Category Archives: Kids

Are Vaccines Evil?

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So many people have varying opinions on whether to vaccinate their kids or not. One, it is hard to get a child into the daycare, either home or public if he or she is missing the required vaccines.  Second, what about these so called diseases? It’s hard to argue because some diseases are extinct or very rare. On the other hand they still pop up here and there and the doctors argue that if we stop actively vaccinating, they will come back. Third, both, me and my husband received whatever vaccines were required at the time and seem to do okay.

Here is the thing, Continue reading →

Ear Infections No More

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My 18 month-old son has been getting ear infections every couple of weeks to a month for the past 5 months in the row. About 2 months ago we’ve been given a referral to the pediatric ear, nose and throat (ENT) specialist for placing tubes in his ears. We were very reluctant to doing this due to both, the effectiveness of this treatment and the cost of the procedure itself. We have a high deductable insurance plan, so unfortunately we would have to flip the bill for his treatment.  After calling the ENT specialist and learning that just the consultation alone will be $300-$500, I decided to try something different.  After pondering numerous advices from family and friends, we ended up trying three very cheap suggestions that made the most sense to us.

First, Continue reading →

Nathan’s Walking

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I know it’s about 3 months late, but Nathan is walking! He made his first steps on April 21; his first three steps. His 14-month birthday came the day after on the 22 and on that same day he started walking for real! We were at my mother-in-law’s house, gathering for something, possibly Easter. We had Bryan and Joanna there and Dave’s grandparents. It was awesome, he’s such a show-off.  He was so excited to walk to me, it seemed like at that moment his main motivation to walk was to get to me, his one and only mama. And he was so happy, with big smile he was reaching out to me with his tiny hands and moving his tiny feet along the carpet… This precious memory will be with me forever because that was one of the moments when I felt that being a mother is one of the greatest rewards of life.

Nathan’s Talking

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Nathan is already 16 months! Where does the time go?

For the longest time the only sound he’s been making was “A-Daaaa” and different variations of it like the French version “A-Duaaaa-a-a-a” and the casual version “A-du” and the other version “A-doe”.  Also, since “A-doe” sounds almost like “All Done”, my motherly brain’s, been telling me that that’s exactly what he’s been saying all these months at the end of his meals. And you won’t convince me otherwise!

Anyways, today he graduated to saying “E-ka Ba,” almost every time after I would say “Take a Bath”. Now this I didn’t make up!  And he kept repeating it even after he was done with the bath. He’s so enjoying his new abilities.

He also likes to sing ABCs song. It usually starts in the middle and  doesn’t go till the end, but who cares, right?

That’s my boy :-)

The Potty Training Challenge 3

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It’s been a while since I updated about Elyana’s potty training, since the last couple of posts, “The Potty Training Challenge” and “The Potty Training Challenge 2″. Basically, we didn’t have much progress since then.

It seemed like she developed a phobia of going into the potty. She’s been perfectly ready for the potty for at least 6 months. She’s been able to go without a diaper without an accident for a while. As she needed to go, she would request a diaper. And if we tried to make her go into the potty instead of a diaper, she would put up the biggest stink. It involved lots of screaming, crying, resenting sitting on the potty, until she had no choice but to go on the floor!

Finally a few days ago I decided to enforce the “no diaper” policy. Basically, I wasn’t willing to give up no matter how much stink she puts up. The goal was to make her go into the potty versus the diaper or the floor. I even sweetened up the deal by promising ice cream if she goes into the potty.

First couple of times we had to force her to sit on the potty while she was peeing. It came to the point where she would cry, scream and shake from trying to hold it in. But eventually, she just had to let it loose. There was quite a bit of spillage, but some of it made into the potty. After much praising she got her ice cream.

Now she seems to enjoy peeing into the potty. She gets really excited when she does, she runs around clapping and proudly showing everybody her full potty.

But our work is far from over. Our next step is to make her go #2 into the potty. The ice cream deal didn’t seem to work tonight. We’ll see what happens tomorrow!

Family Update

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Seems like I’ve been moving a mile a minute since Nathan was born seven weeks ago. Now the randomity of dealing with our new family member is wearing off, and the well-desired routine is settling in.  A quick update is long overdue after taking a 7-week break from blogging.

Baby Nathan is now 7 weeks old and is doing well.  Alas, last couple of nights I went to bed before midnight for the first time since he was born. Usually he needs attendance until 1-2 in the morning before going down for the night. I’m hoping that the pattern of him falling asleep at a normal time continues, since I have to be up for my oldest at 7:30.

He’s been smiling for couple of weeks already. Best time to catch him greening is in the mornings or while changing his diaper. He loves attention. His fussy time is at night, starting around dinner and ending with his last feeding for the day, at around 10. Often we have to move him to his crib during dinner for the sake of our sanity. Though having two-year old around kind of defeats the purpose.

