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    Dr. Dolly writes about experiences and insights regarding natural health, and eco-savvy, wholesome parenting. Her handsome husband Steve and adventurous toddler Calvin love to explore the beautiful Virginia Blue Ridge with her.

    She'd love to hear from you! drgarnecki[at]gmail[dot]com
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Wordless Wednesday: Inbound Spring

Spring is almost here, and we’re pretty thrilled about it. . . enjoyed some sunshine today by playing soccer and “chasing” each other in the yard.  Heavenly!

Want to know what it’s like to live in Virginia?  Check out Tina’s post on Little Tots/Big Ideas.  She interviewed little ol’ me about Virginia. You might recognize us in the photos.

Tuesday Travels: Step into Spring

Dapper

Snazzy

My incredibly handsome boy looks super sharp in his new Augustin shoes by See Kai Run.

The first Sunday he jazzed his toes with these ritzy See Kai Run shoes from their Spring ‘10 collection, he dashed ahead of us in the parking lot…and, he scuffed his toe.

Isn’t that the nature of new children’s shoes.  They will get a nick or a streak within exactly five minutes of outdoor wear.

Okay, maybe that’s just me and my offspring.  I remember, as a child, wearing bright white shoes with bows on the front.  I pranced around in them and twirled in my spring dress.  Before church was over, I had at least three black scuff marks on them and the glaring eyes of my mother affixed firmly on my forehead.

It just runs in the family.  The tendency to scuff shoes…not the glaring eyes.  Really.

See Kai Run shoes and soles are super flexible and comfortable for small feet.  However, that soft and pliable leather also means they’re a little more susceptible to scrapes and scratches from the regular rough and tumble of little kids.

Honestly, I never noticed the lack of durability in See Kai Run until AFTER I posted a review of the Logan boots last summer.  Two weeks after that post published, I noticed the pretty gray toes of his boots were wearing thin to soft brown leather underneath.

See Kai Run children shoes show wear and tear faster than other toddler shoes on the market that were tested by my son. Must be due to the buttery soft sheepskin leather upper.  They’re soooo comfortable, but the drawback is that they’re a scuff-magnet.

Honestly, I’d rather have my son wear shoes that attract nicks and scuffs that also provide extreme comfort and flexibility and encourage proper gait patterns, than extra heavy shoes that cause him to walk around like he’s wearing buckets on his feet.

See Kai Run’s Augustin are hands-down my son’s favorite pair of shoes in his closet at present–a top pick among 5 brands and styles!

1) The best thing about See Kai Run? Their unparalleled design aesthetic in children’s shoes.  Gorgeous.  Stunning.

2) Second best thing is the comfortable, springy design.

In the future, I’d love to see the shoe designers find a more durable surface (brushed suede, perhaps), that takes the beatings of childhood with more grace than the smooth leather of the present line.  Other than that, don’t change a thing!

See Kai Run’s Ariana in orange

*WIN IT*

I’m sooo excited about spring!  I want to help you put some spring into your toddler’s step.  Traveling with Baby is teaming up with See Kai Run to offer a reader a pair of the fresh shoes from Smaller or See Kai Run. Yay Spring!  ‘Tis the luck o’ the Irish! Happy Easter!

YOUR TURN: I want to know what See Kai Run or Smaller style and size would you choose for your little one? Also, what do you love about spring?

Extra credit:

FOR A SECOND ENTRY: Blog about this giveaway, then leave a comment with a link to your post.

FOR A THIRD ENTRY: Follow @drdolly and @seekairun and tweet about this giveaway, then leave a second comment telling me that you did with a link to your tweet.

FOR A FOURTH ENTRY: Fan See Kai Run on Facebook for the latest glimpse into new styles and great savings!

FOR A FIFTH ENTRY: Fan Traveling with Baby on Facebook for latest recipes, giveaways, and more.

FOR A SIXTH ENTRY: Subscribe to Traveling with Baby by e-mail (upper right side-bar entry form).

Note: This giveaway closes at 11:59 PM on March 23rd. Winners will be selected via random.org shortly thereafter.

Goodbye Winter, Hello Spring!

Plump red-breasted robins are hopping on the fence while doves coo at dusk.  Sparrows skitter about, and tender lavender-colored tulips begin to stretch forth from the ground.

There’s still patches of melting snow chunks on the ground, but the grass is green.

Spring is coming!

My heart trembles at the prospect.

