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Archive for November, 2011

Airplanes Really ARE Disgusting

Posted in Firsts, Juggling it All, Rookie Behavior on November 27, 2011| 1 Comment »

Keith and I were faced with the challenge of air travel early in Bella’s life.  Sadly, Bella’s paternal grandmother, Miriam, passed away in Pennsylvania last August when Bella was just 2.5 months old.  We didn’t have time to panic about traveling, as we bought our tickets an hour before the flight took off, since we had to get there quickly.  We bought Bella her own seat, because we didn’t know what it would be like to travel with her and also because we wanted the whole row of seats.  I didn’t want any potentially sick strangers sitting next to us and breathing their germs on the girl-Princess.  Yep, germaphobia runs rampant in my head at ALL times.  We got so lucky – she slept the entire flight – in her car seat.  Not a peep from her the entire 3 hours on the plane!  Hardly believable, right?

MY seat!

Fast forward to November.  Bella was almost 6 months old.  We flew to Pennsylvania for Turkey Day.  Once again, she was a trooper on the flight there.  She ate well, she stayed mostly quiet.  All good.  On the way back, however, she decided to POOP as soon as we took off.  Now, mind you, she doesn’t mind sitting around in a dirty diaper one bit.  But, there was no way to hide what had happened.  I think the whole plane could smell Bella, 36 rows back!  I did a reconnaissance mission to the bathroom.  Yuck.  Maybe Double Yuck.  What ARE people thinking that join the Mile High Club?  I didn’t even want to take my daughter’s pants off in there (on paper towels over the diaper pad), so surely you will never catch me taking mine off in there for any reason!  I decided it had to be quick.  No time for the germs to attach.  Bella and I were in and out of there in record time.  All fresh and clean again.  and LOTS of hand sanitizer.  Everywhere.

This past weekend we went to Nassau, Bahamas.  We decided for a 26 minute flight it would be a waste to purchase a ticket/seat for the Princess.  It was kind of cute having her on our laps – for the first 2 minutes. She’s in a very squirmy stage.  She wants to be sitting up on her own, not being held.  Good thing we brought lots of toys and know EVERY animal noise possible for Old MacDonald’s Farm!  Oh, and apparently altitude is what makes her poop – couldn’t be a coincidence!  This time, we were on our descent into Fort Lauderdale, so I wasn’t allowed to get up to change her.  That damn seatbelt sign!  Our friends 10 rows back said they even smelled her!  There was another baby on the flight, so I blamed it on her… Of course.  Bella had to wait until we could get to the “uber-clean” (insert sarcasm) airport bathroom to get her bottom cleaned this time.  Pretty much just as disgusting as in the air.

Next month the three of us head to Las Vegas.  Bella is getting lots of frequent flyer miles!  She is a real pro at the security pat-down by now too, since I don’t want to put her through the X-ray machine (I had a hamster once that lost all its hair after going through one, so I’m not taking the chance with the baby).  I guess for the next trip, we just need to stock up on more diapers.  And LOTS of hand sanitizer!

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BACK to Sleep

Posted in Firsts, Routine and Rituals, Sleeping on November 18, 2011| 1 Comment »

Sleeping.  Sleeping has always been the time in Bella’s day that scares the crap out of me.  Maybe because it’s the only time that Bella is really on her own and not being watched by anyone.  Maybe it’s because of Sudden Infant Death Syndrome (SIDS) that you read about in every baby how-to book.  Maybe it’s because they make SUCH a big deal nowadays about the “BACK to Sleep” campaign, to make sure the babies are put to sleep on their backs.  Whatever it is, I silently say a little prayer every night to keep our little lovey safe as she counts sheep and drifts off to sleep.  I did not carefully carry her around for 9 long months, give birth to her, fall instantly in love with her and vow to protect her forever for something to happen in that friggin crib!

Apparently the sleeping rules have changed since I was a baby.  My mom told me I was a belly sleeper and so was Keith.  Way back then, they thought babies would choke on their vomit if they slept on their backs.  I guess doctors weren’t aware that we DID have the ability to turn our heads if we needed throw up.  Doesn’t take a rocket scientist.  

Back, Schmack!

But, nowadays, we are unanimously coached that children must be placed on their backs when going to sleep.  It seems that they have decided that babies can’t breathe on their stomachs and since they don’t have much head/neck control, they risk suffocating on their sheets.  Again, assuming no ability to turn their heads sideways.  YIKES.  We were also told to put Bella to bed with absolutely NOTHING in the crib, except the fitted sheet.  So it’s a balancing act to find the right pajamas each night.  Wouldn’t want her to be cold – if she’s anything like Mommy, she will be a big comforter snuggler.  And definitely don’t want her getting too warm – another cause of SIDS.  You can’t have bumpers in the crib.  Apparently babies smother in them, too.  Better to bang their face off the crib bars with no padding ?  Guess so.  And God forbid you put a pacifier or toy in the crib to soothe your baby to sleep.  That would probably equal choke AND smother.  Why exactly do they sell baby blankets if you are not allowed to use them??  I have SO MANY cute ones!  The medical community and the retail community really need to get in synch!

