Giving

This morning as I was stopping to get gas a girl came up to me and asked if I had some money to spare for gas.  She had to be either in her late teens or early twenties.  She told me that her and her friends ran out of gas and were stranded.  She came up to me after I witnessed her talk to at least four other people pumping gas.  From what I saw she wasn't lucky from everyone else she asked.

I remember what it was like at that age.  GAWD did I just say that?  I sounded so old.  Hah!  I do remember what it was like to wanted to go out and have no money for gas.  I looked through the couch cushions for spare change for gas.  Everyone is hard up for money these days but NO ONE could spare a dollar so some teenagers could get some gas?  I think that is just sad that these days giving to someone in need is so rare.  It wasn't as though I had to worry that she would run out and buy drugs or alcohol with it.  I clearly saw her friends sitting in the car, stuck.  Feeling pretty good, did my good deal for the day.

Where's the Love?

I've noticed a trend on the blogs I follow.  Yes, I really do read the blogs I follow.  I've noticed that the posts have been about negativity towards mothers.  The subjects range from negativity towards breastfeeding, mommy clicks, or otherwise intolerance towards children and mothers in public.  What is the deal people?  Even if the offending person has never fathered/mothered a child or never intends to it's a CHILD!  A child is going to make noise, cry and otherwise act like a child.  Get over it!

I haven't been on the receiving end of this until today.  I brought Izzy to Gymboree for a play and learn class then we headed to Islands for a mommy and me lunch date.  Unfortunately, I didn't think ahead that it would be the lunch rush when we got there.  When we got to the restaurant a group of men suited all their business finery walked through the doors and let them go just as I as walking in behind them.  Really?!?! Did your mom not teach you any manners?  At the very least let me get a hold of it before you let go!  Luckily, I didn't drop Izzy while I scrambled to grab the door before it whacked the back of my daughter's head.  As you can guess I didn't receive any apology just a bland look when I finally got through the door. 

The rest of lunch went okay until the we were almost done.  Izzy was playing with the child's menu.  She was just swinging it back and forth and it slipped from her hands a second before a lady walked by.  The menu fell on the floor in front of her.  She gave me the dirtiest look and let out this explosive sigh.  It was a piece of paper.  Really?!?!  She reacted as if my daughter was flinging poop at her or something?  Did she really think a piece of paper was going to hurt her or soil her shirt?

Have you experienced something like this?  Join in on the conversation.

The Art of Touch

I personally believe that simply touching your child makes a huge difference.  That's a pretty generic statement don't you think?  I'm sure mommies out there are thinking to themselves, "Well, duh!"  What I mean is that I can see the impact even small touches mean to my child.  A pat on the head, the cheek, the hand or whatever body part engages her and she stops to give me eye contact.  I guess you could say that I categorize my parenting style more along the attachment theory.  I co-slept, baby wore, breastfed and I'll even throw in being a SAHM by choice too.  I'm not going to get on a soap box and lecture how you should do it.  I'm just giving my two cents on how I did it. 

She's at the age that it's easier for her to express her feelings and I can see it.  She lights up every time I give her kisses, hug her and basically interact with her.  I love it!  I love seeing her attention fixed on me while she tries to sound out the words I speak or how she jumps on my stomach to get my attention.  I love her baby babble nonsense while she's trying to tell mommy something.  I love how she says "tank too" when she's really trying to say "thank you".  Or how she's starting to say "cheez" when she's trying to repeat "please". 

I especially feel fortunate that I was able to breastfeed her and that I am still able to breastfeed her.  I can not express how close I feel to my little girl with all these one on one times to hold her hand, stare into her eyes, pat her bottom, and smell her toes.  That last one cracks her up for some reason. Where are I going with this post?  This post is all about how much I LOVE being a mommy and cuddling (touching) my child EVERY chance I get.  What little moments have made you stop and reflect on what it's like for you to be a mommy?  Join in on the conversation.

Mean Mommy

What do you do when your bundle of love refuses to take a nap?  It's a vicious circle isn't it?  Depending on their age, babies need at least 2-3 hours of nap time a day.  Mommies you know if your little one misses nap time then they just get to a point that they are frustrated unable to unwind.  If your little on is SO busy playing and exploring that she doesn't want to stop to sleep what do you do?  I would said that my technique changes, daily.  A lot has to do with what's going on and how Izzy is reacting.  Today, I just about had it with the consta-whine. 

