As in, WHAT have I been doing? LOL it's been a crazy year, and there are so many things to share that I really don't know where to begin.
My little girl is 2 years old (I can barely believe it!) She's doing lots of talking and is EXTREMELY active. Every day really is an adventure!
My family is doing well. We recently relocated to a new home and are starting to get settled in. Everything should start feeling more "home-y" once I have some down time to decorate and spruce it up.
I'll be back soon, with pics and more updates!
Tuesday, June 3, 2014
Friday, September 20, 2013
Word of the Day: Teeth
I would attach a picture, but that would require getting my Munchkin to stay still for more than 5 seconds ...
The little one has 12 teeth. We're nearly halfway to a full set of chompers! She is able to eat pretty much anything at this point: when we went to Costco a few weeks ago, she happily chewed on some beef jerky samples, mini chocolate muffins, and ravioli.
Seriously, there's nothing that she won't eat.
I'm glad that she is officially eating like a big girl- it makes mealtime MUCH easier.
More updates coming soon- stay tuned!
The little one has 12 teeth. We're nearly halfway to a full set of chompers! She is able to eat pretty much anything at this point: when we went to Costco a few weeks ago, she happily chewed on some beef jerky samples, mini chocolate muffins, and ravioli.
Seriously, there's nothing that she won't eat.
I'm glad that she is officially eating like a big girl- it makes mealtime MUCH easier.
More updates coming soon- stay tuned!
Thursday, September 5, 2013
Sometimes ...
It's good to just enjoy the sweet little munchkin for who she is: a curious toddler that never ceases to amaze me. Love this face.
Tuesday, August 27, 2013
Word of the Day: No
Not much to say, other than this:
My daughter L.O.V.E.S the word "no". Of course, she hates to hear it from me, but she loves to say it.
When she gets tired of saying it, she shakes her head instead.
I don't know if I'm prepared to deal with this strong personality that is forming within my precious little girl. She continues to show me, on a daily basis, that she plans to battle with me every chance she gets.
And, to be honest, she wins quite a few of those battles. I'm too old to fight LOL!
My daughter L.O.V.E.S the word "no". Of course, she hates to hear it from me, but she loves to say it.
When she gets tired of saying it, she shakes her head instead.
I don't know if I'm prepared to deal with this strong personality that is forming within my precious little girl. She continues to show me, on a daily basis, that she plans to battle with me every chance she gets.
And, to be honest, she wins quite a few of those battles. I'm too old to fight LOL!
Tuesday, August 20, 2013
Thoughts on Motherhood ...
Just today, I was talking with a coworker that wants to start a family soon. She is married, and she and her husband are eager to get pregnant. I shared with her this little bit o'wisdom:
Lack patience? You have 18+ years to figure it out. And you will definitely improve over time. Bad with money? Unless you have no desire to be a good parent, you learn the basics- QUICKLY. A little too passive? Let someone mistreat your kid, and then behold the lion in you as he/she comes out effortlessly.
I was a lot more of a free-spirit prior to motherhood. Having my daughter made me a much more focused, driven person. I have to be focused to keep her on a schedule, let her know that actions have consequences, to purchase the right things at the grocery store, so I don't have to return every other day ... There is just a lot more intent with my actions now. I exercise forethought like I never have.
Likewise, I know some women who were more rigid, focused personalities, that ended up becoming much more relaxed after parenthood. Certain things cannot be changed, and letting the chips falls where they may is often the best decision a parent can make. Letting go can give a parent more peace than anything else.
Some evenings, after the baby has been put to bed, you realize that your kid is clean, healthy, and sleeping soundly, and no matter how awful the day was, you and Baby survived it. And you relish the fact that nothing else matters, other than you and Baby made it through the day. Other days, you spend the entire day, successfully checking off every item of your to-do list, and even making a dent in the next day's tasks. And you end up relishing that, too. It's a weird, unpredictable life, when you have children.
Parenthood is just random like that.
Whatever lessons you need to learn, your kids will teach them to you.
Lack patience? You have 18+ years to figure it out. And you will definitely improve over time. Bad with money? Unless you have no desire to be a good parent, you learn the basics- QUICKLY. A little too passive? Let someone mistreat your kid, and then behold the lion in you as he/she comes out effortlessly.
I was a lot more of a free-spirit prior to motherhood. Having my daughter made me a much more focused, driven person. I have to be focused to keep her on a schedule, let her know that actions have consequences, to purchase the right things at the grocery store, so I don't have to return every other day ... There is just a lot more intent with my actions now. I exercise forethought like I never have.
Likewise, I know some women who were more rigid, focused personalities, that ended up becoming much more relaxed after parenthood. Certain things cannot be changed, and letting the chips falls where they may is often the best decision a parent can make. Letting go can give a parent more peace than anything else.
Some evenings, after the baby has been put to bed, you realize that your kid is clean, healthy, and sleeping soundly, and no matter how awful the day was, you and Baby survived it. And you relish the fact that nothing else matters, other than you and Baby made it through the day. Other days, you spend the entire day, successfully checking off every item of your to-do list, and even making a dent in the next day's tasks. And you end up relishing that, too. It's a weird, unpredictable life, when you have children.
Parenthood is just random like that.
Monday, July 22, 2013
I Need to Update More Frequently ...
This year is going by so fast! My little one is 15 months old, and getting cuter by the day :) I really love seeing her personality form and watching her grow and learn. I think this phase is more fun than the initial excitement from bringing the baby home from the hospital (well, maybe not quite that much fun, but it's a pretty close runner up). She'll be going to the doctor in a few weeks, so I'll post those stats and measurements when I get them. For now, here's what's going on:
-She still says "ta-ta" and now we're teaching her to say "please". She says "mama", "daddy" (she's no longer saying "dada": we're working from "mama" to "mommy" now), "Tee" (her uncle's name), "maaama" (her name for my mom; it sound like "grandma" but with a "m" sound instead of the "gr" sound) "papa" (for her granddads), "mimi" (this is her paternal grandma; when we visit her and my father in law, she'll get a chance to practice it on them :)).
-She can also say some other cute phrases. She says, "backpack" (one of her first words, thanks to Dora the Explorer) "bubble" (from the Bubble Guppies), "up" (when she wants to be picked up), "want some" (what she'll say if she sees you have some food that she wants; however, she says it as if SHE'S offering YOU food, though she's really just trying to figure out if you're going to give her some LOL!).
-She's naming body parts. She can say "eyes", "ears", "nose", "mouth" and "head", while touching each part, either on herself or on you.
-She shakes her head "no" when she doesn't want to do something. It's funny- no one had to teach her that. She seems to have gotten that one all on her own.
-She's becoming more obedient. Saying "No" or "Don't touch" will stop her dead in her tracks. The funny part is when she's standing there after you stop her- she always looks so guilty LOL!
-She LOVES books. She used to rip up every paper item she got her hands on, but now, she's too busy looking at pictures to tear up books. She also loves it when we read to her. I hope we have a future little bookworm on our hands!
-She's fascinated with glasses. Every pair she sees, she tries to put them on. She always looks so cute when she's wearing them :)
-She loves hopping in the shower with me. It's easier and quicker to get her clean that way, and she loves playing in the water. We both win!
That's all the updates. Look out for another post pretty soon- things are changing all of the time, and I want to keep track of it all! Take care!
-She still says "ta-ta" and now we're teaching her to say "please". She says "mama", "daddy" (she's no longer saying "dada": we're working from "mama" to "mommy" now), "Tee" (her uncle's name), "maaama" (her name for my mom; it sound like "grandma" but with a "m" sound instead of the "gr" sound) "papa" (for her granddads), "mimi" (this is her paternal grandma; when we visit her and my father in law, she'll get a chance to practice it on them :)).
-She can also say some other cute phrases. She says, "backpack" (one of her first words, thanks to Dora the Explorer) "bubble" (from the Bubble Guppies), "up" (when she wants to be picked up), "want some" (what she'll say if she sees you have some food that she wants; however, she says it as if SHE'S offering YOU food, though she's really just trying to figure out if you're going to give her some LOL!).
-She's naming body parts. She can say "eyes", "ears", "nose", "mouth" and "head", while touching each part, either on herself or on you.
-She shakes her head "no" when she doesn't want to do something. It's funny- no one had to teach her that. She seems to have gotten that one all on her own.
-She's becoming more obedient. Saying "No" or "Don't touch" will stop her dead in her tracks. The funny part is when she's standing there after you stop her- she always looks so guilty LOL!
-She LOVES books. She used to rip up every paper item she got her hands on, but now, she's too busy looking at pictures to tear up books. She also loves it when we read to her. I hope we have a future little bookworm on our hands!
-She's fascinated with glasses. Every pair she sees, she tries to put them on. She always looks so cute when she's wearing them :)
-She loves hopping in the shower with me. It's easier and quicker to get her clean that way, and she loves playing in the water. We both win!
That's all the updates. Look out for another post pretty soon- things are changing all of the time, and I want to keep track of it all! Take care!
Wednesday, July 17, 2013
One Year Old Pics!
Not much commentary, just pictures :) These were taken in April- I'm just really late at putting them up. Look at my growing baby!
Another post will be coming very, very soon. I want to insert some more pics into it before publishing it. Talk to you all soon!
Sunday, May 12, 2013
Word of the Day: Ta-Ta
My mother watches my Joy while I'm at work. As it turns out, my mother has been doing more than just making sure that Joy doesn't burn the house down LOL! She's actually been teaching her stuff :) Joy's latest word is "ta-ta", a precursor to "thank you". She's been saying "ta-ta" when handing stuff to other people and when getting things handed to her. I tried teaching it to her but she may have been just a tad too little to understand and repeat what she was hearing. She's gotten really consistent with saying it since my mom has been working with her. I love seeing her turn into a big girl :)
A pic of me and my Joy (both rocking our fros LOL!):
A pic of me and my Joy (both rocking our fros LOL!):
Tuesday, April 30, 2013
My One Year Old ...
My sweet little one is no longer a baby. She has officially entered the land of toddler-dom. I can't believe how fast this year has gone! I miss having a little cuddly bundle, but seeing her become more independent has been exciting, and I'm learning to love the process :)
Here are a couple of family photos taken two days before her birthday:
Here are a couple of family photos taken two days before her birthday:
My munchkin looks SO unenthused...
This baby frowns better than anybody I know LOL
These pics are from the weekend right after her birthday. We went to the French Food Festival then walked around in Carytown, a shopping district near our home.
Getting a lift from Daddy
Posing with Mommy before going to the festival
Smiling with Daddy
Cheesing for the camera :D
I thought she would be afraid of the bunny-but she wasn't!
She was completely ignoring me LOL!
Sunday, March 31, 2013
Tuesday, February 19, 2013
New Year, New Posts!
I've been away so long! I will be putting more posts up very soon- I have some great news to share!
Friday, December 14, 2012
Word of the Day: Pictures
Latest photos of my sweet girl:
Motherhood just keeps getting better and better. I love being a mommy ^_^
Motherhood just keeps getting better and better. I love being a mommy ^_^
Friday, September 21, 2012
Word of the Day: Bittersweet
Well, I return to work on September 24th. I'm disappointed that I have to go back. The arrangement that I anticipated did not work out at all, but I am determined to make the most of this situation.
My sweet baby makes me so happy, and I'll miss spending my days with her. But, on the brighter side of things, I will able to enjoy regular adult conversation again :)
.
.
.
.
.
.
.
.
Whatever. That's a crappy consolation prize. I won't be having any more babies until I have the life that I want, that will allow me to stay at home longer than 5 months.
My sweet baby makes me so happy, and I'll miss spending my days with her. But, on the brighter side of things, I will able to enjoy regular adult conversation again :)
.
