May 9, 2011

Adios!

Attention all readers! I know I've done this to you in the past and I apologize.
We have moved to a new blog!
I hope you can all follow me there as The Mamasita.
I love you all and hope you can keep reading!

May 5, 2011

Cinco de Mayo

Happy Cinco de Mayo to all of you who celebrate this day.
I admit it's a fun day to have an excuse to break out the chips & salsa and margaritas. 
But did you know that the Americans are the only ones who really celebrate this day? 
I didn't know this before we moved to Mexico. After moving there and expecting to see parties galore I found out that they don't think of this day as "special." 
My husband, who was born and raised there, asked me what Cinco de Mayo was. 
Funny, huh? 

So to those of you who enjoy today as a holiday, Feliz Cinco de Mayo!

May 2, 2011

Doctors

Going to the hospital to have my baby, I didn't have a pediatrician picked out. 
I didn't grow up here so I couldn't use the one my mom used for my sister and I. And I don't have friends here to ask for a referral. So the day we were to head home, I had to hurry up and pick one before they'd let us leave. They gave us a two-sided sheet practically overflowing with the names and numbers of all the doctors in the city. I had no idea what to do so I pretty much just closed my eyes while pointing to one on the page. The only things I knew I wanted ahead of time was for the doctor to be a woman (so that I could easily talk to her about breast feeding) and I wanted to be able to pronounce her last name. 
Not knowing anything about her at first I have discovered that she's been more than I could've hoped for. She, like my childhood doctor, wasn't born in the states. She was born and raised in El Salvador. 
Do you remember when I blogged about her suggesting giving my son tea to ease his tummy and his digestion? When I lived outside the country I was always hearing about some home remedy and so when my husband told me about some of the things (one of those being the tea) she suggested to do instead I couldn't help but wonder why. Well, now I know. I found out that in many Latin & South American countries they give babies chamomile tea to ease their little systems. They even give it to them in the hospital before their first feeding. Weird, right? I also found out that it's 100% natural unlike the gas meds most U.S. born doctors would prescribe. For some reason I have much more respect for this doctor. 

Today we saw her for my son's four month check up. Four months. Can you believe it? It does feel like just last week that we were there for his three month check up.
What's new this month? Well a few things.... 
  1. Solid foods!!! I have been counting down the days for this. I can't wait to see what foods he loves and which ones he hates. So today was day one. We introduced the spoon and ate rice cereal. More about this to come later! 
  2. We were told to buy a bouncer/entertainer, one that he'll be standing up in. Yes. Time to work on strengthening the legs and lower back. I came home and ordered one. It should be here no later than the beginning of next week. (Yeah, it's kind of a long wait for something so exciting but I didn't want to pay the extra shipping costs.)
  3. Thrush. A little bit of it. The medication he has for it now... he thinks tastes gross. If only you could see his face!  [Thrush can cause a painful mouth rash & diaper rash. Sadly he has a little bit of both.] 
  4. He's growing, longer. He didn't gain weight this month [but she said not worry]. He's just at the top 10% of the growth chart in his length. Holy smokes. Does that mean he's going to be giantly tall? [Just kidding!]
It was a greatly exciting day for us. I'll try posting more about solid foods this week. 
Oh! Happy May!

April 28, 2011

Healing

After a long weekend of being sick and the days to follow being full of recuperation I think I'm back.
I have been sick for quite a while but this past weekend blew these past few weeks out of the water. I have had plenty of sick days in my life but none of them compare with being a sick mother.
I had to hand over all responsibilities to my husband and even had to call my mom in the middle of the night to come watch Joaquin while we went on a search for a night clinic. Plus, I couldn't just take any meds from the pharmacy. So I had to suffer until finding a doctor.
I found out the hard way that the night clinics are really only evening clinics and should probably change their names. No one is open after ten or open before nine. So in those eleven hours of the night when only the ER is open, you're out of luck [unless of course, you end up going to the ER].
I did finally go to a doctor. After the Easter weekend was over. [Oh yeah. Even places open on weekends were closed for Easter. Yay!] 
And now I'm starting to feel better.
You have no idea how happy I have been today. I can rock and dance around with my son without doubling over in pain. I can eat when I'm hungry without being too afraid that I'll be sick afterwards.
I know that I'm doing what the doctor told me but I know that God is the true healer in all this. I wouldn't be feeling like this without him.
All I know is that when I put all my faith and trust in Him, He works his magic. Even in something as small as my sickness. Now I'm just praying that the rest of my family can do the same. We just found out that my grandma has a tumor on her kidney after being cancer free for a year. Her surgery to remove it was today. With all my heart I have been praying that my loved ones can love, whole heartedly, the one who heals. If He can raise the dead, He can heal cancer.
Yes, there are doctors. But it is only through God that they have their knowledge and skill. So if you or someone you love is suffering or sick put your trust in God and then the doctor. All it takes is faith.

April 17, 2011

CLOUDS!

It's cloudy today! I can't believe it!!
The sun makes it still bright out but I can live with that.
I'm not burning up by just sitting here. Thankfully.
Praise the Lord.
PRAISE THE LORD!

April 12, 2011

What's Important?