So I pulled out "Mean Mommy" and put up all her toys, books, puzzles, etc. out of her reach in her room.  Closed the door and laid down on her bed while she banged on the door, cried and whined for her toys.  I repeated two phrases "No, it's nap time" and "Do you want me to call daddy?"  Yes, I threaten to call her daddy in, hey it works.  It took a little bit of time but she eventually came over to cuddle with me, nursed and is now sleeping peacefully.  I say, whatever works and as long as she gets a nap then I'm happy.  What are your tips when your little is about to blow? 

What's up with March?!?!?

What is up with March? This month my family has been fighting one illness after the other. This past week we all have had a cold, although I was hit the hardest. I swear I've been more sick since I had Izzy then in my lifetime. Okay, that's exaggerating. I'll change that to say I'm sick more frequently now. It seems like we share whatever it is if one of us comes home with something. Sharing in this case is not caring. Izzy lucked out with just a small case of the sniffles, just baby boogies. Mommy on the other hand had the whole gamete of symptoms, congestion, sinus pressure, sore throat, cough, and finally wheezing. This usually happens when I have congestion. I get post nasal drip which makes me cough when in turn aggravates my lungs and I start to wheeze. It was bad enough that I borrowed my hubby's inhaler and he was seriously considering taking me to the ER. Lucky for me it stopped Wed and now I'm just working at getting all this gunk outta my lungs.

I missed blog land a little bit so I wanted to post a little update.  Hopefully, I'll be back to normal by next week and then I can really play with my camera and send my "two cents" out to the world. 

Show and Tell Challenge: Frozen

Inspiration: Frozen

Show:

Tell: Brought my daughter and nephew to the beach to play in the sand.  I love how each grain of sand is clearly visible and the look of concentration on my daughter's face. 

Taken with Nikon D90, 18-105mm ISO 200, S 1/4000, A 4.0

Triple Threat - Pig Tail Version

Published with Blogger-droid v1.6.7

The Window

I have a window and it's a small one.  There is a window of opportunity to put my daughter down for a nap.  If I jump at the first signs that she's tired and all the stars are in alignment that I can usually put her down without too much trouble.  Although, if the dog barks, I rearrange myself, or breath than the little bugger poops right out of half asleep into hyper toddler mode.  How does she do that?  I mean she's tired, go to sleep already.  I saw my window close ten minutes ago.  The blinds were closed, the door was closed, her eyes were closing and her breathing was getting deeper.  Stupid mommy tried to reposition my leg that was falling asleep and the child is now wide awake.  Sigh!  Looks like another day either without a nap or a late nap.  I think I'll try again in 30 minutes.  Have you ever seen you're window closing?  What did you do to tried to get it back?

Traumatized

The past week the majority of my posts have been all about photography but this blog is about mommy hood.  So I feel that I should get back to the basics and post something real.  Tonight my family had dinner at my sister's house.  This was after a day long play date with my nephew Nate.  We had lunch and then went to the park and they had a blast playing in the sand and on the jungle gym.  Izzy had one short nap (approx 1 hour).  It might not sound like a short nap but she only takes one a day and usually knocks out for 2-3 hours in the afternoon.  However, a little boy which I won't be naming names (Nate) decided to throw something at the wall in the next room.  Okay, I'm sure a 15 month old wasn't really throwing stuff at the wall but all I heard were loud bangs so I just have to assume.  Music to my ears, it was not and it woke Izzy out of "knock out status" an hour early.

My hubby drove up after work so after dinner I had to drive the 35 minute commute back home with my tired, cranky little girl.  Wait for it.  Just as we got on the freeway she was screaming bloody murder and did not stop.  Not once, okay maybe to take in racking breaths but it was basically none stop.  I hate hearing my baby cry and was fighting the urge to pull over just to comfort her.  The sane part of my brain keeps telling me that it wasn't safe to pull to the side of the freeway, at night, alone.  That part was also telling me that if I stopped then she probably won't want me to put her don't to keep driving.  I just grit my teeth and keep saying "It's okay baby we're almost home" for THIRTY minutes.  It sure didn't feel like thirty minutes with a screaming baby sitting behind me.

