Preparing a toddler for their first dental visit

Most pediatric dentists will say that your child should go in for their first visit when they get their first tooth or have their first birthday.

Penny will be 3 years old (!!!) next week and I had been intentionally delaying her first visit because she is normally very shy and easily spooked. I wouldn't say that Penny is a child that truly suffers from anxiety in new situations; her temperament is just on the sensitive side and I have always carefully focused on honoring her when she says "no," or shows her discomfort. This isn't a focus on letting my girl always get what she wants; because there definitely have been times where she has to be overruled for her own health or safety. I focus on that she is a person with feelings who can't always truly explain why she is uncomfortable and as her parent is it my job to advocate for her and discern where and when it is appropriate for her to be encouraged beyond her boundaries.

As an example, when she was about 18 months old I started going to MOPs for my first year. Each time I dropped her off at childcare she would be tearful and cry the entire time. I gave it a few meetings to see if it was a growing pain. Afterall, until that time I was her caregiver 90% of the time. It would be rare for me not be with her, and if I wasn't then it was either her dad or grandparents. MOPs was her first experience in being cared for by "stangers." After 5-6 tries, it was obvious that she wasn't enjoying herself and it was outside of her comfort zone. I decided that in spite of the fact that I really wanted to participate in MOPs that year, it was best for us to stay home and work on her confidence in smaller settings. We started doing more play date with new friends and went to story time at the library.

Ruby's birth really catapulted Penny into becoming more confident. It was a tough thing for me to accept and embrace that my two year old girl sort of had to learn how to "fend" for herself when the new baby came. Mama's attention was now divided into two and now Penny had to find ways to occupy herself while I nursed Ruby or was unavailable. She grew beautifully in this new transition and flourished with the "free range" time.

When MOPs started up again in September this year, she was still a little anxious but for the most part had a great time. She found a couple of the MOPPETs (caregivers) that she trusted and they learned that she just needed to be held for the first few minutes while she surveyed the situation. Now she literally runs down the hall and barely gives me a glance when I drop her off. My heart grew knowing that the small sacrifices that I had made in delaying some experiences was now paying off. My shy girl was becoming a social butterfly.

With this new found bravery I knew it was time to start introducing more experiences that she was due for. I wanted to be sure that her first experience with the dentist was one that she would understand (at her developmental level) and where she could be inspired to be brave.

The time finally came where I felt confident that Penny had the chance at a good experience at the dentist. I started looking around at good recommendations for a local pediatric dentist. Luckily I was unanimously recommended to a pediatric dentist that is in our small town so I quickly make an appointment a week later.

One of my ways to help Penny prepare was by already having set the foundation of being comfortable with dental care. We have been using Jack n Jill natural toothpastes for over a year and she also loves having her teeth flossed!

The day before her dental appointment I found a couple videos on youtube that would show her what to expect. She is already very familiar with Elmo and Sesame Street, so this video was an easy introduction.

I also found a video made by a dental office that walks you through the experience. Children seem to learn better by watching other children perform, so she really learned a lot in watching this older girl go through her first dental experience.

Other ways to help your child prepare:

• Pretend play is so powerful! Try this toy dentist tool kit 
• Get crafty and make some tooth art with chalk or paint.
• Help your child learn what foods are good or bad for their teeth with magazine clippings

So the day came where we visited the dentist! I prepped Penny by talking about how the dentist would be polishing her teeth ("With bubblegum?!" she would exclaim) and that she would get a brand new toothbrush too.

Our dentist's office was bright, colorful and filled with popular books that she recognized - also a big factor in her comfort level. She immediately picked out the Frozen and Cinderella Little Golden Books and read while I filled out her paperwork.

The hygienist came back and brought us to her chair. The office had an open floor plan so the kids could see each other in the chairs. Another encouragement to be brave!

Just like in the video, she showed Penny all of the different instruments and gave her a lot of compliments to get her comfortable. She went on a ride in the "big girl chair," which she actually gladly sat on. I was expecting to sit with her, and it wasn't until the polishing that she asked me to sit with her. We encouraged her by talking about how beautifully sparkly her teeth and she was allowed to hold the mirror. They gave her a plastic version of the dental mirror to take home too. Getting her to sit still long enough to polish all of her teeth was the only hard part, but for a 3 year old's first visit she did great. Oh, and no cavities either! :) I was really happy that this dentist was willing to work with us regarding educating us on our choices with fluoride.

