Charlie has loved his Nuk paci since he was one day old and the nurses shoved it in his mouth after putting sugar water on it, before pricking his heel. We started with the tiny 0+ silicone ones, and moved on up the growth chain, until we ended at the above 18+ months.
Charlie graduated from walking around with them, even at school, to only during sleep time at school, but still allowed by Momma and Daddy at home whenever, to only during night-night time everywhere around 16 months. By the time Charlie was about 22 months, he knew to leave the paci in his bed before getting out it, and coming to find us.
However, with the birth of Lily, it was unsurprising that a few regressions may occur, and the pacifier was the guilty party. Although I did not find him wandering around with it, I would walk in his room, and find him with one in his mouth. And then he would immediately take it out, hand it to me, and say "no paci. not sleeping." Very cute, but this continued, despite me hiding them.
And then, the big problem came when he woke up on Sunday night about 8 times before midnight, crying, and looking for the paci. So, as of Monday, the pacis disappeared, and we are now sleeping without them.
I told Charlie that if he went to bed like a big boy without his paci, he would get something special the next day, and he said, "present?" To which I replied, "Yes," and went and got him a Buzz Lightyear. The next morning, after a night of ZERO wake-ups or crying, he came into my room, and the first thing he said was, "present?" We walked into the kitchen, and he found his Buzz at his placemat on the kitchen table, and we haven't looked back...except to make sure we have Buzz.
When I first entered the cloth diapering scene, I was lost. Completely. FB, BG, TTO, HH, OS,PS, FS vs SS vs APLIX, Pocket vs AIO/AI2, CPF vs IPF....
AHHH!!!!!!!!!!!! I was going crazy, and I had only hit one website. I felt like the first time I actually started reading the chat window in World of Warcraft. LFG, PST, HOTs and DOTs, DPS and OOM. Sigh.
However, now I feel much more literate when reading CD blogs and sites. When trying to find used dipes, I know what "FB OS in GN color, ECU" means. Of course, I would be lost if you tried to discuss with me prefold or fitted diapers with covers. Just because I know the acronyms does not mean I understand the system. I "get" two diapering systems: all-in-ones/twos, and pockets with liners.
And I have chosen pocket dipes for little Lil. I thought I would prefer the snapping perfect sized dipes, I have come to LOVE my velcroed one-sized Bum Genius's. But along with knowing the type of diaper you want to use, you have to figure how to store, wash, and dry your diapers. No bleach, sun and lemon juice, "green" detergent, cloth diaper detergent, enzymes, no enzymes, cold water, hot water, 1 rinse, 3 rinses, essential oils, and on, and on. Another overwhelming step in the process, with it's own set of abbreviations and acronyms to confuse even the most veteran of cloth diaperers.
But just like the many abbreviations, I figured it out, and am sticking to the CDing.
I wouldn't trade my daughter's fluffy bum for anything!
In preparation for the party next weekend, I wanted to test out a few recipes to make sure I liked them before I served them on Sunday.
Nothing tests your math skills like thirding or fourthing a recipe. One third of a 1/3 cup? One fourth of 2/3 cup? I was beginning to become stressed, and even had difficulty with one third of 1.5 cups. I started to grab my calculator, but dumped it for my physicist in the kitchen.
And he must have done pretty good, because the cake and pasta salad came out pretty darn good. Go Jason!
11) Schedule, schedule, schedule. Everything is going to be a little wacky while you are traveling or on vacation. That's expected, especially on the actual travel days. But, as soon as you can, meaning, when you get into town, or the following day, get back on schedule. Make bedtimes the same or within the hour. Still do naps or quiet time at the same time that you normally do. If you change time zones, then follow the time zone you are in, asap! Don't be thinking, "well, it's only 5pm at home, we don't need to go to bed." Yeah, you do. If your kid knew to thank you, he or she would. It might put a kink in your perfectly scheduled day, but you will have a happier child during the times they are awake for!
12) Acceptance Lesson #2! It is important for me to say that the first time I traveled with my (at the time only) child, I just didn't realize that doing late dinners, and have drinks in the bar, weren't an option anymore. I knew, but it didn't register, until I actually got there, and we were rushing around for dinner at 5pm, so we could be back for bedtime at 7pm. I definitely miss those leisurely dinners and late night outings, but I have resigned myself to the fact that this is part of "traveling and vacationing as a family." I think all parents should remember that, and if that doesn't work for you, bring the grandparents, a babysitter, or don't bring your kids!
