Review: BabyBjorn Potty Chair

I figured I would do a quick review on the potty chair we are using...

Pros:
comfortable
easy to clean
sturdy
no setup necessary

Cons:
pricy ($28)
cannot be used as a stepping stool like other potty chairs

So, the boildown: after reading many reviews on various potty chairs out there, I concluded the BabyBjorn potty chair was the one. I wish we had not spent almost $60 on potty chairs, but Amor Chiquito loves them and we have no complaints about them whatsoever.

You can get it in white, pink, and green.

Here it is:
http://www.toysrus.com/product/index.jsp?productId=2267519

Shoes...

Have I ever mentioned that I am a bargain hunter? I love finding deals! So, if anyone out there is about to buy shoes, here is some info!

Famous Footwear is having their buy one get one half off sale again.

I found two coupons you can use this weekend to get an additional 10% off the order.

On the coupon field, type "pumpkin" or "hol9999."

To find coupons you can use online, check out retailmenot.com. Type a website address on the search box (famousfootwear.com, for example). You will get a list of reliable and not reliable coupons.

I just got my mother and I very comfortable, highly recommended running shoes for $67 (for the two pairs)!

Happy shopping!

Mischief!

Amor Chiquito has been quite mischivious today!

She wanted to have Teddy Grahams for breakfast. Geeky Entrepreneur said "first bread, then cookies." She looked and pointed at me and said "mommy"! Too bad, kid, you were screwed no matter who you talked to!

Later on, at my mother's house, Ari brought me a pickup truck and said "peepee." I said "peepee in the potty." She said "no, peepee" and handed me the pickup truck. I still didn't get it! (Reminder: my eyesight is terrible!) I put my hand in there and, well, my fingers were swimming in baby pee!

That was not an accident, by any means! That was mischief! Amor Chiquito knew there was a potty in the bathroom. She has used it dozens of times. That was experimentation. That was creativity at its best!

I give her credit for the creativity, but I did tell her that peepee only goes in the potty, not in cars!

Usually, Geeky Entrepreneur loves to celebrate Halloween, but he is not feeling well and does not want to risk getting anyone infected. I could care less about Halloween. So, the only celebrating here is that Ari got to enjoy a bag of mini m&m's. It was the first time ever she had them. Amor Chiquito loved them! She wanted more, infact.

Now, Amor Chiquito wants cookies for dinner, just like this morning. We settled on "first rice, then cookies." We'll give her six Teddy Grahams or so. Mean, I know! But, you must admit, I did keep my end of the deal!

Yo You and Bye, Muah, Bye, Muah...

I can't believe I forgot about this as I was typing last night...

The cutest and sweetest thing lately: "I yo you"!

She started saying it last weekend.

Hearing my child saying I love you in her own little way to my husband or myself is... Undescribable...

When Geeky Entrepreneur comes home and she says it... Well, what can I say? I bet she could get just about anything out of him right that second!

When I tell Amor Chiquito that it is night night time, she goes to Geeky Entrepreneur and says "bye, muah, bye, muah," over and over again!

An update on us...

I had not blogged in ages. Ok, that is not true! It had been 10 days!

Last week, I was not in a good place. Several things went wrong. And, to be honest, I was feeling pretty down, but, there is no way in hell I was going to blog about how I kept feeling that my life sucked. Why? Because I know that was my I'm-depressed perspective. I know that is not true. There are too many parents out there whose kids never came home, little ones out there fighting to stay alive, etc. If I ever post something that stupid, you have permission to give me a virtual kick!

If you are curious, here is the list:

All three of us had bad, can't sleep colds. No, I don't think it was/is swine flu.

Three days in a row, Ari would not nap. Have I ever mentioned how much I need that break, the me-time to enjoy a shower, exercise, go on the computer...?

Several nights, Ari would wake up at two or three am and was unable to fall back asleep for the next four to five hours.

So, she was sleeping six to eight hours a day. Serious sleep deprivation for all...

I called the pediatrician, and, a week later, I am still waiting for her referral to someone who can help us. Very unlike her. At least things are better in the sleep department now.

My father, who is chronically ill, had pneumonia.

There is someone in my family who is very much into gossip and drama and is causing a great deal of trouble and pain. Damn it, why can’t people grow up?

The kicker... We are suspicious/afraid that someone I love very dearly is doing drugs. I will not say more about that here, but, needless to say, I am heart-broken and feeling helpless, as there is not a thing I can do, other than offer support if/when he needs it. I so wish I could wake up one morning and know, for sure, that, no, there is no or no longer a drug problem.

The family stuff is still there, but we are healthy (well, Geeky Entrepreneur is still working on it) and I am doing my best to stay positive. I owe it to my child, my husband and myself. Exercising for 20 to 30 minutes every day is helping. And, I am getting more sleep! That's a big one!

I have considered anti-depressants, but I rather try "crunchy" things before I opt to go there. So, if you have any suggestions, I am all ears! For now, I am drinking nasty chamomile tea! It is probably not doing crap, but I figured I will give it a try for a while longer.