No I'm not sure if it was the trauma from no comfort, the lack of sleep or what but my poor girl hasn't been able to stay asleep.  She's woken up  6 times since I put her down at 8:30 screaming and had to console.  There isn't another reason that I can think of for her to be that way.  She has a dry diaper, cuddling with mommy with access to the boob and yet she's still waking up A LOT.  I just hope that she's able to settle into a deeper sleep for the rest of the night.  Speaking of I should probably go to bed now.  Night mommies!

Photo Project 64: Plum

This week's color over at Project 64 was Plum.

Photo Challenge: Beverage

Which beer do you prefer?

Bottled

From the tap

Photo Challege: Emotions

Frustration

Pure Joy

Photo Challenge: Sun Flare

My sister and I took the kiddos to the park today and I ended up getting some great shots of them playing in the sand. The two below would have been great for the Sun Flare challenge on iheartfaces but I missed the deadline.  Hope you enjoy them.

Pure Joy

Hanging Out

My Photo is Featured!!!!

I woke up to a surprise this morning.  One of my photos was picked and is featured on a photography challenge I entered last week!  Considering that its been less than a month since I pick up photography this is pretty freaking AWESOME!  What a great motivator!  So friends, family, bloggy moms please swing by Simplicity's blog and check it out.  YEAY!  (doing the happy dance)

Mellow Yellow Monday

 

Macro Monday

Midnight Snack

Sweetness

Photography Challenge: Macro

Hello mommies!  I've written in the past about my desire to learn photography.  The main reason is to take better pictures of my daughter as she's growing up.  Up until recently I just grabbed my cell phone and snapped away with results that were based on luck.  I grew tired of the out of focus, over exposed, underexposed, poor pictures that I was getting.  I wanted to look back at these photos when she was older and let them tell her a story.

My journey started with a hand me down Cannon 350D camera from my BIL.  Then came the search for knowledge which I've been picking up little by little.  You can read about the photography classes I took here and here.  Now it's practice through challenging myself.  I found a mommy blog that is all about photography and decided to join in their weekly challenges.

Saturday was beautiful so we took Izzy out for a play date with my nephew at Java Mama.  She ended up falling asleep in the car so my hubby and I ended up having peaceful lunch Bruski Burgers & Beer in Mira Mesa while she slept in her stroller.  So my dilemma was if I should have coffee, water or beer with my meal.  Well, the baby was asleep so mommy "got a yummy in my tummy, so yummy, so yummy".  Tee-hee!



 

Coffee, Water or Beer

Baby is asleep - Yummy for mommy

Do Toddlers Have Flashbacks?

Poor Izzy.  While she was dealing with her stomach bug we had to take a trip into the ED and to her pediatrician's office.  It's a complete understatement saying that it was traumatic for her.  At the ED it was in the middle of the night, we got there at 10 pm and didn't leave to head home until close to 4am.  So first off I had a tired baby on my hands which all you moms know is a recipe for disaster.  Add in vomiting and gas pains it was explosive.  While we were there they needed to take an X-ray of her abdomen and of course the x-ray tech didn't have the room ready so he's moving the overhead equipment while her legs are strapped down to the table and I'm holding down her arms.  She freaked out from all the loud banging.  If that wasn't bad enough they were worried about an obstruction so she had to get an enema too.  I don't think there are children sizes because the applicator looks the same size for adults.

Today was her 18 month check up and she knew where we were once we walked past the waiting room to the offices in the back.  She was terrified it was almost as if she was having flash backs from the week before.  The nurse was just leading us back and she was crying so hard her face was turning red.  Otherwise the check up went well and to make sure she remembers the Dr.'s office is a bad place we left with shot for a souvenir.

So mommies, have you ever seen an instance where your child had a flashback of a place they went to?