It feels as though we’ve been caught in a repeat episode of impermeable gray skies, chilly weather, and weekly snows for too long to remember.

Spring is coming!

The past couple of days have had temperatures surge into the 60’s.  As my son and I ventured out for an afternoon walk, I asked if he wanted his sweat shirt.  He emphatically replied, “No!”

During our walk, my smile brightened when the sun kissed my cheek.  My son’s hand brushed by green shrubs as though he was running his hand through soft-textured fabrics.

Spring is coming!

* Photo of American Robin via Alan Vernon’s Flickr photostream.

Evening Prayers

Over a year ago, I posted about our family’s bedtime routine with our son.

Calvin at 11 months

Our family routine has changed a little since then, since our son is more verbal and more interactive.

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After a bath, milk, and one or eight bedtime stories, Calvin climbs into his toddler bed.

I review with him all the fun things we saw or did throughout the day.  If I happen to forget a significant detail, he is quick to remind me.

Mama, we saw a big dog!  And, I ate like a dinosaur.

See?  How could I forget those things?

Next, we sing a few songs.  My husband and I are Calvin’s personal jukebox.  Songs can range from worship to modified verses of The Wheels on the Bus.  Have you ever heard the verse about what the dinosaurs on the bus do?  They go ROAR, ROAR, ROAR…naturally!

Finally, Daddy asks Calvin if he’d like to pray.

Calvin [pipes up]:

God bless Poppy. God bless Mimi.  God bless…[everyone he knows from relatives to friends].

Daddy: Calvin, who made you?

Calvin: God made me and dinosaurs.

Usually, Calvin’s Daddy launches into the next question, but tonight, Calvin had more to say…

Calvin: God made Daddy.  God made Mommy.  God made sharks.  God made turtles.  God made Nemos.  God made dolphins.  God made snakes.  God made bears.  God made Brickers {referring to our friends, the Bricker family}.

Do you see the pattern for his favorite animals?  Notice fuzzy kittens and ponies are not on his list.

Daddy: Calvin, why did God make you?

Calvin: Doooordy! [translation: glory]

He’s still learning the preposition “for His” preceding the word glory.

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After this verbal exchange, there’s usually 10 rounds of hugs and kisses.  Sometimes, Calvin wants to demonstrate different types of kisses: snake kisses, shark kisses, bear kisses, dinosaur kisses, puppy kisses, and the like.

There’s no big variation in his sweet little two year-old kisses, except they’re accompanied by animal sounds.

Before we leave his room, we always tell him we love him.

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Sometimes, I’ll hear complete silence a mere 5 minutes after we leave his room.  Other nights, he’s playing with his stuffed loveys in his bed and singing every song in his repertoire.

It’s times like these that I LOVE being Calvin’s Mama.

Good Morning, Saturday

This past weekend our sleep was a little rough. We’re starting to go about 8 hours between feedings, but Lucien is rousing/fussing a few times during the night, which means mommy is rocking the babe in his bed or giving him a pacifier. He’s 14 weeks, and in the 90th percentile, so I know he’s not hungry during the night – he’s just used to nursing!

I feel like we’re on the cusp of getting some serious sleep, but while we’re going longer between feedings it doesn’t mean catching more zzz’s … yet! Saturday morning was lovely though, since we got to sleep in. Lucien nursed at 7am and fell back asleep. I was tempted, tired as I was, to get up and start my day but as luck would have it he (and we) got to sleep until 9:30! I snapped these pictures just before he woke up.

Your turn: What do you do to encourage healthy sleep with your children? How old were they when you started to try for a full night of sleep?

Sands of Kenya

I’ve been told, once you get the sands of Africa on your sandals, you never can shake them off completely.

This month, starting today, a six-ship of bloggers plus staff from Compassion International (including award-winning music artist and blogger Shaun Groves) travel to Nairobi, Kenya to work with children in the Masaai tribe living in the largest slum in the world.

Read their riveting posts.  Pray for them.  Follow their tweets.  Virtually join them in their journey to work with Compassion’s mission to lift up these children from poverty.

Wordless Wednesday: Happy Baby!

Sharing the Love

Are you expecting?  Do you know a mother who is?

There are some fantastic ways for expecting mamas to celebrate the new life growing inside.  Check out a few of my faves.

