Playtime!: Bean-throwing

By MamaD

The closest thing the Japanese have to Groundhog Day (Feb. 2) would be Setsubun, which is celebrated on Feb. 3 and marks the beginning of spring.

The idea is that you drive away all the evil spirits of winter in preparation for the cleansing of spring. This is performed during mamemaki or bean-throwing festival. I think traditionally soy beans are used, but it seems any kind would do the trick. As you throw them you yell, "oni wa soto" (get out demons) and "fuku wa uchi" (come in happiness)! Then, for some extra luck, you pick up the number of beans that equal your age and eat them up! These beans are called fuku mame (fortune beans). It is believed that people can be healthy and happy if they pick up and eat fuku mame the number equal to their ages.

Actually, I think that the Japanese setsubun holiday sounds a lot more fun than our Groundhog Day.

We thought a fun activity to commemorate this holiday for the kids would be to make homemade oni masks out of paper.

I found this great tutorial online here.  Then you can dance around the house throwing beans!  If your kids are old enough, challenge them to pick up as many beans as equal their age.  Unfortunately, if you have very young ones, this leaves most of the clean-up to Mom!

Many Japanese also eat sushi for Setsubun (called "fortune rolls"), so this may be a good time to try our MamaM's recipe for temaki sushi.  MamaQ is posting a tutorial for felted oni pillows tomorrow, so stay tuned for that!

Two words

Lactation consultant.

She saved my life yesterday--and for only $35.

After several days of what I though was fairly successful nursing, Wednesday and Thursday brought some breastfeeding challenges. My not-even-week-old baby started fighting me at feeding time. We're talking blood-curdling (and heartbreaking) pterodactyl screams, bright red face, flying fists, side-to-side head swinging--the works. Feedings were taking hours and I was getting frustrated and discouraged. I can only imagine how my hungry child felt.

I never took a specific breastfeeding class, but read a lot about it, observed how others did it, learned about it in Bradley class, watched videos and worked with two lactation consultants/nurses at the hospital. But I think breastfeeding is not something you can learn ahead of time. I knew what I was supposed to do; doing it was a whole different matter.

After watching Olive and I suffer for a few days, my sweet husband called in a lactation consultant. MamaD had used one with her baby and found it extremely helpful, so we figured it was worth a try. From a google search, we stumbled upon a woman who runs one of two local birthing centers and set an appointment for her to drop by that afternoon.

Heather Shelley was a miracle. After observing me for a few minutes, she corrected some of my poor technique and got the baby to latch on immediately. I'd been mainly using the football hold but was holding baby too far in front of me rather than further back towards my armpit, my index finger supporting my breast was getting in the way of baby's sucking and I was shoving baby's face instead of her shoulders and neck into my breast to get her to latch on. Heather also showed me the proper way to do the cross-cradle hold.

Because Olive latched on and fed so quickly, Heather offered to come back later that afternoon to work with me again as part of her $35 one-hour fee (a real steal!). Since then, all of my feeding sessions have been successful and calm. Baby's happy, I'm happy and I feel comforted knowing that Olive is getting all the nutrients she needs.

When my husband mentioned to his boss that we had hired a lactation consultant, the 40-something guy half-jokingly said that young people these days are spoiled and that his generation had to just learn things on their own. This is the complete wrong approach! We need to take advantage of the wisdom of women all around us to help lift each other and learn. Like Heather told me, breastfeeding is not supposed to be hard--and it's not if you know how to do it properly. I'm so glad I didn't waste any more time fighting with my daughter and can get back to enjoying bonding during feeding time.

Baby Dangers

I am certainly no model for amazing parenting skills or anything. In fact, I have had my share of mommy mishaps which include dropping my baby (or rather, she rolled off my lap and onto the floor), not buckling the carseat into the car (more than once), and near choking with some foods. But this latest event has really shaken me based on what could have happened.

The other day, while Lucy was playing on the floor, my husband found a medication next to her. My first instinct would be to worry about the choking hazard but this was such a small pill, that wouldn't have been an issue. However, the thought of her so easily swallowing it and what potential and unknown side effects might occur were terrifying to me. The same thing happened to my sister-in-law who found a powerful painkiller wedged in the couch that her toddler could have easily ingested. Fortunately, we both found the pills before they were ingested but it was just a stark reminder of how careful we have to be as parents. Because it is not just prescription pills that can do harm but regular over-the-counter medications and even vitamins too. To an exploring baby who puts everything in her mouth and even to a more experienced toddler, a pill can easily be mistaken for candy. So our job as parents is not only to keep an eye out on our own medications but also the medications of family and friends who are visiting or whose homes we are staying in.