Overall it was a great experience and I couldn't be more proud of her.  It's a great accomplishment for the child who didn't let anyone else but her mama and daddy hold her for her first 18 months. It takes a lot of bravery to trust that everything will be ok and I am so thankful that she trusts me enough to allow me to push her comfort level when it's appropriate.

How was your child's first dental visit? 

How did you help them prepare?

Disclosure: This post contains affiliate links.

The Pierogie Babies v.8

In the last month her vocabulary has totally exploded. She's talking about things that we've never talked about before, talks to herself constantly and now sings songs. One thing I've noticed about her in comparison to some of the other kids in her age group is that she spends a lot of time describing the world around her versus making statements or requests. She has very much become a girly girl; the other day I saw her standing by the front door wearing a hat, her Hello Kitty Purse, a bracelet and had her princess shoes (little play shoes with a bit of a heel) on. She announced "Time to go to the store, mama!"

Since visiting our local Touch A Truck event and meeting a few real live princesses, she has gone into full princess mode and loves our Friday night family movie nights and always insists on a princess movie. When given the choice, she chooses Belle as her favorite princess, but her favorite movie is The Princess and the Frog. Elmo has slowly fallen out of favor and she prefers to watch an episode of Super Why in the morning while I take a shower and get ready for the day. Because of that, she's learned phoenetics much faster than I expected and is starting to connect letters on the screen with what sound they make. We are working on asking politely ("can I please" versus "Penny wants") and she has a few chores that she helps with (putting away tupperware out of the dishwasher, throwing dirty clothes in the hamper).

Her imagination is also going at full force. She has a couple baby dolls that she dances around with (waltz style) and feeds them. She has started to pretend making food and eating it. She also started swim lessons with her daddy!

Hilarious things Penny says (which I think I might start writing as a new series):

• She poked at my post partum muffin top and said "mama, this is HUGE!"
• "Mama crab pants" (what Penny meant to say) "Mama crap pants" (what Penny really said)
• Penny: it's mama's birthday!B: not today. Do you know who's birthday is next? Mia's! We're going to Mia's cowgirl party soon.P: (wide eyes) No!B: yep!P: PENNY'S BIRTHDAY NEXT!B: no, Mia's birthday is next. Then Jack and Pammy's.P: Noooo!! Penny birthday!B: you're being a little irrational. well, your birthday is in 9 months but it'll be soon.P: I-rash-nal...cake.B: yes, we can have some irrational cake too. 
• Your eggs are deeee-wish-us, mama! I must be huuuuuuungry!

Rolls go on for days. And days. She's now very happy and comfortable laying on the floor and hanging out in the play gym, or on a towel in the backyard looking up at our maple tree's leaves. For her 4 month weigh in she was 15 lbs 2 oz.

She recently got her own amber necklace, straight from Poland, and probably in the knick of time because I took a look at her gums and I can see those little two bottom teeth making their journey northward. I haven't seen a lot of signs of teething just yet, but I'm happy that we got her started around the same time that we did for Penny.

She's now a roller and goes from back to tummy with ease. Crinkly toys blow her mind and she loooves this bird that I hang from her car seat. She's also working on blowing raspberries, which is absolutely adorable.

Penny singing the "Ruby Roo" song:

Nigh-Night with Penny and Jack n Jill Natural Toothpastes

When Adam gets home from work Penny always runs to the front door with open arms screaming (in a way that only a little girl can) "daa-deeeeeeeeeee! daa-deeeeee!"

He swoops her up in his arms and they go upstairs so that he can change out of his work clothes and usually change her diaper too. I hear them chatter on the monitor that I keep in the kitchen as I take this parenting swap as my chance to get dinner done in peace. He asks her about all the different animals, she brings out her favorite toy of the day and usually will play a quick game of hide and seek behind his hanging shirts in the closet.

They come down and if I'm on my game, dinner is ready. If not, he sits down in the living room and she will bring him book after book to read. Once dinner is ready, we sit down, say our special grace and eat.

Since starting our renovation our after work routine has been a turned on its head a little, but we're powering through for the next couple weeks to get this major push done and hopefully soon we'll readjust for a new routine in this house.