40 Days and 40 Nights

I been thinking the past few days on what to give up for Lent.  If I remember correctly Lent is a season of soul-searching, reflection and repentance.  The idea of giving up something for Lent is to repent for our wrong doings during the year.  We're suppose to give up something we do a lot and/or really like.  This year I thought very carefully about what to give up.  I didn't want to choose something that only benefited me.  I wanted to pick something that would also benefit my husband and daughter.  Giving up food items like chocolate, coffee, etc. are things I love and I might end up loosing weight because of it but it wouldn't impact my family directly.  Giving up facebook, twitter, or blogging  might free up more time but I only do these things late at night when my family is asleep.  I would probably get more sleep if I didn't spent time on them but again I don't think it would directly impact my family.

What I decided to give up was laziness and excuses.  That sounds very vague, I know.  Let me explain.  Ever since I had Izzy household chores and errands would suffer because I was too darn tired or it was too much of a hassle packing up Izzy to get them done.  I would say that they fell under the excuses, at first, and now under the laziness.  It negatively affected my family because Izzy missed out on socializing and a change of scenery by getting out of the house and my hubby didn't always have a clean house.  Another example is taking the dog for a walk.  Oscar missed out because he wasn't getting exercise, I wasn't either and my hubby ended up doing it at home.  That falls under laziness.

I see this as an multifaceted benefit.  My to do list will decrease.  My daughter will get more time playing "mommy's helper", get out of the house more and hopefully have more exposure and socialization time.  My dog will get more exercise.  I will get more exercise.  My hubby will have more free time from the slack I pick up.  

So mommies, if you observe Lent, what are you going to give up this year?  What are your two cents? 

Out & About



Stop whinning Nate

 What a great day!  I've been a hermit for the past week nursing my daughter back to her baby babbling, Miss grabby grabby, running amuck toddler self.  Last week she was sick with a stomach bug that had her  vomiting one day and gave her diarrhea for seven days after that.  Well, she hasn't had a diarrhea diaper since 2pm on Sunday so I felt pretty confident to take her out.  Plus, it was a gorgous day in Sunny San Diego with clear skies and a temperature in the low 70's.



Indoors at JavaMama

 We met up with my mom, sister and my nephew for lunch at a pho place in Mira Mesa.  Basically pho is the Vietnamese version of noodle soup and very yummy.  Izzy loves loves her cousin Nate dog.  It might not look like it in this picture but everytime she sees him her face lights up.  She can't stop touching him, holding his hand, patting his head or even trying to feed him.  She sure treats the two month age difference seriously and it sorta seems like she's ready to be a big sister.  You should see her with her dolls.  I'm not sure we're ready to add to our family but it's cute to see Izzy taking on a big sister role with Nate.



Outdoor play

 After lunch we headed to Java Mama in Scripps Ranch.  I'm following @socalwithkids on twitter and she tweeted yesterday about how much fun her family had there.  She was nice enough to forward me the website for more information.  The place is great!  There is an indoor enclosed place area with tons of toys, books, dress up clothing, jungle gym, toy kitchen, etc.  From the hours of 10am-2pm they offer supervised open play time for only $3.50 and an extra $1 for siblings.  What I like about the indoor play was that there were bar stools facing it so Izzy could still see me and feel confident to play.  They have a coffee bar with snacks and pastries as well as wifi.  The also have a huge jungle gym outside with the rubber padding on the ground.  The kids were more interested in walking up and down the stairs then sliding or playing in the tunnels.  This was a great find.  We will definitely go thre again since you can't beat the price.  Thanks @socalwithkids and @JavaMamaCafe.

Things are Looking Up

Yeah!  Today is the first day in a week that I haven't had to clean up vomit or diarrhea.  I'm crossing my fingers and hoping that this continues.  Izzy's appetite has also returned and she's almost eating the same amount during a meal.  She's getting a bit more breast milk and weaning is still on hold to keep up her fluid intake but I can see the light at the end of the tunnel.  Thank you for all the well wishes mommies!

In other new, she has two lower molars coming in and all four canine teeth are visible from the front of the gum line but haven't erupted yet.  As you can guess this has made her extra sensitive to just about everything.  She's be extra clingy and I haven't been able to work on any of my "to do list".  Unfortunately, no go on the Ergo carrier, it had to be mommy's arms only.  Hubby came home to see my partial attempt at cleaning the kitchen.  The good sport he is he rushed out to the drug store for some Oragel, just in case.  I haven't tried any since her first tooth came in but rather opted for chilled teether and gum massagers to distract her from the pain.  I am in the camp to only resort to medication as a last resort.

