Save the Date! May 16, 2009

I'm starting to plan Isabella's 1st Birthday (we're celebrating that weekend on 5/16). It should be pretty exciting. I'm feeling a bit zealous and want it to be kind of spectacular... I mean, what mama doesn't? ;)

I ordered her invites from Tiny Prints. We got our Christmas cards done there and I couldn't be more pleased. They usually have coupons floating around magazines and the internet. Right now, you can use "GINGERSNAP" for 10% orders that are $75+ (found in Cookie Magazine). The cards are nice and sturdy and I love their designs.

Next, I'm thinking about favors and decor. Should I go with a theme?

We have her outfit set: she'll be wearing a traditional Korean dress, the han bok. But we'll probably have to do an outfit change.

... back to planning ...

Gangsta

So I feel kinda gangsta in my new ride...

And here's my little gangsta trying to rob a train.

The Ultimate Family Vehicle

For the past week or so, the hubby and I have been scrambling around for a new car. We both drive pretty old cars and at least one of them will give out within 2 years. Also, we wanted to replace the dear Benz S500 my husband tragically totaled awhile ago. So I apologize for being absent to my HUGE fan base (insert awkward HAHA). Really though, this blog is not to be anything more than it is.

So, we're on the quest for the ULTIMATE family car and there are a few things I just couldn't see myself doing without:

• Captain seats. I love the space inbetween so that you can put things there or use it as a walkway to the third row. Plus, you can put a carseat on one of the captain chairs!
  
• Third Row. For when we drive with the grandparents/uncle/aunties/other friends!
• iPod hookup. Need I say more?
• Storage. I store in my car: booster seat, shopping cart cover, baby carrier (Ergo), a couple toys, and Bugaboo stroller. I obviously need the storage and I don't expect it to dwindle anytime soon...
• Navigation. I consider it a godsend! My favorite part though is that it tells you if you're going north/south/east/west. My older Hyundai has no such feature to my dismay

Mission almost accomplished

Playdates

Playdates are a good way for babies and moms to socialize. When they're younger, they seem to be more for the mamas but that's "Ok!" in my opinion. Mamas need to get dressed, put a tad bit o' makeup on, and get some fresh air to feel as normal as we can so that we CAN be good mamas at home.

If you're in the SE Michigan area, the Beaumont Hospitals offer a really great parenting program. They group you with other parents and babies similar in age that meet either in the mornings (mostly stay-at-home mamas) or in the evenings (where I hear daddies come too). They even provide you with a group facilitator that will schedule speakers and events for you. I like that you not only get to ask your peers for advice but you get real professionals too. Even though our group officially ended, we still meet up and really enjoy it. We've become friends and so have our babies!

And call me crazy, it seems like our bootiful bebes really "learn" from each other too. They start doing things you've never seen them do while at home!


Here are a few guidelines to follow to have a successful playdate:

• Find a time that works best for everyone, especially the babies. Don't schedule something during their routine naptime.
• Outings shouldn't be day-long events. I'm sure every baby is different so use your discretion and do what's best for your babe. Isabella does best with a 2-3 hr maximum (coincidentally, the maximum amount of time she can stay up before turning into the Hulk!).
• Sick babies and/or mamas need not spread their germs. No one likes a cranky baby--especially if it's your own! As much as you want to get out of the house, if your little one has the sniffles, you should stay home. [or, my secret trick is to go to the mall/grocery store/park instead for some fresh air]
• Rotate meeting at each others' homes, parks, and public areas. It's nice to change things up and change the scenery. Today, a few of Isabella's friends are meeting up at Pottery Barn Kids for a Sing Along concert! [unfortunately, my sleeping beauty reached her 2 hr maximum. after her nap, we hope to join them]

If you have other "rules" you like to follow, share them!

Raisins

I'm not referring the toddler-favorite snack... unfortunately, I'm talking about my milk-producing boobies. Yes'm, my deflated boobies.

Breastfeeding is one of the best things you can do for your bootiful bebe. However, it's not as easy as just whippin' it out. For some lucky mamas, it is. For others, like me, it was a long journey where I wanted to give up many times. But I pressed on because other mamas that quit early, most will tell you they wish they had tried harder. Just try to get past the first 8 weeks and you're golden.