But the nigh-night routine usually stays the same. Around 7:15, Adam asks Penny if she's ready for "nigh-night," and she almost always responds with a very enthusiastic and vehement "nigh-night!" We always laugh - I'm pretty sure there is no other kid on this planet who is as excited about nigh-night. It's probably because it's the longest nursing session of the day and we really enjoy our snuggle time together for the last time in the day.

However, since Penny finally got her 4th molar in, it's been on my mind that we need to start a tooth brushing routine. I know some parents start it earlier, and we had tried a few months ago, but it was met with too much push back. We didn't even use toothpaste, just a wet toddler toothbrush. But the time seems right, so I contacted Jack N' Jill Natural Toothpaste for kids.

Jack n Jill Natural Toothpaste is an Australian based company that started making their product in 1949. They make the commitment to using organic calendula (a natural healing and anti-inflammatory property), organic flavors, is SLS, fluoride and preservative free. Their ingredients list only contains ingredients that parents can recognize.

I got the chance (well, I should say that Penny did) to review two of their toothpaste flavors, the tooth and gum brush and a toothbrush that I hope will change the world - their compostable, biodegradeable toothbrush that is made of non-gmo cornstarch. I am really hoping that the US will soon follow the EU, Australia and Japan in their GMO restrictions.

Let me start by saying this - the seriously delicious flavor of these toothpastes somewhat throws a wrench into the seriousness that is dental hygiene. After all, isn't brushing your teeth supposed to be boring and not an entirely pleasurable experience? Thanks to the great flavor of these toothpastes, Penny is super excited about mama brushing her teeth for her and it takes all the hard work of pinning your toddler down to get their little pearlies all clean. Gosh! ;)

All silliness aside, making her toothpaste taste like real food that she eats (instead of sugary bubblegum or whatever else flavors they make for kids now) is in total line with how I am raising my daughter to approach food. Food (and everything we ingest, really) should be real, taste real, not be full of fake chemicals or run the risk of nasty side effects or possible health issues down the road. It's really tough finding products that can fit the entire bill, be sourceable and affordable. But for Penny's toothpaste - I'm all set. Thanks Jack N' Jill!

Another thing you should be aware of is how Jack N' Jill toothpastes measure up on the Environmental Working Group (EWG's) scale (you may be familiar with their annual report on sunscreens). All of them score a ZERO on the scale. That's the best you can get.

Connect with Jack N' Jill online, on facebook, and twitter.

Enter to win a Jack 'N Jill overnight set here!

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Disclosure: Thank you Jack N' Jill for providing me with products to review and facilitate this post. All opinions and words expressed are my own. (And just because I have to cover myself, - These statements have not been evaluated by the Food and Drug Administration. This product is not intended to diagnose, treat, cure, or prevent any disease. Please contact your medical professional with any concerns.)

15 months

Dear little Penny-pot,

These monthly updates are starting to slow down as our life gets busier during the summer, so I'll be trying to keep up whenever I can.

In the last month or so you've started to give hugs and kisses.. which melt my and your daddy's heart every time. You squeeze our necks (or legs) so tight and give the sweetest of kisses. I especially love when I get a big hug and kiss after nursing...this really tells me just how much you love it! I love our special bonding time too.

In the last couple weeks you've come up with some spectacular shenanagins that have us rearranging the house. You've mastered climbing up onto chairs, the couches and as of yesterday you think climbing up onto the toilet is hilarious! Mama does not entirely approve. You've also started using forks and spoons and this has sparked your interest in sitting at the table. You will sit happily in your highchair for breakfast and lunch, but for dinner you will take two bites and then want to sit with your beloved dada. That's ok, he likes to share his dinner with you.

You've also gotten really good at hide and seek. In the begining you'd give yourself away very quickly with your excited squeals when you'd know I was close to finding you, but now you are able to keep quiet for upwards of 5 minutes! But your hiding skills need a little work..

You also had me rolling with laughter when I was hanging the diapers out to dry this week when you crawled under your empty kiddie pool and 'turtle crawled' across the deck. Where do these ideas come from?!

As a very independent girl, you've also made it very clear that you want to walk everywhere we go and you want to do it by yourself.  I'm so proud of your tenacity and complete willingness to try all things new.