Since Bella has been in her big girl crib, she has been a side sleeper.  I put her on her back, I tell her to stay there, but she doesn’t listen.  EVER.  She rolls immediately to her left side, puts her hands together in front of her face and curls up sideways.  If I try to roll her onto her back, it’s like wrestling a snake.  Fruitless.  So, we learned to live with it.  We  watch the video monitor (yes, of course we have the one with night vision) to make sure she is ok.  She actually does donuts throughout the night.  Many times we wake up during the night and find her facing the opposite direction or even sideways.  What I wasn’t prepared for, however, was this week when Keith handed me the monitor and said “LOOK”.  Our little rule breaker was on her BELLY!  I give up.  She sleeps how she is most comfortable.  She is happy and healthy.  We put nothing “smother-y” in the crib.  We put her on her back every night.  I can’t help it if she simply wants to do things her way.  I encourage her creativity!  And she obviously takes after her mommy.  At least there’s SOMETHING she got from ME!

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Instantly, I Get Competitive

Posted in Bella-isms, Rookie Behavior on November 13, 2011| 4 Comments »

Of course Keith and I (and her grandparents) think Bella is the best, brightest and most gorgeous baby alive. Who wouldn’t? Just LOOK at her. Duh.

See? Sitting.

So it’s a funny conversational “dance” when you talk to other mothers with children about the same age. You compare notes, complain about the post-mommy body changes, basically have comrades that share your woes. But then the topics move to the babies and the gloves come off. It’s a tit-for-tat, one-upping conversation about whose baby has mastered the baby-basics soonest, fastest, best. The books tell you not to compare, because all babies develop at different rates, but WE DO. We can’t help it.

I really didn’t notice it too clearly until yesterday when I was talking to the makeup lady in the mall, who has a baby one month older than Bella. Keith even saw the challenge being extended in my direction. She proudly relayed that her baby rolls over. Yeah, so does Bella. Her baby sleeps through the night. Big deal, Bella’s been doing that since she was 3 weeks old. Her baby sits up like a gorilla. Yep, check, we got that too! Her baby has a tooth and is starting to talk. What? Wait. Liar.

Fair warning to those that do not know me. I’m very competitive and think my angel ROCKS. A very proud Mama Bear, so you won’t win this battle with me. Bella is BEST at everything, of course. And I will tell her that for the rest of her life, so she has unfettered self-esteem. However, we HAVE immediately begun “talking” lessons with Einstein, so Bella learns to say “DaDa” in the event that I run into the makeup lady again next weekend. Game ON.

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Can anyone find my HAIR ?

Posted in Uncategorized on November 11, 2011| 2 Comments »

I know this sounds like bragging, but I have to say, I’ve always loved my hair.  It’s stick-straight.  Brown, but not mousey.  And basically always looks the same, whether I blow dry it, let it air dry, or if I come straight out of the ocean.  Totally EASY hair.  If I had to pick one negative, it would be that it is very fine.  Like baby hair.

So when I got pregnant and was taking my prenatal vitamins, I was even more ecstatic, as it seemed like my pregnancy was a natural hair fertilizer and volumizer!  I rarely needed mousse and my hair grew like a weed. Literally inches each month.  Ok, maybe not inches, but it felt like it.  My hair was even thicker, too!  I was finally one of those two-twist scrunchie girls instead of three.  Little things thrill me, obviously.

Perception is Reality. I just LOOK like I have a lot of hair left.

That’s why my excitement came to a screeching halt about 3 months after Bella was born.  I began to shed.  A LOT!  Like a dog.  A shower-drain-clogging dog.  Or maybe even Sasquatch.  I’ve never seen such hair loss.  I would wash my hair, it would fall out.  I would brush my hair, it would fall out.  Basically, if I would even LOOK at my hair the wrong way, it would fall out.  It was brutal.  I could probably have made a cute wig with all that came out.

Of course, I worried.  Wondering when it would stop.  I definitely fear female baldness.  My head is shaped way too weird.  And, as-if recovering from having a baby doesn’t make you feel crappy enough, now this!  Nature’s cruel trick.  I guess this was payback for having an easy pregnancy, barely any weight gain, an easy delivery and an easy baby.  Whatever.  I don’t completely understand the reason it happened either, except “Dr. Internet” said that hair “rests” during pregnancy – apparently that made ONE of us!

The good news is that it has finally stopped falling out.  We are now at 5 months and the shedding seems to slowly be coming to an end.  Maybe molting season is over?  I guess it is yet another chapter in my journey of motherhood that I will survive gracefully.  For now, I will wear my temporarily thinner hair very proudly, as Bella was worth every last strand!

