Misleading information on Coconut Oil

I wanted to write this as a public service announcement.

A couple weeks ago, I read an article titled, "Ditch the Toxic Sunscreen; Use Coconut Oil Instead" by Anthony Gucciardi, on the website Affliction Free Naturally: a Guide to Healthy Living.

I thought, "Yes!! I'm new to this coconut oil thing, but I like it! And I've heard that regular sunscreen has a lot of extras we don't need in it. Sounds good, I'll try it!"

I even shared it on Facebook.

So, I packed up my pool bag, grabbed some waters and headed to the pool. With my container of 100% Organic, Extra Virgin Coconut Oil from Trader Joe's.

I laid my towel out, and started slathering on the coconut oil. It's very oily and shiny. I spread on a generous layer at 11:00 am. At about 11:45, I got in the pool for about 15-20 minutes. A little after 12:00 and drying off, I reapplied the coconut oil to my entire body again. At about 12:45 Hector got to the pool and we swam for about 30 minutes and then went in the house.

(Note that this is the same amount of applications I would do if I were using traditional sunscreen. About 2 times in 2.5 hours, and after dipping in the water)

(sneaking in a pic of 24 week baby boy!)

See, it's very shiny! Looks like any other tanning oil.

Me, all oblivious.

So yes, the article I cited above, states that coconut oil can be used as a sunscreen, as it has an SPF of 10, which means it blocks 90% of UVB rays. 

When I got out of my swimsuit to shower, I thought, "Wow, I got some pretty distinct tan lines.." 

When I got out of the shower, my skin was tingling a little, and looking pink. 

About 3 hours later, after we came out of a movie, and I went into the restroom at the theater, I was flabbergasted. My skin was the color of a tomato. And it itched and burned. It felt tight all over. And this is a problem for an ever-growing pregnant belly. 

This picture was taken 36 hours after the sun exposure. 

I would like to report that I have never, ever had a sunburn of this caliber. I have to take Tylenol to keep the pain at bay. It hurts to walk, to sit and especially to try and lay down and sleep. Thank the good Lord my pregnant belly didn't allow me to lay on my tummy under the sun, or my backside would be just as burned. 

I'm super embarrassed of my maroon-purple skin right now. People ask what happened and I almost just want to say I fell asleep at the pool. Sounds more likely than, "Oh.. I read an article about how to use coconut oil as sunscreen.. haha, yea, it says it works! But, uh.. obviously it failed me." 

I know my whole front side is going to peel in a few days and it's going to be atrocious. I'm layering on aloe lotion every chance I think of it. 

Part of this is my fault, definitely. For reading one article and running with it. I should have done more research and been more cautious. But honestly, I did not feel like I was burning, while I was outside. I really feel like an idiot. I'm also writing the author of this article, because it is absolutely false information that can seriously hurt people.

There may be ways to make your own natural sunscreen out of coconut oil, but KNOW THIS. Coconut Oil ALONE will not protect you from sunburn. Just learn from my painful experience. 

I still love coconut oil as an everyday moisturizer, and will continue to use it, as my skin heals. But I will never again use it for sunscreen. 

23 Week Update

We've made it to 23 weeks already! When July 7th came and went, I thought to myself, "How can there only be 4 months left??" (Since due date is November 7th!)

I was going to do a chalkboard picture at 22 weeks.. since it's an even week. But I worked that day, then I decided I'd wait for an update on Baby's heart to do a post. (Recall that at our last ultrasound, the gender scan, the doctor felt that the heart was a little more midline in the chest than it should have been, so she ordered another one for about 3 weeks later.)

We went in for a repeat ultrasound on Monday morning. We ARE still having a boy. :) And confirmed by both the tech and the MFM doctor who reviews/interprets sonos, Baby Boy's heart is perfect. It is in the right place, it's four chambers are doing exactly what they are supposed to do and it is the correct size. I believe God answered our prayers, and the prayers of many, and put our little boy's heart right back where it is supposed to go. We are so thankful.

So here you go! 23 weeks down, 17 to go!

We've only had the one check-up since my last update. But I did overdo it last week and baby told me to slow down. I was scheduled to work 5 days with only one day off in the middle. Well, by that fourth day, I was feeling it. We're not allowed to have water in our rooms at work anymore, and sometimes we're too busy to go to the break room. This causes Braxton-Hicks contractions. Which I was having frequently. This, coupled with a continuous lower back pain and not feeling the baby move at all for several hours (and some other unmentionable symptoms) had me calling my doctor on Friday. She advised me not to work that 5th day, so I had to call in on Saturday. And all day Saturday and Sunday, I laid on the couch and drank water. I felt much better and baby boy started back with his normal kicking and squirming. And everything at our check-up on Monday went perfect. She checked my cervix and said it was not budging, not to worry about that. :) BP was great, weight gain is good. And he was behaving perfectly on the ultrasound. So, I've definitely learned that I have to take it easy some and 5 days of 12 hour shifts is too much. Period. And to drink water. Like, once you think you've drank way too much water, drink double that. 