Onto positive stuff…

Amor Chiquito is only using two diapers a day, one for naptime and one if we go out. She is starting to ask for the potty when we are out or peeing when we come home.

We have many phrases now! Her favorites: "mano (hand) teti," teti mouth," "mas teti," "daddy baby."

As you can tell, many of her phrases have to do with breastfeeding. She is still very much into it and I have no idea when she will wean herself. We night-weaned. But I am fine with daytime breastfeeding. I can see her breastfeeding until she is three. Actually, I will be surprised if she weans herself before then.

Amor Chiquito loves to point at herself and say "daddy baby"! I love it! Too cute!

Amor Chiquito is learning about puzzles and about animal sounds. Thanks, Yaminette!

She is also learning letters. Thanks for the blocks, Liz! She loves to stack them and name the letters she knows. Her favorite part is to knock them over, of course!

Amor Chiquito is very much enjoying drawing and playing with play dough.

I think that is about it... Time to nurse the baby for the last time and hope she goes to sleep. Speaking of, I can't believe she does not have a baby face anymore! I can't believe my baby is no longer a "baby"! I guess maybe I should stop calling her “the baby?” We’ll see...

Donating Hair

I just came across a blog entry about donating hair. The blogger posted this link:
http://www.queensjournal.ca/story/2008-03-14/news/long-and-short-it/

If there is anyone out there reading this and living in Canada, perhaps the agency mentioned in the article might be of interest to you.

Here is a confession for you...!

I got my hair cut last December, about 15 inches. It is braided, in a bag, in my dresser, waiting for me to figure out what agency I should send it to. Beyond pathetic, I know.

I did some research months ago, but was not successful in finding a reputable-sounding agency.

If someone can direct me to an agency that will really use my hair to make a wig for a cancer patient, I would very much appreciate it.

I am hoping that next summer my hair will be long enough for another donation. Agencies look for at least 10 inches of hair.

If you can't donate your hair, I am sure you can do something else. Go give blood, instead, for example. Or, volunteer at a local oncology unit.

We spent the weekend with Nana.

Saturday afternoon, we spent some time with my father and then drove to the in-laws’. Ari did very well on the car ride. She slept most of the ride.

Ari has been doing very well in the potty training department, but I opted to leave the potty chair at home. No good reason, simply because I did not want to bring yet one more thing. Bad idea! When we were at my dad’s, she asked to use the potty. When Amor Chiquito realized there was no potty, she was unsure about what to do. She was very intimidated by the toilet. Saturday, Amor Chiquito opted to wear diapers, but, by Sunday morning, she was ok with using the toilet at Nana’s, as long as someone held her, obviously.

We had five bags for a 24-28 hour trip!
Small diaper bag in case we went out somewhere for a few hours
Large diaper bag full of cloth diapers
Lunch box full of snacks for Amor Chiquito
Tiny backpack with clothes for Geeky Entrepreneur and I
Backpack with my laptop

See why I did not want to bring yet one more thing?! But I will next time. I am thinking of buying a portable potty.

Back to the trip, everything went well. Ari had tons of fun with Nana. We co slept Saturday night and Amor Chiquito did so, so well. She slept for over six hours before she woke up looking for mommy milk. Once Amor Chiquito realized Nana was awake, there was no way to get her to go back to bed. So off with Nana she went. And, we got to sleep in, for real! We stayed in bed until 10am. Wow! It has been a very, very long time! We decided we ought to go see Nana more often!

Everyone kept complementing Amor Chiquito because she says please and thank you most of the time. Some people were surprised at how well she is doing in the potty training department.

Every child has her/his strengths and weaknesses, if you will, so do not get discouraged if yours is older than mine and is not potty trained. Yours probably has been saying phrases for ever and Amor Chiquito just started saying a few, for example.

On a different topic, Amor Chiquito’s great-grandmother told me how the way to get her used to the toddler bed is to hit her and she will do great after that. I politely listened and ignored every word she said. Perhaps, I should/could have shared my opinion on this and how we successfully discipline our child. But I figured what was the point? She is 80; she will not be disciplining kids. Actually, come to think of it, I am wrong because she does babysit from time to time and she loves to give people advice and I am sure some people listen/take her advice. What is done is done, but I do think I will respond differently should the topic come up again. Part of me feels that I should not say anything. I hate confrontation, particularly when it is someone who is very set in her ways and who has parented many children, for much, much longer than I have. But, part of me feels that I should because, you know what, I am a mother and I do have valuable thoughts/opinions. Most importantly, I parent in a way that is respectful, considerate, and generates results.

Off my soapbox now…!

Back to the trip, Sunday night, we drove home and, again, Amor Chiquito slept most of the ride. We got to celebrate Nana’s birthday and everyone was happy. The only bad thing is that what little progress I had made in the weight loss department was gone, just gone! Back to eating well and getting on the elliptical every day!

We are so happy that we can travel again, even if it is only a weekend at a time.

Pregnancy and Infant Loss Remembrance Day

October 15 is Pregnancy and Infant Loss Remembrance Day.