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Nighttime and Daytime Clothing. And Smothering.

Posted in Bella-isms, Rookie Behavior, Tools of the Trade on November 4, 2011| 2 Comments »

I look at myself as a very doting, loving extremely neat and clean mother.  I actually brag that I think my daughter has the cleanest booty in Broward County.  And I love making Bella look adorable at all times, dressing and undressing her several times during the day – cue the OUTFIT CHANGE!  Not just for pictures, mind you, there could be a very good reason.  Like throw up.  No girl wants to hang out in a onesie with vomit on it.  Trust me.  No matter what your age.

Daytime Clothing

That brings me to the “ease of clothing change” factor.  No one told me that the best outfits for infants are ones with snaps.  And lots of them!  Top to bottom, back to front.  That way you can open the whole outfit up, lay baby on top of it and then snap her into it, rather than having to SHOVE her into it.  Invariably, being snap-challenged, I get all the way to the top or bottom and realize I missed one along the way and I have to start all over again!  Another thing I learned is that footed outfits are great for newborns.  Nothing like having to chase a sock around the house all day.  Socks NEVER stay on babies.  Unless you get the 80s retro tube-sock kind that we put on Bella.  Yeah, she looked cool!  Maybe there is a million dollar invention waiting to be discovered in there somewhere, but in the meantime, I used the footed outfits most of the time.

Anyway, I digress.  Bella is 4+ months old now, so she has both “daytime” and nighttime” outfits.  And believe it or not, they ARE different.  Our nanny was not happy that I was leaving Bella in her pajamas all day.  She felt that she should be properly DRESSED during the day.  Daytime mostly consists of “real” clothing like dresses, tank tops, jeans, t-shirts.  And nighttime is still footy pajamas!  CUTE footy pajamas! 

However, the clothing that emulates “real” clothing often doesn’t have a lot of my beloved snaps.  Every morning when I try to dress Bella, I have to pull some kind of clothing over her head.  And every morning, on cue, she screams at the top of her lungs.  It starts as a low squeal and if I cannot get her hands through the armholes fast enough, she ends up howling like a wolf.  I find each day I treat it like a self-test to see how fast I can dress her to avoid the tantrum.  Keith can clearly hear the “Bella’s getting dressed” time from across the house.  It’s very strange.  I have no idea what gets her so upset.  I know she trusts me, she definitely can breathe, she even looks pretty darn ADORABLE when I am done.  So, I am left to wonder, does she hate the daytime clothing or does she think I am trying to smother her ?

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Boo! So much for Halloween..

Posted in Firsts on November 1, 2011| 1 Comment »

The cutest monkey EVER!

I have to tell you, I was SO excited at the thought of experiencing every “holiday” with Bella this first year, even the ones that we consider to be more the Hallmark variety.  You know the ones – Halloween, Valentines, St. Patrick’s Day.  They would all be so remarkably different from previous years, seen through some fresh perspective and the eyes of our innocent sponge, soaking it all up.   It’s very cute to see her absorbing the concepts of costumes or yummy smelling food in the kitchen (I made rice crispy treats for Keith for Halloween!) 

The company Keith and I work for LOVES Halloween.  Because our busy time is year-end, we take Halloween very seriously, parade and all!  So, this was OUR year.  Bella was going to dress up in her MONKEY costume and she was going to take 1st place in the parade.  Of course.  Hands Down!

However, this year, apparently Mother Nature had other plans.  It rained torrential downpours the entire night of October 30.  Lightning storms so fantastic, they woke me from a deep sleep.  By the time we started our day, close to 6 inches of rain had fallen and most of our local streets were flooded.  So much so, that they had things called “pump trucks” combing the neighborhood trying to suck the water off the streets.  They even asked people to stay off the roads, if not absolutely necessary.  I thought “maybe by 3pm, it would recede far enough to be able to pack my monkey in the car for the 30 minute trek west to my office for the parade.”  WRONG.  In fact, right around then, we were issued a flash flood warning and a tornado warning between here and there.  So, in an effort to avoid ending up in OZ with Dorothy, my monkey and I stayed HOME.

We did not, however, let the rains completely wash out Bella’s first Halloween.  Keith and I dressed our monkey and went next door to our neighbor’s house and then further down the street to our friend Barbara’s.  We HAD to show someone how cute our little trick-or-treater was!  We also took lots of pictures (surprised?) to remember this important first!  Unfortunately, there was NOT ONE SMILE!  Maybe the monkey suit was itchy.  Or hot.  Or just plain weird to her.  Maybe she wanted to be a Princess instead?  Whatever the case, we experienced it together as a family and loved every minute.  As for the company parade, there’s always next year!

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