Let's see.. We ordered our first baby items this week! The Moses basket and stand from rhbaby! I can't TELL you how thrilled I am with this purchase. I just can't wait for it to get here, so I can set it up and look at it everyday and admire it. Oh, and we did a small baby registry at buybuybaby. We don't need a lot, since big brother Coco was also born in the winter. :)

We traded rooms with Cohen this week. He had the bigger room, and let's face it. The soon-to-be three of us need more space than his little self. And he's quite happy with his new room! Now we have a nice big area to fill with baby stuff. (All the more reason I need that bassinet to get here!)

How big is baby? the size of Papaya! What to Expect app says baby weighs 1.2 pounds and is about 8.5 inches from head to bottom. And our sono said he weighed 1 pound, 4 ounces. He always measures about 5 days ahead of where we are.

Weight gain/loss: 10 pounds gained, still.

Sleep: Still not sleeping very well. I feel slightly less tired these days. But I still nap if I can. And I wake up so many times a night. Usually to go to the restroom, even if it's very little pee. :( Gets old. 

Movement: He moves all the time. More in the evenings, I suppose. He moves consistently enough now that I can make myself nervous when I don't feel him for any amount of time. 

Symptoms: Backaches when I don't rest enough or drink water. Reflux, reflux, reflux. I keep my bottle of Maalox in the refrigerator, so that it's cool and refreshing when I need it. :) Other than the gross reflux, I feel pretty great right now.

Belly Button: Innie still! (with Coco, it never popped out!)

Food Cravings: No real cravings right now.

Gender: It's a BOY! We're so excited for Cohen to have a little brother. I was initially a tiny smidgeon disappointed when the tech said "boy", but got over it immediately and am getting very excited! No name yet!

What I miss? Sleeping on tummy (or good, at all)

What I'm looking forward to? Getting his bassinet this week! (Hopefully!) 

Big brother: Is so fun right now. He is a good helper (Buddy, bring me that remote!). He loves going to the pool and playing cars and trains. He loves watching Cars and Madagascar. He likes to say "just" a lot lately. i.e. "I'm just looking mommy." "I just want to run mommy." "Just come play daddy!" :) He's so smart. 

Dr. Appointment notes: July 8th, we had our second anatomy scan. Everything looked great. He has grown so big! And Dr. R said everything seemed fine. Very reassuring. We'll go back on the 25th of July for my 1 hour glucose test. Yuck! I remember this! 

Toddler on the Road

Tomorrow morning, bright and early, we're road trippin' to Branson, MO. I believe it's my parent's official "Home away from home." It's easy to get to, only a half a day's driving. My parents have time shares and I can't count the number of times we've booked our trips to Branson. I like it, too... guilty!

The last time we took a long road trip with Cohen, he was one year younger. (1 and a half years old) And it was like 16 hours or some other huge number. Tomorrow's journey will take 5-7 hours, I think. But because of this year we've tacked on to his age, he is much more headstrong. He can tell you "no", he can say, "I don't like it." He'll negotiate, "No supper today, supper tomorrow!" He'll try to weasel his way out of nap time, "I had a good nap, mama! No Thomas bed!" (He sleeps in a Thomas the train bed at Granna and Pop's house.)

Well, I decided to be proactive and plan some things for him along the way. I went through a bunch of posts on pinterest regarding 'traveling with kids,' and found these ideas somewhere. It's basically to make up activity bags that will last 2-3 hours each. I made two of these bags. That's 4-6 hours (hopefully!) and I'm guessing there will be nap time and eating time sprinkled in there. I didn't want this to cost too much, so I'll include costs, too.

Bag number one!

Contents:
The Lorax blu ray (already owned)
Jolly rancher gummies (<$1 at Wal-Mart)
Monster's University play cell phone ($3 Wal-Mart)
4 colors of play dough ($.50 from Dollar Tree, from a pack of 8)
Funny faces robot sticker book ($1 at Dollar Tree)
Color wonder drawing pad with 1/2 a pack of color wonder markers (pad: $5, 1/2 markers: $2.50 at Wal-Mart)
Total: $13

I plan on bringing the movie out last, so he can exhaust himself with the other activities. We've never played with these "Color Wonder" products, but sounds like a dream for a car trip. Supposedly the ink in the markers won't write on anything but the special Color Wonder paper.

Bag number two!