My son is finally in bed and to be honest, I should be getting into bed as I type this.
I just wanted to reassure you all that I haven't forgotten you all and that I have been trying to type something up. Life has just been calling me, or should I say crying for me. (aka my son).
So with that said, a question. Or two.
What in your life is important? And, how do you live your life to make it known that those things are important? Do you talk about it? Do you display it somehow?
Is this thing material or immaterial?

I ask these questions because I have been trying to simplify our life as a family. One day I will have it mastered but until then I'm taking baby steps. I have gotten rid of boxes of stuff. Clothes. Blankets. Dishes.
We just seem to have so many things that we don't need and don't use. So many unnecessary things.
I don't want to get wrapped up in the things of life. The unimportant crap that we keep buying to fill some kind of void. That is not going to be me. That's not going to be my family. And it is definitely not going to be my children. I don't want my son (and any other future children we may have) to ever think that object can be important in life.
The meaningful things in life cannot be bought and sold. Yes, they can be given, received, and taken away. Things like friends. Family. Peace and love.
But there is one thing I want to make sure that he will never ever forget. God. Jesus. Christ.
His love is something that can never be taken away. He is something, or should I say some one, that we just can't live without.

There you have it. One of just a few things that has been weighing on my heart.
Goodnight all.

April 6, 2011

Growing Like A Weed


Today is April 6th.
Which means that my little Joaquin is three months old.
Like I have said before, it seems ages ago that I was in the hospital with him. But then I look at him and wonder how he has gotten so big.
It's like Bill was saying the other day about his chickens. He said that he doesn't really see the growth that much because he sees them every day.
I am with Joaquin every single day, all day long. So I can't really miss seeing how much he's grown. And then suddenly I'm standing there, shocked when I watching him in his swing or playing on my yoga mat.

I also see it with the clothes I've already started to pack away. Zero-three month clothing stopped fitting him over a month ago and only some three month clothes fit him.
Even with all the clothes we have for him [thanks to so many gifts] I had to go to the store to buy onesies that were long and not just short and fat. My baby is NOT fat. He has a little chub which is adorable. I just hate putting him in clothes that are SO extremely huge at the waist. So thanks to Gerber and Circo, we have six new "outfits" to put him in. I say "outfits" because he's usually just in a onesie with a possible pair of socks. No pants. It's just way to hot here.

He's just growing like a weed. [A really cute weed!]

April 1, 2011

April Showers, Please

I tried to sneak up on him and take his picture. I failed. He saw me!

April first.
The beginning of a month that for most shows us the signs of Spring.
Trees and flowers begin to come back after hiding out all winter. Baby animals seem to pop up everywhere. Those April showers come to bring on the May flowers.
Oh, how I hope that we down here are blessed with a month filled to the max with those showers.
My rain boots are sitting here, calling out to be used!

This is a very special month. We will be celebrating our second anniversary. I am so excited that I will actually get to spend time with my husband on our anniversary this year!! Last year, as some of you may remember, I didn't even get to see my hubby. I was stuck here in the states while he was on the other side of the border.
I'm not sure if we're buying gifts for each other or if we're going to buy something we both have been wanting. Or, maybe we'll just save the money and not get anything!
One thing I do know is I am so in love with my husband and just being blessed to be with him here is plenty for me. Not to get all mushy gushy on you or anything, I just want to get that across.
I will admit that it hasn't been easy.
A lot of people say that the first few years are the hardest. And well... Hm. I don't know that I agree. We've had some huge trials in our marriage between living in a war zone to having to live apart from each other for months to living with family. It has been far from easy. But something tells me that if we were to have gone without all those hard times, we still wouldn't agree with those people [who think marriage is difficult in those first years].

I am so blessed. God couldn't have created a more perfect husband for me.
Thank you Jesus, for answering my prayers with such an amazing man! Now, please just bring on those April showers!

March 27, 2011

Go Away Sunshine

Oh dear readers of mine. 

Have you ever waken up on the wrong side of bed and known it? 
Something in you almost doesn't want to be in a good mood. The sun is out, as if to make you in an even worse mood because for some reason even he seems happier than you. And no matter how friendly or helpful everyone around you is being, you just are bummed out for no apparent reason. You just can't help yourself.

That's how I feel today. There might be an underlying cause but I haven't found it yet. Maybe it is because the sun is out today. Like every single day. 

March 21, 2011

TOMS

I am all about 'going green.' Helping the planet. Feeding starving people, everywhere.
When I hear about a good cause, I try to let anybody and everybody know so that we can spread the word to do something about this world we live in. [WWJD, right?]

TOMS makes shoes. They sell shoes. Cute shoes.
When you buy a pair, they donate [a new pair] to a child who would normally go barefoot.
Barefoot. It doesn't sound too bad, right? I mean, I love going barefoot. But none of us would stay barefoot all day, every day.
On April 5th, in just a matter of weeks, we are going a day without shoes. Get people's attention. Raise awareness. Go without shoes.



You can visit OneDayWithoutShoes.com to read more. Also visit Toms.com to help out.

Attention All Mothers

Attention all mothers!
I need your help!