I just emptied out our old prescriptions from the medicine drawer in my house to dispose of. Make sure that you google prescription disposal programs in your area to find out the best way to dispose of them instead of just throwing them out in the trash or flushing them down the toilet and affecting the water supply. Next step is to get some drawer and cabinet locks for the drawer our other medicines like acetaminophen and ibuprofen are in. Even vitamins need to be placed out of reach. I just read in the January 2010 issue of American Baby that 1 in 180 2-year olds get rushed to the ER for accidental overdoses of common meds.

A good article to read can be found HERE and HERE for tips and more information. Be safe everyone - it can be a scary world out there!

Oishii: Kuri-gohan (Rice with Chestnuts and Sweet Potato)

This is homestyle Japanese cooking - tasty and comforting.  And easy!  In the winter you'll find many homes making kuri gohan or rice with chestnuts.  But this is a variation which includes Japanese sweet potato (satsumaimo) as well.

Satsumaimo Kuri Gohan

Ingredients:
2 cups sushi rice (Japanese short grain)
2 cups water
10 large chestnuts (cooked and shelled)
1 large or 2 small sweet potatoes (peeled and diced)
2.5 T mirin
1 tsp salt
kombu (small 4-inch strip)
black sesame seeds

Rinse the rice until the water runs clear. 

Add all the ingredients (except the sesame seeds) to a medium pot, mix well and bring to boil. Reduce heat to low, cover pot and let simmer for about 12-15 minutes or until rice is cooked through.  Remove from heat and let the rice sit for 5-10 minutes to absorb the flavors and to further cook the potatoes.

Using an automatic rice cooker is even easier.  Simply add all the ingredients (except the sesame seeds) to the cooker, mix well and cook using the white rice setting (or per your cooker's directions). 

Before serving remove the strip of kombu, fluff the rice and sprinkle with the black sesame seeds.

I served mine with broiled salmon, sauteed chard, and nori.  Prefect comfort food that is healthy and easy to make.  Try it and let me know how it came out!

Hard

It is 4:15 a.m. and I had to get away. I have been up with my new daughter since 1:45 a.m. I did everything multiple times--checked the diaper, tried to nurse, burped, bounced, shushed--and nothing worked. I finally turned her over when I couldn't see through the tears. It's quiet now as I listen from downstairs. Something must have worked.

I know these moments of frustration are far outweighed by moments of joy, but right now it's taking a lot of effort to be wabisabi.

The Original Wabisabi Mama

Our mom is the original Wabisabi Mama. 

She met my dad while he was serving in military intelligence in Tokyo. After he proposed, they moved to the States to get married. She didn't know much English and got pregnant right away. Dad was in grad school and Mom was trying to get used to a new life in a new country. 

She had four kids (MamaQ, Wabisabi Brother, MamaM, MamaD) and raised us all in a suburb outside of Boston. She was a mom-extraordinaire. You know the type: cooked a vast array of meals, sewed our clothes (matching outfits, prom dresses, wedding gowns, you name it), maintained a massive organic vegetable and flower garden, worked part-time and was extremely active at church. And she did this all with her mom and sister thousands of miles away in Japan. There was no email back then, so they corresponded via postal service and she only got to visit them every two or three years when finances allowed.

Inspirational, right?

Because I only have one babe. And I am still trying to navigate my way through all those other things with half the grace and ability she had! It's a lot to live up to, but thankfully it has never been a contest and she's always been on my side. Now that she's living in Japan, I get a small feel for what she had to go through without the benefit of her family nearby... thank goodness for Skype! Trust me, though, while she's here visiting and helping MamaM with the new babe, we are enjoying every minute we have with our Wabisabi Mama. 

Maybe you were lucky enough to have a Wabisabi Mama of your own? Let us know why your mom is phenomenol and how she inspires you!

When It's All Brand New

By MamaQ

Seeing MamaM with newborn baby Olive is such a treat.  I forgot how newborns stretch their little necks out like turtles and how they make delicious smacking noises as they try to breastfeed.  I forgot how tiny those babes are!  How messy those first poops can be!  She feels like air in my arms and I want to hold my breath for fear that too sudden a move will break her.  And those wee toes and fingers - darling!