Goodies for Expecting Mamas:

  • Win some fantastic swag at the online baby shower for  Beth at the Nest Feathering – an online baby shower currently hosted by Steph at Adventures in Babywearing. I entered to win a $50 gift certificate to Old Navy, a $50 gift certificate to The Vintage Pearl, and the beautiful muslin Adain + Anais swaddling cloths.  What would be your ideal shower gift to receive for a new baby?
  • Earn another chance to win an Adain + Anais swaddle at Love, Life, Family…and then some
  • Until March 15th, enjoy 10% discount on Umi’s sweet soft-leather shoes for a baby or tough and sturdy shoes for your toddler with the exclusive discount code from Traveling with Baby.
  • Getting lots and lots of board books for your new baby (or toddler) and need a place to store them?  I’m digging the Tidy Books bookshelf in natural wood finish.  I just love the colorful alphabet letters!  You can enter to win one at Just for Me and You. {Ends 3/8}
  • BabyBix is giving away a Medela Freestyle Breast pump. This is the Ferrari of breast pumps, according to my cousin–a working mama who used it with #1 and is expecting to use it again with #2.  {Ends 3/15}

Pregnancy Reads:

  • Beautiful birth story with incredible photos…this story got me choked up.  Grab a tissue, and read about the birth of Nella Cordelia on Enjoying the Small Things.
  • Visit Design Mom, Gabrielle Blair and check out her top five favorite pregnancy outfits.  Who says you can’t wear a belt when you’re pregnant? What’s your favorite pregnancy outfit?

YOUR TURN: What is your favorite outfit to wear when expecting?  What is your ideal gift to receive for a new baby or as an expecting mom?

*Image by Lina Smith via Flickr.

Tuesday Travels: Umi Shoe Review

Calvin’s Shoes

At 28 months of age, Calvin’s tested a fair share of baby and toddler shoes from an assortment of brands.  From an experienced shoe-testing mama, what I like most about Umi is their commitment to the environment by using recycled packaging, and the non-toxic materials used in the manufacturing process–two things that are mighty high on my list.  Another plus is their commitment to safety and quality by running each pair of shoes through twenty quality checks.  That’s right…twenty!

Calvin’s tested the Major from Umi’s spring line of shoes for boys.  He likes the Major’s colorful brushed leather (amber-tan-chocolate) with contrasting royal blue top stitching.  The Major style is also available in cognac/navy/stone–a great color combination for local UVA Cavaliers fans. Of his many shoes, Calvin often asks to wear his Umi’s.

As a mom, I like the durability of the shoes.  He can scrape them against gravel or kick a soccer ball, and they still look unscuffed and pretty darn new.  That type of top leather resiliency is unique in the world of soft and supple children shoes–especially when they go through the ringer from rough and tough boys.  If you’re looking for shoes that will last until your child goes through another growth spurt, Umi’s have the best durability construction that my son has tested in any shoes to date.

Is there room for improvement?  Sure, just like in any shoes, there’s always something that could be a little better.  As much as I love the quality of the hook and loop closure, the thickness of the straps makes it tough to loosen or open up the toe box enough to slide in a foot.  I really have a mild wrestling match with the shoe every time…so there’s little hope that my little guy will be able to slip them on by himself.  Also, as much as I love the durability of the shoe, there’s a trade-off with a more rigid rubber sole.  Compared to other toddler shoes, when my son wears his Umi’s, I can hear him plod around on the floor because of the stiff sole.  There’s less pliability for a gait pattern that encourages a child to roll the foot from heel strike through toe-off.  Instead, it’s more like the entire surface area of the sole strikes the pavement simultaneously.

Overall, great, solid construction with a comfortable insole, and an upper that will endure the adventures of boyhood.  However, I’d love to see Umi develop a more flexible sole to assist young walkers with proper gait pattern instead of using a stiff, rubber material that actually inhibits proper gait development.

Lucien’s Shoes

These were Lucien’s first shoes, so they have sentimental value. While he won’t take his first steps in these, and he will probably outgrow them before I can believe it, I will cherish these shoes from his baby days love after he has finished wearing them.

It took me a little while to even open the package – but once they came out of the box, I couldn’t help but put them on. I’ve taken him out and folks are exclaiming over his cute “sail” shoes in tan/chocolate.