Amazingly enough, my son now sleeps all night. Every night. Joaquin hits the sack around nine or nine-thirty and doesn't wake up until six-thirty or seven. Sometimes it's even seven-thirty. At first this made me so so so so excited. Now I just need your help so I can stay that way, without being in pain.
How can any breast feeding mother be 100% excited about this? For ten hours my little guy isn't eating which makes it hard, literally. I was getting up in the middle of the night to pump. But what's the fun of having a baby who sleeps all night when you can't?! I don't want to have to get up in the middle of the night. This also means that my boobs become rock hard. Not cool.
How do women do it who don't have a breast pump? Like my mother for instance. She didn't have one. And she didn't wake us in the middle of the night for feedings once we slept all night. What do I do? Is there a way to "train" my body into only making milk during the day? Weird I know, I'm just so clueless!
Please tell me there's a solution!

So to all you mothers who have even the littlest thing to say, advice or what have you, comment here. Please! [I'm begging you!] If you don't have kids, you can still write to me here! Any advice or stories are welcome! Thanks ladies!

March 17, 2011

He's Teaching Me

I have been learning. Discovering new little things about my son.

He loves the color red.
And yellow. Just not as much.

He loves the sound of rain just as much as I do. 
It might be the sound of any running water, even the sound of my husband peeing in the next room. I just like to think that it's the rain. (Unfortunately we haven't had actual rain, we just have a swing with a sound machine on it that plays 'rain.')

He loves his blanket.
Especially the blue one and the one with little chicks all over it. [As in the animal. He is not in to girls yet.]

He's picky about his swing.
He has to be facing the way he wants to in his swing. It all depends on his mood. (We have the swing  made by 'Bright Stars' which pivots to face to the left, right and to the front. Thankfully.)

He has his favorite things to look at.
The tree in the corner of the living room. The curtains in our bedroom. And most of all, CEILING FANS.

He loves books. A lot.
Every night before bed we read one or two and some times three of them. 
We have piles of books!
At the baby shower that my friends back home threw me, each lady brought a book. So you can just imagine how many I have from just that. For Marcos' birthday last year I bought him some books to read to the baby (which at that time was in my belly). And I also managed to save a few from when I was little. 
Yes. Many, many, many books.

Here's his favorite ones [and the ones I would recommend reading to your baby]:

The Very Hungry Caterpillar by Eric Carle
Ten Apples Up On Top by Dr. Seuss 
The Very Quiet Cricket by Eric Carle
Mr Bump by Roger Hargreaves
Mr Tickle by Roger Hargreaves
Baby Farm Animals [A 'Little Golden Book']
Scuffy the Tugboat [A 'Little Golden Book']
The First Forest by John Gile & Tom Heflin
The Bossy Gallito retold by Lucia M. Gonzales (This book is bilingual).
Put Me in the Zoo by Robert Lopshire

I wonder what I'll discover next?

March 9, 2011

New Energy


The first month of being a new mom is by far the hardest. 
Getting used to baby. Getting up at all hours and thus the lack of sleep.
Realizing that unlike most mothers you, or should I say I, don't have breasts of steel.
And many many other things.
But once that first month is behind you, life for some reason starts to smooth out.
You start to smell more like you again instead of spit up breast milk.
Cooking and cleaning are no longer the hubby's responsibilities.

We are now into our third month. 
Little Joaquin turned two months this past Sunday.
I certainly don't feel as if the time as flown by. 
Me giving birth seems forever ago.
But I know this feeling won't last long and I'll soon be wondering where all the time went.
One thing I do know is that I have more energy. I am awake earlier. Showered. 
I started to take risks in the kitchen with new breakfast recipes. [One of my goals!] So far my husband is loving it [I think]. I know he has missed me at least attempting to be an awesome wife. 
Things are finally getting easier. I feel more on top of things. 
Yay!

With this new feel I have toward life [or should I say, I have it back] I have this desire for change. Not big change. Walking through my life in my head, I have this desire to be so much more than I have ever been in the past. Setting the goal of being a better wife is a total must for me right now. Other than the few meals I have prepared lately, I haven't been the sweetest wife. I know I cut him off when he's talking and flip out on him when he does things around the house and with baby that are totally different than how I would do them. Putting my face on in the morning and getting out my sweat pants is suddenly important again. [Which makes us both feel good].
One of my most dear friends recently got married and asked me just weeks ago if the problems she was having already in her marriage were normal. The newness of marriage is hard and yes, it does get easier. Getting used to living someone takes times and effort. I have noticed that it happens all over again once a baby is born into the family. It creates a whole new set of trials that you need to go at together even though you want to [and feel like you must] do everything yourself. As you can see I still have my little problems which are mostly because of the crazy hormones but still. [Hey! I can SO blame my hormones for my actions right now! *wink*] With that said, I am going to try to do all I can in order to make my husband super-de-duper proud!
For starters I stumbled upon some new blogs and websites that have inspired me so much that it has him wondering where I suddenly have all of this energy from. And well, let's just say that I am going to set out a jar to throw our loose change in so I can fund all of these crazy ideas floating around in my head. 
We are really, really going to need to move.
I am going to need room for these little projects of mine. I will soon run out of room in this cute but small apartment of ours.

Here's to a new energy and outlook on life!
I hope you all stick around to see [and read] how I do on this journey.
Thanks for your ideas and encouragement.
Cheers!