Elyana is still going to daycare twice a week and seems to enjoy it. I enjoy a little break from her as well. She learns a lot there and constantly shows off new words and skills she learned there! Her language skills and awareness of her surroundings are improving a mile a minute. Just yesterday I missed a turn to the library and as soon as I did that, she yelled: “Mommy go where? Mommy go where?”. That caught my attention and I made a U-turn before I drove too far. Elyana is quite a dancer and a singer. She’s more likely going to be artistic and I can’t wait to get her into something that involves dancing or music of some sort.

I’m fully recovered from delivery and working at establishing a realistic exercise routine for myself. Breastfeeding is taking up a good chunk of my day, though it’s getting easier as the time passes by. Lack of sleep and possibly other things are starting to affect my ability to remember things. Sometimes I feel like a complete cluts! I’ve given up at keeping my house “perfect” and my face made-up, as I simply don’t have the time! As long as I manage to clean the kitchen, pick up loose toys around the house, brush my teeth, wash my face and conceal the dark circles under my eyes, I feel pretty good! At the end of the day, I’m not going to remember how clean my carpet was or whether I made up my bed.

On a different note, I’ve been accepted back into graduate school at USF for Masters in Environmental and Water Resources Engineering. I took a break after my daughter was born in December of ’07. Not sure if I will be attending this summer, since only couple of courses are offered by a different engineering department. Though it would be nice, since they are being offered online!

Preparing for a New Baby Minimalista Way, Necessary Baby Equipment

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My other posts from this series:

Furnishing a Nursery

Choosing a Stroller and a Car Seat

Choosing a Jogging Stroller

In this post I am going to focus on other baby gear that I personally found important to have and why. If you’re about to have a baby shower for your first child, walking through the baby store’s isles can be overwhelming. So many articles, they all seem important and possibly necessary. Monitors, crib mobiles, swings, playpens, bath tubs, changing table pads, diaper disposals etc, etc… I think it’s important to separate these items into three categories, “not needed”, “I could possibly use that” and “I definitely need it”! From that point you can make a decision for what you need to purchase based on the necessity level and the budget.

Even with my first one, I used careful judgment at picking baby items (yep, I’m a minimalista!).  I evaluated how long I would be using the item, how much it costs and what is its necessity level. And since I knew ahead of time that we were planning on two kids, I picked the colors to cover either gender.

This is a list of items that I’m glad I got, since they were well worth getting.

Playpen/bassinet combination with changing pad is a definite necessity and will serve your child from birth until 2 or 3 years old. I decided not to purchase changing table, see why in my previous article and started using playpen from the time my daughter was born. I didn’t use it as a bassinet, since it’s bulky and not easily movable. When my daughter grew up a little, I got rid of the changing pad and started using it as an actual playpen. It’s definitely a lifesaver when you need to leave the room to take a shower or if you’re cleaning the house or when they simply misbehave! Since it can be folded into a compact bag, it served Continue reading →

Preparing for a New Baby Minimalista Way, Choosing a Jogging Stroller

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Before I even start talking about choosing a jogging stroller, here are some questions I think you should ask yourself:

  • How often are you planning to use the stroller? Once or more per week, once a month, when the opportunity comes up? This could decide the quality of the stroller you want, besides just the features. You know the saying, you get what you pay for! The more you use it, the higher quality stroller you would want. (always check reviews!) If you’re not planning on using it much at all, maybe going with a used one is a better option!
  • Are you planning on having a second child and when? This can decide whether to invest your money in a new or used, top of the line or a less expensive version. If you’re planning on the second one pretty soon, then buying the top of the line single jogging stroller may not be the best option financially. With the second child, you would probably want to upgrade to the double stroller.
  • What activities are you planning on doing with the stroller? Are you mostly a walker or runner, what type of surfaces are you planning on covering with it? Again, this decides the durability you would want to expect from the stroller. Many people use their jogging stroller to walk on the paved path in their neighborhood or at the mall. Well, then you don’t need a top of the line, highest quality stroller. If you’re planning on running on the beach or over uneven surfaces, like the wooded paths, grass, rocks…, then you would want something sturdier, with quality wheels that won’t twist or pop and would deliver according to your expectations.

Like I was saying Continue reading →

Preparing For a New Baby Minimalista Way, Stroller and Car Seat Selection

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In my earlier post I talked about saving money on furnishing and decorating the nursery. In this post I’ll be talking about picking the right stroller.

In my opinion, an every day stroller is not a thing to buy at the garage sale. Since it has a few nuts and bolts, moving parts, folding mechanism, you want these things to be sturdy, last a while and work well. If you’re anything like me, you’ll be using your stroller a lot. I use it to go on the walks in the neighborhood, shopping, play dates, adventure parks, etc.

Before purchasing I would strongly recommend Continue reading →