Contents:
Cars sticker pad ($1 at Wal-Mart)
more Cars stickers ($2 at Wal-Mart)
Cars blu ray (already owned)
Color Wonder pad and the other 5 markers (pad, purchased for other bag, 1/2 pack markers: $2.50 at Wal-Mart)
Cars cup ($1 at Wal-Mart)
4 colors of play dough (the rest of the pack $.50 from Dollar Tree)
"Sarge" toy car ($4 at Wal-Mart)
Total: $11

Bag number two obviously had a Cars theme... Which is why it's number two. I see cars and play cars and watch Cars all day long. I want the kid to wait a little minute before unloading the cars theme on our car. Again, the movie will be held until he tires of the other activities.

I found a few books to add to the mix, and a set of farm animals. I'll just pull these out as necessary.

All from Dollar Tree, except Caillou.

These animals were like $2 at Wal-Mart.

So, anyways, we leave in the morning. I'll let you all know how these go over and whether or not it helps or hurts the trip! ;) We're hitting the hay, now.. good night!

Our first few days in Paris

This is the week I've been looking forward to for months. And only because it is 9 uninterrupted days off from work. *Picture me smiling like the Cheshire cat*

It is the week Hector is off at YoungLife camp in Colorado. Now, that part, we're not loving. We miss daddy something fierce. But we know he's doing a good work there, and that he is having a wonderful time.

I had originally created these grand plans for Cohen and I to fly to Denver to stay with a dear friend who just had a baby, and to even go to Hector's camp one night to visit. But, alas, I chickened out. I had this recurring vision of me, 20 weeks pregnant, carrying a purse, carry-on bag and huge toddler car seat through a busy airport, chasing my 2.5 year old who likes to see just how far away from Mama he can get. I got cold sweats just thinking about it. So, I nixed the idea and called my parents and informed them we'd be coming for the week. :) They, of course, were thrilled. They bought the kid a pool, people. They booked a trip for the end of our stay. They hauled his Thomas the Train bed out of the barn and up to our room. They were ready.

We got here late Sunday morning. We even went to the church service with them. It was so nice to see a lot of people I hadn't seen in years. I never get a chance to visit on a Sunday. As soon as we got home and had lunch, Coco was ready to swim. Pop was the first lucky swim mate.

Cohen was super unsure of his hat, so Pop pulled out a similar one, just so he'd have hat company. :)

Coco and his Granna!

Then, can I just say, that as tired as this little boy was, he took a horrid nap, then stayed awake until 10:30, then woke at 7 am, after tossing and turning all night. O_o

Monday, we went to town to ship Daddy's care package to Colorado, praying it gets there Wednesday, but assuming Thursday. :(

We got home and Coco took a 45 or 50 minute nap, again, I thought he'd take a 2-2.5 hour nap. Not the case. So, we went swimming. No pics this time, because I was enjoying the water, as well! 

Great grandmother Ivy showed up during our swim, and ended up staying for dinner (baked potatoes - my request!). She just loves coming down while we're here. 

After dinner, we (read: Cohen) rode tricycles:

With boots on, down a gravel driveway, with a trunk full of rocks. :)

We fed the catfish:

Man, I love this face...

And to top off a great evening.. we had Popsicles on the patio. 

He kept saying, "it's so cold!!" Still learning...

Shorts: immediately in the wash, no stains!

That sweet, chipped-tooth grin of his... gets me every time.

We are having a low-key day today, Granna and Pop both had to work for a while. And this guy, did NOT sleep good last night. He's staying in my room, in his toddler bed. And he tossed and turned all night, again. Every time he moved, I popped up, thinking he was awake. Then at about 1am, he was awake and was awake for about an hour. And at 6, he woke for good. I put him him in my bed and convinced him that even Granna and Pop weren't up yet. (He wanted to go make coffee.) So, he laid down with me for like 30 minutes, then Granna came and got him, so I could sleep a little longer. What is it about this place that has him waking at the crack of dawn and getting poor sleep??? He's been asleep for a morning nap from 11-1, still sleeping. We'll see how long it lasts. Then I bet he and I will go swimming. :) It's been a great trip so far. 

The Halfway Post!

Believe it or not, we are 20 weeks along today! I feel like it's just flying! I know it's busy summertime now, but geez. I'm really enjoying this stage.

So, I'd say he really popped out this week! Let me just show you 21 weeks with Cohen:

Yea. I'd say baby brother his showing his presence quite a bit quicker. :) (everyone recycles their maternity shirts, right?) :-/ *need more maternity shirts*

How big is baby? the size of Mango! What to Expect app says baby weighs 10 ounces and is about 6.5 inches from head to bottom and 10 inches from head to toe.

Weight gain/loss: 10 pounds total. Gained, that is.. :)

Sleep: Still not sleeping very well. I wake up around 8 with Cohen on days off, and feel the overwhelming need to take a nap by about 9:30. haha, not happening. But when I wake at 5am for work, I don't get tired. Weird.

Movement: Feeling this little boy a lot lately. I think I can feel big moves, like rolling now. It's wonderful!