March 7, 2011

Poop

A baby's first poop is crazy! It's black and it's the stickiest thing you've ever seen. As soon as he or she poops it out, you had better change that diaper. Otherwise you're going to have a hell of a time cleaning that tiny little seat. Oh, and any part of your body that happens to get poop all over it. You won't believe how covered you can get.
Thankfully the tar-like mess doesn't last long. It will soon turn into this yellowish seedy poop that tends to easily fill and leak out of the diaper, no matter what size diaper you buy. 
Not only does the type of poop change but how often it happens as well. At the beginning it will seem like you're changing poopy diapers left and right. And then all of a sudden maybe a few times a week! 
I was worried, as I imagine other mothers would be, at this lack of poop. Well, I found out for sure today that it's totally normal. [That's a relief!]

Anyways. During those first six weeks when my son was filling his diaper multiple times on a daily basis it was so loud. It sounded like a rocket going off in his pants! And no little make-it-yourself model. I'm talking about a huge NASA rocket. So each time he pooped I couldn't help but laugh. I laughed. My husband laughed. My sister and parents. We all were cracking up. It was just so hilarious. 
After laughing for a week or so, I realized that each time my son were to poop in the future he himself would laugh. But I just kept on laughing when the rocket went off.
Soon after that I had a poopy diaper dream. My son was just old enough to walk and run. In this dream he stuck his hands in his diaper, pulled them out and ran down the hall. As he ran he smeared the poop, almost finger painting it on the walls as he ran. Laughing the whole time. 

Just the other day my son had one of his few poops of the week. He started to squeal but as soon as I realized he had just pooped, we both started laughing. I said, "You pooped!" My voice was overly excited and he picked up on that right away. While I changed him, he laughed and laughed and then with this mischievous grin stuck both of his hands in the poop filled mess. Laughing and squealing he pulled them out as if to show me what he had done! And if that wasn't enough, he then pulled up his legs and plopped both feet in it. It's amazing how covered he got in just those few seconds. With him being as cute as he is, all I could do was laugh

For some odd reason, I think my dream will come true.Uh-oh!

March 6, 2011

Moo!

Just a few weeks ago my husband was talking to my brother-in-law about our kids. My brother-in-law and his wife had a baby two months before us. It's kind of cute hearing them on the phone to each other; they try giving each other advice on being dads. 
In one of their talks we were told that his son is lactose intolerant. I thought this was weird because his baby wasn't even three months yet. They [doctors and other genius minds] say that you can start to take notice of what, if anything, your baby is allergic to. 
So if you're breast feeding and your baby starts showing signs of a tummy ache or excessive fussiness, you might want to lay off the dairy for a while to see if it gets better. Did y'all know that unless you ingest dairy your breast milk is lactose free? 
I was very happy to learn all this because I am lactose intolerant. Hopefully my little boy doesn't inherit it. I want him to enjoy my lasagna, to be able to eat pizza and to be able to enjoy an ice cream cone! It did make me sad though to learn that he could have an allergic reaction to the foods I'm eating, for his sake and mine. If you remember, I was able to eat dairy during my pregnancy [and I still can!]. Prayerfully we'll both be able to continue eating from this tasty little section of the food pyramid! 

Most people would think that they could just drink soy milk instead of cows milk. An easy fix. But because of the estrogen properties in soy milk, it's not exactly good or safe for little boys to be drinking [directly or indirectly]. 
Last week a friend told me that she and her son are both lactose intolerant. This friend started telling me what they drink and I had no idea. Coconut milk and almond milk. I had no idea that people drank it straight like that. I've used it in cooking, but never just to drink. Ever since then I've seen both products in the chilled section at the grocery store and countless commercials for both. I think it's pretty crazy how I had never heard of it and then, boom. Everywhere. Now I know what to do just in case I have to make the switch from cow to plant based milk. 

Today on one of the blogs I love, the author posted a recipe for yet another type of plant based milk that I had never heard of. Cashew Oat Milk. 
When I lived in Mexico I learned how to make Agua de Avena [Oatmeal Water]. It's pretty amazing. So I can only imagine that adding nuts would make another tasty beverage.

If any of you ladies are wondering about this allergy and how you get those nutrients you and your little one need, go try the almond or coconut milk. It's right in with the soy and cow's milk in the refrigerated section. If you have the time, go to this lovely lady's blog and try out her recipe
Even if you don't have the allergy... or a baby, go try some of this stuff. 

March 2, 2011

Routine

I think it's pretty safe to say that my son has a routine. 
He eats, naps, and goes to bed at the same times each day.
I am so thankful! So many ladies have told me how long it took for them to create a routine or even just for their son or daughter to sleep through the night.