.
.
.
.
.
.
.
Whatever. That's a crappy consolation prize. I won't be having any more babies until I have the life that I want, that will allow me to stay at home longer than 5 months.
Sunday, August 12, 2012
World Breastfeeding Awareness Week: My Breastfeeding Experience
I talked briefly about my breastfeeding experience on this blog. However, I made a YouTube video, giving more details about it. Please check out my video, that I filmed just a few days after World Breastfeeding Awareness Week:
Saturday, August 4, 2012
Word of the Day: Sixteen
My munchkin is 16 weeks old today! In just a few days, she will officially be four months old! Here is a list of all the things Munchkin has mastered since being born:
-she has a clear preference for Mommy :)
-she can hold her head up without assistance
-she has different cries for different things: a hungry cry, a sleepy cry, and an "I want attention" cry LOL
-she does A LOT of social smiling
-she automatically knows when she is in prime breastfeeding position
-she doesn't cry after baths anymore
-she had hold gazes easily
-she can wiggle close to Mommy when laying next to me :)
-she can stand up for long periods of time (with Mommy's assistance, of course)
-she can sit up for a period of time without automatically toppling over
-she coos a lot and can make baby noises (talking attempts) for 30 minutes or more
-she has trained us to hold her in certain ways: either seated upright or standing up
-no more constantly balled fists! She's learning to use her hands to explore her surroundings
-she does a lot of drooling-teething is imminent
-no more random sleeping! She now sleeps for 6 hours stretches (even longer, if she gets a diaper change and a feeding while she's sleeping.)
And, since I've been gone for a while, updated pictures are in order ^_^
Look for more updates soon-things have been hectic, but I'm about to transition into working mommy mode next month! Talk to you WAY before then :)
-she has a clear preference for Mommy :)
-she can hold her head up without assistance
-she has different cries for different things: a hungry cry, a sleepy cry, and an "I want attention" cry LOL
-she does A LOT of social smiling
-she automatically knows when she is in prime breastfeeding position
-she doesn't cry after baths anymore
-she had hold gazes easily
-she can wiggle close to Mommy when laying next to me :)
-she can stand up for long periods of time (with Mommy's assistance, of course)
-she can sit up for a period of time without automatically toppling over
-she coos a lot and can make baby noises (talking attempts) for 30 minutes or more
-she has trained us to hold her in certain ways: either seated upright or standing up
-no more constantly balled fists! She's learning to use her hands to explore her surroundings
-she does a lot of drooling-teething is imminent
-no more random sleeping! She now sleeps for 6 hours stretches (even longer, if she gets a diaper change and a feeding while she's sleeping.)
And, since I've been gone for a while, updated pictures are in order ^_^
Look for more updates soon-things have been hectic, but I'm about to transition into working mommy mode next month! Talk to you WAY before then :)
Sunday, June 3, 2012
Word of the Day: Bassinet
My little lady is officially 7 weeks old! I can't believe I've had her for almost 2 months. Time is flying! Not only is she getting older, but she's getting longer and heavier. In fact, she's growing so fast that she's about 6 inches away from outgrowing her bassinet! I guess I'll hold on to it, until I know someone who is having a baby that may need it. It was such a cute bassinet, too :( I got it from that awful Walmart, but it was such a good price and easy to assemble. The store no longer carry that model, but it was less than $100 and had both pink and blue accessories so that the bassinet can be customized based on baby's gender.