13) Mommy Juice. In light of #12, we bring several bottles of wine, or order/buy some when we get here. That way we can enjoy a glass of vino after the kids go to bed, and even better, in our pajamas! :)
14) Forget the heels. Ok, maybe I shouldn't say that. Perhaps what I should is, forget the red satin stilettos. Unless, of course, you have a date planned, and you are leavin' the kiddos behind. And if so, I will say, you lucky duck! All my shoes are "heeled" so I can't say that I leave my heels behind. I am a firm believer that just because you have kids doesn't mean you shouldn't look great yourself! But dressy "$100 per plate" clothes are probably unnecessary, unless you typically dine at places like that, even with your children in tow. And if so, more power to ya!
15) Plan sparingly, and have back-up plans. If you are anything like me, you have a list of things to do, places to go, and restaurants to try, a mile long. Take a deep breath, and mark out 90% of them. Will your 2 year old, really like the Civil War Museum? Are there things for her to do while you wine taste? There is nothing wrong with those choices, but if you know a place you want to go is probably not going to suit your child, consider making it a shorter visit, and don't do multiple "non-interested" places in a row. AND, have something else to entertain your child, while you enjoy the walking tour through the Flower Garden. Finally, if your outings include outdoor places, and Mother Nature decides to bestow rain on you, for half your week, find out where indoor parks are. Utilize your heated indoor pool at your hotel! Save the children's museum for the cloudier day of your visit.
And finally,
16) Enjoy your kids. If all you end up doing is lounging in your hotel, at the pool, and ordering room service, who cares, as long as you are having fun, and so are your kids, and hopefully both "funs" are interacting!
6) Invest in a portable DVD player. You will thank yourself on long car trips and flights, or in hotel rooms without DVD players. We don't take short flights or car trips. Our family is on the East Coast and we are on the West. Our friends are in SoCal, and we are in NorCal. Going about 6 hours at at time is the norm, so on those trips, we dump the "no more than one movie a day" rule, and enjoy hours of Pixar, possibly the SAME Pixar.
7) Toys and more toys. Pack a toy bag for the kids. Unless you are flying to see Uncle Joe, and keeps a collection of toys for your kid, don't think things will be fine in your hotel room for a week without some favorite items. If you are flying to see Uncle Joe, still pack a backpack for your kiddo to carry. It will make your life much saner on the plane if your child has things to play with it. But think small. Instead of the entire 126 piece train set, pack 8-10 tracks and a couple of trains. Instead of every toy jungle animal in the collection, choose about 5. Do you really need all 98 crayola crayons--take 10. Smaller sets of items, means MORE of other things :)
8) Get a suite, or adjoining rooms. Truthfully, it's worth the extra money to have a separate room to veg out in for the few hours after you put your kiddo to bed, or during naps. We put Charlie in our bed to go to sleep, then move him to the pull out bed or murphy bed when we are ready to hit the sack. And we get some time to watch TV, talk, eat dinner, drink some wine, without it being in the dark, or worrying about waking up the babies.
9) Unless you have a kiddo that NORMALLY sleeps in a regular "big kid" bed, use the portable crib the hotel has, or a pack-n-play. If driving, we take our pack-n-play, but if we are flying, we use the hotel crib. The Kozy Sak (a fabulous product) works on either, and keeps the kiddos nice and warm!
10) To stroller or not to stroller. Hey, it's your choice, but we are a walking family, and although Charlie loves to run, sometimes he gets tired and cranky, and does the really cool "let me fall on the ground and have a huge tantrum right in front of moving traffic" thing, so it's time to go BACK in the stroller. So, we take it. And now with 2, we take the giant double stroller. People can make all the funny faces and give me as many annoyed looks as they want. Consider where you are going, and what you are doing, and the age of your kids. If you have an infant, you could possibly just wear your baby, and use an umbrella stroller with your older one. But if you plan to get in a car, even rented, or with a friend, you have to have carseats, so consider that as well.
If you search the internet, you can find plenty of lists of things to take on trips when traveling with kids. I don't think some of those people who write those lists actually have kids, or perhaps they do, but have must have an entourage traveling with them. So, here are some of my ideas. Take them for what they are: suggestions.
However, before I start, there is one thing to do first. Acceptance. Just sit down before you travel and accept the fact that now that you have a child (or children), your volume of baggage has just increased to the size of a Mini Cooper. You have one child, you have five. It doesn't matter. Traveling "light" is just not possible. Don't believe people who tell you that.
So, here goes!
1) Start packing a week early. I know I am an obsessive list-maker (duh, look what I am doing!), but truly, make a list of everything you will need, down to the pacifiers, and start organizing bags with items that you can go ahead and pack.
2) Pack a bag for each kid. Honestly, it makes it a hell of a lot easier. When I want a "Lily" diaper, I just go to Lily's bag. When I need Charlie's pajamas, I open his suitcase. When it comes to infant items, like swings and bouncy seats and play mats, pick the one that is the most portable, easiest to pack, and they like the BEST! Especially if you're flying. If you're driving, just consider if you will have to rent a U-haul for a 2 day trip, and if you want to. We like the bouncy seat because it dissembles easily, and it's a way for Lily to "sit up" instead of always being on her back or in the carseat.