At the beginning when my doctor told me to try and get him into a routine I thought she was nuts. It wasn't just the fact that he was so tiny (why would someone so small need a routine, couldn't we just play it by ear?) it was also the insane thought of me having to create one for him. I mean, it's hard enough to get myself into a routine and now I was going to be trying to urge this small little person to. With that in mind, I pretty much ignored the advice. Maybe I wouldn't have if she would have given me a few good pointers on how to go about this. [Mind you, this came from the nurse practitioner at my doctor, not my son's]. Now, I say good pointers because the thing she told me to do didn't sound like it would work, and it didn't. She told me that when getting up with my son in the middle of the night, I needed to keep all the lights off and I had to make sure I didn't say anything to him. Ok, no offense lady but in the middle of the night people can't really see. And who doesn't sing or make noise to soothe their child? Especially when the baby is only two weeks old. (That's how old he was when she was telling me this). I know you think I'm probably blowing this out of proportion but you should have seen the face on this woman when she was telling me. Not friendly, at all. Plus, she had just made other rude comments right before this, but we won't go there.

Anywho!  Routine. 
Our nighttime routine starts with him chilling out on the floor of our room [which for some reason is his favorite place in the house]. If you were to walk in on him, you wouldn't be able to stop laughing. He just lays there talking to himself. I put him there and after fifteen minutes or a half hour I start reading books to him. It's amazing how much he loves books. The Mr. Men & Little Miss books, the Very Hungry Caterpillar and so many more. He laughs, coos and squeals looking from one page to the next. I had no idea that he would like being read to so early on. After story time he'll either fall right asleep or eat and then sleep. Some nights we start in the swing and I transfer him to his crib afterwards but we're always sleeping by ten. It's amazing!
Don't freak yourself out if it doesn't go smoothly for you and your little one right away or if you can't seem to get the hang of it. He (or she) will come around. Just try to stay happy and they will start to mold to what you do. At least that's how I'm perceiving it...

March 1, 2011

Facebook & Breakfast


Today, we the blog, started up our Facebook page. It took a little while but I finally hit the submit button after feeding the baby a time or two. So feel free to go and "Like" us. As disappointing as it is, I don't have any rewards or prizes for you if you do like other awesome blogs out there. Maybe in the future though. Just maybe.

Mommyhood, as I like to call it, is getting much easier. I am more inspired and seem to have more energy these last of couple days. [Let's just pray that it continues]. The number of showers per week are increasing. I'm way better at decoding my son's cries and pretty much know what he needs before the boo boo lip makes its appearance. [Which sadly, is one of the cutest things EVER]. Breakfast is actually taking place at normal hours instead of five or eleven. Things are just starting to flow.

Speaking of breakfast! I have been thinking that I need to make it a goal to make breakfast awesome! No more cereal every morning with an occasional pancake special. Breakfast and lunch are the two meals we can have as a family, since my husband works nights. In most homes, dinner is the big important meal where most families have the major, more fulfilling bonding moments. For us it's going to be breakfast. I want to master different crepes and other home made goodness to make it as delicious [and fun, once my son can eat with us] as possible. And then I'll just eat cereal as my midnight snack. Sounds like a plan!
So, what do you enjoy for breakfast? 

[Please forgive me if I just dissed your cereal].

February 17, 2011

Sleep

Last night my sister came over to hang out for a bit and by doing so she got to witness how my son loves bath time. His little whale tub doesn't quite fit under the kitchen faucet, so I fill it in the big tub and then move it to the floor so I can better clean those little toes. Joaquin just loves the water. This is such a huge relief; his first bath wasn't exactly a success. But ever since that first try he has loved it. [I think I'll try showering with him now that he loves it so much. It might be easier than cleaning that whale each time.]

At my baby shower I got all the bath toys I registered for. Foam letters, the tub [that came with a mini whale cup with holes in it], and a whole bunch of squirt toys that look like sea creatures. I figured that I would only be using the tub for while, seeing as how little my boy is. 
Last bath, I took one of the squirty toys to see if he'd react. Nope, he could've cared less. I tried again last night though and he loved it. He let out a small giggle and the biggest smile ever when I squirted him with the little sea horse. So precious!!

After bath time I snuggled him up in a blanket [and his jammies], fed him and he fell asleep. I thought he'd be out for half hour, max. He doesn't usually sleep for longer until midnight and at this point it was only about nine-thirty. So with him sleeping I got to eat again, pump for later that night, and get ready for bed. Finally around ten o'clock I moved him from his favorite little chair [that I call his La-Z-Boy] to his crib. After climbing into bed myself I couldn't help but check on him, thinking he was going to wake up any minute. I also didn't want to fall asleep and have to get up right away. [For some reason that's worse than going to bed late]. But to my surprise, I too was in bed, asleep, before eleven o'clock. Amazing. 

I had had my fingers crossed that maybe last night would be the night that my little man would sleep through the night. Some might say it's too early to even dream of such things, but my mom said that both my sister and I started sleeping all night when we were six weeks old. And well, folks, it's that time already. Joaquin is six weeks old today. Sadly though, he didn't sleep through the night. But I won't complain. He gets up, eats, and goes right back to bed after a good burp. 

Yeah, he's pretty much the most amazing baby ever. 

February 14, 2011

Whooping Cough

There have been a few commercials on TV lately about whooping cough.
And let me tell you, it scares me. The thought that I can give something like that to my son without even knowing or having it myself is pretty crazy.