Your favorite foods are currently:
Cream of Wheat with fresh strawberries, bananas or cheerios mixed in
Freckled Avocado Smoothies
goldfish crackers & Earth's Best organic ABC (Cookie Monster?) cookies
vanilla yogurt
quinoa with feta

Your vocabulary is progressing, sometimes you will say words that we haven't really taught you ("girl"), but for the most part these are the standards:
"meow" for kitty with the variation of "meo" for Romeo
"ffff" for woof
"shoo" for shoe
"CK" for cousin Jack
"pr-ty" for pretty / flower
"di-puuurr" for diaper
unfortunately "no" has snuck it's way in there, but we're working on turning it into "no thank you" with signing "thank you."

We love you so much, darling girl, and can't wait to see what surprises you have in store for us next :)

Love,
Mama & Dada

Bed Sharing

Co-sleeping and bed sharing is a controversial topic to many, but today I want to share our experience with it.

Penny has slept in our bed from day one. It started out mostly from necessity, as we were temporarily staying at my parents' house while we were relocating for Adam's new job. The guest room was a generous size but our king sized bed and two dogs just took up a lot of real estate! So we planned on bed sharing and figuring out details later.

About a week before she was born we pulled out the The First Years Close and Secure Sleeper. When researching co-sleeping options, I found lots of side car cribs that you could push against the side of the bed, keeping the infant in their own space but close. Neither Adam or I move around while we sleep, so fear of rolling onto the baby was never an issue. I also naturally felt the instinct to keep her close - and even the sidecar option seemed too far away for me. Plus, again, we were dealing with a lack of space. When I found the Close and Secure sleeper I knew this is what I was looking for. It kept the baby off the mattress and had soft side walls (I had no idea how infants slept.. did they roll around?) and also provided a barrier for either of us in case we did happen to roll closer to her.

The first few nights I couldn't bear to lay her down in it, after all - I had slept with her inside me for the last 9 months and just because she was born didn't mean that my baby didn't deserve to be enveloped in the loving arms of her parents! So she slept on my chest and this gave me relief in knowing that I would be right there in case something needed to happen.

We slept with the sleeper in between us until she was about 4 months old, at which time she was too tall for it and we packed it away. Since then she's slept on the mattress with us.

Through different developmental stages we face some challenges, such as when she first was starting to crawl she would act it out on her sleep, or during teething episodes when she is a lighter sleeper. But for the most part, a quick easy way to soothe her back to sleep is either by nursing or bringing her up onto one of our chests and gently patting her butt. There are times where she seeks out the comfort of our bodies and wants to be right next to our faces, snuggled as close to us as possible. There are nights where she wants her own space and spreads out her limbs like a star fish to keep us away. But every morning she is snuggled up against either one of us. Adam says those are the mornings that are the hardest to leave us.. and who could blame him? Lately if she wakes up a few minutes before either of us, she greets us with hugs and kisses to bring in the new day.

Bed sharing has never posed any safety issues to us. I did my research, talked with other bed sharing families and figured out a tactic that works for us. Once Penny started to move around in bed more continually, I pushed the pack n play up against my side of the bed so that I wouldn't worry about her rolling off.

We've benefited so greatly in keeping her in bed with us.

• The greatest benefit to us was more sleep for everyone. She has slept pretty soundly from the beginning, simply because she has the comfort in knowing we're close by. I didn't have to get out of bed to nurse her or tend to her, which allowed us to fall asleep quickly once done nursing. 
• By bed sharing I've been able to continue night nursing. With her being in the bed already neither one of us really is completely awake when she does want to nurse so it's allowed her to continue to nurse on demand and keep up my supply at 15 months. 
• Finally, a somewhat latent reason why bed sharing has benefited us is because we travel a lot on the weekends and by already being accustomed to sharing bed space has made the night time a lot easier. Penny isn't scared or her sleeping schedule isn't terribly thrown off because she didn't become attached to sleeping in her specific crib. The phrase comes to mind, "home is where the heart is," and this case.. bed is where mama and dada are! 

I know that bed sharing isn't for everyone. Some parents move around a lot, are smokers, the bed is too small, or simply want that division of personal space. I get it. Bed sharing (or any co sleeping, for that matter) should be beneficial and safe for the parents and baby.  Just like with any other choice in parenting, sleeping arrangements are up to each family as each situation is completely unique!