I was hoping she could use it until she's about 4 months, but I think she'll be out of it before that point. My little baby must be part-weed LOL! She's getting big and changing quickly. Well, here's the latest photo of the munchkin :)
I was hoping she could use it until she's about 4 months, but I think she'll be out of it before that point. My little baby must be part-weed LOL! She's getting big and changing quickly. Well, here's the latest photo of the munchkin :)
Tuesday, May 29, 2012
Word of the Day: Adjust
Now that my attempts to keep the munchkin asleep all night are finally paying off, it's time for me to adjust to more normal sleeping patterns. I'm an insomniac anyway, so I have always kept late hours (even when I would go to work at 4 AM, I'd be up until 12 or 1 AM.) However, with the baby, I was staying up until 8 AM sometimes, only to sleep off and on during the day. Now it's time for me to start sleeping at night again. I don't know how I'll like it: I've gotten a great nighttime TV show routine mapped out LOL! Once I'm sleeping through the night again, I will have to learn what's good on TV during the daytime :)
Seriously though, I'm spending many waking hours trying to find a way to stay close to my baby once my maternity leave is over. I used to have a daily 4 hour round-trip commute to work. Now that I'm a mommy, I can't imagine wasting 4 hours a day in traffic (instead of spending time with her.) I also can't bear to think about the fact that if she gets sick while I'm working, it'll take me 2 hours to get back to her :( It's time to make some changes ...
Seriously though, I'm spending many waking hours trying to find a way to stay close to my baby once my maternity leave is over. I used to have a daily 4 hour round-trip commute to work. Now that I'm a mommy, I can't imagine wasting 4 hours a day in traffic (instead of spending time with her.) I also can't bear to think about the fact that if she gets sick while I'm working, it'll take me 2 hours to get back to her :( It's time to make some changes ...
Monday, May 28, 2012
My Trick for Getting the Baby to Sleep All Night ...
The munchkin has been sleeping on a crazy schedule since I brought her home. But now that she's 6 weeks old, I figured I'd try tinkering with her routine, to see if I can get her to sleep all night. I certainly don't have anything to lose: I'm up all kinds of crazy hours, anyway LOL!
As it turns out, my mother told me that she had a trick for getting me to sleep soundly as an infant. I was born in the summer, and it was HOT when I was born. My mother told me what it took to get me to sleepyland: a very cool room, a warm sleeper outfit, and a full belly. I tried the same thing with my munchkin, and it's been working for the past couple of nights! So excited :) I'm hoping that I will be able to get her to sleep beyond 5 hours, though getting her to this point makes me very happy :D
As it turns out, my mother told me that she had a trick for getting me to sleep soundly as an infant. I was born in the summer, and it was HOT when I was born. My mother told me what it took to get me to sleepyland: a very cool room, a warm sleeper outfit, and a full belly. I tried the same thing with my munchkin, and it's been working for the past couple of nights! So excited :) I'm hoping that I will be able to get her to sleep beyond 5 hours, though getting her to this point makes me very happy :D
Friday, May 25, 2012
Postpartum Checkup
I went to my obstetrician for my postpartum checkup. She checked my c-section incision and gave me the go-ahead to resume normal activity :) This is the day I've been waiting for! I will be starting my new diet and workout routine on June 1st. I'll be blogging it about it :) I can't wait to get back to my pre-pregnancy, pre-marriage body.
My body goals are as follows:
-overall size 4
-24 inch waist
-weigh less than 130 lbs
Stay tuned for updates!
My body goals are as follows:
-overall size 4
-24 inch waist
-weigh less than 130 lbs
Stay tuned for updates!
Thursday, May 24, 2012
Word of the Day: Constipation
My poor little munchkin was so constipated over the past day. She was extra fussy and could not sleep more than an hour or two at a time. I perused a few forums, looking for something to give my baby relief. I found my answer here, at BabyCenter. I decided against doing a suppository (the gross factor was just a bit much for me LOL!) I didn't have any dark Karo syrup, but my mother had purchased some baby juice-apple-prune juice- just in case the munchkin needed it. So I did a half juice/half water bottle. I used one ounce of each. After a few hours, the little one filled her diaper, and she slept soundly after that.
I will be giving her juice/water bottles for another couple of days, just to keep her regular, along with cutting back on baby formula and breastfeeding her more. In the meantime, here is another picture of my little pooper-star :)
I will be giving her juice/water bottles for another couple of days, just to keep her regular, along with cutting back on baby formula and breastfeeding her more. In the meantime, here is another picture of my little pooper-star :)
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)