If you don't know what it is, whooping cough is a flu like illness that can end up killing your baby. Whooping cough is also called pertussis. Any one at any age can get it but it's the most dangerous for babies younger than four months. Babies who are still in their first year of life are the ones most likely to develop serious complications from it.
Now even though this scared me when I saw the commercial, I immediately thought that this was only something that happened a long time ago and that nobody gets it these days. Wrong. I found out that within just the past few years it has become very popular [or should I say 'unpopular']. I don't know exact numbers or anything but I read that just in the years 2000 to 2004 there were over twelve thousand cases in the U.S. alone. I heard that numbers are slowly going down. Thankfully! But don't ignore it. Do something about it.
The best thing I can think of to do to help these numbers and our babies is to get vaccinated. 

Today I got my prevention shot and now it's the hubby's turn!

February 13, 2011

Say 'No' to Valentine's Day

Say what? Yeah, it got your attention didn't it? [I win!]

America, well the United States, has made a huge deal out of Valentine's Day for quite some time now. In my opinion it's just a way for stores to make a boat load of cash. I am not one of those women who detests the holiday for no apparent reason at all and I'm not out to complain about love. [That is something I do have.]
What makes my blood boil has always been around during this holiday, ever since I was born and I'm pretty sure long before that as well. I'm talking about people's "need" for the material.

Marcos and I got a TV for Christmas and thanks to free cable at our apartment I've been seeing all the Valentine's Day commercials that I wouldn't usually see. (I never used to watch TV). So yeah. These commercials y'all have here in the US of A. Mmmm. I don't like them. They have either become more stuck up, rude and desperate or I just didn't ever notice before leaving the country. The so-called things that us women supposedly need to show us we're loved; oh goodness. Chocolates. Flowers. Fine. I understand that some you want to feel appreciated. But diamonds, jewelry, and other luxury items? Come on! Since when did we need those things? Is it not enough any more to get a kiss or a hug? How about a hand-written letter from your special someone? [Not a text or an email].
The one commercial I hate the most is sponsored by Hershey's Kisses, of all people and it's aired on USA Network. They talk about the handmade gifts our children [or maybe even grandchildren] give to us on holidays like these. They go on to show a few kids showing their parents the gifts they made, being all proud telling you through the little gift how much they love us the parent. Cute right? Right. Except for the fact that each of the parents in the commercial makes a disgusted face asking what the hell their kid made. Every time I see this commercial I get really mad and have to change the channel.
Of all the gifts [or sometimes the lack there of] these should be the ones we treasure most. The small, love smothered crafts that can only mean 'I love you.'

Love your loved ones back this year. Show them you're thankful for them.

Maybe you can even doing it by spending zero dollars.

February 9, 2011

1 Month Appointment

My son had his one month appointment this morning.
Now, I might be a bad mother by admitting this but I didn't go with. Yeah, you read correctly. My husband took him, alone. I stayed home to catch up on sleep from being sick. [Did I mention I have the terrible little infection called Mastitis?]
My hubby reports that our son perfectly healthy! Which also means that I must be doing something right as a mother.
At his first check up he had lost 6 ounces since birth making him 6 pounds 10 ounces. [Now ladies, don't let anyone freak you out into thinking this is bad. Nearly all newborns lose weight the first week after birth. This doesn't mean they're unhealthy. It's normal!! (I'll tell you a story about this a little later)] I was really looking forward to today's appointment to see how much weight he has gained. People and books say that a baby should gain 1/2 pound each week in their first month along with growing 1/4 of an inch. Well!! My son weighed in at 10 pounds 8 ounces. That's almost 4 pounds! He's also 2 1/2 inches longer! This all happened within the last 4 weeks. Holy smokes!
At the beginning I, like most new moms, wasn't sure if Joaquin was getting enough to eat. I now know that he has gotten plenty! Super healthy and gaining weight. Healthy weight!
One thing that concerned me starting about 3 weeks ago was him grunting like he was trying to push poop out. I thought he was constipated. [Which would be super sad because I know how uncomfortable adults get not to mention an itty bitty baby]. So I looked up in my handy dandy What to Expect - The First Year baby book why he might be dong that and to see if my suspicions were correct. According to the book it takes babies a little more effort to get poops out and some might grunt (some a lot) while doing so, even in their sleep. My son does this mostly while he sleeps. The book advises that if you want to help baby, you can do some bicycle movements with his or her legs.
My husband told the doctor about it today and asked if there was anything else we could be doing. She gave us a prescription for gas relieving drops but told us that she would recommend us giving him tea instead. Manzanilla tea to be exact[which is also Chamomile to some of you]. But seriously? Tea? I didn't think you could give babies anything other than breast milk or formula. I guess I was wrong...
I never imagined that I would be having tea parties with my son.