So mommies, how do you feel about medications?  Tylenol before vaccines? Oragel for teething?  Etc?  What are your two cents?  Join in on the conversation.

On Planet Mars: Toddler Talk Series

A friend of mine recently blogged about the funny things toddlers say. Izzy's not there yet but I thought I would repost this for the other moms out there. Did you toddler say something that made your jaw drop? Or say something that made you bust out laughing? Stop by her blog and join in on the conversation.

On Planet Mars: Toddler Talk Series: "Having a conversation with toddlers in my case my three year old reminds me that the truth hurts. It reminds me of the privilege to speak&n..."

Poop Poop and More Poop

When will the poop end!?!  My little girl is still having a problem with explosive diarrhea.  She's been dealing with a stomach bug since Monday and here we are coming up on another Monday and she's still has it.  It's not just diarrhea but she has bad gas and with it gas pain.  It's hard to see her wake up in the middle of the night crying in pain because of gas.  Her poop diapers are down to once a day but it's still hard on her.  I wouldn't be surprised if she's lost a little over a pound from this.  Plus, I advanced her diet a little too fast.  Bad mommy!  We tried regular meals today which resulted in three diarrhea poops instead of the one.  Ok, back to chicken rice soup.  At least she's sleeping peacefully, for now.

Photography 102

At Barnes & Nobles
Tv 1/80 Av 4.0 ISO 400

I got SO much out of this class.  I actually know what the heck all the buttons are on my camera.  I can say that I now know what aperture, Fstop, ISO and shutter speed mean.  The first, second and third time I heard those words, my brain wondered for a bit.  It was a big HUH?  It was a deer in the headlights moment for  me.  No, I'm not proud of that.  What was the point of having a $300 camera and only using the automatic function.  Actually, it was a little sad that I was telling my camera to do everything for me and my pictures still came out crappy.


In my last few posts I've been writing about photography classes through San Diego Photography Classes.  The 101 class is about ways to make your pictures interesting.  While this one was all about how to use your camera.   Hallelujah!  The price of the class is $50, which is not bad considering the amount of information that was covered.  It was also a hands on class so after each topic we tried it out.  The class covered not only how to use your camera but also how to adjust it to correct potential bad pictures.  Your child is running around the house like a mad man with his diaper in his hand.  No problem, you'll learn how to take incriminating photos to show at his wedding. (Insert evil laugh)  You're inside your house and you keep getting a dark face or whited out face with the flash.  No problem, the class covers that too.

Shooting through the back of a chair
Tv 1/15 Av 4.5 ISO 400

Jason is funny, energetic, knowledgeable, patient and explains things in a easy to understand way.  I don't want this to go to his head if he's reading this post. tee-hee.  I do want you San Diego mommies to check out the class.  It's worth the money and afterward you will know how to use your camera.  When I got home and told my hubby about it he signed up for the 101 &102 this Sat.  He's also hinting at upgrading my camera to a better one.  I personally think he's only saying that so he'll have one to use too.  LMAO!

If you are interested click on the link for his site and let him know that I sent you down. Personally, I think I'm either going to take the "Taking Better Photos Outdoors" or the "Headshot and Portrait" next.

Photography 101

Depth of Field

San Diego mommies do you want to take better pictures of your friends, families and what ever else that catches your eye?  Do you have a camera that you really don't know what all the buttons are for?  Are you a point and shoot photographer that hopes the picture comes out presentable?  I was.  Heck, I didn't even use a real camera I was using my cell phone.  I don't know about you but I wanted to take nicer pictures of my daughter while she was still a baby.  I found a reasonably priced photography class through meetup which I wrote about here.

Repetition

On Saturday, March 5 I went to the 101 class.  Let's just say I LOVED it!  The class had about 15 students with a few no shows.  The instructor was Jason Kirby, he is a professional photographer with years of teaching experience through Ritz Camera and his own company San Diego Photography Class.  Check out his full profile here.  The class was $10, that's it!  He's teaching style was up beat with a few "jokes" thrown in.  Although, I think most of those jokes were unintentional.  It was engaging so I didn't fall asleep with the lights off and the power point going.  Mind you I went into the class sleep deprived and with no coffee on board.  He is very thorough explaining topics and doesn't hesitate stop and go over topics.