For one, it's the perfect milk and it's so much easier to nurse (and cheaper!) your little one than to buy bottles, clean them, sterilize them, boil/sterilize water, measure formula, mix formula, put together the bottle, and finally serve. Whew! All you need to nurse anywhere is a Bebe Au Lait nursing cover. At first, I was shy and would run to any private room I could find. But with a screaming baby in your arms and all eyes on you, you just learn to shed any embarassment (and really there shouldn't be any. plus, i used a nursing cover for goodness' sake!) for your baby. Maybe that's what motherhood is largely about: knowing when to put your baby before you.

Recently though, I had to learn to put myself first. And it's hard... really hard to say, "no, I can't do that anymore." Breastfeeding puts your body to work and burns lots of calories. And for me, it helped me lose ALL the weight and a bit more from my pregnancy. But I couldn't keep up with food intake to make enough milk yet keep my body at a healthy weight. [ You see, if you don't take in enough of the nutrients to produce what your babe needs, your body will take it from your own (yikes!!).] After getting a bad case of strep throat, I lost too much weight and started looking 'homeless person' skinny (definitely not sexy skinny). I decided then that it was too much for my body and for me to be the best mama, I had to be healthy.

Before you wean (IF before 1 yrs old), you want to try the bottle a few times to make sure your bebe is okay with it. You might have to experiment with several kinds before you find the *golden one* too. I started pumping 3x day and gradually took away a pumping session. Currently, my once-full boobies (and boy did I enjoy their once-full state) are starting to look more like... I need to invest in some new brassieres. A bit embarassing to tell the entire internet community but motherhood also develops in you the ability to laugh at yourself and not take anything too seriously.

Hmmm, raisins.. wanna share?

do what you can do--no more, no less

My mantra this year.

I consider myself an earth mom wannabe. I'm nowhere near educated on carbon prints, co-ops to buy food, buying half a cow [seriously, I've never even heard about buying half a grass-fed cow until recently and I wouldn't even know where to begin to do that. And I thought co-ops were places where people lived!]...

But I do what I can to be eco-conscious (and budget conscious too!). I've picked up a few things here and there that I feel are easy for a new mom and surburbanite like me to do (and I hope the list only grows!):

*Buy organic produce for the "Dirty Dozen" (deemed the most 'worth it' of produce to buy organic):
-peaches
-apples
-sweet bell peppers
-celery
-nectarines
-strawberries
-cherries
-lettuce
-imported grapes
-pears
-spinach
-potatoes

[at the same time, i have to note that if the above are not available in organic or it doesn't fit your budget, just buy the regular! it's far better to have them in your diet and in your home than not at all simply because it's not organic. plus, i believe in just doing what you can do--no more, no less]

*I also buy my dairy products mostly organic: 1% milk, soy milk & eggs (I find it's cheapest at Costco and their milk actually tastes GOOD. Horizon, for example, has a funny taste that most organic milks have due to ultra-pasteurization). Sure our parents and grandparents didn't have those offerings and we turned out fine but I have to say, we live in a different world now. It's scarier to me. And has anyone noticed that kids are BIGGER these days?? I dunno, in my crazy mind, I feel like it's the growth hormones our cows and strawberries are being fed.

*To save energy, I leave our heat on auto and leave the temp around 68-69 degrees. Instead, on cooler nights/days, I wear a scarf and/or puffy vest around the house. Isabella will wear fleece sleepers and I adjust what she wears underneath: short sleeved onesie, long sleeved onesie, short long sleeved onesie + pants, then plus socks.

*I'm not very good at recycling glass/bottles so I've bought reusable grocery bags that I try to remember to take with me!

*And what I enjoy most about being green is that on nice days, I walk to the grocery/drug store/Starbucks. I live in Suburbia but a very convenient one. [P.S. buy the best stroller you can afford and you'll never regret it!]

Okay... just a running list for now.

my bootiful bebe

Said in the voice of Pepe le Peu is what my Isabella hears every morning, after every nap, inbetween diaper changes & kisses, during meals, while I brush her hair... needless to say, probably too many times for any passerby to listen to. It's just something no mama or papi can resist, almost instinctual and a given right as a parent to think your baby is the most beautiful.

Here she is, my bootiful bebe: