Rash

After having introduced Mila to avocados on Monday -- which she loved -- we gave it to her again the next day. After you've introduced a food, you're supposed to continue giving them the same food for 3-5 days to see if they develop any allergic reactions to it. So far, we've had no problems. But on day 2 of having avocados,  Mila developed a rash! It was all over her chest and her back and in all her chubby rolls. Could it be an allergic reaction to the avocados?

We took her to the pediatrician to check it out, and he said he didn't think it was an allergy. He said he thought it might be a virus. Bizzare! A virus in the form of a rash? He said all we could do was keep an eye on it. He couldn't do much else. If she had a fever over 102, than we should go back. He said he thought the rash would probably get worse before it got better.

The next day, just as he said, the rash got worse and went from splotchy to all-over red. Poor thing! It didn't seem to bother her though, it just looked irritated. It was better by the third day, and then practically all gone by the fourth. We're going to try avocados again next week and keep an eye out to see if she has another reaction, just in case. I hope it's not an allergy though -- I can't imagine not being able to have guacamole!!!

New Food: Avocado

Mila loooooved avocado! And I don't blame her! Who wouldn't love some guacamole for lunch? Mmmmmm. She ate it all! I think it was the smooth texture. The peas and the carrots have been a bit gritty, but the avocado is just so good.

"Guacamole??! Now we're talkin'!"

"Where are the chips?"

"Notice how clean my bib is? I'm not sparing a drop!"

Baby This Week: 34 Weeks Old

As your baby's muscles are becoming stronger, she's apt to lunge forward onto all fours from a sitting position. She may go into a "precrawl" exercise, rocking back and forth on hands and knees with her trunk parallel to the floor. Most babies begin to crawl between 7 and 10 months. A few never crawl at all and bide their time until they're ready to walk!

Your baby's emotions are becoming more obvious. Over the next few months, she may learn to assess and imitate moods and might show the first stirrings of empathy. For instance, if she hears someone crying, she may start crying too. And even though your baby's just beginning to learn about her emotions, she's picking things up from you. Over the many months (and years) to come, your child will likely copy the way she sees you treat people.

By now your baby's emotions are becoming more obvious. She may throw a kiss to familiar people, and even repeat it if you clap in appreciation.

If your baby sleeps in a separate room and gets anxious about nighttime separations, spend some extra cuddle time reading, snuggling, and playing mellow music with her before you put her to bed. Having a regular bedtime routine she can count on will give her the security she needs to make falling asleep easier.

Your baby will appreciate the consistency and predictability of a set pattern every night, and even better, she'll be more relaxed and more likely to go to bed easily. Just make sure you choose something that helps calm your baby instead of riling her up.

While you can certainly start your ritual in the bathroom or the living room, it should end in your baby's bedroom or wherever she sleeps. It's important to teach your baby that her sleeping area is a nice place to be, not just where she's "banished" at bedtime.

Even when you're away from home, stick to your routine as much as possible. It can make it easier for your baby to settle down in an unfamiliar environment.

-BabyCenter.com

This child is going to be running before you know it! ACK!

Patch Pezo

I am so excited that one of my best friends Gaby is in town visiting. I'm so happy she's gotten a chance to meet Mila! Gaby is such an entertainer! Her clown nose is reminscent of the Robin Williams movie, Patch Adams.... too funny!

New Food: Peas

Mila tried peas for the first time! I love her funny faces!!!

"Wahhhhhhhhhhhh! Peas yucky! Wahhhhhhhhh!"

"My foot tastes better than this, Mommy."

"Peas, you gotta go. Pffffff!"

OUCH!!!

I was nursing Mila at bedtime, the lights are dim, the sound machine is lulling me to sleep... when suddenly I'm jolted by this fierce pinching on my boob! She bit me!!! I was so surprised by it that I gasped loudly and it seemed to have scared Mila. She started crying. And not the regular crying, no. This was all-out wailing! I felt awful, I didn't mean to scare her! :( She calmed down after a few minutes though. But, man, that hurt!!!!

Since then, whenever I nurse her, I hold my breath, scared that she'll bite again. But days went by and she was great. She didn't bite at all... then last night she bit me again. THREE TIMES. And HARD! Oh my goodness -- I don't know what to do. I swear, she bit me so hard, I cried! Ugh! It brings back memories of those first few weeks of breastfeeding and how painful it was... I flinch when I think about it! I'd hate to go through that again. It was just awful! 

I referred to my baby reference guide, "The Baby Book" by Dr. Sears and he says instead of pulling baby off the boob, which can then cause more pain because you're scraping the teeth off of the nipple, to pull baby very close to you so it makes it difficult for them to breathe and then they open their mouths and pull off. This also creates an uncomfortable position that will discourage them from doing it again. But it's so counterintuitive! It's like a shark is biting your leg and instead of pulling your leg away, your giving it more of your leg to chew on. Yes, Mila is a shark. This little shark has chomps that rival Jaws. 

I still have yet to actually do that method though. I can't help but pull her off immediately. She bites so hard that I scream. Literally, I yelp! I can't help it! It hurts! She doesn't seem phased by it now, though. She just looks at me, startled. Then I say sternly, "Mila! NO BITING!" I hate that I might sound a bit mean to her, but in that moment, it hurts like hell! And I really need her to know that biting is unacceptable.

Mila, I gotta tell ya. This biting thing -- it's a serious problem. I really hope we can work this out. I've had every intention to continue breastfeeding for at least a year, maybe even 2 years if I can because I know how good it is for you. So I'd hate for our breastfeeding relationship to be cut short because of this. But biting is definitely a deal breaker. Let's try to make it work, ok? No biting Mommy please.  Don't bite the boob that feeds you. Love you!

Mila's Earrings

This morning we got Mila's ear pierced. Jorge and I have been going back and forth on this for months and we finally decided to do it. I had mine pierced when I was a baby and I'm so glad I did. So we thought we'd get Mila's pierced as well. Not to mention that our family has been asking when we're going to get it done! We finally decided to do it a few weeks ago, but then Mila got the sniffles and then she had her vaccine appointment so it kept being delayed. Finally we scheduled it for today. I'd been dreading this day for months! My mom went with me to take Mila.

Last night I barely slept thinking about it. And all morning I had a horrible pit in my stomach knowing we'd be going. Ugh.

We considered going to Claire's to get it done, mostly because they do it all the time and they had a larger earring selection. But we ultimately decided to get it done at the doctor's office instead mostly because we'd have a private room (at Claire's it'd be out in the open) and I knew Mila would be crying, so I wanted some privacy to try to calm her down without feeling like everyone was staring at us.

We left the house early to stop by CVS and pick up some Bacitracin that my friend Spencer recommended. It's an antibacterial ointment that also helps calm the pain. We ended up getting to the doctor's office half an hour early, but they let us in right away. The pit in my stomach was totally making me feel nauseous. Mila was in a good mood -- she had no idea... that is, until the nurse came in. Mila stared at her. The nurse took out some alcohol to wipe her ears and asked us to lay her down on the examining table... and that's when Mila lost it. I think she smelled the alcohol and knew what was coming.  :(

The nurse had to wipe her ears and then was going to mark a dot on each one so she could make sure they would be even. Mila cried the whole time the nurse tried to mark the dot. She knew. Poor thing! We tried sitting her up, putting her in my lap -- nothing! It was awful. Finally, the nurse had to hide behind Mila so that she could calm down. And even then -- Mila kept turning around looking for her because she KNEW she was there. We tried distracting her with her favorite toys but that wasn't really working. Finally, with the nurse crouched down hiding, she was able to finish marking the dots and make sure they were even. All that took like 15 minutes, when it could have easily taken 1 minute and no tears had Mila not been so aware. Ugh -- we should have totally done this sooner!

The actual piercing was bad but it was over in a minute. Of course Mila cried. I almost cried too. She cried for just a couple of minutes afterwards and then she took the boob. She was actually much better as soon as the nurse left! She cried more before the piercing than during or after!

I thought she might be fussy afterwards, or that it might bother her, but I put the Bacitracin on and she's had no problems at all. She took a nap just fine and even though she's a tummy sleeper, it wasn't a problem.

I'm still untying all the knots in my stomach from this morning, but seeing that she's feeling alright, I feel better. I'm glad so glad it's over with! I'm still getting used to seeing her with them, but I think she looks cute. It was rough, but in the end, I'm happy we did it. I think when she gets older she'll be happy she has them, just like I am happy I have mine.

Baby This Week: 33 Weeks Old

Your baby is beginning to understand a lot about how things in his world work. One example is "object permanence" — understanding that an object continues to exist even after it disappears from sight. That's why peekaboo is a favorite game. Similarly, if your baby drops a toy out of her crib or highchair, she may look for it, whereas in the past she cried for the object because it had gone missing.

If your baby is like most at this age, she's showing signs of separation anxiety. Far from being a cause for concern, stranger anxiety is a sign of your baby's growing understanding of the world around her.

Earlier, when you left the room, your baby was hardly phased. Now she knows that you're gone — and she's able to picture you and miss you — and may begin to cry as soon as you're out of her sight.

Your baby's reluctance to be separated from you may delight you or just plain frustrate you at times. If you head out to do an errand and your baby's staying home, shower her with loads of hugs and kisses before you head out the door and tell her you'll be back shortly. She won't understand that you'll be returning in an hour, but the love and affection might comfort her and tide her over until she sees you again.

Also, try to have a ritual of leaving that she can rely on each time you go and leave her with someone she's familiar with. That way, if she can't have Mom or Dad, at least she'll feel happy with her temporary caretaker.

Note: Even if your baby has been sleeping soundly through the night, she may now wake up periodically if she's experiencing separation anxiety — the two seem to be connected.

Teething can start as early as 3 months or as late as 12 months, but most babies sprout their first white caps (typically the two middle teeth on the bottom) between 4 and 7 months of age. Don't be alarmed if your baby has gaps between her pearly whites. Teeth often come up through the gums at odd angles, and spaces commonly disappear by age 3, after all 20 baby teeth have broken through.

Once your baby starts teething, you can expect more drooling and experimenting with sounds as she adjusts to having these strange new things in his mouth.

To ease your baby's discomfort, give her something to chew on, such as a firm rubber teething ring or a cold washcloth. She may also get some relief from eating cold foods such as applesauce or yogurt (if she's eating solids) as the cold may temporarily numb the pain. Giving a baby a hard, unsweetened teething cracker to gnaw on is another time-honored trick. You can also try rubbing your finger over his sore gums or applying an oral pain relief gel.

- BabyCenter.com

Bedtime Routine

Mila's bedtime routine:

Dinner on Daddy's lap.

Then it's bathtime!

Daddy helps me put on my pijamas.

"This is the way we brush our teeth, brush our teeth..."

Mommy brushes my two teeth.

Daddy combs my hair.

Then I pick out two books...

and then Daddy reads them to me. 

Then Daddy sings to me "Everyone Loves Mila" and "The Wheels on the Bus" in spanish. Then we say our goodnights and Mommy dims the lights and puts on our Rockabye Baby CD and Daddy dances with me to the music. Afterwards, Mommy comes in and gives me a night time snack and I'll usually fall asleep on the boob. :)

Then I'm up again because I want to play, but Mommy rocks me back to sleep. I usually do this a couple of times before I fall asleep for good. This drives Mommy and Daddy crazy, but Mommy and Daddy love me so much, they always come and get me and help me fall back asleep. 

Mommy and Daddy rock. :)

Playdate with Saeryn and B!

So sweet! I love these girls!! :)

Playdate with B!

Mila had a playdate with B today! Seriously, how cute are they playing tea time???????!!!

WWYD: Wasp in the Car!

What would you do? Several weeks ago, I was at a Mommy Group and at the end, I packed Mila up into the car and as I was pulling out of the parking spot, when I saw a GIANT wasp in my car -- just above my dashboard. I almost pooped my pants.

Immediately, the first thing that came to mind was Mila in the backseat. What do I do? Do I swat it? What if I miss? Will it fly away and bite Mila??? I'm pulling out into traffic, do I have time to pull back into my spot before it moves??? What do I do?!? Oh, and did I mention I HATE BUGS??????!!!!!!!

So I quickly pulled the car back into the spot -- safety first! The wasp didn't move. It just walked around a bit. I was on the verge of panicking.  I opened the door of the car hoping it would fly out. "Please go away, Mr. Wasp!!!!" I pleaded in my head. I thought, "Should I take Mila out of the car? Or should I just take my chance and swipe it before it flies around? But what if it takes off while I'm getting Mila and comes at us? What if I can't find it? How am I going to drive home not knowing if it's in here or not??"

Then, before I had a chance to do anything, Mr. Wasp flew out the door. Whew. What a relief! I was still so freaked out though! What if I hadn't seen it? What if it started flying around the car while I was on the highway???? What would I have done??? Oh my goodness, I would have totally freaked out. So it got me thinking, what is my plan of action if this happens again? What do I do? What would you do?

I posed this question to my dad, whom I called on my way home after this happened. We started discussing scenarios. So first of all, don't panic. I'd read or heard somewhere that bees get agitated by carbon dioxide and will attack, so not to start panicking and not to breathe out of your mouth. I imagine wasps, being a distant cousin of the bee, may have the same reaction. So no heavy breathing from the mouth. Keep calm. Then, safety is key! A wasp bite is bad, but a car accident is worse. Pulling over would be the wisest thing to do. Don't try to swat at it while driving.