Symptoms: The pregnancy rhinitis has eased up a lot this last week. (Thank goodness!) When I'm at work, my legs and back hurt a lot. No fun.  

Belly Button: Innie still! (with Coco, it never popped out!)

Food Cravings: Grilled cheese sandwiches! (had them twice this week!)

Gender: It's a BOY! We're so excited for Cohen to have a little brother. I was initially a tiny smidgeon disappointed when the tech said "boy", but got over it immediately and am getting very excited! No name yet!

What I miss? Sleeping on tummy (or good, at all), having occasional wine or margarita, drinking more coffee

What I'm looking forward to? I'm looking forward to our sono on July 8th, where we take a closer look at his heart. I feel pretty peaceful about it, so I'm just praying for the Lord's will! It helps when we remember that this is the Lord's child, entrusted to us.. we're just supposed to take the best possible care of His child. 

Big brother: Used the potty 4 times today! And had one accident, but that's ok! He's very concerned when we are at a store and he hears a baby cry. He says, "Mommy! That baby crying? Why cry??" He loves to go to the pool on these hot summer days. His gorgeous skin is getting nice and brown like daddy's. :) He and I are headed to spend the week with Granna and Pop on Sunday, while Daddy is at YoungLife camp!

Dr. Appointment notes: Last appointment was the anatomy scan. Everything looked good, except the heart position, which we're revisiting on July 8th. I'll also meet with Dr. R for a checkup. 

some pics of late

Yea, we stay in our pj's some days. As long as there are cars, we are happy, happy, happy. 

My salt-n-peppa hubby. :) Love him.

Ok.. that's a KID on that trike, not a baby anymore. :(

Daddy was playing with settings on the new camera, and had only blue hues in this pic. But whilst doing it, he caught Coco giving his caterpillar a sweet squeeze. :) Man, he's just precious. That face!

Our little family. With Mama a little blurry. But, still, I love this one.

Me and my boy. Look at those puppy dog eyes. I just can't get enough of him. He's a mama's boy, through and through. I love that little chin. 

Father's Eve and Day

So, I live with Mr. Impatient.. ahem... Hector.. I made the mistake of wrapping his gifts and setting them out on Friday night. Then I worked on Saturday. So he was here all day with the gifts just teasing him. By the time I got home, at like 8pm, he was itching...aching.. to open them. Like, he was getting borderline mean when I told him to wait until morning. But alas, I couldn't hold him off any more.

We sat down to eat our spaghetti and he rushed through his just so he could open the gifts. Coco thought it was someone's birthday. :) I told him it was something he "wanted" and something he "needed".

And this was the "need"! 

An electric razor. He has to shave everyday for Booster, and he hates doing it, so I figured this would make it easier and less time consuming. Score, he loved it!

Some nice face products to go with razor!

Silly papa!

Pretty surprised!

"Coco we got a new game!" (Coco with a FULL mouth of spaghetti)

FIFA 13. He's been playing a demo for quite a while now. Poor baby. Well, now he has it. 

We sure are lucky to have Hector in our lives. I can't imagine a better daddy for Cohen. He plays for hours, reads to him at night, makes sure he's never hungry, changes diapers, helps with baths, teaches him to pray, disciplines him (when he needs it) and is generally awesome with him. It's wonderful to watch. He's so very excited for our next little boy, too. It's so sweet. I'm also reminded of what a wonderful husband he is, too. He is so good to be the main parent when I get home from work and am so tired. I'll play with and love on Cohen, but he will give the bath, make sure we're both fed and get us both to bed. :) He doesn't get upset that I'm pretty much too tired to do anything. He just does it. And I notice. I love you, Hector!

Then today, Father's Day, we had a lazy first part of the day. He went to a church service in Plano to do some YoungLife stuff, so Cohen and I stayed home to clean. We had company coming! Granna and Pop and Uncle Josh and Cortney were coming over around 2 or 3. Once Granna and Pop got here, we played and played, for what seemed like HOURS. Haha, this kid can wear out the most energetic adult. Then, at 5, we loaded up and headed to Buffalo Wild Wings, my dad's favorite wing place. It was yummy! We left stuffed! 

We came back to our apartment to hang out for a bit. (Josh and Cortney went home.) Granna wanted to see our pool, so we walked and Coco rode his tricycle to the pool. It was crowded. And that's an understatement. I like a sparsely populated pool. Cohen was just in his clothes. We were just going to look. 

This was ok. I was ok with this.

Then this happened. Granna is laughing.

So let's just wade out there.

 My Dad! Happy Father's Day, Dad! I love you!

World's Best Granna and Pop! Love them so much!

We had a very nice day. So happy they were able to come and visit. Happy Father's Day to all the dads out there! Your job is oh-so-important. Thank you for caring enough to do it well!