Mayumi is two years old, so it's been a while since we had a newborn in the house.  It's amazing to look at her and (try to) remember when she was like Olive.  What a challenging, wonderful, delightful journey it's been.  MamaM has much to look forard to.

Meal Planning

I like cooking. Most of the time. But cooking dinner (and other meals) every day can be overwhelming. The hardest part about making dinner, though, is figuring out what to make and then having the right ingredients on hand to make what you want. For the past few months, however, a blank calendar has revolutionized my meal-making. There's a general plan: beans/legumes on Monday, soup & sandwiches on Tuesday, chicken on Wednesday, pasta on Thursday, fish on Friday, etc. I scour my cookbooks and pencil in meal ideas for weeks in advance.  Before I go food shopping I sit down, peek at the plan and make a list of ingredients I will need to buy, in hopes that I will only need to make one trip to the store that week.

The plan is totally flexible and if we're lucky, there are leftovers so I don't even have to cook some nights. The truth is, half the time I'm not even cooking what I planned, but it is nice having a plan. 

I'm a cookbook lover.  The prettier the pictures, the better.  I just got the Apples for Jam cookbook a few weeks ago and I stare longingly at the cover every time I walk past it.  It's organized by color.  Lot's of tomato sauces in the red section, chocolates in the brown.  It is gorgeous.

I like to try out new recipes - some work, some don't.  Some of our favorites recently have been:

*Lidia Bastianich's Chicken with Olive and Pinenuts

*Tessa Kiros' Lentils and Rice

*Sam Bealle's Roasted Brussels Sprouts with Pecans

*Kuri Gohan (recipe to come shortly)

I know your families must have some tried-and-true mealtime favorites.  Oh, please share. 

Welcome Baby Olive!

Well, she did it. 
Baby Olive arrived at 5:46 this morning.  6 pounds 14 ounces, 19 inches.
Congratulations MamaM!  We look forward to hearing all the amazing details.

Natural approaches to inducing labor

By MamaM

I was worried earlier today that I would be way overdue with this baby. I wouldn't really be bothered by this, but I know my doctors would be. They made me schedule an induction date at 41 weeks (Jan. 26) just in case, but it looks like baby may come any time now--I've been having regular contractions for the past several hours, though I think I've got a ways to go before they hit a minute long.

For the past several days, I've been trying some natural remedies to help move things along. Who knows? Maybe they've worked! I'll share some of them with you, but note, these remedies typically don't work and shouldn't be tried unless you are 40 weeks or over. The baby and cervix need to be ready for induction.

Walking: I've been working out my entire pregnancy, but for the past two months, it's been mostly walking on the treadmill. I've been walking at 3.0 mph for at least 45 minutes nearly every day to help jiggle the baby around and push her down lower into my pelvis. Walking is especially effective once labor has begun.

Sex: Yes, your husband/partner will be happy to learn that semen has prostaglandins in it that help ripen the cervix. Also been employing this method daily for the past week.

Clary sage oil: I bought a small vial of this essential oil last night and dabbed some on my neck and wrists. I'm actually not crazy about the scent, but it's supposed to help. I also took a shower with a few drops on a sponge.

Nipple stimulation: Rubbing or sucking on the nipples stimulates the release of oxytocin, a natural inducer that stimulates contractions. I tried doing this for a while, but then read that it may take up to three one-hour sessions for three days to be effective if contractions haven't started yet! So I quit. Another approach is to put a warm cloth across the nipples.

Massage: Thanks to a Christmas gift from my sister-in-law, I was able to get a one-hour pre-natal massage and 25-minute foot reflexology massage tonight. Heaven! Except that this was the time that my contractions started to become pretty regular. During my hour-and-a-half treatment, I counted 11 contractions that I really had to breathe through. Maybe it was the foot massage; there are certain pressure points in your feet that are supposed to help induce labor. Plus, anything that helps relax and de-stress the body and mind is good for mom and baby. It gave me good practice to relax my body and remain calm while dealing with some pain.

I had originally planned on tweeting during my labor, but we have failed to build a strong enough Twitter following and, truth be told, it was probably a little crazy to think I could do that. So instead I'm going to try to sleep off these contractions before heading to the hospital and within a few days, I hope baby and birth story are here to share with you!