Framing

The class was broken down into theory and hands on.  After the topics were covered we went out and tried  them out. The class broke down how "point and shoot" pictures are taken and how you can bring an artistic edge to them.  If you want the nitty gritty, the picture should tell a story and make you look at it twice.  Even if I only took this class I definitely brought back a new way of approaching my camera.  I added a few pictures from the class to this post.  My two cents, this class was worth it.  I would definitely take more classes with them.

Searching for a Photography Class

Have you ever taken a picture and wonder what it was of?  Or thought "Ooo I almost had it!"  I did that  often.  Then again I was using my cell phone to take all my pictures.  It was the closest thing to my hand anytime I saw Izzy doing something cute.  The pictures would come out blurry, too dark, too bright, washed out in some areas or I'd catch a body part and not her.  Don't get me wrong the cell phones these days have pretty good cameras.  My Droid X boasts of a 8 MP camera.  Now all together "oooooo".  That's great and all but I wanted to take good pictures.  I don't expect to be professional level but I just wanted to look back at her childhood and have moments, real moments captured that would bring me back to when it happened.

Cameras are expensive.  Pretty decent beginner cameras are a couple hundred and as a SAHM there was no way I wanted to ask the hubby for something that expensive when:

1. I don't know how to use it
2. Our money is supposed to go for Izzy's stuff
3. SAHM - self explanatory

 The photography gods must have been listening in because my BIL gifted us his camera when he upgraded to a newer one.  Sweeeeettt! It's a pretty nice camera, Canon EOS 350D.

In a previous post I mentioned that I wanted to learn more about photography. I searched the internet for classes that were within a reasonable price range.  I found one through Meetup called the San Diego Photography Classes.  The website was really easy to navigate.  On that site there is information about the instructors, group reviews, calendar of classes, and other media sites you can find more information.  There are two locations in East County Downtown and in Oceanside.  I went to the East County office which was right off the 8 freeway and 70th Street.

Pros - Easy to find a class, not expensive, close to me, pay through Pay Pal, and email notifications for upcoming classes.
Cons - It can be hard to get into the introductory classes and the wait list does not have a numbered list so someone that signs up after you can get an open spot if they respond quicker than you do.

I'll explain more about the classes I took in the following post but if you're interested then check out the site.

Izzy Girl

Hanging with her bud

Izzy has been fighting a stomach bug since Sunday night.  Just a quick recap Monday was all about projectile vomiting.  There was vomit all over the car seat, on her bed, on the carpet, all over me and then some.  I can now say that I know what it feels like to wake up to a spray of vomit on my chest.  It was not pleasant.  We started Tuesday off with poop-plosion.  This diarrhea was so explosive that I did a double take to be sure her diaper was still attached to her bottom. Luckily, the vomiting stopped so we didn't have to deal with it coming out of both ends.  I'm sure Izzy was privately relieved as well.  Wednesday and Thursday more of the same explosive diarrhea.  By now she had her appetite back and was actually feeling good enough to play.  It seems like the old Izzy is back to her antics and this bug is on the way out.  Thank you for all the sweet comments. 

Revamped

Where did the time go?  In between feeding, bathing and putting the baby down I've been trying to revamp the look of my page.  I was messing around with Picnik which is this site that I made the banner with.  In a previous post I mentioned that I'm really bad at html.  I found a blog that explains every step detail with pictures to help even the most clueless (me) people. I hope you like the new look and if you need some help with your layout check out her blog.  I added a link to the right.  :)

Now What?!?

My hubby is a Navy man.  I knew what I was signing up for and was fully prepared to move wherever Uncle Sam told us to.  But GAH! 

Okay, a quick history.  The hubs and I met in 1994.  I was a senior in high school and he was on his very 1st station as a Navy man.  We hit it off for a little over 2 years by then I got into college and we drifted apart.  It happens.  We split on good terms saying that if we ever found each other again then we are the right people for each other.  Fast forward 8 years and through friends of friends we got back in touch.  It only took 3 days of spending time together for us to know that we were each others "ONE".  We got married a year later and have lived in 2 different states and will be celebrating our 6th year of marriage.