3) The clothes equation. Forget trying to have enough outfits. If you have a toddler, they are going to get food and dirt on their clothes, and may have to be changed during the day. If you have an infant, vomit and spit-up are a way a life, and several changes of onesies a day are the norm. Take the number of days you will be gone, and divide by 2, and add 1. That's the number of outfits to bring. THEN, pack a small container of detergent, and do laundry half-way through (or more). That saves on space in the kid's bags. And guess what? You get 1-2 hours of quiet time in the laundry room one evening!
4) Bring snacks, and food easy to prepare. Yeah, you may be able to wait a leisurely 90 minutes after you wake up to eat, but your kid most likely isn't. Try to get a room with a microwave and mini fridge, and have instant oatmeal, or cereal for him to eat while you get ready. We always have a small jar of PB and jelly, bread, fruity cheerios, oatmeal, cashews, goldfish, raisins, juice boxes, and microwave popcorn. And I bring a snack trap or baggies, and make snacks for when we go out, so we don't have to worry about finding (and paying for) food for the baby! Don't forget a set of utensils (including a knife for spreading PB), bowls/plates (make sure you can microwave them), spare sippy cups, and a bib (if appropriate for your child).
5) When driving, plan your stops around rest areas or play areas at fast food restaurants. Yes, McDonald's might not be your preferred dining stop (honestly though, who can resist a Micky D fry?), but 20 minutes of running around in the play area will make your child a much happier camper for the next 2-3 hours of straight driving. Or consider packing snacks and lunches, and stopping a rest areas for outside exercise!
We all knew that we would have babies within 6-8 weeks of each other, and with mine and Kim's out of the way, the final "Cronie" baby arrives in the world.
So, without further ado,
I am tickled to announce that Frankie arrived yesterday, 3/11/10, at 7:10pm. He weighed 7 lb, 12 oz, and a smidge over 20 inches. We wish Tiffany and Frank all the happiness in the world, and hope that you two cherish all these first moments with him.
During this last week, I have sworn off milk products, all in order to see if Lily had a possible milk protein allergy. Fingers crossed, but Dr. Flanzbaum, who by the way I LOVE, thinks that it is most likely Miss Lily is just having explosive poops which cause the little bit of blood.
However, it in this journey (albeit, short) of eating non-dairy meals, I have created two favorite smoothie recipes that do not include yogurt or milk. One has peanut butter, great for additional protein, and the other spinach, for important roughage!
A cup of OJ 2 Tbsp of PB (or I imagine any kind of nut butter) a frozen banana cut into pieces 1 squeeze of honey (probably unnecessary)
Throw into the blender until nice and creamy!
The Popeye Shake. Yes, I know. It looks like dirt. But it really tastes nothing like it looks!
3/4 cup of juice (I use 1/4 c of pomegrante and 1/2 c of oj), 1 frozen banana cut into pieces 7-8 frozen strawberries (or other preferred fruit--peaches, blueberries, etc.) 3/4 c of spinach leaves. Throw everything into the blender and mix until there are no more whole leafs! You will have to scrape down the sides a couple of times, probably, to get the all the spinach blended up. Or add in a smidge more juice to get it smooth!
Lily's new favorite spot to lay and kick around is on her changing table, and I think it's because she likes to look at the framed pictures on the wall above her. You don't need expensive artwork when you have a toddler. Hello, abstract expressionism! I think that's what makes her liking of the two pictures so much sweeter--they were lovingly created by her brother.
Finally, here are a couple of shots of Charlie. He's can be so silly, yet when he sleeps, he's still a sweet baby. Can't you tell?
Before children, I avoided the topic of poop. Simple as that. Yes, everybody poops, but do we need to actually talk about it?? Unless working on potty training with a 2 year old, or discussing a colonoscopy with your doctor, there is no need to go into detail about this function.
But, how my different my life is now. Jason and I regularly discuss this, and now even more than ever with two children, one of which who needs Miralax and prune juice in order to stay regular.
Now, with an infant, as long as poops are fairly regular (i.e. occurring 7-8 times a day OR once every week. Yeah, go figure), yellow and seedy, then we are fine.
But as of last week, there was much more to speculate about, as Lily's poop turned green, mucusy (think stringy), and streaked with blood. After much debate, and thinking I would wait it, we took her in the this morning.
The pediatrician, as I suspected, believes that this is likely to be her reacting to something in my breast milk. In other words, certain foods I am eating are bothering her, and the usual suspect is dairy.
I was put on a minimalistic diet for the next week or so, to see if her stools clean themselves up. This means no dairy for me, and bland foods. Basically, rice, with salt, and nothing else. Plain meats. Boring.
But this is my life, and this is the life of a parent...