I love these shoes for their soft materials and thoughtful details. When I first put them on I noticed little details like the tag in the back to give a helping hand to mom’s trying to gently maneuver the shoes onto little baby feet. Another thoughtful touch was the elastic that surrounds the top of the shoe around the ankle – allowing me to stretch open the mouth of the shoe to fit my son’s little, square baby feet in without pushing too hard. There is also a fair amount of flexibility in the sole as opposed to the toddler shoes which have to be more durable, and I found myself rubbing the tops of his shoes throughout the day because the leathers are so soft.

Another detail that I enjoyed, and this one purely fashionable, was the sole of the shoe – which has a playful design.

The moment I saw the appealing packaging and the size of his tiny shoes, I thought “what a perfect gift these would make for a new momma!” I’m looking forward to sharing Umi’s with other moms (and I know plenty) who will be having their children soon. I have many baby showers in my future and the cute packaging, complete with handle for easy carrying, invites me to drop a bow on top and take off to the party. While we both reviewed shoes from their boys collection, they have a lovely assortment of shoes for girls as well.      

Exclusive for Traveling with Baby readers
Readers of Traveling with Baby, will receive 10% off of fun footwear for thier little ones for spring with coupon code TWB315 valid March 1-15, 2010.  For more news on Umi, and additional savings, became a fan on Facebook.

YOUR TURN: What are the top features you consider when shopping for shoes for children?

*Two pairs of shoes were provided for the purpose of this review. Read the full disclosure policy.

Shaking things up

A few weeks ago, I had a great post brewing in my brain about how I’m a little slow with the learning curve to adapting to motherhood, launching a chiropractic practice, and adjusting to my 6th home since 2007. Just gotta roll with the punches, right?

I do believe there is such a thing as too many major life changes in a short period of time.

Not that there’s anything I could really do about that…except pray for sanity, and that God would make me a good mother.  Still praying about that, by the way.

Ever since January hit, I’ve felt like I was on a roll.  I finally, ever so late, but finally, got this wife+mother+doctor+biz owner+blog editor thing figured out and into a sweet and groovy routine.  At last!

But, as life would have it, everything would have to pull a switcherooni on me, yet again.  It’s as if I had the rug pulled out from underneath my feet.  Instead of that sweet magic trick where everything stays put, I landed on my unsuspecting bottom.

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I was going to write about how I do major cooking a few evenings a week to accommodate the nights I work later at the office.  Also, to make our early Sunday mornings smoother before we dash out the door for the 8:30 worship service, I spend Friday or Saturday evening preparing a couple of breakfast quiches and early preparation for Sunday night’s dinner.

Ya see, that’s what I was doing up until about two weeks ago.  Blizzard or no blizzard, that routine was working for me.  I could keep up with the housework and food preparation, spend quality time with my son several times a day (and even fit in some morning “school” time), and still run a practice and a blog.

What happened?

My husband had to pick up an extra day of work.  We’re SO thankful he has the opportunity to do so, but it also means that the 1 day a week he was helping me at the office with administrative things (ya know, getting my lame-o Lenovo laptop to actually communicate with my printer), book keeping, other random business errands and tasks, and he could enjoy spending time with our son.

Now that he’s working 5 days a week, we’re forced to have our son spend a couple half-days a week in another family’s home.  It’s not the same as day care, but it’s still time when he’s not with us.  By the way, I LOVE this family…they have four wonderful children (two of them are very close in age to Calvin).  He LOVES to play with them, even though he clings to my leg for dear life when I drop him off (all morning long he asks to play with “tids”).

I struggle with adapting to my ever-changing office schedule, when to drop-off or pick-up my son that is most conducive to his nap schedule.  And this is KILLING me.

Sure, it’s a temporary fix until my husband can help out at the office again.  But the daily schedule changes not only impact my son’s nap time, but they’re throwing my whole routine out the window.

Starting over again at square one.  Here we go.  Let’s back up to how I felt a few months ago…and how I’d felt every day for the past couple of years. Aching for a glimpse of where this is going and when it will feel comfortable.

Then I ask, “Is this supposed to feel comfortable?  Is this what we’re supposed to be doing?  Is this temporary…or am I just going to burn out or survive?

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So thankful for some incredible women in my life.  A wonderful and uplifting phone chat today with my friend Michele helped me realize that times of transition and whirlwind are a way for God to teach us.  I’m paying attention and I’m learning very quickly the schedule priorities for my family and my business–everything else is fluff and gets chucked faster than a poopy diaper.

The regular prayers and words of encouragement from my husband, grandmother, and close friends (like Elisa, Kristin, and Allycia)  are the most treasured and meaningful gifts I could ever receive.

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