The hubs is up for orders.  For the non-military folk it means that 9 months before he leaves the current command he pick his top choices for his next command for 3 months.  If he's selected for a position from one of his choice then great, if not then the Navy picks for him.  This time around has been odd.  We got selected for Hawaii, lost those.  Then we got selected for WA state.  Tonight he comes home and asks "How would you feel if we loose the orders for WA?"  Um WHAT?  Not sure what's going to happen or where we end up next.  I just hope that it some place that has a low cost of living, kid friendly with lots of options for jobs.

Update : Stomach Bug

Morning mommies!  What a difference a good night's sleep makes!  My little Izzy seems like she's almost back to her trouble maker self.  Almost. I'm am relieved to report that she has been able to keep down three feedings and slept about 12 1/2 hours total.  She woke up a few times but I was able to get her back to sleep without too much fuss.  There also has been a lack of projectile vomiting or tossing of any cookies since yesterday afternoon.  Whew! 

That's the end of the good news.  We have evolved to poop-explosion!  She woke up at 8am this morning and was whining.  I wasn't sure what to expect.  I had a towel and lap pads ready for more vomit.  She came over and lean on my shoulders and BOOM!  It was so loud I even bent over to see if her diaper was still attached or if she blew a hole through them.  Poor baby girl is breaking the sound barrier from her derriere.  Oh my goodness, it was all liquid.  There was no form to her stool it was more like a light brown chocolate milk consistency.  Yum!  Oh come on, I'm sure you've seen, smelled and had to deal with the same or worse when your little one was sick.  Sharing is caring right?  HAH!

Okay, so I'm a little delirious I was a little freaked of waking up to an exorcist-like sequel of vomiting.  So every cough, wet sound and/or otherwise movement from my "little" I was wide wake.  All night I was one step from grabbing towels and flipping her onto her side in the likelihood of vomit.

She is playing this morning and interested in eating so I'm cautiously optimistic.  Between us, I preferred diarrhea over vomit.  One is contained while the other can redecorate.   :)  Signing off for now, Izzy wants some "nom nom". 

Stomach Bug

Around 10pm last night Izzy woke up and vomited.  Let me back up.  She's had a problem with constipation that we've been working on since she was 6 months old.  She usually has a bowel movement ever 4-5 days and that's with intervention.  Our pediatrician gave us a few tips like give her benefiber, adding more greens, fluids, melon type fruits to her diet and switching white pastas to whole grain. If it progresses that give her a suppository.  We've done all that.  Last night she had a couple false starts but never had a significant poop.  She was also going on day 7 without one.  I planned to bring her to the Dr. today.  At around 10:30-11pm she vomited 4 times while we were on the way to the ER.  If you've ever been to the ER over night you know the long wait.  It took us 3 1/2 hours to bee seen.  She had an X-ray which showed POOP!  They gave her an enema, traumatic experience for the both of us which gave us 3 1/2 golf ball sized poop.  Whew!

We get her home and she's sleeping and starting to breast feed again when 7:30am massive gas and poop-splotion!  I could chalk that up as remnants of the enema.  However at 12:30, 1 and 1:30pm she's throwing up again.  There's a stomach bug that's going around which I think she's picked up.  She's finally sleeping but we might have to take another trip to the after hours clinic.  My car and house smell like vomit and I personally have experienced "The Excorist-like" projectile vomit.  I'm tired, and waiting for the other shoe to drop.  I hope baby girl gets better soon.

Little Piggies

My 1st Piggies

Izzy is sporting a little mullet.  When she was about 6 months old my hubby took some clippers to her head.  His reasoning was that she had a few bald spots and her hair would grow in evenly.  In the back her hair is past the top of her shoulders while just at the bottom of her ears.  Mini mullet, baby style.  I just picked up these really cute hair pieces and thought, why not.  It's almost long enough for pig tails.  I had to use clips to keep them in place but we're almost there.  I'm looking forward to when I can do her hair.  I love little girls!