Next, protect Mila! I'd rather it bite me than for it to bite her! Once I pulled over in a safe area, I would open all the car doors and hope it flies out on it's own while I take Mila out of the car.  If it's a safe area, I would take the carseat out and put it next the car. But it has to be safe! If possible, I would take out the stroller and put her in it. Make sure to put the brakes on the stroller! Then the hunt begins for the wasp. Hopefully, after all this time, it would have flown out of the car. Have shoe or Wet One wipe ready! 

So that was my plan. And yesterday, I had the chance to put it into action. I found another wasp in my car.

Fortunately, I had just parked at home and was just about to go take out the stroller, when I saw it on the floor of my front passenger side.  The wasp was crawling around. I stayed calm. I was in a safe area, so I grabbed the car seat with Mila in it and put it on the ground next to the car. Then I took out the stroller and put her in it. Now that I knew she'd be safe, I went to the wasp. It was still crawling around on the floor of my car. I wish I could have spared it... but it had an untimely end with my shoe.

I was actually quite proud of myself. Ask Jorge - I'm no bug killer! I'm usually running away screaming. But this time, my Mommy instincts kicked in and it was Mommy to the rescue! Mila was safe and sound. Until next time, Mr. Wasp. Send your little brothers to get me! I can take 'em!

Baby This Week: 32 Weeks Old

Your baby is learning to recognize emotions and moods, and finding new ways to demonstrate those feelings. One wonderful example: You might start getting kisses. They may be drooly and gummy at first, but they'll be just as sweet! When your baby's bored, you may hear a fretful squawk or an attention-getting squeal.

By now, you may have already told your baby that the telephone isn't a toy, or that rattles aren't for throwing, or that her sister's hair isn't for pulling. At this age, your baby may begin testing your authority by refusing to follow your simple directions. She's not really being disobedient or willful — just curious.

Keep in mind that she simply can't remember things you tell her for more than a couple of seconds at a time. The best tactic is to use a simple "no" and then distract her.

Your baby's beginning to understand how objects relate to one another in three-dimensional space. She may be able to sort toys, grouping smaller items by size. Babies instinctively combine objects by stacking them and, as they get older, trying to fit them inside one another.

If your baby admires her reflection in a mirror and you suddenly appear behind her image, she's likely to turn and look for you instead of believing that you're in the mirror itself.

A simple game of peek-a-boo might be absolutely fascinating to your baby. That's because she's starting to understand object permanence (that an object she can't see can still exist) and loves games in which people or things appear and disappear.

Your baby can now straighten her back and twist her trunk as she sits. This ability enables her to sit for longer periods of play.

- BabyCenter.com

Myths of the Stay-At-Home-Mom

I have a confession. Before having Mila, whenever I thought about stay-at-home-moms, I envisioned lounging around the house, watching tv all day, running errands here and there, sleeping in... I mean, babies sleep all day right? Piece of cake!

Fast forward to the present. When I got pregnant, I didn't plan on being a stay-at-home-mom, but here we are. And let me tell you -- there ain't NOTHING easy about staying at home! It's a lot of work. A lot. Everything that used to take 5 or 10 minutes now takes an hour because you can never start something and finish it. It'll be feeding time or nap time, or baby just wants you to play and you can't leave baby alone. I'm able to clean or take a short break during her 30 minute naps. Then it's back to work feeding/rocking/entertaining the baby! I don't get much time at all to do blogging or design work for Paper Petunia until after she's gone to bed for the night, which can be either at 10:30pm or at midnight. I'm up late doing my own things and then I'm up many times during the night -- these days 2 or three times a night and I can hardly remember what a good night's rest feels like. A good night consists of Mila falling asleep at 10:30pm, and of her only waking up at 1:30am and then again at 7am. That would be heaven! But usually it takes several times of rocking her to get her to fall asleep. Ugh. It get's challenging. And this is 24/7... no days off. It's a tough job. I am in awe of my mom that took care of 2 kids that were 18 months apart! And I'm in even more awe of my grandmother that had 8 kids to raise and take care of! Eeeek! I don't know how they did it. Mila is a handful on her own -- I can't imagine what it'd be like with more! Definitely a challenge!!

I saw this posted this on Facebook, and I thought it was so true. If you're a mom, or know someone who is, you need to read this (click for large version):