February 8, 2011

Nurses

For the most part I loved my stay at the hospital. The first of three baby nurses was great. She advised me on the normal stuff when it came to breastfeeding and had suggestions about foreseen problems. She was overly helpful and very nice. But I don’t have anything nice to say about the other two nurses. The second nurse just wasn’t friendly or helpful. She just made me feel uncomfortable. She even stood and watched me breastfeed. I mean when it was my first go at it I understood because I had never done it before and appreciated the pointers. But this woman didn’t say anything to me let alone give me advice. The third and final nurse to “assist” us was the worst. She seemed friendly but by the end of our stay I realized that she was a tad bit on the forgetful side. The first thing that put me off was she made me stop nursing Joaquin so that she could take him to see the pediatrician. I know that the doctor was making his rounds at that time but they had just urged me to breastfeed as long as the baby wanted and stressed how crutial it was to nurse him at that point so that he would get used to it. They gave me a four pack of ready-made formula in case I would need it. I didn't want it; I was determined to breastfeed but whatever. When they brought him back from the nursery we were given the go ahead to head home. I started packing up when I noticed that only three of the four bottles of formula were there. I was curious as to if it had just fallen out of the cart or if they had used it, but I kept my mouth shut and didn’t say anything. I just wanted to get home.
After getting home, Joaquin started spitting up. You know, the thick white stuff you'd only see after feeding a baby formula. It could've even been from breastmilk but seeing as how my milk hadn't come in yet, I knew that nurse had used the missing bottle of formula.
As for my nurses, one was super great while the other shouldn’t have been allowed to work. The night shift nurse had the shakes so bad that it caused her voice to shake. It was almost as if she had Parkinson’s. She would start talking randomly about only God knows what and it didn’t even seem like she was directing the “talk” to anyone real. It kind of seemed like she had “invisible friends.” Of course she had to be the one to take out part of my IV. I was so scared that she was going to rip it out of my arm! That’s how bad her shakes were.
My mom ended up staying with me that night while my husband was at work. She told me that when she left that morning Nurse Shakes was talking to herself. She was sitting down the hall from the other nurses all alone using an iPod. She was talking about how so and so has been pregnant for a year and still hasn’t had her baby. And then she went on talking about something else. My mom just walked away and soon heard the nurse say “Well, goodbye!” She said it was really freaky and agreed with me that she shouldn’t be working, let alone as a nurse.

After a few days the hospital called me to check on how the baby and I were doing and to allow me to give opinions of went at their facilities. Oh man! It was finally my chance. So I let this lady know about the worst of the baby nurses [who gave Joaquin formula when I told her not to] and the nurse with Parkinson’s. I didn’t remember the name of the baby nurse but I knew when her shift was. Thankfully the lady on the phone seemed just appalled as I was about both nurses and said things would be done thanks to my complaints! Wahoo!
So hopefully, if I ever go back to that maternity ward those ladies won’t be there.

February 5, 2011

Labor & Delivery

On January 5th my day started out by going to the doctor for my 40 week appointment, at that point I was so ready to not be pregnant anymore; I had really hoped that I wouldn’t have had to go for yet another visit to the doctor. After the routine weight check and the millionth time of peeing in a cup, I met with the nurse practitioner and was hooked up the non-stress test. After checking me [and baby] she informed me that I was all ready to go. That if I wanted, they could induce me.


Even though I loved the thought of not being pregnant anymore, I still wasn’t fond of the idea of using chemicals to bring on labor. I had also heard that contractions are much stronger after you’ve been induced. So after thinking it over and making a pro-con list with Marcos we decided not to do it and just wait. By the look that appeared on the face of the NP, she thought I was crazy. But I didn’t care.

Marcos works second shift and doesn’t get home until after midnight, any time between midnight and three in the morning. As soon he got the job, I started praying that I’d go into labor either on Sunday (his day off) or in the morning. I mean, what woman wants to be in the hospital, in labor, alone? Not me!
So, that day after getting home from the doctor hubby left for work. And there I sat, like every other day until late that afternoon when the contractions started. I wasn’t really sure if they were real. They weren’t consistent and didn’t seem to be progressing much. I even started ‘journaling’ the times when I had them in order to keep track. By the time Marcos got home my contractions had become more regular and by 4AM they were about five minutes apart. So of we went to hospital.

After going through a million questions in the triage, I was told that my doctor wanted to start me on some meds to speed up my contractions. I wasn’t too pleased, but I didn’t want to complain at that point. By 7/7:30AM I was throwing up because my contractions were so strong. [Thanks to the meds!] That was by far way worse than the contractions themselves which were pretty darn painful to begin with. So not being able to control my vomiting (Oh and my body was shaking extremely out of control. It was almost as if I didn’t have any control over stopping it.) I made the decision to have an epidural.
Now, this whole pregnancy I had been telling people and myself that I wanted delivery to be as natural as possible. So I was kind of disappointed in myself at first for having help. I will also admit that I was a little nervous about getting an epidural, more so than the thought of pushing a baby out of my body. But once that catheter was in and started working, I loved it. I even got to rest while I waited for the labor to progress. My water did break on its own, which I was happy for. That was at about 11 o’clock. By 11:50AM our son was out!

I was just as excited for the birth as any other mother would be. They put the baby right into my lap as soon as he was born. But I found it kind of annoying that the nurses coach you even after the birth. “Hold him. It’s your baby!” I know all of that. “Look at him!” It felt almost as if they didn’t think I wanted him. All I was doing was trying to catch my breath. I mean, come on! I just pushed for nearly an hour.

Other than being sick during labor, it wasn't a bad experience. From all the stories and TV shows on the subject, I expected it to be much worse. And maybe it would have been if I would have gone 100% natural. I don't think I'll ever find out. If I get pregnant again, I am for sure getting that epidural and this time it will be before I get sick!

January 30, 2011

Finally!