Parkway Plaza

Tot Lot

Parkway Plaza is one of the few indoor malls in San Diego.  It doesn't typically rain often and when it does not for long.  Most of the malls are outdoors to take advantage of the nice weather.  When it does rain there are 3 indoor malls, Paradise Valley, Parkway Plaza and North County Fair.  On one of the heavier rain days we packed up Izzy and headed there.  It has three great places for the kiddos. The Tot lot is enclosed by a small wall and there are a few animal shapes that they can climb on, a few wall puzzles.  Izzy is shown at one of them.  It's not huge but a nice spot that moms and sit and relax while they're child plays.  Right next to it is a coin operated spot for motorized train, sports car and one other piece which I don't remember.  On the other side of the tot lot is the second kid friendly area.

This spot is for bigger kids.  Izzy's too young to try it out but I'll describe it for those that are interested.  It's a fenced in area with big motorized animals that you can ride on.  As an adult these  ride come up to about your hip.  Correction, I'm 5'1" so they come up to my hip.  There were no seat belts that I could see but a handle to hold on to at the base of the animal's neck.  There is a vendor that you need to pay before riding. 

merry-go-round

The mall also has a merry-go-round.  It's a two story merry-go-round that is near the front of the mall.  It cost $3 for my to take Izzy and it would have been $5 for my hubby to come with us.  He opted for camera and stroller duty.  She had a blast!  There are seat belts attached to each animal but for added safety I held on to her.  From the moment I put her on she kept trying to pet the kangaroo.  The ride was great not to fast or jarring that would make her sick.  She was smiling the whole time and hugging the kangaroo. 

The best part was that my hubby and I were both able to see her first ride.

UTC Play Area

UTC train ride

Last week almost ever day we tried to do something out of the house.  Due to the rain we basically toured the different malls (indoor and outdoor) that San Diego had to offer.  It wasn't much but it was nice to get out of the house as a family.  We also were able to let Izzy experience 2 new things.  UTC (University Town Center Mall) in La Jolla has a play area that's not too bad but I would have excepted the upkeep better because of the area.  If you're not familiar with La Jolla, it's a more expensive neighborhood to live in.  They did have a miniture train ride that I took her on.  I think the idea was great but the ride itself wasn't.  First, the boy sitting behind us was screaming bloody murder from the moment it took off.  It was freaking all the other kids until the conductor stopped long enough to let him off.  Second, it went pretty fast with sharp, jarring turns.  Even with the belt if I wasn't sitting in front of her using my knees to lock her into place she would had fallen off.  I was even feeling the effects in my neck and feeling a little motion sick.  The play area was grubby.  The mall itself is outdoors so it's exposed to San Diego weather which is generally pretty mild.  Almost all of the features in the play area the wear and tear was easily visible. There was holes and dirt on ever piece.  I was pretty disappointed considering it was a nice mall in an upscale part of town.  I expected that they would keep up with the maintenance.  Izzy had a blast though.  Kids just don't think of all the dangers or yuckies that adults do.  She was having fun watching the big kids run around.  She was particularly drawn to the same blue car.  It was more worn down than the brown one.  The steering wheel was gone and there was  a huge hole in the seat but that was she go to.  All and all not a bad play area but it could have been better and cleaner.

MIA from Blogland

What a week!  I've been caught up with my family that I neglected my blog.  That's ok in my book because isn't this what my blog is about, my family?  My hubby took a rare opportunity to take a week off.  My SIL is having her first baby and we planned to take a family road trip up to northern Cali to attend.  IT was a huge headache planning the logistics of driving on an 8 hour trip with a toddler that hasn't really been traveling.  An adventurous gamble, I know!  Since I am a SAHM we had to figure out how to get us up there without breaking our bank account.  I could not believe the prices of renting a car, well SUV for all the "stuff" we had to bring with us.  Over $400 after taxes and insurance.  Yes, could could have gotten away with a smaller car but packing (Izzy's stuff), all the baby stuff we were giving my SIL and us I didn't want to be crammed on that long drive.  Turns out I didn't have to worry.  I was sick the entire previous week and the night before I our planned trip, a huge storm rolled in.  It rained HARD for almost the whole week.  We ended up canceling our road trip but the bright side of it was we had hubby for a whole week.