Here are a few great resources and personal stories for those who are interested in bed sharing.

• The Alpha Parent: Reasons to Co-Sleep
  Includes a handy infographic
• A Little Bit of All of It: Sharing Sleep With My Baby
  I liked this post because I can relate to her in so many ways
• That Mama Gretchen: Why We Co sleep
  Gretchen's husband shares why co sleeping was important to him, along with a link up for more co sleeping posts
• Co sleeping and Biological Imperatives: Why Human Babies Do Not and Should Not Sleep Alone
  Learn more about co sleeping terms, recommendations and research.
• Love Parenting: Why My 2.5 year old is still sleeping in our bed and why we have no plans to change that
  Reasons why this family has chosen this "unconventional" path
• Wifessionals (featuring Newfangled Housewife and Sarah from Our Journey (one of my favorite bloggers!): Preparing for a Little One - Calming Your Baby and Sleep Methods
  Two mamas stories on why they chose to co sleep, and the other one not. Both exemplify that it's all about your own family's preference and what you are comfortable with!
• University of Notre-Dame Mother-Baby Behavioral Sleep Laboratory
  A broad resource for more information regarding col seeping and FAQs
• SIDS, bed sharing, and answering the tough sleep questions
  A pediatrician's point of view on bed sharing
• Code Name: Mama: When Sharing Sleep Is Tiring
  Dionna shares the ups and downs of bed sharing, and how she's made it work for having 2 kids in bed too! 
• Parenting Patch: Bed Sharing with a Toddler
  Heather ran through the gambit of different co-sleeping options, and in the end her family settled on bed-sharing being the best option for them.
• That Mama Gretchen: 4 In A Bed
  Oh Mama G - you constantly inspire me. Mama, Dad and 2 kiddies in a bed. What couldn't be better?

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Yogurt Teething "Popsicles"

This past weekend Penny's molars began their debut :( I can only feel one bump right now, but the poor girl is definitely uncomfortable!

Some moments are definitely worse than others (and I am so very thankful for her amber necklace, which has navigated us through some rough waters) so I started thinking up alternatives to simply medicating to help Penny get some relief. Washcloths soaked in juice and water have been old standbys for many moms, so I thought.. why not yogurt?

You will need:
A wash cloth
Yogurt of choice (we used Pomegranate Greek Gods yogurt)

You will do:
1. Fold the wash cloth into quarters and then diagonally to create a "point"
2. Dip the point into a cup of yogurt. It takes a few times to evenly coat and soak up the yogurt.
3. Place in the freezer for about 30 minutes.
 4. Enjoy!

It's short lived, but a healthy treat (even when your baby isn't teething!).

Do you not just crack up when you see the sour look on her face? She's started doing that when her palate hasn't quite adjusted to what she's tasting.

Can you think of any alternatives to water, juice or yogurt?

Toddler Lunch: Crispy Baked Zucchini Coins

Miss Penny has become quite the little fruity-vore. Lately all I can get her to eat willingly and with gusto are berries. This isn't a huge concern to me since she's still breastfeeding but the mama of this Pierogie wants to make sure she's getting all of her veggies too.

Today I tried a new tactic. With new teeth breaking through, Penny has been wanting crunchy but also really likes the soft juicyness that berries provide. So I tested out this little idea and it was a total hit :)

You will need:

1 zucchini, washed
1/2 cup of breadcrumbs
1 teaspoon of Italian seasoning
1/8 cup of freshly grated Parmesan cheese
1/4 cup milk

You will do:
1. Preheat your oven to 450°F.
2. Combine breadcrumbs, Italian seasoning and Parmesan cheese in a small dish.
3. Slice the zucchini into thick coins or sticks.
4. Dip the coins/sticks into milk and toss into breadcrumb mix, ensuring they are evenly coated.
5. Arrange onto a non-stick baking pan, top with additional Parmesan if it suits you.
6. Bake at 450°F for about 10 minutes, gently flip them over and bake for another 5 minutes.

Allow to cool and serve to your toddler with a side of marinara sauce. Oh, and these are definitely mama friendly too :)

11.5 months

What is up with me forgetting to commemorate Penny's monthly milestones?? You can bet that I won't forget the big one in less than two weeks..

