Wednesday, March 14th, 2012
Capturing the First Smiles...
He smiled earlier this week. And this morning I got the biggest grin yet. My little man is melting my heart.
We are both definitely coming out of the fog. It’s been 8 weeks now and that means he is getting more alert each day. As am I. I actually went on a slow jog this weekend. It felt good.
The funny thing for me about baby #2 is how I forget to do the basics. With Fia I had a chart. It detailed her poops, pees, barf and bath. Emmett is lucky if I remember to bath him. Things like tummy time just often get forgotten. Last night I had him on for about 5 minutes and he seemed really excited about trying to roll over.
Our pediatrician had a great line for me I wanted to share. It might be the only thing I believe is true from a peds mouth (I wrote about my frustration with baby docs). He said you’ll be so focused on making sure your first-born doesn’t feel left out, that you’ll give her 80%. And for the rest of her life she’ll feel jipped for not having 100%. Your second born, on the other hand, will be eternally grateful for the 20% you manage to give him.
I had to laugh at that when I realized it had been almost a week since I bathed him. And yet, he seems perfectly happy and chill about it all. Maybe it’s just his temperament but he doesn’t seem like the wild child Fia was from the moment she came out.
My brother is super mellow. He ice climbs. As a profession (technically he’s called an Alpinist). If you haven’t heard of it, don’t worry. It’s insane to me. He lives in a shack in Colorado and travels to places like Patagonia and Pakistan to climb for months at a time.
I am the opposite. I like a good adventure, but I like my beautiful home, and all the comforts that go along with it. In other words, I don’t like roughing it anymore (unless I’m going to re-climb Mt Kilimanjaro).
Yet despite our differences, we’re incredibly close.
It will be fun to see how Fia and Em shape up in this world together. Smiling, I hope!
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bath, brother, doctors, Emmett, Fia, jog, jogging, newborn, newborn milestones, Pediatrician, pee, poop, pregnancy, pregnant, run, running, sister | Categories:
Fearless Feisty Mama, Newborn Care
Monday, January 2nd, 2012
Author’s Note: Join me every Monday as I share Fia’s ongoing milestone (mis)adventures–from potty training to talking to everything in between. Mayhem and mischief guaranteed on Milestone Monday!
Eating her Arm, While Distracted by Computer. Whatever Works!
I think we’ve turned a food corner. I’ve written a few posts about how frustrating it is to
feed Fi. And how I’ve just given in to Sesame Street. She watches while I shove food in her mouth. But lately–dare I say–it’s been getting better? In fact, the TV is rarely on when she eats.
Let me first back up: A few days before our move to LA in October, I took Fia to the pediatrician. I thought Wayne had accidentally scratched her eye, though nothing too severe (apparently a corneal scratch will take a 500-pound man to his knees, fyi. She was just a little whiny and occasionally would point to her eye and say “hurts”). Turns out, her eye was fine. But while I was there, the pediatrician asked about some other things, including Fia’s eating habits. I love Dr. Gold because she is a straight shooter. And her advice seems pragmatic.
I proudly told her our television was in transit and how I’ve turned to circus performing during meal times. I dance, I sing. I do anything to distract and shove food in. But I don’t turn on the television. This seemed a huge milestone to me. She shook her head. Uh-oh, I thought.
(more…)
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circus performance, distraction, eating, Elmo, food, food dilemma, meals, mealtime, milestone monday, Pediatrician, Sesame Street, television, toddler television, toddlers, Wayne, Wayne Sanchez | Categories:
Fearless Feisty Mama, Milestone Monday
Monday, December 12th, 2011
Fia had her 2-year old checkup last week here in LA. I loved her new doctor, Dr. Iyer, at Glendale Pedatrics. She walked in, sat down and said, “Tell me everything from the day she was born.” Wow, I thought, I get the doc for 5 hours. Ha. I gave her the synopsis of her little life and she asked questions, took notes and just seemed very engaged. Not rushed at all.
Fia is developing fine, physically and verbally. No red flags. She said the hypochondria is probably a combination of attention seeking + knowing her body parts, which is very exciting to kids this age. I can ignore a little more, (since right now I immediately go and “kiss” the hurt area), and tell her not everything has to always hurt. Seems logical.
A few reminders she pointed out that I have to stay aware of: toddler safety. Phil and I tend to get a tad complacent, thinking, “well, she knows better than to…(fill in blank).” And for the most part she does. But she is still a tot, so we have to be hyper vigilant. For example, sometimes I’ll let her eat while watching Sesame Street and I’ll be out of eyesight in another room cooking. The doc gently reminded me that humans can choke on just about anything. Even a raisin (I have looked over to Fia before in her highchair and seen a mouth full of them). We always need to sit with our babes while they eat and not leave them unattended. Remember: choking is silent.
Also:
–Plants, including Poinsettias, are poisonous. I knew they were to cats, but I didn’t know they were to us as well.
–Toilets: This is the age where she may start to throw things in the toilet (gross). And along with that, toddlers may reach in to retrieve their toy and fall in since they are head-heavy.
–Make sure chords on our blinds don’t loop. Cut them so they dangle down individually.
–Secure cabinets. Two ounces of perfume contain enough alcohol to kill a small child. Mouthwash too, as it’s 85-95% alcohol.
–Stove top: cook on the back burners of your stove if your toddler is around while you’re cooking. I know Fia can almost reach the front burner now. Also, turn your pot handles inward, so they can’t grab it and pull, potentially spilling boiling water on them, etc.
–Helmets: we are thinking of getting Fia a tricycle for Christmas. From the very beginning make them wear a helmet. You want to develop a life long habit on this one.
And for my own fun, here are her stats:
Weight: 25.4 pounds (30th percentile)
Height: 34 inches (50th percentile)
Head Circumference: 19.25 inches (83rd percentile).
Some helpful websites for safety issues as well:
http://www.parents.com/baby/safety/babyproofing/safety-hazards/
www.safechild.net
www.Cpsc.gov
www.safekids.org
Picture of doctor and baby via ShutterStock.com
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choking, Dr Iyer, eating, Glendale Pediatrics, hazards, Holiday, holidays, hypochondria, hypochondriac, milestone, milestone monday, Pediatrician, safety, toddler safety, turning 2, turning two | Categories:
Fearless Feisty Mama, Milestone Monday, Must Read
