Saturday, January 30, 2010

Vacation Time

We finally get to go on vacation! It's been years!

Tomorrow morning we fly to Baltimore and we cruise for a week. Bahamas, here we come!

This is our first time flying with Amor Chiquito. I am a bit anxious about it, but hopeful that she will do well. The length of the flight is an hour and 15 minutes. We are bringing snacks and a few activities to keep her busy, and, hopefully, happy.

Activities include:
pen/paper
playdo, scissors, tools to make stars, sun, etc.
book
laptop with Barney and Elmo dvd's (we might not be allowed to use the laptop, though.)

Those of you who have flown or driven long distances with little ones, any tips?

There are a few posts I am working on, but I might not get to them before we leave tomorrow morning.

If I don't get to post again before we leave, I hope everyone has a good, healthy week!

Sunday, January 24, 2010

You know you are a parent when...

TMI warning!

Amor Chiquito is sick. She, like the rest of us, had a stomach bug a few days back. She also has a cold (cough, runny nose, fever, etc.).

I was holding her, walking and singing the nighttime song, as one of us does each and every night. She started to cough. She threw up, big time. What little she had eaten today came out. The stuff was on my shirt, on her clothes, on the floor, and, best of all, on my hair.

There I was, letting her throw up on my shirt trying to avoid a mess (she kept throwing up and walking!). Then, there I was, kneeling on the bathroom floor, unbuttoning her very dirty sweater, telling her she was ok, wiping her face...

I never thought that I would put my hands in a puddle of vomit, that I would find vomit on my hair, and that I would not think anything of it. Three years ago, I would have been 100% disgusted. Instead, I had an indescribable feeling on my chest, a desire to hug her tight, and all that was going on in my head was “I wish I could make you feel better; I wish I could make it go away, my baby girl.”

Parenting has changed my life so much. This is only one story, the latest of many.

I am hoping that Amor Chiquito feels better soon. At the same time, I am counting my blessings because I know this is nothing. My heart aches for the kiddos that throw up routinely because of chemo and for the fact that that is a relatively small concern in those kids’ parents’ lives.

Sunday, January 17, 2010

A bit of hope for sleep-deprived parents...

Can it be? I am excited, ecstatic!

Ari still wakes up at least three times a night, despite the fact she does not breastfeed until 6:00am. So, when I read this post, I had a huge smile on my face and a bit of hope:
http://attachmentparenting.org/blog/2010/01/14/yoga-for-gentle-sleep/?utm_source=feedburner&utm_medium=feed&utm_campaign=Feed%3A+APISpeaks+%28API+Speaks%29

I will be reading up on the basics of yoga. I am not saying I know that this will work for us, but I am definitely interested in giving it a shot. Everything else we have been told to try we have done, except crying it out. As I said in the past, I simply need to leave for 15 seconds and she gets the point. But, still, she simply has a hard time going to sleep frequently.

Friday, January 15, 2010

A Mom's Account of Child-Lead Weaning

One of my favorite mommy bloggers (mamatrue.com) tells her and her son's child-lead weaning story here:
http://attachmentparenting.org/blog/2010/01/15/three-year-old-weans-himself/?utm_source=feedburner&utm_medium=feed&utm_campaign=Feed%3A+APISpeaks+%28API+Speaks%29

He turned three in November and had breast milk for the last time on January 1st.

I find this mommy's posts very encouraging. I look forward to having our own child-lead weaning story some day.

Thursday, January 14, 2010

Crunchy Eating

I am getting so crunchy I shock myself!

My friend is visiting. She flew in from P.R. to see Ari! The hell with me and our 20-something year friendship; it’s all about Ari!

Anyways, she wanted to go to Antonio’s, a local restaurant that sells delicious pizza by the slice.

I still cannot believe my dinner. Something is wrong with me! Aliens are taking over!

My first slice: fresh mozzarella, tomato, mushroom and basil on pesto
My second slice: black bean, feta and avocado

I could not get over how delicious both slices were. I even had a few mushrooms without gagging!

The funny thing is that when Geeky Entrepreneur and I first met, he introduced me to the tomato basil slice and I absolutely hated it! Simply could not stand it. Furthermore, I would eat slices loaded with meat and would think to myself “he’s cute, but what a health nut”! Now, I eat vegetarian meals and I love them! Freakin’ weird!

No, no one get excited! You know who you are! I still insist that I will not become a vegetarian. I love meat, even if I don’t eat much of it! I believe in moderation and that includes my eating habits!

Oh, almost forgot… My daughter, the self-proclaimed vegetarian, enjoyed my friend’s chicken and bacon ranch pizza. I guess she figures it must be the super yummy, not healthy at all meat, not the healthy, white meat I cook at home? Who knows?!

Houston, I have a monster!

Recently, Ari has become a fan of Cookie Monster.

Earlier today, Geeky Entrepreneur recorded Ari pretending to be a monster! Here it is:
http://www.youtube.com/profile?user=Roezmv#p/u/1/MABTyDo3j0M

Co Sleeping: A Dad's Perspective

Check out this pro co sleeping article:
http://mannursediaries.blogspot.com/2010/01/co-sleeping-does-it-really-need-to-be.html#comment-form

The writer is a father of four and a nurse.

For what it is worth, I agree with what he is saying. Co sleeping, much like breastfeeding, is something we have done lots of, but something that is not the norm. Yes, it definitely is possible to do it safely. I did it from day one, almost!