So here's a quick catch up of what's been going on in the last 6 weeks:

Food:

• Faves: scrambled eggs with Feta, pears, Happy Family pouches

• Not so faves: oatmeal, acorn squash, green beans

 New skills:

• Uhm, WALKING! Although she took her first steps right after Christmas, we now have a 100% walking toddler. 
• Loves to carry things around, like her (my) stuffed kitty or packages of Ramen (?)
• Tries to play ball with Squirt! It is the sweetest thing! Or she'll just try to stick it straight in his mouth.
• Standing on top of things, crawling up and down the stairs
• Loves, loves, loves books. She'll turn the pages and "read out loud" to us too. 
• Kisses her baby doll and other toys.

Teeth:

• At the end of January her top two teeth popped through
• On Monday her right lateral incisor made its debut
• Currently working on getting the left one out, which seems to be a lot harder than the other one. Lots of snot and very little sleep for mama and baby :(

Holiday Recap

So the whirlwind month of December is over and I feel like a can breathe in a huge sigh of relief,

Don't get me wrong, our family had so much fun.. but to be honest, we've probably been more social in the last 5 weeks than we have all year so it felt like a lot of events crammed into a very short amount of time.

And of course, the holidays means family time...

 Penny and her cousin Pamela are literally two peas in a pod (hahaha I made it punny). Those two girls, although 5 years apart, are definitely going to be inseparable one day. Then you've got Penny's 3 boy cousins, ranging from 9 to 6 months older than her...who better not throw mud and sticks at her when they get older. hrmph. But now that Penny is crawling and pretty much able to fight back, play time with the boys is fun and it's awesome to watch them all interact.

It had been my Christmas wish for Penny to get her two top teeth, which didn't happen.. and then I hoped they would sprout by New Years.. which didn't happen.. So I suppose I can hope that they will come out by her birthday (in two months, so she has time!).

Teef

It's a little late coming, but it's sort of hard to try to photograph and/or video inside an infant's mouth without her pulling the lens into her mouth ;)

About a month ago, I was letting Penny try some of my homemade applesauce from my finger and felt something in her mouth that I hadn't felt before.. something sharp! Whaaat? I quickly checked again, because I initially thought it might be some toast crumbs from my snack a few moments before. Lo and behold, there really were some little teeth buds just broken through.

The discovery was immediately followed by some mama snuggles and the inauguration of her new terry teether.

The weird thing was that there wasn't any indication that she was teething - she wasn't fussy or drooly over the last few weeks. I guess I'll be giving that amber necklace she's been wearing a lot more credit...

Since the eruption of these two bottom teeth, there hasn't been any indication of more teeth coming through. But I'll definitely be more prepared this time around!

8 (eight, osiem, ocho, huit) months

Penny-pot:

Sweet girl, you've got mama and daddy running around in circles after you this month. You've pulled so many new tricks out of your hat. You continue to be such a joy to us, you always make your needs known and there is so little guesswork when it comes to you.

Penny's new skills this month:

• Food: because two of the weeks this month we were battling some sickies, there hasn't been a whole lot of new foods introduced. She loves steamed pumpkin and asparagus. She's tried a bit of home made jam, cucumbers, bananas (still not a huge fan), she's played with a spaghetti noodle but didn't quite connect that it could be eaten as well.
• She started with scooting, then graduated to a few crawl-steps at a time, and now we're in full on crawl-sprint. She's even faster when uninhibited by clothes.
• She pulls herself up onto everything - she insists on being Queen of the Mountain. No matter how tall or short, she's got to be on top of it. I tested just putting a piece of paper on the floor and no surprise, Penny bee-lined to it and had to land that cute belly on top of it.
• In the last few days she's even shocked us when she simply chooses to let go.. luckily, that big fluffy butt of hers pads her fall ;)
•  She now loves to crawl around in the bath tub and splash with her hands. 
• In the middle of the month, her bottom two teeth broke though. I was so shocked because she didn't give us any indication that they were coming. She wasn't fussy or overly drooly. One afternoon, I let her taste some of our home made spiced pear jam from my finger and I felt something sharp.. I checked again and there were definitely some little white caps in there! It took about another two weeks for them to be visible above the gum line.
• Her sleep has varied a lot this month. In retrospect, I should have guessed that her teeth were bothering her. Normally she likes to sleep between mama and daddy, but doesn't really need either of our warmth. The couple weeks leading up to her teeth breaking through, she needed to be snuggled up to me or sleeping on top of me (which hasn't been a requirement from her for a very long time - I usually pull her onto me in the early morning for my sake). Now that her teeth have broken through and we seem to be in a lull between the next set, she's back to needing a bit of her own space. 
• You  might not see it in pictures, but her hair is starting to come in a lot more.. Maybe by her birthday I'll get to put it up with cute little hair clips?? Here's hoping...

