. Yes, I broke down in front of her, and yes, I let her know that her crying played an influential role in my breakdown. But I also explained to her (I know, she can't understand my words, she's less than 5 months old) what I was feeling and experiencing, what I was doing to help us both, and that I love her so very much. As she gets older, I hope she also learns that it is possible to love someone and still be frustrated with her/him at times, but that in the end Love is always stronger. That's what makes the breakdowns bearable.