Taking some time to send my thoughts and hugs to those grieving after the passing of their little one(s).

Article: Five New Parent Arguments and How to Avoid Them

Some of my readers are past the new parent stage, but some are there right now and some hope to be there in a few years.

Check out this article:
http://www.parenthood.com/article-topics/5_new_parent_arguments_and_how_to_avoid_them.html

The author was right on. A new child at home means lots of readjusting, different expectations, a whole new life. It is beautiful, but it can and is difficult and stressful at times.

The best thing to do, in my opinion, is to talk about things before everyone is tired and tense. That is not always possible, of course. So do the next best thing: talk as things come up, but remind yourself that you chose to make that baby and bring her/him into this world with the one you love. Remind yourself of why you fell in love with that person and why you love him/her today. Remind yourself that the person is not trying to be mean or irresponsible. Most likely, your loved one is simply exhausted or unawear of how you are feeling, what you need, and how badly you need it.

Long story short: talk, talk, talk... And, for God's sakes, don't be passive-aggressive. That is lame and does not lead anyone anywhere.

Thanks, Yaminette!

Aliens took over me yesterday!

I am not into cooking. Geeky Entrepreneur does most of the cooking. I only cook because I have to. I am a grown-up with a family and stuff, you know!

But, yesterday, some alien took over! I got inspired. I wanted something healthy, but delicious.

I made the America's Test Kitchen low-fat macaroni and cheese recipe, with a twist!

I am not a big fan of the America’s Test Kitchen recipes because they often are very time-consuming, but this particular recipe was not very time-consuming. There were several steps, but each step only took two to four minutes.

I used different cheeses because Geeky Entrepreneur does not like ricotta. I ended up using romano, asiago, and cheddar.

I used whole-wheat flour.

And, most importantly, I used whole-wheat pasta.

My husband won't let me live it down! He kept wondering if I was sick, had a fever, something…!

It was quite yummy, despite the fact I forgot some steps! I know Geeky Entrepreneur really liked it because he had seconds. Ari, on the other hand, opted to have cereal for dinner! Talk about a slap on the face! As her daddy says, she is lucky she is so cute!

A few stories...

Here are a few stories about Amor Chiquito...

Last night, Amor Chiquito was singing. Her microphone was a toy hotdog!

Earlier today, Amor Chiquito did not want the diaper I was going to put on because it was “friea” (cold). She took off, butt-naked, and sat on her toy car. Amor Chiquito said the following: “Ari, cah, bye-bye”!

A little while ago, Amor Chiquito was at Abuela’s. We have a one-disposable-diaper/day-at-Abuela’s policy. Amor Chiquito needed some boundaries in that regard. She peed on her disposable and wanted another one. Abuela said there were no more disposables.

Picture the following:
A little girl running in circles, saying “no, no, no, pappo, pappo, pappo”!!!

Pappo = disposable diaper.

I am extremely biased, but she is too funny!

Realization regarding our eating habbits...

As I have written before, we are trying to eat healthier. The other day I realized something that made me happy and that shows we are making progress.

Everything in this house is whole grains, except white rice.

We only buy wholewheat bread. Stop & Shop wholewheat bread makes delicious French toasts.

There is now only wholewheat pasta in our home.

We recently started eating English muffins, the double fiber, wholewheat kind by Thomas. They have a bit of honey in them. They are quite yummy.

When we snack on crackers, it's Triscuits or All Bran crackers.

I am trying to get the family to eat more brown rice, but Ari isn't too thrilled and Geeky Entrepreneur isn't much into it either. I am not worried about it because everything else is whole grains.

So, again, one more step in the transition to crunchiness!

Cloth Grocery Bags

I had been considering switching to cloth grocery bags for months. When we went to Boston, my friend Yaminette and I went shopping for the kids and she used one. I liked how efficiently you can pack the things!

The other day I was at the grocery store and there they were, only $.99/bag. So I decided to give it a shot and got four.

I have used them twice and I really like them. Give them a shot.

If you care about the environment, you are not using as much plastic and you don't need to worry about bringing them somewhere to be recycled.

My husband claims this is one more step in the transition to crunchiness, so there you have it. I am yet a bit crunchier!

A Crunchy Tip: Olive Oil for Baby's Bum

I have now read this on several websites and blogs. Apparently, olive oil helps with diaper rashes.

I have not put olive oil on Ari's bum, in case you are wondering! I might when she gets her next diaper rash, though. I'll let you know how it goes!

A comment/email with some silly remark from my husband is on the way, I just know it!

Picture this...

Geeky Entrepreneur comes home from a business meeting. What did he come home to? A wife who was almost losing it because Amor Chiquito just would not take a nap, among other things, and a little girl who was proud as can be because she peed and pooped in the potty. Amor Chiquito proudly handed her daddy the bowl with poop and began clapping! So, there he was, clapping, congratulating her, and handling poop, in his suit jacket!

Tell me that wasn't funny!

Cream cheese on your chocolate chip waffle, anyone?

That is what Ari ate the other night. Seriously. I am not making that up!

Weird. Whatever makes her happy!