Well, the last time I blogged I was complaining that I was two days late. That same afternoon (late afternoon) my contractions started. They weren't really constant and I wasn't even sure if they were contractions until late that night. At around one the next morning is when they started to "progress" and actually seem like contractions. And by 4 am we were at the hospital with my contractions being 5 minutes apart.
That morning, the morning of January 6th, our son was born! A son! I have a son! I'M A MOM!
He was born super healthy, measuring 20 inches and weighing in at exactly 7 pounds. Oh, and by the way, he's the cutest little boy I've ever seen!
So as you can probably imagine by reading this, I didn't have to be induced! I am very proud of this and very proud of the fact that I didn't need to have a c-section. They did end up giving me meds to help my contractions progress faster, which I now know makes me sick. [I was throwing up like crazy]. I also ended up having an epidural, which I didn't plan on. I'm pretty sure that if the oxytocin hadn't made me super sick that I could have gone without it. But to any of you who are nervous about getting one or not sure because of horror stories you've heard, don't sweat it. It was pretty much painless to 'install' and from there on it was smooth sailing. With having the epidural, labor and delivery was a piece of cake!
The absolute worst part are the first few days of being home. The aches and pains plus the newness of being a mommy is just overwhelming. It isn't bad, it was just unexpected for me. Thankfully I have my parents close and an amazing husband who have helped me out so I don't lose my mind and have given me the chance to shower! (Thanks guys!)
So if you are pregnant or thinking about becoming so, it's all good. Don't worry! The "bad" parts aren't bad, they are just unexpected times and moments that you'll know how to take care of in no time.
Want to know something else cool? A week after the delivery, I could fit into my pre-pregnancy jeans! No more belly, at all! And...!!! No stretch marks! Mama Bee worked! [If only I would have used it on my boobs more! Yes, they are huge now. And thankfully are no longer engorged!]
I hope to blog more. I have been journaling and have more on labor, the somewhat creepy nurse and more. I just haven't had the chance to type it. Stay tuned.

ps. Our son is three and a half weeks old!

January 5, 2011

Two Days Late

To be induced or not to be?
That is the question.

Had my appointment this morning.
It started out as usual. Had my first non stress test today.
Not too bad, just slightly uncomfortable.
The unusual yet funny thing is that during the exam the doctor informed us that she could feel the facial features of the baby. [What? That's possible?] I was slightly shocked but it only made me want to see that face so much more.
The doctor also reported that I'm all ready to go and could give birth now if I wanted. She asked if I wanted to be induced today or tomorrow night. After thinking about it, I made the difficult decision to just wait and see if I can go into labor on my own. As much as I would love the back pain to be over with and to be able to sleep in whatever position I'd like, I just couldn't say yes to that.
So I went ahead and made an appointment for Monday. If baby still hasn't come, I'll be heading to the maternity ward to be induced. Prayerfully I won't have to wait 'til then.
Oh baby. You have my go ahead to come on out!

Oh! And did I mention that we're moving? Yeah. We are. I'll let you know how that goes.
I think that may have been the main reason I didn't agree to being induced yet. I want to be all moved in before baby comes. That makes sense doesn't it?

January 4, 2011

One Day Late

Well so far this little one is one day late. Hopefully I won't be posting too many similar blogs to let you know that I still haven't gone into labor.

I have yet another doctor's appointment tomorrow. One I wish I didn't have to go to. Yes, it will be the same old same old. I was just hoping that this baby would be out by then. I sure hope it's [the baby] not too comfy in there. We want him [or her] out!

One thing I've been thinking about. I've heard and read that baby should become less active as the due date approaches. That because of the lack of room in there, baby has a harder time moving around. Well, let me just tell you! To any of you gals who are worried that baby moves too much or anything of the sort, don't worry. My baby is still extremely active, mostly when I'm trying to go to sleep. [I just thought I'd share that tid bit of information].

Now, I know you are all anxious to hear from me that I've gone into labor or even just had the baby.
Not to disappoint or anything, I just don't think that I'll be logging on once I go into labor and I know that I won't be logging on within the first few days, at least, of the baby being born.
But there will be news coming, eventually. So don't fret.
Soon enough some of you will be getting calls from my husband, my dad and of course my mom. The rest of you will be hearing it through the phone tree or grapevine. But you will all hear. And see, eventually.
So hold your horses people!
If I have to be patient, so do you!

January 3, 2011

Due Date

So, the day has come! Ok, let me rephrase that.
My due date has arrived.
But baby still hasn't signaled that it's time.
I guess that since only 5% of women actually have their babies on their projected due dates, I might be out of luck.
My mom was 3 days late with me and a week late with my sister. I can only hope and pray that I don't go anywhere near that long.
Now don't get me wrong, I haven't been sick at all during this pregnancy. Many people continuously ask me how I'm feeling and how I'm doing, as if I were ill or having a terrible pregnancy. To tell you the truth, I have been so blessed that I can't even fathom how pregnancy could be better or easier.
My little body is sore but I won't complain. I'm also super happy that you can't tell I'm pregnant from the back. Which can only mean that once this little one comes out, my body will quickly go back to normal.
With each day that passes, I only get more anxious. Please be praying that I don't have to wait too much longer. Also, I want to avoid being induced. So pray for that too.