We took her to a local park and found a swing set.. just couldn't resist! She had so much fun.

You might be noticing the super cute hat upon her noggin. Her crafty babcia whipped it up for her, it's a little giraffe hat. Just need to find the perfect buttons for its eyes.

I'm so especially excited for the coming months because the holidays are coming, which means getting to see the look of wonder in her eyes when she sees the Christmas tree lit for the first time, getting to try Thanksgiving turkey and getting to play with all of her cousins.

Amber

I've decided that Penelope is one of those chronic teethers. She had her first episodes of teething pain back in July (at four months old), but we knew that she was nowhere near pushing those chompers out.  At almost 8 months old, she has finally sprouted her first pearlies (post to come soon!). A few months ago, my parents visited our family in Poland and the main item I asked for them to bring back was a teething amber necklace for Penny.

Although I have personally grown up with amber all around me, when I became a part of the Natural Parenting community I read about many parents using amber during a baby's teething phase to help ease the pain naturally. I began to wonder how does a stone help with that?

Well for starters, amber is petrified resin, not a stone. It warms to the touch fairly quickly and is comfortable to wear for babies, which might be a part of the reason why they don't mind wearing it so much. Amber has been used as a medicinal property for as long as history has been recorded. Peoples from around the world have used amber in various ways, all to cure ailments of the body.

I personally have grown up around amber because of my Polish heritage. Baltic amber is lauded to be the best in the world and the Poles use a lot of amber in their jewelry and art. My mother's house has several gorgeous vases which present Polish amber wrapped in curvaceous silver. Her jewelry chest also features amber of varying colors and designs, from the common knotted rope to large stones in broaches (yes, she has broaches) and rings.


Amber presents itself in different colors based on several factors, including what kind of resin it is made from, degree of oxidation, inclusions inside and how it has weathered over the few million years. Different shades of amber depict their healing power and therefore quality. If you're not looking to use amber medicinally, then you've got a broad range of amber colors to choose from - ranging from yellow to sage green, to even black. Most commonly it is light or dark brown in color, clear to fully opaque. It can have flecks of organic material (read: fossils!) inside.

Part of the amber color range -  source

One of my favorite birthday gifts from Adam is a little necklace with a droplet of honey amber, which looks like milky honey. It has a little honey bee and flower charm. My niece, Pammy, who is five, once asked me "Auntie B, why is there a bee on your necklace?" She's so damn cute.

Although there are several hundred different variations of amber cataloged in the world, Baltic amber is considered to be the most valuable.  Baltic amber is sought after the most for medicinal use due to its high concentration of succinic acid. Our bodies naturally produce succinic acid in the Krebs Cycle (I'm not even going to pretend to completely understand how the Krebs Cycle works, or attempt to explain it - read about it here.) which is a part of our metabolism. However, the little bit of succinic acid that we produce is automatically used for daily function. Adding a little bit of extra succinic acid into our systems has been linked to many health benefits, such as pain relief. The FDA has approved succinic acid in foods as an additive or supplement, preservatives, cosmetics, you name it. However, second to producing succinic acid ourselves, absorbing it via amber is the most natural way to get additional succinic acid.

Like I mentioned before, Penny had a few unhappy episodes prior to wearing the necklace full time.  Overall she is a happy and very easy going baby, so when she cries or fusses I know that there is something really bothering her. With the amber necklace, she has shown almost no signs of discomfort related to teething.  Adam and I were sort of reserved about it, figured "hey, if it works it works!" But lately, now that Penny is in full teething mode - I am a 100% believer.  There have been two times where at the end of the day, I look back and think "wow, she was really fussy today.." and realize that her amber necklace wasn't put on after bath time the night before. I really can't say that it's coincidence.

What do you think, does wearing amber really make teething better? 

Does/did your baby wear amber?