When you become a mother, the way you sleep changes. You wake up very easily. You notice/hear things that no one else notices. You get used to sleeping on your side, with your baby's head on your arm. (Therefore, you cannot possibly roll onto baby.) And, in my case, you think it is the coolest thing on Earth! I am getting teary-eyed thinking about it! I wish I could remember more about those early days.

Different things work for different people. I am not saying that having your child sleep in her/his crib is wrong. I am simply saying, as I have said before, to do what is right, healthy, and safe for your family.

One more thing to keep in mind: what is right for your family today might be the opposite of what was right six months ago or what will be right for you in a year.

As for us, Ari naps in her crib and starts in her crib every night, but we get our precious visitor around 1:00am. Some nights are rough, but, mostly, I love it. There is nothing like feeling your little one's hand or leg on you. I cannot explain it, but when she is next to me I get this unique feeling. I want to smile. I feel like I know for sure she is safe because if she is uncomfortable/in pain, I know it immediately. I wish I could explain it better, but that is the best I can do.

Now, all I want is for her to sleep longer chunks of time and a king-size bed! Husband, you know what I want for Christmas!

Wednesday, January 13, 2010

All about Breast Milk...

I just came across two very well written articles describing breastmilk: the different types of breastmilk, breastmilk composition, the benefits to baby, etc.

If you are or hope to be a parent-to-be, you will learn lots.

If you are breastfeeding/have breastfed, you might learn something new. If anything, read this and commend yourself for doing such an awesome thing for your child!

If breastfeeding did not work out for you, do not let guilt overtake you; educate yourself and get help so you can succeed next time around.

http://attachmentparenting.org/blog/2010/01/12/the-composition-of-breastmilk-part-1/?utm_source=feedburner&utm_medium=feed&utm_campaign=Feed%3A+APISpeaks+%28API+Speaks%29

And
http://attachmentparenting.org/blog/2010/01/13/the-composition-of-breastmilk-part-2/?utm_source=feedburner&utm_medium=feed&utm_campaign=Feed%3A+APISpeaks+%28API+Speaks%29

Saturday, January 9, 2010

Engaging vs. Praising a Child

Just came across this:
http://www.birthroutes.com/2010/01/im-having-so-much-fun-with-youyou-teach-me-new-things-everydayit-makes-me-so-sad-when-you-cry-out-of-frustration-how-can-i.html

What do you think? Engaging versus praising a child... I never thought about it quite that way.

More later, after I have gotten some sleep!

Friday, January 8, 2010

Healthy Snack Suggestions

Geeky Entrepreneur and I were brainstorming, trying to come up with healthy snack ideas, specifically snacks that we can bring with us on short trips. Basically, Daddy realized each and every time we are in the car, Amor Chiquito asks for Teddy Grahams and he feels it would be good for her to have other, healthy options.

We came up with this list:
Craisins
Nuts (if you have been able to confirm that your child is not allergic to them)
Cereal
Goldfish
Teddy Grahams
Fruit (but things can get messy fast, particularly in the car!)
Smoothies (We get Danimals and Yoplait smoothies.)

What are some of your favorite to-go snacks?

Whole grain Goldfish, really...!

We went shopping, and, suddenly, Amor Chiquito started saying "apitao, apitao..."

Translation: apitao = pescao = fish in Spanish.

Thanks to one of the grandmas, she has fallen in love with Goldfish. I figured we could get some because the only "junk food" in the house is chocolate Teddy Grahams.

Side note: I have nutrition-related goals and expectations for my family and for our daughter specifically. I am a strong believer that this is the time to guide her and help her form good habbits. I hope to teach her to enjoy food, but in a way that is reasonable and healthy. I don’t want nutrition to be an ongoing internal struggle, as it still is for me.

Back to apitao… We were looking at the options and, there it was, whole grain Goldfish!

Being the reluctant crunchy mama that I am, I fell right for it and got my child whole grain "junk food"! Oops, I meant treat!

For the record, they are not nearly as yummy, but they are close. And, what the heck, my daughter does not know better, not yet, anyways!

I compared the nutrition facts on pepperidgefarm.com. The number of calories per serving is similar. There is more fiber and less sodium in the whole grain version, though.

On a different topic, Geeky Entrepreneur and I thought it was really funny that Kraft now makes "whole grain" mack and cheese! I put that in quotes because the pasta is only "50% whole grain."

We think it is ironic that one would be worrying about whole grains but being ok with eating fake cheese! If you eat and love mack and cheese, don't take it personal! We love thick and creamy Kraft mack and cheese too! We just know it should only be on our table once in a blue moon

Saturday, January 2, 2010

Replacing shampoo and conditioner with baking soda, water, and apple cider vinegar, anyone?

I just came across this:
http://simplemom.net/how-to-clean-your-hair-without-shampoo/

I will admit it: I am intrigued!

I will admit it: I will try this!

And, yes, if I like it and decide to move away from shampoo, you can feel free to say I am super crunchy!

Wow, it would be awesome to not spend a ton of money on shampoo! My hair is very special and super greasy, so I have tried many types of shampoo and the one working right now is pricy. I welcome new ideas and experiments!

I can't wait to read what my husband and my friend Yaminette will have to say about this! Come on, tell me I went off the deep end! Because I know I did!

I laugh at my crunchiness and I was not crunchy in the slightest before becoming a mother. Heck, being "crunchy" is one of those things I said I would never do/be. But, here I am, the reluctant crunchy mama! So be it...!